What Are You Building On? Sand or Rock

When building anything in life, don't be so focused in an overnight success.  Quick success doesn't mean sturdy success.  Bumps in the road are to help build us and our endeavors.  It causes us to think outside of the box.  It helps to build are strength and character.  It builds up our endurance and it even makes us appreciate even more what we've created/established.

When things come easy and quickly, it can be like building on sand.  You know how sand feels? It's all soft, mushy.  If you're walking along the beach and a wave comes across your feet, not only can it throw you off balance if the wave is strong enough but the water mixed with the sand can cause your feet to sink.  When there are times that our ventures happen too quickly and it builds a false since of security.  Then when that set back happens we don't necessarily know how to regroup.  There's no prior setbacks in which to refer. It may actually throw you off so much that you begin feeling overwhelmed. It may also lead to giving up just as quickly as you reached that pivitol point of success.

The process of building a strong opportunity, venture, etc is really like building a rock.  Now...let's look at a rock.  How is it formed?  Now without getting too deep, it's due to the accumulation of materials on it or various degrees of pressure or heat.  As these pressures and materials become great, the larger the rock becomes. It's the same premise with anything we desire to build in life.  When we come across those rough days, the pressures of meeting deadlines, and even those moments of failure, we are really in the building phase.  We are building our knowledge, our strength/endurance, our resilience, our preparedness and much more.  We are also paving the way for others who may need our advice.  

It's like my business.  Yes there are people who achieve success quickly and that's wonderful.  We celebrate those quick achievements but never should it be discounted the person that took 3 - 4 years or even more to build that success.  Those persons we celebrate even moreso.  We recognize and celebrate them because despite the longer journey, they didn't give up.  They didn't walk away. The let those set backs be strategies for come backs. I'll never forget recently we had a gentleman who it took 9 years to reach one of the top level positions. A girlfriend/business partner and I were in a restaurant getting a quick meal and we happen to see him after his being carried on the stage.  We asked him was it worth it.  Despite the 9 years, the ups and downs... was it worth it?  Well the corners of his mouth curled upward to reveal a huge smile. His answer was a resounding YES.  He cherished every minute of his journey, it made him a stronger person in the end and he wouldn't change a thing in the world.

So if your venture is not happening over night, remember...  You're building on ROCK!

5 Sure Fire Ways to Launch a Great Day

What you internalize and speak can have a huge impact on your perceptions and the overall progression of your day.  When you get up in the morning, you should make it your personal mission to start your day off with positive energy.  Below are 5 sure fire ways to set the tone of your day.

1.  Words of affirmation - Speak positive things out loud about who you are and where you're going in life.  Speaking and hearing your affirmations help to implant them into your brain and effect your actions.  Simple phrases like:  I'm a success, I love my life, I'm a leader, I'm a winner, I'm a great mother/father, I'm going to have an awesome day!  Speak life into your living.  Also taking time to write them down will also facilitate the solidification of these phrases in your mind.

2.  Prayer or meditation - Find quiet time to prepare your mind.  This time helps to build inner peace.  Invision how great your day is going to be.  Imagine your day filled with successful events and completion of tasks.

3.  Don't turn on the news - Starting your day watching the news where the first 15 minutes of the local news is usually filled with the danger, anger, and tragedies of the community is not the best way to get your day going.  Listening to this can greate great tension before you even step out of the door of your home.  Sometimes these events can linger in your mind.  You then have to work hard to shake off the heavy feelings.

4.  Listen to some upbeat and energetic music.  Play those songs that always leaves you with a great feeling.  One of my pumped up songs is Walking on Sunshine by Katrina and the Waves.

5.  Listen to a motivational speaker like Les Brown, Tony Robbins, Willie Jolley, etc while you're getting ready for the day.    Les Brown is one of my personal favorites because of his bubbly personality and infectious laugh!

A pleasant beginning is the best beginning to a day.  There is no better way for setting the tone then creating a mindset full of positive energy.  So let's get started!!!

Your Lifestyle or Theirs?

It’s amazing how we allow other people to tear down our dreams, hopes and possibilities.  How many ideas have you had that you thought were pretty good?  A business you thought would be right for you?  That outfit that you thought accentuated your best features?  That desire to go back to school and achieve that degree you always wanted?  You had that dream, that vision and you planned it out.  You actually envisioned your success and achievements.  You could see it taking your life, the life of your kids, the life of your family in a positive direction.  Just the mere thought of it pumped you up and made you feel excited and looking forward to the possibilities.  Yes, you even took into consideration the struggles you may have to overcome and you prepared for that because you totally believed in your dream.  You were realistic that bumps can happen along the way.  You were so hyped!  Then….CRASH!  BOOM!  POW!  You hit a brick wall called family members, friends, and for some…even spouse!   Your excitement then becomes deflated and lack luster.  Slowly you allowed doubt to creep in. “Maybe this won’t work”, “maybe I am too old to do this or that”, “maybe this is a waste of my time”, “I must be crazy to think this is possible…what was I thinking?”. 

How did it come to this?!?  Suddenly that dream, that possibility, that hope for the future was replaced with self doubt, negative self talk, and a diminished ray of light.  The possible became the impossible.  At that very moment, that other person’s dreams, or better yet, lack of dreams, became yours.  STOP!  Before you continue down that dismal path, it’s time to assess the person who helped to formulate this doubt.  Where is that person in their life?  Do they have success in general?  Do they have success in their dreams?  Do they even dream?  Are they constantly a negative talker?  Are their views based on your well being or their own fears that have prevented them from pursuing their dreams?  What is that other persons’ lifestyle.  Are they in a perpetual state of robbing Peter to pay Paul? Do you see success or leadership? Could it be simply they actually can see this being a success for you but they think it may cause a change in your relationship and you’ll grow apart from them.  Or could it simply be the person is insecure? 

Always consider the source of information provided to you.  Ensure that it’s for your wellbeing.  I’m not saying only spend time around people who blow your horn by agreeing with everything you do, but make sure there is wise information provided.  Always be willing to seek wise council from people who are going where you’re going or are already there.  They will provide you with the things you truly need to look out for, they will agree when they truly agree, and they will challenge or question you when they can see areas of concern or things you need to pay close attention.  They will give you pointers or caution you for potential issues.

Whatever it is in life, keep in mind that when you buy into someone else’s opinion be prepared to also buy into their lifestyle. 

Changing Isn't So Bad

You can’t expect a change to happen if you aren’t willing to make a change.  A phrase I heard and still sticks in my mind is, “if you keep doing what you’ve been doing, you’ll keep getting what you’ve been getting”.  So many people talk about the need for something different, tired of the same ole routine; but, when it comes to taking steps to make that happen, nothing happens.  Their current situation is like that Linus blanket.  It’s familiar and comfortable.  It molds and fits you.  It’s secure.  But doing what you’ve always done and seeing no change for the better is one word…INSANITY! 

                      

One thing that plays into a “stalemate” existence is the comfort factor.  People want something different but don’t want to be made uncomfortable in the process. Over time, we’ve become a microwave society.  Quick and easy is our motto…the 3 steps to this, cooking made easy, or how about the 10 minute exercise.  All sound good; however, it isn’t about how quickly we arrive but the journey along the way.  It is during the journey, YES, even the difficult and uncomfortable times that we discover our true selves.  We stretch ourselves and find out we can do things that we never imagined.  We take our abilities to another level and end up with something else to add to our list of accomplishments.  We arrive at a place that we never imagined we could.

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Now think about that thing or things you want to accomplish.  And while you’re thinking, ask yourself, what have I done differently to reach that goal and am I any closer now than when I started?  When we aren’t willing to stretch ourselves, we can’t expect success.  Being uncomfortable isn’t a bad thing.  It’s a momentary thing.  You’ll find out over time that the uncomfortable moment becomes less and familiarity increases.  When I started my business, I discovered I was going to eventually do presentations.  My initial thought was how can I avoid it or better yet, maybe things aren’t so bad in my life that I need to do this.  I felt I was doing pretty well not having to stand in front of people and talk.  Why change things now?  But instead of succumbing to the negative self talk, I knew I HAD to do it. Not for anyone else, but for me. The first time I did it, I was a nervous wreck!  But guess what?  I did it.  Yes, it didn’t feel great initially and I stumbled a bit.  But as time progressed and more opportunities to present came my way the uncomfortable feeling was replaced with ease.  Now, not only do I feel comfortable but I even get compliments.  Now I look back and wonder why I didn’t want to do it.

We all have dreams and wishes for ourselves, our families, our businesses; but, without any action, without taking a leap of faith and doing something different, without being momentarily uncomfortable, we are just creating an illusion.  Isn’t change worth it, if it’s for the betterment of family, your financial future, personal and spiritual growth, or renewed since of self?  Isn’t change good if means obtaining spiritual peace, creating a safe environment, having financial stability, having college funds in place for your children, and even saving money on goods and services we use every day.  When you think about it like that, change isn’t quite so bad.