“Many of our ideas have the potential to help us create the lives we want. We just have to act on them.”
Thinking logically can reduce mistakes. Too much logic though can keep us from being creative and stop us from taking necessary risks.
To become the person we dream of being we have to be willing to take risks and act on what we think are great ideas when they come to us.
Being able to accomplish a worth task or not is usually determined by whether we believe we can or not.
“We must remember that little voice in our head that tells us we can or can’t do something is only right when we choose to believe what it is telling us.”
As doubt, fear, or negative thoughts enter our mind we must do our best to remove and replace them with confidence, faith, and positive thoughts.
It is the first day of January and the first day of the new year.
“The dawning of a new day has the potential to wash away the worries of yesterday and replace them with the hope of a better today and a brighter future.”
Today is a new day! No matter what happened yesterday, last week, or last year today is what we make it and has the potential to be great. Let’s take advantage of the time we have today to do the things that have the potential to help us become a better version of ourselves and create the future that we want for us and those around us.
Each and every one of us has been through some stuff and experienced struggles at different times in our lives.
Sometimes later in life we may feel those struggles disqualify us from being capable of doing something we previously struggled with or helping others faced with similar challenges.
However, I believe some of the struggles we go through early in our lives are meant to teach us how to face and overcome them so that we can help others do the same when we are older.
If this is true the things that may make us feel disqualified might actually be what make us qualified.
“Some of the struggles we go through early in our lives are meant to teach us how to face and overcome them so that we can help others do the same when we are older.”
We are each a representation of 3 different people. The person we were, the person we are, and the person we have the potential to become.
Remember your past
Our past is very valuable. It is full of many different experiences and lessons learned over the years that have helped shape us to become who we are today. We should do our best to remember and learn from every experience we have in life. The good ones and the not so good ones alike. They will help us to try and avoid our previous mistakes while also trying to replicate our past successes.
“Reflecting on our past and possible future helps us to leverage our experiences as we prepare for what is ahead of us.”
Plan for your future
It is important that we each have an idea of what we want our future to look like and the person we hope to one day become. We must also set goals and create plans that will help us work towards making it a reality. With a target to aim at we usually hit it or come very close. However, when there is no target we always seem to come up short. Our life, the people we care about, and those that we set an example for are too important to have our futures be left up to chance.
“Taking the time to consider what may be ahead for us helps to make sure we appropriately plan and prepare for it.”
Live for today
We are able to make the biggest difference where we are, not where we’ve been or where we are going. Every day is filled with new opportunities and experiences to learn from and grow towards becoming a better version of ourselves. We just need to recognize and be open to them. What we do today will help to shape who we will become tomorrow, next week, next year, and in the future.
“To accomplish everything we hope to in life we can’t wait for the perfect time to take action. We have to start right where we are now.”
Remember your past, plan for your future, and live for today. On a daily basis we each should be working towards becoming better.
The desire to do something can be strong at times and hard to ignore. Especially when it’s pushing or pulling us towards doing something we feel we are meant to do.
For several months I have started to feel like I am meant to do more. Not in the form of regret but I keep getting signs or experiencing things that inspire me and give me a level of energy that can seem intoxicating.
There have been multiple instances or things to trigger this feeling. Meeting someone new and a conversation we have, going somewhere I haven’t been before, reading something, seeing a piece of art, the right scenery, recognizing change or growth in someone, a project at work, etc. The list has been endless.
It’s making it hard for me to ignore and I honestly don’t want to because it’s motivating me to get up earlier, inspiring me to do things I have only thought about before, and I feel like I have a tremendous amount of energy.
This has happened to me so much lately that I think it must be a sign. The challenge for me is understanding it enough to interpret what it’s trying to tell me to do. That way I make the appropriate decisions and take the right actions.
For the longest time I thought I had some big decisions I needed to make or there was some significant thing I needed to do or accomplish. However, the more I think about it I don’t believe I am being called to do one big significant thing. Instead I believe I am being called to live a life of significance.
The greatest of achievements rarely happen in an instance. They happen over a long period of time built from many smaller acts or decisions. Created from past successes and failures alike.
In order for me to live a life of significance I need to regularly work towards becoming the best version of myself physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. I also need to try and be in the moment and aware to experience and learn as much as I can, be a positive example and influence on those around me, and hopefully make a positive difference in the world.
We all have the potential to change and be different if we are willing to do what it takes. It is not easy though, for us or those around us.
Several years ago I either read or heard someone say that change was hard and usually the only person that likes change is the person who came up with it.
From my own personal experience I agree that it can be very challenging to change ourselves or to get someone else to embrace change. This is true in both our professional and personal lives. It can also be very difficult to recognize the change someone has made in themselves.
A months ago I was attending a seminar where I got to hear several different people share their experiences and thoughts on different topics. Some of the individuals speaking at the event I worked with and knew well.
One of them I knew for many years and thought very highly of. It was great to see them up there sharing their knowledge in an effort to help others grow and learn from their own experiences.
Another one I knew for only a couple of years and often found myself feeling conflicted when they spoke and with what they shared. I liked what they were saying, however I kept feeling skeptical and questioning whether I believed what they were telling us or if they were saying what they thought we wanted to hear.
Eventually I had to stop and ask myself why I was being this way. I found it was mostly due to the fact it didn’t sound like the same person I had worked with. Having worked with and known them I didn’t feel they were being authentic.
On the surface that could have been enough for me to justify what I was feeling. I couldn’t let it go though. I started looking deeper and considering what else I could observe. They definitely sounded and looked different.
Once I really looked beneath the surface and thought about the person they were when I first met and started working with them, the person they were during the couple of years we worked together, and the person they appear to be since leaving my organization I had a much different perspective.
They had changed. They had learned and grown from the different experiences they had and were better for it. I was just having a difficult time seeing who they are now because I know who they used to be.
It is very hard to recognize or accept someone has changed. Especially when they are in the midst of the transformation. We often want to question the authenticity or believe they can change at all. It can take a lot of time before we want to believe it is real and often if there are any lapses or setbacks we are quick to point them out.
Due to all the challenges and struggles that come with changing who we are and overcoming others believing or supporting us sometimes the best thing to do is start by changing our environment. That could mean the group of people we regularly spend time with, it could mean changing jobs, and it could also mean moving to somewhere else. None of these are easy decisions to make and may be difficult to do as well. However, I have done them all myself at different times in my life and believe they have helped me to change, grow, and get closer to being the person I hope to be.
“Life is a long journey and along the way we learn, grow, and at times have to change in order to become the person we are meant to be.”
“Significant change will cause both nervousness and excitement. We can choose to allow it to overwhelm us or motivate us. It’s our choice.”
“Most people will adjust to the environment around them if given the opportunity.”
“The desire to change must happen within before it can begin.”
“All significant changes require making a shift on the inside. Especially if we hope for it to be lasting.”
“To be the person we dream of becoming sometimes we have to first be willing to stop being the person we used to be.”
It was the middle of the day, I was sitting in my office, and I didn’t know what to do. The door was closed, the blinds were shut, and I just sat there struggling to move. I felt paralyzed.
I recently got off a call where I was asked for an update on a project that appeared to be stalled. My email was filling up with many requests for assistance on different things. I had several people reaching out to me over Skype. I also had a calendar full of meetings and activities that I knew I couldn’t possibly get to.
I was feeling a lot of pressure from multiple people and commitments and it was overwhelming.
Part of me wanted to jump in and do everything I could to complete as much as possible even knowing it wasn’t possible to do it all and I was not going to be able to give my best quality of work.
Another part of me felt the urge to just do nothing because I knew it was impossible to do everything that was being asked of me.
In that moment of indecision, I felt paralyzed. I knew neither was the right answer and I also knew I would not be proud of myself if I willingly chose one of the two options.
I was in a fight or flight situation and instead of choosing a direction I just froze, and I felt miserable.
As I sat there feeling hopeless I did the only thing I could think of. I did my best to just breathe, quiet the noise both around me and in my head, and then I asked myself what was the most important thing that needed my attention at that moment and what could I honestly do about it.
After I decided on an area and what I believed I needed to do I focused all my attention on it until I felt I made adequate progress. Then I took an honest assessment of what else needed my attention, prioritized them, and started on the next.
By the end of the day I had made progress on several of the projects I was working on. I did not get everything done. However, I was able to leave knowing I did what I could with the amount of time I had and sometimes that’s all we can do. Tomorrow is another day.
We are all faced with challenges and can feel extremely overwhelmed at times. This was not the first time for me to feel the way I did, and I am positive it will not be the last. Here is a list of some of the things I try to remind myself when I find myself in this type of situation.
“We all feel overwhelmed at times. Sometimes all you can do is prioritize and focus on the things that are the most important at the time.”
“When we’re overextended and have too much to do the smallest of tasks can seem overwhelming. To overcome this we have to prioritize.”
“There is usually not enough time to do everything we want each day. We must identify what must get done and plan our time wisely.”
“Spending too much time stressing over the things we don’t have time for will keep us from focusing on accomplishing the things we can.”
“Instead of complaining about not having enough time to do everything focus your efforts on using what time you have to do what matters most.”
“Sometimes you have to remove all of the noise going on around you and get really focused on what is the most important in the moment.”
Most of us live very busy, fast paced, and at times stressful lives. We often find ourselves in such a rush that we don’t pay attention to who or what is going on around us. This can influence how we feel in the moment, how we present ourselves, and also have an impact on those around us whether we know them or not.
I had just gotten out of my car and was about to walk across the Chick-fil-a parking lot when I noticed a car backing up in the drive thru. I stopped so I was not in their way and watched as they turned and pulled forward to park. The drive thru line was pretty long so I assumed they were in a hurry and decided to go inside since there were less people in line in the lobby.
As I passed by the lady who was driving was getting out of her car while talking on the phone. Since I made it to the door first I decided to hold it open for her. This appeared to surprise her. She smiled, said “Thank you,” and walked through the doorway.
After walking through myself I found her just standing in front of the second set of doors still talking on the phone. As I approached she said “I liked that and decided to wait for you to do it again.” I smiled and opened the second door for her.
“Never underestimate the impact that a small act of kindness can have on someone else and their life.”
Once inside a register was open with no one waiting and she offered to let me go in front of her. I told her “No that is ok you go ahead.” She thanked me and ordered her food.
When it was my turn I kindly greeted the person behind the register, let them know what I wanted, and paid for it. My order was pretty simple so I did not have to wait. They got it for me immediately, I thanked them, we wished each other a great day, and I turned to walk towards the door and leave.
On my way out I had to walk by the lady on the phone as she waited for her order. She was still on the phone talking but as she saw me reach for the door she yelled out “Have a great day!”
I turned to look at her and with a smile on my face said “Thank you! I hope you have a great day also!”
“If you are having a tough day and want to feel better do something nice for someone else. Helping others will lift your spirits.”
Walking to my car I found myself deep in thought. Thinking about how good I felt in that moment and the difference a kind gesture, a smile, and a few kind words can have on us, our day, and others.
“This week try to greet everyone you know by looking them in the eye, smiling, and offering them a few kind words when you see them.”
It’s 5:30 AM and the alarm on my phone is going off. As I reach over and turned it off I look out the window and see exactly what I expect. It’s dark!
Usually that’s when that little voice in my head starts to speak up and say things like “it’s too early, you’re tired, sleep a little longer, you don’t have to run this morning, you can workout later, take the day off,” and other similar thoughts that have the potential to keep me from getting up and facing what is in front of me.
This is not something new for me. There have been many days where I have tried to talk myself out of an early morning workout. Actually I feel like this happens on a pretty regular basis. To my regret some days I listen. Luckily most days I am able to remind myself why it is I get up so early in the morning and get in a good workout. On this particular day I did not have to though.
After turning off the alarm I immediately rolled over and the first thought that came into my head were not the usually negative ones. It was a single statement.
“Rise up to face and overcome the challenge that is in front of you this morning.”
I am not sure why that is the first thing I thought of but it motivated me to get up without hesitation, get ready, and go out for a nice early 5 mile run.
“As we rise to face the challenge that is in front of us we are one step closer to becoming the person we are meant to be.”
 | Sondra Pennington on Fear can be our Enemy or our… |
 | A Silent Spectator on Purpose |
 | Calvin Duncan on Priority |
 | samjsanderson on Focus |
| Calvin Duncan on Faith |
Willie Ryder - A Dreamer on a Journey 