I must admit, I do agree with what the old adage that what you think and what you speak you become. I have seen first hand when the thrill of riding high on life opens doors to exciting opportunities but have also experienced the flip side of that.
When fear and trepidation make way for discouragement and unbelief. Living in that space becomes a swirling black hole of negativity and self loathing making it a challenging climb out of it.
Dreaming is essentail to leading more effectively. Your hopes and dreams matter. They really do. They are the fuel that sparks the passion and the flame to keep going. Persistence builds resilience and that is so useful in living through the present in the pursuit of the future.
Faith in those things unseen are the key to keeping your hopes high and your defeats minimized. Just because you can't see the final outcome, doesn't mean your steps aren't being directed and your path made straight so keep going and trust the process. You will most assuredly be challenged to learn, grow and embrace new experiences along the way.
I believe the small things matter.
Often times we fail to see the goodness that happens in any given day. The little things that go in our favour, the phone call or message that arrives out of the blue. Maybe it's the bright sunshine bouncing off the water or the misty morning walking.
Find even the small things to be thankful for and you will start to appreciate the bigger things all the more. When you choose to find gratefulness on a daily basis, it will change your life. It will make you happier and more tolerant of those moments that stretch you and challenge you so that you can take it more in stride.
What makes people extraordinary?
Think of someone who inspires you and ask yourself what is it about them that makes you think of them as extraordinary? People who have accomplished great things will most always tell you the same thing. In the beginning it wasn't a big thing. It was an idea from an ordinary person who just happened to make the decision to try. To take action and go the extra mile to see what they could do to make a difference.
Lasting impact never happens overnight but rather it is through a series of small actions, charted progress and a vision for success that makes the difference.
Don't overwhelm yourself with being extraordinary, but embrace that you are an ordinary person trying to do extraordinary things.
Do you feel in a rut? Stuck in a place in life where everything seems unfair and not going your way?
The power of choice can be just the catalyst you need to build new momentum.
More often than not, our inability to move forward is due to the inability to make a decision. Do you feel like you are thrust in the land of indecision right now? That place where it feels like you are completely polarized and at a full stop, uncertain on what the right decision should be. And thus, the perpetual circle of ineffectiveness sets in. Plus, the swirling emotional pull of your confidence going down the drain.
Movement starts when you make the move. It could quite simply just mean making a small decision to get you started. If it feels overwhelming just choose something within your control to show you that you are in fact moving forward.
Success may seem like it happens overnight but it usually takes diligence, consistency and focus and there is always a new path to follow.
Take time to consider your accomplishments; reflecting on what your investment of time and energy have produced. Often times, we judge how we make an impact only by what we can see. Have you ever considered that the investment that you have made far exceeds what you can imagine?
I have been a pioneer my whole adult life. Taking on new projects and starting new innovative initiatives that may not have been done before. There are so many neat experiences that I was involved in starting but not been the one to continue to implement for a long period of time.
You see, I am the ideas person. That comes easily to me. Ideation, then strategy, then execution. Once the idea is running smoothly, than it is time to train up someone else to take over. I have started to reflect on all of those things I have been involved in over my life time and there are hundreds. I am now just realizing the depth and breadth of those efforts are far deeper and wider than I could ever imagine.
Don't ever allow yourself to underestimate the importance of making an effort. For it is in the willingness to expend of your talents, abilities and emotional, financial or physical investment that long term impact is achieved.
Just because you may not be there long term to see the fruits of your labour, doesn't mean the seeds you planted aren't important or recognized. 
The BIG DREAM.
Do you have one and can you stretch your dreaming to make it even bigger? Having the right mindset makes all the difference. After decades of working with people, I have found that their own limiting beliefs are usually what is stopping them for fulfilling what they are called to do.
Whether it be a new career, pursuing an entrepreneurial vision, embracing their God given mission or to just better their potential. The list of possibilities are endless.
I have never been too concerned about material wealth and the purchasing of things but rather more interested in the development of myself. Of what I can take on and learn, accomplish and be successful at and at the end of the day, how those experiences can impact myself and others for the good.
When you dream big, you are willing to try more, do more and seek more of yourself. It is doing those things that wisdom is born and sometimes thrust upon you. Is it always easy?
Absolutely not. When your dreams are in full colour, they become worthy of pursuing. If it a big stretch dream for you, take heart as it will always be met with some resistance (both internally, within your self, such as fear and doubt and externally, such as finances, lack of resources, other people getting in the way, etc..).
That is where passion, resiliency and commitment come in and being able to breathe, smell, hear and almost touch that dream, makes it all worthwhile.
The most incredible discoveries did not happen overnight. They happened trying to solve a problem that hasn't yet been solved. Most discoveries come on the heels of proving what can't be done and then all of a sudden, one day the absolutely best thing happened. They proved what can be done.
You see, innovation is about ruling out possibilities. It is about connecting the dots where there may not be dots yet. It is about opening up your mind and your thinking to the potential of what could be done. Often times, it needs the thinking of more than one person. That collaboration allows viewpoints, knowledge and ideas coming from all different perceptions.
Do you have what you believe is a great idea?
You might just be on the leading edge of something unique and needed in this world. Pursuing advances in innovation also requires having the resiliency and tenacity to stick with it. To learn how to keep at it until the problem is solved.
These are the times, right now, that innovation is evolving faster than we have ever seen it. From technology, to healthcare to business processes, to energy, to our food sources (bio tech); also most ever sector is seeing advances like never before.
There are many problems to be solved. Big ones and even little ones. It all matters. Start with asking questions, many questions before you form any judgements.
The best basis for good research is understanding the problem you are trying to solve and figuring out how to deal with the root of that problem. When you find that root, the most exciting turn of events many happen and this is shifting your perception from a negative problem to a most exciting opportunity.
What would it take you to have the confidence to be bold and assertive with a new idea? It may be something that noone is keen on but you know without a doubt it will bring about positive change? Could you do it?
Maybe it is sitting in a classroom or a training session and not being shy about answering or asking questions. In general the average person doesn't ask enough questions. What would it look like if you challenged yourself to be more inquisitive about life, asking questions to learn and grow with new knowledge. To force yourself to spend time with people to learn about them and to let them learn about you.
What if you could take your positive outlook on life, share your exuberance and dreams for the future and, without worrying about anyone else, start courageously going for it! Racing for the dream and working hard to get there. I know a lot of entrepreneurs who have that passion and a great number of leaders who wished they had the courage to take a leap of faith.
You will never know until you try and the willingness to try is 90% of the battle.
Give it a go!
Standing out from the crowd, isn't so bad.
