MAKE SURE YOUR DREAMS ARE IN FULL COLOUR

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.

GROWTH NEEDS TIME TO ESTABLISH

How often do we wish that success could happen right away?

Whether it is for personal or business initiatives, brand building or just community impact, I believe that many times people give up to soon.  It takes time to build your brand and to share your vision.   It is rare to come out of the gate and be an instant success story.  More often than not, it is a series of ideas tried, figuring out what works and what doesn't work and what can be built upon.

Establishing the foundation for growth is a process.

Take the time to really understand your offering and what impact you can make.  How you as the leader can further drive that vision and articulate it clearly; and what tactics/ initiatives can you do, do better do this?

There are so many variables to growing anything.  The one variable that never changes is your passion, your stick-to-it-tiveness and your resiliency to keep pressing on.

Photo Credit: Victoria Craig

OPEN THE DOOR

There are many lessons I have learned in life so far.  One of them is to stop whining about what you don't have but rather start opening doors to what you do want to have.   This was really illustrated to me a number of years ago in watching a very outgoing 21 year old, open the most amazing doors of opportunity, just by being resilient, tenacious and optimistic about what he wanted.

The fact is, it is simple. If you want better health, open that door and get going.  If you want more business, find those doors of opportunity. If you want a career change, the same goes for you.

Will it take time, energy, focus, determination, grit and persistence? You bet!

For anything worth having is worth working for.

LEADERSHIP THROUGH SERVICE

Did you know the main person usually standing in the way between fulfilling your dreams and where you are right now is You?

Many many years ago my husband and I made the decision to go and serve the world wherever we were planted. If that meant moving, so be it, as long as we were doing work that mattered.  We collectively decided to say "yes" and ask God to use our talents and our gifts accordingly and to provide opportunities to be of service.  The last 16 years have brought incredible experiences, opportunities and of course learning and refining for us as individuals and as a family. Sometimes easy and yes, sometimes challenging.  Sometimes frustrating and many more times joyful and fulfilling. All of it worth throughout the journey so far has offered many lessons and a myriad of memories.

Isaiah 6:8 "Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" And I said, "Here am I. Send me!"

All it takes to start is the willingness to say Yes and then the obedience to take action.
The best leadership skills you will ever learn is to be of service to others.

HELPING OTHERS SOAR TO NEW HEIGHTS

When you take time to care about others, with no personal agenda but with a posture of love only, it is amazing the impact you can have on the lives of others.  

One of the most recognizable quotes from the bible is from 1st Corinthians.       It summarizes what an act of pure love looks like.

1 Corinthians 13:4-8

New Living Translation (NLT)

Love is patient and kind. 

Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. 

It does not demand its own way. 

It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. 

It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. 

Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.

What are you giving up on that you should be pressing through?  

Are you taking offence to things that have nothing to do with you or if they do, can you take the high road and be the bigger person? 

Showing love comes in many different forms.  Do not be self serving but rather use the gift of love to be of encouragement and of good will to others. 

It will change your life as much as it will change another.

THE POWER OF ONE

It only takes one person to make a difference, one idea to change the world, one moment to build a memory and the list goes on.

Those ideas that are in your head and almost a whisper, may be the idea that changes your life.   The prompting that you feel to reach out to someone could be the exact moment they need to hear from you.

You are destined for great things however it always starts with one.   One step, one decision and the list goes on.  Never underestimate the power that you have and understand that one day you may wake up and realize you should have followed that one dream you always said you would fulfill.

What is just one thing that you could tackle today?  Dare you!

LOYALTY AS AN OFFERING

Loyalty is an offering that is given by one person to another person, company or a cause.

In this day and age, loyalty seems to be a rare gift that one should not take for granted but respect and hold on to.  One who commits to being loyal is someone who has made the decision to stay dedicated no matter what. Loyalty demands no exception.

If you are so fortunate to have loyalty extended to you, remember, handle with care.  In this day and age, it is a rare and priceless gift.