LET NOTHING STOP YOU

Shining your light, doesn't have to cost anything.

It is the gift that you have been given to share the beautiful essence of who you are to the world.  It is through your virtues of character that we see you shine.  Through kindness, patience, persistence, faithfulness, empathy, love, helpfulness and the list goes on.

There are many excuses we can dream up so we don't make an effort to make a difference but the fact is you were put on this earth to love and be loved.   No matter the barriers you are facing right now there are always places to shine your light.

Just be the best version of YOU and let the rest fall into place.

STAND OUT FROM THE CROWD

In the process of pursuing your dreams, it often requires that you step out of your comfort zone.  This is often a place of the unknown and learning to stand beyond the crowd and forge your own way brings with it a new territory of fear to move through.

The interesting thing about moving through fear though is that once you have made the effort, tried something new and settled into a new normal, it is not the unknown anymore.

WHERE THE WIND TAKES YOU.

Sometimes we try and control what happens with our life so much, we forget what the adage,
"Let go and let God" means.   It is often in our moments of letting go and allowing things to happen that something beautifully unexpected happens.

Fear is something that may not be fully conquered but can be managed.

Choose your battles as to what you feel hostage to and start making choices about what can allow yourself to release.

FOLLOW YOUR DREAMS... THEY KNOW THE WAY

Dreaming is important. It really is.  It lights the passion in your belly and hope in your soul.  It fosters creativity and problem solving and it always looks to find solutions.

Dreaming helps to keep steering you in the right direction as to how you want to live your life.

Never underestimate the power of your dreams and, even if you don't have it all figured out, take a moment and enjoy the ride... and the view!

SMOOTH RIDE

Who said life was a smooth ride?  No one did.   Have you ever looked at someone else with envy thinking they "have it all together" and it all just "seems to come so easy for them"?  The truth is, that more often than not, the journey was difficult and full of challenges along the way.

Don't underestimate anyone's journey.

Wisdom is gained through those things that we experience through living.  The things we risk and the things we do to pursue excellence or success.  None of it is ever in vain.   In the end, the blender may be temporary but the outcome in some way shape or form is always smoother.

WILL YOU BE LIMITED BY FEAR?

Regret is an interesting thing.

How will you feel about missing an opportunity in life all because you were too afraid to try?

Ask yourself, "What is the worst that could happen?".

Most times, other than one's pride getting hurt, it is nothing more than a little hit to the confidence level.  But wait! What if it does work out?

Bigger risks are understandable and if you are risk averse it is difficult to make decisions that might feel to much out of your comfort zone.

Just remember to do the rocking chair test and envision your life 20 or 30 years from now.

What if....

TAKE BIG GLORIOUS RISKS

Climb, climb, climb!!

Never be afraid to try.  Dare to risk in order to achieve that accomplishment you have been striving for or to grab that great tasting fruit you have been dreaming about, whatever that is.

Limitations are for the insecure but pushing past limits are for the daring, the optimistic and the true lovers of life.

PREPARATION FOR THIS MOMENT

There is something to be said for tenacity.

That strong commitment to stick to it and win.  To be persistent and build resiliency as you strive for something that is seemingly out of reach at this moment.

There is something to be said about arriving at the place of success, whether it be the new promotion, the sports win, achieving a personal best at something or even welcoming a new child into this world.

Every major milestone in life has smaller events that have happened along the way to prepare you. Whether they are good moments or not so good moments, there is no one I know that would offer to change their journey once they are through it and take time to reflect on their life so far.

Your journey is designed just for you and continues to refine you into the person you are meant to be.

Stick with it. Don't give up and press on! You are preparing for something amazing.

QUALITIES OF A GREAT LEADER

Extraordinary results are often met with an ordinary regime of focus, resiliency and the ability to stick to it.

The best leaders I know are the ones who have experience and intuition about what drives the human spirit.

Stretching yourself out of your comfort zone and experiencing ways in order to stretch your potential, gives you the added bonus and knowledge of what success feels like when you press yourself.

It then gives you the opportunity to transfer those personal triumphs to helping the team you lead experience success also.

BECOMING THE BEST VERSION OF YOU

I have been blogging a lot about developing your personal leadership potential.    I truly believe in experiencing opportunities that allow you to grow and learn new things about yourself.   So many times, people will comment that they want to have a career like mine, or take an adventure or have a future of maybe something they deem I have done. Really it comes down to taking action and there are so many people who inspire me to be doing better as well.

Being willing to be curious about what you could do rather than what you think you can't do is a great place to start.

Through the journey of leading my life in the best way possible, I have also journeyed through fear, doubt, worry and the list goes on. The difference I have found however, is pressing onward and persisting through it.  In seeking my potential, through doing things that may be out of my comfort zone, I always come out on the other side of those limiting emotions and have become wiser as to who I am and my perception of the world around me.

There is nothing that can replace, allowing yourself to have real time life experiences.

Are you going to live life through a book and reading everyone else's posts or will you grab life and start experiencing it on your own terms?

Food for thought...

TRUST IN THE PLAN

Many times as a leader, we encounter many doubts whether it be in our own life or in leading others in our work or volunteer setting.  Learning to have vision and then trusting in that vision to let it fly is a process that you become more mature in the more you practice it.

It is in those moments, when all of the planning is done and the decisions are made, when you just have to let go, let it happen and start.

Too often, we hold tightly to fear and doubt don't we?

Turn that page and start to trust your instinct.  Trust in the process of letting go.

Imagine feeling the wind, the fresh air and the momentum that going forward with something will feel like. And don't forget the joy and the rush of the adventure of doing it with others.  Trust is not only in a plan but it is also in the people with whom you venture with along the way.

THE MOMENT

Change is often painful and hard. Making decisions that you feel in your heart are often times held back because your head continues to doubt your intuition. The best way to move yourself forward out of any situation is to make the decision that change is in fact the best way forward.

If you need to change some things about your work or your life, there is no time like the present to decide that it needs to happen.

Getting out of our way usually 90% of the battle!

THE CHASM

I received this wonderful visual from my friend this morning and it is great illustration of how it feels to move throw those refining moments of making change and growing.

What an adventure life surely is. I know I am constantly changing and evolving and once you make the jump it never feels as hard as what you put yourself thinking about it.