Creating Tomorrow

“…Stumbling is not falling….”

(Source: Malcolm X)

~~~

Today, in response to this particular quote from Malcolm X, my Twitter friend @paulusthebrit said: “So true, and falling is not the end.”

How many times have we experienced someone, who - at the first sign something’s not going to be ’smooth sailing’ - simply folds? It seems their fear of failure - or simply “looking stupid” - prevents them from fighting for something they really want. Their personal inner “gremlin” keeps hissing in their ear over and over again, that:

• they can’t do it
• they won’t make it
• it’s not worth it.

So - somewhere along the line - they simply stop trying.

I agree wholeheartedly with what @paulusthebrit said next in our mini-conversation: “‘not trying’ is probably the saddest failing“

There is no guarantee that we will achieve 100% of all of the things we want to be/do/experience/gain in life. What is guaranteed, however, is that each attempt can teach us something valuable towards being more successful the next time we roll up our sleeves to make a serious go at achieving a goal. All we have to do is look for that lesson, and be willing to apply it.

Whether it’s simply a stumble or an out-and-out fall, taking the time to learn - and live - the lesson can prove to be the wings that ultimately allow us to fly.

Read the rest of this entry »

“What is not started today is never finished tomorrow.”

(Source: Johann Wolfgang von Goethe)

How many of us think of a thousand reasons not to begin working on a new goal or project right now? There always seems to be some excuse why we can’t get on board with the program today, so we push back the starting date to yet another tomorrow.

Before you know it, a tomorrow arrives when we would like - no, more urgently: need - that project to be completed or that goal to be accomplished. But there we stand, not even in the starting gate.

Back in February 2008, I wrote a blog entry called  Overcoming Procrastination. It both highlights some of the most sticky traps we procrastinators can fall into (yes, I outed myself as a recovering procrastinator), as well as outlines a few strategies to break through that vicious cycle.

Today I want to pick one of those strategies. Use it - today - to make sure you are on the right path to where you want to be in your business, professional or personal life - tomorrow.

Visualization

• “What do I want the outcome to look like?”

• “How will I feel when the job has been done and is well-received by a (potential) client?”

Turning the answer to these questions into a tangible image in  your mind will raise your energy level and your motivation. By clicking into this vision, as well as the feelings that go along with it, you want to move forward.

So, go ahead. Get started!

“…Listening, not imitation, may be the sincerest form of flattery...”

(Source: Dr. Joyce Brothers)

How many of us get so caught up  in what we plan to say next during a conversation that we fail to really listen to the person who’s doing the talking? Our mind latches on to a word or phrase the other person says, then goes spinning off on its own associative journey. Soon - though we are still looking right at them - our eyes no longer ’see’ the other person as our ears have virtually blocked out more than a wall of sound where their words should be.

Instead we are visualizing how to make our own next ‘killer’ point.

And it’s not necessarily a one-way street. Many conversations that take place nowadays - whether in the workplace, in the home or while riding together on a bus somewhere - are no longer true dialogues, because we are all so busy with what we have to say, that we no longer have time to open ourselves to the other person’s thoughts or opinions.

How many time do we feel it’s more important to make a point than to actually hear what the other person has to say? How many opportunities to truly ‘click’ with another person do we miss out on because of our singular obsession with ourselves?

Today, make an attempt to break that habit by giving someone your undivided attention. 

Instead of preparing your rebuttal before the last syllable leaves their mouth, turn your mind into a clean slate. Let their words, as well as their intonation and body language, really sink in. Open yourself to their enthusiasm or sadness; their joy or their anger.

No, it’s not about subjugating your thoughts or opinions to theirs. It’s about honoring what they have to say in the same way you would like your own thoughts and opinions honored.

“…Success is not something you pursue. Success is something you attract by the person you become…”

(Source: Jim Rohn)

What are YOU attracting into your life - this day, this moment, this hour?