It was a pitted day
where little was fit or fulfilled,
peace and calm rose as sunset
but not too rightly willed
a desire to escape (!)
from noise, doubt and sorrow
I began the screen event
with little thought to morrow
but conscience tugged at my brain
here sat the binder full of work
you promised me – the voice said –
this endeavor you would not shirk
“I don’t know what I’m passionate about! How do I find my passion?”
How about starting with a list of things you would do for free? Make a list. Don’t censor yourself.
You can also try to remember what you enjoyed doing when you were eight years old. Add those activities. Nothing is too silly.
I’d love to hear what you come up with. How can you incorporate this into your work?
When you buy a new cell phone with service or sign up with WordPress, you have to sign a contract called “Terms and Conditions” regarding use. Basically, you agree to a set of rules and guidelines in order to use the app/website/service. What they don’t say is that they want to make clear the limits of your use. If you go over certain minutes, a fee is charged. If you call across state lines, another fee. If you don’t pay on time…you get the picture.
As you live your life, you have your own set of Terms and Conditions. There are things you won’t do (most of us won’t risk prison in order to steal groceries). And there are things you will do (work a steady 9 to 5 for a paycheck instead of pursuing your dream of entrepreneurship). You have set limits in how you live your life. Some are important, but others may require re-thinking.
Your life, as it is now, is what you’ve chosen.
It’s an amalgam of your life circumstances and your choices, certainly. But your decisions have been the forks of your life which led you here.
You might argue. You may deny.
But it’s true. And the first step in making things better is to take responsibility for your actions. Learn from your mistakes and move on.
Secondly, be grateful. You are fortunate. If you’re reading this, you have access to the Internet. When you live in a state of gratitude, you’re more likely to attract positivity.
Thirdly, be aware that YOU set the Terms and Conditions of your life.
Don’t like your job? Leave. But, I have to pay the bills….I didn’t get a college degree.
Excuses.
Your girlfriend/boyfriend/spouse is abusive? Leave. But I’m afraid…I don’t want to be alone.
Get over it. (And really, you’d rather be with someone who calls you names than be alone?)
What are the Terms and Conditions of your life? Are any of them limiting you?
Life happens. Your best laid plans can go awry. And that’s OK.
Make sure you schedule the most important thing for the first thing – so you increase the chances of getting it done.
It’s winter, so it’s dark and cold in the morning. But I force myself out of bed, don my workout clothes, and exercise before I face my students. Working out gets my endorphins going and I feel calm the rest of the day. Just about anything can happen and I’ll feel capable of handling it.
“First things first,” is what Stephen Covey always espoused. It’s all about priorities.
What’s the most important thing for you to do tomorrow? How can you ensure that it happens?
I was watching an old (actually, timeless) interview with Quentin Tarantino. He was talking about his life before becoming a film maker. Did you know he worked in a video store? He was a clerk! His old life was very comfortable and he admitted he was pretty happy.
And then he realized he had “something to say.”
He was better than his friends, which was not hard to do, since they were drug addicts with no ambition. He got real. He realized that he could continue to live his life watching free movies behind a counter and be superior to all those around him OR…work towards his dreams of being a filmmaker.
And the rest is history.
Do you have something to say? What one step could you take – NOW – towards your dream?
Do it!
The world is a vast, vast place
Our lives are short, relatively speaking
Keep a wide perspective,
Don’t focus on the small
Do you want to be remembered for your immaculate car and house?
Are you really going to get upset about traffic and a rude co-worker or boss?
Or…do you want to leave a legacy of love and passion?
What you focus on grows.
Yesterday, I was in my leadership class again. My instructor – a highly esteemed retired high school Principal – handed us four packets of interview questions. There must have been 700 questions in there. We started going over a few and discussing possible answers.
I don’t know about you, but just the thought of interviews makes my palms sweat.
I felt really, really nervous at the prospect of having 10-12 people around a table asking me 20 questions. And then he said,
“If you’re really nervous before you go in, you’re not prepared.”
Yes. I knew this to be true. Sure, butterflies are normal. This is your body’s way of preparing you to be on your toes. But the shaky, can’t-think-straight nervousness you feel before you have to perform?
You’re not ready.
So whatever you’re preparing for, work it. Work hard. Put in your hours, your sweat, blood and tears. Do the research, or the workout or the practice. Give it all you’ve got and then surrender.
*Maya Angelou tip: Think of all the people who have ever loved you and the people around who love you now. When you go in for the interview, get on that stage, or go in the boxing ring, call all your loved ones to accompany you.
I fall 1,000 times, I get up 1,001.
There’s a saying I like, although I might change two of the words:
“Winners do what losers won’t.”
I prefer: “Successful people do what the Unrealized won’t.” It’s more wordy … a bit clunky, but I don’t believe anyone is a “winner” or a “loser.” Some people have embraced courage and run with it. Some people are still working on their courage.
Go on. Get up. Help make the world a better place. We need you.
Its not about the money, its about adding value and bringing something to the table.
Peter Sage
There are a lot of mixed signals in our culture about money. One fallacy is that you have to be dishonest or mean to be rich. Another is that your self-worth is linked to your income. Together, this creates a heartless, soulless society. Scary, to say the least.
Mr. Sage once said, “Chasing money is like chasing your tail, it’s never going to happen, because you have to pursue adding value, not money in and of itself.”
I believe that if you pursue something that helps others, the money will follow. We all have tools to self-empower and prosper.
We just need to add value to society with those tools.
It’s not how much money you make,
but how you make your money
that is important.
Kismet 