Character consists of what you do on the third or fourth tries. James A. Michener.
Persistence is doing something something again and again until it works.
Tenacity is using new data to make new decisions to find new portals to find new ways to achieve a goal when the old ways didn’t work.
Telemarketers are persistent. Apple is tenacious.
Those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything. George Bernard Shaw.
One of the constants in the wisdom writings is that the willingness to discern something new and remain open-hearted are major requisites on the road to change.
And yet, more often than not, we tend to get in our own way when discernment turns into skepticism.
When we are children, we are full of awe, wonderment and open to everything. Over time, though, when we arrive at adulthood, people and events contrive to stamp out or dampen our inquiring minds and creative juices.
Instead of continuing to be open we learn that to protect ourselves it seems safest to shut ourselves down. Imperceptibly, gradually we slip into convenient, safe comfort zones.
Skeptical stories abound:
The list of negatives and reasons of why you can’t accomplish what you want to do is endless. The process of changing or transforming yourself is never easy.
If you are to transform yourself, to live your dream and be of service to others, beating back skepticism and conquering your fear is a must.
Fear can be a good thing. It forces us to take responsibility for our dreams and translate them into concrete reality. We are all afraid…the trick is to meet your fears head on and to not let them paralyze you.
Allowing yourself to be vulnerable and open to the ‘new’ (people, ideas, value systems, ways of doing things) sometimes can lead to disappointment but your willingness to trust and apply what you learn in the process furthers your personal growth and increases wisdom.
Skepticism is a dream killer. Resolve today to not let it kill yours. You owe to yourself.
Belief is a truth held in the mind. Faith is a fire held in the heart. Joseph Newton.
In the journey of life, being aware of who you are and what you are really all about – living on purpose, if you will – is what can set yon fire, if only you will pay attention.
In our dog-eat-dog world, more often than not, we are so obsessed with taking action, doing instead of being, that we are often unaware of the energy we are radiating – much of it negative in nature.
This can create a toxic cocktail of uncertainty, doubt and mistrust. Many are plagued with constant worries and fear. They have a tendency to lower their expectations in a “what-if” scenario, instead of expecting the best. Often, as a result, the relationships in their personal and in professional lives are often strained and tenuous. Things can go wrong and abundance eludes them. Sound familiar?
It doesn’t have to be that way. Not if you don’t want it to be. External circumstances do not determine your emotional state and energy. You do. Your life is not meant to always be filled struggle, hardship and heaviness. Rather it was meant to be filled with joy, light and ease.
What is your dominant perspective? Pause for a moment and think about it. Are you an optimist or a pessimist? What expectations and beliefs do you hold? Are they big or small? Do they indicate faith and trust or fear and doubt?
You get to decide how you will live your life. This freedom is yours to choose and is always available to you, even when it feels impossible to find a new perspective, one that radiates positive rather than negative energy.
But here’s the thing. That energy can only come from within. The choice is ultimately yours. Which will it be? Negative. Or positive.
In our 24/7, instant everything world it’s not hard to suddenly find that your To Do list has taken over your life
It happens to the best of us when we are constantly trying to accomplish too much in too little time.
If you find that your list is in control of your life, here are three suggestions to help you get a handle on it:
That and good health. Armed with both you’ll get to who you were meant to be.
In his famous, I Have a Dream speech, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. eloquently reminded us that:
“We are faced with the fact, my friends, tomorrow is today. We are confronted with the fierce urgency of now. In this unfolding conundrum of life and history, there is such a thing as being too late. Procrastination is still the thief of time. Life often leaves us standing bare, naked, and dejected with a lost opportunity. The tide in the affairs of men does not remain at flood – it ebbs. We may cry out desperately for time to pause in her passage, but time is adamant to every plea and rushes on. Over the bleached bones and jumbled residues of numerous civilizations are written the pathetic words, “Too late.”
Many of us, from time to time, feel similar sentiments, especially today. We all face barriers and challenges of one kind or another and have setbacks occasionally. That’s how life goes. It’s the familiar dance – one step forward, two steps back.
In the dance of life time waits for no one.
The trick is to keep dancing -with the fierce urgency of now.
For more information, rates, or to set up a meeting:
Email drew@drewsimmie.com or call direct 416.450.8867.
