A defining moment

You can never cross the ocean unless you have the courage to lose sight of the shore - Christopher Columbus.

I love this quote because of what it represents. Columbus, as we know, was ridicule for believing that the world was round. He was ostracized for having a belief that was not consistent with others. His desire to set forth on an idea that at the time was radical should be inspirational.

How often do you think people are discouraged from pursuing their dreams? I am going to say every moment of the day someone is being told "you can't do that" or "it will never work". When faced with negative support, do you believe in your goal or dream? Do you have the courage to continue to follow your plan in achieving your goal? Perseverance and persistence will never emerge if you first do not believe. Motivation will not help you if you do not believe. The ability to not accept failure will not happen unless you believe.

You must have self-esteem. You must have self-confidence. You must believe in your abilities. You must believe in yourself. If you don't believe in you then who will? Your confidence has to be as strong as your desire. You have to be able to take the risk. Fear is always present but be not afraid. If you truly desire to reach your goal, believe in you. Believe in you. Courage and every other positive attribute will come to your aid. Believe in you.

Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm - Winston Churchill

BELIEVE IN YOU!

How committed are you?

Sometimes people don't quit because they failed, they quit because they were distracted. Imagine that you want to start a business. Your business is centered on something you enjoy doing so much you could do it for free. Now you have a job to make a living while you get your business started. The goal is to generate enough income from your business that you are able to leave your job. Along the way, you get offered a promotion at your job. It provides immediate gratification: recognition, more money (possibly), better work time, more responsibility just to name a few. The problem: your job is not what you want to do for the rest of your life. So now you are faced with a decision or distraction.

When pursuing our goals there are two types of obstacles that you will face. The two obstacles are negative and positive. The negative obstacles are visible and recognizable. Negative obstacles test your desire. The positive obstacles are not as recognizable. Positive obstacles test your commitment. Distractions are considered positive obstacles.

A negative obstacle will offer some type of opposition to you pursuing your goal. Negative obstacles will present adversity that you will need to overcome. Negative obstacles test your desire in doing what ever it takes to achieve your goal. Your desire and positive attitude in the face of negative obstacles will propel you to your success.

A positive obstacle will offer an alternative to your desired goal. It will present a situation having the appearance of prosperity or profitability. It will be attractive and appealing because of immediate gratification. It is an obstacle because if chosen it will prevent you from achieving your goal. It will test your commitment to your goal. Commitment to achieving your goal is the only way to get pass positive obstacles.

Whether it's positive or negative, obstacles prevent you from achieving your goals. Regardless of what you face you have to a burning desire and total commitment in achieving your goal. Don't let distractions fool you. They detour you from your goal and sometimes people never get back on track.

This is your time. Are you committed?

Uncomfort zone

Playing it safe is the most popular way to fail - Elliott Smith

In order to achieve your goals, you sometimes have to get out of your comfort zone. It may be hard. You may think that it is not necessary. If you indeed are serious about being successful, you will have to enter into the uncomfort zone. It's only uncomfort until you have expanded your thinking. Being open-minded allows you to take risks. When we remain in our comfort zone, we will not reach our potential. I recognized through self-analysis that I was shy. I was happy and content working by myself.  In order for me to get to where I wanted to go though, I had to break out of my shyness. I put myself in situations that would force me to interact, engage and collaborate with others. Taking myself out of my comfort zone helped me to develop my interpersonal skills. As I pursue my goals, I'm constantly having to get out of my comfort zone. It is developing me as a person. It is pushing me ever so close to my goals. You must recognize areas that are essential to reaching your goals that are not in your comfort zone. Believe in yourself and the commitment you have made to your success. At that point, enter the uncomfort zone.