GET PUBLISHED IN SUCCESS:
We are working on our August 2009 issue which is themed - Overcoming Obstacles.
Here is what we want to know…
Have these challenging times provided a wake-up call for you? Has it given you a hard, long look in the mirror? What changes has it caused you to make?
Have those changes had a positive impact on your life, such as renewed focus and appreciation for your family, a grounding and strengthening of your relationships, the creation of a more efficient, thus profitable business, a return of attention to your health, the development of a healthier and wiser attitude toward wealth?
Tell us the positive impact the challenge of the past two years has had on your life. Write your comments in the section below…
21 Responses
Sourav Ghosh
06/May/2009 1Past two years I was doing my Engineering. I always have been very good in studies, hence parents never let me think beyond job, atmost they wanted me to work for NASA or ISRO. I had never thought either what I really wanted to do in my life. But after getting admission in engineering college and seeing the real picture of the jobmarket in this changing economy I thought ‘Even if I win the rat race, I will still be a rat!’. So inspite of having great resistance from the family, I joined a wonderful Network Marketing Company eBIZ.com Pvt. Ltd. in my 2nd year of Engineering. And life became absolutely wonderful. At the age of 19 I got the taste of being an Entrepreneur. Thanks to ebiz.com leaders, I started learning to dream big, to have wealth education. I started reading every good books on success, started attending leadership seminars. What I got most is Inner Peace. I felt wonderful doing what I really wanted to do. I started building my Network in West Bengal, and teaching them everything I was learning. In my India, very few people dare to dream big. So when you see, some guy from village dreaming big, & taking action, being inspired by you, you can feel that real success comes from making others successful.
This changing economy had made this studious,middlecast, self-centered guy a dreamer, innovator, motivator, professional speaker, leadership & HR trainer, an Entrepreneur at the age of 21! So this changing economy came to me as blessing. And what’s best? It taught me to worry less, live more. People around me says today ” how can you always have smile on your face!”. Secret? You know-following your heart!
Sourav Ghosh
Bryan Hefner
06/May/2009 2The current downturn has been both a wake-up call and a blessing. I went part time with my employer in April and have pulled my own business off the back burner and have begun to build a team and push our activity level through the roof. The 40+ hour weekly grind was getting to me, so when my employer closed our local office, I saw it as an opportunity to make a transition to ownership. I still support some of the work I did before part-time as a remote employee (I love technology!) but my main focus is getting better and growing my business. I have also been able to help others who have found themselves in similar situations make a transition into owning their own lives. There is tremendous opportunity out there when you look for it!
Brett Oyer
06/May/2009 32 years ago I was introduced to a leadership development organization (TEAM). Their system has made a life changing impact in me and my wife’s thinking and life. After my wife and I really plugged into the leadership, motivation, success principles, and personal development, it pulled the Greatness and hunger out of us. Just recently (4 weeks ago) I was laid off from my job as a Mechanical Engineer in the Auto Industry and 2 weeks after that my wife was laid off as a Chemical Lab Manager in the Auto Industry. From the information that we have learned, we are moving forward towards our goals and Dreams and we are not participating in the challanging economic situation today.
Jim Moens
06/May/2009 4Late last year, right in the thick of the holiday season, I lost my job (due to illegal actions on the part of my employer) and the love of my life (neither my fault nor hers… just life). I saw a bright future with both and both were gone within weeks of each other.
I knew it was going to be tough to find a new job in this rather dicey economy… in fact, it was more accurate to say I was looking for a new career, as I was determined to leave my former profession of recruiting behind. I knew I was going to be experiencing some rough seas emotionally as I tried to overcome the hurt of my romantic misadventure. I thought about that quote by Friederich Nietzche… “that which does not kill you makes you stronger”. I made that my mantra as I set about to reengineer and repair my life. I was determined not to let all that had happened to me break me. In fact, quite the opposite happened… I became a stronger, more positive, disciplined and assertive person.
I used the time available to me to the best advantage possible. I used those ideas that you read about in Success magazine and self-improvement books… positive thinking, optimism, time management, discipline… and found they really work. I looked for that new career, certainly, but I also worked very hard at getting more fit, both emotionally and physically. Best of all I started seriously pursuing my long-held dream of becoming a freelance writer. I completed one novel (those who have read it enjoyed it very much), started on a second novel and managed to get one of my short stories published. I have recently gotten a new job, in sales at a software company, a place full of opportunity where I get treated quite well… I was even complimented by the CEO the other day! As for the romantic part of the equation… well, let’s just say that I have largely moved on emotionally and I have vastly more bad days than good.
I’ve been able to not only overcome the obstacles presented to me, but I have made it through the gauntlet relatively unscathed and as a better person with a far, far higher quality of life. I say this not to brag. I say this to remind anyone out there who’s circumstances are not the best that they can do as I did.
Shamar Hamilton
06/May/2009 5I feel that when the economy is good, spending is good. Everyone is doing their own thing. We are obliviously going through life without many worries. We are confident. For the most part, we are taking care of the things we need to and even sometimes taking things for granted.
However, now that the economy is bad it has forced me to solidify the relationship I have with my family. We communicate more on how things are going, and on a day-to-day basis we look at our financial condition. Now we are sticking closer to a budget that we can effectively use in any economic condition. We cut back where needed, and we strategically spend on necessities (personal/business) also when needed. I have stopped and smelled the flowers, so to speak, I am very grateful for what I have. I focus more on my work performance and that allows my employer the freedom to expand in other areas. I have also been able to start my own small home-based business that helps people financially and it helps them get through this temporary rough path in their life. The bad economy has allowed me to open my eyes to opportunities that are really out there in helping people save their homes and still enhance their financial lifestyle. I have established a business coaching call that I host along with some of my other friends and business associates, and on this call we focus on reading positive inspirational business building books that keep us all focused and on top of our game.
We realize that many people are scared, so we invite others to listen in and hopefully it helps them to start thinking positively and not just allowing the negative factors get to them and keep them down. I tell my wife and kids I love you each and everyday. I pray several times a day for the life I have, opportunities I can share with others and the power to keep plowing through the wreckage.
Amy Renee Armstrong
06/May/2009 6My desire is for our Country to positively prosper indeed… however, while we are on the mend, I have resolved to do my best to stay positive and hopeful. I believe personal responsibility is a key factor for us all to experience a wonderful life individually and ultimately collectively.
The state of our economy has caused me to pause, assess and address the areas of my life that are in need of change; financial and otherwise. I’ve made a personal resolution to do what I can to proactively impact my life and circle of influence; to do what I can, where I am, with what I have (not an original thought, however a good one). I am on a quest to save money, spend wisely, give responsibly, take better care of my health, pay closer attention to my loved ones and my relationship with God.
I am thankful for the many inspiring people who have made it their business to uplift others; making my mission to live in faith for a better tomorrow so much easier… thanks. God’s very best to U.S all, Amy R Armstrong of Sunnyvale CA.
Dahlia Corella
07/May/2009 7In a recent interview that you conducted with Tony Hawks he made a very important point about starting a business in a down economy. He stated that it was a good thing because one can be poised to move forward when the upswing in the economy does come. And it will come. Those that wait until the economy is better are way behind in start-up strategies and thus not as capable to quickly grasp the renewed economy. I took that advice very seriously!
Being a fan of Network Marketing or MLM, I am working very hard at preparing for the upswing in the economy. I am involved in a few companies and they offer fantastic products for the current economy. As people begin to see the advantage of what I have to offer in the way of helping themselves recover from the economic slump, they will gain greatly needed assistance to weather the hard times. One of my offerings is that of credit restoration. There is no better time than now when credit is tight and people need the best credit scores possible to qualify for mortgages, car loans, and personal loans.
I am taking these difficult economic times and making it work for me. I’m planning strategies for marketing in the present economy and working with those customers that are ready now. I am banking the names of the clients that want to wait for better economic times for the future. Either way, it is a win win situation for my business model.
It’s true that I may need to see more prospects, but the payoff will be there provided that I maintain the right attitude and preserver. As a result, I see myself as growing and becoming a more patient individual, more careful in choosing marketing strategies, and leaner and wiser in where I put my advertising dollars. These are good lessons to learn in any economic climate.
I am not giving up my day job just yet. But, with the training that I am now receiving from my companies, the belief that I have in this business model, and the fact that time is on my side, I know that I will make a six figure income within five years regardless of the economic climate. Because I know where I want to be, how I am going to get there, and I am coachable and have the right attitude, there is no stopping my organizations growth.
This is what I have learned from the current economic crisis of the past two years. I’ve studied it, analyzed the possibilities, and have a clear vision for the future.
Dahlia Corella-Ryle
8635 FM 2146
Jourdanton, Texas 78026
830-277-2305 home
210-557-6719 cell
dahliacorella@yahoo.com
Success Magazine Subscriber
JD Young
07/May/2009 8Having challenges is part of everyday life and it’s made my life worth living. Without it I am assured that I would and could not cope for the past 2 years.
As a entreprenuer I learned to live with Purpose, Faith and Gratitude.
Everyday I read my “PURPOSE” statement and that keep me focused and on track for the past 2 years as a Commercial Real Estate Investor. It’s a choice for out of our habit is what creates your very being and your character. It’s not easy. Life was never meant to be easy it’s a constant and never ending challenges. And it is that very substance is what keep me going and going and going no matter what life’s throws at you. Remember the environment doesn’t create the man but the man creates his environment and therefore his ultimate Destiny.
By focusing on value for others you never have to worried about yourself cause you cannot enrich yourself without enriching others. So having a sense of deep rooted purpose knowing what you should do is paramount and I decided that it it’s to be it’s totally up to me by taking full initiative without waithing for things to happen. You just go and create your own world not by accident but by Design.
By “Faith”, is having a conviction knowing what you do you will be blessed and it’s not inherited in everyone therefore, it must be cultivated daily. We cannot rely solely on ourselves if we did who else is responsible for you nobody! So having true faith is to expect the evidence not seen and be assured that your hope is anchored by your believe in the almight God Jehovah. Make him your no.1 priority and you’ll never have to come in second. He will draw close to you if you draw close to him. I am facinated by all his Power, Elegance, Beauty and Riches concentrate and focus on that and you will be arrayed and alligned with that which correspond to the song of his universe.
I believe there is a science of getting rich, there is a thinking stuff which all things are made, in which in it’s original state permeates, penetrates and fills the interspaces of the universe. In other words thoughts are things and it starts with Energy. I have practice this thinking since I was a child and because I never claim that I am smart or learned so I decided to lean constantly on Jehovah and my marraige has been a blessing, my family has been there for me no matter what and treating my life that is trully worth living.
Gratitude is faith in action.
Just knowing that thoughts either create positive or negative feelings. When you get good feelings from all your thoughts, words, ideas and pictures that’s constantly feeding your mind with joyful results. I made up my mind to continually feed my mind with gratitude because what ever you are seeking it’s seeking you.
For there is giving and receiving, you cannot receive if you don’g give that’s the law. I used to demand my way to success and how wrong it is to go against the law. So having a feeling of constantly feeling greateful for everything you have and sensing that you are going to receive better things to come makes me very joyful. And by doing my best in better my world and environment makes me valueable human being. I totally appreciate this dea that is using me to the full: a feeling of being totally free.
A prosperious and grateful life to all of us, count your blessings for Jehovah God Cares for You.
Jd Young
Curacao, Netherlands Antilles
Erin Al-Mehairi
07/May/2009 9I made the leap this year in the midst of the unstable economy, to quit my healthcare marketing and public relations job of 7 years and start my own business. Many people thought I was crazy because so many people have lost their job or are happy to just be holding on to a job. But having a job does not define me. I define me. I wasn’t happy and I wasn’t going to make excuses or talk myself into staying. I had to do what was right for me to move on and be successful. I needed to take care of my health, as I was diagnosed this year with a connective tissue disorder (autoimmune disease) and have small children that I wanted to spend more time with before they all were in school and grew up before I had a chance to grow with them. I can have my own business now, a business I love because public relations is my life, I can still do all my community service work, I can rest when I need to because I work from home, and best of all, I can bet there for my children. I am happy and I am prospering. My business skills are needed and valued. I love where my life is going!
http://www.addisonscompass.com
Matthew Crowe
07/May/2009 102008 and 2009 have been very interesting years for me, my company, and the rest of the world. For us Gen Y’ers, it has been the first time I ever experienced an economic downtown and up until this past year everything in life was peaches.
Then reality set in, and I thought that I worked hard in the past now….HAH! Now I have to work 1000 times harder for the same result. Talk about a wake up call!
The beauty of all of this happening is that is forced me to be better. Much better. It also made me take a step back to look at myself inwardly, slow down, and enjoy the little things in life. I think we live life at a defining pace especially with the advent of technology and personally I was able to figure out strengths, my weaknesses and myself and who I was and what I should be doing.
Something I have learned in my life is the most of my own self improvement, and personal development came out of what I thought at the time were “bad situations”.
Looking back, I would not be exactly where I am at right now with my new company, working with a fantastic team of individuals, and multiple of great opportunities during a very challenging time in our economy. Not only do I feel highly blessed, but hard work, determination, and perseverance has gotten me to where I am today!!
Marcos A. Rondineli
07/May/2009 11In the past two years… I’ve met Internet, believe me or not (I already worked a bit with it but didn’t know its power so far). By the year 2000 I left my job and decided to write books denouncing corruption and violences in Brazil due to awfull personnal experiences involving my most beloved relatives and friends, besides my own self getting caught by surprising hipocrisie on society.
Well, in order not to get long with this story, after expending all my economies travelling and trying to get support on foreign authorities, I’d realize that people do not really care for each other as long as they have their own life moving on.
On 2003 a grandson of mine born and my youngest sister died of cancer and I decided not to live on society anymore and refugied myself on a countryside house without either food or money, dealing with young people mostly involved with criminalities and drugs, while I experienced writing my reflections and experiences on helping them getting more faith on their lives by annalising reasons to the various happenings.
That did work and by the end of 2007 I moved to my father’s house, where I live now, and then I’ve found a brand new world of people who actually care to others, deeply, but most of them socially apart of others, hiding themselves behind their computer screens.
That changed my life. I found out that words of wisdom do move people towards serenity and acceptance of dificulties in normal life, and finally found a use for my own experience sharing thinkings and well… spreading love, a very Christian way of serving brothers. I’m not religious and all I preach is the existence of a powerfull force judging our acts, and I do accept the name of light or even God for that undiscovered force. Names do not matter, actually.
I’m happy now and I do feel myself spreading seeds of generosity and goodness on wounded hearts everywhere. Blood and/or crying tears are, as I found out, excelent food for growing hopes and fraternity, and humanity really does need that.
My life has changed from a dusty rock lost in the jungle to a shiny star brighting on the sky. It feels good.
Well… I can say I comprehend myself as an egual to anybody else and I owe that mainly to Internet who gave me a reason to keep on living. I found it just divine, gave me back faith and peace of heart. What else could I want if not sharing with the world my experiences? My grandson will inherit the world we are building for him and I’m willing to do the best I can to improve it.
The true life admits another called false, or fake and taking a longer look to the mirror, I do believe I found a new path on these past two years: my face looks younger every day.
Dominic Stanley
08/May/2009 12For me the last 2 years has made me the best that I have ever been it has come in various ways during this period of time and caused me to recognize what success truly is and how to obtain it. I recently divorced my now ex wife and I had received a promotion at work that required me to enhance my ability to communicate with others. This sent me into a 6 month (and ongoing) research on what it takes to successful in life. I read books on communication,mindset,time management, visualization,planing the list goes on. Most importantly I learned that my mind controls all of it and the sooner I can direct it the more powerful I will be. I have learned it is now more important than ever to focus on working for myself and developing my own brand if the recent state of the economy tells us anything that is our future and destiny should not be placed in the hands of people who don’t adjust there business models to keep with the times. I learned I am (as are you) able to create what I want to be my ideal career and that is success if you ask me. I also learned that your ability to impact lives is greater right now than you know 5 min of your time could mean a lifetime of being ignored has finally ended for someone else. So in a nutshell the last two years taught me that success and happiness is all about giving back,great stories,and doing what you want with your life.
JOE STOGSDILL
09/May/2009 13I would appreciate it if you would discontinue all my subscriptions to SUCCESS MAGAZIN & any thing else on get rich quick schemes. They do not work for me & I don’t like wasting my money !
Ed Taylor
09/May/2009 14I have lost over 110 pounds in the last 18 months. The economy is starving me… No my weight loss has nothing to do with the economy but it does have a lot to do about success. I have been a loooong time reader of Success my dad subscribed since I was a teenager. I even had a chance to meet and have lunch with W. Clement Stone back in the 80’s.
I was involved with the promotion and marketing of motivational seminars for many years, my clients included Tony Robbins, Brian Tracy, Jim Rohn and dozens of other well known speakers and authors.
I bring all of this up only to say that as a backdrop to my story, my path to fitness.
I was heavy since high school, in shape but heavy. I played football, wrestled and put the shot (non particularly well but I did them all.) I was married at 20 (I weighed about 200 at the time) to a great cook and as a commercial fisherman and longshoreman I stayed rather fit but I was on the large side and getting larger.
At 23 I went into sales, doughnut shops, lunch meetings, late night restaurant stops, fast food, all of it by the time I was 30 I was way out of shape and 230 pounds. My ideal weight is probably 180 or 185, I was cubby is a child and at 30 45 or 50 pounds overweight… but wait, that just the beginning by the time I was 50 I was well over 300 (I topped out at 323 when I was 52- I’m now 212 at age 54.)
Obviously I still have a few pounds to go, but I have lost over 110 ponds and I’m still dropping.
OK back to the beginning of my story, I have ALWAYS been a very positive person with a VERY positive outlook. I have never had a serious health problem and my extra 150 pounds didn’t impair my life nearly as much as all of my new fans seem to think it would have.
I have been a reasonably successful professional speaker (I have delivered over 700 presentations on Internet marketing and in some small circles I’m recognized as something of an expert.) I can’t think of anything that I have wanted to do that I haven’t done, I have fire-walked and skydived and scuba dived, and white water rafted, etc. I was not impeded by my obesity, I was sickened by it, my wife loved me all along (35 years this year). A good question at this point is- Why then did I make a conscience effort to lose weight and get in shape?
The answer to that is too long for this article. But what we do have time for is the how- how did I do it. I decided. That’s the start. I made a decision, in fact I made several decisions. I decided not to be fat anymore. I decided I wasn’t going to go on some fad diet, I knew how to lose weight and get in shape, so do you. You eat less and exercise more. So I decided to eat less and exercise more. I also know I had to cut out some things and add some things, right? Cut out the sweets and chips and breads and pasta and add more fresh veggies, right? You know that, I know that. I also had to add some movement, come on, we all know this- the trick is what? Doing it, right?
This is where all of those old Success magazine articles started to come back, all of the things the Tony Robbins , Jim Rohn and Brian Tracy said… but and this is a huge but (pun slightly intended) I have never been willing to be a slave to anything including disciplines that would clearly benefit me. I have always placed a VERY high value on my personal freedom and flexibility- I would not, and will not be owned by a diet or a ridged set of “must do’s”.
I took what I have come to describe as a spiritual path. I have given up being fat, I have become an exerciser. I use my own common sense, I don’t have a deadline or specific goals and due dates but I would like to get to my ideal weight quickly and in a way that is healthy and flexible.
Of course Clement Stone, Jim Rohn and Tony and Brian all mention spiritual stuff in there books and talks, I just didn’t get it. A big part, for me the biggest part of success in this endeavor, has been staying true to my nature, being who I am, trusting that I am good, life is good and I can have what I want simply by wanting it, doing the things that move you closer to that vision and not doing the things that you know don’t and then trusting that you can stay the path.
Failure comes from 3 things quitting, doing the wrong things and or not doing the right things.
Success comes from the exact opposite- staying the course, not doing the wrong things and doing the right things. It seems about that simple to me.
Of course the short cut to success is learning from others but the trick, at least for me, was not trying to become like someone else, in fact I spent years trying to be things I was not, today I am very happy being me, doing my thing in my way and understanding the basics, know what to do and… do it.
Ed Taylor
ed@EdTaylor.com
Courtney Cole
10/May/2009 15We are a 6th generation car dealership (the oldest in the Nation). We started with horse and buggy in 1847 and we currently sell Chevrolets in Indiana. We have been one of the largest GM dealers for quite sometime.
My sister and I purchased the business from our Father a year ago in January (just in time for all the fun to start!). I wrote the following article in a blog for an automotive site and for me, it sums up this entire “experience” for our generation.
“It’s Our Turn … And We Have Our Story!!”
As you go through life, there are certain memories that stick with you. You are not sure why, but then later in life it comes full circle. For me … 18 years later it has come full circle.
It might have been eighteen years ago, but I remember it like it was yesterday. I was at my Grandfather’s house in Hawaii for Christmas Break. I had just played golf and was hungry. I opened up the refrigerator and was trying to figure out what I wanted to eat. I kind of stood there and was trying to make a decision … probably between a sandwich or a quick snack.
“Courtney, shut the refrigerator door.” “I’m just getting something to eat.” “Decide what you want to eat BEFORE you open the refrigerator door.” “How can I make that decision when I don’t know what’s in the refrigerator?” “You have to plan ahead or you will waste electricity.”
That was my exchange with my Grandfather and I thought it was ludicrous. I remember tellling my Mother I thought the discussion was a bit extreme. She told me it is part of what happens when you grow up in a Depression.
I also remember when I received my Driver’s Permit and my Grandmother told me I could drive her around. I was so excited (even though it was a HUGE Chevy Caprice Classic). She told me I could take her to the grocery. We would be going to 3 different groceries because that is where her coupons could be applied. I remember thinking … they live in this huge house … why is SHE cutting coupons??? Once again, my Mom explained it was part of growing up in the Depression.
Fast forward to about 5 years ago. Life was good … we were selling a ton of cars and my Dad decided to give me this “lecture”. “You have NEVER been through a BAD time in the car business. You don’t know what it’s like. You have no idea what bad times are like.” He used to tell me that sometimes when you build a relationship with a bank, it’s not all about rate. Sometimes you will take a higher rate in return for availability of funds. Let’s just say this makes a whole lot more sense now than it did five years ago!
Guess what? We can now check bad times off the “bucket list”!! My generation has arrived and now we are getting first hand experience! Yes, we have our story. I wonder what my Grandfather would think today. When he was a Dealer, GM had over 50% of the market share. Do you think it ever occurred to him that they might go bankrupt? In today’s thinking, I suppose it would be like thinking that Google would go bankrupt? Maybe it is a hard comparison because right now, it does feel like ANYTHING can happen.
So as I reflect on the refrigerator door incident, cutting coupons, and the availability of funds, what have I learned? What will I tell my kids and Grandkids?
•Accountability during the good times is a necessity because the bad times will expose the sins of the good times.
•Pay down debt. If everything is paid for, you can survive all kinds of situations.
•We all have relationships with the factory, but we need to learn to operate our stores independent of the factory because you never know what could happen.
•Constant learning and training is a necessity. If you are willing to change, you will be fine. The people that do NOT embrace change are getting ready to close their doors.
•Keep your priorities in order. There will be a ton of stress over the years but if you have Faith, Family, and then work … you will have the ability to keep everything in perspective. This will probably add years to your life.
The good news is that my Grandfather served in WWII and the store was basically “closed” for 3 years. When they returned, he told me they made more money than they ever imagined. When the smoke clears, there will be some big wins to offset these days.
There are many more items and I would love to hear what everyone is learning from these times. With that said, what is YOUR STORY?
Christopher McCann
11/May/2009 16Are you playing it safe, but feeling trapped in the life you have created for yourself? How do you know when it’s time to move on from a job, a relationship, or even the town you live in? Often times the best strategy to achieve victory in life’s battles is to “burn the boats behind us.” Times may be a bit lean right now but the truth is, this is a great opportunity to grow. Before you write me off as crazy, listen to what I have to say about job loss, income issues, and any of life’s major challenges.
Step 1: If you are not dead, this challenge will make you stronger.
Step 2: This is your opportunity to think about what you really want in life.
Step 3: Ask yourself what kind of goals inspire you right now. If you move towards you inspiration fully, learn from your passion, and share it with the world, you can’t fail!
Is the reason you don’t reach your goals because you don’t care anymore? You may not have a clear vision of where you want to go, but you may know that you need to leave where you are right now. When I first got into the habit of setting goals, people told me they should set S.M.A.R.T goals (specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timely). It was very methodical, but it didn’t work well for me. I wanted to achieve my S.M.A.R.T goals, but they never consistently got my butt in motion to do anything about them. What did work for me was scrapping that whole process by looking at the goals I had already achieved and the goals that I hadn’t. What I found was that the goals I achieved weren’t usually the S.M.A.R.T ones. They were the goals that inspired me and they drove me to action the minute I thought about them. Now when I set a goal, if it doesn’t change the way I feel or my state immediately, then I know it’s a bad goal, I won’t bother with it.
How do I know when I’m inspired? Not too long ago I made a decision to “burn the boats” with my career and begin, again. You know how people suggest to you that the things you did as a child are what you should do for a living? What I really enjoyed was coaching youth sports teams (even though I was a kid myself) and creating art. I would immerse myself so deeply in those projects, and would lose track of time. I love how it felt to help people grow, seeing that “A-ha” moment in people’s eyes. That has always been something I got off on. How could I get back in touch with wanting to inspire people, have fun helping and connecting with people? The more work I’ve done towards that as a recruiter, the more the goals themselves totally inspired me. The funny thing is that somewhere along the line I’ve begun to achieve it; it inspired me, drove me to action and created a result. I am no longer was adopting socially conditioned goals, where you set them, start working on them then realize deep down you just don’t care. My goals were always about what other people wanted, not what inspired me.
So I thought I would try to set inspiring goals. The question is; how do you tease out that motivation by connecting what you want in your life? One of the first steps is disconnecting what you don’t want. You may find yourself in a trap where your life is filled with things you don’t want, or don’t feel connected to. They leave you feeling uninspired. Maybe you’re in a city you don’t want to live in, or a job you don’t like, maybe a relationship where you feel stuck. It’s counter-intuitive to shed what you don’t want in order to create space for what you do want. Now at this point you may be asking yourself “Who is this guy and is he serious? It’s a crappy job market and I’m going to leave what do have, behind? It’s better than nothing!” As Steven Covey says, go for win-win or no deal. Too many of us think that compromise is the best solution. Personally, I’d rather be homeless than be in a situation I don’t enjoy. Did I burn the boats? Absolutely. You have to burn the ships that got you there when you land on the new shore. However, you don’t want to burn the food and supplies! I’m guilty of this and had to learn the hard way a few times… Make a careful distinction between what you need (food and supplies) vs. the escape route that’s keeping you tied to that ship. It’s no different that going through a divorce, you’ve got leave, but DAMN you wish you had grabbed that end table…
After burning the ships, you’ve taken it far enough to where you are committed. If you have to quit your job to move forward (and a lot of people do) the job isn’t only the food and supplies, it’s the ship as well! That’s what may very well be keeping you in the wrong harbor. In my parents and grandparents generation, the idea was that you picked a job and did that for life. We’ve inherited the ability to not question our circumstances or choices we made years ago. It’s not that I woke up one morning and turned the corner; it was a gradual malaise, a long slow curve, that developed over time. I t took me years to realize what was happening to me, no matter how many times I had heard it from others. I couldn’t mute my feelings any longer, and made the choice to recreate myself. Rather than mute my feelings, I made the choice to follow inspiration. There’s a part of me that wants to shake the hell out of the people I interact with, rip the heart out of my chest and stick it in theirs! By heart I mean courage. The definition of courage is “the state or quality of mind or spirit that enables one to face danger, fear, or vicissitudes with self-possession, confidence, and resolution; bravery.” It is derived from the Middle English corage, from Old French, from Vulgar Latin *corāticum, from Latin cor, heart. The root of the word courage is heart. Ask yourself, does this path I’m on have a heart?
How do you know if the path has heart? You feel it in your chest, it excites you, and you have an emotional reaction to it. At the same time it scares you, you have this feeling of “wow, that would be awesome but I don’t know if I can pull it off…” These are the goals that should really inspire you. Excitement is part inspiration and part terror. I have to be somewhat scared about the path I’m on because that’s the path that is building courage. It’s scary out there and so many of us are playing it safe. Find that edge, that thing you feel in your chest that both scares and excites you. Safe is an adjective and a noun, it means both free from harm and an enclosed locked container. If you’re living the noun you’re living the adjective as well. The need for security is restricting your freedom. If the basis of your of your self esteem is your need for security, a safe relationship or a steady paycheck, you’re living in a cage.
What does it look like to take a step outside of that? Initially it’s terrifying. At the same time it’s thrilling. From a pretty early age, I made a conscious decision to create difficulty in my life as a means of creating growth. It’s been long, progressive training, no different than using dumbbells to strength train. For someone who has been stuck, changing jobs is a huge weight to lift. It’s like a “newbie” looking at a 100 pound dumbbell, thinking that’s too much weight to curl. Yet everyone is at a different level of courage, only able to tolerate a level of uncertainty. You need to have a vision of where you are going when it comes to the application of courage. Ask yourself “where do I want to be? What shore am I sailing to” THEN burn the ship! How important is that vision of where you want to be? It depends on if you’re in more of a training or destination mindset. There are times when I have goals that are just about training. Maybe there something I’m afraid of where I need to build my courage. a fear I need to get over, then I’ll go do it. Maybe after that the vision is more about competition so it’s more of performance mode than practice. Performance mode is applying the strength I’ve already built. As any athlete knows, there’s a big difference between practice and games. If all they did was play games, they wouldn’t be a great athlete because practice puts you in as many potential scenarios as possible.
Now to the meaty part. Are you worried about your job and the possibility of losing it? Wondering what to do if you’ve already lost your job? How can you turn that job loss into a positive opportunity? How can focusing on your passion, rather than paying your bills actually help build a more satisfying life? We all have been at the “oh shit, what am I gonna do” part. Some of us will look at the glass being half empty and some half full. This path I’m sharing with you of courage and inspiration seems like the high, unrealistic and impractical road. There is a hidden benefit to losing your job. It is GOING to make you stronger. It’s very true that whatever doesn’t kill you will make you stronger. You may be running deeper and deeper into debt, even on the verge of bankruptcy. You know what? You will still be here. Your life won’t end, it’ll only make you stronger and wiser. You’ have plenty of time to relax when you’re six feet under. You should be building skills that may have never developed if you hadn’t gone through that experience. To reiterate, the first step is;
1: If you lost your job, that’s a wonderful thing because it’s going to make you stronger. People will come to me and tell me they quit their job, lost it, or got laid off. Invariably my response is congratulations! That’s awesome! I can say that because I know they are about to go through a monstrous growth experience. There are lots of people who lose their jobs and feel a sense of relief, as if some enormous burden has been lifted. It’s all in your mind and depends entirely on your perspective, how you react is under your control. You can see it as a huge opportunity, or not. Your goal shouldn’t be to live a cozy, secure and safe life-you’ll have plenty of opportunity to do that when you’re 6 feet under, in a nice little box. No one will bug you then.
2: Start thinking about what you really want to do. Maybe you’re not strong enough to lift that weight yet, but you can start developing your courage and skills in that direction. What kind of goals inspire you right now? Don’t look at the easy ones, but the ones that will lift you up. Re-frame it from “Oh my God, holy sh*t” into “here we go, this is a gift, it’ll make me stronger”. Now we need to get clear about what we really want and what starts moving us towards that, what gets us fired up.
3: Ask yourself what kind of goals inspire you right now. If you move towards your inspiration fully, learn from your passion, and share it with the world, you can’t fail! There’s a balance between being freaked out. What’s a simple way of finding the balance between challenge and being freaked out? Grow a pair! Helen Keller said life is a daring adventure or nothing. There is no in between. The challenge is what makes you you stronger. It’s the equivalent of going to the gym and lifting the same weight day after day. Whats the point? You’re not gonna get any stronger? How long are you going to stick with the 10 pound dumbbells? Progress! Get stronger! Of course its harder to lift the heavy weights, you’d be bored and frustrated by a lack of growth. There’s no need to fear it or resist it, even though it’s called resistance training. Let the resistance come from life itself, not from whats within you.
When people lose their jobs, they really start thinking hard about their lives, maybe for the first time in quite awhile. You may be feeling a mixture of panic and relief. Almost always they’re losing a job they didn’t really want (which is often the reason why they lost it). They were expendable. They were fired or laid off because they weren’t really needed. They weren’t doing work that they were passionate about. It’s not very common that people who are passionate are fired or laid off. They are usually awesome to be around and management is going to let that person go last and only if they absolutely have to. That person is probably doing more work than anyone else and they’re creating a ton of value. Knowing those things to be true, turn inward, determine what you’re really passionate about, what you’d really like to do and how can you create that.
Don’t focus too much on the “how” right away..its the why. Ask yourself, what would that kind of life be like, and start feeling that passion once again. That passion and excitement is what’s going to get you into action! Job security is finding that passion, adding energy, and contributing. That’s what people want to be around. You are adding energy-you’re a contributor. A manager of 10 employees that has to lay off two is NOT going to lay off those that have the energy, passion and contribute. They’re going to lay off those that are miserable, unproductive, that don’t really fit, those that aren’t easy get along with and that don’t want to be there. The manager is actually doing them a favor by laying them off! Those are the individuals that really DO need that wake up call! If I’ve been laid off, and I’m sitting here reading this trying to shift my perspective, there is incentive for me to dig deep and find out what I’m inspired by because that’s going to make me more attractive. Take the time and find out what fires you up because THAT is going to make you more marketable and relevant. Inspiration is absolutely critical. I’ve worked for a time without it and a great deal of time with it. After experiencing both sides of that fence I could never go back to working without it. When you’re passionate, filled with energy, happy and contributing, you find yourself inspiring people in ways that you can’t even imagine!
When I truly became successful in this business, it wasn’t when I started billing x amount of dollars, it was when I made the decision to start helping and inspiring people. People say do what you love and the money will follow. I find that it’s somewhat accurate, but you have to understand why that is the case. See, when you do what you love, you do it often and you get good at it. Eventually. Hopefully. If you keep working at it, for 10,000 hours (according to Outliers) you’re going to become great! I imagine this is only true if you work at it intelligently and passionately, rather than making the same mistakes over and over. Eventually you’ll create some value for other people. Now you have some talent that you can share, use and teach other people how to do what you’re doing. Then you can create income by exchanging value with others. It started for me with awareness of finding my passion, really focusing on it, developing it and sharing it with others.
Just because you made your bed doesn’t mean you have to lie in it. I no longer believe that I have to live with my past decisions, choices, and actions. Thank God. The past is past and has nothing to do with me. It has nothing to do with Now. Do not let anything from your past inhibit you as you go about re-creating yourself. Start over. Start Fresh. Each day. Each hour. Each minute. Just get going. Just do it. Just say it. With passion. All else will take care of itself.
Karen Valencic
12/May/2009 17I created a methodology “Spiral Impact: The Power to Get It Done with Grace” based on the martial art aikido and the work I’ve done for 15 years helping people use conflict creatively.
This past year has been a validation and a deepening of my work. I continue to apply the Spiral Model and continue to grow and learn. Rather than ‘pushing and pulling’ for results a Spiral makes Impact with much more ease! In a nutshell the model includes the continual movement of: staying centered and healthy, asking questions and gaining knowledge, clarify all levels of intention, and making sure you have support. When you feel stuck - you “Quadrant Shift.”
When you move in a spiral it is even easy to continually fall down and get up - the spiral provides you with momentum - both metaphorically and physically. The question I continually ask is: how can I share this simple tool with more people?
Marie Joseph
12/May/2009 18I save regardless of the ecomony, therefore I have no obstacles- you should do a piece on personal finance bloggers, starting with me
Jackie Jones
16/May/2009 19I am proud to tell each and every person I know about Success Magazine!
The information is valuable and addictive to achieving success in all areas of life.
I use yummy morsels of all my Success Magazine and DvD’s in my life on a daliy basis, for business, relatonships and personal development.
Thank you Susscess Magazine for giving me so much to look forward to each and every month.
Jackie Jones
Business owner and Author
Scott Wimberly
17/May/2009 20I have been teaching at a private Christian school for the past three years. However, the past few years have put a strain on the school. I realized this year that it was time to launch out and start writting. I have been working on a book project: a book concerning people’s destiny and their decisions. Should be complete by summer. I am then going to start work on another book project: one on developing character and integrity through athletics. I will be working with a school here in Tuscaloosa and their athletic department. I am so looking forward to moving into my own destiny and purpose in these projects. Also, I will be working on a daily blog: http://scottwimberly.com Along with public speaking on the subject of destiny, personal/leadership development, and purpose. The economy has been hard on folk, but it has got me moving toward my destiny!!
Ralph Harris
22/May/2009 21I have my own magazine called TheHomeMag. It is a direct mail piece focused on the home improvement industry. I work out of Costa Mesa in California. Every month I write a letter from me to our readers to help inspire over this current business cycle. This was lasts Months.
Thank god for this recession
Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass. It’s about learning how to dance in the rain.
-Author Unknown
Greeting to you our readers.
This part month I read a book that has really helped me look at every situation as growth and/or learning experience rather than, at the event itself.
The book is called Thank God I … These are stories from individual from all over the world, shinning a light on how when something terrible takes place it can actually change that person in a way that they never thought possible.
My good friend Bruce Muzik wrote a story that was include in the book from my home county South Africa about taking 6 months from his normal privileged life to go live in a township with people we had previously had very limited exposure too. His story was Thank god I was a Racist. Basically over the course of his time living in a shack on the floor, getting up at 4am to make a fire, then walk 5 miles to catch 3 busses to get to work, dealing with all their hardships, he discovered real, caring amazing people that changed his life forever.
In light of this I have to say that I Thank God for this Recession. Is it affecting my life? Yes.
Do I enjoy having to make radical changes to everything I do? No
But is life not about growth and change? When does one experience the greatest shift in our thinking? When things are good or when thing are more difficult? Yes, I know I have been forced to do things that I would ordinarily never do because of this Recession.
So let me share some of the steps I have taken both personally and professionally.
1. We went out as a team and spoke to our customers, yes really, sat down and asked them some tough question. The results will surprise you.
2. The overwhelming response from our top performers. We are growing our businesses .Changing our systems for the better. Business is picking up and it’s not as bad as last year.
3. We have hired some really great new people to our team that will add huge value for the future.
4. Identifies our core strengths and unique competitive advantage
5. We are having more fun which has increased our enthusiasm for our work.
6. I have started working out everyday and changed my eating habits
7. We celebrate our successes, and learn from our mistakes
8. We do not watch the news so as not to be caught up in other peoples drama
9. I have been grateful for everything that I have in my life right now and start everyday acknowledging my gifts .I have a long list.
10. I expect each day to be perfect, a great day no matter what happens.
The list goes on, but the point is that we have to move forward to grow and now more than ever is the time. I encourage all of you to make a few small changes, take that step it’s not that hard. Call me if we want some advice if I don’t know the answer I am sure I know someone who does,
Go well.
Ralph
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