At some point in time, we all have to take inventory of the baggage we have picked up and have been carrying throughout this journey called life. I found if we learn to identify ours and put down the ones that belong to others, the journey gets easier. I encourage you to sort through the bags you’ve been carrying, find your baggage and let others carry their own.
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Here is a sad truth, for years I would wear undergarments that were worn out and had holes. I made sure everyone in my family was taken care of but never invested the same energy into myself. I looked great on the outside but was holey and tore up underneath, until I raised my standards. Self-esteem can be the biggest deterrent to achieving success if left un-examined. Raise your standards by first paying attention to how you talk to yourself. Would you talk to a friend the same way?
There is something to learn from everyone. What folks sometime forget to realize is that the road is often a two way street. You have something valuable to teach as well as anyone else. Perhaps when people cross your path, it’s not because of who THEY are but it’s because of who YOU are.
Many people describe the type of work that they do when you ask “tell me about yourself”. What I discovered is what we do is not who we are. As I develop my talents, skills or gifts, I am finding that they are slowly making a way for me. The opportunities are endless if your are not afraid the be limitless. By only focusing on what you “do”, you will never discover what you can become.
One of the biggest challenges that I have had to overcome is asking for what it is that I want or need. I realized that I didn’t know what it was that I wanted, therefore I didn’t know what to ask for. In order to know what your want/need first get clear about what it is that you want out of life. Once you have clarity, it becomes much easier to know what it is your need in order to achieve your goals. Asking then becomes much easier.
Stay focused on your dream but flexible with the process. Staying flexible allows for you to recognize new opportunities when they arise and bounce back from set backs. In times when life causes you to stretch and bend, rest assure flexibility will not cause you to break.
Setbacks are signals that you have veered of track somewhere. In order to get to where you want to go, so many of us use GPS navigation. In life, you have to prepare for delays, detours, and road blocks just like traveling. Each of these encounters offer up valuable lessons if you are willing to look for them. Remember, like most GPS systems, life automatically recalculates.
When we stop and look at some of the actions of those close to us, you may realize that they really do have the best intentions for you. What they may not realize is that if you do not do what they expect you to do, it does not mean you are lost. There are many roads that lead to success and not everyone will travel the same path, and that’s okay.
I was at a four way intersection where it was myself and one other car. I was going straight and they were turning left. I signaled the woman to go ahead and she did the same in return. As I was about to go through she started to go, we both stopped and proceed to go through the same action again. This time as she was turning I saw she clearly was expressing her displeasure towards me. I just sat in amazement.
Be sure not to confuse busy work with effective work. When I was apart of the direct sales market, they taught us the importance of triage when it comes to effectiveness. “A” priorities were the life support habits in order to grow and maintain you business like making client calls. Take a moment to triage your daily tasks. Make those that give your business life top priority.