Right now, I’m thinking this + laptop and a year or so to circle the globe…
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What inspires you to be great? I love asking people this question. Some people think of world leaders like Nelson Mandela or even JFK. Others think of Astronauts, test pilots, or famous race car drivers like Danica Patrick. Still other people think of famous business leaders like Steve Jobs and Jack Welch or top athletes like Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods. And then there are celebrities like Angelina Jolie or Russell Crowe.
Notice that the question wasn’t who inspires you to be great? Instead, it is what inspires you to be great? So, what inside you inspires you to be great? The famous people that I mentioned earlier all have a fundamental passion to create, experience, and excel. Inspiration is important even if it starts from without, but eventually it must become internal to stick. Have you ever attended a personal growth seminar or retreat and found yourself all charged up for a week or so upon returning? If you have, you are like many of us. The group experience, combined with the charisma of the teacher, guru or adventurer or whatever he or she refers to himself as, only lasts so long. Just as we must internalize change for it to last, inspiration must become internalized as well.
So how do we find inspiration from within? First, we must take an inventory of what we love. For instance, I love making a difference in people’s lives. I love playing sports and watching sports on TV. I love creating, the feeling that I am developing something new or different. I love connecting with people, making new connections, and contributing to others in the process. I love personal growth, the feeling that I am constantly learning, growing. and evolving. In other words, I love self-discovery. I love traveling, experiencing new places and being spontaneous. I love being, the art of just hanging without an agenda. The list goes on and on.
So what do you love? What lights you up? What excites you about life and/or business? How can you do more of what you enjoy? In other words, what do you need to do to make what you love a greater part of your life? Remember, the more we do what we love, the more we love life. And the more we love life, the better we feel. And the better we feel, the more we contribute to the well being of others. Many of us who are approaching the back nine of life or who are already there understand this.
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In December of 2006, I unhooked from a relatively conventional life in the “Burbs,” put my business on the phone, hopped in my convertible with my girlfriend and Labradoodle, headed south to Pensacola and then West to Santa Fe. The most challenging part of my journey was at the beginning when I was flooded with the anxiety that is often associated with massive change. The second hardest part was when Tuck (my Labor-doodle) and I headed on to Santa Fe alone. Again, I was faced with substantial change, accompanied by doubt and sadness. We lived and traveled out west for nearly two years. I can boast that I have a dog that has swam in the Atlantic, Pacific, Gulf of Mexico, as well as rivers and lakes in Colorado and New Mexico! I can also say that his master has faced significant change many times in his life.
I am not for a moment suggesting that you “unhook” from your life though there are some pretty amazing benefits to leaving a traditional structure, venturing into the unknown, and letting go of conditioning associated with the old structure. I am suggesting that each of us find a way to face our fear of change because unless we learn to do so, we will suffer. Much of our suffering as humans comes from our resistance to change and our inability to let go.
Besides death and taxes, the one thing we can consistently count on in life is change. All things change, all things come to an end. Those of us that come to accept this and even embrace change have more fulfilling lives. In general, life is easier when we develop an attitude of acceptance versus resistance. I recently coached an eighteen year old in his freshman year of college. He called me because his long-distance girlfriend wanted to be able to see other people. He doesn’t want this and is trying desperately to hold onto her. I asked him how this approach was working for him? He said he wasn’t sleeping and that he was miserable. We talked about letting go next!
Other clients come to me because they are stuck in a toxic relationship, be it work or personal. I often ask them about the downside of moving on. Many people in this situation acknowledge that there is very little downside other than fear; fear of being alone, fear of starting over, fear of making a mistake and so on. Ultimately, this boils down to fear of change, doesn’t it? Again, we must learn to tackle our fears and embrace change or we are headed for a mediocre life at best.
Some of us feel safer with mediocrity, after all better the devil we know than the devil you don’t. If that is you then ask yourself this: When I get to the end of my life, will I feel satisfied or will I be disappointed if I never live up to my full potential? Those of us that approach our true potential in life tend to work hard, develop good habits, and embrace change! I hope you will too!