what’s stopping you?

by now you have certain instinctual reactions to things in life based on nature and the experiences of your past.  some of these reactions are based on positive emotions while others are rooted in the more negative ones.  and it is usually the negative ones that prevent us from doing certain things in life.  after all, many of our negative emotions are there to protect us.  for example, without fright you might try to pet the wild tiger instead of run from it.   but those emotions can sometimes deceive us.  

those negative emotions are sometimes doing their job when it isn’t necessary.  they sometimes try to protect you when you don’t need to be protected.  sometimes those feelings are unjustified.  and it is those times, when you respond to unsubstantiated emotions, that you will fail to make “it” happen, and therefore miss out, because you didn’t follow through on…  starting that business…sending the email…allowing yourself to love and be loved…going on that interview…making that career change…or taking that leap.  

next time your instincts try to protect you from doing something “risky” (besides standing in front of a loaded a gun) think about it.  is it as risky as it seems?  is your fear justified?  do the costs really outweigh the benefits?  if not, turn upside down, take your hands off the wheel, and let loose.  seriously, what’s stopping you?  

my upside down zip line ride in costa rica

Filed under: inspiration, personal branding, actions, emotion, inspiration, personal development

it doesn’t matter which way you go

Alice in Wonderland: Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?
The Chesire Cat: That depends a good deal on where you want to get to
Alice: I don’t much care where.
The Cat: Then it doesn’t much matter which way you go.

many of us don’t pay attention to where we are going.  like a ship without a sail we go in whichever direction the wind blows us, often ending up nowhere.  on our quest for purpose, success, career, and freedom we stop and ask everybody else for help along the way.  but it’s essential that you take the time to first search yourself and ask questions like:

in life…

1. what do i want to be best in the world @?
2. what makes me different and unique?
3. what makes me cry when i see it (perhaps it’s a problem you should solve)?
4. if i could make a million dollars a year doing anything i want, what would i do?
5. what do i find myself doing in my spare time? 

in business/marketing…

1. what do we want to the best in the world @?
2. what makes us different and unique?
3. what are we going to stand for?
4. what is the purpose of this organization?
5. what capabilities do we have that will enable us to win?  which ones are we missing?

the moral of the story is simple: 

if you haven’t asked yourself these questions (or other ones like them) then i have the answer to your question about which way you ought to go before you ask me…

“it doesn’t matter which way you go.”

(for those who are searching jullien’s got a lot more questions if you need it, click here) or check out his class here)

Filed under: inspiration, lifemark, personal branding, quotes, 8Ps, freedom, insights, inspiration, jullien gordon, personal development, purpose, search

what if you were more like him?

life.  what if we all brought this same passion to our daily jobs?  what if we were all correctly aligned with our passions so that we even had the opportunity to get this passionate about what we did?  let’s make it personal: what if i cancel all of my meetings tomorrow just so i can get focused, passionate, and creative like this for one day?

marketing.  what does this inexpensive tactic do for his lovemark?  do you respect him more?  love him more?  want to talk about him?  

If You Read This, Tweet This to your Followers:  

monday inspiration:  what if you were more like him: http://tinyurl.com/8gep7a

Filed under: business branding, lifemark, personal branding, advertising, creative, inspiration, lovemark, passions

january babies and my network

 

my friends and my network are incredible.

as i celebrate my 28th birthday i just knew i was going to have to come up with some incredibly, reflective post.  problem was, nothing was inspiring me all day.  so i took my advice from yesteray and i took action.  i emailed a few of my friends who have january birthdays (two that share my actual birthday) and asked them to tell me what they wanted to be the best in the world at.  although i am only asking people for short statements right now (stories will be coming soon), i find that this exercise is so rewarding for me.  first of all, i get to learn about my friends-their dreams, motivations, and inspiration.  second of all, it forces me to evaluate myself to see if anything is missing.  like always, new information gives you the opportunity to judge it against what you currently have and see if it changes anything.  

my friends, the january babies, have reminded me how important it is to help others.  in their own way, each one of them mentioned that their goal is give back to someone.  and although that has always been a part of my plan and i think it is largely linked to my purpose, they have made me realize that i probably need to spell it out here a little more.  i will think about the phrasing but for now let’s just say that i want to be best in the world at exposing underpriviledged minorities to “the next level” and enabling them to get there through education.  i also want to be great at building God’s kingdom (but i won’t say best in the world here because it sounds too competitive to me for a spiritual goal).  who are you doing all of this work for?  who is it that you want to help?  is it really all about you?  anyway, thanks e, jb, and mj for the reminder and the inspiration!  (i’m missing ljf, ne, and td so i’ll have to work on that).

the other reason my friends and network are so incredible is because they have showered me with so much love on this day.  the tweets, the emails, the facebook messages, the gchats, the text messages, the phone calls, the e-cards were all awesome!  some from close friends, some from lost friends, some from acquaintances and the likes.  all of your messages were appreciated.  thanks for being such great people and showing me love on this day.  peace!

Filed under: best in the world, personal branding, friends, inspiration