You’re busy. I get it. You probably have more on your plate than you know what to do with and feel that you don’t have much time to read today’s post. That’s OK, I’ll be quick.

In this article my goal is to help you break away from your immediate situation and look at the bigger picture of YOU. Today is not about your team or target market/audience. It is not about your business or boss.

It is about you. Only you. It’s about how far you have come. It’s about looking back and looking forward. I encourage you to read through this quickly if you need to. If you pay attention and get to the end you will have a new perspective, guaranteed.

Here are the three quick things you must to do appreciate who you are and where you are in life:

Remember where you’ve been.

We moved houses a few months ago. Anytime we move (and we seem to move fairly often) I seem to find myself digging through old boxes of stuff that have no place in my day-to-day life but I keep around because of an apparent problem with nostalgia. This particular time I found a five-year plan that I had written down during my senior year of high school. I was taken aback by what 18-year-old me had as dreams and goals. A lot of things changed when I got out of high school. Absolute disaster seemed to strike a couple of times and change my life’s course, but it is great to remember how I used to view myself and the world around me before any of the “bad stuff” happened.

Look at who you used to be. What were your dreams? Remember what was important to you and try to understand what changed you into who you are today. I promise that if you will take the time to reflect on the past and what you have already overcome you will find the courage to face your next obstacles.

Understand where you are.

While my personal and professional life seemed to take a few hard and unforeseen turns, none of it has seemed to change my ultimate destination. Even though I’m on the other side of the country from where I started and in a completely different industry I’m still able to accomplish the things I set out to do (help people achieve their goals and build leaders). I was able to cross off some of the things on that list, some are no longer applicable, and I still have a few to conquer. I can say that although I’m not where I thought I would be right now; I am much better off than I could have planned for.

Take a moment and do a self-check. Are you where you thought you would be? If so, GREAT JOB! Are you farther than you planned? Yes? FANTASTIC! Do you still have a long way to go until you feel satisfied? Then you’re like me and the next part is the best.

Focus on where you’re going.

It’s OK if you don’t feel that you have accomplished what you expected to up to this point. You still have your entire future to plan. The best part is that you have options. We live in a time where anyone has the capability to create enormous impact. I believe that while things may not work exactly according to your step by step plan, if you are diligent, honorable, and bring value to others it will work out very well. You have the choice today to make the lives of others better. In front of you is nothing but opportunity.  

 

There…I’m all done. You can go back to the grind. I hope that as you do it is with a better sense of who you are and where you are going. Appreciate who you are and where you are going. Be proud of your scars and the experience that came with them.

I’ll sign off with a couple of quotes that a good friend of mine has built a great legacy and business living by.

“Do all the good you can. By all the means you can. In all the ways you can. In all the places you can. At all the times you can. To all the people you can. As long as ever you can.” -John Wesley

“You can have everything in life that you want if you just give enough other people what they want.” -Zig Ziglar