Persistence

Say Hello to Your New Best Friend “Fear”

Posted by

0

So what is keeping us from taking control of life and choosing our own path? Perhaps it’s our old nemesis Fear with a capital “F”. Fear has derailed the dreams and potential of too many for far too long, but there is a way to turn fear on its head and use it to your advantage.

Fear as we all know can take on may forms, but for the entrepreneur, artist, or and others wishing to live with personal integrity and self fulfillment, fear can hide in the shadows and is not always as obvious as a thumping heart, cold sweats, and an urge to flee.  Fear can be much more subtle and may not be recognized as fear, but it is crippling just the same.  For example, when we sit on the couch and waste time either watching another mindless television program or some other diversion, it could be fear rather than boredom keeping us from pursuing the life we wish for and deserve.

Why is this and how can it be overcome? By simply paying attention to those little things that keep us from moving forward.

What are some clues to fear’s presence?  Whenever we say, I don’t have enough time right now; once I have more experience, education, money, etc then I can move forward; once I finish this project or after this event happens, then I’ll do it – do these sound familiar?

Anything that keeps us stuck someplace that no longer serves us…that isn’t in line with who we really are, may be routed in fear – fear of failure, of the unknown, of not wanting to discover the unfounded truth that we are not good enough or smart enough to succeed.  This is the fear we must be hyper vigilant to recognize.  When we realize we are sitting on the couch rather than doing whatever it is to become our best selves, it is time to take action.  Awareness of incessant, low-level fear is your beacon to get off the couch and move forward.

This is why fear is a friend; it reminds us to take action to move toward our dreams.

As always, take action and show gratitude everyday!

With Love and Respect,

Gary

Advertisement

Responsibility

Posted by

0

Greetings All,

I’ve been on a family vacation in Slovenia, Italy, and Croatia and the time away has allowed me a small bit of time to think about how I and others live our lives.  I believe the truth is that the majority of us give our lives away and base our decisions on a herd mentality and unwritten rules.  So what the heck am I talking about?

Consider this, do you have a 401K account or a mutual fund? Have you placed your financial future in the hands of people you’ve never met and do not know and turn them to manage your financial future?   Are you relying on Social Security or someone else to carry you into a secure retirement?

It seems like most of us are not comfortable taking control of our lives.  If things do not work out, we can simply place the blame somewhere else…our boss, a spouse, the Government.  Most of us have given up control of our financial futures and simply placed our trust in the system with the hope that everything will work out.

I believe the same can be said of our working lives.  We rely on others to provide us employment in the hope that we will be treated fairly; or that we are not caught up in a down economy; or downsized for the sake of increased profits.  This is why I’ve decided to place trust in myself and people with a similar mindset.  It’s time to put ourselves first and truly know that we can succeed on our own!  There is so much content available through books, podcasts, blogs, and good people who are willing to share their knowledge and experience.

If you are ready to put yourself first,  then take that first step and write down as many thoughts and ideas as you can on what you would like to do — then take action to accomplish something greater than you ever thought possible!  Whether you ultimately succeed or not is secondary to how you will feel about yourself when you take control and accept responsibility for every aspect of your life.  Your life will be better in so many amazing and intangible ways.  Whenever we realize that we might have what it takes to achieve our goals, something inside us is ignited.  We truly begin to live our lives instead of acting out imprinted scenarios — whether social or cultural.  That spark is your life coming out of the shadows and breathing in the the unlimited possibilities and promise that the future holds.

Let’s get started right now!

With Love and Respect,

Gary

Fight Resistance – Gain Momentum and Velocity

Posted by

0

The video above is by Steven Pressfield.  He is the author of “The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles” a very readable book that I highly recommend.  The premise is getting past resistance by becoming a professional.  You may believe the book is about getting past writer’s block, but its real message is about living your potential.  I found it powerful and believe it should be read by anyone thinking of becoming an entrepreneur, artist, writer or otherwise engaged in the act of creation.

Like many entrepreneurs, you may be launching your business while you still have your day job. Until you have sufficient revenue to support both your business and yourself, working on your business is done whenever you can find time. Do not let this be an excuse for not moving forward!  Action leads to momentum and velocity to reach your business and personal goals.  I will continue to make action a theme in all I write as it is something I struggle with.

We all have obligations – besides paying the bills, we also need to invest time in our spouses, kids, and hopefully ourselves.  So how do we find time to do it all without becoming overwhelmed?  There are only so many hours in the day, so as entrepreneurs we have to use our time to our best advantage.

Early mornings are where we can all find an extra two hours to devote to our businesses.  That’s 10 hours a week to gain momentum.  After the chores are done and the kids have gone to bed, there are usually another 1 to 2 hours in the evening available.  That’s another 5 to 10 hours a week with weekends available for catchup time.

For me, Saturday mornings and evenings are devoted to the business.  Saturday afternoon are devoted to my family along with Sunday mornings.  I usually devote another 2 hours on Sunday evenings.  That’s a total of 25 to 30 hours to devote a business on a regular schedule.  There will also be time when you are working on a proposal or other projects that will need addition evening and weekend hours, but you can do this!  You may find that you actually enjoy seeing your business start to evolve and also enjoy your down time more especially when you realize how productive you’ve become.

The time we spend working toward our business goals will provide small successes that will help to keep us motivated.  As always, take action each and every day to keep your dreams alive.  When you want to sit on the couch or putter around, that is the evil presence of resistance.  When you have this feeling, it is time to fight and do something that will drive your business forward.

Somethings will no longer be on your daily schedule.  One of the primary activity you will not longer have time for is the great dream killer – television.  I’m not suggesting that you will never watch TV again, but when you do need to veg out (and we all do), it will probably only be for 2 or 3 hours a week rather than every day.

We can also use time to increase our knowledge. For example, I like to read or listen to pod-casts about entrepreneurship.  Pod-cast and audio books are a great way to learn while driving or waiting in traffic.

My advice is to place the following on your daily “to do” list:

1.  Spend time with your family

2.  Spend quite time to think and mediate

3.  Exercise

4. Work toward your dreams

5. Sleep 7 to 8 hours a night

Life is more satisfying when you have your priorities right.  We can have more control of our futures and relationships.  It’s time to turn pro!

With Love and Respect,

Gary