Make Your story epic!

Google.com - Change the story you tell!

"People believe what you tell them about yourself,".... so they say, and whether you realize it or not, you tell your story everyday. The quality of your relationships, the tone of your conversations, the emotions your presence evokes, the confidence (or lack thereof) in your steps, your ability to command the respect of a team.....all tell your story. The good news is you have full control over what gets told.

Your personal brand is what we're talking about here. Now let's be clear on one thing: having great talent does not guarantee a great story or an excellent brand. Can you think of anyone you know who has great talent but who just hasn't been able to realize the success that their talents should elicit? Is that person you? I know..... I've been there. For years my personal brand has been affected by fear, a lack of confidence, anger, frustration, an inability (and sometimes unwillingness) to be sociable, and probably the worst one....constant feelings of inadequacy. Can you imagine all of this wrapped up in a single bundle? Like a powder keg waiting to explode, right? Well that was my brand - for many years. And you can well imagine, it did me no good.

But I've watched myself grow over the years. I realized that if I wanted my personal brand to have global impact I needed to tell a different story. So I became intentional about change.....My attitude, my willingness to engage with others, my too-frequently-negative mindset, my lack of confidence.... everything that didn't serve the purpose of improving the story my life told had to go....and that included some people. And over time, with the help of other growth-obsessed friends, intentional self awareness, and generous helpings of Divine intervention, I've watched my story change.

So how about you? How is your story? What do you need to change? Who do you need to let go of? What new habits do you need to create in order that your life may tell a more intriguing story? There are not many things we have control over in this life, but our response....our "happily ever after" remains a function of our intentional efforts at change, no matter our circumstances. There's never been a better time to take up the note-pad of your life, move an eraser across the pages you don't like, take your pencil in hand, turn the pages if you must, and re-write your story. The world awaits the epic best-seller it has the power to become!

Conditions will never be perfect

Google.com

"Whoever watches the wind will not plant, whoever looks at the clouds will not reap." That's the wisdom of Scripture (Ecc 11:4). Age old wisdom. Wisdom that is still relevant for today's struggle. To put it simply, conditions will never be perfect for getting your project off the ground. You may not have the required start-up capital; all the information needed to make a crucial decision may not be available, your team may lack some expertise; you may feel altogether inadequate for the task, but make your move anyway. Your success depends on it.

One of the biggest mistakes we make on the personal development path is to believe we have to be high on the measure of competence before we accept the mantle that major roles thrust upon us. On the contrary, it is through the challenges posed by these opportunities that we grow. It is as we stumble and bruise ourselves, fall and pick ourselves up that we grow in competence....and yes, confidence. It is as we tackle a problem broke - no money to throw at it - that we bring our ingenuity and creativity to the fore. It is as we take on our first client, with not enough experience, and less than enough know-how that we learn the peculiar needs of each of them, how we can fill those needs, and in the process stand out. But we have to start now....imperfect as conditions are.

When all is said and done, it comes down to your willingness to make incremental moves, and an understanding that it is often with the indiscernible, seemingly unimportant, steps that our most formidable and intimidating goals are achieved. Yeah, I know incremental is not appealing, but understand this: the cumulative effect of incremental moves is phenomenal. We're talking compound effect. But you must be willing to start where you are, with what you have now. Start with your so-called 'not enough', your inadequacies, your short-comings. Do it anyway.

Many times, while we wait for conditions to improve, opportunities depart. Procrastination is the thief of time, they say, and indecision the thief of opportunity. Make up your mind to face your inhibitions. Acknowledge your lack of resources, know-how or support. Acknowledge that conditions are less than perfect but believe that they are worth the risk - the risk of vulnerability, failure and loss even. The words of Martin Luther King come quickly to mind: "we don't have to see the whole staircase, we just need to take one step at a time." I've learnt that "less than perfect" is good ground for phenomenal success. You owe it to yourself to move towards it.