How are you…and how is your New Year so far? For some of us, the answer would be “Good…no, I mean really good!” For some of us, the answer would be”Not so good, I’ve been kind of stuck” and for others of us the answer would be “I’m just holding on. I thought this year would be so much better than last year, but so far, it’s been pretty much the same thing as last year.”
Wherever you are and whatever you are going through–good or not so much–we all have fears and we all have dreams. And we are all capable of facing our fears and feeding our dreams–really–whether we realize it or not. I know you have fears because we all do, no matter how much we’ve grown or how much we’ve achieved. And we all have dreams–but how many of us are feeding our dreams with the thoughts, beliefs and actions that are needed to bring them to life?
If things are going well for you, now is the time to capitalize on that and keep growing, changing and achieving bigger things. It’s the time think bigger and take on bigger fears and find out how much more the universe and life has to offer. It’s time to become healthier, more loving and to enjoy more of the abundance that is yours. You owe that to yourself and to those you love. If you are in a position of strength, go for more–and help others along the way.
If things aren’t going so well, or they are okay and you want them to be in a whole different place, let me help you to decide today to turn things around. I’ve been where you are now and so have many others. Maybe not in the exact place you are in now, but in places that me and many others to relate. For instance, I was reminded today of J.K. Rowling–yes, the Rowling of Harry Potter fame. A few years back, Rowling talked about her days of “failure” and dark nights in a commencement speech at Harvard University and said this:
“I was set free, because my greatest fear had been realized, and I was still alive, and I still had a daughter whom I adored, and I had an old typewriter and a big idea. And so rock bottom became a solid foundation on which I rebuilt my life.”
Rowling wrote her first novel in cafes in Edinburgh, Scotland (I’ve been to one of them) taking her daughter with her while she wrote. She pounded out her first draft on a manual typewriter and completed it in 1995, the year she turned 30. She was on government welfare, supporting a young daughter and had to face her fears. You and I know how things turned out for Rowling. But she didn’t–not in the beginning, and not in the middle.
She just kept hoping, believing and taking action, writing one sentence at a time. She could do that, despite her fears. She could face her fears and feed her dreams one sentence at a time. Rowling had to plant the seeds of her dream and feed them for as long as it took for the seeds to grow into what they are today. You are probably not in the same challenging circumstances Rowling was when she started writing–or maybe you are facing bigger challenges.
Whatever your circumstances, here is something we can learn from J. K. Rowling: If things are not going well, now is the time to discover what your dream is and tap into it. It could be a better job, a new relationship or rekindling an “old” one, gaining more self-confidence and getting your mojo back. Ask yourself “What is my dream?” If you know what it is, it’s time to act on it even if that means “writing one sentence at a time”like Rowling did. On the other hand, if things are going well for you, don’t get caught up in the “Success Trap” where you settle for your current levels of success. Think bigger and challenge yourself; there is always so much more!
What are your fears? What are your dreams? Decide today that you will face your fears and feed your dreams and surprise yourself with how courageous, creative and capable you really are.
Categorized in: Articles, Career Success, Life, Mastering Emotions, Mastering Stress & Overwhelm, Self-Esteem/Self-Worth, Self-Improvement
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