Photo by Linda Compton
One of the things I often hear is how discontented so many individuals are. Worried about their financial future, they are unhappy with their work situation, and fearful about economic conditions that seem to momentarily brighten, just before some other dire news is announced.
I don’t think our economy is going to show any promising signs of growth and sustainable rebounding for quite some time. I do believe we need to find new and different ways to strengthen our own situations, and to embrace non-traditional ways of positioning ourselves for the challenges ahead. This is going to take courage, initiative and persistence. And frankly, this greatly concerns me. Because the discontent and fear contained in the stories being shared with me are often accompanied by a real resistance to making the changes necessary to make it through the turbulent times ahead. I hear in some an unwillingness to move beyond their comfort zone in order to improve their present situation by taking swift and decisive action. As John Jackson states, “If you want to have something you’ve never had before, you must do something you’ve never done before.” I cannot emphasize too strongly how very true this is.
Have you spent much of your life trying to please others; take care of others; do the “right things” for the wrong reasons? Have you tried to be true to other peoples’ aspirations for you, only to find that you have lost yourself along the way?
Perhaps that doesn’t describe you at all. Perhaps you are simply beginning to realize that you want something more out of life; something different for yourself and your family. As a baby boomer with a master’s degree in Gerontology, I am keenly aware of something that happens to most of us in mid-life. At some point, we come to the realization that we have lived more years than we are going to live. This striking new awareness can have a profound effect on our view of ourselves, our world and our future. It can be quite enlivening, as we decide to become much more focused and intentional about what’s next for us.
An all time favorite quote of mine is from Stephen C. Paul, “Remove the rock from your shoe rather than learn to limp comfortably.” I know so many people who have learned to limp comfortably, to the point that now their gait has become slightly off. They either ignore the presence of their particular rock, or make excuses for it. Why not remove the pebble? Why continue to accept the limitation and complain? Why not acknowledge that it is unacceptable, make a decision to change their situation and take action? Seeing this dynamic is both sad and frustrating. I want to cry out, “Stop making excuses and start creating a different kind of future for yourself and your family. There are options and opportunities available to us – research and study them, then make a make a plan to act!” None of us can change our past, but each of us has the ability to determine our future. There is always something to distract or discourage us. We don’t have the time or the money or the whatever. Realize this will always be the case – until you decide to change it by doing things differently than you’ve always done them. It’s not called, “A leap of faith” for nothing. People often say they are “waiting for God.” Andy Andrews says he believes God is usually waiting for us!
I sincerely encourage you to find what is right for you, at this point in your life. Look deep within yourself and determine what’s missing and what’s there. Start where you are. Reach down, tap your motivation and then rise up and reach for what is right for you. For my family and myself, I have found a business system that is stretching me, enriching me, and affording me financial and time freedom. It is not a “get rich quick” scheme. It is an “acquire financial freedom through persistence” system. If this is something that appeals to you, I invite you to check it out. See if you have what it takes. If something else calls to you, I urge you to pursue it. As the great motivational and success legend Jim Rohn asserts, one’s income rarely exceeds one’s personal development. If I can be of help in any way, I encourage you to ask. Find an opportunity that appeals to you and make a commitment to do something new and expansive for yourself. www.WealthyandWiseToday.net
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