Are You Finally Ready?
“The thing always happens that you really believe in; and the belief in a thing makes it happen.†– Frank Lloyd Wright (1869 – 1959)
What a great quote. Another one of my favorite lines is “What you focus on, expands” but I am not sure who said that one. Both of those are about the mental ability to bring forth what you dream, wish for, envision….for your life, your business, your health, anything really. But is thinking about something enough? Is meditating on a thought or envisioning an idea all it takes to bring it to fruition? The answer is a resounding no. If it was everyone would be wildly successful, healthy and strong, madly in love and forever happy. How boring.
There is no doubt that creating a vision is necessary for success. If you ever attended one of my lectures, you heard me speak of sharing your ideas, getting them on paper, saying them out loud so the energy is offered to the universe. I wholly believe in that principle but that’s just the start. Now come the action steps and this is where most people fail. What are you willing to do to make these dreams come true? Are you willing to go to any lengths, lose sleep, risk money, give up social time with your friends, eat peanut butter and jelly for six months…. to see your visions turn into reality?
When I first started in practice, I had come from a corporate job and was making a terrific living. Giving that up was risky and scary. I downsized from a 10 room house to a studio apartment and literally ate pb&j every day. All my financial and energy resources went to starting my practice. Desperation was a terrific motivator and I was willing to do whatever was necessary to make my business a success. Within six months I hired my first associate, couldn’t personally take on any more clients and moved to a larger office. These “sacrifices” were the action steps needed to ensure my success. On a side note, I still eat pb&j five days a week but not because I have to anymore; I just really love it.
Dream big, dream in color, envision all the success in as much detail as possible. But without action steps, your dreams will never become reality. Yes, it’s hard. Yes, it will take some time. Yes, it will mean sacrifices. The things worth working hard for are the things most celebrated and cherished. Talk to any successful person and they will undoubtedly talk about struggle but guess what? They will probably have a smile on their face and a gleam in their eyes. There is something magical about coming from the bottom and rising. So get off the couch, stop surfing the web, cancel your Facebook account, set a schedule and take the action steps necessary. Chances are, you probably know what to do already. No coach, book, seminar or webinar needs to teach you anymore. You have the tools. But are you finally ready?