It's Ok... Dream big - Part 2

Who is the most important person in your life?  Who should you put first and be true to above all others?

The answer may surprise you.  No, it’s not your spouse, nor is it your parents.  It’s not even your kids. It’s you!

You are going to live with you your whole life. The short 80-90 years we are given can be lived with bliss, joy and truth but only if you make you a top priority. I’m not talking about being self absorbed, narcissistic, or selfish.  I’m talking about believing in your self.

Do you put your self first when it comes to your dreams and goals?  Those ideas you have, the images held in your mind of you accomplishing a dream… if you don’t make them a priority, who else will?

Last week, we covered the issue of being laughed at and others making fun of our dreams. Typically, this causes self doubt.  Well-meaning people who sometimes genuinely care, offering their unsolicited thoughts and advice, can affect us the most.

Here’s a reminder all of us need to hear from time to time: Others probably don’t think much of you because they don’t think much about you. 

You were born unique.  There has never been nor will there ever be another you.  Don’t expect your co-workers, neighbors or even family members to understand you because chances are they won’t.  On a side note, most don’t even understand themselves.  To some degree, the majority of us are trying to determine if we can truly believe in ourselves.

Your dreams, goals and aspirations… they are yours!  The only way someone else can take them from you is if you give them up.  Why would you want to do that?  Even if you don’t have clarity or fully understand why you have a passion for what you do, there is a reason for it.   

Often, our dreams are tied to getting something.  Maybe you wish to buy a home, take an exotic trip or start a business.  Of course there is nothing wrong with getting things, I think all of us need a reason and sometimes material things to keep us pressing on through thick and thin.

The bigger reason for having them is not for the getting, it’s for the becoming.  That is, who we become while stretching, working and reaching for the dream is far more important in the long run than actually getting it.  The late Jim Rohn said it best: It’s not what you get that makes you valuable; it’s what you become that makes you valuable.

It’s ok… dream big!  Go ahead, I dare you.  What is inside you that wants to blossom? What have you wanted to pursue but have never taken the first step?  What is it that crosses your mind from day to day and leaves you feeling inspired and ready to tackle anything?  Chances are this is what you need to go after and move toward.   All the while, becoming the type of person needed to achieve the goal.

Let yourself change and let yourself become a little uncomfortable because if it is worth while, chance are, you will have to.  Your dream is waiting!  Take the action and move toward it.

Don’t let anybody steal your dream.  Have a great Friday everyone, be blessed.

When we Want it Bad Enough...

This last summer, I was teaching my youngest daughter, who is five, how to ride a bicycle. I had worked with her many times but the last time, I noticed that she became less interested and I, in return became frustrated. In midsummer, I threw away her training wheels. I wanted her to ride the bike the way it was intended to be ridden. Her neighbor friends were riding their bikes and she kept telling me she wanted to learn. So, with a little inspiration from her dad, she was usually willing to give it another try. During our last attempt, I could tell she was not giving it sincere effort. I saw my own patience growing thinner. The day I thought would be the magic day was quickly becoming just the opposite. In my frustration, I took a step back, and realized what was going on. She did not share my same desire. She wanted to ride, but not bad enough. For whatever reason, human nature demands that we truly desire something before we will give it our heartfelt effort. I don’t understand why this is, I just know it is. History has shown us this as far back as we can look. We want to make more money but we don’t. We want healthier relationships but we don’t. We want to kick unhealthy habits but we don’t. We want to exercise more but we don’t. The list is huge! Why? Because wanting is not enough, we have to hunger for it. Often we have to make or break habits in order to get what we want and it is not always easy. In fact, it can be downright daunting. This element alone is why we have to hunger for something before we will do what is needed to get it. Within a lot of us lies the want but there is an internal battle that takes place. This battle rages between what we want and what we have always known. Which one will win is largely determined by the one we feed. We must be ready and willing to take the risk to do something new to get something we have never had before. This is not always comfortable and fear can sometimes raise its ugly head. But you know what fear is, right? It is nothing more than: False, Evidence, Appearing Real. I know when my daughter reaches a point of truly wanting to ride her bike, she will. It won’t be because her dad pushed her, it will be because she was ready and willing to take the risk to get something she has never had before. Only then will she climb on the bike and ride it. Have a great Friday everyone, be blessed.

What we believe

I grew up outside of a small town and across the street from a golf course. It was kind of a nice view, even though it was probably a hundred yards or so out past our front window. All year long, we would always see people golfing. If it was raining, they just simply put on their raincoats, opened up their umbrellas, and went on with their game. Rarely did anything ever slow them down. From as far back as I can remember, when it would rain, I recall my dad looking out our window at the golfers and saying, “Look at those crazy golfers! They would have to be nuts to be out there in the rain like that.” Then, some time as a teenager, it hit me one day. Why was it that my dad would always say how crazy the golfers were to be out in the rain but he would never even think twice about spending the day on the river, or at a lake fishing while it poured down rain all day?

Even today, it amazes me just how much of our parent’s beliefs and attitudes we have adopted as our own. You see, truth be told, they are not really our own, most times we have never taken the time to process things like this for ourselves. We just heard it when we were younger from someone we respected and looked up to and our minds put him or her into our belief system as true. Then later, down the road of life, we would retrieve that particular belief from our memory when engaged in a conversation. In this case, for me when I was a boy, it was that anyone who golfed in the rain had to be crazy. However, is that true? Are all golfers who golf in the rain crazy? Based on your beliefs, right now, you have already answered that question.

Of course, there are those foundational beliefs that our parents give us: morals, values, love, respect, ethics, belief in God and honesty. I believe these are all key components to a fulfilling life but you have to ask yourself where you think most racist beliefs come from. Is it inherited, passed down from generation to generation or does it come from personal experience? One person believes that those who live up on the hill are lucky and good fortune has favored them while others believe that luck is non-existent and hard work, along with the successful thinking and habits will get them what they want in life. Which one is right? As you read this, based on your beliefs, you have already answered this question for yourself.

You and I need to be aware of what it is that we believe and why that is. Are those mindsets we carry with us our own or are they simply something we picked up from someone along the way? Beliefs control a large part of what it is that we do and how we act. Therefore, our actions will produce a result and perhaps one of the biggest questions you will need to answer for yourself, is this: Are my beliefs producing the kind of results that I want for my life? If the answer is a no, then I encourage you to take a long hard look at why it is you believe what you do.


Have a great Friday everyone and an even better weekend.


Scott Stewart
Author, Speaker and Inspiring others to a life of greatness.
scott@lovelossandgrowth.com

541-343-3614