Protesting the List
Called to Be YOU!
You are who you were made to be! All of your idiosyncrasies and qwerks make you exactly and uniquely you. The more quickly you embrace those things about you, the more quickly you can get to part two of your personal development.
Now that we have gotten that out of the way, it is time to accept that although you are indeed uniquely you, don’t hide behind it as if everyone should “just deal with it.” That is an antisocial, selfish, and inconsiderate way of interacting with others.
Instead, use your talents and abilities for good. Where can you “plug in”? What about you can enhance the world around you? How can you take what you are made of to make amazing things happen? How can you partner with others and combine your abilities?
It doesn’t matter what you like, dislike, prefer, can’t stand, or can’t live without…you have value, and you are who you were made to be. Please embrace it and share it with others to make your corner of the world so great.
Mission Statements
I bet at sometime in your life, perhaps numerous times, you have had to draft a mission statement. In the beginning stages of writing a book, it is a great idea to write a personal mission statement. It helps to focus your attention and puts your “why” into a few sentences that you can refer back to any time you start to lose momentum.
Have you ever heard the phrase, “he looks like a man on a mission!” or “she’s on a mission!”? What does that mean? You are usually talking about someone who is walking somewhere very quickly like they have a sense of purpose…someone who has a sense of urgency, who is laser focused on getting from point A to point B with no detours! This is how we should think about our personal mission statements as we craft them.
Begin your personal mission statement with “I’m on a mission to…”. What you put after that should be everything that you have a sense of urgency and purpose to do in your life. It should be as many words as it takes to describe what you believe you are on this earth to do. What is your contribution to humanity?
Some things that will help you construct your personal mission statement:
What do you value? Beauty, Nature, Faith, Honesty, Respect, Love, Teamwork, Courage, etc…. How do you demonstrate that you value each one?
What are your roles in life? Parent, Spouse, Coach, Teacher, Leader, Mentor, Friend, etc…. Write some “I am” statements for each role explaining how you fulfill each role.
What is one thing you could do that would have the most positive impact in your life?
What kind of person do you want to BE? (compassionate, hard-working, humorous, responsible, etc)
What kinds of things would you like to DO? (learn how to play an instrument, volunteer, graduate college, etc)
What would you like to HAVE during your lifetime? (new house, retirement pension, a boat, etc)
What are some of the greatest moments of happiness and fulfillment?
What activities do you most enjoy and find most fulfilling in your life?
What talents do you have or want to have?
What would you like people to say about you on your 80th birthday? (I know this one sounds strange, but trust me, it also helps to focus your mission statement efforts!)
After you draft your personal mission statement, put it somewhere that will have your attention every day and see if it doesn’t recharge you to keep you on your mission!
Why Do Cars Have Headlights?
Have you ever asked the question, “why do cars have headlights?” Of course you haven’t, because the answer is intuitive. But take a moment to ponder that question now.
There are really two basic answers, and they both have to do with FOCUS.
1. A car has headlights to allow you to see where you are driving in the dark. Just because it is dark out does not mean you can’t navigate the twists and turns of a road or avoid obstacles. Headlights enable you to focus on where you are going.
2. Headlights on other cars enable you to see other people on the road and avoid their becoming an obstacle for you. Have you ever driven in the fog? I have, and being able to follow behind someone with their lights on gave me a comforting feeling, like this stranger suddenly became my best friend, and we were in it together!
FOCUS in our lives rarely comes naturally to us…squirrel! Trust me, I get it. The most gifted procrastinators (certain that I am one) must work very hard to gain and maintain focus. Think about this: How many times have you had to “start over” with something you have been working on (like weight loss, writing a paper, telling a story, working a project)? How many times have you experienced success in the past by maintaining focus on your goal to achieve it? Okay…now set all that aside! No, seriously! You have to stop looking back at past failures AND successes. Focus on the present. Concentrate your attention on the road ahead. Now. What road are you on and where are you going? It doesn’t matter how bright your headlights are if you are driving down the road looking out the back window!!
So buckle up, eyes front, and headlights on!
Lean In
I know I’m smart enough. I know I’m capable enough. But I just made a decision to discontinue (at least for a while) my doctorate degree program. I prayerfully considered the decision and discussed it with my husband. It shook out as the right answer.
I have been under a tremendous amount of stress at work. Suffice it to say, something horrible happened, and I am existing in the aftermath of the unnatural disaster. Dissertation writing is not the most fruitful when you are in survival mode. Failure is not the word I am associating with this decision. Anyone who would say that I should just continue because I am “so close” has not pursued a doctorate degree. It is not simply a degree of higher learning…it is the evidence you produce that you are an expert in the field of blah. I believe it is worth the pursuit, but I am a better contributor to society by focusing on matters at hand and healing from getting hit by the politics bus.
How is this leaning in?? It sounds like I’m giving up, like I just snapped under the pressure. But trust me, I’m leaning in to my adverse winds. I am taking something huge off my plate to turn in and face the road ahead. Even amazing Guinness World Record holders can only pull the rail cars with their teeth for a short distance, and they certainly can’t do it every day, all day! Are you feeling me?
Control the things you can control, and lean in fearlessly against the headwinds of the things you cannot control. When you lean in and the headwinds knock you down, you have so much less distance to fall, less ground to cover when you get back up, and leaning in keeps you moving forward. Once you heal and the winds dissipate, gradually or suddenly, you will have made progress.
I am not failing. I am taking control and making progress. That’s what resilient behavior looks like.
