Play "What If?"
"All successful people are big dreamers. They
imagine what their future could be, ideal in every
respect, and then they work every day toward their
distant vision, that goal or purpose."
--Brian Tracy
This year, I'm going to challenge you to come face
to face with the things that hold you back from
achieving the A+ Life. I consider an A+ Life to be
one that is authentic and admirable, one in which
you have few regrets and you spend the bulk of your
time doing what you love the most, and in many
cases, getting paid to do it. Still not sure what
your mission is?
Here's an exercise to help you figure out what you
really want to do. Play "What would I do if?" Ask
yourself these questions:
What would I do if I didn't have to worry about
money?
If you didn't have to pay each month's bills and
your family's needs were taken care of, what would
you do with your time? Would you travel? Would you
volunteer? Would you do what you are doing now?
This question helps you answer what you would like
to do with the time you have.
What would I do if I knew I could not fail?
Fear keeps us from doing many things. Sometimes
it's fear of failure; sometimes it's fear of looking
ridiculous. If you knew you had a good chance of
being successful and not looking silly, what would
you do? Salsa dancing is on my list.
What would I do if I had the
power / money / resources / intelligence / training
to do
anything?
This is a question that gets to what is really
important to you. When you read this question, do
you think of career goals you have that require more
education or experience? Or do you think about
huge, world peace type goals? Maybe you want to
change or fix something a little closer to home, in
your own community? Are there issues or needs that
ignite you?
If you give yourself some time to think about these
questions, you may be surprised at the ideas that
surface. Write down your answers. Write them in
present tense, as if you are already accomplishing
them. Then, for each answer, determine one small
step, one quick thing you can do this month that
will move you in the direction of that A+ Life.
For instance, if education is one of those dreams,
that small step might be contacting a college or
university admissions office to see what you need to
do to attend. If it's world peace you have listed,
here are two of my favorite organizations - Heifer
Internationaland Beyond
the 11th.
And if it's learning salsa, you might only have to
ask your friends if they know anyone who teaches it.
Well, do you? (grin). Have a great 2007!
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