Joe
is so convinced that bad luck follows him that he falls
backward into a ditch and sprains his ankle trying to avoid
the black cat crossing his path. Margaret is so obsessed
with the constant contemplation that some undiagnosed illness
might be just around the corner that the heart attack she
finally suffers gives her a strange kind of prophetic satisfaction.
Paul, on the other hand, is so certain that he works for
a great company that opportunities for advancement come
to him from every direction. And there is Sarah, whose bright-eyed
enjoyment of life and of people brings friendships everywhere
she goes.
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Where
are you going next? Are you moving in the right direction?
There is a direct, measurable connection between what goes
on in your head and what goes on in your life; between your
expectations and your life experience; between your career
role and your role on planet earth! Look around you: isn't
it amazingly obvious how other people either bless or curse
their lives by their attitudes? Glances in your own mirror,
however, too often reveal only murky reflections of what
you yourself are becoming, day by day, as one experience
after another underscores and underlines the accuracy of
your own viewpoint and belief system! Stop for just a minute.
Figure out how the mindset you have accepted as reasonable
is affecting your life journey. Is it positive? Does it
need to be changed in some way?
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It
is numbingly easy to be so caught up in looking at the waves
that you forget to study the current. The majesty and the
undertow are both a part of the same scene. Both contain
value. True of the ocean; true of life experience.
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We
all want to lead happy, fulfilling lives. To be respected
in our professions. To have vital and meaningful relationships
that sustain and enrich us. Here are five Inner-Space Odyssey
keys that will unlock doors to great possibilities. Try adding
them to your own key chain:
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"Inner-Space
Odyssey" Key #1:
Be Willing to Stand Apart from the Crowd
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Take
an probing look at yourself. Do you realize that your unique
and different characteristics (even if you don't like some
of them!) are usually your best allies and will make you memorable
long after the bland personalities whose main thrust is to
blend in have been forgotten. Take your differences and make
them impactful for yourself, your team and your clients.
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We
spend far too much time trying to "package" ourselves,
when a stronger approach might involve some “unwrapping”
of ourselves and our brand. Use this fine-tuned discernment
to give your companies, customers, cohorts and cronies the
benefit of your own flavor and approach. This is where strong
leaders are born and where your own power lies. Analyze your
strengths and allow them to propel you forward.
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"Inner-Space
Odyssey" Key #2:
Never Get Too Comfortable Where You Are
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Whatever
turns your life and career are taking, it can be quicksand-deadly
to get too satisfied in your current situation. We can get
overly comfortable with success. It is also (sadly) possible
to become comfortable with mediocrity. Guard well against
this trap, because today's world demands giant steps in making
and handling changes that may not be altogether welcome. Successful
professionals will make certain they understand current business
trends and are tuned in to what is required to adapt to and
capitalize on them. Some degree of restlessness is required
for growth and new discoveries. Too much ease is like Novocain
for the brain and the heart.
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"Inner-Space
Odyssey" Key #3
Seeing Well is More Important than Looking Good
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The
big question here is— exactly where and on whom is your
eye focused? Who decides whether or not you and your organization
stay in business? Who is important to you personally? Whoever
that is— your customers, members, associates, prospects,
friends, family— LISTEN to them, study them, understand
what their real needs are and make solving their problems
your top priority. Remember: their perception of you is the
only thing that counts with them. If they don't understand
the value you bring, they won't accept your answers to their
problems; they will begin to distance themselves from what
might have been a closer relationship with you.
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"Inner-Space
Odyssey" Key #4
Go for the Throat
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Your
own throat, that is! The way you express yourself . . . the
way you communicate . . . is possibly the single most important
business and personal skill you have. Spend time developing
a stronger love affair with words and use "quotable"
ways of sharing your ideas with others. Read a book a week.
Highlight and underline and write all over the pages. Listen
to those who speak well. Study how they use their voices and
their words to influence and persuade— and weave more
of your own power into the much-too-neglected art of skillful
expression. Then, when you speak up, they will listen. But
more than that, they will hear you!
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"Inner-Space
Odyssey" Key #5
Pick Your Own Daisies
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Don't
wait for someone else to hand you what you want or to make
your dreams come true. You alone are responsible for "playing
the hand" that life deals you. Those who believe they
are working for someone else are sabotaging their tomorrows.
Ultimately we are all entrepreneurs – either successfully
or unsuccessfully working for ourselves. Claim this responsibility
as a great freedom to do and become and have whatever you
want.
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If
you want to change something about your life, take a closer
look at your belief system. If you begin to change something
on the inside, a corresponding change will occur on the
outside as well. Whatever you accept into your life and
attitude will either cost you pieces of your self or will
add to your possibility of creating a life filled with richness
and impact.
Either
choice is habit forming. Either choice has ongoing consequences.
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It's
your call.
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