As a gardener, one of my annual rituals is the repotting of all my plants that have outgrown their pots during the past year. This can be a time-consuming and messy chore, but it's absolutely necessary or the plants would eventually die. And I am always rewarded with renewed growth and beauty in my container garden.
Just as plants can outgrow their pots, people can outgrow their current situations. The job, hobbies, relationships, and even the area you live in that were so comfortable previously may actually be killing you now - literally! Stress is a leading contributor to many health problems. And while repotting ourselves can be as time-consuming, challenging, and messy as repotting my plants, it is just as vital - and just as rewarding!
One of the main reasons many people become entrepreneurs is because their current careers just aren't fulfilling their needs. A few years ago I read a great article on Beliefnet called "10 Ways to Bring More Growth Into Your Life". It gave some great tips on finding your passion in life. And it gave some wonderful examples of how the wrong profession can drain you - physically, emotionally, spiritually, and financially. Fortunately, it is still available online for those who are looking for renewed growth and vigor in their lives.
How do you know if you need repotting? Take the quiz below. If your score indicates you are ready to repot, then perhaps a career change is in order - and becoming an entrepreneur just might be the change you need.
I've included the web address of the quiz below. Let me know how you score.
http://www.BeliefNet.com/section/quiz/index.asp?sectionID=&surveyID=395
If you want to read the Beliefnet article "10 Ways to Bring More Growth Into Your Life", here's the link: http://www.beliefnet.com/features/repotting.html
Thursday, March 20, 2014
Sunday, March 16, 2014
When Fantasy Becomes Reality
Fact: Almost anyone can become a millionaire.
Fact: Almost anyone can become a successful entrepreneur.
Fact: It is possible to wake up excited about life every day.
Fact: You can turn your passion into your work - and make the first three facts part of your reality!
What if you start tomorrow believing that these facts are true for you? What if you make them part of your reality. It has been proven many times that when you change your perception of reality, you change your behavior accordingly.
Most people go through life thinking this is all there is. I was as guilty of this as anyone. I knew I'd never be rich. I came from a poor family. We couldn't afford the "fancy" degree from the "right" college. And then later, when I was making a decent living, perhaps I could have gone back to school. But I was on active duty, a young mom with two small daughters and an active duty husband as well. I didn't have the time to go to back to school. And while I had ideas for businesses of my own - well, I had children and financial responsibilities. What if my ideas didn't work? How would I take care of my family?
Fast forward 20 years. My life today is so different. I'm not rich - yet - but I'm on the way to being totally financially independent. I make a good living doing something I love. I am a successful entrepreneur. What happened to make it all possible? Granted, I am no longer on active duty. But I still worked a job for a very long time. The jobs I had demanded long hours and lots of travel so I still had no time for school. I still had two daughters - only now I also had a step-daughter. And I took on the care of my father who suffered from Alzheimer's. I still had financial responsibilities and obligations. If you think three children are expensive, try spoiling seven grandchildren! So what changed? My perception. I had a dad who needed full time care and no money for a decent nursing home. I had daughters with children of their own that couldn't find decent, affordable childcare. I NEEDED to be able to stay home. I also NEEDED to be able to earn a living.
Then I was given a book as a gift. And in that book was a quote by George Bernard Shaw. "The reasonable man adapts himself to the world, The unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man." That's when I realized that instead of trying to adapt myself to the reality of my present life, I had to adapt reality to the life I needed. And when you change your perception of reality, you change your behavior accordingly.
Let's do a little exercise. Answer these questions. Do you believe you can be financially independent? Do you believe you can find a life's work that you are passionate about and that excites you every day? Not everyone wants the responsibility of their own business, but do you believe that you can earn a living doing something you love? If you answered truthfully - from your heart - yes! then you are ready to move forward. But if there was even the slightest hesitation or doubt before you said yes - then you are ready to move forward. It might just take a little longer to get there!
Open your mind to the possibilities of what could be if you accept it. Put away the "buts" and "what ifs" and "maybes" and just believe that you can have everything you need. Dream of your perfect life. What do you do? Where do you live? Write it down so you can look at it everyday as you learn the skills and techniques necessary to help you enjoy the life you dream of. Look at your 'fantasy' life regularly and begin to accept the idea that it isn't a fantasy at all but your new reality.
Fact: Almost anyone can become a successful entrepreneur.
Fact: It is possible to wake up excited about life every day.
Fact: You can turn your passion into your work - and make the first three facts part of your reality!
What if you start tomorrow believing that these facts are true for you? What if you make them part of your reality. It has been proven many times that when you change your perception of reality, you change your behavior accordingly.
Most people go through life thinking this is all there is. I was as guilty of this as anyone. I knew I'd never be rich. I came from a poor family. We couldn't afford the "fancy" degree from the "right" college. And then later, when I was making a decent living, perhaps I could have gone back to school. But I was on active duty, a young mom with two small daughters and an active duty husband as well. I didn't have the time to go to back to school. And while I had ideas for businesses of my own - well, I had children and financial responsibilities. What if my ideas didn't work? How would I take care of my family?
Fast forward 20 years. My life today is so different. I'm not rich - yet - but I'm on the way to being totally financially independent. I make a good living doing something I love. I am a successful entrepreneur. What happened to make it all possible? Granted, I am no longer on active duty. But I still worked a job for a very long time. The jobs I had demanded long hours and lots of travel so I still had no time for school. I still had two daughters - only now I also had a step-daughter. And I took on the care of my father who suffered from Alzheimer's. I still had financial responsibilities and obligations. If you think three children are expensive, try spoiling seven grandchildren! So what changed? My perception. I had a dad who needed full time care and no money for a decent nursing home. I had daughters with children of their own that couldn't find decent, affordable childcare. I NEEDED to be able to stay home. I also NEEDED to be able to earn a living.
Then I was given a book as a gift. And in that book was a quote by George Bernard Shaw. "The reasonable man adapts himself to the world, The unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man." That's when I realized that instead of trying to adapt myself to the reality of my present life, I had to adapt reality to the life I needed. And when you change your perception of reality, you change your behavior accordingly.
Let's do a little exercise. Answer these questions. Do you believe you can be financially independent? Do you believe you can find a life's work that you are passionate about and that excites you every day? Not everyone wants the responsibility of their own business, but do you believe that you can earn a living doing something you love? If you answered truthfully - from your heart - yes! then you are ready to move forward. But if there was even the slightest hesitation or doubt before you said yes - then you are ready to move forward. It might just take a little longer to get there!
Open your mind to the possibilities of what could be if you accept it. Put away the "buts" and "what ifs" and "maybes" and just believe that you can have everything you need. Dream of your perfect life. What do you do? Where do you live? Write it down so you can look at it everyday as you learn the skills and techniques necessary to help you enjoy the life you dream of. Look at your 'fantasy' life regularly and begin to accept the idea that it isn't a fantasy at all but your new reality.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)