I know you.
I know the feeling you have.

You want to be more.
There is this niggling feeling under your skin, in your soul, that says you were destined for more than this.

You feel that if some… thing would happen, you’d be able to figure it all out and become the You you were meant to be.
Some windfall. Some lucky break. You’d meet the right person or someone would leave you some money or recognize the power inside you.

One day somebody in a position of wealth and power will see you and just recognize the fire, passion, and possibility within. They’ll be moved to become your mentor and financier.

There is a whisper in your ear that says, “If only…” or “As soon as I…” or some other vague circumstance that needs to happen before you can become the true you.

If the movie “The Matrix” is true, you are Neo. If it is Superman or Harry Potter or a hundred other books and movies that have a hero that has lived as human and discovers that they different, you are that alien.

I too want to be more.

 

Now, because I love you, let me tell you this.
You are not an alien, a super-hero, or in a movie at all.

You are a person much like the rest of us. Destined to live on this planet for some amount of time and do things to please yourself and others, to hurt yourself and others, and to change the world somehow in small and perhaps large ways.

I know you know that.
AND I know that you have it in your head that you ARE special.

I promise not to take that away from you. 🙂
You are special. You’re awesome, in fact. You’re just not superhuman. And trust me, that’s fine.

You can change the world. No matter where you are starting from, what your resources are, who you know, or any other circumstance.

No matter how you want to impact the world, and through what means, is up to you.
You can do it!

Nobody is coming to the rescue.
Sorry.

I need you to stop thinking that someone or something “out there” is going to drop in and give you a boost, to transform you, or to make it easy.

Once you realize that and really get it, you’ve really begun. Completely own that the future you dream of will only happen when YOU do everything it takes to make it happen. Be OK with you have to do it all.

Yes, you can get partners, a team, employees and more. Realize that they will NEVER hold your dream in the same way that you do. It is up to you alone to keep the fire burning, to wave the flag, to stay up late and Get It Done.

I say that like it’s the truth and it’s not.
But please, live like it is!

Work like you’re the only one that cares about it.

You want a future? Build it piece by piece, alone when you have to. With others when you can.
If you have a team and it’s going great… then one day, they leave. Get right to work on your dream without them.

You alone are responsible for your future. Your dream.

 

I know you.
I know the feeling you have.

You feel scared and inferior sometimes. It seems like everyone has some… thing you don’t. Money, time, passion, looks, a mailing list, family, customers, humor.

It’s unfair! The hand you’ve been dealt. The trials you’ve had to endure. The sheer luck of some people!

There is a whisper in your ear that says, “If it weren’t for my…” or “If I had THAT, I’d…” or “Sure. Easy for them.”

Like the great tragedies of Shakespeare, you are a hero that has a tragic flaw. If it weren’t for your shortcoming in this one area, you’d be golden. If only you weren’t constrained, stuck, doomed by your flaws and circumstances.

I too am scared.

 

It’s a crazy dichotomy that we share.

Have you noticed some days that you have felt like you’re awesome, unbeatable, the hero of your story AND in the same day felt sad, small and alone, outclassed by seemingly everyone?

Don’t believe either of those lies! You are a person. You have strong points and weak points, and even those change, wax and wane.

Ignoring both of those extremes allows you to stay grounded and focused.

You’re awesome, but you’re not an alien or super-human.
You’re flawed, but you’re not broken, poor, or horrible.
You have what you have and that’s where you are.

“There is nothing either good or bad,
but thinking makes it so.” Hamlet

While it’s true that you have the potential to be god-like or slug-like, let’s try to ignore those minute possibilities.

Trust that you’re a person that can do great work. Many have before you and many are doing so right now. You can do great work.

We move through these different spaces in our brain simply due to chemicals flowing. The foods you eat, the exercise you get, and the company you keep all influence your moods.

Treat yourself right and make progress every day.

Only you are responsible for your future and your dream. Engage and enroll others into it, but realize that it is entirely up to you.

Take care of you. Don’t beat yourself up. Make it happen!

 

I had a quick chat with some folks about their fears of public speaking and about how skydiving can make you a better speaker.

Evolve already!