Category: Being Action Oriented

Stop waiting for someone else to raise the bar.

And raise it yourself.

Stop waiting for someone else to figure it out.

And figure it out yourself.

Stop waiting for someone else to come and save you.

And save yourself.

When you stop waiting for things outside of your control to take control, you can finally take control of what’s within your control and grasp, once again, the steering wheel of your life.

Because one thing is for sure, as well intentioned as others may be, they can never steer you precisely to where you were meant to be. Only you—with your unique mental map, intuition, and unbiased desires—can get yourself there.

Expecting someone else to do that is not only impractical, but futile.

Stop waiting.

1. Cruising > Accelerating—Accelerating from 0-250mph feels more invigorating than cruising at 500mph. But cruising at 500mph will get you WAY further than constantly accelerating 0-250mph.
2. Get The Design Right First—When the design is right, all that’s needed is forward momentum. With that and the right fuel source, planes glide. So can you. And gliding is better than having to constantly flap, flap, flap like a bird.
3. Perspective Matters—Life can feel awfully small when you’re constantly zoomed in on your world. Zooming out reminds you that what can feel huge, really is quite small when the rest of the world comes into perspective.
4. Direction Matters—Clouds won’t stop a flight. If you know the direction you need to head, but you temporarily lose sight, don’t let it stop you either. This is why knowing your direction is so important. Don’t take off until you do.
5. Rise Above The Storms—What’s true for clouds is true for minor storms, too. If the day needs to be picture perfect for you to fly, you’ll rarely fly. If you can fly out and rise above the resistance that comes with minor storms; do that.
6. Take Calculated Risks, Not Unnecessary Ones—When the weather gets bad, however, know when to stay grounded. Letting intense storms pass or settle is always a much better solution than taking unnecessary risks. Some storms simply shouldn’t be flown into.
7. Ego Check—You’re not the only aircraft in the sky. In order for flying to work, there has to be cooperation and clear communication with the other planes. Don’t wait for them to talk to you, reach out to them! Organize, align, mobilize, and enjoy the open sky.

The real source of your problems doesn’t come from your circumstances.

The real source of your problems comes from the person looking back at you when you look in the mirror.

See that person?

Sure, they haven’t been given the best start in life. But, neither has countless others. It can’t be changed so might as well focus on what’s important: what you’re going to do about it.

See, here’s the thing: that person in the mirror didn’t choose their starting line, but here’s what they have chosen:

• When to start running.
• At what pace to run.
• How often to run vs. not run.
• Who to run next to.
• How seriously to take their running.
• Where they want their finish line to be.
• What to do when the running isn’t going well.
• What to do when the running is going really well.
• How often to invest in becoming a better runner.
• Who’s brains they pick and how they apply the insight they gather.

People who blame their circumstances don’t get ahead, not because they started behind, but because they stay behind while they continue to blame, yell, and shout at their starting line.

The people who get ahead are the ones who: rather than source problems to circumstances, focus energy on solutions; rather than blame what’s out of their control, change what’s within it; rather than compare where they started, just get started!

You’ll always be disappointed if you’re always waiting for some big force to save you.

• A letter from the government saying all of your debt has been forgiven.
• For all of the demeaning people in your life to suddenly become compassionate.
• The “magic pill” to finally be invented so you no longer have to exercise or eat well.

When you stop expecting these things to happen, suddenly, there’s no longer any disappointment. Just a refocused use of energy from what’s out of your control (government, people, metabolism, etc.) to what’s within. Now, you’re mental energy can be devoted to:

• A clearly budgeted and well-thought out financial plan to tackle the debt you’re in.
• A strategy for cutting out demeaning people and including more compassionate folks.
• A ritual that allows you to eat well and exercise in enjoyable and long-term focused ways.

If you find yourself disappointed often, it might be because you’re waiting to be saved.

Save yourself.