By
Rene Godefroy
Imagine
for a moment it's five years from now and you are still
making the same income (or just a little more), living in
the same home or apartment. You are in debt. You are barely
supporting yourself and your family. And you are frustrated
with the way things are.
You
say, “Wait a minute now. This is not positive thinking!
I was expecting your newsletter to be motivational.”
Well, it is. You see, most people often take action when
they are desperate. Unfortunately, they sometimes take action
when it is too late.
The
good thing is, I can assure you that the above scenario
will never happen to you. How do I know? Although I don’t
know you, I am certain we have kindred spirit. You belong
to a special category of winners. Or you wouldn’t
be reading this.
For
many years, I worked as a doorman at a hotel. I was carrying
bags - sometimes in the extreme heat or cold. I mean intense
manual labor. But although I was a doorman, I was not a
dumb man. I was a researcher and an observer. One of the
many insights I received came to me from merely observing
something as simple as a revolving door. Just like the word
suggests, it revolves.
Now,
many of our lives are just like a revolving door - and how
easy and comfortable it is to get caught in it. We spend
years doing the same things over and over. We simply keep
turning around and around. We prefer to operate within our
comfort zone. It's a natural instinct.
But
if you take a good look at all of the successful people
around the world, you will notice they all have one common
denominator. They all became successful by going to the
edge. And yes, my friend, the edge is no where near a revolving
door. What’s the lesson here?
The
lesson is if you want more than you have now, you have to
be willing to step out and dance along the edge of life’s
cliff. The big things that you and I are dreaming about
are hanging along the edge. If they weren’t, every
one of us would have plenty of them.
My assignment
for you is to start strategizing your life NOW. Again, this
is something most people would not be willing to do. Come
to think of it, it is exactly why YOU should. So, you have
been thinking about going back to school but just the thought
of the sacrifice seems a little scary. Hey, if it is then
DO IT. Success dwells on the edge!
What
else have you been thinking about and are afraid of? Do
you want a promotion? Do you want to start a new life? Is
it time to reinvent your life? Then get a pen and a piece
of paper, and quickly start writing down what you will have
to do for that to happen. Perhaps you need to acquire new
skills. Maybe you need to seek out some mentors for moral
support. Maybe you need to start putting together a team
of people who can help you make it happen.
We can
never, ever make it on our own. We need highly creative
people to help us. Most of us struggle because we try to
do everything ourselves. Jesus had to first put a team together.
Tom Watson, the founder of IBM, before his death asked his
family to share part of his wealth with his employees. He
said that they helped him make the money. He could not have
done it alone.
So,
during this month, each day try to do something that you
are uncomfortable doing. Remember, if you are afraid then
DO IT. But first, make sure you have great mentors and a
good team to support you along the way. And remember, not
only the big boys deserve to have the big toys. You deserve
to have them, too.
