As we are halfway through February, I know this is the point in the year where most people have abandoned their goals, given up on their visions, and returned to the same bad habits. If this is the case for you, I am not here to judge you but I do want you to recommit to the goals that you set for yourself in 2021. If you continue to do the same you will get the same. However, if you dare to do something different, then you can move your life in a totally different direction. I truly believe that you are the engine that drives all change and breakthroughs in your life. I want to share some wisdom with you on how to begin the journey to change in your life. I hope these insights will help position you for new possibilities and opportunities in 2021 and beyond.
- You must have a paradigm shift. It is one thing to imagine changing your life. However, it is a totally different thing to initiate the journey to changing your life. As someone that is respected around the world as a thought leader, I am not just speaking of something that I googled or read in a book. No, I am speaking from decades of experience and doing the work in my personal life. Nothing changed for me until I started to address my thinking. In fact, I quickly discovered that I was not a product of my circumstances or a slave to my situation. I realized that I was the product of my own thinking. More importantly, if I wanted to change my life it started with changing the way that I thought. So I had to have a paradigm shift. For the sake of time, I will not go into the history of paradigm shifts but I do want to share something with you. To have a paradigm shift, you first have to expand your mind to embrace a new way of thinking. Old world thinking will never produce new world living. So you have to be willing to stretch and embrace new ideas and concepts. As you expand to embrace a new paradigm, toxic thoughts are forced out and you can replace those thoughts will healthy intentional thoughts and unlock a world of new possibilities. Most people never accomplish their goals because they are still living adjusted to an old paradigm. As long as you live adjusted to an old paradigm, you will continue to perpetuate cycles of frustration and failure. A paradigm shift is when new thoughts replace old ways of thinking. As a result, you discover a whole new way of living and being.
- You must be willing to leave the familiar and embrace the unknown. While it is great to have a paradigm shift, you must take it a step further and dare to leave the familiar in order to embrace new realities. You cannot continue to visit old places. In other words, you must be willing to do what you have never done in order to get different results. Personally, this was not easy for me because I am a very regimented person. So this required me to challenge behaviors so that I could see cycles broken in my life. In addition, I had to stop choosing convenience over change. We are naturally creatures of habit and we like comfort. Unfortunately, as long as you are comfortable you remained constricted in your progress and you cripple your potential. Discomfort is what engineers a different life for you. Discomfort not only changes the direction of your life but also unlocks the next dimension in your life. In 2021, I challenge you to get uncomfortable and dare to venture out into the great unknown. A predictable life may be easy but it will never lead to being exceptional.
- This is the year to unleash courage in your life. As I just shared with you, comfort is the greatest enemy of change. When I got fed up with cycles of familiarity, I knew that courage was the fire that would ignite my life and empower me to live my dreams. Courage is not the absence of fear. Courage is simply having the audacity to activate faith in moments of crisis and uncertainty. In other words, courage does not deny the obstacle courage simply makes the decision to defy the obstacle. Courage refuses to allow the opposition to become a barrier to opportunity or challenges to become an enemy to change. Courage simply makes the decision to prevail in the midst of pressure, to advance in the midst of adversity, and to contend despite contradictions. Courage chooses victory and does not accept defeat. If you are willing to unleash courage, there is no ceiling that can stand in the way of your destiny. Nothing changes in your life without courage. Courage shifts you from simply being able to perceive what is possible to taking possession of what is possible for your life.
- Your greatest life will never manifest without pursuit. Over the years, I have been asked by many people what the key to my success has been. While I believe that many factors have contributed to my success, I believe that the characteristic of pursuit is what has been a major catalyst to my success. Often times we know that more is available for our lives. Unfortunately, not enough people are willing to pursue more for their lives. You have to stop being content with knowing that you have the potential for greatness. Instead, start expanding your capacity to manifest the greatness that is within you. Most people want success without sacrifices and achievements without adversity. Unfortunately, this is not realistic and the primary reason so many people live in the realm of mediocrity. Years ago, I discovered that your life is the sum total of your thinking and the product of what you have the courage to pursue. So I want to ask you a very important question today. What are you pursuing? In reality, we are all pursuing something. However, I refuse to pursue mediocrity when excellence is available. I refuse to pursue just enough when extraordinary is possible. More importantly, I refuse to pursue a second-class life when I was created to live a world-class life. You live at the level of your pursuits. This year pursue personal growth, rigorous development, challenge every excuse, and demand excellence for yourself. Your greatest life will only unfold through pursuit!