Courageously Moving Into 2011
I welcomed in 2011 with a quiet dinner and contemplation.
Perhaps it was the 43C (109F) evening that was the deciding factor between heading into the city to join in the celebrations and festivities (read beer and more beer, wine and spirits) with the usual suspects or staying home in the cool Adelaide Hills.
As is my custom and habit I use the first week of January to set the course for the coming 12 months.
This comes in the form of writing down on a sheet of unlined paper five important goals I want to achieve, covering all aspects including career, personal relationships and finances, health and spirituality. I sign and date this document that I like to call my memorandum of understanding. I then put this in my pocket book that I have with me every day.
However, this will be unlike previous years in that I stopped in my tracks when I sat down to put fountain pen (there is something magical about writing the old fashioned way) to paper.
I examined the underlying reason(s) for wanting to achieve each goal and I must say, took the time to squarely look at the why for listing it. These are very important personal goals and there is only so much room at the inn.
So, some honest appraisal and self interrogation ensued and the realizations that dawned on me were that my goals:
1) Are a reflection of my current state of being
2) Can be driven either by FEAR (False Expectation Appearing Real) or courage
The nerdy kid in me has always had a fascination for etymology (the study of the origins and history of words) so a quick on line search found how the word “courage” came into being.
Courage: from Old French corage, from couer or heart
Noun
1. the power or quality of dealing with or facing danger, fear, pain, etc
2. the courage of one’s convictions the confidence to act in accordance with one’s beliefs
3. take one’s courage in both hands to nerve oneself to perform an action
Courage is an acknowledgement of goals that emanate from my heart and are accompanied by a deep sense of conviction that they are in keeping with my highest purpose.
Courage means that these goals require wholehearted commitment to see them come to fruition.
Courage means experiencing a feeling of peace that the decision to set into motion a course of action is aligned with my heart.
May 2011 be the year you found your heart (courage).
Yours in health, wealth and happiness
Not Settling for Second Best
“ Very few people are going after what they truly want in life. Most people settle for what they think they can get.”- Bob Proctor
I felt sad when I read Bob’s observation of the human condition. It said to me that there are an inordinate number of people telling themselves that it is okay to settle for second best.
You did not come into this world to be second best- in my previous 15 years in science with 10 years as a medical scientist I can tell you that during the 38 or so weeks required to assemble you from the ground up, (at the molecular level from bits of DNA from your biological parents), a MILLION things could have gone wrong.
From not being up to scratch (hence having the plug pulled in utero) to not making it into this world with all your fingers, toes and faculties intact.
But here you are, a living, breathing, sentient being perfect in every way BUT only just getting by?
It is not exactly what was intended for you, was it now?
So my question to you is why are you not performing at 100 % and getting what you truly want in life.
Did somebody veto your plans, did they tell you that you can’t and didn’t it ever occur to you to ask, “Why not, why can’t I have what I truly want?”
And here’s the clincher, when they gravely (but with a whiff of triumph) intoned their pronouncement as to why, did you have to accept their explanation?
It’s your life and you can do whatever you like.
That includes ignoring the pessimists the naysayers, the glum people who can suck the oxygen out of a room simply by being around you.
So, think of the creative ways you can stand up for yourself, take control and go after what you truly want in life.
Yes, you will create waves and upset some people along the way, but given the choice would you rather have your spirit languish for the sake of “not making a fuss” or do you want to stand tall and claim your right to a place in the sun.
Here’s Vanessa Amorosi’s song “This is who I am” for a dose of defiance and perhaps you may want to use it as your anthem for the next week.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aEZf6gLnL3c
Yours in health, wealth and happiness