WEEK 106: LED BY YOUR DREAMS

Don't be pushed by your problems. Be led by your dreams.   Ralph Waldo Emerson

REFLECTIONS (learnings and actions): I read this quote earlier this week and it came at a perfect time.

I have mentioned in previous weeks that moving continents with my family has been a little more challenging than expected.

The move has caused a lot of frustration and stress. Additionally, it has created doubts in my mind and questions like:

Is this it?

Is this where I quit?

Why did we move?

It actually took me down a downward spiral which caused me to lash out on those that are closest to me...sorry Meggo! 

Now I have written in the past that the path to achieving your dreams will be uncertain at times. This lack of clarity will produce uncomfortable feelings like doubt, anxiety, fear which you will have to endure.

Now, even though I have written this in the past, it was really hard to live this out.

Going back to this week, I felt so overwhelmed with the duties of being a husband, father, and acclimating to my new job while still devoting time to my LYP. 

In the past, these everyday challenges wouldn't phase me, but this week they did. 

I was limited to minutes devoting to my LYP and businesses, instead of the hours I was used to spending before my families move.

To give an analogy, I felt like a pinball being bounced from one bumper to another. 

This is where the quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson comes into play. 

The path to achieving your dreams will be bumpy and you will be pushed along the way. That is a GIVEN!

But it is in these times where you choose not to be pushed by your problems (illusion) and you choose to be led by your dreams.

This means taking on the perspective that whatever is happening in your life (limited time to invest in LYP) is a means to an end, not an end itself.

I am married to an awesome wife and she helped me see I actually had pockets of time I could devote. The problem was I could not see them, as I was consumed by the doubt, anxiety, and fear produced from all changes in our lives.

After reflection, I was able to go back to one of my other principles; feeling frustrated is trigger to make room (stop comparing my results with others) and make room for the awesomeness in my life.

This is just what I did on Friday and things started to look up.

Thus, so the next time you feel frustrated or stressed from the challenges of achieving your dreams, take a breath and go back to the principles of the LYP. 

Be led by your dreams and stop being pushed by your (perceived) problems!

What Went Well?

I was presenting at a Edtech summit all weekend and extra time was a limited resource. Although this could have been an excuse, I carved out the the time and WT completed. 

What is something we can improve? What actions can we take next week?

I often get so tied up in something happening a certain way that I get frustrated if it does not turn out a certain way. Constrictive!

One my my LYP members actually reminded me of a strategy which I had forgotten, it is to be Committed to you Vision, but Flexible with the Approach. 

This will allow me to FLOW and not constrict what is happening in the future.

What is something to avoid next week?

Trying to control and constrict everything!

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PLANNING (Implementation Intention):  You will follow through 2X to 3X more likely to complete your weekly task than you normally would just by filling in the following statement.

I plan to complete the weekly task [day] at [time] in [location]. 

A reminder you might have to use multiple Implementation Intentions in order to follow through.

EXECUTION (strategies used):  From week to week, I use a combination of many strategies. There are always some which are used more than others depending on what comes up, but I wanted to offer a link to all them at once. 

My advice is to identify the I CAN'T statement you tell yourself during the most. Then find a strategy below the statement which resonates with you, and then start using it. 

Enjoy!

STRATEGY LIST