YOUR Contribution (a gift to the world)

Have you ever stopped and wondered if you were hiding a part of yourself from the rest of the world?

You see, we were all given a mission for our life, a purpose or calling... but most of us fear exploring this path because it may not already have been walked on.  Meaning, you might have to create this path without knowing exactly where it will lead you.

So instead we conform to what others expect of us (the majority wins in this case).  We go through life asking questions such as...

• What would people want to buy from me?
• Which College are my friends attending next year?
• What would my parents think of this?
• Would others laugh at this idea?
• Is this even a good idea?
• Can I make money with this?  If so, how much?

And as we search and research how to be the best person, company or employer the world would like us to be... we fail to look INSIDE OF US and therefore sacrifice our own self-acceptance and self-worth.

Henri Ford is famous for saying the following...

"If I would have asked others what they wanted, they would have said faster horses"

But instead, Henry Ford, believed he could make automobiles accessible to more people by mass producing them.  And so he did... 

The important thing to point out here is that while there's no doubt that Henry Ford, with the success of his Ford empire, changed the world as we knew it... his contribution is no more important than yours.  The impact of each one of our contributions to this world can not be measured by the perception others have of it, but instead only by the fulfillment it brings to the individual in question.  

• If it feels like you are living your purpose (a meaningful life)... you are making tremendous contributions to our world.  No matter how big or small that contribution may seem to others.
• If you feel resentment towards others who appear to be more successful than you... you have yet to discover the fulness of your own purpose.

So perhaps it's now time for you to turn your attention elsewhere... look inside... and discover the Gift you were meant to share with the rest of us.  We can't wait!

The Power is Shifting (once again)

There used to be a time when individuals would not only associate more with their career, it was also their identity, who they were.  There was the local doctor, the mailman, the nurse, the butcher, the baker and many others.  And during those days, everyone seemed to be treating their customers as they would their neighbors.  Of course, in most cases, they literally were.

Then some businesses realized that, by marketing to a larger group of people, more customers would come to their store and buy their product or service.  This meant more money in the bank for those businesses.  And with this extra money, they invested in some more marketing and made advertizing promises to an even higher number of people.  Television, Radio, Newspaper Ads… all of those cost a lot of money and for the people who had some, it meant they’d make even more.  In time, those businesses distanced themselves from the other smaller ones to a point of even being perceived as untouchable.  And for the longest time they were…

This also lead to a new discovery, because “mass media” was only available to the people who had money, those larger businesses realized that even if some of their customers weren’t completely satisfied with the product or service, they wouldn’t be able to tell the other customers.  At least, not on a scale that would prevent enough of them to come buy again from them.  And so quality started to go down while prices went up.  Of course, this meant even higher profits for the select few. 

But then everything changed…

The new century gave rise to a new phenomenon… Social Media. 

Now, because of Social Media and the Internet, we are seeing a shift in the “power to communicate to the masses”.  Today, everyone has access to a much larger network of people with whom they can share their thoughts, frustrations, great experiences and bad experiences.  And if the news is something those people feel is worth sharing, they do exactly that.  Then other people do the same… until, in a matter of minutes, thousands and thousands of people are hearing about it.  And the best thing about it… it’s FREE!

What does this mean for big businesses?

Well for one, it means that it’s now becoming harder for them to get away with their empty promises.  Customers are much more educated, a lot more skeptic and expect more for their money… and how can you blame them?  After being “taken” all those years they are now looking for some redemption.

Now, the question is... how are you going to adapt to this new reality?

Invest in Rest

Imagine if every time you got behind the wheel of a vehicle, you kept your foot on the gas peddle until you needed more gas.  I mean, even if you had to make a stop at a red light, you'd still take the time to put the car in neutral and continue feeding the engine some gas.  Do you think this would be good on your engine in the long run?

Unfortunately, this is how most of us treat our body in todays society.  Of course we all have to sleep at night, and even if we tried to completely deprive ourselves of it, we'd eventually fail... and fall asleep.  But resting during our awake hours is where most of us fall short.

Sleeping, is a way for us to recharge our batteries or refuel the engine.  But giving the engine a rest during hours of operations, is where we can avoid illnesses and stress while giving our body a better and longer quality of life.

In your work days, whether you're doing labor or mental work, take the time to rest and not think about your work.  Take a lunch... and not a lunch sitting at your desk answering calls and returning emails.  Step outside your work area, turn off your phone and simply rest.

There are many other ways to rest that are also very much essential to your good health, so why not take the time to discover what works best for you? You're worth the investment!

1 + 1 affects every 1

Relationships are everywhere... some better than others.  And whether we choose to accept this or not (or believe it or not), every relationship that we form affects our entire surrounding - not only the people directly involved.

Have you ever been part of a group in which 2 people really detested each other?  How was the overall dynamic of that group?

Now imagive a child growing up with parents who stopped loving each other... parents who now resent each other... parents who put on their smiling face in front of their child only to turn to fighting and screaming behind closed doors.  Can we honestly say that this does not affect the child's life just as much as it does the parents?

Whether we feel stuck, without options or not worthy of a fulfilling...

• Romantic Relationship
• Employee/Employer Relationship
• Parent/Child Relationship
• Friend/Friend Relationship
• Customer/Organization Relationship

We need to remind ourselves that we are not doing our environment a favor in leaving things as they are... the energy surrounding each one of our relationships travels much further than we tend to convince ourselves.

Contruction delays

Have you ever noticed how the ones who complain that the roads are filled with potholes are also the same who'll complain about construction delays?  And often times, those same people will then turn around and complain about municipal and/or provincial taxes.

We have become so used to getting everything we want in a flash (and for free) since the rise of the internet.  But some things simply take a bit of sacrifice of both time and money... so let's all be a little more patient and grateful that we don't have to fix the roads ourselves.

Aiming at the target

It doesn't matter if your target is a personal goal, business goal or an actual target, you need to take that first shot and make adjustments until you hit your goal.

Too many people stay in the aiming (or planning) stage of the process by fear of missing their goal (making a mistake).

Always keep in mind...  It doesn't matter how long you aim at a target, you'll never know where the arrow will strike until you take that first shot.

Who's behind the curtain?

So you get up in the morning, you have plans or you make plans for the day, you put yourself in "character" and you go out into the world to play your part...

Does this sound like you some days? 

Have you ever caught yourself "acting" as someone you simply weren't for various reasons?

• It may have been because you feared others wouldn't really get you if you played your real self.
• It may have been because you felt that the situation needed you to behave a certain way.
• It may have been because you really weren't sure who the real you was anymore.

What ever the reason was that made you play this "character" in the past... here's one thing you should keep in mind.  No matter who you are, how you behave, how you dress, how you speak, where you work, who you know, etc... you will never please everyone, so why try?  Why not instead focus on making yourself happy?

BE, LIVE & BREATHE like the person that you are... the real you... open yourself and accept every part of the real you... your strengths and your flaws... and find your own joy and happiness.

You have the right to play the part of... THE REAL YOU.