Seize the Day!

Being in the present is more than paying attention to the people around us in our lives. It applies to opportunities and challenges we face on the path to success. Many of these opportunities come once in a life time and the challenges we face are unique opportunities that may open the door to a new realm of possibility. By procrastinating and waiting for that perfect moment, we’ll miss it entirely and not even know it. And when things don’t work out, it’s because we waited too long.

There’s no reason for us not to begin pursuing our dreams, goals, and passions today. Everything that life can and will throw us is an opportunity, no matter how small it seems. Each moment can build to the next. By continually taking on each challenge daily, weekly, monthly, and annually, we ensure our path on never-ending self-improvement.

We hear it all the time: the timing just wasn’t right. If that’s so, I follow-up with: Well, what or when is the right time? If we get into this habit (or are already there), we’re just finding ways to justify our inactions. By delaying what we can do today until tomorrow, not only do we limit the opportunity we have here and now, but also eliminate or restrict future opportunities.  Remember, we reap what we sow and by sowing actions toward our goals today, we reap the benefits down the road.

Sometimes opportunities are not obvious and require some digging and effort to find. Often times, we can create opportunities because we pushed that extra bit. These self-created opportunities are especially important because not only do we benefit and grow as an individuals, but we help lift those around us. Creating opportunities for others is to applauded; and it comes with a lot of responsibility. The mutual relationship that comes from a created opportunity can be very challenging and rewarding. they’re difficult because of the potential of interdependence. We cannot succeed without another’s help and vice versa. It’s also an opportunity to create a relationship. But by seizing the opportunity today, we can turn it into a great moment and opportunity for tomorrow!

Herb Brooks once said “Great moments are born from great opportunity.” Our lives are great opportunities, it’s our responsibility to make them full of great moments.

What are you waiting for? The perfect timing? Let me hear from you! Leave a comment below and follow me on Twitter @alexdbarba!

 

Knowing When to Quit

Knowing when to quit can be easy. It can also be the biggest mistake we can make. If we quit too early, then we didn’t try hard enough; if we quit too late, then we’ve wasted energy and time.Most people hate quitting out of fear of being labelled at “quitter.” But that’s not always the case. We’re only “quitters” if we haven’t tried our hardest in our efforts or given them enough time to lead to something better.

Knowing when to quit means we have to be paying attention. As we go through our lives, often times success leaves clues that let us know we’re headed on the right path. Look back your success book/log. How many of those success we’re because of a chance encounter that happened because you persevered that much more? The hard part is that we can also point to just as many failures where we can think “I should have quit when I had the chance!” The key is to identify the point in those endeavors and be able to recognize them in the future. As always, it’s easier said than done. Somebody once told me that these clues are everywhere, but I was looking in the wrong places.

When it is time to quit, do so gracefully and completely. Remember, just because it doesn’t mean anything for us anymore, it may matter to somebody else. We expect the same respect when others don’t believe in our goals. It’s also important to tie up the loose ends when we do decide to quit. There is nothing wrong with knowing that something isn’t for us. But by completing these loose ends, we allow ourselves the closure we need for our subconscious to let it go (you never know, that breakthrough that never seemed to happen may come when we decide to pack it in!). By letting it go, we allow ourselves to focus our energy on something new with our subconscious diversions back to our uncompleted pieces.

By not quitting when it’s time, it becomes a disservice to ourselves and those around us. We waste our time and efforts that could be better served by following our passions. We also waste the time and efforts of the people around us because they continue to work toward a goal that we don’t want to pursue. We don’t appreciate people wasting our time when we’re pursuing our goals, so don’t waste theirs.

When have you quit or let something go? Was it worth it? Did you finish your incompletes? Let me hear from you! Leave a comment below and follow me on Twitter @alexdbarba!

 

Reject Rejection

Rejecting rejections is a facet of knowing that it is not about us, but about the person rejecting us. It can be that we asked at the wrong time; remember, we reserve the right to say “no” and so do other people. The key to rejection is knowing that it’s an internal response that we feel when our hopes aren’t met. We can hope for hundreds of things and when they don’t come to fruition, it’s rejection. In order to continue on our paths to success, we have to learn to reject rejection.

Rejecting rejection is going to be easier said than done. The feeling of rejection is personal, even if it isn’t. Jack Canfield likens rejection to a myth. I think of it the same way as when I ask somebody a question. If the answer is yes, well then I am better off for asking. But, if I get a “no” (a rejection), then it becomes a matter of perspective. I wasn’t better off before asking the question, therefore I can’t be worse off after asking the question. I stayed in the same state. We can look at several examples:

• Ask somebody to a dinner date. You weren’t going to dinner with anybody before, so you’re not any worse off.
• Applies to grad school at Yale. You weren’t attending Yale before you applied and you’re not afterward.

When it’s time to move on from the rejection, remember the acronym SW.SW.SW.SW. Remind ourselves that Some Will, Some Won’t, So What, Someone’s Waiting. The  internal dialogue we need to tell ourselves is “Next!” While I was working briefly for a call center, it was common to be rejected on the message that I was trying to share with people. I knew intrinsically that people’s outright rejection of my calls wasn’t personal to me. In fact, the sign on the wall reminded us that for every 5,000 people we called, we can only expect 5-10% “yes” responses. If that’s not rejecting rejection in action, I’m not sure what is.

Rejection is going to be most common when it comes to relationships. These rejections are different from the ones we will encounter on our path to our goals and dreams because they have a significant personal effect. It’s easier to not take something personally when it comes to tangible results or experiences like a job application or request. When it’s a personal rejection, it’s that much more important to remember everything we’ve covered throughout my posts. Sometimes the people we are closest to don’t always fit into the journey we are on and vice versa. It’s never easy, but with time and understanding, it can be a healthy form of acceptance.

When we’re you rejected? How did you feel? How did you move on to the next question? Let me hear from you! Leave a comment below and follow me on Twitter @alexdbarba!

 

Adapt for Self-Improvement

There are going to be times when we do achieve a goal or dream and it won’t be what we expected or wanted. It’s like that time when we were young and wanted to be a fireman, a police officer, truck driver, super hero, or be able to fly. When we actually get there, it’s not all it’s cracked up to be. This isn’t a failure; yet it doesn’t quite feel like an achievement. It can be a difficult pill to swallow because of the time and effort we’ve put into getting there. It’s time for reflection.

So when we feel that lackluster moment when our goal has come to fruition, remember that it’s not the end of the road. We have to be honest in that moment that what we have been doing hasn’t been working for one reason or another. We’ve paid attention to all the feedback along the way, we were passionate about our path, and we were committed, but somehow we’re not satisfied with where we are. There are two paths to take at this point: Oh well, that was a waste of time or Now what? I’ve learned something for the future. The latter approach is on the continued path of never-ending self-improvement.

Adapting to change is what keeps us growing and moving toward the next goal. Take every piece and apply it to the next big goal or dream. If we’ve paid attention, put in the time and commitment for an authentic dream that doesn’t pan out they way we visualized then maybe it’s not the biggest goal we can reach. It wasn’t a waste of time. It’s like that old saying from our second grade classroom: Aim for the moon, because even if you miss you’ll land among the stars. It’s corny, but applicable. If Neil Armstrong wasn’t satisfied with the moon, it’s because he was meant to go much further.

When we need to adapt, it’s important to remember what we just did accomplish; even if it doesn’t feel like it. There are experiences and lessons that we have learned despite the fact that our goal isn’t what we expected. One of those experiences or lessons may be that piece that we need to realign our passions and energy. At this point, we can only fail by not doing anything and giving up because it seems hopeless. Go back through your goal/dream journal. Remember what you’ve learned and write them down. Even write down your lackluster goal, you never know when it will come back full circle.

Make this your crossroads when it’s time to adapt

What goal or dream have you had that didn’t come as true as you had visualized? Why? What next step did you take? Let me hear from you! Leave a comment below and follow me on Twitter @alexdbarba!

 

Have a Heart to Heart

We’re used to having to hold our feelings in, or least feel like we should. This shouldn’t be the case. In fact, it’s a necessary facet of life to release the uneasy feelings we try to keep inside. By holding onto those feelings, we’re not making room for new ones. It also inhibits our ability to move on and toward the next step in accomplishing our goals and dreams.

Typically, we have various key people in our lives that we will open up to in one way or another. Family is usually the first resource I go to when I need somebody I talk to, but I also have a close group of friends that I can confidently confide in and know that they will give me honest input. Part of the relationship that we have created means that the sharing is always a two-way street. I count on them as much as they know they can count on me. These conversations can range from sharing personal anxieties, failures, and even about the standing of the relationship between us. They key is to actively listen to our friends and family. You never know when you will need them or when they may not be there.

When we engage in any heart to heart conversation, regardless of who we’re talking to, we have to remember the end goal: to strengthen the relationship by reaching new understandings. No matter how personal it may become or uncomfortable, there’s no progress if true, authentic feelings aren’t expressed. I have had several of these conversations and they can be very uncomfortable, but I was better for it because I knew intrinsically what it meant for my growth as a person. Not all of them went well, but I was confident in myself because what I said was the truth and in alignment with my integrity.

 

After we’ve released the pent-up feelings and emotions, it’s can be a huge relief. It can also be equally painful because we’ve said something to end (or damage) the relationship or vice versa (depending who we’re talking to). No matter the outcome, remember that that is the time to persevere. True friends will stick by you no matter what! Keep trying your hardest toward your goal; you never know, that person may come back into your life at some point to show you their true colors. Hopefully as a true friend.

When was your last heart to heart? How did it turn out? Were you completely honest with the other? Let me hear from you! Leave a comment below and follow me on Twitter @alexdbarba!