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We all wake up one day realizing that we are not where we wanted to be. Not who we said we would become when we were younger. Sometimes, we achieved our objectives (or some of them), but realize that it was not really worth it. Or that it’s just not enough. There’s still that void inside, that void that returns every now and then and doesn’t want to go away.
For many of us, our dreams are oriented toward our career or toward money. We want to get that position, we aim at building that business, we want to make that first million. Yet, we are multifaceted creatures. We cannot be fulfilled if only one or two aspects of our lives are.
You may be climbing the corporate ladder like a shooting star while at the same time having a love life that sucks. Or it may be the opposite. The trick is to bridge the gap between where we are and where we want to be.
Don’t let the gap widen
The reason why we wake up one day and realize that we are not who we wanted to be is because we tend to go with the flow. We live our lives as if we were going down a river with no control. Avoiding making decisions and letting outside events or other people guide our lives.
We let the gap widen because we don’t have or forget about our vision.
Let’s take the example of successful companies. Many of them have developed a clear vision of what they want to accomplish. Most importantly, they clearly and repeatedly communicate that vision to their employees and shareholders. It is by communicating and living that vision, day after day, that they get closer to achieving it and preventing the gap from widening.
Have you done that with your life? Do you even have a well-defined vision? The comparison with companies is not exactly the right one. Obviously, we are not corporations or machines. We’re human beings.
Yet everyone has a Why that drives his or her intentions. A why that is a source of inspiration and motivation. When this why is unclear, so are the results.
Try not to become a man of success but rather to become a man of value. (A. Einstein)
We live in an age of performance. To be accomplished and socially recognized by your peers, you now have to have climbed the corporate ladder in five years while running three marathons, learning how to master cello, and then, reject the “establishment” by adopting lifestyle design, do yoga everyday and go scuba diving in the Bahamas with a bunch of healthy and enthusiastic cheerleaders.
I believe it is time for us to stop for a moment. Take a deep breath. Relax. We’re all in the same boat. We all want to be special and unique. We all want to achieve our dreams. The danger is to confuse our dreams with those of our peers. The danger is to measure our success on the experiences that we’ve had rather than on the values that we have shared or the contribution we have made to the world. Or as Deepak Chopra 
My 7 Steps to Be All that You Can Be
Fortunately, there’s another option to being a happy loser or a burned-out overachiever. Here are my seven easy steps (ok, ok, I shouldn’t have put “easy” there) to help you achieve your dreams and be all that you can be.
1. Have fun, laugh and don’t take yourself too seriously
2. Develop a vision, review it everyday, and act on it everyday
3. Make decisions based on your values
4. Screw things up (but through the decisions you’ve made based on #3)
5. Stop thinking about yourself
6. Pause for a moment
7. Then, be the change you want to see in the world (Gandhi)
Feel free to share any other steps or advice that work best for you. There’s not only one path to achieving your true potential.
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THose are seven awesome ways to live by. I pay close attention to the first one:
Whenever things don’t go my way (quite often lately;), then I remind myself: You are soon stardust – don’t worry about screwing up and taking yourself too seriously. Laughing at yourself is awe-some medicine, and it makes an enjoyable ride.
Thanks Mars for the great comment. We sometimes get so much into our projects that we start taking ourselves very seriously – like we’re very big and important people. Ultimately, it’s counterproductive and adds useless stress. Also, it’s better to regret things that we have done than things we failed to try. I think you adopted the same philosophy based on what I read on your blog. Hope to see you around. Cheers!
Great post, I really like the idea of having a “why” for our mission or purpose. Many people logically have a how and a what, but they may forget about the why. I think this is incredibly valuable in making sure that we provide the most meaningful and impacting service possible for whatever our program may be. I want to inspire and motivate others to be the best they can be. What is your all’s why or mission?
Glad to hear from you Joe! The WHY definitely keeps you focused when you have to accomplish smaller and less inspiring tasks (but that are essential to helping you reach your goals). Just like you, we want to inspire and make sure people don’t waste their potential. We also want to question some preconceived ideas regarding communication and marketing. It’s not because people have been doing something one way for a long time that it’s the right way to do. Would you agree?
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