You have to get a seat in the room!

There are so many resources for development and improvement out there.  The world is rich with opportunities that there simply are no excuses.

No matter where you turn, there are people willing to share their wealth of knowledge, and the breadth of their experience with you.  It is all yours for the taking.  All you must do is begin seeking.

 Look for the opportunities. 

Make a way for yourself!

Remember that you create your own success.  Therefore, you have to put yourself in a position to succeed. 

You have to get in the room where those whom already made it where you are trying to go going gather.

Claim your seat!

 Mentorship and modeling are powerful tools.

Yesterday, I sat in the room with some of the 1%, people who had arrived at where I wanted to be. I sat there and listened to the gems they had to offer.  I left that room feeling so full, energized, and motivated. I felt that I was attracting abundance by simply occupying the space with others who had developed an abundance mindset.

 I was in the room!

 I was in attendance and I was attentive, and my life was enriched, and that is the way it should be you should seek out people who will level you up.

 If your circle is not enriching your life, find another circle or redraw your sphere of influence

I urge you, if you want to take your dream to the next level seek to get a seat at the table, if you cannot sit, stand in the doorframe, but do what you can to get in the room.

In my morning reading, I came across the awe inspiring quote, from the acclaimed book How Successful People Think,  Maxwell pens, “Look for people with the attitude of Robert F. Kennedy, who popularized George Bernard Shaw’s stirring statement, “Some men see things as they are and say, Why?’I dream of things that never were and say, ‘Why not?””

This is the type of mindset you want to develop, possibility thinking.  However, you must get in the room with people who have that mindset, because its infectious and you will never regret whatever opportunity you took to get there.

Be careful that you do not neglect your dream. 

A break is sometimes warranted.
There will be times when you need to take a reprieve so that you come back with vigor equal to that where with you started.

 Obstacles slow momentum.

Simply living an impassioned existence or caring for something can drain your energy.

Unfortunately, you will not always be motivated to keep moving.

 You have to refuel your tank, to light the spark, that reignites the passion. 

Be forewarned that, stopping for a little while does not mean quitting altogether.  Stopping to rest does not give you permission to walk away from what you began. 

You must push yourself to get back on the road. No one else will don it for you.

Never let your rest become neglect.

I had a dream not too long ago. In that dream, I had a gorgeous baby.  I guess at some point I needed a break from the demands of nurturing that beautiful soul.  So, for what I thought was a small period of time, I left her in the care of another. But, more time had passed than I had intended.  For I felt within me the tug to return.  However, when I had returned, my baby was not as I had left her.

 Now, she was malnourished. Her frame was gaunt.  I knew when I saw her she was in desperate need of care and nourishment.  Her beauty, however, had not changed , nor had my feelings for her. 
She was still exquisitely beautiful.  She was still mine.

 She loved me, and I loved her, more than ever.  Thus, marked the period of restoration and recovery. But, due to the time I had spent away, I understood that restoration would take a bit more time, and she would require a bit more care. 

I found this dream to be incredibly symbolic. 

A baby is very much akin to a dream.  Just as a baby, your dream is something you birth. A dream too needs to be tended to and nourished to grow. 
When you neglect something you birth it begins to waste away. 

And sadly, the longer you neglect the appropriate care and nourishment, the thinner it becomes until eventually there is nothing left.

 Remember, It is okay, to step away and refresh yourself. However, it is never okay to neglect what you have birthed.Your dreams are precious and require an investment of effort and love.  

So, If you have stepped away or stopped working for a while, refuel, and then, go back!

You will be glad you did.

Nothing is more soul crushing than dreams deferred.

As Langston Hughes so aptly questions in his poem Harlem

What happens to a dream deferred?

      Does it dry up
      like a raisin in the sun?
      Or fester like a sore—
      And then run?
      Does it stink like rotten meat?
      Or crust and sugar over—
      like a syrupy sweet?

      Maybe it just sags
      like a heavy load.

Or does it explode?

You have it in you to see your dream blossom into its fullness.

The question is, what do you believe ?

George Carlin once wrote,“let a smile be your umbrella.”

Smokey Robinson once wrote what can be regarded as an apt response, but “…if you take a good look at my face, you’ll see my smile looks out of place. If you’ll look a little bit closer it’s easy to trace the tracks of my tears.”

In masking, there is a pretense. 

 Another writer once said, that he was “ Masquerading  as a man with a reason, and his charade is the event of the season. 

Like any strong person he was told to Soldier on, “Carry on my wayward son that he would find his peace when he was done .”

And, soldier on you must.

But there is a time and season for everything.

Entire life should not be lived as a charade but in earnest and honest.

Perspective says that sometimes it’s okay to feel and emote.

 Vulnerability can be a strength.

 It is in those moments, if we but accept and allow, we learn the greatest lessons, such as how to become an advocate for others.

I know, that just as I,  there will always be someone who will need a soft place to land, whether it be in arms, words, or as Sara Bareiles croons,” a dream.”

Every creature needs a safe place, a shield from the sharp steel toe of the enemy.

 A buffer from the beleaguered attacks. 

So I want to encourage you to never be afraid to live out your season, live openly, and learn freely. 

Don’t besmirch the moments when you feel the most vulnerable, tired, sad,  or alone but own those moments and use it as an opportunity to build and to grow.

For one day you may be the student or the one in need.  It’s not a step downward or backwards. It is rather preparation for times when  you must step up to become the teacher, or the safe place for someone else who’s been where you have been.

Never underestimate the value of connection. 

One of the most basic of human needs is the need to forge a deep meaningful bond that nourishes growth. It is a deep drive common to us all, so innate that even our art reflects the depth of that desire.

In fact, one of the loveliest lines ever written to a song portends, “one day, maybe If we keep searching and believing, we will find that rainbow connection of lovers, dreamers, and ourselves.”

Lyricist Eric Carmen once wrote, “All by myself, don’t want to be all by myself, anymore…”

Both are true testaments to human longing. We blossom when we bask in the sunshine of others. There is comfort when sheltering from a torrential downpour under another’s umbrella. 

When there is someone there who will cheer for you, walk beside you, and extend a hand when you stumble, you benefit.

You will  fall from time to time, the rocks of life will get slippery, and you will lose your grip. However, blessed is the person who has one to hold taut the rope.  

Establishing a dream is not easy, it takes a lot of energy and focus. Some days you will  want to fold your dream back into the fabric of life. But, blessed is the person who has  a voice of reason prodding them to hold on just a little bit longer. 

  Just a few weeks ago as I sat pondering next moves and directions my thoughts settled on connections. I told my dearest love, “You know what, I am searching for my tribe. I am looking for a team of like minded people with passion who are poised to help move each other forward with love and support.” And, I believe I will find them, because like attracts like.

I encourage you to too look for your connections (your tribe).

When you look for your tribe look for-those who seek growth.  Look for those who have their own vision but who also  seek to understand your vision. Never let another person attempt to rework your dream. Seek for those who are patient, kind, and humble. 

 Always check for rotten fruit. Do not let anyone in your circle that finds failure amusing. Rather, Seek for those who can endure with you. 

1^st Corinthians is a excellent pattern for finding the right people.

When you find them, hold on to them, and rejoice with them   

Then, remember to pay in kind what has been paid forward to you.

If perchance you can’t find them(your tribe). Then you must take up the mantle, become a beacon of light, and draw them to you. 

Perhaps it was you they were waiting for all along.

And you deserve some wind beneath your wings, don’t you agree?

Our lives of made up of several different parts. We are mind, body, and spirit. When one is compromised, they are all compromised. Thus, success hinges on building each part. Meaning, that it is important to address needs relative to our mind, to our spirits, and definitely to our body.

Health is something that I do not talk much about. However, health is one of the most vital factors of living a successful life. You cannot succeed with poor health. Poor health will bankrupt you on multiple levels. You will find that either you choose to pay up front or pay later. Unfortunately, if you have run up too much debt in this area it’s difficult if not impossible to come from under it.

We live in a society where a premium is placed on corrective and restoration methods. The price of existing service far exceeds the means of many. The system is not structured to benefit you. There is truth in the adage “prevention is worth a pound of cure.”

You only have one body, so take care of it.

Form good eating habits.

Get proper sleep.

Get proper rest (Rest is not the same as sleep. You need both)

Exercise

Drink lots of water

You will never know just how valuable your health is until you lose it, or its compromised.

Let us look forward.

Let us not only think better but become better. We got this!