No Permission Required
Great things never began with the majority. Someone had to make the decision and commit, daily, to go after a vision and version of themselves that did not yet exist. A leader in today’s world is someone who is able to clearly communicate a version and vision of the world that has yet to be created. No Risk-No Reward and fortune will always favor the bold.
What does this look like?
- Figure out what you want. What vision/version of you do you want for the future? What is your desired Outcome? Clarity is key. More clarity you have with this, the easier it is to blueprint. This is the bedrock on which your future is built.
- Identify and plan the necessary and required steps for this end. What does this desired Outcome require from you? Again, the more clear you are with these steps the easier it is to take action.
- GO FOR IT. You do not need permission to go after your dreams. Aim to be a little bit better than the day before. Tiny continual improvements lead to big improvements over time. Action is required for your dreams to come to fruition.
The issue that most people run into is that their want ethic is stronger than their work ethic. You get what you work for, not what you want. It will not be easy, do not expect it to be. (For more on this visit: https://supernovamindset.wordpress.com/2017/06/10/you-get-what-you-work-for-not-what-you-want/ )
Three personal examples:
- My brother knew he wanted to enter the real estate (housing) investment market after college. During college, he majored in real estate and did several internships at both commercial and real estate investment firms. He got his real estate license while in college. Within a year after graduation, he had already bought and sold several houses and to date has been very successful in this market. Nobody gave him permission to go after this dream; he made it happen. He had his end in mind, figured out the necessary steps, and then made it happen.
- My friend Steve was a very accomplished runner in undergrad, running varsity Division 1 track and cross country. Following his undergrad, he was interested in getting into triathlons (swim-bike-run) as he entered optometry school. Steve had a little experience with cycling and none in competitive swimming. Steve knew what he wanted- success in triathlons- and he made it happen. Particularly the swim portion, this was not quick or easy. I can remember meeting him at the pool and helping him with flip turns and his swim stroke. Little by little and year after year, he improved his swim and is now swimming with some of the best. Through years of concentrated intense effort, he is now a professional triathlete racing all over the world. He did not ask permission to go after this dream, he made it happen. Check out his website to see his story and results http://www.steverosinski.com/
- Similar story to Steve’s above, but my story with entering the triathlon world. In high school, I ran cross country and was a state-ranked wrestler. Growing up, until the age of 12, I was on a summer league swim team. After my junior season of wrestling, I was very beat up from the grind that is wrestling, and I started swimming with the help of a teacher/swim coach at my school, Mr. Campbell. Mr. Campbell would write me swim workouts to do three times a week. As the spring went on, I got motivated to do a triathlon and signed up to do one over the summer. I borrowed my cross country coach’s bike (thanks Coach Starkey) for the race and finished in 3rd place. And from there the triathlon bug grew. I realized that I enjoyed the challenge of training and competing in triathlons. I wanted to see how far I could go with the sport. Nobody gave me permission to go after this dream, I decided to make it happen. Through lots of intense concentrated efforts, lots of help from a lot of different people, I have been blessed to achieve success in the sport finishing in the top 3 in the US in my age group 5 different years, a bronze medal at the 2014 Age Group World Championships, and qualifying to be a professional triathlete. Again, similar to the above stories, I did not ask permission, I made it happen.
All of these examples make success seem like a linear graph. The actual story being that it was anything but linear, rather more of an EKG with both high peaks and low valleys. More on success seeming linear in another post down the road.
“The biggest risk is not taking any risk.” -Mark Zuckerberg
What are you going to make happen?
Be Better Than Yesterday,
RLH
