If You Knew Then What You Know Now

"THEY" say...HINDSIGHT IS 20/20 VISION. But is it really?

If you had the ability to see into the future, would that cause you to change your behavior? Would you pursue the unknown with the same passion, if you knew in advance that you would be successful...or fall short of your goals? Well...we can't! This is the type of thinking that leads people to spend their lives regretting the decisions made and things you chose NOT to pursue. It reminds me of the poem by Shel Silverstein that I used to read to my daughter: “All The Woulda-Coulda-Shouldas Layin' In The Sun, Talkin' 'Bout The Things They Woulda-Coulda-Shoulda Done... But All Those Woulda-Coulda-Shouldas All Ran Away And Hid From One Little Did.” Why do so many people find themselves saying: "I wish I could've done things differently?" It's NEVER too late to pursue your dreams!

For example, have you always wanted to find your dream job, so you can pursue your life's passions? There are so many resources available to you to make that dream a reality, from career coaches to self-assessment tools, the alumni network of the schools you attended, your social and professional networks. Was it your dream to start your own business? Now is the absolute PERFECT time to do that! From business consultants to city and state agencies, business incubators, micro-lenders, there is a HUGE support network for those who wish to start their own business. The cold hard truth is, the only REAL barrier preventing you from realizing the dreams you cast aside long ago in favor of more practical pursuits lie between your ears. It's that little damaging voice in your head that repeats..." I CAN'T because..." Set aside all the practical reasons (EXCUSES) we tell ourselves for a moment: * I'm too old/too young * I don't have enough money * I don't have the right support network If you could overcome all those challenges, what's really is preventing you from achieving your goals. Come on...SAY IT...

Could it be a FEAR OF FAILURE? Now we're getting somewhere. So what if you reach for the stars and fall short. You still will reach the moon. All of those excuses we make empower us with a built-in rationale for NOT daring to fail. We live in TRANSFORMATIONAL times. Entire industries are being drastically reformed. Corporations with tens if not hundreds of thousands of employees deemed too big to fail ARE failing. Global competition, constantly changing technology, the commercialization of the Internet have been changing the global balance of power between nations. ONLY THOSE PEOPLE WITH THE WILLINGNESS/ABILITY TO CHANGE BY REINVENTING THEMSELVES WILL SURVIVE in these changing times. Toss aside all of the excuses that mire us in inertia. Do NOT accept that you cannot change. You deserve to give yourself the opportunity to achieve all of the goals that you wanted to achieve, but you let that voice of fear and self-doubt pull you away from your ambitions. You don't need to have a crystal ball to imagine a life for yourself filled with hope and realizing all your dreams. Here is a list of things you can and should be doing right now to begin this transformation: * Distance yourself from all those people who tell you you can't: * Set tangible 1 week, 1, 2 and 3-month, 6 month and 9-month tangible goals. Write them down! Revisit those goals WEEKLY to monitor progress. * Create a TASK LIST of things you need to accomplish in order to achieve your goals. The list should include: - All required task items - Descriptions of what each task entails - Start and end dates for each - Who OWNS the task (it will be YOU most of the time) - Task contributors - those people that will help you achieve the task - Status: Open, in-progress, completed, planned, etc. - Contingencies: Anything that will prevent you from achieving the task * 168 - you only have 168 hours in a week. dust off those time management skills to prioritize your work-life balance so you can accomplish those tasks * Coach 'em up, coach: Get a coach! Ideally it would be ...me. Seriously, go out and find yourself someone that comes personally recommended to you who can help you. they must have a personality and values that match your own,. they should "GET" you. They should know when to push/challenge you, and when you need them to support/nurture you. At all times, you should be making significant progress towards achieving tangible goals by knocking off those tasks. As we look back on our lives, the most PAINFUL thing we can ever say/think about our time on this earth is... "IF ONLY I HAD DONE..."