Be the CEO of you
So many things add up to what we bring to our day with animal welfare. Like….so many small and big things that add up to who we are. It would almost be like looking up in the sky at night and imagining who we are is like all the tiniest of sparkles and bigger brighter ones coming together in such a beautiful way. What influences our approach to challenging moments, motivates us to try something new, what holds us back, or makes us love or hate ourselves on any given day?
Usually when we have had a bad day or our mind is wandering, we may think of someone who we think has life pretty good, someone we admire or wish we could be. It may be a family member, someone we know or knew long ago, or someone famous we never met; but something about them makes us wish we that same secret sauce to turn our lives into something better. But have we really given the notion more thought and said, “what the heck is it that they have that I don’t” or even “how did they get that way?.”
The first step is to know who you are. Okay I know that sounds stupid and you are about to stop reading this. But seriously aside from your days of constant “putting out fires” rushing from one problem to another, task to task, who the heck are you? Sometimes I think our only glimpse of us thinking about who we are is when we are complaining about something, when our feelings get hurt or we witness someone acting without consequences. Our “principles” sneak out a bit is our frustrated comments, but that is as serious as we get about nurturing and really defining them!
The following questions will help you get out a shovel, clear the cobwebs or walls you put up that need to be stripped away to reveal a serious look at the foundation of YOU. To make this work, you will need to really think about things more than a surface conclusion. The best way to keep digging to find your true core principles is (and I have said this before) ask “why?” until there are no more answers left.
I have filled in what my answers are just to give an example of how to think about YOUR ANSWERS
My Purpose (you can have more than 2 BTW):
Be noble, humble, and purposeful
Leave the room cleaner than when I entered it
My Principles:
Fall in love with the day, with what I am pursuing, with what I have, pursue with passion
sleep when I am dead, bust some butt now
“Keep showing up,” testing myself see what I am able to become, with honestly and drive
The next question goes to the notion of who you admire. Think really hard about this. Pretend these folks would be your rock, your go to, because they represent key traits you cannot live without maintaining or striving for. Who would be on your Board of Directors?
My Board of Directors:
1. Desi Linden-Marathon runner/Boston marathon winner. Her motto is “keep showing up.”
2. Nely Galan-first female president of Telemundo entertainment. Worked her way up from a small position at a television station, and by failing and learning from this, is a major media player and motivational writer.
3. Sara Blakely-founder of Spanx. When growing up, her father would ask the children at dinnertime “what did you fail at today?” Had a zillion doors shut on her when trying to develop what we now know as Spanx.
Now your last task and it is important. Find one thing you want to work one, just one. Make it something you feel would make your days more sunny side up and set a goal!
FRESH START: Start with Making One Change
(MINE is) Slow down, breath and focus on one thing at a time done to my best abilities, then move to the next task.
Your answers may not be perfect to start off, and that is okay just keep the questions in mind during your day and see if a better answer is popping into your head and then revise things.
The people we admire did not get to where they are by snapping their fingers or by someone else handing a great life to them, they evolved, they knew what they wanted, were willing to fail fall and regroup. They too, found faith in many things to drive and push them even though they had numerous failures and lots of reasons to quit. Giving up was not an option. With some effort your beautiful life is waiting for you!
Till next time,
From one Heart to another,
~Sandra