WHAT INSPIRES YOUR PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL ACCOMPLISHMENTS?

The road to success in life is often paved with the thoughts, experiences and inspiration of others.  How we react to those messages can either make or break us as leaders, individuals, partners or friends.  Some axioms that have impacted my sense of individual success in business, personal accomplishment or relationships include those listed in this Deliberation.  Do YOU have an inspirational thought or axiom that helps to motivate YOUR personal success?  Please leave a note and share how it may have impacted you in response to this BLOG.

“The highest courage (we can exhibit) is daring to be ourselves in the face of adversity.”  How many times do we take the easy path rather than choosing the “road less traveled?”  How often do we seek the path of least resistance rather than taking a stand for what is right – for what we know to be true – regardless of the personal cost?  Being true to yourself by openly expressing your ideals and honestly revealing your beliefs to others – regardless of what they may think about you – is not always the easiest route to take BUT it almost always returns the greatest rewards.  Great rewards are rarely the result of minimal investment…whether it be in life, in finances, in work or in relationships.  One cannot fully maximize their return without fully committing their investments.

“There is never a wrong time to do the right thing” is the foundation upon which ongoing and sustainable success should be built.  Individuals attempting to portray perfection in whatever they do or say spend much more time avoiding (or excusing) what is wrong than they do striving to accomplish what is right.  Trying to do all the things necessary to be an exemplary leader (partner or friend) rather than simply leading (or living) by example often establishes roadblocks in our lives that are very difficult to avoid.  True success is more a measure of who one is while nobody is looking – by the substance of our dreams and the extent of our aspirations – than it is a testament to those things that we do in public in order to receive accolades or recognition.  Truly considering possibilities, ramifications of decisions and alternative directions (as well as different outcomes) may take a bit more planning time but usually eliminates the extra time spent righting a wrong.

“We cannot lower the mountain so we must elevate ourselves.”  This is sage wisdom for an individual seeking to climb the ladder of success.  We cannot expect mountains to become molehills on their own – we must rise to the top of every challenge, continuously moving forward even though we may fall temporarily back, as we aspire to reach the pinnacle if we are to succeed.  When we lower the bar by reducing our expectations…by seeking a lower threshold than we might be capable of reaching in order to make our journey shorter or our chance of failure less…we minimize the potential that our efforts will produce. 

“The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.”  Many people find satisfaction in bringing the hopes and dreams of others to fruition.  Others find such satisfaction hollow – preferring to realize their own dreams.  If one never attempts to accomplish their individual dreams, he or she will never fail or be disappointed.  (Rarely, however, will a person having insignificant goals or setting low standards for their own performance ever be happy with their accomplishments).  When we do not establish a target – formalize a dream – we can never truly taste the success of our individual accomplishments for we will forever accomplish only what others might mandate or prescribe.  

Some people say things and say “Why?”  Others dream things and say, “Why not?”  NEVER accept things as they are without questioning if that is the way they should always be.  Rather seek what might be best regardless of what is being currently being done or has been accomplished in the past.  Asking others “why” they are doing something (or why they are choosing NOT to do it) defaults your boundaries to the limits they set in response to your experience.  Asking “why not” do something differently…or think about a different outcome…expands these boundaries to the limits established within your own mind – stretching what has been probable into what might be possible. 

Effort and courage are not enough without purpose and direction.  Life is an ongoing series of events whose purpose is revealed only when we exhibit the courage to remain singularly strong in the face of adversity – when we make a conscious and intentional decision to do what is right rather than being concerned about avoiding what is wrong.  When we look ahead – take every step intentionally and with a defined purpose - we keep our focus forward towards where we are going rather than worrying obsessively about where we have been.  Though one can never get lost if he or she does has not considered where they want to be nor where they are going, one will never know if they have reached a destination until it has been purposefully (and publicly) expressed after being intentionally determined.  While some say that they “do not know what they do not know,” it is just as impossible to “know when you have arrived” if you do not know where you wish to end up.

Much can be gained if we identify our dreams and acknowledge their existence (then take intentional action to bring them to fruition) than will ever be accomplished by taking the easy road or accepting the first option available.  We must believe in ourselves (and in those we hold dear around us) to move forward through life.  We should accept nothing less than our best if we wish to experience sustainable and long-lasting success, enjoy the fruits of our labor or bring to fruition all that we might possibly become if we wish to achieve personal or professional success.  Leaning on axioms or inspirational thoughts can often help us to become more than we might have imagined possible as they stretch our thoughts, experiences and aspirations into things not yet considered and goals not yet confirmed.