It’s time for you to stand out.
I used to be very shy. In a lot of ways I still am. When I think back to when it all changed, nothing really jumps out at me. One day, I was just like the masses: scared, lazy, hopeful, unsure. The unknown was just too much to contemplate…
…So I didn’t.
But I had this drive. I wanted more. I’ve written before about how I used to live my life as though I was moving backwards through a tunnel. What I saw was my past. I was ashamed, embarrassed and filled with regret. I made a conscious choice to turn my eyes from what I saw…I chose to look forward.
What I saw was invisible. I decided it could be anything I wanted it to be, so I imagined a bright future. One where I am available for my family and friends. One where I write my own schedule and pay myself what I am worth. In my ideal future, I could live where I want, drive my desired automobile and spent time with special people who are dear to my heart.
It was a great place, but it was still just an image in my mind. I held tightly to this vision, thinking on it daily. Soon, the invisible, future in front of me began to brighten. Shapes took form and what was fuzzy came into focus. Day after day, I learned to plan my life so I could steer it in the direction of my ideal future, and in just over three years, it became my present.
Now I have a new image in my mind, a new future. One where I am no longer a fixture or a part of the scenery. One where I make a difference. Where I know I can plan to meet myself, this idyllic me, and have anything I desire.
You can have this life too. True, it’s scary and you’ll have to work very hard to break free of the bondage of your comfortable, lazy life. If you hope to ever stop living in the past and captain your life into the uncharted seas of your future, then you will need to remove the camouflage and allow yourself to be vulnerable.
You will not be alone. You have friends on this journey. I met many of my closest friends today in the past four years. I challenge you to take a look at the direction in which you are setting your sights. Are you living in the past or are you focused on the future? Forget that it’s unknown and make it something special. A place you’ll be happy to call home.
Thanks to my friend James for sharing the above image on Facebook today. Very inspiring. Click the image to link back to the original post.