And The Next Step Will Lit Up
June 18, 2008
Today I made a commitment for the coming year. It has taken me some thinking and pondering, lots of research and reference checks and some soul searching and life style rearrangement to come to this decision.
I know it will be an uphill climb to defy gravity and go against the norm and the natural; there will be barriers, distractions, experimentations, tests, some mistakes made, lots of sleepless nights and maybe some disappointments.
Yet isn't that what life is about? I could stay exactly where I am and not risk any mistakes, disappointment, hard work or heart ache and I will not have grown.
Today I embarked on a new journey and I will fix my eyes on the goal I have set, while I move towards it one step at a time. I know not how the journey will be neither do I know what to do to get to where I want to go, but I will know what the next step is for me.
I like the analogy that Eben Pagan uses. He painted progression in life as a giant stair case, and that the next step is always lit although we cannot see ten steps ahead of us.
Being a detail oriented person, I like to plan all my steps in advance. I like to know exactly what to do at the exact point in time and I like to know that I have made preparations for all possible scenarios with the what ifs and contingencies.
But life will only reveal itself to us one step at a time! And all my preparations will not be sufficient as I know not what lies ahead. I take comfort that I see the next step. And when I get to the next step I know I will see the next step.
It reminds me of the trip coming down from Mt Kinabalu last September. I have never walked/tracked/climbed so much for so long at one go. Ti was 5 hours up to base camp, stayed over night and we started journey again at 2am to reach the summit by 6am. Then all they way to the finishing which ended at 4pm for me. As I was coming down from base camp, my knees were hurting badly from walking long hours up to the summit and down again. And it had been pouring and I had fallen a few times on the wet and muddy road. I didn't know how I was going to make it back to the finishing gate.
I could not see much of what was ahead, visibility was not great and there seemed to be endless twists and turns and slopes. There was only one way to go, and that was forward; no turning back and I had to do that before dark!
And the thought that was running through my head was "one step will lead me to the next, I will get to the finishing line".
It seemed to take forever and my legs were not co-operating with me then, yet I took one step at a time. I never quite knew where the next step might bring me to. It could lead to yet another turn or many more steep steps that I had to painstakingly work through.
Was I glad to have the mountain guide beside me, talking to and keeping pace with me as we moved on, encouraging me to take the next step one at a time.
Perhaps that physical mountain climbing experience was the trial run that will help prepare me for my new journey to the top of my new mountain. Well, my bags are packed, my shoes are on and I am ready to go, and the trail will lead me on one step at a time.
I can just imagine a trail of bright light lighting up leading the way for me as I scale my new mountain (Incidentally, I did see this as we started going up to the summit of Kinabalu at 2am; nothing but pitch blackness and a trail of head lights ahead of me leading up to the mountain. We were going to reach the summit before 6am to watch the sun rise. It was absolutely spectacular and breathtaking, vast and magical!)
And I will be sharing the joy of reaching the top with you. In the mean time, check this site for experiences I share along the way …
If you are looking for a "Mountain Guide" to walk along side you, check this out.
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Abundance at Half Tank
June 16, 2008
Today I met with a lady that runs an association which helps single mothers find their ways in the world. The changes in their circumstances meant that they need to adapt and to address the many practical issues of daily life – without the aid of a partner.
As I listened to the sharing faced by these single mothers, I got a glimpse of some their challenges. And the questions that ran through my mind the entire time of the conversation were:
Have these single mothers been left out of the realm of abundance?
Have they somehow been ” victimized” therefore never to experience abundance?
Can these single mothers experience and live a life of abundance given the circumstance that they are in?
Put in another context, for those of us who are facing tough times and challenges (personally or in our work and business), we may sometimes feel insecure and incomplete, and the same doubts may race through our minds.
We often wonder if we have what it takes to do the work before us.
We wonder too if we can add value to others when we are not yet perfect or successful.
And we question ourselves if we can really do “it” on our own.
Too often the little voice in our head casts doubts and fears into our minds.
Well, I have a picture I hope to impress on your mind today.
The next time the little voice shouts in your ears and tries to cast doubt and fears, ask this questions: Can a car at half tank run at full speed and function just as well as one that is running at full tank?
The answer is a resounding “Yes“.
Yes, you can say that again.
Now that challenges us to take a second look at the meaning of abundance. Do we need to be at our fullest capacity before our abundance overflow and we make an impact on those around us?
No, we can start right where we are. We just make sure we put in more that we use up. We need to continuously feed our minds, our souls, our bodies and do whatever it takes to be at our best, and that half tank will be good enough to do whatever we have set out to do.
Just keep going, half tank is quite a lot really. Use it wisely whether it is in your relationship, your work or your health.
We don’t want to wait for full tank before we start the engine. Because we want to make use of what we already have now. We do not know when ‘fullness of abundance” will come, perhaps it is already here.
Massive actions without reservations in the way we live and work will generate momentum and lead us to continuous progress and success. When we use the little that we have, we will miraculously find more to go on with. But, stop taking actions and we will be stagnant. That half tank if kept and not used will serve no purpose. ”When we are not growing, we are dying“.
There is no need to wait until you are filled to the brim and at your fullest capacity before the work you do can make a difference in others’ lives. It is time to let go of self sabotaging thoughts and enjoy your life and your work.
Start impacting lives now with whatever you have been given, albeit at half tank. This is Abundance that overflows at half tank.
It is so important to keep your momentum and continue to take massive actions that I have set up a formula that will help you do just that. You can be making great progress and enjoying life no matter what circumstances you find yourself in. Ignite the engine now and the car will run.
Is Abundance too too too Excessive?
June 14, 2008
In one of tele class that I attend, we are encouraged to share of our wins and accomplishments and as we share, the class will project love, support and joy. And when we have finished sharing, the entire class will go wild with cheers, clapping, whistling, high fiving and congratulating.
If you have not experienced that before, I invite you to try it in your own small group. The energy that comes across is just tremendously powerful. It never fails to wake me up (this is my normal Wed 4am tele class!) and get me all pepped up for the next 2 hours of value packed class discussion.
And as though that is not enough, the facilitator would ask the person who shares of the win to stand up, throw open his arms wide-stretched, stand tall, pull back his head and say “Yeap, and I’m that good!” and take a bow!
As coaches, we are so often caring and giving that we don’t get to exercise our receiving muscles a lot. This exercise allows us to learn to both acknowledge ourselves and to receive so we can continue to give acknowledgement and support to others. How brilliant is this idea? Since then I have always looked forward to this class; the energy that goes out to others when we celebrate their win is just as powerful if not more so. It also challenges me to go out of my little comfort zone.
If this sounds a little too excessive or over the top then perhaps we have been too conditioned to take things for granted. We discount achievements as mundane and humdrum. We don’t share of our achievements because we are afraid that others may think we are tooting our own horns and so before long we are conditioned to not recognise and acknowldege these wins.
We take our own strengths and accomplishments for granted – we discount ourselves, we undermine ourselves, we don’t appreciate ourselves nor do we give enough credit to ourselves.
When was the last time you acknowledged yourself? Or rather should the question be “Have you acknowledged yourself?” When was the last time you were acknowledged for your achievements (however big or small)? When will you start apprecitaing and nourishing the wonderfully made and awesomely unique person that you are?
And I have another wonderfuly encouraging facilitator who uses superlatives upon superlatives in his affirmations. “Very good” is never enough. For him, it’s always “very, very, very good” and he will repeat this at least twice as though to make it a point that he really really really thinks we did such an exceptionally incredibly well done job. The abundance that flows out from him creates miracles in our lives. I have been so amazed at the power of this excessive abundance that I too now practise abundance in my words because I want others to know how amazing it is that they have accomplished what they accomplished. Every effort deserves celebration, every step is gained with great determination and commitment!
I invite you to try this and share with me if the abundance you give does not return to you at least a few folds! Today, let’s begin to pracitise abundance in our words and thinking!
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