Lead Or Be Lunch: The Power Of Earning InfluenceSample

I have often said that where we want to be is in direct proportion to what we do with where we are now. This statement has proven to be so very true and has been a catalyst in both my personal life and my career. So much of life, if not purposed, is spent on the sidelines looking on at the game being played all around us. The game is constantly changing and shifting despite our feelings and opinions, continuing on with or without our participation. Are you itching to get off the bench and participate? What part do you play? Or better, what part do you envision yourself playing? I believe that most of the time it's a persons lack of involvement - not talent, opportunity or handouts - that determines ones outcome of success. We all have big dreams. Many of us are talented. Opportunities and handouts (in some cases) can be abundant but what you do with these gifts will ultimately define your experience and will even lead you to victory. Imagine being dressed in uniform, from socks to helmet. Your shoulder pads and mouth guard are securely in. You're looking like a player but are you ready to actually play? Suddenly, the clock is telling you that it's already the fourth quarter and the game is almost over yet, you don't have a single grass stain on you.

Why? So, you've got some talent or maybe opportunity has afforded you the ability to be a player. Like some, you may even have had more than enough schooling or continuous training but yet here you stand on the sidelines, clean and unweathered by the game playing out right in front of you. Apprehension and fear are paralyzing emotions and can silently defeat you without your noticing. That's because they are preventative emotions preventing you from trying and ultimately winning. Remember that getting off the bench has less to do with talent, or what has been afforded to us, but rather what we are actually doing with those things. So you're afraid to jump because you may fail? Yes, the chance of failure exists but so does the chance that you will win. You wont know until you try and I'm here to encourage you to GET OFF THE BENCH!

What past failures are you holding on to? What did you learn from those failures? Write this down and focus on how these experiences will help you, not hinder you, going forward.