Are you continuing to work on your personal development? A very good idea these days … where change is the name of the game, especially in doing what you love.
Aim high. Explore. Stretch your boundaries. Let yourself fail some.
But be sure and put learning in your skill bag. All of these are useful to help in doing what you love.
Here is a story about someone who definitely loved what he was doing:
1960 two men made a bet. There was only $50 on the line, but millions of people would feel the impact of this little wager. The first man, Bennett Cerf, was the founder of the publishing firm, Random House. The second man was named Theo Geisel, but you probably know him as Dr. Seuss.
Cerf proposed the bet and challenged that Dr. Seuss would not be able to write an entertaining children’s book using only 50 different words. Dr. Seuss took the bet and won.
The result was a little book called Green Eggs and Ham. Since publication, Green Eggs and Ham has sold more than 200 million copies, making it the most popular of Seuss’s works and one of the best-selling children’s books in history.
At first glance, you might think this was a lucky fluke. A talented author plays a fun game with 50 words and ends up producing a hit. But there is actually more to this story and the lessons in it can help us become more creative and stick to better habits over the long-run.
Enablers for success that are essential for your personal and professional development and in doing what you love.
When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.
–Wayne Dyer
We are all aware of Steve Jobs Stanford commencement speech given in 2005, where he talks about doing what you love. It is a classic talk on this subject.
He encourages his student audience to keep looking and don’t settle. Jobs goes on to say as with all matters of the heart; you’ll know when you find it. Ah, but finding it.
If you are still looking, consider these 20 enablers for success that will shed some light on your search:
Doing what you love … character matters
Your character is the strength to do the right thing at all times and to teach others to do the same.
Without realizing it, our actions and deeds spread far and wide. We may think our sphere is relatively tiny, but it expands greatly when we consider the effect of it moving from one person to the next.
Consider this reality as you move forward.
Doing what you love … learning is never done
Unless you’re one of the lucky to find their passion quickly, you should spend a lot of time trying new things. Figure out what you’re good at and what you like.
Don’t be afraid to try new things and fail at them; failing builds learning.
You should explore, be curious, and reflect on what you are learning. Change and your learning are never done.
Stormy seas happen with everyone
There will be many challenges, obstacles and curveballs swung your way. Just try to take them as they come.
Often there’s a door that is standing wide open for you and another that you’re trying to get through by knocking it down. It’s best to take the door that’s already open for you.
In other words, don’t try to be someone or something you’re not.
Doing what you love … be adaptable
Life is about change; don’t fight it and just go with it. Learn from your mistakes; it is your best source of learning and growth.
Let go of things you can’t change. Learn to adapt to change. Win, lose or draw, life will go on, and you’ll get another chance to start your life over if things haven’t gone according to plan.
Keep your plans loose and flexible. It’s good to have an idea of things you want to accomplish. Have an idea where you want to be a couple of years down the road.
Honestly, no one knows what’s going to happen tomorrow, let alone five years from now. It’s fine to make some plans but be flexible and willing to change them.
Doing what you love … effective time management
Nothing lasts forever. Enjoy every moment that you have.
Constantly reflect on your priorities and ask yourself if you are spending your time on those that are the most important to you.
Maintain an effective balance between work, family, and fun things in life.
Attitude is everything
Having a good attitude can make all the difference in your life.
It makes life easier and happier when you have a positive outlook and can keep your attitude light and flexible. Especially when you are dealing with other people and with life’s challenges.
Treat people well
Treating people with respect and decency can get you a long way in the world. Remember that “honey attracts more flies than vinegar.”
Being nice to those around you can make a big difference to people. Take responsibility for yourself, your actions and your feelings.
Doing what you love … build strong relationships
We are all aware of the importance of friendships and the folks we surround ourselves with. Cherish those relationships and work with them the same way you would with family relationships.
Give more than you take, and help more than you receive.
Relationships, in general, are hard, and they take consistent care and feeding. Stay in touch with people who you care about and who care about you.
Take chances as often as possible
Life is about taking chances, grabbing opportunities and taking risks.
Don’t be afraid to try something new, move somewhere new, work somewhere new, meet new people and learn something new.
Without risk, no reward exists. Leaders take risks, but before they do, they minimize them by soliciting information and perspectives.
After that, they move forward, trusting themselves and the people around them.
Doing what you love … you get out what you put in
Happiness and self-confidence come from within. Life is what you make of it and what you put into it.
You can create whatever life you want, and if you create that life and it doesn’t work for you anymore, guess what? You can create a whole new life that does work.
You may not have a choice in things that happen to you, but you have a choice in how you react to them.
Try to stay positive no matter what life throws at you. Get through the tough times by relying on your support network.
You won’t always be right
Remember when you were younger, how important it was to be right? Well, as the years pass by, we begin to understand that being right isn’t nearly as important as listening to and weighing up every side of the argument. Maybe even deferring to someone else’s point of view.
Learn to understand that it’s often better to lose a few battles to win the war.
Doing what you love … build self-confidence
Its true age brings wisdom. It can also bring more confidence.
Why? Because we accumulate learning experiences as we travel. They are powerful tools to draw from to make future decisions.
Yes, we’ve made mistakes, but we’ve learned from them. That is what instills innate confidence in future decision making.
Doing what you love … don’t take yourself too seriously
As children, we laughed, played the fool and didn’t think too much about what other people thought about us.
Then our ego’s developed, self-awareness set in and we began to lose our spontaneity. When we reach a certain age, it begins to matter less what other people think.
We should not be taking ourselves so seriously. Make that age as early as possible.
Maintain your integrity
Nothing can ruin your influence and respect faster than a lack of integrity. Integrity, however, is not just avoiding unethical choices and situations.
Integrity is intentionally molding a culture of values and service. Pay attention to this element of your life. It is critical to your long-term success.
Doing what you love … put emphasis on continuous learning
Continuously invest in learning and expanding/growing your expertise. The more you know, the more you can contribute to the success of what you are doing.
The greater your competence, the more others will respect you. And, oh by the way, with the rapid increase of information in this world, keeping up with your learning isn’t an option.
Understand people personally
Get to know the people that touch your life at work and the home environment. Demonstrate a genuine interest in people. Care about them.
Create a culture where people feel supported personally, not just professionally.
Doing what you love … coach and advocate
Be as helpful as you can to people. Be a resource, a sounding board, a safe place to talk.
If you want people to respect you, they need to know you are on their side. Advocate for them; help them leverage your influence on their behalf.
Forge partnerships
Understand that trying to be all things to all people is not a good objective.
It is impossible to be an expert in everything. Instead, surround yourself with people who possess the qualities you lack.
When you do, you will realize your learning and self-development will increase.
Doing what you love … anticipate and optimize
Continually focus on thinking ahead and anticipating change.
Ask yourself: “What could go wrong here?” “Is there anything else we can do to make success more likely?”
These questions help us create the best possible recommendations and decisions.
The bottom line
“I knew that if I failed I wouldn’t regret that, but I knew the one thing I might regret is not trying.”
For some reason, many of us have been conditioned to be more afraid of failure than we are of inaction. However, failure, in addition to being inherently valuable as a learning process, contains within it the chance of success. And no matter how small that chance is, it’s better than the chances of success when we choose not to even try.
Janis Joplin once said ‘you are what you settle for.’ Never settle.
The best people persist toward perfection. They remain steadfast in the belief that our best days are ahead of them and work toward making that true.
Paint the picture of what it will look like when you get there. Keep this picture to remind you of your goals.
