The Future Begins Now

I'd like to think that I am equal parts dreamer and equal parts doer. At least that is how I perceive myself. I wonder if I were to take a few steps back, to disassociate myself from myself and become a casual observer, would I feel the same way. Or would I see myself as a blowhard, someone who talks a good game, but never really comes through.

When I envision my future, I see a successful, accomplished future me. I see a man that has gone after what he wants, someone who has brought his vision to reality. Someone who has dug deep, discovered what he wanted, put in the hard work and will soon realize the rewards. I have a goal that I am finally about to see come to light, at least the start of it. After all of the talking about what I want do in the future, I am finally ready to bring the talk to fruition. I planted the seeds in my mind nearly two years ago, now the time has come to watch the seeds grow into something incredible, to watch them blossom into what I have wanted them to be. I am ready to meet the future me.

Now the hard work begins. The long days that I now "enjoy" have just gotten a bit longer. But I will not be deterred by hard work. I will start methodically taking the steps that I need to take to bring my latest project into the light. I will call upon all of my desire, talent and dedication as well as those that I assemble for this project in order to bring it from vision to reality. My dream will slowly become my reality, and as time passes, I will transition from being the dreamer to the doer yet again.

I have a fire and a drive inside of me to succeed that I can no longer keep at bay. Once I set something in motion, I need to keep moving it forward, slowly at first while I build the necessary foundation to guarantee success, then with ever increasing speed and determination until it cannot be stopped. This dream will be realized, and it will most certainly be a success. I know this for a fact because I will not let it happen any other way.

And so, I now set forth on my latest adventure...

Exceeding Expectations

 

I know I will never always be able to live up to the above axiom, but I sure am going to try like hell to do so, on a daily basis, with everything I do. Surely that goal sounds lofty, but after all, isn't that the point of a goal? Put something just out of reach of the ordinary, so that you have to work just a bit harder in order to achieve it. And speaking of working just a bit harder, today I did just that.

 

I had been in a bit of a rut lately with work, namely the part of my job that involves selling. It had been a while since I had been on a cold call, mostly because it sucks getting the door slammed in your face over and over again. But today was different, and I can thank my neighbor for spurring me into action. During a casual conversation about my work day I mentioned how there is an entire portion of the Chicagoland area that the company I work for is extremely under represented. While in other parts of the city we literally own the market, in this one region we are pretty much nonexistent, and it happens to be the area in which I now live.

 

While mentioning this to my neighbor I had the proverbial "A Ha moment", the light bulb went off, I saw the sign, whatever else you want to call it. I decided then and there, mid-sentence, that my new mission would be to grow the region to the point that we will have to expand our business just to keep up with what I am doing there. Years ago I had made some cold calls that never panned out and based on that I had turned my back on an entire region that I deemed uninterested, or just didn't "get" what we had to offer. So for years now I have never even thought of trying to pursue any leads, but would rather try and fight it out in the other markets with the other salesman. Why? I have no idea.

 

If today was any indication of how the future will unfold though, then I am ready and willing to capitalize. I took my new found drive and capitalized on it. I put myself out there, knocked on some doors and was greeted with open arms. I was right where I needed to be, back on top of my game, doing what I do best, making connections. I killed it today, although it was only a few hours, I was on top, I was making it happen, I didn't have a single misstep, I was exceeding my own expectations. If today was good, then tomorrow should be even better. I know it won't always come as easy as it did today, but that's okay. Because with everyday that passes that goes well, I add firepower to my arsenal, I put the proverbial money in the bank, I sharpen my game, and I add a few more tools to my bag. In other words, I am better than I was the day before. And that's a pretty good feeling.   

 

From This Day Forward

We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit. - Aristotle

You don't just happen to become great at what you do, whatever it may be, you have to work for it. Athletes train, fighters fight, writers write. You practice and practice and practice until whatever goal you are trying to reach or achieve becomes attainable. You can never expect to succeed by just willing something to happen, you have to work for it. That being said, I am putting in the work that I need to put in so that I can achieve my greatness.

My goals and dreams and aspirations are so much bigger than I am realizing right now. After a long talk with my wife this weekend, we both came to the conclusion that we are meant to do more, and be more with this life that we have been given. No longer will we sit idly by and wish  for an opportunity to present itself, we will seek out the opportunity. No longer will we hope for an easy life, but rather embrace the challenges that come along and find ways to overcome them. No longer will we dream of what our futures may hold for us, but we will shape our present day actions and thoughts so that we fully realize our potential.

While certain aspects of our future may remain unknown to us at this time, one thing is absolutely certain, we will no longer be reactive, but only active in shaping not only our individual lives, but our family life as well. The hours will be long, and our sacrifices may be great, but in the end we will be realizing our full potential, and that cannot be underestimated. To live a full, complete, happy life without regret or what ifs  will be the greatest gift we can give to ourselves.

Today marks a turning point for me. No longer will be I simply be a dreamer, but I will also be the doer. I will bring action to my plans and see them through to the end. I will embrace the challenges as they come, then find a solution for them. I will live in the present, enjoying the good life that we have, while laying the ground work for an even better future. I will work hard, not for my employers sake, but for my family's sake. I will not allow others to take advantage of me, but demand respect from those around me. I will stand up, be heard, and demand that others listen. I will achieve success once again, and fell proud of who I am and what I have created. But most of all I will create a life for my family based on excellence.
   

Not What, But Who?