I once thought if I got a job I loved and had a flourishing personal life, I would be completely
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| Stonehaven Bay, Tobago |
and totally happy. I was wrong. When I got the job I always wanted and was at a high point in my personal life, I still found myself wanting more.
Let’s face it: Work takes up a lot of our time, so we might as well enjoy it, right? We look to it to satisfy our needs, in accordance to Maslow’s Hierarchy.
It is how we achieve fulfilment, acceptance, recognition and respect for both ourselves and others. Knowing our work is making a difference in the lives of others boosts our self-esteem and confidence. But, how can we make it enough?
When I started my own business a year ago, I felt a change. I went from feeling agony, rising in the morning for my 8-to-4 job, to exuberant entrepreneurship. Now, I can’t wait to begin the day and discover all the possibilities that await. In fact, I don’t even want to go to sleep!
But, every now and then, I feel I should be doing more, no matter how many people tell me I'm doing so much already. I think it’s human nature to doubt yourself from time to time. We try to tell ourselves we shouldn't, then we meet or read about someone who is just like us, but doing so much more. You know what, though?
We are exactly where we need to be at any given moment. Our opportunities, capabilities and mindsets are different from said person. Once we know we are trying our best, there’s no need to compare our lives to anyone else’s because we don’t know the sacrifices they made to get where they are.
The only person we need to compare ourselves to, is our former selves. It’s healthy to always aspire to grow beyond yesterday’s goals. Life is fluid and always changing. We must move with life in order to achieve that for which we were created.
If we remained in one spot, we would stunt our growth; there would be no change. While everyone is getting ahead, we would be stuck in a time warp. Fear is real; sometimes, it stifles us and restricts us from living completely. It may be fear of failing, fear of the unknown or fear of what others may think of us for trying something new.
When we focus on living our own lives, what anyone else thinks suddenly becomes irrelevant. We overcome our fears when we visualize how incredible it would be to succeed.
Witnessing the smiling faces of all the people we can help with their dreams is a wonderful feeling. Whether it is a product we created, a service we provided or a feeling we invigorated, that feeling of fulfilment matches no other.
We owe it to ourselves to transcend our limitations and not be stunted by fear. We were made to stand out! We need to condition our minds to find the inner strength to channel our talents into meaningful outlets for expression.
I am certain everyone was born with this ability, but some fail to realize it because of environmental factors and/or the lack of positive reinforcement. We must surround ourselves with positive people who support our dreams and encourage us.
We have to learn to identify the “weak links” and let go of the negativity that cripples our progress and breaks our spirits. We can do anything if we intently and consistently focus on it.
We must find ways to nurture our talents and motivate ourselves to reach our goals. Once we pursue a career for the right reason — which is to help others — we will reach our destiny in life.
The right situations and people will find us without effort, and all forms of abundance will flow into our lives. We will be at peace with ourselves, and we will no longer compare our journeys to others....We will finally be enough.
