You’ve created the most amazing product.  You developed an innovative way of doing something.  You designed a new marketing strategy that you can’t wait to start implementing, but before you do you share your ideas to get some feedback.  Without even the slightest hesitation, you get that look from your friends and co-workers.  You know…that look that just screams “You think THAT is a good idea?  That’ll never work.” 

You laugh it off and act like it doesn’t bother you, but as your mind starts going you realize that what just seconds ago seemed like a stoke of brillance has quickly turned into an impossible feat and one probably not worth pursuing. 

STOP!  Seriously…STOP doing that to yourself.  Albert Einstein said “If at first, the idea is not absurd, then there is no hope for it.”  I just love that.  Some of the craziest ideas are the ones that change our lives.  They change the world.  Will they all work?  Um….no, but are they worth pursuing as long as you are doing them for the right reasons?  Absolutely!  

Believe.  Don’t give anyone room to tell you that you can’t.  Don’t expect people to understand or even to be supportive.  Create.  Develop.  Implement.  Dream huge and make it happen.

You just came up with the most brilliant idea.  I’m talking up all night, can’t wait to get things going, life-changing, jumping up and down idea that YOU created.  Oh yeah, you’re excited.  While diligently at work you start to hear that inner voice whisper something about getting “so-and-so’s” opinion before you go any further.  You know, that one person…or maybe a few people, in your life that you have to run things by before you do something.  You brush it off and continue working, but it starts getting louder and louder.  So loud in fact that you can’t even concentrate anymore and all you can think about is how you have to ask this person if you should do it. 

Why do we do that?  Why do we always feel the need to get validation from someone else before we move forward with a project?  Don’t get me wrong, I’ve got plenty of mentors and people that I admire and turn to for advice, but to best honest, the most successful of the bunch tend to give me the least advice on what to do.  They encourge me to go for it.  Try something.  See what happens.  If it fails, learn from it and try something else.   

When you get excited about something that you want to do, got for it.  Create a plan and take action NOW.  Don’t wait for someone to tell you to do it or to praise your idea because…well…it won’t happen.  Trust youself.  Believe in your idea and make it happen.

No, I don’t want you to fail.  In fact I want you to win…and win big!  Do you ever have that feeling that something huge is going to happen.  It’s just around the corner and you know it.  You aren’t sure what it is going to be or when exactly it will show up, but you’ve been working…doing…trying your best to make things happen and the only thing keeping you going every day is believing that you can make difference and do something that matters. 

While some of you know exactly where you are going and what you are striving for, others are less clear about their direction.  However, both have the same drive and determination to get out there and do something incredible that only they can do. 

One of my favorite authors is Seth Godin.  In one of his many amazing and inspiring books, Poke the Box, he says “the person who fails the most wins.”   I love this because…well…I’ve tried a lot of things and while some did ok, many were complete failures.  Did I get discouraged?  Yep.  But it only took a few minutes of hanging out at my very own pity party  to realize how lame it was and to get me right back up to start trying something else. 

Not everything that we do is a good idea no matter how much we think it is at the time.  But it is always a good idea to try new things, create something, dream huge, be creative and making things happen.

Nobody is ever going to actually ask you to do something extraordinary so stop waiting for permission.  Stop talking about the amazing idea that you have if only given the opportunity.  You have the opportunity…do it.  Try it.  Make something happen.  We all get inspired to do someting great, but most of us don’t act on it.  We make up excuses as to why we can’t do something…why it won’t work. 

Stand out.  Dream huge…start small.  Get so excited about something that you feel like you are going to burst.  Talk it up…get people excited…and do it…now!

How many times have you left a conference, event or some type of seminar feeling absolutely incredible and ready to change the world?  The message you heard “spoke to you” and ideas you’ve been dreaming up for as long as you can remember somehow finally seem possible.  You’re going to start that new business, write that book, pitch that new program or get out those old paint supplies to show the world a new masterpiece. 

And then….we step out of those doors and get back to our homes just in time for soccer practice, laundry, emails, facebook messages, bills, bosses and to-do lists miles long.  When you finally catch your breath during that one moment of  ”free time” you realize you didn’t do it….in fact, you didn’t do anything….not one thing that would get you a step closer to those making those big dream happen.  And you know what else…you don’t feel it.  How did that passion and motivation just….poof….vanish into thin air?   

We’ve all got busy lives filled with things happening all of the time and no, it’s not always easy to pursue our dreams…to go make something happen, but isn’t that what we’re here for?  Your ideas are awesome!!  What you think matters.  And it may not cure hunger or create world peace, but it will make a difference…to a few or to more than you can possibly imagine.  But you will never know if you don’t get started!

Don’t you just love when you are watching a movie and you get to see both sides of a situation.  The girl gets into the elevator just as the man of her dreams steps out, flowers in hand, while on his dramatic search for her (what can I say I’m a hopeless romantic), critical information surprisingly pops up just as the handsome leading character attorney is about to plead his case to the jury or when only the audience knows which room the explosives are in until….well…you get the picture. 

Wouldn’t it be amazing if, in life, we got to see that other side while we were going through something.  Wouldn’t it just be a dream if we got to see what was on the other side of the experience or challenge we were dealing with in a particular chapter of our lives.  Instead of wishing and hoping that it would all end up the way it is supposed to, we knew 1000% that all would end up great…amazing… fabulous.  After over-analyzing and over-thinking (which I tend to do more than I care to admit), I realized…duhhhh…we can….but only if we live in faith and not fear!   

While we may not be able to know the EXACT outcome of a particular situation, when we live in faith believing that whatever challenges we are going through will only make us stronger, put us in a situation that we must go through in order to become the person we are meant to be, meet the people who will change our lives, we can then live a life free of anxiety (and the dramatic stories we play in our head) and full of possibilities.

Over the past two months I quit my job, broke my foot and sprained my ankle (two-for-one special I guess), started a new job and found a new place to live.  Can you say…CHANGE?!!!  Oh…not to mention other amazing, but more personal changes that have been taking place in my life (but that’s another post all together).   Yep, things have been rather interesting and it has completely sparked emotions, ambitions and ideas in me that have transformed my way of thinking. 

Many of us have quoted Mahatma Gandhi “Be the change you wish to see in the word”, but how many of us actually do it?  How many actually take the uncomfortable actions required to change and make big things happen.  Does everything always work out the way you thought it would?  Ha….um…absolutely NOT, but sometimes the outcome is even more amazing than you thought possible.  Other times we find ourselves saying “What the heck was I thinking”, but even then, after an uncomfortable season, we tend to see the good in what we had to endure to get to where we were able to go.   

Change is different…change is uncomfortable…change is necessary…change is…GOOD!  It’s so easy for us to get comfortable in our live.  Our jobs, our relationships, the places we go, the things that we do…it is easy to just start going through the motions in life and forgetting to “change things up” every now and then.  We need to get our of our comfort zone…try something new…do something we’ve never done before and see what miracles are created!

Don’t you just love the stories we play in our head.  An opportunity presents itself and we immediately play out the scenario from A to Z while often times focusing on all of the negative things that could happen.  What if I take that job and it doesn’t work out?  What if I go out with that guy and it ends up being a disaster?  What if I decide to go after my dream and I fail?  What if…what if…what if??!!!!!  Why do we constantly “what if” ourselves? 

What if we believe in miracles!!  What if we stopped playing those stories in our minds and instead started dreaming huge and believing that we can make those dreams can come true.  When we live playing the “what if game” we are missing out on some of the most amazing opportunities…some of the most life changing experiences.  And guess what…some of them include failing!  If we aren’t failing we aren’t living!!

Imagine living only looking forward…never backwards…and constantly doing, trying and believing!  What if? 

Last night I was having dinner at one of my favorite restaurants with some girlfriends.  It’s a cute little Mediterranean place in Boca.  The owners are awesome, the food is absolutely delicious and the atmosphere is adorable…you MUST try it  http://apropokafe.com/.  Ok, as you can see I love this place, but that’s not my point.  My point is that in between bites of hummus and the most succulent salad you could ever imagine (I almost asked if they have a garden in their backyard because it tastes so fresh…ok, there I go again…focus), my friends and I were enjoying a conversation about relationships, life and living with passion. 

One of my friends described what she is looking for in a relationship and it included an abundance of passion.  To use her words exactly, “When I get home from work I still want to rip my husband’s clothes off even after 50 years of marriage.”  I immediately started laughing, but before I could get a word out, another girl asked “Do you think that actually exists?”  Without hesitation, my friend and I both screamed “YES!!”  “You really believe that you can live with that much passion every single day?” she asked again and of course our answer was another firm “Yes, Yes Yes!!”

I’m not saying that living with passion is always easy especially when it comes to relationships, but I do believe that we can live passionately every day.  That we can make up our minds to start every day feeling filled with love, passion and excitement about life!  We decide to get up with a smile on our face and do something that inspires us, empowers us and makes us feel that passion in our lives.  We can also decide to get up and feel the complete opposite.  What do you do every day that helps bring out that passion inside of you that you know is there and wants to get out?  Those things that makes you want to smile, laugh and entice you to soak in every single moment of the day…do those things!   

We all want to be happy.  We all want to live with that passion and sense of purpose.  I believe that we can, but only if we decide to wake up that way every single day.  Smile lots and live passionately.

I absolutely love learning!  There is just nothing like hearing from someone who has done amazing things with their life and learning how you can do the same.  Last night I saw John Maxwell speak at Christ Fellowship.  I have had the opportunity to see him quite a few times and every time I walk away with pages of notes and a heart and mind filled with new thoughts that challenge and empower me.  John’s teaching last night was all about attitude.  Changing your attitude will change your life!  Most of us say this often, but how many of us actually live it?   

After the service I waited around so that I could say hi to John…oh…and also get a hug from him of course.   Watching him surrounded by so many people asking him questions, thanking him for his teachings and knowledge he provides in all of his books simply made me smile.  He is such an incredible man and so humble and thankful for everything he has.  He is one of the most amazing speakers in the world and an expert on leadership.  His accomplishments run miles long and he is passionate about helping others achieve success in their lives.  Oh yes, when he speaks, I listen!

So who are YOU listening to?  Who do you look up to, take advice from and learn from?  There are a lot of “experts” out there telling us that they can help in all different areas of our lives, but have they achieved the success that they speak of?  Have they accomplished the things that they say they are going to help you achieve?  The more that I seek out knowledge and information, the more I realize how important it is to surround ourselves with the right people.  So, who are you listening to?