I was recently struck with a realization: I'm a prolific public speaker and motivational force for good ... but I may be the only one who knows it. You see, I believe there's often a divide between who we think we are in the world and who we actually are. We live in our minds. We have a whole world set up where we are the center and everything else revolves around that persona. In my mind, I've built a successful business around helping others identify their career paths and excel in them. The problem is, it's in my mind. It hasn't actually manifested in the world quite yet. And the only way to close the distance between who we think we are and who we actually are is to do something. There are plenty of dreamers in the world with good intentions but very few people who take action on those dreams and make them reality.
Many things hold us back from taking action. For me, potential to fail and risk-aversion are big. Procrastination can be hairy for others. There are other ugly inhibitors that get in the way of us becoming who we were meant to become. Aristotle stated, "To avoid criticism say nothing, do nothing, be nothing." I would suggest that we can avoid success and happiness this year in the same three ways.
Who you are now is a result of sum of your actions up to this point in your life. And who you hope to become will only happen as you take action toward that ideal. So as you set your resolutions for the new year, instead of settings goals to become someone new try setting goals to do something. At the end of the day, what you've done will determine who you become. So what will you do this year?
