I often wonder why the easiest promises to break are those we make to ourselves. I’ve made promises to myself when wanting to accomplish many things in my life. Months and even years later I look back and they are still sitting in the back burner waiting.  My projects linger, often times peaking through reminding me they are still there.

How many times have you done that? Do you have such a dream? Are you working on a project and just can’t seem to get started? What is it that separates those that do it from those who say they will but never do? Like someone who wants to begin to exercise, the first day is very hard, the first week even harder. But once you begin your routine it becomes easier and becomes a part of your daily practice. It’s all about picking that first day then taking baby steps. If you do a little every day, it eventually adds up inspiring your confidence so that you continue. No bird can fly until his wings begin to apprehensively but undoubtedly move. In the beginning, the bird will fall repeatedly until his determination and need teach him that he must fly. The bird begins to soar through the sky seeing the  endless possibilities of travel. Like the bird, we must also begin to move our  wings.

We must become one with our dream and work each day towards reaching it, even if it’s just a little each day. How many of us close our eyes and visualize a life of fulfillment and achievement. We see ourselves in a different place, a different business position and even a different financial situation. Then for some reason we live it by simply dreaming it.  We do little to get out of the comfort zone. The zone that prevents us from working hard and even missing out on some fun.  Suddenly we look in the mirror realizing that the years have gone by; regretting and desperately seeking justifications for why we didn’t do the things we really needed to do and why we didn’t work harder. We search for reasons because to admit that we just didn’t work as hard as we needed to would be to admit we were just plain indolent.

Still, sometimes even when we do work hard, things just don’t happen the way they should or they way we expect them to. Some may say luck was just not on our side. Leaving us to question is it all about luck; and if it is, how much of it do we really need?

When working for your dream, there will always be that someone who will say no, and many who will just not believe in what you are doing (everybody’s a critic!). I agree that in life, it sometimes helps to be in the right place at the right time. But for the most part, it really is all about hard work and determination.  Never give up on what you truly believe in, and never stop telling the world about it because you still haven’t made it. Someone recently told me, “If one is out of site…one is out of mind” and it stuck. If I don’t show my work, show my face, shake hands and network, then I will be forgotten. I need for everyone to know about me and about what I do. So go out there and face everyone. Shake hands, pass out your card, make the calls and find the leads. If you do nothing, it will lead to just that. If you do a lot, it will lead to just that.