The Navigator

Posts Tagged ‘determination’

Squirrels are not liked by many but truly deserve our admiration, in my opinion.  They are destructive little creatures because, once they set their mind to something, they don’t quit until they achieve it.  Is this a bad thing?  I guess it depends on who’s eyes you are looking through.  I, for one, admire them for all they are able to teach us.

Did you know they can live almost anywhere.  Who wouldn’t want a life where they can do whatever they want, whenever they want, wherever they want??  I know I’m doing my best to create a business that travels with me so I can enjoy my life in climates and conditions that I like best.  I can’t wait to take full advantage of that!  Squirrels tend to avoid high polar regions and the driest of deserts – can you blame them?  The land must support them.  They need to be able to find food and shelter.  We also need to have access to things that support us.  Family, friends, nourishment, etc.

Squirrels have excellent vision.  This is important since they always need to be on the lookout for food and for predators.   Now, I don’t spend a lot of time looking out for the same type of predator they look for (I seriously doubt a hawk or eagle is going to be able to swoop down and take me away), I do spend time looking for other types…mostly time wasters.  These little guys are so destructive to our success in life.  Always ask yourself, if what you are doing will get you closer to your goals.  If not, do you really want to spend your time that way?

Squirrels collect what they need and plan ahead for leaner times.  What a brilliant concept and yet so difficult for many of us.  Being self-employed, this is my biggest struggle – planning ahead while building a business to support my family.  Squirrels seem to understand this concept well and are always looking for food, even if they have plenty.

Squirrels are very hardworking, diligent and prudent.  They never, ever give up.  They make calculated decisions.  Have you ever watched a squirrel on a mission?  They try something and, if it doesn’t work, they try something else.  They seem to sit and think it through before deciding what route to take next.  It takes some work, even when we are in the flow, to move forward in life.  We must be diligent and not lose site of our goals.  We must make wise choices that are well thought out.  And, hopefully, it still feels fun most of the time (if not all of the time) for you.   Life doesn’t have to be painful.  Look at the squirrel.   Climbing and playing and chattering with others.  What a great life!

So, things have been crazy lately and I haven’t blogged much lately.  I’m feeling a little guilty about it.  It was something I had committed to and yet here we are again – not following through.  My intentions are all good and then life happens and I get off track.  For those who know me, getting off track is pretty easy.  Thoughts and ideas overflow from my head 24/7.

I used to think I wanted to shut it off until someone asked me one day during a healing session if that’s what I really wanted.  It only took a second for me to realize I didn’t.  I LOVE all the ideas that come to me.  I LOVE learning.  I LOVE it all!  I’m so grateful she asked me that or I may have spent the rest of my life trying to shut it off.

So, where am I at today?  Where am I not would probably be a quicker answer but I’ll give you just the highlights and try to keep it short.

Tomorrow I start school.  I can’t wait.  Every couple of hours here at home today I pop my head around the corner and asking my family if they know what tomorrow is.  They say no or Monday and then I say, “It’s a school day!”  Can you tell how excited I am?!  First on my agenda?  Learning all about color theory.  Well, second.  First I tested out of one of my classes because I felt I knew most of what the class would cover.  They said I was the first one to try testing out of this class and pass!  Yeah me!

Many of you know I spent 15 years in parks and rec.  I left in part because I really wanted to be able to offer programs and services that I am passionate about.  Not ones that someone else told me I had to offer.  Now I’m doing that.  The other thing I loved doing for parks and rec was marketing and graphic design.  That’s what I’m going back to school for!  I know I have some skills and I could gain more on the internet or in an occasional class here or there but I really want structure – the most missed component of having a 9 to 5 job.   It’s great to be able to work in my pjs on the couch and to decide when to schedule things and I still crave some structure.

It will also create a network of people who are passionate about the same thing for me.  I have this for the other aspects of who I am but not so much for people who love designing.  I am also really excited to be the student here and connect with other students too!

The theme here?  I saw that I wanted/needed something and I figured out how to make it happen and I did it!

What is it that you want?

What are you willing to do to make it happen?

When you see a roadblock/obstacle, what do you do?  Do you give up or find a way to go around it?

I’d love to hear from you…please leave a comment!

First published by Essential Wellness in 2005

Have you ever wished you had more confidence in any area of your life?  Your job? Relationships?  Intuitive living?  I know I’ve been saying for years that I wish I had more confidence in all of those areas and more.  I’ve wondered why I didn’t have more and I’ve wondered what my life would look like if I did have it.  I’ve played the “if onlys” over and over in my mind.

Finally, after tiring of seeing little change, I decided it was time to get out there and start doing things.  I realized that things weren’t going to change on their own.  One of the areas I looked at was my job.  Although there were many things I enjoyed about my job, I didn’t really feel passionate about it any more and felt like there was another direction I’d like to go.  One day I just took the afternoon off and went out looking for office space in the community.  As luck would have it, I found a perfect space that I could afford.  Then I joined the Chamber and before I opened my doors, I had my first official client call to schedule an appointment.  Things just grew from there. 

I realized that every time I took a risk, I gained confidence!  And not just in the area I took the risk (for example, my job) but in every area of my life.  Even though I’ve heard for most of my life that practice will do that for you, this was different for me.  It wasn’t really practicing as much as just going outside of my comfort zone to achieve the things I want. 

Rhonda Britten, author, calls this stretch, risk or die.  Imagine a bullseye and the middle of it is your comfort zone.  The next ring out is the stretch zone, the next one is the risk zone, and the furthest one out is the die zone.  Stretching is something you’ve been avoiding but isn’t really that hard to do.  The risk zone is when you doing something that is scary for you and if you do it; it will probably change your life.  The die zone is where you do something that is so scary, you feel like a part of you is going to die.   As you visit the outer edges of your bullseye, you will be able watch your life change before your very eyes.   

I invite you to take a look at an area of your life you’d really like to change.  Come up with two stretches, two risks, and a die.  Start with the stretches and go through each item on your list.  As you do, acknowledge each one proudly, no matter how small it may seem.  Each time it will get easier and easier and you will feel your confidence begin to grow. 

To have the life you desire you must move out of your comfort zone and into the stretch, risk, AND die zones.  Know that you are worth it!  Today’s your day!  Make it count!

I am as excited to release my first book as I was to release my CD!  The book is available at http://tinyurl.com/BookonAmazon.

This book shares my 2 cents on various attributes I feel are important for success as an entrepreneur.  It was a joy to write and I loved finding just the right photos and quotes to go along with my content.  I hope you’ll check it out!

I was at a workshop on Saturday about being in business in a recession (drove all the way to Faribault for this one…lots of fun…beautiful day….with my good friend).  One of the speakers mentioned this concept of being a hedgehog vs. a fox.  Since I have a hedgehog for a pet, I was especially intrigued by this idea. 

Good to Great’s framework is the “hedgehog concept.” Collins is referring to philosopher Isaiah Berlin’s essay “The Hedgehog and the Fox,” which divides people into foxes, who know many things, and hedgehogs, who know “one big thing.”  In the world of organizations (whether for-profit or not-for-profit), Collins argues that hedgehogs have an advantage because they’re able to simplify the world into a single organizing idea, and hence are more likely to achieve greatness.

I started thinking about his behaviors.  He definitely is a creature of habit.  He sleeps a lot and doesn’t like to be disturbed.  If you wake him, he will be grumpy (cute but grumpy).  He begins to huff and hiss and starts to curl into a ball of quills – his safety mechanism.  If he’s eating, he eats with passion, almost a fury.  If he’s running on his wheel, he won’t stop for anything (nothing at all – do you have a visual?). 

He’s very focused and not much can derail him.  Every night when he’s up, he gets a lot done.  He only does a few things and he does them well and with dedication. 

In my new book, Inspiring Success, I talk about topics like perserverance, focus and dedication and how important they are for finding success in life and in work.  I am a person who likes a lot of change and focus is always a challenge.  I have created tools in my life to help me with this.   For example, I am clear about my vision and what I want.  When new opportunities come along, and they always do, I measure that opportunity with my vision.  I always ask myself how it fits in with my vision, will it get me closer to where I want to be, are there other things I do that this “fits” with.  There are lots of things I can do, but should I?  No.  I’d never get anywhere if I did that. 

Today, I invite you to become a hedgehog if you aren’t already.  Find what you do really well, look at how it all fits together and focus!