Gravity

Who’s job is it to inspire us? Where do we draw inspiration from?

We can attend all the motivational conferences we want, listen to as many podcasts, watch as many videos and read as many books. It still comes down to one thing…..…what are YOU doing about your life and where its going?

No one out there can take control of your future. They can give you the tools, the techniques, they can share their lessons hoping you will learn something from it, they can even give you the opportunities but, it is You who has to want it, value it and drive it. Sometimes you may feel like venting, of course we all have those days, when we feel sorry for ourselves and we think sharing it with a friend will provide some enlightenment or make us feel better. It often does, but soon enough we return to the reality of the situation we face and we realise that despite all our complaints and justifications as to why we cannot, have not and will not, we have done nothing to help ourselves except reinforce our very own barriers, bolting us down, immersing us into nothingness and compromising all we are capable of becoming. So vent all you like, but you are not going to move an inch from being stuck in “what was”. To move ahead you must take a step forward. No one else has walked your journey, and no one else can live your dream.

So, how important is your life to you? How serious are you about it? What significance do you attach to what you do and why you are here? Surely it is not an accident, surely you have a purpose, a mission, some unfinished business!. The solutions don’t lie with others, they lie within ourselves. Our inner spirit is the beacon of light that keeps us focused, passionate and inspired.

Gravity is about the importance, significance and seriousness we attach to our life. What is the gravity of your life and how do you create “gravitas” in moving it forward?

Goals: A simple word but a tall ask for many. A goal is a roadmap, to where you are going. It gives you focus, purpose, and importance. It fuels a desire that seeks to conquer doubt, fear and uncertainty. Goals create significance in our lives, they create a journey worth sharing, worth achieving, worth living. Establishing goals are a first step towards inspiring yourself. Goals that are real, that talks to your heart, that creates meaning for you. Where do you see yourself in 5 years from now? To get there, you must start today. To start today you must put a stake in the ground and ask yourself two questions: –

1. Where am I going?
2. How am I going to get there?

Resilience – life is a sometimes a difficult teacher. It’s easier to give up then it is to start something. It’s easier to find excuses then it is to forge ahead and make mistakes. Setting a goal and standing by it takes resilience. Setting goals means examining habits and very often changing these habits. It’s easier to default to what we are comfortable doing. No one wants to be in a place that’s unfamiliar. But it is in the unfamiliar places that we meet our greatest friend or greatest enemy – ourselves…. Goals must create stretch, they must be tough, they must challenge and they must scare the living daylights out of you. You cannot create value by taking away from something. Value comes from increasing not from diminishing. Goals create challenge and challenge brings fear, fear in turn is not fought with fear but resilience. No matter what comes your way, don’t take your eye of the ball, you know where you going…stay focused?

Action – having goals are like having the plans to a house but you have to build it to realize its true beauty and potential. Goals must therefore be followed by strong action plans. How will you get to where it is you are going?, what do you need to stop doing?, what do you need to start doing? and what do you need to continue doing?. You have heard the saying before, “for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction”. Be deliberate about what you have to do. Success does not happen through osmosis. Accept that getting somewhere requires effort, inspiration and commitment. Part of our problems as adults is that we expect the reward without the effort. Nothing can yield you reward without any form of effort. It’s a universal law. To get….. you must give!.

Velocity – No one lives forever. Time certainly does not stand still. It is ticking away every day and each day that we drag our heels we lose precious moments to be better than we are. Having a plan for a building, means we must have the resilience to deal with all the difficulties we will face in building that house, being prepared to take the steps necessary to build as fast and as skilfully as we possibly can. Speed is essential for growth and success. You don’t want to be run over in the slow lane….We cannot set goals that has no timeline….how long is a piece of string? How long is long enough?. Tackle your goals with a sense of urgency, as if you have no guarantee on tomorrow…. As Budda said, “the trouble is…you think you have time.”

Inspiration – Goals need energy, they need light, spirit and soul. That’s comes from you. You give meaning to the goals, you turn action into passion and a dream into a reality. No goal has a chance at survival or growth without inspiration. That inspiration comes from within you, of course it’s easy to tell some one to be inspired but what does that really mean? Being inspired means knowing and believing in your purpose and why you are here.

Time bound – apart from being able to work swiftly and with velocity, you must be able to attach a date to your goal, to your mission, you must be able to determine where you are and when you need to change course. Timelines are important, they give you guidance on how much time you have and need to invest or reinvest to realise your dreams. Setting goals mean’s clearly identifying whether it will be achieved in 1 month or 1 year. You don’t aim to travel aimlessly, you set your sights on a destination and you work towards that. Time targets help you to realize small steps towards the goal and gives you a sense of accomplishment which propels your desire to reach the ultimate goal. Our goals must be achieved on or ahead of time!

Yardstick – so you have set your goals, adapted to the resilience needed to make it work, taken the action, approached it with speed and vigour and clearly outlined the time plan. But, you need to be able to measure your progress, the impact it has had on your life and the lives of others. Measure not just the result of your journey and your actions, measure the costs and benefits associated with accomplishing your goal and be mindful of what you are adding and taking away from your life. Constantly ask if your measure of success is the right one and remember that any answer that conflicts with your purpose is a sign that you should re-evaluate your goals, not change your purpose.

So remember!

Inspiration comes from having a purpose, a goal, a reason for being. Set your goals today, accept that you will fail at times, but it’s about rising above defeat, asserting yourself and starting again, it takes resilience. You cannot expect to achieve anything without effort so action is a given. Seize the day, and show that you achieved something worthwhile for each day you touch this earth. Don’t take your time here for granted, death does not discriminate, it strikes without warning, without guilt. Don’t waste the time you have, it is a precious gift, work fast, work passionately, work consistently, raise your own bar, draw inspiration from your own spirit, be clear on what needs to be done, muster all the energy you have and go forth with determination and power in your commitment to yourself.

This is the GRAVITY of inspiration.