What’s the one thing in this world that excites you the most? The thing that really gets your blood pumping. The thing you would jump at the chance to do given the opportunity, regardless of the circumstance? Now imagine having that same passion and excitement in nearly everything you do in life. Imagine feeling that same passion at work, with your family, with the goals you set. Do you think you could accomplish more? Well my friend, the truth is you can, and here’s how to do it…
This article could be titled ‘Goal Achievement with a Beat’ since most of it was compiled in my head as I walked through the Rock and Roll hall of fame in Cleveland this weekend. An epiphany occurred while I was viewing the exhibits.
The initial thought was one I’ve had many times before. “I’m not like everyone else. I don’t really match or belong or fit in. My mind works differently. I see things in life others don’t see.”
Then we sat through the intro movie and Roger Daltry grabbed my attention. He was talking about the quality of what they did and what the world expected. He commented on how it was impossible to offer perfect performances every time, yet people didn’t mind if the music was a bit off as long as they gave it their all. Then he made this comment, “Give me a bad note and a bead of sweat any day.” He was referring to passion.
There I sat in a dark theater realizing that this is one of the things that sets me apart from many people… yet it doesn’t have to be that way. I do what I do with ‘a bead of sweat.’ Truly the ‘notes I sing’ are rarely in perfect form, but the passion (delivery/heart/intention) is so strong that those I serve don’t seem to mind, as a matter of fact, they’re blessed by the occurrence. I believe the only reason I’m set apart is because people don’t realize they’re just standing along the wall of life watching it go by. I don’t think people realize they’re missing 95% of what they could be experiencing. What would your life look like…. your body…. your career…. your relationships…. if you did them with passion?
For far too many years I’ve referred to myself as a ‘freak’. Nice, huh? Really positive language, right? NOT!!! Well, last night John and I were sitting together and I proclaimed the following to him.
“I’ve come to realize something. I’m not a freak. I just have one big, huge freaking gift. And it’s my responsibility to do something big with it.”
Here’s the thing. You too have a huge gift. I may not even have met you yet and I can say this with total certainty. You have an innate gift, one that’s freakishly big, that would rock your world and bless your life in such an enormous way… if you’d only tap into it.
Existing in many museums is a Thomas Edison exhibit. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is no different. For obvious reasons Edison’s display shows how he began what would become the phonograph and many other inventions with something extraordinarily simple. My husband commented, “Man, this was a guy with an amazing brain.”
I responded, “I think everyone has that within them.”
He said, “Then people don’t come close to tapping into it.”
I replied, “You’re absolutely right. I think there are all kinds of Thomas Edison’s walking around. Their gifts can change businesses, bodies, churches, nations, lives and the world if they’ll only tap into what they’ve been given. He asked me why I thought people didn’t tap into their gifts.
I told him I thought this sad result occurred due to a few reasons. I commented that I believed the first reason was that people don’t know to tap into the gift. This is simply an unbelief that a gift is even there. You know the thoughts, “Wow, that person is so smart, or so anointed or so talented.” These are what run through our minds and literally prevent us from tapping into the brilliance we were given. There is an easy way to begin lifting that.
I think the second reason people don’t tap into their gift that that they don’t know how to. Simply listen to your heart. Notice inside of the word heart is the word ear…hEARt. LISTEN to the instinctual passions of your heart. Therein lies your brilliance. Be careful not to confuse desires with passions. Your rewards will come when your passion is used so the instinctual notation won’t be about getting something or having something. It will be about being something or doing something. There is a thing you know that no man has had to teach you. This is your gift, your calling.
Another way to tap into your vast abilities is to take a permanent seat on the offense side of the team, rather than playing defense your whole life.
A few weeks ago I wrote about lion chasing, described in Mark Batterson’s book In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day. The message of this book brought about a breakthrough in my life. It taught me that too often we live life on defense when we’re designed to live on offense. We focus on the past, on what we’ve been through, even what we’ve overcome. But even in focusing on the positive of our past, we’re still focusing on the past and living with the intention to never being in that spot again. Focusing on what’s in the future, what great things are promised and behaving accordingly literally TRANSFORMS YOUR WORLD and allow you to tap into your brilliance!
Another step that folks don’t take is simply being. We get very caught up in what we’d like to have, and may even let our minds go to what we need to do in order to have that. Brilliance is discovered when we begin being what we need to be. There is quite a large display of Jimmy Hendrix paraphernalia at the museum. I read one of his quotes and while I am sad that his life took a turn that I think moved him away from all he could have been (IMAGINE THAT- HE COULD HAVE EVEN BEEN MORE!!!) I stood completely still as I read his words which made me aware that he understood being. He understood something so many people never understand.
He said, “This isn’t something I do. It’s who I am. I feel it inside when I breathe. I am it. I am the music. I am the instrument. I am the song.”
Again, what would your life look like if you did what you do with passion? I can tell you one thing first hand. You would never feel like you worked a day again in your life. When you’re doing what you love, it isn’t work, it’s who you are. What do you love?
What can you do without even thinking about it? What ability or knowledge do you offer that someone else would have to go learn? I promise you— you have more than one of these. Perhaps it’s something to do with your position at work. You know how to perform so well because it is you. Maybe it’s in your hobby or interests. There are folks all over the globe who would love to do what you know how to do—are you teaching them?
I realized something about our business. We are a case of a solution finding its audience and an audience finding its solution. We’ve thriving because the two have discovered each other. Folks who need help with losing weight know they need more than just a silly diet; they need to know why they haven’t lost in the past and have some assistance getting passed those issues. We needed an audience that realized weight loss programs or gyms alone weren’t going to give them what they needed. The same holds true for you tapping into your brilliance. There is an audience who wants exactly what you know. You may not create the next light bulb or phonograph… your creation may be something far more spectacular!
John asked me, “Don’t you think some people are just not willing to do the work of tapping into their brilliance?” I sadly replied, “Yes.” But I believe far more just don’t know how. Now, what will you do? Will you click on the link so you can learn how? Will you forward this to 5 of your friends so they can learn how too? Or will you simply close this article and never know that you might just be the next Thomas Edison????
“Discover The Secret to Never-Ending Motivation!”
Have you ever set a goal only to find yourself setting the same one over and over again?
Great News! There’s an easy solution to the common trend of not achieving your goals. You simply have to realize that it’s your motivation that goes missing and determine which of the Motivation Assassinators is the one that has most often gotten hold of you!
Never Ending Motivation addresses what keeps us from achieving the goals we set.