Life Is Change (Stagnation Equals Death)
Life Is Change (Stagnation Equals Death)
Doesn't it mean having a stable family life? How about having access to the kinds of health care and preventive programs that will best promote the health and well-being of you and your family members? Shall I continue? Doesn't 'security' imply not only freedom from crime and attacks, but also the freedom to pursue your favorite sports, hobbies, and pastimes? In short, doesn't 'security' imply to you maintaining at least the quality of life to which you've become (or wish to become) accustomed?
Then, along comes midlife, and what happens? It seems (often quite rightly) that your security is being blown all to hell and from the inside out. Your career is threatened, your family is threatened, your health is threatened, everything gets put 'on the line' in a landslide of insecurity that catches you off-guard and without a stable foothold to hang on to. When midlife threatens to strip everything away, what's left? The answer to that questions depends entirely on you, but, whatever it may be, that core of 'self' that remains when all else seems to be dissolving around you is where you find your spiritual center. If you can muster sufficient humility to allow the midlife transition to expose the core of your being, there you'll find all the clues that you need to your identity as a person, your purpose in life, and your destiny.
I need to remind you of the caveat I always mention whenever I talk of that rather dangerous term, 'destiny.' People tend to think of 'destiny' as a predetermined path along which you're given no choices but to fulfill. That approach to destiny distorts its meaning so as to make it not only unpalatable, but almost frightening. If you have no choice, then why try? On the contrary; your destiny only begins with your DNA. You're not born with infinite possibilities: your possibilities are limited (at least) by your genetic makeup from the instant you begin to exist. Every moment thereafter, those possibilities continue to be shaped, pruned and honed until you come down to the person who looks back at you from the mirror every morning. Your destiny has been shaped by your environment, your experiences, and every choice that you've ever made.
Choice — that comes down to only two: to choose to work with your destiny as you experience it today, or to work against it. It means accepting the person you are today (and therefore the person you will be tomorrow) or rejecting it. I very much like the characterization of that choice in these terms: you either choose your destiny, or choose your fate. What's most important for you to appreciate is that your destiny does not represent a static future: it's totally dynamic, shifting and evolving with every new experience and every single decision that you make (big or small). You're building your bridge to the future as you walk on it.
Returning to my original point, I want to challenge you to take another look at 'security'. Once you accept that your destiny is a dynamic concept, you'll soon recognize that any definition of 'security' that makes it a static point in time or a changeless goal distorts it. Rather than being a state, true security is a condition of preparedness (like strength and agility) that allows you to discern the 'signs of the times' and take proactive measures that will promote your (and your family's) well-being. No matter how clear your vision of the future may seem, it will never adequately encompass everything that you're going to encounter between now and then. The future that you will experience may have very little in common with your imagining of it. Because it's dynamic, it's also unpredictable.
They say that the only two certainties are death and taxes. That may be true; but, what most concerns me is that so many people going into midlife seem to want a life that's not only certain, but static. In my estimation, that means 'dead.' What good is a life — a destiny — a spirituality — that's essentially dead? Midlife happens upon you as that time in your adult life when you're invited to give up the dreams of 'happily ever after' and to accept the challenge of putting your hand to life's tiller and steering your course for the rest of your life though the ever-shifting winds and tides that surround you. Midlife is also that time when you come to accept that tomorrow may bring changes that today never anticipated. In midlife, at last, you come face-to-face with life, not as a dream but as a challenge: one for which you can now learn to be eternally grateful.
Life Is Change Stagnation Equals Death - To learn more about this author, visit Les Brown's Website.
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We humans have a morbid fascination with security. What's this all about? As you look more closely at how we define 'security' for ourselves, you can begin to learn what it is you really mean when you say that you're working to provide a secure future for your family. Doesn't it mean that you have sufficient income (for now and for the future) not just to provide you and your family with the necessities of life, but also both to maintain your lifestyle at its current level, but also to provide the other members of your family with those benefits you want them to have (like advanced schooling)?
Doesn't it mean having a stable family life? How about having access to the kinds of health care and preventive programs that will best promote the health and well-being of you and your family members? Shall I continue? Doesn't 'security' imply not only freedom from crime and attacks, but also the freedom to pursue your favorite sports, hobbies, and pastimes? In short, doesn't 'security' imply to you maintaining at least the quality of life to which you've become (or wish to become) accustomed?
Then, along comes midlife, and what happens? It seems (often quite rightly) that your security is being blown all to hell and from the inside out. Your career is threatened, your family is threatened, your health is threatened, everything gets put 'on the line' in a landslide of insecurity that catches you off-guard and without a stable foothold to hang on to. When midlife threatens to strip everything away, what's left? The answer to that questions depends entirely on you, but, whatever it may be, that core of 'self' that remains when all else seems to be dissolving around you is where you find your spiritual center. If you can muster sufficient humility to allow the midlife transition to expose the core of your being, there you'll find all the clues that you need to your identity as a person, your purpose in life, and your destiny.
I need to remind you of the caveat I always mention whenever I talk of that rather dangerous term, 'destiny.' People tend to think of 'destiny' as a predetermined path along which you're given no choices but to fulfill. That approach to destiny distorts its meaning so as to make it not only unpalatable, but almost frightening. If you have no choice, then why try? On the contrary; your destiny only begins with your DNA. You're not born with infinite possibilities: your possibilities are limited (at least) by your genetic makeup from the instant you begin to exist. Every moment thereafter, those possibilities continue to be shaped, pruned and honed until you come down to the person who looks back at you from the mirror every morning. Your destiny has been shaped by your environment, your experiences, and every choice that you've ever made.
Choice — that comes down to only two: to choose to work with your destiny as you experience it today, or to work against it. It means accepting the person you are today (and therefore the person you will be tomorrow) or rejecting it. I very much like the characterization of that choice in these terms: you either choose your destiny, or choose your fate. What's most important for you to appreciate is that your destiny does not represent a static future: it's totally dynamic, shifting and evolving with every new experience and every single decision that you make (big or small). You're building your bridge to the future as you walk on it.
Returning to my original point, I want to challenge you to take another look at 'security'. Once you accept that your destiny is a dynamic concept, you'll soon recognize that any definition of 'security' that makes it a static point in time or a changeless goal distorts it. Rather than being a state, true security is a condition of preparedness (like strength and agility) that allows you to discern the 'signs of the times' and take proactive measures that will promote your (and your family's) well-being. No matter how clear your vision of the future may seem, it will never adequately encompass everything that you're going to encounter between now and then. The future that you will experience may have very little in common with your imagining of it. Because it's dynamic, it's also unpredictable.
They say that the only two certainties are death and taxes. That may be true; but, what most concerns me is that so many people going into midlife seem to want a life that's not only certain, but static. In my estimation, that means 'dead.' What good is a life — a destiny — a spirituality — that's essentially dead? Midlife happens upon you as that time in your adult life when you're invited to give up the dreams of 'happily ever after' and to accept the challenge of putting your hand to life's tiller and steering your course for the rest of your life though the ever-shifting winds and tides that surround you. Midlife is also that time when you come to accept that tomorrow may bring changes that today never anticipated. In midlife, at last, you come face-to-face with life, not as a dream but as a challenge: one for which you can now learn to be eternally grateful.
Life Is Change Stagnation Equals Death - To learn more about this author, visit Les Brown's Website.
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Dave KurlanDave Kurlan is the founder and CEO of Objective Management Group, Inc., the industry leader in sales assessments and sales force evaluations, and the CEO of David Kurlan & Associates, Inc., a consulting firm specializing in sales force development. Dave has been a top rated speaker at Inc. Magazine's Conference on Growing the Company, the Sales & Marketing Management Conference and the Gazelles Sales & Marketing Summit. He has been featured on radio and TV, including World Business Review with General Norman Schwarzkopf, in Inc. Magazine, Selling Power Magazine, Sales & Marketing Management Magazine and Incentive Magazine. He is the author of Mindless Selling and Baseline Selling – How to Become a Sales Superstar by Using What You Already Know about the Game of Baseball. He created and wrote STAR, a proprietary recruiting process for hiring great salespeople, and he writes Understanding the Sales Force, a popular business Blog and is a contributing author to The Death of 20th Century Selling and 101 Great Ways to Improve Your Life, Volume 2. - Visit Dave Kurlan's Website |
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Cheryl MatthynssensCheryl is a life skills coach, licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor and a 20 year entrepreneur. Cheryl's dedication to achieving a life of balance led to her expanding her teaching from the simple managing of life's daily challenges to adding financial well being as well. A direct marketer with DrinkACT, she is gaining ground in the online community with her concepts of making sure business owners, entreprenuers and employees have well rounded life styles. She opened up a small affiliate site - The Balance Guide- to help others find resources for mental and emotional well being. Visit Cheryl's blog to see more of the diversity beyond business she has began offering online at www.thebalanceguide.blogspot.com - Visit Cheryl Matthynssens's Website |
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Leanne Hoagland-SmithAre your sales where you want them to be? Will you be one of the few who achieves sales or business success or one of the many who have failed to change? Are you tired of being told you are like everyone else? Then you may find my first book on sales of interest. Be the Red Jacket in the Sea of Gray Suits, The Keys to Unlocking Sales available at Amazon or at http://www.processspecialist.com/red-jacket.htm. This book is a reflection of my no-nonsense approach to improving sales to overall business results. If you are truly committed to making sustainable changes, then I can help you secure a positive return on your investment because I focus on executable solutions not telling you the problems you already know you have. From training to corporate (group) coaching to executive one on one coaching, my approach is to assess, create awareness, build a goal driven action plan and then execute. The bottom line question is "Not do you or your employees know it, but do you or they want to do it?" Please call for a free strategy session at 219.759.5601. - Visit Leanne Hoagland-Smith's Website |
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Anne BarrAnne Barr has over 26 years experience in sales and marketing, six years as a franchisee. She has assisted over 367 business owners and purchasers to achieve their goals in career change, transition and exit strategy. She holds the designation of Certified Franchise Executive from the International Franchise Association, Certified Business Intermediary from the International Business Brokers Association and Board Certified Broker from the Texas Association of Business Brokers. Anne is active in professional organizations, networking groups and volunteers for non-profit entities. As owner/operator of four successful businesses, Anne has proven people skills and enjoys helping clients find the right "fit" in business ownership. Visit www.FranchiseOpportunitySpecialist.com for more information about me and my company. - Visit Anne Barr's Website |
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George LudwigGeorge Ludwig is a recognized authority on sales strategy and peak performance psychology. An international speaker, trainer, and corporate consultant, he helps clients like Johnson & Johnson, Abbott Laboratories, Northwestern Mutual, CIGNA, and numerous others improve sales force effectiveness and performance. Though it's George's strategies and processes that help corporations increase productivity and performance, it's his tremendous energy and dynamism that spark the transformation. Again and again, clients remark on his amazing ability to unleash human capacity and inspire men and women to break out of their comfort zones. The result is a whole new type of salesperson. His customized presentations teach achievers to make stunning advances in their lives. From helping salespeople realize cherished dreams to helping corporations exponentially accelerate revenue streams, George Ludwig leaves audiences and individuals empowered, emboldened, and clamoring for more. George is the best-selling author of Power Selling: Seven Strategies for Cracking the Sales Code and Wise Moves: 60 Quick Tips to Improve Your Position in Life & Business. - Visit George Ludwig's Website |
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