The ultimate alibi

To meet someone on the road may have more significance than you realize.  This person, regardless of their physical appearance, or what they may say, draws attention to you.  Imagine everyone you met was your clone.  If this was true, it would be difficult to describe who you are, to be in a position to distinguish yourself from other people.  If we thought people were all the same inside, it would also be hard to expand experiences of who you are. The question is, do you recognize learning opportunities take the form of people or permit it to simply pass you by?

A friend of mine is developing his character by investigating the newly-discovered, suspicious practices of his business partner. If the situation had been discovered a year ago, its unlikely he would be taking his current approach to uncover the truth.  This friend's original plan was to turn a blind eye and escape from details he didn't wish to know. And then, out of the blue, he was recontacted by an old school friend to reconnect. Turned out this old friend had a shockingly similar experience with a former business partner.  Old friends tightened their bond by helping each other. My friend has been learning new ways to step outside his comfort zone. He considers his old friend a guardian angel who entered his life when he had been trapped in a prison of fear.

What is your ultimate alibi for not doing what you know in your heart to be the right thing? You may offer excuses as an effort to convince yourself what you're doing or not doing is acceptable to yourself. You might remind yourself a difference exists between creating a meaningful life and trying to eek out a living. If part of you is living in a state of quiet desperation, doing what you think you must do in order to survive, perhaps its time to redefine the meaning of your survival? As you learn to look beyond what you have to lose, you'll discover everything you have to gain.

My own life has taught me we construct our understanding of survival and this may go far beyond satisfying basic needs. In speaking with passing strangers, and in particular, a man I recently met on a plane who could a recent encounter with a guardian angel, my attention was drawn back to what has always brought my soul its greatest joy. In our exchanges since, I've thought back to having referred to some of my greatest passions as "alibis." I sensed I was just biding time for something other people thought was better for me, when I knew myself what was best all the time.

After all is said and done, to whom to we owe our greatest sense of responsibility, if not to ourselves? In case you forgot, you're your ultimate alibi, from the moment you are born until the day you die. Guardian angels you meet throughout your life will remind you of this. Yet, will you listen?

Discover your own yellow brick road

Many people think of Frank Baum's classic story of The Wizard of Oz and recall the yellow brick road.  This was the golden path Dorothy chose to follow to get where she wanted to go.  The goal she talked about most was her desire to find the great wizard and ask him to send her home to her beloved Kansas. Yet, along that journey, she realized that she had other goals and she took detours to realize those in her own time.

The obstacles Dorothy encountered along the way teach us that none of us really does what we don't want to do.  She teaches us that even battling forces of evil we create in our minds, like witches and fierce creatures, this is alll done because of desired outcomes we hope our effort will produce.  Have you ever pretended you had no options as a way to persuade yourself to do things that made you feel awkward, scared or uncomfortable? Do you sense such goal-setting causes you to feel bad about your choices?

Now, your goal may not be to get to Kansas. You may not be on a religious quest for redemption a Buddhist quest for enlightenment, or another spiritual pilgrimage. The aim of your goals doesn't matter as much as taking the time to identify what they are and why you have them. We can learn many things about goal-setting from Dorothy too. Do you dream about what life may offer you beyond the bounds of your own life experience? Do you imagine what may be "over the rainbow?" Consider how you and people you know successfully negotiate different life journeys.

1) A perceived crisis triggers a need for goals. The death of the Wicked Witch of the East symbolizes the end of Dorothy's dependence on others and her choice to go off on her own. The times comes when you recognize what you've been doing no longer works for who you are. This realization is impetus for sitting down to decide on a new path. Where will you go and why?

2) We must face challenges. Like Dorothy, who learns to confront her own demons ("lions and tigers and bears, oh my!"), you must do what is necessary to recognize how you create fear, and for which reasons. Only then will you grasp what prevents you from achieving goals. You can be your own worst enemy, but gaining insight teaches the power to face new challenges is available.

3)Our self-discovery will inspire others. The Good Witch of the North provides Dorothy with periodic guidance, much like we might call out to our own guardian angels. Yet, this Good Witch allows Dorothy to make her own discoveries. The answers to her key questions are not provided. Dorothy then inspires self-discoveries by the Lion (who realizes he's the source of his own courage), of the tin man, (who realizes his inner goodness constitutes a heart), and the scarecrow (who decides he has more intelligence than he thought without a traditional brain).

4)  Integrate parts of your soul. Dorothy takes a winding road as a means to reach an awakening, her "higher self-realization." The nature of your chosen quest and the goals you define will fulfill psychological needs regardless of what people think or whether you realize your original goals. The key is to become better acquainted with how you think, feel and desire. They can change.

5) Success is relative. Dorothy has a different sense of success while in her world of Oz than when she awakens back in her bed in Kansas. Where she desires to go, with whom, and when reveals she often dwells on where she isn't, on what she doesn't have, or what she isn't doing. Although each of us can be motivated to work toward creating or achieving, it's important to recognize the meaning and impact of goals that got you where you are. They mean something too.

Just what you need to move ahead

1) What are the reasons you perform the job you have now?  It can also be framed as “what is the reason for reflecting on jobs right now” or “what task are you looking to accomplish” or “why are you here?” Few people have an accurate understanding of why they choose the jobs they do, why they choose to change at a particular time or remain in the same position without question.  This reflection is a fantastic way for you to find out critical details and move forward.

2) How have you exerted efforts to seek out more fulfilling tasks?  If you'd like more of a sense of progress, then you're going to love this step. This simple question asks survey takers to report their perception of their own effectiveness.  You can't rely on anything but honesty. Examine the sorts of things you have done, you do regularly and those things you would like to do. What is stopping you from moveing closer toward these goals? Are they as yet well-defined?

3) If you haven't accomplished what you set out to do, what's your explanation?  Gaining self- understanding, taking responsibility and accepting accountability for where you are will propel you forward.  Analysis for this question is done by organizing your responses into common themes and then rating them, prioritizing them, and uncovering any real explanations that may hide under prelimiary answers. In all likelihood, you have reasons for acting or not acting on impulse or feelings. Consider meaning behind your feelings.  Find new impetus to reframe your goals. 

Create the mindset to make it okay

If you spend a lot of money on an extravagance or do something else which may trigger external judgement, then you don't have to focus on what kind of milestone this may or may not be.  Instead, consider what this course of action symbolizes in your life and whether you're okay with it.  When was the point at which you began to nurture the mindset of self-acceptance?  Maybe you've never learned? When did you decide to learn it's fine to do certain things at certain times?

Raising self-awareness involves asking questions about why you decide some decisions are evil or negative or undermining who you are.   What is your underlying motive for self-criticism?  This is the predominent question.  You may have arrived at a pivotal turning point in your life.  This has nothing to do with finances, and everything to do with your self-view and understanding of the world.  Your mindset is the critical thing which decides on the value of comfort or discomfort.

Step back and reflect on your general view of education and learning.  Do you see these specific initiatives as generally a positive or negative thing?  Do you sense you deserve good things in life? If not, then underlying explanations you discover will teach you about your judgement and why you may hold yourself back from more fulfilling people, situations and events.  Learning to accept life with all its ups and downs means you learn to accept yourself and not be ashamed of anything.  You learn not to regret past choices either. 

Challenge yourself to disregard any experiences, objects or perceptions you believe to be bad.  Ignore reasons why other people want you to think you experience quiet desperation.  Shift your thoughts and educate yourself to alter experiences.  How? The transformation will happen when you're ready.  If only part of you is ready to evolve, another part of you will still hold you back. It's all or nothing.

You can learn to see everything as having potential to empower you and cause events to unfold as if through you.  You can evolve to believe that you're effective, productive, talented and useful even when you didn't feel this way before.  You never really get a firm grasp on right and wrong because your attitude defines the fine line.  Learn not to prevent your own effective action.   Choose instead to learn how you can make positive changes in yourself and inpire them in other people.

6 tips to keep your business "cutting-edge"

If you've ever become involved in business, or are considering this now, it makes sense to think about the reasons which could enable you to pioneer your own way forward.  Growth can be temporary. It can come in spurts or, it can be perpetual, providing you decide to do what it takes and take steps to remain informed.  Consider the potential benefits of these principles that could help keep you on "cutting edge" of whatever you do (or would like to):

1) Think twice before expanding.  If you contemplate an increase in business size, costs and complexity will rise exponentially.  Having foresight means you'd seek a comprehensive overview of the implications in all departments. Many business owners underestimate payroll and other cost rises that not only reduce profitability, but also jeopardize overall reputation and even stability.  Alternatively, what could you do differently now to help meet the goals of a desired expansion?

2) Constantly see yourself as a small business.  Even if you do grow bigger than a mere start-up, its useful to understand why returning clients value smaller business. Things like customer service, attention to detail, prompt service, knowledge of industry developments, expedited replies to inquiries, eco-friendly initiatives and a sense of family, are reasons that could help you stay connected to your client needs.  Why not investigate what you have in common with other businesses? It could help you stay on top of your game or, redefine the game and how you play. If this means you see big advantages in ignoring traditional long-term business plans, so be it.

3) Encourage innovation.  You have a wealth of talent in your employees and, in all likelihood, you haven't even begun to tap into this goldmine.  By encouraging your staff to propose in-house changes, developments, to sollicit clients and take other initiatives, you're stepping back and enabling people to discover and prove their hidden talents. Why not let focus less on profits and more on people so everyone in-house and in society would benefit more?

4) Loosen the reins. Whatever your role or prospective business roles, you'll benefit from refraininng from making people around you feel like they're under surveillance.  As people begin to feel self-conscious and followed around or followed-up on, its more difficult to develop a sense of trust.  Giving people a degree of freedom to do their job is also an opportunity to enable people to develop initiative, observation and other useful skills to lessen your load.  If you loosen reins gradually, then you can evaluate competence and assign responsibility accordingly.

5) Demonstrate transparency.  When people feel connected to the bigger picture, and know how it affects them personally in their day-to-day roles, they can also learn to think more for themselves in relation to others.  This kind of leadership approach can be empowering and promote participatory democracy.  Entrepreneurship demonstrates an understanding that markets and taste preferences are constantly changing.  How do you take steps to surf the waves?

6) Reach out for advice & ideas.  No matter how much life experience you have or how brilliant you are, its unlikely you'll be en effective "one person production." Consider what expertise you have and how that could be enhanced br interacting with people who have other types of know-how.  In order to remain cutting edge, you need to know how this image is perceived and portrayed and also by whom and for whom.  The more informed and inquisitive you are, the better off you'll become. What initiatives do you take?