I am walking through John Maxwell’s Book - Put Your Dream to the Test, and putting my dream to the test as a method to help you in your quest to develop and fulfill your own dream. I sincerely hope that we can take some strides together.
In Put Your Dream to the Test, Dr. John C. Maxwell asks a series of questions. We have already covered Questions 1 through 6:
Am I Depending on Factors within My Control to Achieve My Dream?
Does My Dream Compel me to Follow it?
Do I Have a Strategy to Reach My Dream?
Have I Included the People I Need to Realize My Dream?
Reminder of My Dream: Be a Coach, a “Thinking Partner” to help others achieve everything they were designed to achieve; and be all you meant to become.
(If you missed that, here’s the link. Replace with link)
Today, I’ll reflect briefly on questions 7 and 8.
Question 7: The Cost Question: Am I Willing to Pay the Price for My Dream
Question 8: The Tenacity Question: Am I Moving Closer to My Dream
I have always believed that their lies within me great potential. I have done well enough in life, but I have not done well enough to satisfy my spirit. Part of my challenge is that I am a conservative person. Therein lies a big reason for the corporate career path that I have taken. My educational path was to become a chemical engineer; and while it has allowed me to take care of me and my family, I have always known there was more.
After working in the corporate world for a dozen years, I was in search of something more. I felt rewarded fairly well financially, but I wanted “more” than what the paycheck granted. You see, my contributions were limited by the project, and sometimes even a product engineer who would tell me how to do my job. And because of that I could not truly do the job I was capable of doing. I am sure that doesn’t make sense to an outsider, so let’s explain it this way, since I have made the same mistake as well - it’s all about micromanagement. Someone telling someone else how to do their job, rather than giving an outcome and letting all disciplines provide their expertise to excel. Anyway, this leads to our tagline for Leadership Harbor - helping people feel empowered to realize their potential with confidence and influence.
Am I willing to pay the price. I am so ready. It drives me daily in how I want to be involved with the other two primary coaches for Leadership Harbor. It is such a driver, that it leads to more struggles with my primary partner, Kris, than I care to count.
I know how badly I want to make a difference where I am in order to make a difference for the future plans. I spend a bit of every day trying to set up others for their success that leads to my success. One of my favorite quotes from Zig Ziglar comes to mind: “If you help enough other people get what they want, you will get what you want.”
I sometimes wonder, if I could go back and do life and career over, would I have done it differently? Actually, the better question is - could I have done it much differently. I have considered whether I could have taken a path similar to John Maxwell’s. The honest answer is “no.” I could not have done what he has done. I wasn’t prepared. Sure, I have learned a lot in 30 years, from John, and Paul Martinelli, President of the John Maxwell Team. But I have never been as bold as I am now. From these two mentors - I have learned that I am right where I need to be. I am learning exactly what I need to learn in order to go where I want to go. And I keep reminding myself, in order to know that it takes time, just like it took John time to blaze the trail.
While my strategy to get to where I am was not particularly clear at this point, it reminds me of the quote by Martin Luther King, “Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.”
And if I can share that piece of advice with you - you should be assured that you are right where you need to be as well. Now, make the plan, and start the steps to where you want to go.
Yes - I am willing to pay the price, every day, I aim to make a little more progress. Real progress, not just busy stuff. I believe that, as I take steps down a path, the path opens up and becomes clearer along the way.
Don’t get me wrong - I get scared. I fail to do everything I am supposed to do at the right time. Over time, I am doing more right, and less wrong. I am moving closer to my dream.
And while my favorite partner and I may disagree on the correct methods, we do truly enjoy working together and every day look forward to those greater possibilities!
If we at Leadership Harbor can help you begin your journey, unblock your mindset, climb over an obstacle, or just want to chat. Let’s get connected. Your life is before you! Move it forward!
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