One morning in the past few weeks while giving gratitude, I pronounced my grace for a manager who hired me for my first job at a publicly traded company. I worked my ass off to get this opportunity, but it wouldn’t have mattered had this gentleman not taken a chance on me, a sales guy who really wasn’t qualified for the position the man needed to be filled.
“I believe in you, David, and that’s why I’m hiring you,” he said to me. Thank God my job search found this gentleman.
A New Daily Routine
Recently I’ve incorporated a daily routine of giving gratitude; it’s a lesson I learned from Tony Robbins. He calls it priming. This simple but incredibly powerful ten-minute routine has turned out to be one of the best habits I’ve adopted.
I’m an expert at critiquing my perceived failures, but I was a rookie at giving myself credit for the success I’ve attained in my life Thinking about three things I’m grateful for sets me off on a very positive course each day. My thoughts of grace most often take me to my thankfulness for my wonderful wife, my incredible kids, and my amazing parents who made it all happen.
One day, the priming exercise evoked a memory of the pivotal decision by that manager who believed in me. Luck is random in Las Vegas but not in your career, family, or personal lives. I believe that we create the luck that we get through hard work and trying new things. Over the next 20 years, that decision by that manager sent me down a path of prosperity in all facets of my life. The things that I used to dream about as a kid have filled my life with abundance.
Now, I want you to take on that next challenge.
The First Step Is the Hardest
It’s easy to get comfortable in our jobs and with our lives. So few people ever take the risk to pursue what really stirs passion in them. There are always — and I mean always — a mountain of excuses. “I don’t have the right experience,” “I don’t have the time,” “my kids are too young,” and on and on. If we’re being honest about our excuses, they are really fear. Most people want something better or to try something new, but the many faces of fear hold them back.
Imagine you’re enclosed in a jail cell. Surrounded by thick impenetrable metal bars supported by a foundation of cement. Breaking out seems impossible but the anxiety of being entrapped day after day is a worse prison. Then, one day you look closer and notice the cell door is open. It’s always been open but for some reason, you looked past it.
My jailer was booze. Just a couple of beers to numb my spirit of adventure, kill my energy and provide an excuse to do nothing. It took me seven years to get started on this blog. I finally overcame my fear of failure and just did it. You can, too! Every day is an opportunity for a new start — just give it a go and see where your fortunes lead you.
