Be Yourself – You’re probably good at it
I grew up in the 70’s and loved the music, still do. I played guitar and wanted to emulate my heroes. Jimmy Page was everything! When Mtv hit the air, I was on Cloud 9! Watching Ozzy and Van Halen concerts on Saturday night with the guys in the band and drinking? Heaven! Which brings me to a glaring example: Billy Squire. This guy had great songs, a great voice, a great band and was, for all intents and purposes, legit from a musician’s perspective. Then came the “Rock Me Tonight” video in 1984. Umygod! The prancing around, the Flashdance outfit; which he rips off and changes into something out of Olivia Newton John’s closet. It was a career killer! He stood at the crossroads and with a push from his douche bag agent, chose the wrong path. Billy dropped off the map. We never saw another video. A waste of a super-talented musician.
What’s the point? Just Be Yourself. Just do you.
If you are miserable when you’re at work or you can’t stand your man/woman or you dread getting out of bed every morning, something is wrong. So are you being yourself? Are you trading your happiness for security? Biting your lip to spare someone’s feelings? Have you reached the point where you feel that you’re “walking on eggshells”? Red Alert! If you don’t make changes then you risk lashing out or having your spirit broken. You were meant for much more and you know it! How are you going to summon the courage to make these changes? One word: Truth
Be true to yourself. It may sound like a corny slogan, but it is the key to everything. Just be yourself. Do what makes you happy. Trust your instincts. Take a look at what you’re doing. Are you lazy? Get off your ass! Can’t do it? Ask for help! Addicted? Seek help! Dead-end job? Follow your dreams! Got no dreams? Get some! Can’t find any? Call me, I can’t stop dreaming up new stuff.
“The unexamined life is not worth living.” Socrates believed that the purpose of human life was personal and spiritual growth. We are unable to grow toward greater understanding of our true nature unless we take the time to examine and reflect upon our life. It starts with you. Life owes you nothing. (If I owe you money, the check’s in the mail) The life you have now is the result of your own choices.
This also applies to your business. When I first started my goal was to have everyone believe I had a large company. “We design great websites” – no “we” don’t! I’m in my PJ’s banging away at my laptop 12 hours a day. Just me and my dream to be my own boss and call the shots. This means a ton of work, selling yourself and listening to my clients. These are the skills and commitments it takes to run your own business. Is it worth it? Hell yes! I have great freedom. I am happy most of the time, but the best part is that I have passion for what I do. I love to help people succeed. Delivering on your promises translates into relationship gold. With this gold and freedom you can pursue many other hobbies and passions; which translates into personal treasure.
Pursue your dreams and take some chances.
For me it all started when I took a long look at myself. I picked one area and tried to improve. Then another and another. You’ll be surprised at how quickly things can turn around when you take action. Baby steps. (Baby steps out the door, Dr. Marvin, you can help me!)
Today is yesterday’s tomorrow. The time is now. What are you waiting for? (for a reality check, here is sample of where you should have stayed Billy)
