honor... character... balance

“If you can walk with the crowd and keep your virtue, 
or walk with Kings-nor lose the common touch;
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute 
with 60 seconds worth of distance run- 
Yours is the earth and everything that's in it, 
And-which is more-you'll be a man my son.” 
―Rudyard Kipling, If: A Father's Advice

purpose? direction? destiny?

want to know?... walk through the next open door... make the next right choice

"When one door closes, another opens; but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see the one which has opened for us." -Alexander Graham Bell

I heard a saying the other day, “Comfort kills calling.” 
Sub Series - 2: Regaining Control of Your Life, Work, and Destiny

And as I stared the amount of times a month I had an automatic debit listed on my calendar for every big to small bill that crossed my way, I felt very, very called. 

But then I remembered another saying, “To whom much is given, much is required.” 

They call it being ‘gifted’ because it’s also something we give away. When you’re blessed with a particular skill, or just the heart to do something extraordinary, one of the first steps to feeling a reward beyond money is living out your new definition of ‘reward.’

Where’s my pay day? Where’s my vacation? Where’s my arrival into society?

They call it being gifted, because it’s also something we give away. 

It’s not glamorous, although one day it could be. It’s not easy, although it’s often made to look that way. You’re set apart from the status quo, remember? You feed on the vision of what’s coming. You’ve taken the bold step past immediate gratification and into state of perseverance.

That’s where the new definition of ‘reward’ comes in. Because maybe there’s a face that lights up when you help someone, or a feeling of accomplishment that comes with the most meager of paychecks, and then even the pride of doing something others did not think you could. 

These are the rewards that don’t buy shiny new cars. But these are the rewards that last much longer.

Dream more... Do more... Be more...

So You Want To Be a Visionary: The Road to Making Meaning by Lorée Beth Rider, popcopymarketing.com
Sub Series - 1: Regaining Control of Your Life, Work, and Destiny

Enter a new economy; one where fulfillment means a little more than late nights with check lists of deliverables. It’s an economy of service over selfish and it looks more like happy than hype. It calls to people who are in the business of making meaning, not just making money.

Making meaning isn’t subject to market fluctuations.

The dividends don’t decrease over time. Making meaning doesn’t ask you to compromise your ethics. You don’t ever hear the phrase, ‘Mo’ meaning, mo’ problems.’ But you do seek promotions. You’re still on a ladder, and you’re even more driven than before. 

You work hard because you can’t wait to make more meaning.

At least, that’s the idea, right?

But inevitably our visions of taking the high road to a Nobel Prize might very well include visions of past due notices, because if there’s one thing ‘making meaning’ doesn’t do on its own, it’s pay the bills.

What do you sacrifice to stay the course? That’s what the process of making meaning asks you. It asks you that each time you opt out of a vacation, see your neighbor’s new car or envy the upgrades. 
It nags at you, doesn’t it? In fact, some days, you seriously resent it. 

Meaning and money can indeed co-exist, but there are always things you give up to know the true value of each.

And with everything you turn away to keep moving toward your sense of calling, you're refined and become that much more determined to make your own meaning from it.

There’s something greater than a paycheck that motivated you to step out of the pack. Can you remember the freedom of that moment? If you once trusted that you were designed to create something only you were uniquely purposed to do, then you’re already equipped with what it takes to do it.

It's time to face the fact that you're ruined.There’s no going back once you’ve felt the freedom. You may have to take a detour or re-evaluate the road map, but you’re still moving, and all along the way, you’re making meaning for the people who watch.

There’s not an upgrade in the world worth more than that.

now is a good time to pause...

there is so much blab... and blame... and useless, solutionless chatter...
everyone wants a quick fix. an answer. any answer will do... 
and then most just keep running on down the road.

reflecting on meaning, purpose, reasons... 
is what separates us from the common animals... but, we must pause

pause

temporary stop
break in a verse
brief suspension of the voice
temporary inaction especially as caused by uncertainty

a reason or cause for pausing (as to reconsider) 
thought that should give one pause

"The real man smiles in trouble, gathers strength from distress, and grows brave by reflection."
- Thomas Paine 

what is your cause? ... is your craft your cause?

is your project objective a might do or a must do? a hobby or a passionate pursuit?

is that how you are known? are you branded to your cause?

"Absolute identity with one's cause is the first and great condition of successful leadership." -Woodrow Wilson

cause 

A person or thing that gives rise to an action, phenomenon, or condition.

Make (something) happen: "this disease can cause blindness".

reason - occasion - motive - ground - case - matter
bring about - make - occasion - produce - induce

"I feel the capacity to care is the thing which gives life its deepest significance." ―Pablo Casals 

"You will never be happy if you continue to search for what happiness consists of. You will never live if you are looking for the meaning of life." ―Albert Camus  

mean·ing

• Something that is conveyed or signified; sense or significance.
  
•  the inner, symbolic, or true interpretation, value, or message.

"He felt that his whole life was some kind of dream and he sometimes wondered whose it was and whether they were enjoying it." ―Douglas Adams, Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy

sub·stance

• the tangible matter of which a thing consists
• a specific type of matter, esp a homogeneous material with a definite composition
• the essence, meaning, etc., of a written or spoken thought
• solid or meaningful quality
• the end, purpose, or significance of something.
  

ignore the smallness of the cynics... encourage... be encouraged ... 
become what you have dreamed of

“Instruction does much, but encouragement everything." ―Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

“Our chief want is someone who will inspire us to be what we know we could be.” ―Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great." -Mark Twain

less is more...
"Wise men talk because they have something to say... 
fools, because they have to say something." -Plato 

sub·stance
Essential nature; essence.
Gist; heart.
That which is solid and practical in character, quality, or importance: a plan without substance.
a person of substance.

confident and assertive... or... arrogant and obnoxious?

I often hear people referring to themselves as "strong" or "assertive" or "confident" or "honest",

when in reality, they are actually arrogant, obnoxious, and rude... there is a huge difference.



"There's a fine line between confidence and arrogance. This is especially true given both entail a strong belief in one's own abilities. When it comes to the responses they provoke, however, that's where the similarities end.

Confidence is inspiring; arrogance is a turn-off. Confidence gets hired; arrogance is shown the door. Building confidence takes work; arrogance is simple. In fact, it's easy to come off as arrogant." -The Ladders

source:The Ladders - 10 Ways to Tell if You're Confident – or Arrogant http://bit.ly/Kd5Xle