Are You Enjoying The Journey?
When I was in college my goal was to be a millionaire by the time I was 25. It was a shallow goal because I didn’t even know what I would do with millions of dollars if I had it. I knew I could have bought a huge house or traveled to exotic places around the world. Would doing those things give me satisfaction? Now that I am in my 50’s I look back and I am grateful that I did not meet my first goal at 25.
My life has been enriched by many interests that were developed after college. I learned that life is a process that needs to be enjoyed along the way. If I had reached my goal of being a millionaire by 25, I never would have worked with families of preschoolers for 17 years. I learned so much by working with 3 year olds and their parents. I saw them do things that their parents thought impossible.
One of the lessons I learned was – It is easy to underestimate our abilities and those around us. But if we take the time to invest a little creativity, we will be amazed at the results. For example, by reframing a task or situation we can make it more enjoyable for ourselves or our children.
What does this have to do with sharing your expertise? I want to share a principle with you. It’s called reframing.
Here is an example.
The other day my grandson came home with homework that he always seems to resist doing. I know he has the intelligence to do it but he shows his stubbornness. The challenge was to reframe his homework in a way that would engage him, entertain him or challenge his sense of adventure. He is a six year old with a love for super heroes. So we turned his homework into a challenge for a super hero. The challenge was to do his ABC order for his spelling words to a countdown timer. If the timer went off before he found the next word, he would lose a super power. As a result he finished his homework in record time with 100% accuracy and was able to fight his archenemy with all of his super powers.
We all have expertise in many areas. How do you want to share yours with the world? This is a question you have to answer for yourself.
Enjoy the Journey! You never know where your expertise will take you.
I know in life at times the goal seems to be everything. But, how many times has someone made a new discovery along the way to the goal because they chose to reframe their perspective and see things from a different angle? Are there areas that you need to reframe to see the possibilities or add a little adventure? Would your relationships be better at home, with friends or at work? Don’t settle for less than the best.
When I first took my business online, I focused on Pay Per Click known as PPC. Later, a landing page became a real need. So I learned how to build a landing page. As a result of that, I took the big plunge and built a website. Seeking to find a better way to communicate with people who share the same interests, I ventured into Facebook, Youtube, Twitter and starting my personal blog. All along the way people would ask me for help and I would gladly assist them.
Is the journey over? By no means! I enjoy every step I take and I hope that you too share the same excitement in the process of growing.
Knowing what I know now would I do it the same way? Not on your life! The problem with progress is that you do not always know what the next step is. There are risks to be taken. But if you keep moving forward you will get to where you need to be and sometimes it will be by accident.
I would change one thing. I would find several people who are where I want to be and learn all that I can from them. I will be featuring some people I respect in future blog posts that I feel have expertise to offer us.
Here’s to your future,
Mark A Sinclair
