If I were to go back in time till I was 21, I would have to reel in about 45 years of graphic design, marketing, film, entrepreneurship, family life, working in Africa, winning awards for my singing and songwriting, give back my 5 patents, give back my tickets to just about everywhere in the world I have traveled, all of my friends I have made around the world and right here in my neighborhood, my three wonderful children and their lovely wives and husbands and 12 beautiful grandchildren that are the apple of my eye. But, the good news is I get to keep all of these memories, family and relationship and help you to understand how you to can own and make your own. Recently I was interviewed by Patrick McCarty, Insight Communications Global, Manhattan, Chicago and LA based on InsightTalkRadio.com - (South Sudan--Machine Guns and Oil, An Eyewitness) listen to it for yourself. The biggest mistake young graduates make after throwing their hats into the air... is that it is NOT the ending of college or tech school, it is the beginning of their life unincomber by their family and it is the time for them to put on their sense of who they really are and what deep down inside of them really motivates them. I failed this first test very badly, probably, because I allowed myself to take on and stay in a mold for my life that a school or ciriculum gave me and not searching my position, my passion, and my purpose.
I don't care if you passed all of your tests from grade 1 with an A or A+ if you fail this "self test" you will spend hundreds of thousands of dollars, hours, and emotions simply going the WRONG direction for your life. Unfortunately, when you are 18-22 years old, you actually believe that you will "live forever" and therefore, the mistakes you can be corrected over the next 40 years. I am sorry to inform you, that is simply NOT TRUE. You have just spent 21 years in preparation, that is it for preparation, now you must step into a world flying at a high rate of speed, going every which direction and your only hope is that you don't get thrown under the bus... in the process. So what do you do now? And what do you success you battle scared vetrene? Ok, let's start with making NO plans until you are fully out of school (period). No, it is NOT the time to get married just because your hormones are racing, everyone one else is, or beginning unmarried relationships out of splitting the costs or again, because that is what you should do.
Self examination is a lost concept in our culture today, as we are taught to follow the crowd and where they go we should follow, without any thinking on our own. I say STOP! I mean STOP! yes, right now, do not go any further before you take the time to do a through examination of your CORE PASSIONS "When you know who you are, you know what to do". You mean they didn't have a class for that? Or there is no App for that? I am shocked! But, they also didn't have one for balancing your checkbook and a million other things you must learn on your own before you can really live in this new planet you have been sent to called my career. So as I said earlier, STOP... site down, take that smart phone out of your ear and put it down, now actually try to focus on that lost person you have never met it's YOU. Continue in an attitude of clay, readied and waiting for the master to form you.
Top Five Questions To Ask Yourself:
#1 What is the very thing in life that you do or hear about on a daily basis and it drives you crazy because it is NOT done right?
#2 What are the words, or things people always tell you, you are good at or that they like about you?
#3 What are the things you have experienced in life so far that have been extremely fun and you wished you could do it for the rest of your life... a lot?
#4 What can I do without in my life that right now seems like a very big drag in your life?
#5 After the next 30-40 years, what is it that I want others to absolutely know about me and how I wish to spend my life and leave as my legacy when I leave this planet?
Now write your answers down and seal them in an envelop marked one year from the time you do this. And in one year open it up and then have a one on one with yourself again and repeat this process every year for the rest of your career. This will remind yourself that you are in charge of your destiny and that every decision you make and how you spend your life will ultimately affect the very out come of how you are perceived by yourself, your family and hopefully your children. You notice that I never said your boss or your company... because THEY DON'T matter to you. ONLY you matters to you.
So, this is the key to all success in life... make sure you are in charge, helping and guiding yourself through all of the changes, demands put upon by others and your family, yet staying on track so that ultimately, you and you alone are satisfied with the results. My friend, that means that you and you alone can determine if you are a success and you do not dip and twist at each of the pokes and concepts of others. You are the master of your own destiny and perception by others, don't make the mistake of being a "People Pleaser" and a "Selfless Loser". This will maintain your self respect, keep you on mark, holding your head tall when things could fall around you. For love, peace, patience, kindness have no laws written against them, if you operate in them granting full respect to your neighbor that you will be seen as a wonderful leader of men and women and despite your moves, you will not waiver from your deeper path of self freedom, honesty, and be full of the grace of God. So do I wish someone would have told me these simple but profound things at the age of 21, the answer is Yes, but, I may not have listened, however now I have found my Top Five Core Passions... they are: Recognition, Enlightenment, Mastership, Change, and Power.
Notice that NONE of them say Graphic Designer or Artist, which I went to school for... but they contain all of my principles, strengths, and most important my motivation. For, I have discovered over my 40 years that everyone works from usually hidden concepts of motivation and that is the single "Driver" that steers us through our career. In closing, it is not the title on your diploma that defines you, rather it is your inner compass that will guide you through a life of enjoyment and mind blowing experiences. These may or may not be tied to a piece of your formal training, but, with in 5 years you will have moved into a place that "Feels good" and ultimately will allow you to make your maximum amount of income. Once you begin utilize your motivation rather than spinning your wheels chasing a career that is potentially in opposite directions and it will soon become a chain around your shoulders rather than the air beneath your wings. I trust that you take the Core Passions Assessment so you can begin your self discipline training not just now but throughout your career. By knowing who you are you will know what you should do. Correcting orientation to who you are may in fact give you the courage to really consider your present career path so you can make course corrections be for it is too late. I trust that by taking these possible course corrections you end up totally in the right place producing self freedom and allowing you to blossom to your fullest. May your life be a real blessing to you, your family, and all those you love. Share your findings with others and begin to live it out so it will become your new attitude about you and to others as you live your life.
Learn more about these and other aspects of building my international micro business in my newly released book... Imagineer Your Future... Discover Your Core Passions... and learn how you can achieve anything that you want to... crash through your glass ceiling and live a life as an Imagineer! Learn more about it on my website: LesLaMotte.com directing you to Amazon and Xlibris to purchase my books today!
Buy your copy to begin by TAKING ACTION follow the links to Amazon and Xlibris and buy yours today! LesLaMotte.com
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