The following extract from a motivational book made it into my email inbox today, and the theme lined up nicely with a newsletter I was busy working on about why many people don’t take more proactive steps in their working (and their personal) lives. Here is the original link to the extract and information on where you can find the book, however I thought it short and “on point” enough to paste some of the extract below. The book is titled “Stepping Up” by John Murphy —
Listen carefully to successful people all over the world and they will tell you one thing. Opportunity quietly surrounds you. Information and knowledge are within your reach. Prosperity is silently knocking at your door. Victory mysteriously awaits you. Subtle and elusive as it may seem, there is no scarcity of success. It is available to all of us. The only real problem is how we choose to respond to the unlimited abundance that is ours for the taking. Do we accept it or reject it? Do we allow it or resist it? Do we demand it or dismiss it? Do we take it in or turn it away?
I am fortunate to work with many successful executives, professionals, military leaders, authors, consultants, teachers, parents, coaches and athletes around the world and a term I hear more and more frequently is “Step Up.” From North America to China to Brazil to countries all over Europe, the mantra is the same. We need people to step up. We believe in them. We see the potential. We know they can do better. We want to them to succeed. We just need to see them take charge and step up.
In other cases, proactive people are advancing themselves without being asked or encouraged. They just do it, often surprising the people around them. This illustrates that we do not need permission to step up. We do not need to be told to do it, or even asked. The key is to know that we can step up and then to know how! Why wait? Why not seize the moment? Why not get started immediately? Why make excuses that limit us? Why rationalize our undesirable results and restrict ourselves? Take these tips and use them to elevate your life:
– Take ownership and responsibility for your outcomes
– Take a good, honest look in the mirror
– Take time to reflect on who you are and what you are capable of
– Take measure of your current state—the good, the bad and the ugly!
– Take advice from wise counsel
– Take a chance
– Take action
– Take another look at your life and your results
– Take a knee and give thanks for what you are and what you have
I liked this a lot, so I wanted to share it. If you want to find the book itself, follow this link. OK, now back to your regularly scheduled programming…
