Well, we are just a few short weeks away from ending the first quarter of 2021. If you recall, this time last year was when the entire country went into lockdown. We we are all forced to change and adapt to a very uncertain time in our nation. It was a year where we had to embrace a whole new way of living. When 2020 was coming to an end, most people were just glad to see the ending of a very long and tumultuous year. Many people entered 2021 with great zeal, excitement and emotion. Unfortunately, by mid-January most people had forgotten their resolutions, abandoned their goals and reverted back to what was familiar to them. If this is you, then I do not want you to feel guilty or condemned. However, I want you to get back up, develop a plan, and make a commitment to seeing your goals manifest in 2021. I hope these insights will empower you to ascend to new realms of success in 2021 and beyond!
Acknowledge where you failed but do not let your failures define you. As I stated above, if you did fall off in January I do not want you to feel bad. A pity party or feeling sorry for yourself will not bring you any closer to your goals. On the other hand, you do need to acknowledge where you failed. I have discovered that what we fail to acknowledge we will never adjust. So take the time to admit where you failed. More importantly, ask yourself the very important question of: why did I fail? The why will always inform you of what you need to do differently moving forward. I do not really believe in failure. I believe we are presented with opportunities to grow, develop and do life differently. So acknowledge where you fell short and make the adjustments so that you can stay on track with your goals and realize your dreams in 2021. If you allow failure to define you then it will ultimately divide you from your future. Your future is too important to allow frustration and failure to cause you to give up. Acknowledgement is your first step to change.
You must have the audacity to make the necessary adjustments. As someone that has trained and developed leaders around the world, I think this is that critical step in the process that we often overlook. Most people have an awareness of what needs to change in their lives. However, awareness without action will never result in advancement. So you have to move beyond simply being aware of what needs to change in your life to actually taking action to see change manifest. Adjustments are never easy. In fact, adjustments will often cause you to be inconvenienced and uncomfortable. Yet discomfort is the very price that we must be willing to pay to embrace the next dimension in our lives. You must realize that change must be intentional, strategic, gradual, incremental and sometimes even forceful. In other words, you will never alter your world without making adjustments. I know it can be really scary but the sad reality is that if you fail to make the adjustments you will restrict yourself to an average and mediocre life. Adjustments challenge our comfort but ultimately unleash our capacity for greatness.
You must establish strong accountability in your life. If you have followed my work over the years, then you have probably heard me talk about success being a journey. More importantly, I liken the journey to success as a climb. In order to climb, you have to be willing to exert energy and reach higher even in moments of great resistance. In my life, I have discovered that in the process of making the climb there are many opportunities to be distracted, discouraged and to disengage. However, if you make accountability a key metric in your climb then it will preserve and protect you on your journey. I always say that one is not a large enough number to achieve success. No one succeeds alone. Accountability not only provides safety but it also provides strength to keep pushing when you become fatigued and you are pushed beyond your limits. Accountability provides you with encouragement, wisdom, insights and a second wind to help as you continue to make the climb. Without accountability, most people will make excuses, repeat cycles and never realize their true potential. Accountability eliminates excuses, breaks cycles and empowers you to experience radical change in your life.
You must understand that there is no ascending without adversity. Many people have been inspired by my life and work. They have read my books, watched my television interviews and even listened to my podcast. However, no amount of inspiration will ever exempt you from doing the work. You cannot simply admire the journey of another person. You must have the audacity to embrace the journey to change in your life. More importantly, you must understand that there is no ascending without adversity. In other words, you will embrace new realms without resistance. You will never reach the pinnacles of success without pressure. What I have discovered is that most people run from the very things that they need to embrace in order to ascend into new realms of greatness. Too many people want change without challenges, promotion without pressure and diamonds without difficulty. What you have to understand is that some things will never emerge in your life without the application of pressure. If adversity has the ability to stop you, then it reveals that you were never truly committed to ascending. Commitment goes beyond a feeling. Commitment is have the fortitude to stand until you see prophetic fulfillment of a promise in your life. Commitment is pushing yourself beyond the psychological warfare, emotional turmoil, physical fatigue and spiritual weariness. Commitment is having the determination that nothing will separate you from success and nothing will divide you from the next dimension. When you are committed everything that once opposed you will be forced to orchestrate your victory. When you have developed your resolve, that is when you discover you have conquered the restrictions and you have reached the next realm. I can tell you from experience that the view is always better from the top!