Well, it's officially March and we are a few weeks away from ending the first quarter of 2024. I don't know about you but the first few months of 2024 have been busy and chaotic for me. As I told you at the start of the year, you need to have clear goals and a clear vision to make the most of this year. The first few months of the year have also brought major adjustments and changes in my life. Most of all, I have been forced to ask myself new questions as I embrace a new season in my life. Questions are powerful and they hold the key to your progress, advancement, and elevation. Ultimately, questions always unlock what is next for your life. I hope that as you read these insights you will be inspired and empowered to ask deeper questions and to shift the direction of your life.
You need to understand the power of questions. Often times we find ourselves stuck and unable to embrace the next level of our lives. This produces frustration and often leads to the perpetuation of cycles. However, when I feel stuck I start to ask myself a series of questions. From decades of experience, I learned that questions are undeniably powerful. Questions not only unlock answers but questions unlock options, opportunities, and paths to advancement. You would be amazed at the breakthroughs and shifts that would happen in your life if you took the time to ask quality questions. If you really understood this, you would stop cursing the season and you would start reframing the questions you are asking. Questions start us down a path of thinking, empower us to process information, and direct us to new information and conclusions. Honestly, many times in my life the key to getting unstuck has been knowing what questions to ask. Powerful questions unlock powerful answers for your life. I challenge you to develop your critical thinking and problem-solving skills. It is paramount to your success and unlocking your greatest potential.
You must identify what is holding you back. As we are close to ending the first quarter of 2024, I am working on several huge projects and I found myself extremely frustrated and mentally drained. As I stepped away to clear my mind, I felt impressed to grab my journal and ask myself a very important question: what is holding me back? As I pondered, probed, and pontificated that question, I was able to identify two key roadblocks that were blocking my progress and productivity. When I returned to that project, I had answers and new insights that empowered me to interrupt a pattern, break a cycle, and engineer the change that I wanted to see. While you should set goals for the year and each quarter, I want you to make sure that you identify the roadblocks that are standing in the way of your breakthrough and your advancement. If you do not identify what is holding you back, you will ultimately hijack what is possible for your life. What you cannot identify you will never be empowered to improve.
You must be willing to confront the thing that you are afraid of. As I said, I am working on several big projects this year and I have found myself apprehensive at every phase. Just like last year, I find myself having to confront and challenge more self-limiting beliefs and perceptions. As I have confronted these self-limiting beliefs and perceptions, it has uncovered deep-seated fears and psychological constructs that are inconsistent and incongruent with the life that I desire. Confronting these obstacles is never easy. However, the courage to confront these self-limiting beliefs and perceptions is liberating. What I have learned from decades of experience is that what you are unwilling to confront will ultimately cripple you. Furthermore, what you are unwilling to address will always stand in the way of your advancement. What are you afraid of? Fear is a currency that ultimately seeks to cripple your future and cost you your dreams.
You must be willing to take imperfect action. I was having a conversation with a friend a few weeks ago and we were talking about things that hold most people back from success. As the conversation progressed, I shared with this friend that nothing changed in my life until I had the courage to take imperfect action. If you know me, then you know that I am a recovering perfectionist. This was once a major barrier in my life and business. I knew I needed to do certain things and take certain actions. However, my obsession with everything being perfect was threatening my progress. When I finally decided that I was going to take imperfect action, that is when my life changed and I experienced my greatest breakthroughs. Essentially, I started to see uncommon progress and to produce uncommon results. While it was not pretty or perfect, it was the exact actions that I needed to take to advance my life and my vision. Imperfection action is better than inaction. In fact, inaction is the mother of all failures. Take imperfection action and realize your dreams!