You will find yourself impeded.

Obstructions and obstacles come in many forms.

Processes and people.

Barriers and bureaucracy.

Constraints and conditions.

So find another way.

When the door is shut.

Knock on the next one.

When you receive a “no”.

Go find a “yes”.

When all you get are negatives.

Search for positives.

When the path is blocked.

Choose another.

Focus on what you can do, rather than what you can’t.

“Don’t let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do” – John R. Wooden

Be patient.

There is nothing for it but to wait.

For the process takes as long as it takes.

For the necessary signatures to be obtained.

For the approval to be given.

It is out of your control.

But if it’s within your control.

Then no need to be so virtuous.

Streamline that process.

Rationalise the signature requirements.

Push approval levels down the hierarchy.

There is no time to delay.

“Patience is a virtue, and I’m learning patience.  It’s a tough lesson.” – Elon Musk

You’ve broken the back of it.

You made it through a rough patch.

Persevered when it got hard.

Got over the hump.

Accomplished the challenge.

Passed the test.

Generated some momentum.

That’s great.

Now, you’ll need to do it again.

And again… and again …

You have energy to give.

Your time.

Your attention.

Your work.

So, who are you going to work with?

Ideally, someone with the same energy.

Someone that invites you in.

Someone who “gets it”.

Is on the same page.

Is ready.

Motivated.

Committed.

The work will be rewarding and fulfilling.

For the both of you.

Go where the energy is.

“Where focus goes, energy flows.” – Tony Robbins

You can wave a magic wand.

Look for silver bullets.

Attempt to harvest without planting.

Try a shortcut.

Not pay the price.

Search for the easy, the instant, or the fast.

And when you’re done with all that.

Then it’s time to do the hard work.

“There is no way around the hard work. Embrace it.” – Roger Federer

You can be a maker.

A creator.

An originator.

You can make a plan.

Make a difference.

Make a ruckus (shout out to Seth Godin).

You can make a friend.

Make a suggestion.

Make a change.

You can even make a mistake.

You can make a point.

Make a commitment.

Make an assurance

You can make a choice, a decision, a resolution.

Make time for someone.

Make a vow.

You can make your dreams come true.

Whatever you would like to make, go make it happen.

“I like things to happen. And if they don’t happen, I like to make them happen.” – Winston Churchill

The words convey the right message.

The tone is convincing.

The language encouraging.

The body language enthusiastic.

The speech motivational.

The communication inspirational.

But something is off.

What is said is not what is done.

The actions don’t align with the words.

The walk doesn’t match the talk.

There’s a disconnect.

You have surely seen it before.

It is easier to see in others.

But what about yourself?

Are your actions aligned with your words?

“You can’t talk your way out of a situation you behaved yourself into.” – Stephen Covey, author of The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People.

You have got to love what you do.

To keep you going when you …

… are tired.

… are overwhelmed.

… come up against barriers.

… have to deal with difficult people.

… are struggling to deliver.

… need to push through.

… are stressed.

… hear a ‘no’ instead of a ‘yes’.

… are doing the hard yards.

… feel nothing is going right.

… are about to give up.

… are out of your comfort zone.

… don’t know if it will work.

Loving what you do will get you through.

Imagine how hard it would be if you didn’t.

“Pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work.” – Aristotle

Okay … so you haven’t got it all figured out just yet.

But you can begin.

With an outline.

A first draft.

Some dots points.

The back of the envelope (or napkin).

Start mind mapping.

Whiteboard it.

Do a brain dump.

Capture your thinking.

Discuss your initiative.

Map out the steps.

Sketch out your idea.

You then have made a start.

And what you need to do next becomes clearer.

“I begin with an idea and then it becomes something else.” – Pablo Picasso

Your experiences shape you.

The really good boss you worked for once.

Or even that really bad boss.

You learned from them both.

The situations you have exposed yourself to.

Whether intentionally or not.

The environments you have moved through.

Where you were born.

Where you have travelled.

These influences can be profound.

Your relationships and friends.

Fleeting interactions that left their mark.

The risks and dangers.

The achievements and successes.

The challenges and failures.

Personal or shared.

All have left an impression.

These experiences are what has made you … well, you!

How do you next want to shape yourself?

The post often closes with a quote, something usually connecting or linking the words and illustration. Narrowing down to just one was somewhat difficult … so I didn’t.

“You can’t connect the dots looking forward. You can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future.” – Steve Jobs

“Every experience, no matter how bad it seems, holds within it a blessing of some kind. The goal is to find it.” – Buddha

“Be brave. Take risks. Nothing can substitute experience.” – Paulo Coelho

“Life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forwards.” – Soren Kierkegaard