Are you waiting for someone to give you permission?

Permission to enjoy life?

Permission to slow down?

To start something?

To study something you love?

To stop studying something you hate?

To be happy?

To go on an adventure?

Are you waiting for your boss to say “yes”?

Your family?

Friends?

Are you waiting for permission to go after “it”?

Whatever “it” is for you.

Stop waiting.

The only person you ever need permission from is yourself.

To give yourself permission to do whatever you want to do.

To be whatever you want to be.

Go on…give yourself permission.

The blank sheet.

A blank canvas.

The fresh start.

A clean slate.

The new job.

A new challenge.

The new year.

A new day.

How daunting!

Intimidating.

Overwhelming.

Or…

How exciting!

Stimulating.

Motivating.

How you view it…all depends on you.

What you did 10 years ago will be having an impact now.

The work you were doing.

The relationships you built.

The decisions made.

The skills mastered.

The projects delivered.

The plans developed.

The opportunities taken.

The opportunities created.

Leading you to where you are now and the impact you’re having.

So what impact would you like to have 10 years from now…?

You’ve achieved your goal.

It has finally come to fruition.

It took a lot of hard work.

So why doesn’t it feel better?

Why is the accomplishment not meaningful?

Maybe it was something your did for someone else.

Worse…it was someone else’s goal.

Or it was an old goal that is now no longer relevant.

Perhaps it was just the wrong goal.

Perhaps the ladder was against the wrong wall.

“People may spend their whole lives climbing the ladder of success only to find, once they reach the top, that the ladder is leaning against the wrong wall.” – Thomas Merton

It is amazing what happens when the right group of people collide and collaborate.

There is talking.

There is listening.

There are points made.

There are counter points.

There are opinions.

There are perspectives.

There are questions.

There is discussion.

Then there is understanding.

Then there are relationships.

Then there are outcomes.

There…collaboration.

React or respond.

The choice is yours.

You can react.

Without thought.

In the moment.

Being impulsive.

Without control.

A reaction is likely to trigger another reaction.

Or you can respond.

With awareness.

With a pause.

Be deliberate.

In control.

A response is likely to trigger a further response.

You have a choice.

Will you react or respond?

How do you build a stronger network?

Build more connections.

The more connections, the stronger the network.

The power of your network is in your connections.

When you listen, people talk.

You will have deep, rich conversations.

Conversations you might otherwise never have.

People will inform, clarify, share.

People will advise, enlighten, inspire.

People will train, coach, mentor.

When you listen, really listen, you will hear much more than is said.

Hope you’re listening.

Okay, so you fell off.

Maybe you…

…fell off the diet.

…fell flat on your face.

…fell off the wagon.

…fell off your bike.

…fell off the training plan.

…fell from grace.

…fell out of favour.

Or the classic…fell off your horse.

So you fell.

Pick yourself up and go again.

What makes you different?

What makes you distinct?

What is your differentiator?

What do you do that no-one else can?

It might just be your competitive advantage.

The thing that sets you apart.

Your unique approach.

Your unusual solution.

Your special gift.

Your creative concept.

Your crazy idea.

Your wonderful product.

Embrace your quirks, your weirdness, your strange, your interesting.

Only you can do it like that.