MAWMonday Motivators 06/04/2017

by: Dr. Michael A. Wright In Blog, Coaching DiaryTagged , , , , , ,

Character and Creativity require Endurance and Evidence

I’m saying that if you don’t have an Outcome, nobody wants to hear your Objectives. Your Resolutions offer little without Results. And, that puts you in a pressure spot. What if you can’t deliver? What if you are not there yet? What if it’s not good enough? What if they simply don’t like you? What if you build it and they don’t come? What if? You know the answer is Why not? I almost laughed out loud while writing these questions because they are based on a faulty foundation. “What if” is a question of exploring while potential is fresh and newly experienced. “What if” is for beginners. You are not there anymore. You are in full on momentum. Your temptation in the midst of momentum is to ask “How?” The answer: Take that next step. Despite the obstacles. It is your choice that defines you. Refuse self-imposed limits. Dare to be you without apology. Live extraordinarily. Why not?

This week. I am going to tell you the How. Long post short, you are going to believe, think, and do what you have been putting off. Now. Make the investments. Take that bold next step. Launch!

1. Despite the Obstacles

It’s going to be okay. I hear the stories of people living in their cars (Tyler Perry), getting fired (Oprah), and showing up in LA with only $700 (Taraji P. Henson). I wrestle with the struggle it must have been to endure that experience. To first prove to yourself that you really want what you set out to achieve. Then, to provide more than just lip service to convince those who genuinely love you to continue to believe while you dust yourself off and commit to climbing. Despite the obstacles, cold nights, disappointments, and poverty Perry, Oprah, and Henson climbed. It wasn’t easy. Famously, Tyler Perry’s first show was attended only by family and a few friends. But, it wasn’t about attendance yet. It was about taking the step and launching. He created evidence from his endurance, and he built from there.

2. It’s Your Choices

What? It never was about ability? I actually found that out through research into creativity. I now know what creativity scholars have known for years. The difference between creativity and not-creativity is the choice to create. Rollo May made it the title of his book back in 1933, Courage to Create. The choice to create–to produce evidence of your mental gymnastics–is what cements your standing as a creative soul.

You have known it as well. It has never been enough to have the idea. The written proposal is not even enough. I have written books to explain, and reviewers have suggested that the words lacked something. That special something is the example, the evidence that what you think, propose, or write has merit, has been tested, has been supported as sound and reliable. It is time for you to go beyond ideas and proposals. Choose to create.

3. My Limit?

There are finite ways to get there, but there are near infinite combinations and iterative complexities that are possible. Take wealth creation as an example. Stock market investing, real estate investing, product sales, and franchising. The only other way is inheriting. You were misinformed when you were told hard work and perseverance were keys. Not keys. They don’t unlock anything. They are just ingredients. What really matters is the dish you are intending to make. To0 much metaphor?

Allow me to say it simply. Don’t limit yourself. Learn about new tools you can combine with your know-how and resources. Stop waiting on others to do their part or live up to their potential. Launch and learn more. Reach higher. Pull up. Reach for the next rung.

4. Dare

Have the audacity to walk in the path that your difference creates for you. It’s not going to be comfortable always. But, better some discomfort in the circumstances than discomfort in your own skin. An ever-present truth is that the more exposure your product receives, the more people will presume to have an opinion about your product. Of course, you would appreciate positive reviews and increased sales, but I would bet that those outcomes are not why you created in the first place. I would also bet that those with negative reviews are only a selection of the reviewers. More importantly, it has been proven repeatedly that your happiness results from your daring. You are able to look in the mirror and be happy with what you see reflected.

5. One Job

I know the pressure is on to make money. Wi-fi, electricity, food, water, and shelter are the basic necessities on the 2017 Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. They aren’t always free. But, refuse to make you existence about making money. That path is riddled with false choices, soul-sucking, and dissatisfaction. Take on the job of completing your purpose. Live it each day like it’s your last attempt at finishing what you started. Love hard. Forgive quickly. Move forward. Live extraordinarily. And, when you produce the evidence that is tangible and shareable, realize that your life itself was the example all along.

Dr. Michael A. Wright received his Doctor of Philosophy in Social Work degree from the University of South Carolina - Columbia. Since 1997, Wright has led MAWMedia Group, LLC, a firm helping individuals and organizations tell stories and translate ideas into capital.