Engineered for Greatness

A couple of weeks ago I got a unique card from a friend who is really into personal development. What caught my attention first was it’s title: Follow Your Destiny, Wherever It Leads You! This title was powerful to me because that same morning I had written an article about “Plotting Your Destiny“. What a coincidence that I would receive a card along the same lines on the same day! This act of providence sent me a great message which was solidified even more when I read some of the words on the inside. Here’s part of what it said:

“There comes a time in your life when you realize that if you stand still, you will remain at this point forever. You realize that if you fall and stay down, life will pass you by.”

This was huge for me because I am just at that point when I have made a decision to take a leap of faith in my personal life. My decision to leave a rewarding job where I was adding value to at-risk youth so that I could start my organization in which I could potentially multiply value to society was an attempt to plot my destiny. The card went on to say:

“Rather than wondering about or questioning the direction your life has taken, accept the fact that there is a path before you now. Shake off the “why’s” and “what if’s” and rid yourself of confusion. Whatever was - is in the past. Whatever is - is what’s important. The past is a brief reflection. The future is yet to be realized. Today is here.”

What a beautiful message! This card cemented for me the truth that we are engineered for greatness. We were born for accomplishment. The key to greatness is in being able to seize every single day and utlizing every single opportunity life offers you to live up to your full potential. Don’t settle for less when you can have more. You were designed for accomplishment and engineered for greatness!

What you focus on expands!

Many times we tend to focus so much on our weaknesses. I see this in my own life but also in other people’s lives. In relationships, we tend to call out the other person’s weaknesses easily and fail to recognize their strengths. When companies make mistakes, we point them out faster than we can point out their strengths. It seems to me that it takes a lot of single-mindedness to choose to focus on strengths rather than weaknesses.

In order for us to excel at the things we do, we must choose to focus on strengths. It might be hard at first but the more this habit is practiced, the more it becomes a part of our nature. True lasting reward comes when we focus on strengthening our strengths rather than improving our weaknesses. What you focus on expands. If you focus on your weaknesses, they will expand. If you focus on your strengths, they will expand. We need to practice and consistently seek to focus on people’s and organization’s strengths. That is the key to lasting satisfaction in life.