Other Possible Worlds

Part 3 - Getting Where You Want and Need To Go

Think back to January 1, 2017, at 12:01 am. That is not so far back, that you might still remember, (if you were awake), how you felt? Were you full of hope? Or full of anxiety? Somewhere in between? Maybe for you, you felt no different than any other day when you stop to think about the future and the unknown. But my guess is that you spent at least a little bit of time wishing the world were somehow different– either your own world or someone else's. Perhaps you wished the world were different for us all. 

Wherever that perfect world you have imagined, we understand at such times that we have yet to arrive. Whatever measure of angst we have about where we are or where we are not, it is a place of divine discontent. It is all good. It is the sense of angst that drives us forward. For entrepreneurs, to stay in the same place is madness. We are all a work in progress. We are all in process–on the journey of becoming. 

If we wish to find ourselves in a different place, several things are necessary to begin: 

We must be able to imagine a better world. The ability to accept things the way they are is thought to be a noble characteristic. It does seem a bit Eeyore to always find yourself wishing that things were somehow different than they are. To think in this way is to breed discontent. But unless we can imagine a different world, we will forever remain window shoppers in the mall of life. The very possibility of a different world begins with the ability to imagine it. It is the desire and the pressure of life that pushes, enlarges, forms, and helps us to envision something more. Imagination, curiosity, and creativity are free. No thought is unthinkable. Every thought is subject to evolution. Every dot can be unconnected and reconnected elsewhere. The outcome is not in cement. Paint a picture of possibilities in your head. Better yet, write them down.

“Everything that now exists was first imagined.” William Blake

We must believe that a better world is possible. Our lives are filled from dawn to dusk with necessary tasks, responsibilities, and distractions. There are times, when no matter what you do, nothing seems to change. The way things are seems chained to your ankle, entrenched and inescapable. So unless we can transform our thinking and believe that our efforts will make a difference, we will not make any effort. Change your perspective. Take a step back from your timeline. Maybe your life does not look much different from last week. But things change incrementally over time, without us even noticing. Change is a constant. Think about where you were five or even ten years ago, and you will see that things are quite different. Keep in mind that few people who have made history ever knew they were making history while they were making history. History has been made countless times when ordinary people sought to make a difference in the ordinary course of their ordinary lives. You can make a difference too. Nothing stands in the way between you and this possibility. 

We need to leave our old mindsets behind. Somehow we get it into our heads that we are not one of those successful people. We believe that everyone else is somehow different. They are smarter and better looking, without anxious thoughts or regrets, and able to leap tall buildings in a single bound, while we remain the normal, common sort of person that must use the stairs. We may even be resentful, perceiving that we have been dealt an ordinary hand, while these persons were dealt a straight flush. But in all reality success is far more about what you do than who you are or what you have. Ask any successful person. They have had their fair share of failure, mistakes, need, and vulnerability too. The successful person sees the mistake for what it is: the price of progress. After every back to the drawing board experience, they ask, “in light of this, now what?” Successful people commit to the power of process and keep moving forward. 

They ask, “Now what?” A simple question. 

“Progress is impossible without change, and those that cannot change their minds cannot change anything.” George Bernard Shaw

We are never barred from doing the same things successful people do. Nothing fundamental stands between you and the possibility of fulfilling your dream. Confident people believe they can affect their own lives, and create other possible worlds. With practice, they know their abilities can be developed. They take full responsibility for where they are. They know that we are all on a journey– that we are constantly in flux and in the process of becoming all that we can be. 

Nothing has to stay the same. 

Sure, you are not there.

Yet.

__________________________________________________________________

Why do we at etc!graphics inc, a graphic design company, care about your business strategies? Because no matter the talent of your designer, your business graphics will never make more sense than the clarity of your vision. The clearer your vision, the more lucid your marketing will be, and the better connection you will make with your customer. We want to help you find the gold in your business. Join us all this month as we share ways to help your small business sustain and grow in a crowded marketplace. Etc!Graphics is devoted to helping you, the small business owner, think like a marketer. 

You can read more articles like this, by visiting Thincblog here.