What If You Could…

In last week's focus, I wrote about the book The Big Leap by Gay Hendricks. I've since finished reading the book, and it's become one of those books that I immerse myself in and study. I will underline and highlight different passages, and at the same time, I'll be listening to it on audio when I'm in my car. That's my way of telling you I highly recommend this book.

The book has me obsessing about the quote: "The definition of hell is that on your last day on earth you meet the person you were capable of becoming." That thought is frightening to me.

Last week I wrote about the four barriers that limit our happiness and potential: believing that something is fundamentally wrong with us, a fear that we'll be disloyal to people if we become too successful, a belief that more success would make our life more challenging, and the fear of outshining those around us and making them feel "less than" because of our accomplishments.

I've identified a couple of those barriers as some I experience to this day. The book has you examine where these barriers may have originated from in your life. One thing I've learned is that those barriers are illusions. And as real as they have been to me, they don't exist at all - except in my mind. And that's the problem. That's what keeps people from realizing their full potential: self-imposed barriers.

So what would happen if every barrier you think you have disappeared? If you knew you couldn't fail, what would you try? How much are you leaving on the table? Because if we're supposed to live a much bigger life than the one we currently live, imagine the kind of impact you could have on the world. Now some people will think that I'm only speaking about mansions, private jets, and yachts. But I'm not.

I'm talking about the impact you could have in the world on the things that are important to you, perhaps things like homelessness, poverty, the environment, etc. What kind of a difference could you make in the world if you had the resources? And what if the only thing keeping you from having those resources were some imagined limitations in your mind?

One of my favorite charities is The Boys and Girls Clubs. I believe they do incredible work with children that need it. What if I could provide the resources for them to reach twice as many children as they do today? What if on my last day on earth I were to meet that guy? I can tell you that I would be disappointed in myself.

So I pledge that I will continue to do the work this book describes and work as hard as I can to eliminate these barriers. I hope this inspires you to consider doing the same thing in your own life, not just for you, but for the things you care about.

Quote of the week:

“Whether you think you can, or think you can't… you're right”

Henry Ford?