Gift of Encouragement

I have always loved the following quote:

                              The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.
                                                                                                                                              Eleanor Roosevelt

​How do you encourage others to live their best life? How do you continue to fuel your own dreams? Can you do both at the same time?

Life feels stark to me when I’m not pursuing my dreams. It’s usually a slow slide. Life gets “busy”. I get caught up in the minutia of the mundane, but the necessary, and sometimes find a week or even a month has slipped by and I’ve failed to do anything in the pursuit of my own dreams. Something feels lacking as I simply cross things off my to-do lists. Can you relate? 

A little over ten years ago, an acquaintance called me with an opportunity to join a network marketing company. Now … I can see some of you rolling your eyes, but I challenge you to keep an open mind. The call came a few weeks before my 40th birthday. It came at a time when I was hungry for … something … different. Suddenly, I was exposed to a group of excited, committed individuals, intent on building a business that offered both financial and time freedom. Self-development was a focal point. A whole new world opened up for me and I was all-in. 

Calling people and offering them the same opportunity was a completely foreign and terrifying experience. My initial excitement fueled my focus for a couple of years. I attended conferences around the US. If you’ve never attended a gathering like this, where thousands of people bring their energy and enthusiasm, you’re missing out. Once, I earned the opportunity for a nearly front row seat when country superstar Tim McGraw was brought in to close out one of these events. What an amazing experience! I also earned a trip to an all-inclusive trip to a Caribbean resort, another brand new experience for us. 

To be successful over the long-term in network marketing, you need to continuously build and maintain a strong team. While I found it easy to motivate myself to work hard to build my business, I struggled to understand why others lacked the same passion. Eventually, my passion waned. No one seemed to want to work as hard as I did. Maybe, if I would have kept working at it, I would have found others of a similar mindset, but I’m not convinced. I learned many valuable lessons and I don’t regret the experience, but it wasn’t the right path for me.

I still yearn for that “something” that will allow me to work hard, set goals, and build a lifestyle where I have more control over both my own time and my earning potential. I believe I have found that in writing. 

The world is full of nay-sayers. Yes, it is incredibly difficult to make a decent income writing books and it can take a long time to find any measure of success. Is that reason enough not to try? Not in my “book”.

Writing opens up a new avenue for me to use to encourage others. I’m a self-proclaimed introvert. Making small talk with people I don’t know drains me. But give me a computer and time to gather my thoughts, and I enjoy encouraging others. Life is so very short. I want to encourage as many people as possible to pursue their own dreams, whatever those might be. 

Take a step back out of the daily drama of your life. I challenge you to quit using the tired excuse that you’re too busy. Make the time to think about those things you will regret missing out on when you get to the end of your life. Have you always wanted to travel? Teach? Act?

Now, figure out a way to incorporate some of that into your daily life. Start small if you have to, but start. You will find exciting new avenues to pursue that add color to your days. You will meet people with similar interests. You may decide your initial dream isn’t really what you want after all, but you will likely find new dreams, if you decide to reach out beyond the busy and do that which gives you joy.

Dream big and take a step today to pursue that dream. Find a way to encourage someone else to pursue their dreams. It will brighten your day!

In your corner,   Kim            

p.s. Drop a quick note in the comments below and let us encourage you in finding your path!