Want a surefire way to bog yourself down and make sure you never turn those dreams into reality? Surround yourself with people like these guys. Here are the words so you can sing along...
Gloom, despair, and agony on me
Deep dark depression, excessive misery
If it weren't for bad luck I'd have no luck at all
Gloom, despair, and agony on me
Man! That was fun, huh? (Uhhhh...no.)
If, on the other hand, you want to want to both stay on fire about the possibilities and take persistent, consistent action to make them happen, stay away - preferably far away - from the gloom and doom crowd.
If you're going to play, play with inspiring playmates. Look around you right now. How many of the people you surround yourself with are on fire and motivated, and how many are taking their cue from the gloom boys?
Are the people around you steeped in an inherent belief in possibility, or are they mired in resignation? Do they try to build you up, or do they drag you down instead?
The people you surround yourself with play a huge role in what you are able to achieve. Take stock of the people in your life. Which ones are the inspiring playmates?
Now look further afield. Where can you connect with more inspiring people? Where can you find people who believe in the amazing potential of the future, and can't wait to make it happen (as opposed to let it happen to them)?
There are countless areas to explore. Here are a few:
- Get involved in relevant professional organizations
- Find volunteer opportunities that attract "moves and shakers"
- Get active in the religious / spiritual institution of your choice
- Seek out successful alumni from your school
- Find others who not only share similar dreams to you, but are also doing the work to make it happen
You might also try something like my 30 in 30 experiment to start reaching out to inspiring people.
While you're at it, watch out for the gloom and doom crowd masquerading with a face of hope. These are the people who dream about what could be, but never do anything about it, preferring instead to stay stuck in their unsatisfactory but comfortable reality. They may talk a good game, but the end result is still the same.
Ultimately, you want people around you who will feed your potential, inspiring you with their beliefs and actions and supporting you as you move towards your dreams.
[Go here and scroll down for a compilation of my momentum maintenance system posts.]
Check out The Occupational Adventure Guide
Curt Rosengren, Passion Catalyst TM
I call the gloom and doom crowd "Debbie Downers," based on the SNL skit - Matt's Idea Blog: Debbie Downer and the Six Thinking Hats - http://ideamatt.blogspot.com/2005/11/debbie-downer-and-six-thinking-hats.html
Posted by: Matthew Cornell | November 18, 2007 at 01:22 PM