The Truth About Following Your Heart

"Follow your heart"...It's a theme woven throughout all forms of media, from billboards to children's movies, but what does it even mean? And how do you even know when your heart is speaking to you?

The most important place to start is knowing which heart you intend on following before you even think about accepting this ambiguously ambitious mission.

Wait... I have more than one heart?
 
Yes, well... if you include your physical heart, that would make three, but only one heart is the one you are actually supposed to follow and it's not the thumper in your chest.

Energetically speaking, you have what I would call two non-physical hearts: one belongs to your personality, the other to your spirit (or higher self). The heart of the personality is governed by desires and fueled by lies and insecurities. It's responsible for the impulse purchase of the shoes you had to have because they'll make you look more (you fill in the blank). It causes you to eat food not because we're hungry, but because it makes you feel (you fill in the blank)... you get the picture. Essentially, the heart of the personality has the maturity of a two year old and therefore happiness is intense, but fleeting and greatly dependent upon the impossible and dangerous quest of doing whatever it takes to keep baby happy. This heart will trick you every time into making detrimentally selfish moves that will erode your sense of self and stuff your closet with more skeletons than you can shake a bone at. You could say the heart of the personality is the maker of addictions, the director of extramarital affairs, and the conductor of debt; its mantra varies but includes "I want" "me... mine... I...". Clearly, if this is the heart you choose to follow, you will be heading for serious trouble.

"The heart of the personality is governed by desires and fueled by lies and insecurities."

The heart of the human spirit, however, is the complete opposite. It is governed by virtue and fueled by truth. It will have you asking the tough questions and facing the hard answers. It will lead you to purpose, meaning and ultimately to serving others. The spiritual heart will make you hungry for connection and community, helping you find your tribe, while remaining compassionate toward the rest of your human family. The heart of the spirit is knowing and wise, appreciating the value of time and persistence. It's transparent and sustainable because it's honest and generates it's own contentment. It has less of a variety of mantras, but a plethora of questions like "what will be the impact?" "is this the right thing to do?" or for "what will be for the highest and greatest good?"

Now don't get me wrong. The heart of the personality isn't something you need to try to get rid of. Rather, all it needs is a little structure and training so it can serve spiritual heart. There is only one "you" in body, personality, skills and talents that needs to be accurately expressed into the world. You are more than your superficial wants and needs. 

Dig Deep

 
The trouble with the heart of the personality is it has no weight of substance to keep it grounded. It's like a kite in the wind moving in whichever direction desire takes it; easy to get twisted in tangled in the least desirable of places or suddenly crash hard and without warning. It is vital to tame that recklessly wild heart by digging deep and anchoring it to all of the important life guiding stuff only accessible by knowing one's self. Successful heart-based voyagers know that following your heart is the disciplined art of staying aligned with your values and virtues.

When identifying values, it's important to go beyond the obvious. You may say family, but perhaps what you really mean is close, meaningful and loving relationships (or whatever other adjectives you would use to describe family). You may say career, but you may mean using my talent and skills in meaningful way and being fairly compensated for it. When we expand on the adjectives that describe what's important to us, the more we are able to be detailed about what truly enriches our lives, the more we can hold ourselves accountable for truly nurturing and protecting them. If you haven't spent a lot of time finding out what your values are and rooting yourself to them, you truly have nothing guiding you. 

Once you uncover your values, the next thing to explore are your virtues. Which characteristics denotes a person living a highly respectful life? Honesty? Compassion? Discernment? Patience? Persistence? List these virtues and memorize them. These will become the standards by which you measure yourself and if you fall short in any area, you willingly commit to working hard to further developing them. Virtues keep you honest with yourself and are the building blocks of character. It's pretty hard to cultivate the virtue of honesty when you are about to charge that 10-day cruise to your credit card when you know you don't have the money in your bank account and you are determined to be more responsible with money. A strong character has the ability to look herself in the eye while gazing in the mirror and feel proud of the person she is–not how she looks–  because she's able to keep the heart of the personality in check.

Give yourself a “time-out”

By now, you are probably beginning to understand that following your heart is not a free-for-all. On the contrary, it is a very disciplined approach to living because once you have identified your values and virtues, you now have your own policing system in place. The beauty of being self-governed is the satisfaction you feel when you know you've done the right thing, as difficult as it was, and you can happily and proudly answer to yourself. Not only does living this way take will power, it is a constant flow of conscious, deeply personal decisions that no longer have you seeking external approval, thereby moving your source of happiness within yourself. While you may envision free-spirited, follow-your-bliss kind of person always saying "yes", freedom of heart requires saying "no" much more frequently.
 
And when you find yourself off course, which is bound to happen from time to time, it's important to sit it out for a while so you can stop what has been set in motion. Misalignment means it's time to be still and quiet. It's a time to tune into your spiritual heart and listen so you can get back on track again. It's also a time to be kind to yourself and forgive the wrong turns you have taken, while vowing to do better. In essence, you are bringing the hearts of the personality and spirit back into harmony with each other, which will be extremely important when you find yourself lost for reasons beyond your own navigational skills.

Dead ends and obstacles are guaranteed
 
A lot of upsets, mistakes and failures are sure to be encountered on this path. Remember this: discouragement is the enemy. If your spiritual heart still desires it, then you have no choice but to find away over, through, around or under the obstacle. Never fall for "well... I guess the Universe is telling me it just isn't meant to be." Bullsh*t. If you give up and continue to dwell about it for days after, the disappointment you feel is your spiritual heart telling you to push on and get ready to learn and grow in the process. If you don't listen, you are signing yourself up to settle and suffer. On the other hand, if you can give up and not think twice about it, then it wasn't really that important to you in the first place or maybe the desire ran its course and it's time to move on.  

As far as the obstacles are concerned, they may seem to block you from where you want to go, but in reality they are the perfect opportunity to test your character and strengthen or gain some skills by taking a stand on what you value and expressing your virtues. If your two hearts are working together, you will find a way through the challenge, but not without exerting effort or ingenuity. The more situations you find yourself exercising these muscles, the stronger your character becomes. Then you'll see that following your heart isn't so much about the outcome as it is about how the process changes you for the better. These changes and victories over challenges are the secret sauce to gaining confidence in your ability to accomplish anything you put your mind to, on your terms.

Be resourceful
 
As Frank Baum wrote through the words of Glinda the Good Witch in the Wizard of Oz, “You’ve always had the power my dear, you just had to learn it for yourself”.
Following your heart is not about pursuing, but expressing and building. You must know yourself to know what is seeking to be expressed.  I repeat... there is nothing out there to be pursued. It is simply channeling all of the experiences, skills and talents you already have and love using and expressing, with a healthy respect for the experiences, skills and talents yet to be discovered. Know what you are already good at, what you love doing so much that you could lose track of time while doing it and being paid to do it would be a bonus. It doesn't matter if the skills and talents are related, just know what is at your disposal. You never know how seemingly unrelated skills can be paired together to create a new opportunity for yourself or cleverly overcome obstacles; nothing is wasted on this path. And equally important is remaining curious about the latent aspects of yourself that are just waiting for the right timing and conditions to emerge. When you follow your true heart, you are armed with the strength, courage and wisdom to be able to face whatever comes your way, and will surely build a life you can be proud of.

Reflection on Year One of Entrepreneurship (Part 1)

ACHOOOO!!! *SNIFF*  Woah... I guess that's what happens when you blow the dust off a blog you haven't posted to in several months! I can't say I've ever taken this long of a hiatus from writing before. The truth is after I returned from India in January, my relatively new life as an entrepreneur welcomed me back with such vigour that I've had great difficulty finding the time to write... but, I'm back!

I think it would be most fitting for my first post of 2014 be about my first year as an entrepreneur, where the first nine months saw zero income.

So what did I do during that time?

I dreamed, imagined and dreamed some more.
For days I wrote and rewrote my mission and vision statements, scribbled business models on my whiteboard, and dressed and undressed it all in various styles of branding.
I hashed my ideas out with a graphic designer and web developer.
I met with marketing gurus.
I sought the advice of lawyers, accountants, bookkeepers and bankers.
I identified mentors and picked the brains of wise business leaders.
I attended leadership for social change workshops.

For weeks I experimented and played with all of the stress management tools I've experienced success with.
I researched and collected data on the damage stress is creating in our lives and spoke with various professionals trying to do something about it.
I sat in on conversations about stress in the workplace and discovered who the key players are.
I familiarized myself with standards and policies around mental wellness in the workplace.

For months I met people and met people and... met... people.
I listened. I observed. I asked questions and I shared my vision.
I found my supporters and surrounded myself with like minded individuals.

I stretched and kept stretching until I was completely out of my comfort zone.
 
For fleeting moments I doubted and second guessed... and yes, I got scared.
I was reaffirmed by my conviction and the people who believed in me.
I found the courage to continue moving forward.

The vision and mission evolved and branding was nailed.
Passionate and talented yoga teachers appeared. They believed in my vision and wanted to be part of its mission. I was humbled and scared (again) because it was already growing bigger than I had anticipated. I was and still am obsessed, grateful, amazed with this new venture.

By early fall, the big red velvet curtains on the stage were were the only thing separating my dream from becoming reality– I could hear people taking their seats before the show began and it made me nervous. In October, the curtains were drawn open and Prana was launched. Clients showed up and we started doing what we originally set out to do: shift peoples lives.

I can't express the how gratifying it is to watch something go from thoughts in your head to a team of teachers and a growing list of clients. It's unbelievable how much growth I've undergone while going through this entire process.

This past year, I've been able to test and prove the yogic ideals of becoming comfortable with not having all the answers and having faith that all problems have a solution, providing you look for the solution and not become distracted by the problem.

I've experienced the truth of our interconnectedness, that you cannot make a business happen by yourself:
You get business by doing business.
If you care for the success of your community, your community will care for the success of you.
If your vision is big enough, it will attract the right people to bring it to life.

And it seems the more symbiotic relationships a business creates, the more the business organically grows.

I LOVE the quality of life it has given me. As much as my previous employer, rtraction, was flexible and more than accommodating, I always felt I was costing someone else money and inconvenience if I wholeheartedly put my family first. That internal tension is now gone.

If my kids need me, without hesitation, I am there and I can give them my full attention.
More often than not, we eat healthy, home cooked meals.
Our house feels lived in.
I have more to give to myself, which means I have more to give to my husband and children.
I am available for my mother if she gets sick.
I have a decent bed time.
I can control the flow of work, appreciating that there will be high periods of busy-ness, but the rest of the time my workload is reasonable.

My team members tell me they are grateful to be able to have such an in-depth, positive impact on people and they enjoy the sense of community we're creating within our team. They appreciate how they are able determine how many hours they can dedicate to Prana and it's always adjustable to accommodate their ever changing life.

Our clients are sharing their success stories and value the services we offer. In such a short time, it seems we are indeed making a positive shift in the lives of people.

This last year will be unforgettable as I witnessed a dream turn into thoughts on a paper and grow into something real as I watered it with action. To me, being an entrepreneur means being able hear your heart beating so loudly that it moves other people.

Namaste.

It's Not Just Positive Thinking... It's Work.

  The mind is powerful. We've heard it all before: when thoughts are focused and backed by will we can create anything. The will is a mental muscle. The problem is most of us have fat heads. Our thoughts are scattered and we do little to exercise our minds beyond the building of our perpetual "to-do" list.  Sure, many of us can proudly declare that we've set goals and have achieved them, but that doesn't necessarily mean the mind is strong.

The true ability to create anything doesn't just come from setting and accomplishing goals, it comes from being able to choose the quality of thoughts, which thereby increases the quality of not only what you create, but the quality of who you become in the process of creating. What good is it if you finally make your million dollars, but you're full of anger? Or if you lose that extra 20 lbs, but you're full of guilt? The why you want to create is more important than the what. The why is what will provide sustenance to your will, because if it's compelling enough it will be what pushes you to walk through the fires you are bound to face.  Becoming healthy so you can look good on the beach isn't as compelling as so you can physically enjoy life to the fullest.  Working toward that dream job so you can buy a new Mercedes-Benz isn't as compelling as so you can help more people with the extra money you earn.

Whenever you are trying to create something new, the creative process raises sensitivities that will either encourage you to reinforce existing bad habits or redefine who you are. The key is paying attention to your tendencies toward feelings of inadequacy or failure, which usually translates into anger, jealousy, shame, guilt, etc... basically all the feelings you don't enjoy feeling.

Self-defeating thoughts are bound to make an appearance, but it's up to you whether or not you accept them. Think of them as a function of self-preservation. They are merely a retaliation to your attempt to deviate from your current belief system, which defines who you currently are. It's an obstacle... a test to see how you will choose to proceed and just how strong your will is. It's also fork in the road. You could push through on will alone, but when you accomplish your goal, you'll just be the same person at a different spot. Insecurities from prior unchanged beliefs will continue to pester your mind. Worse yet, if you push through merely on will, the how to achieving your goal may also have a hefty price: How many relationships did you damage along the way? How many morals did you have to compromise? What harm did you bring to your body?

The real problem is when these self-defeating thoughts occur and you make the mistake of accepting them as wise thoughts. Once they're accepted, your actions will follow. The trick is to take those thoughts and put them under a magnifying glass. See how they've managed to run your life thus far; influencing the decisions you've made and the people you have allowed into our life. Maybe it's even some of those very same people speaking your negative thoughts for you. The biggest question you could ask is not How am I going to change all of this? But rather What do I need to change within myself to move forward? Maybe it's to be more forgiving of your past mistakes or more compassionate toward your imperfections. Whatever virtue is waiting to be retrieved will bring forth wisdom and in the end, a much better version of you.

It may take several sessions of chipping away at your obstacles. Chances are you will experience taking a few steps back for some of the progress you make. It may seem like all of this is slowing down your process, but if you persevere you'll find it's actually transforming who your are. It's hard work building a solid foundation, but in the end, it's what will turn your vision into your new reality.

"I'm a big believer in growth. Life is not about achievement, it's about learning and growth, and developing qualities like compassion, patience, perseverance, love, and joy, and so forth. And so if that is the case, then I think our goals should include something which stretches us."
 
- Jack Canfield, co-creator of "Chicken Soup for the Soul".

Occupy London: If You Don't Like Sleeping in a Tent...

Occupy Wall Street Protester

 The Occupy movement has taken a hit in London last week. How they move forward will determine whether or not Occupy London fizzles and fades completely or transforms into a force to be reckoned with. I think Larry Cornies has very succinctly summed up the way I feel about the whole movement in London, so I won't bother to try to say it all again in my own words. I do know that if I were in NYC I would've joined the protest being that Wall Street is one of the main arteries of corruption in the U.S. and globally –although I probably would've only lasted a week before I became restless and felt like I needed to see some progress and then wandered off trying to find a way to make it happen. I guess I'm impatient that way.

However, I do believe all of the Occupy protests serve a purpose and need to happen.  Every angle needs to be covered if we are to create lasting change. Protesting is necessary, activism is necessary, education is necessary, informed personal choices are necessary. Above all else, dialogue is necessary. It won't happen over night, but if we're relentless, change is inevitable.

I've been asking myself, what can I do to contribute to the Occupy movement? I can: stop participating in things that are contributing to the problems we're trying to put an end to and start supporting the things I would like to see be a part of the world we're all trying to create. No, I'm not part of a mob when I do it, but it's still effective. I know you also have a vision of a better world, but what are you willing to do to make it a reality in your personal life?

As I continue to take action upon action toward making my vision a reality, my life continues to transform. The twenty-something I used be no longer resembles who I am now. Never would I think I would stop eating fast-food and drastically reduce the amount of meat I eat or get rid of Javex, Tide, Vim, Glade ( etc., etc., etc.) for natural household alternatives. I do need to start walking and riding my bike more and I know I will because everything I do means I'm breaking a cycle and contributing to something better. It takes patience and effort to create a new habit, but I'm committed. That's how I plan to Occupy Earth.


If it's the environment you're concerned about, what are you doing to stop harmful chemicals from the commercial products you use to no longer go down your drain or pollute the air in your house or seep into your skin? If you buy it, they will make it.

If it's community, when is the last time you have volunteered? Got to know your neighbours? Spoke to your councillor? Joined a grassroots initiative that was working to create positive change? If you knock on the door, someone will answer it.

If it's the corporations you are going after, why not turn your attention to local businesses instead?

Last week on Twitter, J.D. owner of P'lovers tweeted about the 3/50 project which is a simple action we can all take. Pick 3 local businesses and spend $50 at each of them each month. The economical and ecological impact is worth it. And although I'm not physically at the Occupy protest in our city, this is one of the many ways I choose to show that I agree something has got to change with how our world operates. It's something we can all do and with the Christmas shopping blitz in full effect, what better time to start than now?

If you go to the 3/50 project page they ask you to think about the three independently owned businesses you couldn't live without. I have more than three that I like to spend my money at, but here are my top picks:

P'lovers
Curiosities Gift Shop
Jaydancin



What three independently owned businesses would you not be able to live without? I would love to hear from you so I can discover new treasures to support in our city and thereby also support sustainability, fair trade and eco-conscious production.

I would also like to hear some of the actions you have been taking to create the world the Occupy movement is making space for. The more we share, the more we learn. I look forward to your positive and creative suggestions.

Whatever social issue or problem you would like to see change, there is something you can do about it now, so get busy!

P.S. Complaining doesn't count.

Hey Box Head!

After only being an ear shot away the entire day while my children were playing with their good friends from across the street, I couldn't help but notice my oldest daughter was showing signs of overbearing behaviour towards the others. I called her over and told her to meet me upstairs in her room. I got there first and laid across her bed. My daughter entered soon after with her arms crossed.

"Your body language is exactly how you are showing up in the world today. Come sit down," I say to my pouting child. "Jasmine, I've noticed everyone has become quiet around you. They're not sharing their ideas because you've become bossy. Listen and you can hear them downstairs right now talking freely and enjoying themselves while you are up here with me."

And there, in the background, were happy little voices chattering away while working on building a fort made of blankets.

"It seems to me that you've been carrying around a little box in your head today," I continue.

Jasmine just looks at me with the same sulking face she had before I started talking.

"The name of that box is 'This Day Will Go My Way' and you've been working hard to make sure everything fits perfectly inside that box– even your friends. It's making you miserable and it's making your friends miserable. Which do you think everyone will enjoy more, you wishing everyone has a good time or you taking care of the little box in your head?"

"Wishing everyone has a good time," she replies.

BINGO!! And with a little more talking, Jasmine was able to shift her attitude and even thank me before returning to her friends.

I tell you this because it's tempting to have a "This Day Will Go My Way" box in your mind. In yoga, this would be an example of living with attachment. In this case, the attachment is to outcomes and it causes great stress and suffering in our daily lives and in the lives of others.

Many Eastern philosophies talk about the practice of non-attachment. Instead of a box, think of a lump of warm clay that you can give a basic shape to, but don't worry about getting into too many details of what the finished product will look like. You always have to leave a little room for universal chaos to sculpt your clay as well. In this way, you are co-creating, not controlling. It may seem like a lot of work to continually adapt, adjust and modify, but it's actually less and you (and your friends, co-workers, family and partner) will be much happier for it.

Namaste.

Ready for a Radical Change?

When I take my last breath I will know I have lived to my fullest potential and with no regrets.

We all get lazy sometimes and that's okay, but when it becomes chronic we become miserable and life becomes mediocre. Usually, we blame everyone and everything around us when in fact, we are being called to change; called to be more than what we currently are. We've grown and the discomfort of our life is just a signal that it's time to move on –metaphorically or literally.

Most people get stuck in complaining about something and then go back and forth between things going well (complaining stops) and things going bad (complaining resumes). It takes a cancer diagnosis or a job loss to start pondering the course one's life is taking.  But instead of waiting for that major, earth shaking, painful incident to happen, why not just get tired of complaining and decide to do something about it before the power of choice is taken away?

Deciding to do something is like a switch going off in your head and in that fraction of a second you know with every ounce of your Being that it's a done deal and you'll never go back to the way things were. To put it simply: all lasting change starts with a radical change in thought, not action. To say "I need to lose weight" is really only a "should" and will lead you to putting yourself temporarily on a diet. To say "I need to exercise" is really only a "should" and will lead to you purchasing a gym membership and neglecting to go.

A life changing decision is a change in values or beliefs and is usually preceded by frustration. "I am sick and tired of feeling this way!!! I will NOT go another day feeling these aches and pains in my body because of my weight" is a decision that inspires a strong commitment to action.

But, maybe you just aren't that sick and tired yet. Okay... fast forward 10 years from now and see your life as the effect of today's actions. Be honest with yourself –no sugar coating allowed! If you don't like your weight now, how will being overweight affect your quality of life 10 years from now? If you are broke now, how will having major debt and no savings affect your quality of life 10 years from now? If all of your relationships are full of drama now, how will you be functioning a decade from now? And remember, the more conscious your decisions, the more responsibility you have. Are you ready for that? Let's not forget that every decision made always affects more than just you. Can you negotiate the cost of a bad decision?

By glancing into your future you can educate yourself now and take advantage of an opportunity to make choices that will change your life's path. Just think, if tomorrow you took your last breath, would you be able to say, "I gave it my all" or would you be begging for a second chance?

Finding Meaning in the G20 Chaos

It's been three days since the G20 summit in Toronto and like majority of Canadians, I am still feeling the affects of it. As I search for the meaning of last weekend's events, the disturbing images planted in my mind keep surfacing. We can do better than this.

I will not lose faith in the notion that across this beautiful globe of ours there are enough intelligent, creative and caring human beings who can rise up and become the leaders we so badly need: leaders in their families, leaders in their workplaces, leaders in their communities, leaders in their countries... leaders of their countries.

Just the other day, I was joking with someone (but not really) that in order to beat 'the man', you have to be 'the man'. As much as it pissed me off to see the politicians smiling and enjoying themselves, their blatant disregard of the protest is what we needed. Like a teenager who once rebelled against their parents before maturing into an adult, the time of kicking and screaming and breaking things is over– as is the time of passive aggressive behaviour.  We have become wise enough and capable enough to take responsibility of our world as it is and do something about it.  As Ghandi once said, “the difference between what we do and what we are capable of doing would suffice to solve most of the world’s problem.” Yes, it's a much bigger commitment than 72 hours of protesting, it's a lifetime devotion to personal progress not for monetary gain, but for global gain. That is what will create lasting change. And one day, when we become leaders of the country we have envisioned, we'll realize that guiding a nation isn't easy at all (and that we do need to be surrounded by armed officers when travelling).

From an eagle's perspective, beyond all archetypes, beyond race, culture, religion or sexual orientation, last weekend was the convergence of human beings falsely separated by the historical illusion of 'us' versus 'them'– the stuff that war is made out of. And so it continues, as we defend whichever 'side' we are on. What was the first thing Nelson Mandela did when he was released from prison after 27 years? He certainly didn't have time to get caught up in "he said/she said" pettiness; he had a nation to liberate.  Leaders who have made substantial progress for the sake of humanity have first sought to understand the opposition, and then forgive them. Those two actions are what kept their extraordinary visions pulsing with life and birthed into reality. Nobility. Nobility...

By no means do I attempt to minimize what the protesters or innocent bystanders have experienced, or what the thousands of police officers experienced for that matter because they, too, have stories. I thank all of the protesters who did not engage in acts of violence. I thank the police officers for doing a very difficult job. I thank the Black Bloc for reminding me there is a black sheep in our family. I thank the politicians for making it clear I have more work to do from where I am right now.

Get involved in the community, continue to spread kindness...  keep faith in humanity. All of our actions, if driven by vision, will open a multitude of doors that permit us to making greater and greater impact.

You CAN change the world

"Making your mark on the world is hard. If it were easy, everybody would do it. But it's not. It takes patience, it takes commitment, and it comes with plenty of failure along the way. The real test is not whether you avoid this failure, because you won't. It's whether you let it harden or shame you into inaction, or whether you learn from it; whether you choose to persevere."

-President Barack Obama


Shortly after I graduated and began my first career as a school teacher, I remember having this overwhelming feeling that somehow I could change the world; that I was unstoppable. Of course, that was before I knew about bureaucratic barriers. It didn't take long before my naive optimism was squashed out of me and I resigned to a life of mediocrity. I decided that I was powerless; my pulse slowed down, my fire turned to glowing embers. My new mantra became "Why bother?"

If you are living or ever have lived by that mantra, you understand the ways in which your life suddenly turns gray and you begin to live vicariously through larger than life characters in books or on screens.

It was only a matter of time before my residency in the wasteland of mediocrity became dissatisfying. My hiding place was discovered by my spirit and my first born child. I had no choice but to try again.This time around, I realize that leaving your mark isn't so much about the mark itself as it is about the type of person you have to become and the vision you have to guide you.

Mr. Gandhi was right.To create any significant change in the world first requires a significant change within. The biggest changes often involve overcoming multiple fears. Fear of loss. Fear of rejection. Fear of persecution... and the list goes on and on. In fact, I'm not sure the list is ever exhausted. And you can guarantee, where there is fear, feelings of inadequacy also exist. 

Nobody likes to feel inadequate, but without feeling less than capable we wouldn't need to grow. It is where one of life's many forks in the road exists: grow bigger than you are right now, or shrink so you can remain comfortable–for now. I guess you could also choose to not to choose. I wouldn't recommend that option though, I've tried it and I just ended up standing at the junction complaining because I was uncomfortable. It's not fun. But what I now know is nothing... I repeat; nothing feels more epic than overcoming a fear that has been holding you back from living to your fullest potential or becoming proficient at something you once floundered at.

When I was younger I took the comfortable road. Maybe I didn't believe enough in my vision to fight for it. Or maybe I had realized if I fought for it I might not win... and then what? Perhaps my vision was weak and incomplete. Whatever the reason, I needed my flame to peter out so I could build a better fire. Now, when I feel the slightest loss in momentum,  I either fine tune my vision, change my approach, take a break, regroup... I'm not giving up. Not this time.

As Barack says, making your mark is not easy and it does take patience, commitment and a willingness to fail. It is a true test of your vision. I believe a great vision will always see you through and the feet of the person you are becoming will eventually get you there.

I know you're out there...

On some level, all of us are craving change. Perhaps you have felt your wheels spinning because the desire for change was there but you didn't know what to do with it. It's time to stop spinning and just make your move! Whether it's big or small, all action counts and is instrumental in creating change.

I found this TED Talks video (my favourite source of information) featuring Seth Godin, an entrepreneur and well-known blogger, speaking about using the internet as a tool, bringing like-minded people together to create major change. The power of one isn't really the power of one; it's the power of many and it is the power of truth. Speak your mind and share your heart, but you're going to ruffle some feathers. Do it as a 'tribe' and there's nothing to fear.

Grab a cup of tea or a glass of wine and for the next 20 minutes enjoy this little pep talk.

Seth Godin on the tribes we lead | Video on TED.com