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Hey there!!
After a few weeks away The Journeyman is back! I needed the time to reflect on things and get some directions.  Am I there yet? Not at all. But I am not where I used to be.
Happy New Years everybody. I hope you enjoyed the holidays. Mine was interrupted by a nasty cold from which I am still recovering.
This year will be different as far as this blog is concerned. New ideas, new revelations (Paparazzi get ready) and new writers. Yes; you heard correctly. Periodically, I will have guest writers share their blogs with you. Don't worry, they will be as qualified as I am (was I even qualified in the first place?).
I know you will enjoy them. In fact, here is the first one. It comes from Unleashed Possibilities.
Enjoy and I truly welcome your feedback on this blog!



“A Journey of a Thousand Miles begins with a Single Step”


Confucius


Can you imagine where you would be if for the last one, five or ten years you had taken one action per day towards pursuing and achieving that goal or dream you have always wanted to accomplish?


It never stops to amaze me how quickly each year seems to go.  I remember when I was a kid and how the days felt like it was a year and the year felt like it was forever.  As an adult it seems like not only is society racing ahead but that of time as well.  Of course, we all know time doesn’t speed up or slow down.  So what is it that makes it feel like it’s increasing especially when we come to the end of a year and have started a new year?  Have you ever heard someone say that they like having a lot to do at work because it makes the day go quickly? Well, this thinking can also be used to explain why many of us feel like the year has gone by quickly; we become so busy and involved with all the daily stuff that we don’t realize how much time has past until it gets closer to the end of the year.


So many times in life we get caught up with trying to keep up that we fail to recognize that the clock of time keeps ticking regardless of how much or how little we do. Our lives have become so busy because of all the responsibilities that come with family, career, Facebook, Twitter, sports, and life in general that we fail to recognize how much we did in the past year.   In fact, the question we should ask ourselves is did any of the actions we took in the past year go towards building our short term to long term future?  In other words, did you take at least one or two actions daily that have brought you closer towards achieving your goals and dreams?  Let’s be honest we are all guilty of finding excuses to explain why we did not; and in some cases many of these excuses are very valid.  Now that being said, can you imagine where you would be if for the last one, five or ten years you had taken one action per day towards pursuing and achieving that goal or dream you have always wanted to accomplish?


One of the most inspiring persons I have read about is Wilma Rudolph.  WiIma contracted infantile paralysis (caused by the polio virus) at the age of four and as a result of this illness she had to wear a brace on her left leg and foot until she was the age of nine.  It took another three years of wearing an orthopaedic shoe and visiting hospitals for treatments before she achieved her dream of overcoming her disability.  Despite these set-backs/obstacles/challenges she went on to earn a berth on the 1956 U.S. Olympic track and field team at the age of 16.  She returned home with a bronze medal in the 4 x 100 relay which she proudly showed to her high school teammates.  Remember, that up until the age of twelve Wilma had to wear some type of leg and foot support because of her disability.   This meant that between the ages of 12 and 16 she went from being physically handicapped in her leg and foot to that of an Olympic medal winner.   She again represented the US at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome where she won three gold medals (100 m, 200 m and 4x100 m relay).  She was considered the fastest women in the world at that time and retired from track at the age of 22.  In 10 years she went from being disabled to being the most abled runner in the entire world.   Let me ask you this question: when you look back over the last ten years of your life can you point to two dreams or goals where you had to overcome great obstacles to achieve?


Thomas Edison who is credited for inventing the light bulb was considered to be “too stupid to learn anything” at a very young age.  In fact, he had less than four months of official schooling.  He was fired from two jobs and made 1,000 unsuccessful attempts at inventing the light bulb.  When he was asked by a reporter: “How did it feel to fail 1,000 times?” Edison responded by saying “I didn’t fail 1,000 times.  The light bulb was an invention with 1,000 steps.”


Michael Jordan, considered by many to be the greatest basketball player ever, was cut from his basketball team.  On reflection Jordan said “I’ve failed over and over again in my life. That is why I succeed.”


I could go on and on but instead I will stop and ask you the following question: “Are you today where you had hoped to be ten years, or five years or even one year ago?”  Think of how busy you were during the past ten years and five years or even the last year.  Now ask yourself this question: “Did you spend any significant time working towards those dreams you had ten years, five years or even one year ago?”  If not, do you realize that the next ten years will come and go faster than the previous ten years? Remember we are only getting busier as a people and before you know it you will be at the end of your road.  At that time will you be able to look back and honestly say that you had the courage to pursue and achieve your dreams despite the many obstacles and challenges; or, are you going to look back and say that you didn’t achieve your dreams in life because you were too busy? 


There is a Chinese quote that says “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step”.  So when you look back over the last year can you honestly say that you took actions that could have helped you achieve your goals for 2013 or for dreams you want to achieve in the next five to ten years?   If you did not and would like to, or maybe you did but stopped along the way then I encourage you to join us on Saturday January 25th  2014 for our workshop called: “A Journey of a Thousand Miles begins with a Single Step: How to Transform your 2014 New Year Resolutions/Dreams from a Goal into a Reality.” 


My guarantee to you is that you will not only leave this workshop with a plan of action but also with the motivation, inspiration and an opportunity to have the support you need to continue it for the rest of the year.  Please see the link below in order to register.  Please note that this workshop is in person and there are only a limited number of seats available.  So in closing, I leave you with the thought below:


“If you have a dream, give it a chance to happen.”


Richard de Vos



Author:
Unleashed Possibilities (UP) Inc.




Registration Information


Workshop:     “A Journey of a Thousand Miles begins with a Single Step: How to Transform your   2014 New Year Resolutions/Dreams from a Goal into a Reality.” 


Date:               Saturday 22nd February, 2014
Time:               10am – 4pm
Cost:                $35
Location:        Aangen Community Centre
                         868 Dovercourt Road
                        Toronto, Ontario


Registration:  Please click on the following link and scroll down to the workshop titled “A Journey of a Thousand Miles Begins with a Single Step: How to Transform your 2014 New Year Resolutions/Dreams from a Goal into a Reality.” 
                 
                        Registration Link:  http://www.aangen.com/workshops.asp


Contact:          Patrick Bizindavyi, on behalf of Unleashed Possibilities (UP) Inc. @ 416-760-4644

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