I saw Tony Robbins on TV this week promoting his new reality show (which I missed watching because I forgot to Tivo it; I’ll check it on Hulu). He always shares a great perspective to consider, and here’s what I picked up, in case you missed it:
The late, great Jim Rohn, world-famous motivational speaker, always talked about “the seasons of our life” such that we all experience seasons just like Mother Nature provides us spring, summer, fall, and winter. The winter season is a time of struggle and survival. There are many difficulties during winter, but it is always followed by the thaw of spring. Spring is a time of new life. It is a rebirth and a time to nurture and carefully attend to the new opportunities that are coming into being. And then comes summer, which is a time of cultivation, growth, and protection. Summer is when the planted seeds mature and blossom. It is a time when we must protect the fruits of our labor and prepare for the fall harvest. Following every summer comes the fall, when we reap what we sow and prepare ourselves for the inevitable returning winter.
I love this analogy of life and how it applies to our everyday existence. As Tony mentioned this week, his perspective is that, as a whole, we are still in a winter season, which we have been enduring for two years now. Just like winter, there are some days of sunshine, but we are still experiencing many tough times.
Three tips he gave us to continue to endure this winter season successfully:
Don’t lie to yourself, and don’t make it worse than it is. I think Tony put a very interesting spin on this concept. When I think about “not lying to myself,” I look at how I try to downplay the severity of the issue and make it less of the big deal that it is. On the other hand, Tony said, “Don’t make it worse than it is,” which I actually see a lot with business owners. Many people are allowing themselves to suffer much more than they need to.
See it better than it is. This is a huge concept and one into which we really need to put more conscious and focused effort. I am a huge advocate for creating and maintaining a powerful vision of the future. I spend a major chunk of time with each and everyone of my clients in creating and clearly articulating their vision for the future. This vision is what gives us direction as well as focus but, most importantly, it gives us hope and purpose. I have seen so many people lose sight of their vision, and it breaks my heart because I can feel their confusion and pain. I can see their struggle and watch them running to and fro chasing their tails, trying desperately to find some stable ground and something solid onto which to firmly hold. It’s a scary thing, but the great news is, with a little help from a good business coach, you can get your vision clear and you can get it fast. This is easily the fastest and most dramatic result that will produce the absolute greatest impact in any person, their business, and their life…and it happens FAST.
Go after role models; look for someone who’s done it so it doesn’t seem fake to you. Tony really hit the nail on the head here. It’s so fun to create visions of the future, to dream big, and to let your imagination wander to visions of glory and riches, but when the reality train hits you smack in the head, all that you’re left with is a fabulous fantasy and an empty wallet. As an old friend used to say, “That and five bucks will get you a cup of coffee at Starbucks.” However, if you can find someone who’s done what you’re trying to do, someone who can see the picture you have painted, and someone who has the ability to help you turn your visions into reality, now you’ve just “Supermanned” that speeding locomotive of reality. I always promote that the first three aspects that need to be added to each and every person’s success team are a mentor, a coach, and a peer-support group. There is just too much that needs to be done, too many big, life-changing decisions that need to be made, and all of it is happening so fast that we simply cannot waste time being in any sort of stuck, confused, frustrated, scared, unsure, or timid state of mind and try to get through it on our own.
So, if you won’t take it from me, at least take it from one of the greatest transformational leaders on the planet and come out of denial, clarify your vision of a brilliant and prosperous future, and find those successful role models to emulate and be coached by so you can be ready—because spring is coming!!!
