You’ve done this.<\/p>\n
I’ve done it.<\/p>\n
And the bizarre part…you didn’t plan on it happening.<\/p>\n
I’ll come back to this in a minute…<\/p>\n
Only because it reminds me of one of those times.<\/p>\n
I was 17.<\/p>\n
Had just gotten my driver’s license.<\/p>\n
And decided to go to the mall with my friend.<\/p>\n
While there we each had to go to the bathroom. Nothing unusual…right?<\/p>\n
So with my friend leading the way we scurried down the long hallway…hooked a sharp left…and then another quick left into the bathroom.<\/p>\n
After taking a few steps in something didn’t look right.<\/p>\n
And while my friend was laughing and acting his “crazy self” I said, “Vic there’s something out of place here.”<\/p>\n
He was half laughing and half “grunting” as he ran out of the bathroom.<\/p>\n
And at that moment I realized what was out of place…<\/p>\n
We both ran into the woman’s bathroom.<\/p>\n
Then after I walked out…I still remember to this day…there was a guy—who looked like Nelson Mandela— sitting there and laughing at us.<\/p>\n
It was embarrassing…only because someone had seen us run into the woman’s bathroom.<\/p>\n
This now brings up what I mentioned earlier…about what you and I have done but didn’t plan on happening.<\/p>\n
And what I’m referring to are those embarrassing moments you’ve been in.<\/p>\n
Along with this…<\/p>\n
There’s a hidden “life gem” involved in these moments that can and do change the course of how your life turns out…as long as you’re aware of it.<\/p>\n
And it has to do with you taking what seems like “risks” in your life.<\/p>\n
Think of a time when you wanted to do something…<\/p>\n
It could have been speaking in front of a group of people.<\/p>\n
It could have been asking someone you like to go out on a date.<\/p>\n
It could have been an idea you came up with that you knew people would laugh at.<\/p>\n
It could have been anything that was “stretching” you beyond your normal comfort zone.<\/p>\n
It can even be what your life purpose is.<\/p>\n
Now let’s say you did follow through on whatever it was for you. Did you notice that it wasn’t as “bad” as you originally thought?<\/p>\n
Yet at first you felt embarrassed at the thought of doing it…even to the point of outright fear.<\/p>\n
Also think about this…<\/p>\n
Let’s take those moments I just mentioned. What if you approached those without any preconceived thoughts. In other words, let’s say you didn’t know any better.<\/p>\n
Would you have felt embarrassed at the thought of doing it? Would you have had any feelings of fear by doing it?<\/p>\n
And this goes back to what happened with me that day I ran in to the woman’s bathroom at the mall.<\/p>\n
I didn’t know any better because I didn’t know it was the woman’s bathroom at first…because if I did there’s no way would I have walked in.<\/p>\n
Because in that moment—even though I wasn’t consciously aware of it—I saw a balance of positive and negative…and therefore had no fear of going into the bathroom.<\/p>\n
Yet…<\/p>\n
After I walked in…realized what happened…then ran out…and saw the Nelson Mandela looking guy laughing…that’s when I felt embarrassed. Plus I was also thinking, “what if other people saw this, would they tell on us?”<\/p>\n
This brings up another part of this “life gem”…<\/p>\n
Worrying about what other people will say and think of you.<\/p>\n
Even though the Nelson Mandela lookalike witnessed this entire episode it was still embarrassing at first. And if I had noticed him sitting out there to begin with I would not have gone into the woman’s bathroom.<\/p>\n
But…<\/p>\n
After I walked out and saw him laughing I knew what my friend and I did wasn’t that “bad” after all. And if anything that guy sitting out there saw us as having the “guts” enough to do what we did.<\/p>\n
So was I worried about what he thought at this point? Of course not…because he was laughing about it.<\/p>\n
And that’s the point to realize here…<\/p>\n
Because many times you’ll find yourself worrying about what other people will think of you when you do something that is “beyond the ordinary.”<\/p>\n
At this point you have two choices…go with the “status quo” or go beyond the norm and stand out.<\/p>\n
And this is exactly what’s involved in you going from where you are now to where you want to be.
\nIt’s the difference between staying stuck living a life of “have to’s”, “supposed to’s”, and “got to’s.”<\/p>\n
Versus…<\/p>\n
Living a life of “I love to’s”, “I’m inspired to”, and “This is what I’ve always dreamed of doing.”<\/p>\n
And it’s not a matter of what other people think.<\/p>\n
You’ll have people liking and disliking you no matter what you do.<\/p>\n
You’ll have people supporting and challenging you no matter what you do.<\/p>\n
You’ll have people praising and criticizing you no matter what you do.<\/p>\n
And you know what?<\/p>\n
You’ll also have those “embarrassing moments” come up along the way. These are necessary to get you to go beyond yourself.<\/p>\n
They’re necessary because they help bring out the best in you.<\/p>\n
They’re involved in getting you to appreciate who you are and all that you do.<\/p>\n
They’re involved in getting you to realize how much value you contribute to the world through your uniqueness.<\/p>\n
And they get you to see how special of a person you are.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
You’ve done this. I’ve done it. And the bizarre part…you didn’t plan on it happening. I’ll come back to this in a minute… Only because it reminds me of one of those times. I was 17. Had just gotten my driver’s license. And decided to go to the mall with my friend. While there we…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":556,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-278","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n