You need to stop wanting to be seen to be doing things instead of doing the actual work. The former gives you fame while the latter creates impact. The internet is awash with over three billion image uploads and over seven hundred thousand hours of video uploads daily. Think about that for a second. We love to be seen to be doing but what matters is impact.
You need to stop waiting for December to dream big, only to let go of those big dreams before Valentine’s Day.
You need to stop giving excuses for everything around you: elections, economy, spouse, children, and church. Mosque, politics, tribe, etc.
You need to stop esteeming ignorance over knowledge and wisdom. Knowledge establishes you, not being tossed around, making poor decisions. Wisdom guides you; there are many ways, but you need to find your own path.
You need to stop procrastinating because of Christmas, Easter, Eid, and Independence Day. Those days have been on the Calendar before you were born. You knew they were coming.
You need to stop waiting to be given permission. Permission to be you, to become someone, to live a life void of fear, to shine, to pray, to hope, to dream, to laugh, to get married, to walk away from an abusive relationship.
You need to stop finding identity from what you do. What you do doesn’t define you, you define it.
You need to stop expecting people to love you right and treat you right. Love yourself. Treat yourself right and teach people to treat you the way you wish. If it doesn’t happen. Walk away. Life is short. *Disclaimer: Don’t treat yourself as a jerk. This works for positive vibes only.
You need to stop expecting your boss, pastor, or teacher to tell you who you are. They can support you, but it is your responsibility to find your voice on this earth and make it count.
You need to stop being a lazy thinker. Being told what to do is not different from being an animal. Use your brain.
You need to stop relying on someone to build relationships for you. Build your relationship with God, your spouse. Friends and family. Whoever builds relationships on your behalf will have the power to influence you for the good or manipulate you.
You need to stop being a taker. Give! It’s more blessed to give than to receive.
You need to stop complying with the world order. Be a creator, build something you can pass on. You can’t pass on your job. Your job is simply a stopover over even if you spend fifty years doing it, you will never transfer it to your kids. If you own part of the place you work, that is a different story.
You need to stop primarily learning from experience and failure. You have one life to live. Learn from success, build on success. Be humble to implement what works as you experiment with how to make it unique. Experience and failure will happen; learn from them, but they should never be your primary source for learning.
You need to stop “Changing the world” before you can master how to pay your bills. Dream about changing the world. That is your God given birthright to greatness. Come back and create a system that will pay your bills and protect your family as you change the world.
You need to stop begging. Any kind of begging, customers, from friends, lovers, etc. If you see value and can communicate value, you will attract people who see value in you. You don’t have to beg anyone for another day.
You need to stop being casual about finding opportunities. Get off that couch or social media and build your brand. Own your narrative.
You need to stop eating your seed. A seed is anything that has the potential to multiply. It’s that business. You want to sell. The Google boys wanted to sell their business in 2009 for one million dollars, but the buyer said the valuation was too high. If they had sold Google in 2009, they would have sold their seed. It has a valuation of approximately $3.86 to $3.87 trillion USD. This valuation makes it the world’s third most valuable company.
You need to stop “telling” and start “asking.” You don’t know it all to tell us what to do. People are smart enough to find their own answers. If you think you need to hire people and tell them what to do, then you are either the wrong leader for them or you’re hiring the wrong people.
You need to stop waiting for positions to lead. Leadership is primarily about taking charge of your life. It is not a title your workplace gives you. It’s not a title your church puts before your name.
Leadership should be true to who you are. Leadership should be fully aligned with your values. Not fearless, but fiercely present. Not loud, but unmistakably clear.
The world needs leaders who are willing to show up real, ready, and willing to choose Courage everyday
