What is your "10 PM?"

“Do you think I like going to bed at 10 PM?” These were the words spoken to me by one of my mentors the other night, and I have not been able to get them off my mind.  I believe there is a reason we get struck with ideas, concepts, and challenges over and over again.  It is G-d’s way of trying to communicate to us that there are areas of our life we need to bring more awareness, more presence, and more time to.  Although they may feel like an annoyance, it is really one of the greatest gifts we can be given – only if we are open to receiving it of course.  But I digress.  Let me get back to the point.  That one phrase carries with it a tremendous amount of meaning for me.  That meaning can clearly be illustrated by an idea Napoleon Hill articulated in his classic book, Think and Grow Rich.  He professed that you can have anything you want in life as long as it was crystal clear on what you would be willing to give up in the process.  For my mentor, he was willing to give up his late nights in front of the television in order to open up the time to live out his dreams. 

It is kind of ironic that my “10 PM” struck me and compelled me to immediately put “pen to paper” at midnight.  That must be a “10 PM” for me.  I am willing to forgo an extra hour of sleep so that I can fulfill my passion for writing and inspiring people through my words and experiences.  If I waited until morning, this thought may have passed me by.  If I only took note of what I wanted to say, the inspiration of the moment may have never been retrieved again.  For that reason, I decided to give up the comfort of a full night’s sleep to complete this article of inspiration.  It is one thing to know what it is that you want in life.  That is usually the easy part.  The tough part is deciding what you are willing to give up in order to make that dream a reality.  Until you get to the point where you are willing to give up the comfort and ease of playing it safe and doing what everyone else does, you will continue to get what everyone else “gets.” 

The most successful people in the world are clear on what there “10 PM” is.  Now that you know what you want, what are you willing to give up to get there?  Is it less TV, less relaxing, or even less sleep?  Is it less comfort, less safety, and the less security you will only find by playing life all out?  Are you willing to risk failure and public criticism? Are you willing to risk support from family and friends by following your dreams?  Until you are willing to define and draw a line in the sand what your dreams are worth to you, you will continue to find your dreams just outside your reach.  Set your goals.  Make your commitments. And give up something that is no longer serving you in order to attract more of what you actually want.  The potential is within you.  Are you ready to express it?

Love,

Matt