It has been almost a year since I blogged last! So sorry, I have been very busy with family, work and CEO School. CEO School is a fantastic opportunity that came out of nowhere and something that I thought would never be an opportunity for me. I am a Human Resources (HR) person, my education and experience has always been about the people and never really geared towards running the business, I do have an MBA but it is with an emphasis in HR, and let us just say growing up people did not necessarily see me as executive of any type let alone a CEO. Therefore, I automatically dismissed the idea of even applying for a scholarship to attend this program when I first heard about it. Almost missing out on this opportunity made me re-think how I approach decisions and opportunities in my life.
Why the title "Decisions and Opportunities; Opportunities and Decisions" you may ask, because an opportunity often begins with making a bold
decision. Good/positive decisions and opportunities are all around us. The truth of the matter many are not looking for either. Most are expecting opportunity to come screaming after them, rather than recognizing that an opportunity specifically designed for them just quietly walked by in the form of an opportunity to make a bold
decision. In the CEO School opportunity, I almost made the decision not to take advantage of the opportunity because it was outside of my comfort zone and it did not fit the picture others had painted for me. The truth of the matter there are several ways you can miss the opportunity to make bold decisions.
We miss those opportunities to make bold decisions in a variety of ways, such as
looking at the lives of others rather than looking for the opportunities in our own lives. One of life's greatest lessons for me was when I discovered there was a destiny specifically designed for me. Let me tell you, there is so much joy and freedom when you realize that you do not have to live another's destiny. I do understand we all stumble across a life that looks very appealing to us; however, were we often go wrong is that we try to imitate that life. Individuals, who imitate, miss so much because they never encounter the beautiful plan (those opportunities to make bold decisions) for their own lives. Trying to live the plan of others is so difficult and not designed to be fulfilling in the least bit, in fact, it is very defeating.
There is another type of failure that happens in the pursuit of one's destiny, stagnant thinking. Often people refuse to think differently, they bought completely the lies told to them by others during the course of their lives. They often buy the negative report of the news and the negativity that they may have witnessed around them. They care more about impressing others rather than working the plan carefully orchestrated for them. One of the greatest things I have found out about the plan for my life, is I have the opportunity (bold decisions) to take the talents that I have been given, and impact someone else's life in a positive way. You know what; Toni had to learn that the plan for her life is not entirely about her; I had to learn to check the ego at the door. Go figure!
Things are often not perfect; I have lived a very imperfect life but still I am blessed. Often people let their mistakes define their future in a negative way. Mistakes are just what they are, mistakes. Webster's defines mistakes as "to blunder in choice"; that says it all, just make a different choice the next time. Now, realizing that sometimes those blunders come with consequences and sometimes those consequences are severe, however, it does not mean life is over. Many times these blunders are valuable lessons and while sometimes the consequences are uncomfortable, they are often key to getting you on the right path. I wish I could say I knew every detail of my life, the truth is I don't, but I will continue to seek wisdom, and most importantly continue to work the plan that was designed for me. Most importantly, I will continue to make BOLD DECISIONS.
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