Reinventing oneself is “thinking outside of the box.” It means scanning the horizon and taking a course never before taken, doing things in a way not previously done, adopting a thought pattern not previously used, trying out things never before tried.
As easy this seem to be, many of us are stumped, not knowing where and how to start.
Before anything else, it would help to know that it is impossible to motivate a person to do that which he does not like to do, to be what he does not like to be. Motivation wells from within, not something fed from without.
My daughter wants to be rich. Though she, for the moment, has no idea why she wants to be, but the fact that she wants something out of life is enough to spur her on.
“To make a difference in the lives of others,” is a mission statement pasted on my study table. I read it every night; it spurs me on.
While people may argue that I still can make a difference in others’ lives even without money, I brush this argument as plain bullshit. Mother Theresa made an impact on the lives of millions because of other people’s money. Bill Gates has become a philanthropist because he has billions of dollars to be. Cutting away the crap, for one reason or another, we all want to do so many things but are stopped dead in our tracks because of lack of money.
You want more in life? Then do more than what you are currently doing with your life. Reinvent. Think outside of the box.
At my advanced age, there are still a lot of things I want to do. Some are time-constrained, others are money-constrained. Our equality as human beings is vested on the fact that we all have 24 hours a day available at our disposal. My advantage is that my life has always been bound to the clock. I do things on time; my meals, my sleeping time, my leisure time, etc. When I and my children roam the malls, I never had to fidget while waiting for them. A pre-arranged meeting place and time is already set. And thanks to the discipline instilled on them while young, they both stick to schedules as well. I am never late. I am time-constrained because my “candle” is almost consumed to a stump. But while my light is up, not a second is wasted. How about you?
It boggles me no end why people couldn’t do the simplest of things - be on time. The company I am consulting with is heavily “wired.” Except for the janitors, everybody has a workstation. It is almost the epitome of a paperless office. But when I was asked to attend a meeting, I was dismayed to arrive at the meeting venue with nary a soul in sight. Everybody was late, even the one who called for it - this despite the fact that it was announced through the office intranet.
Simply put, if one cannot do the simplest of tasks like being punctual, it is impossible to do the far more difficult tasks that lie ahead. You simply cannot get rich if you do things late. No matter how brilliant the execution of a project is, it is still not good enough if not done on time.
Want to re-invent yourself and think outside of the box? The first step is to do things on time. Otherwise stop right here and entertain yourself with your dreams because your life will just be a series of dreams if you cannot do things on time.
Tags: box, entertain, late, meeting, punctual, steps, think, venue
