Author: Dave Guerra

Categories
Leadership

2024: CONQUER YOURSELF

Can you believe we are at the end of February?
Two months down and 10 more to go.

Now I am going to ask you a question and if it makes you feel uncomfortable to answer it, then you are the one that needs to hear this.
If you feel very comfortable answering this question then you are not ready to be better that you were yesterday.

See, it is all about being uncomfortable.

Here is the question: WHY ARE YOU NOT CONQUERING YOURSELF?

Are you not conquering yourself because you are afraid?

Afraid of what others will think?

Are you not conquering yourself because you are afraid of what happens after you achieve something.

When it comes to being a conqueror, a warrior, there is everything to be afraid of.

Not what you were expecting me to say?

Let me repeat that. When it comes to being a conqueror or a warrior, there is everything to be afraid of.

I mean that you can try to fool other people into thinking you are not afraid or that you got this.

However, the truth is the opposite.

Everyone that is moving into a new place in life, a new position in this world the uncertainty is what creates the fear. There is no avoiding this fact.

And if you are hell bent on saying you are not afraid then you are one of two things:
You are a damn liar or you are ONLY fooling yourself by lying to yourself.

There is not wrong with admitting you have fears. There is absolutely nothing wrong with admitting your fears but doing what must be done anyway.

What is WRONG is NOT admitting your fears. By not admitting you have fears, you let fear overtake you. Fear takes root and because you are not ready to stand up and admit you have fears, you will never truly be ready to conqueror yourself or your life.

Instead of facing your fear head on, you would rather cower and never move beyond what you already are.

I know it sounds harsh but I am speaking my truth. I would cower enough that I would get nothing done. I would start but never see it through. I was the perfect fodder for those that were looking for someone to take advantage of, use as a scapegoat, to blame for their own inadequacies on and so on.

Folks, at some point, enough is enough.

At some point you must stop being afraid and take charge of your life by taking charge of fear. Whether others like it or not.

A word of warning, they are NOT going to like it. They are not going to like it because how dare you decide enough is enough and who are you to decide it is time to be the master of your fate?

They want you they way they have always known you.

They want you under their thumb because there you can never be better; there they can control you. Under their thumb they can keep an eye on you and there they can decide what is best for you all while they have absolutely no clue as to what is best for themselves.

The time will come and you must change. To live and grow you have no choice but to do what is best for you.

To Conquer you must conquer yourself first. Then you can conquer everything else in your life.

So, it is OK to be afraid. Go out and conquer because you got the power.

You make it happen!

There ya go. I said it!

David Guerra, MA, MBA

Categories
Accountability Change Leadership MBWA Morality Motivation positive Walking Leader Work Ethic

2024: Challenges & Opportunities

As we go through life there are numerous certainties. Here are two:
One, we are constantly bombarded by challenges
Two, far too many times we fail to recognize those challenges as opportunities.

Folks, every challenge is an opportunity to grow.

Let us look at this way, opportunities do not come along as often.

However, as we are constantly being bombarded with challenges there is no escaping the opportunities that come with them.

Seriously, think about this, Day in and day out. Opportunities are all around us. There are of course, there are going to be challenges.

When it comes challenges, they are not as bountiful.

Challenges come in two flavors:

The challenges we inflict on ourselves.
and
The challenges we allow others to inflict on us.

Both types of challenges are actionable. Actionable in that we can do something about those challenges:
We can accept them and let them overtake us.
We can accept them and we can overcome them.
Or as far too many people do: Ignore them in hopes they go away but instead those challenges WILL steam roll you.

Where is the opportunity in these challenges?

Simple, opportunity is found in all three options.

The opportunity is there to make something good happen for you or to allow something bad happen to you. What you decide is solely and strictly up to you.

Another reality is that you do have control over what happens.

The harsh truth is that there are far too many people that would rather settle than to do something about their situation.

That means when they are faced with challenges, they would rather roll over, play dead, and let happen what is going to happened to them. That is WEAK!

They see the challenges but give up on overcoming those challenges and in turn they give up on themselves.

Because they gave up on themselves, they will never get to see the opportunities those challenges bring.

Giving up may seem like the easiest thing to do but when you give up it is the hardest thing you can do to yourself.

It is the hardest thing that you can do to yourself for one simple reason: The moment you give up on one thing, the easier it will be to continue giving up on other parts of your life and eventually you will give up on yourself.

Trust me on this. I know. I have given up on myself many times. However, one day an challenge popped into my life. I saw that if I decided to take it, it was going to be a huge challenge.

The challenge was accepted and the opportunity has turned out to be one of the greatest ones in my adult life.

It is truly up to you to take the challenges as they come and turn them into opportunities.

But remember, there are no opportunities when you would rather stick you head in the sand and avoid the challenges.

And if that is you? I wish you luck!

Categories
Accountability Decisionmaking Ethics Inspiration Leadership Morality Motivation positive Tips Walking Leader

2024: About Setbacks and Comebacks

While, last week I talked about Bouncing Back and Rising Strong. This week, consider it a continuation. This week I want to talk about the journey of setbacks and comebacks.

I do believe it was the great modern urban philosopher LL COOL J who once sang, “Don’t call it a comeback, I been here for years. I’m rockin’ my peers, puttin’ suckers in fear…”

In the song “Mama Said Knock You Out” LL COOL J starts the song after he has gotten up and made his comeback, of sorts. But is it really a comeback he is professing? I do not think so. Not at all!

Those who called it a comeback did so because they see who he is now and never paid attention to his journey.

That is OK as they really do not care about his journey, your journey, or anyone else’s journey.

At the same time, there are people that are only around you for the good times but when the bad times roll on in, they are nowhere to be found.

That is because they are on their own journey, they are trying to figure it out.
They are trying to navigate through their life but for those individuals, that journey is usually taking them nowhere or they only go in circles.

However, always remember and never forget just as others are on their own journey, you are on one, as well.

Your journey is taking you places to see and do things you have never seen and done before.

As you are on your journey do not worry about whether others are watching you now or not.

What matters is that you are watching yourself.

Watching what you are doing for yourself now matters the most.

Others will stumble upon you in the future and see what you have done. What you have accomplished.

They will see the person you are, at this moment, and not the person that had to make things happen, make sacrifices. They were not seeing nor worrying about the scratching, scrimping, hustling, and grinding you had to do to get to where you are now.

Those that show up in the good times are not going to see the struggles, the downsides you endured to get to the place you are right now.

Those kinds of individuals are known as “fair weather friends” and if you do not know what that is look it up. The definition may surprise you then again it might be a direct reflection of you. No surprises!

All I can say about that is nothing you can do or say can change the fact that “Fair weather friends” are the WORST kind of people to have around you and in your life.

They will be around you up until the time comes when you need them or something from them. Then, just like magic, POOF, they are gone. Disappeared. No Surprise.

On the other side of that coin, I would be remiss if I did not say something about those that were with you every step of the way.

Those few individuals that saw your struggle, those that saw you rise above and those that helped you when you needed help.

Those are the only ones qualified to call it a comeback because they know.

Now let me clarify before the wrong people start getting the wrong impression.

The people that have stood by your side for the entire ride are those who ate soup and ramen with you when times were tight.

They are the people that understood and stayed home with you when others decided they could not give you the time.

They are the ones that never pulled a punched when others thought it was funny to toy with you.

They are the ones that sat next to you as you cried because you were about to complete a year without a job and you were down to your last fifty bucks in the bank.

They are the ones that helped you get back up and keep going. They are the ones that never gave up on you and made certain you did not give up on yourself.

Those are the only people that are qualified to call it a comeback because they were there when you were at your lowest and they were there when it was time to celebrate.

The ones NOT qualified are those that would rather leave you stranded in another state because no flights are flying because to them any sacrifice was way too much.

The ones NOT qualified are the ones there for the glory but not the hard work.

The ones NOT qualified are the ones that used you as an excuse when they were up to no good and would rather blame you than accept responsibility for their actions or behavior.

The ones that are NOT qualified are the ones that tell you they do not want to talk about what is bothering you because as they profess to others that is what they are there for but ultimately, they do not truly care about you.

But when spotlight shines, like moths they are sure to return to bask in your light and then once the light goes out, they are gone, again (no surprise).

Then all you hear is crickets that is until the spotlight shines again (and it will).

See your story is still being written and in that fact the ups and downs will continue to occur.

So, pick those around you carefully and wisely.

Pick those that are there to bring positivity, love, and care.

Leave out the users, abusers, wannabes, and most of all leave out those that do not truly care about you unless there is something in it for them.

Only those that are with you, every step of the way, know your comeback and just how much that comeback truly means and as the late David Bowie once sang, “the rest can go to hell.”