Consider More

A year ago I lived 70 miles from where I grew up, in southwest Michigan, working for my undergraduate alma mater. Now, 365 days later, my life doesn’t even resemble what it did. I'm 2,200 miles away from my hometown, nestled between the Santa Ynez Mountains and the Pacific Ocean, working with a university system of which I had no previous ties. This massive life change was in the works long before I realized, but it would not have happened if I wasn't willing to consider possibility.

My life last year was good. It was the perfect blend of unfamiliar familiarity. The cities I'd left more than a decade ago had grown and changed, as I had, so it was like being reintroduced to a former love. I was surrounded by childhood friends and making new ones. My job was professionally and personally satisfying. I felt like I was in a groove, a really good groove. I was comfortable...and that's when I started hearing a faint whisper, urging me with the words, "Consider more."

That simple yet powerful prompt led me to ask myself what was missing. I looked around my office and thought, "The only thing missing from my job is international education. I would love to do what I'm doing now for a study abroad program." Giving myself permission to consider more from a career that I was already grateful for allowed me to search for precisely what I wanted. Not a variation, no need to compromise. I didn't need a new job, I was simply considering more.

A casual search on a seemingly random day initiated a huge life change. Yes, insecurity crept in. Fear tried to dominate the conversation. But I was driven by the urge to consider more. I had to consider more than where I was. I had to consider more than insecurity and more than fear. I needed to consider possibility and within one year, what was once just possible became my everyday.

As you look back over 2015, you may feel that the year didn't deliver what you'd hoped. Maybe you didn't deliver. I challenge you to consider more. It only takes one realization to drastically change your life. In 2016, consider more. Consider more than your job. Consider more than comfort. Consider more for your family. Consider more for yourself. Consider more than insecurity. Consider more than fear. Consider possibility. Before you can change your everyday you must first believe that it's possible and if you're willing, it is absolutely possible.

Possibility

From the time we learned to talk, we were asked, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" If it wasn't our parents asking, it was our aunts/uncles, neighbors, church members, parents of friends, and teachers. Once we reached our final year of high school, the question changed. "What do you want to be," became, "What do you want to do?" It's a slight variation, but a significant one. It's the first time we become aware that according to others, our identities, our lives, are defined by doing, not being. It's the first time that reality speaks louder than possibility.

As we grow older we consider some tough realities. What if what I wanted to be isn't what I will do? What if I cannot become what I said? What if doing something (getting a job, earning a living) is more important than becoming someone (a writer, an artist)? What if life requires me to choose?

Possibility is an amazing, liberating, and exciting concept. Possibility can motivate and inspire. When we fully grasp and accept the possibility that exists in our lives, we become powerful. Unfortunately, as we get older, our notion of possibility diminishes. We lose the confidence to dream and develop an unhealthy, consistent trust in fear. We fear failing. We fear disappointment. We fear fully living. We take our fear and live to avoid it. We convince ourselves that we can't fail, be disappointed or become a disappointment if we give up possibility for what's likely and safe. Our lives reflect our fears rather than our dreams.

Have you lost perspective on what's possible in your life? Have you relinquished the confidence to envision more? Does your life reflect your fears rather than your dreams?

Possibility is not just for other people. Possibility is not lost on you. Possibility is not limited to your conditions or assumptions. Life may have required you to make tough choices. Some of your decisions may not have been your best. Still, you get to decide again. Today, you get to determine what happens next. You have the opportunity to accept possibility no matter how many times you rejected it prior. What do you want to be? An example of fear or a demonstration of possibility? It's not too late. You are enough. You are more than what you've done. Now, what do you want to be?

Home Court

Over the weekend I attended the NCAA men's basketball Big Ten Tournament semifinals. From college basketball fanatics like me to March Madness rookies, the energy in Bankers Life Fieldhouse was equally felt. Cheering was expected, but in this intentionally neutral location, not affiliated with any collegiate team, the level of school spirit was exhilarating and inspiring.

Most of us will never know what it's like to step out on a basketball court and perform in front of thousands, but every single day all of us are challenged to live our best lives. At times, we will live in front of a home court—in situations and with people whom we are most at ease and comfortable. In those conditions we feel supported, prepared, and confident in our ability to perform well. In those circumstances, we can sense and hear the cheers of those who love us propelling us forward. What happens, though, when we are out of our comfort zone? What happens when we lose home court advantage?

As with sports, we can go through life performing where we're most comfortable. We can practice drills and plays that show off our skills. We can face opponents with which we're familiar. We can perform solely in arenas where we have home court advantage. However, if we want to develop, get stronger, and walk in our purpose, we have to become more. We have to push pass the skills we're already performing well, stretch ourselves further than familiarity, and walk in places beyond the comforts of our home court.

Life will force us to perform in situations that are not ideal nor desirable. We have to trust after being betrayed. We need to forgive even when holding a grudge feels safer. We must take a risk even while we're terrified. We are required to open up when we'd rather shut down. We have to exercise strength when we feel our weakest. The moments when we feel the most vulnerable, afraid, and insignificant offer the opportunity for us to discover our power, boldness, and relevance. It is in situations when we are separated from what's comfortable that we learn what's possible. It is only when we are removed from our familiar home court and are separated from our idea of normal that we can see with clarity and live with the intention of being exceptional.

Highlight Experiences

Fourteen years ago I walked up a gangway and ventured out for a 100-day trip around the world. I viewed this unique study abroad program as a once-in-a-lifetime experience because I didn’t think that someone like me—from my neighborhood, with my history, with my financial situation, with no personal example to mirror where I was headed—could live “this way” for life. In fact, at the start of the journey I flirted with feeling like I didn’t deserve to be there and as a result, I didn’t allow myself to consider the possibility that I could achieve such greatness again.

Far too many of us don’t allow ourselves to dream in variations of greatness. That’s why we hear remember-when stories so often. Get a group of people together and suddenly, we are ear-deep in stories that begin with, “Remember that one time...” Trips down memory lane can be entertaining and fun, but they are detrimental if those trips are the only time we feel accomplished, satisfied, or fulfilled.

You may have had a phenomenal childhood and life hasn’t been as kind to you since. It’s possible that your childhood was challenging and your adult life has not been much better. No matter the circumstances please know that you are not limited to one highlight experience. You do not live for that "one time" during high school or college. Living with the belief that your best years have already passed constrains your behavior because it has already constrained your mind. Once you believe that you can’t have better you surrender the will to hope for and to do better.

I will always fondly think back on my study abroad experience. It generously provided me with a comparative look at nine cultures, gifted me with beautiful friendship, helped me discover some truths about myself, opened my mind to the possibility of greatness, and taught me the greatness that exists in the concept of possibility. Even still, when I stepped off of that ship at the end of that voyage, I never conceded that I had reached my quota for highlight experiences. With that greatness fresh in my mind, I carried the desire and hope to create and be open to many more highlight experiences for the rest of my life.

You can still have highlight experiences, but each one of them starts with your thoughts. Discover your self truths. Open your mind to the possibility of greatness. Welcome the greatness that exists in the concept of possibility. Hope is not to be feared.

Power of Possibility

I had the pleasure of spending a few days in the beautiful city of Santa Barbara, California. Riding up Gibraltar Rock I experienced magnificent views of the ocean on one side, and even more majestic mountains on the other. As I observed the incredible natural beauty, I was amazed by a simple realization; I witnessed such stunning sights because many years ago someone believed. I could feel such magnificence because a long time ago someone believed that building a road on a mountain was possible. Someone had the confidence and freedom to look at that massive stone and think, “A road needs to be up there and I know how to make that happen.”

All of us have the ability to stimulate change. Unfortunately, many of us doubt our level of impact before we even start. We convince ourselves not to try. We tell ourselves we’re not enough. Not smart enough, strong enough, talented enough, good enough, young enough, nor experienced enough. We essentially believe that we aren’t deserving enough to live in the realm of possibility. Fortunately, that isn’t the truth. Instead of doubting our abilities or comparing our life’s work to others, we should challenge ourselves to walk in the freedom of believing. We should experience the power of possibility.

When you entertain possibility you possess power. Limitations are viewed as temporary. Fear of failure no longer holds your thoughts captive. Excuses loose their grip. Would you prefer limitations, fear, and excuses to have the greatest impact in your life? Or would you prefer your life to be a reflection of freedom, empowerment, and possibility? Someone looked at a mountain and saw possibility. What do you see when you gaze at the mountains in your life?

No matter what others have said, or who didn’t believe in your talents, or what you may have convinced yourself, you are enough to alter your world. You are simply enough. Change your mind, treat yourself to the benefit of believing, and give yourself permission to experience the power of possibility.

Trust Yourself

I’d heard and read about Jeremy Lin, point guard for the New York Knicks, all week. Every report and story referred to him as a basketball phenom so I had to see if his game was worthy of the hype. I watched highlights from a recent game and was thoroughly impressed with his athleticism, court vision, accuracy, and energy. Although his statistics were outstanding, I was even more amazed with his tenacity.

Despite his consistency and record-breaking performances Lin has clearly been overlooked. He wasn’t offered an athletic scholarship after high school and did not get drafted into the National Basketball Association (NBA) when he graduated from college. He could have used disappointment as an excuse to fail. He could have used the lack of interest from coaches as rationale to stop believing. He could have walked away from his dream. Fortunately, Lin trusted himself more than he trusted the rejection.

Goals are not achieved instantly. Fulfilling your life’s work requires work. It demands that you accept, commit, accomplish, and dedicate yourself repeatedly. People may convince you that you aren’t where you need to be or that you aren’t good enough. The passage of time may suggest that you’re too late. Circumstances may whisper that you should give up or put some energy into “plan b”. After not getting an athletic scholarship and not being drafted into the NBA I’m sure Lin had moments of doubt. I’m sure someone mentioned the need for him to explore other options. On the days when he was passed over I’m sure he was frustrated. Yet he chose to focus on the end goal instead of the uncertainty. He trusted himself more than he trusted his circumstances.

What is your life goal? What sustains your spirit more than anything? What makes you feel the most alive? Don’t be afraid of it and don’t be afraid to believe. Make the commitment to walk into your purpose, not away from it. No matter how hard you have to work. No matter who else doesn’t believe. No matter what temporary circumstances imply. Trust in the strength of your purpose. Trust that you can live the life you envision. Trust yourself more than fear. Everything is possible.

Embrace Impossibility

Two years ago I sat with a professor as he shared an incredible opportunity. As I listened, I considered enrolling in a PhD program so I could do the same. He told our dinner party that he was taking a semester away from his home campus to teach while traveling around the world. I told him several times, “I would love to do that.” I said it when he mentioned it. I said it when he shared the list of countries he would be visiting. I said it again at the end of the night.

As much as I was fascinated by his upcoming adventure, I knew I wasn’t in a position remotely close to his. I wasn’t a professor and had no desire to become one. My job wouldn’t allow me to travel the world, no matter how convincing I could be in drafting a proposal. However, as I write this blog, I can say that I learned a valuable lesson about embracing impossibility.

Some of you know that I am currently on a ship preparing to spend the next 100+ days sailing around the world, and yes, it is for a job. I didn’t have to start a PhD program. I didn’t have to switch careers. I was presented with the job of my dreams right where I was.

What we think is impossible or out of our range often isn’t. The key is having some faith and ensuring that all of our actions are true to our heart’s desires. It’s not enough to simply wish, we also have to work. It’s not enough to talk about your future, you also have to act toward that future. Your dreams were put in your spirit for the purpose of realization, not to taunt you. You have dreams so you can chase them, not be frustrated by them. What are you doing in your day-to-day activities to ensure that your dreams will be realized? What have you done in the last six months to get you closer to your goals? Embrace impossibility instead of running from it. Life is full of opportunities, but the great, seemingly impossible ones are for those who are brave, hard-working, and determined enough to embrace them.

You may be thinking that I am doing something very similar to what I’d heard. Admittedly, that would be a pretty good story. However, it gets better. Just two days ago, on Sunday afternoon, I sat in a room for the faculty and staff orientation. A huge smile spread across my face when the very professor I’d had dinner with nearly two years ago stood up and introduced himself. I’m not doing something similar. I am on the exact trip that I was so intrigued by nearly two years ago! Embrace what you consider to be impossible. Even if you can’t see how or when, what you deem to be impossible could very well be in your future.