Stefani Germanotta had big dreams. She saw her future-self as something dramatically different than her present-self.
She never ignored her dreams and visions. She spent her youth planning and preparing for her future self. She learned to play classical piano. She took voice lessons. She learned to act. She always put herself out there, even when others mocked her and treated her cruelly because of her grand dreams.
And she didn’t let other people’s small visions stop her from following her heart and becoming all she could be.
Today you know Stefani as Lady Gaga. She’s the only person to win an Oscar, Grammy, BAFTA, and Golden Globe award all in the same year.
She had a full vision of what she wanted her future-self to be and she paved the way for her success to achieve that dream.
People used to believe if you want to predict someone’s future, you need to look at their past.
As Jim Rohn said, “The major reason for setting a goal is for what it makes of you to accomplish it. What it makes of you will always be the far greater value than what you get.”
This means, as you set and achieve goals, you become so much more of who you are capable of being.
As Ben Hardy, Ph.D. says in his new book, Personality isn’t Permanent, “The key is to DECIDE who you want your future self to be and to move in that direction.”
The past doesn’t predict the future. If you toss a coin 9 times and get heads 9 times, that doesn’t change the probability of whether or not you will get heads on the 10th toss. The past is not an indicator of future performance. Each toss is individual.
If you want to achieve certain things in your life, you have set your future-self as having achieved those things and determine how you will be different once you achieve them.
“The worst thing one can do is not to try, to be aware of what one wants and not give in to it, to spend years in silent hurt wondering if something could have materialized—never knowing.” ~Jim Rohn
What happens is, you rise to the demands of the situation. If you live your life with few challenges, you never know the great potential you can reach. The more the demands of the situation push you, the greater your ability to rise to meet the expectation.
Take Elon Musk for example. His dreams are other-worldly. He may not achieve his ultimate goals but look at what he’s accomplishing along the way. And unless he had those great dreams, he might have passed his life with much smaller achievements.
Time is a funny thing. You only seem to appreciate it by looking backward. Today I am asking you to look forward. For the next 2-3 years. Where do you want to be in that timeframe? You need to actively seek growth to keep on growing.
Maybe you want to improve your public speaking. What would make a difference in that realm? You could enter a competition in your Toastmaster’s Club. Or offer to give a presentation at work or at your kid’s school. You will learn new skills along the way and refine your ability. None of which would have happened if you didn’t put yourself out there to rise to a new challenge.
Maybe you want to start a blog and learn how to do that. Maybe your dream is to run a marathon.
Whatever your dream is, the journey is what makes you into a new person. You grow and change to become a person of greater character as you reach new levels of yourself along the way.
The key is to remember that who you are today is not the end of you but the beginning of your future-self. You can still blossom into an even better person of character as you reach for new stars along the way. Maybe it’s in how you give back, who you mentor, how you share your life lessons. You have so much to give the world and seeing the possibilities provides you new fuel to continue your journey with greater fortitude.
There is so much negative news all the time. It can wear you down. I want to encourage you to have something positive to work toward so the weight of all the news doesn’t bear false witness on what is possible for you. You have great potential. Don’t let that go to waste by letting the news fester inside of you and drown out your hopes and dreams for the future.
You are here for a great purpose. You have only to focus on that and rise-up to be the best you can be. Don’t settle for mediocre.
The change that is happening in the United States right now is monumental. Years of systemic problems are being faced and dealt with in new ways that only months ago seemed so impossible.
But change is possible. And it begins with you. Being all you are meant to be and rising up. The shackles of the past do not hold you back. Don’t carry old baggage when a new way is possible. Let your voice be heard.
There will always be nay-sayers. But their voices don’t have to carry the day. There is a new possibility in the air. The times are changing. We are on a precipice. The next step is yours.
See your future-self and step into her fully. You wear the mantle with ease though the weight is great.
Step fully into your future-self.
You know all you need to know. You’ve been planning for years. The calling is getting louder and clearer. Rise-up.
Rise-up.