Everybody wants to Dream, all day, every day. We all want to achieve extraordinary, marvelous and beautiful things in this Life. We all want to leave a permanent legacy, and be remembered for something worth-living in this human experience.
However, a good dose of practical life is indispensable to truly understand, and constantly adjust to life. We cannot always have what we want, and we cannot always grasp the meanings and implications of world inequalities, geopolitical dynamics, human behaviors and greed, Ego’s of people, Power and Economic interests. Sometimes people do not even know where they are, in a cloud of impossible requests or futile conversations, until they talk back home to their families, or try to listen and be empathetic about other people, doing other jobs, saving lives in hospitals and serving at cafés every day.
You have to understand first what you want in your life, your goals, if it is career, making an impact through your job, or creating a family, or having friends, or having fun, or praying for a better world, or being in a refugee camp to actually do the work.
You have to understand who you are, and what you want. Your needs keep changing, therefore, you must let the change happen within you and do not worry too much if the changes do not reflect the perception that people have of you. Everybody changes, so, what can’t you?
I read that “You must review your goals twice every day in order to be focused on achieving them” (Les Brown). You must be a dedicated person, disciplined, funny and organized, keeping in mind the reason why you are on Earth ( to do what, to accomplish what).
After you have understood what you want, you need to vocalize it, and start to plan towards it. Words without actions are meaningless, if we do not have a “Work Plan” that supports it. Once you interiorize the work plan, there are no more doubts about it. This is what we will achieve. The reason being: we wrote it, we read and read it, we studied it, we understood it, we interiorized it, we now believe in it.
Once you interiorize with it, you make it yours and you run with it, you implement your plan of action. There is no turning back. You put your heart and soul, you sweat, and you make it work. No turning back. It is your baby, it is yours, it is what you believe in.
All you need is a mental state of preparation, some down time to reflect, understand, and make the project yours.
An advice is to keep calm, evaluate the dynamics and territory in which we work, understand people and nurture the empathy side of you, it will always be needed, especially under stressful conditions. Keep the music on ( I am sharing a playlist for you if you have access to the Internet) and a photo that always keep me alive, moving and kicking ( I swim almost every day, it brings clarity and calm to my mind, two of the prerogatives to perform well and not be distracted by external forces or negative people around you).
I especially like a quote from one of the United Nations agencies, stating that, as international staff ” In a world where fundamental human rights are at risk, we need principled and ethical staff, who embody these international norms and standards, and who will defend them courageously and with full conviction“.
The words are entrepreneurial spirit, calm of mind and heart, transformation by action, inspiration and delivering of high impact and sustained results. If we do not deliver in a sustainable way, who comes after us will encounter a confusion. We do not want that. We need clarity, order and purpose. Discipline and Future Goals in mind, over the long term.
Once your Mind is set, you can do anything. You need to believe in it, be transparent, exceptional in how you manage resources and people and commit to deliver excellent results. You can do it. Every day. Just repeat it to yourself over and over again.
Playlist for you:
Cantaloupe Island– Herbie Hancock
A Change is gonna come– Aretha Franklin
It Don’t mean a thing if it ain’t got that swing– Ella Fitzgerald & Duke Ellington
In the waiting line– Zero 7
Baby Elephant Walk– Henry Mancini
The Healer– John Lee Hooker
Take five– David Brubeck
Sure thing– Saint Germain (featuring John lee Hooker)
Sing sing sing– Benny Goodman
Song for my father – Song for my father
Blue Moon– Billie Holiday
Everytime we say goodbye– Chet Baker
Madeka– The Nubians
Back to you– John Mayer