Go For It – An Inspiring New Year

I was watching a Ted Talk by Diana Nyad, a friend sent it to me and I thought you might like it.  She is an amazing woman with a contagious sense of spirit.  You can see it here:
Never, ever give up
She is a long distance swimmer, the first person to swim the gulf from Cuba to Florida.  No one had ever done it before and she had already attempted it 4 times.

When she turned 60, her mantra became “Find a way.”  At 64 she accomplished her dream and made it all the way across.  At 64.

The first thing she said when she came out of the water, after 53 hours of swimming, was “Never, ever give up.”

How do you get that kind of conviction?
1.  Define your dream
Narrow your choices, too many options and your dreams will remain swirling in your head, just possibilities.  Decide on something, big or small and make it the shore you are aiming for this year.

2.  In the know
Keep learning, not for credentials or affirmation; learn to fulfil your curiosity.  It keeps your brain active and fills you with new ideas.  Learning isn’t about classrooms, it can be anywhere.  Do some research about what you need to take a set closer to that dream. Go try it on, shadow someone who does it – stick your toe in the water and see what that dream would feel like.

3.  Chart your course
Challenge yourself, set some small goals that move you toward the thing you want.  Sometimes the whole is just too overwhelming but we can take small steps, one at a time.  It’s motivating to figure things out.  Decide what those steps might be and see how you can accomplish the first few.

4.  Count your blessings
Appreciate what you’ve got, then use it as your springboard.  It is so much easier to accomplish things if you aren’t swimming in discontent.  Take stock of what is good, what’s going well, the people that support you.  There’s a lot to be said for counting your blessings.  It gives you courage and reminds you how much you can do.

5.  Get help
Ask the people you care about to help you toward your dream.  Diana Nyad had a whole team that made it possible for her get across that ocean, ask for some help getting to your own distant shore.

You are never too old to chase your dreams
Don’t let another year go by, wishing you had changed things.  If you want a new job, a move to a new country, to run a marathon or get a PHD, take a step now.  Find your inspiration and make this the year you made it happen.