Taking the leap...

Do you wait for things to come to you, or do you go after what you want?

Procrastination, apathy, ambition, self-discipline...which of these words would you use to describe yourself in relation to the important areas of your life? When it comes to your career, relationships or habits you need to lose, how do you approach change?

These days, a lot of people I know are talking about their jobs. I guess in our present economy, even the most talented and reliable people are worried about their futures. I'm going out on a limb here though, so climb out there with me for a few...

I'm tired of everyone telling me to be thankful to have a job. Seriously? Now is not the time to be placated by the hype that there are no jobs out there, and if you're lucky enough to have a job, you better just grin and bear it. I believe now is the perfect time to take stock of where you are, and ask yourself, "Is this where I want to be for the next 10 years?"

If your answer is no, then there's no time like today to change your future. However, that's when you have to think about the words at the beginning of this post. It's unlikely someone is going to knock on your door or call you on your cell phone to offer you your dream position.

So...do you procrastinate? Do you see an opportunity and either ignore it, or overthink it to the point that you convince yourself that you have no chance, so you do nothing?

Are you apathetic? Are you one of the people on the elevator, or in the lunch room who lament about your company or the state of the economy - and then go right back to your cube to finish the next job, thinking you have no control over anything anyway?

Hopefully not. I hope you all know you have talent, that you are worth something, and that there is opportunity out there. Become acquainted with the other two words above: ambition and self-discipline. Go after what you want and have the discipline to keep going after what you want until you have it.

Thanks to those of you who have supported me, and continue to inspire me everyday to reach out for more!

*Initial inspiration for this post came from an article I read recently about local people who have carved out new careers for themselves after being laid off from their job. The person that stuck out to me was Tampa businessman, Joseph Sales, inventor of the iTie...may sound funny at first, but his product is getting a lot of attention...check out his pitch (R.I.P. Billy Mays)

http://www.youtube.com/user/SALEINTAMPA

carry on...