Dare to go MAD in 2011 [MAD – Make A Difference] – by Gerrit van der Merwe
Whether 2011 will be a different year or a repeat of 2010 pretty much depends on yourself. If you dare to go MAD, it might be significantly different. If however you chose to carry on the way you use to, you might end up with pretty mush more of the same.
Unless you intentionally chose to take a different course of action, us humans – being creatures of habit – will most probably end up reproducing 2010’s results again in 2011. It is ironically enough our fear of failure that causes us to clinch to the status quo, thus preventing us from growing unto the next level of maturity.
Ultimately life is not about being successful, but going beyond that; it is about being significant. This is best illustrated in a revamped version of the well known Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.
People typically strive to move from mere survival to stability – Zig Ziglar. From there they might aspire towards security. Once there, their greatest driver – being fear of failure – has been mitigated leaving them in the delusive calm waters of complacency. Hardly 3% of the world’s population reignite their passion sufficiently enough to break through the barrier of complacency – which fortifies their comfort zones – and start out on the journey to significance.
Passion does not get ignited by negative elements like fear of failure, the pressing need to survive or any of the elements produced by a clinical or rational approach towards your predicament. It rather germinates in the fertile habitat of your imaginary or appreciative inner soul. From here you will discover what truly drives you. In order to stimulate your imagination, guided by your true aspirations, you need to understand and appreciates your actual purpose in life. Only then do you stand a chance to ignite sufficient trust to push through the ceiling of your comfort zone and into the uncharted waters where winners meet.
In order to achieve this, you must have a clear understanding of your purpose in life. This must translate into a clear vision of your future which must produce a well defined mission statement for your life. Translate this into SMART goals, accompanied by appropriate action plans, and you are set to embark upon your journey to significance.
Without writing down your SMART goals, you might be able to achieve little goals, but not worthy goals – MAP4LIFE. These might enable you to survive from day to day, but will never ever produce a life of significance.
To conclude:
Over come your fear of failure and dare to go MAD in 2011. Do not leave your achievements to change, but craft them by design. Do not take your new year’s resolutions for 2011 light heartedly, for you will hardly be able to outperform the goals you set for yourself. Make them ambitious or they will fail to inspire you.
Give me vision or give me death, but do not let me waist away in mere idleness.
MAY 2011 BE A MAD YEAR