Happy Lotus Lifestyles

Forgot About Mission Statements…What’s Your Creed?

Nadia — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 14:33:04 +0000

Back in 2004, Ed Bradley interviewed Bob Dylan about his life as a music legend.

Dylan, to me, is a master of writing and when I admire someone it is equivalent to religious worship. Doing things half-heartedly has never been my style. That interview was like taking a course with a genius and I wanted to learn as much as possible.

During the interview, Dylan mentions that he knew he was destined to be a music legend and Bradley asks him what does the word destiny mean to him. Here is what Dylan said:

“It’s a feeling you have that you know something about yourself – nobody else does – the picture you have in your mind of what you’re about will come true,” says Dylan. “It’s a thing you kind of have to keep to your own self, because it’s a fragile feeling. And if you put it out there, somebody will kill it. So, it’s best to keep that all inside.”

To me, that answer was sheer brilliance. On the surface, it may not appear to be so but if you look behind it…it says so much. And therein lies another aspect of going from ordinary to extraordinary.

Prior to going on my quest to find meaning and happiness, I used to do a lot of work for political campaigns and for politicians. I combined my skills as a writer along with my skills as an image consultant. Whenever there were questions from a newspaper, I was the one who sat down and answered them.

Whenever there was a cranky constituent, I was the one who would talk to them and bring them peace. I was awesome at what I did because I knew how to take the message and present it in a way that was appropriate for the listener. My work was constantly in demand because I was good at it. I never had to look for gigs, people found me.

I state all of this only to explain my expertise in what I am about to share with you.

To go from ordinary to extraordinary, you need to know your creed. Mission statements are for people who are stuck in being ordinary. They are not for extraordinary people and here is why:

When you write a mission statement you tell the world what you think you can do. You gain more when you show the world who you are and what drives you. It is a subtle distinction but a very important one.

Before we get into the details of building your creed, let us clarify what the term means. A creed is your belief system. It is what drives you. It is what makes you all excited and passionate. It is your manifesto for living.

Mission statements are boring and dull and let’s face it…everyone has one and nothing of value is ever achieved by being ordinary. It sounds harsh but it is true. You have the capacity to be extraordinary…so toss the mission statement out the window and build your creed.

How do you know your creed? It is simple….what do you value and how does it influence your life? Let me be more specific:

We each have certain beliefs and traits which shape our view of the world and in turn, influence how we experience life. You can either choose to see things on the surface or dig deep.

Not many people encourage others to read behind the lines and that is why many people are ordinary. In order to be extraordinary, you have to see what is going on behind the lines.

For example, I read many blogs because I am in the business of communication so I like to see what others are doing. Some blogs I have come across are written with the intention to get customers and/or clients. It is obvious to me when someone is writing in an effort to make money and it is kind of sad to observe. In those cases, the fear of not making money outranks the passion for what they are doing.

Again, this sounds harsh but here me out…we are aiming for extraordinary and extraordinary means doing things differently. I will share an example from my own life: back in May, I was in the midst of designing my new site and I read a blog post about Danielle LaPorte which then led me to her site.

I remember reading one blog post and seeing how she was selling an e-book for $150. Because it was obvious to me that she was living her creed, I spent $150 within ten minutes of arriving at her site. That says a lot. (By the way, it was money well spent because it was a fabulous book and influenced me tremendously.)

When you are living your creed, it is reflected in your work and there is no need to worry about making money. You will. I have experienced it and have seen it through my career. No one cares to hear about your mission. They care to see how you live. They want to know your whys and what motivates you.

People are not stupid. People are intuitive. They can sense when something is genuine and when it is not. They may not act on it because they give in to fear and so comes the excuse of “being logical”.

Focus more on your creed and live from that place. If you do not know your creed, then take the time to see what drives you. Your creed is not in so much your truth as it is about who you are. Look at what you believe in and what motivates your actions.

So tell me…what’s your creed?

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William Shakespeare & The First Step to Becoming Extraordinary

Nadia — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 02:32:41 +0000

As promised, the purpose of this site is to help make you extraordinary. So with this post, our journey begins. What is the first step to becoming extraordinary?

Be true to who you are.

or as Shakespeare so wisely wrote in Hamlet:

This above all: to thine own self be true,

And it must follow, as the night the day,

Thou canst not then be false to any man.

Sounds easy, right?

It is but human beings have an interesting way of taking something that is easy and complicating it for reasons unknown.

We all can a have life that we love. If you go out into the world and talk to people about this, many people would think that this line of thinking is crazy. But then again, those are the people who are not in love with their life. Those who love life, encourage others to love life. Those who are miserable, want others to be miserable. It is that simple.

Here is what it takes to be true to who you are:

1. Know Your Truth

Accept who you are. Don’t pretend to be something you are not.

There was a time in my life, when I denied my artistic passions and pretended to be more corporate. To pretend to be something you are not is a very draining process. You cannot sustain it for a long time. You are bound to collapse. So don’t waste time pretending.

And if your friends and/or family don’t like or approve of your truth, then too bad. It’s their problem, not yours. Your life is your life.

So be true to yourself and speak your truth as you see it. Let me clarify here that speaking your truth does not mean you go out and have thoughts of hate. Your truth is based on love. Thoughts of racism and so on are thoughts not based on love and are not your truth.

Your truth comes from a source of love. Anything not from love is not your truth.

2. Work Your Truth

Everyone can have a life based on passion. The reason why so many don’t is because they have a warped sense of what living your passion means.

To make a living doing what you love may not be easy at first. I will be the first to admit it. It requires risk and a willingness to jump off cliffs. Not everyone is so bold and that is okay.

If you are the kind of person who wants to play it safe, accept it and work with what you got. Let us say you love photography but you are not willing to give up your day job to start your own business. Cool. Start a photography website and just express your passion that way. Or start a photography club.

There are numerous ways for you to express your passion. Just find one that is suitable for you and be at peace with it. Don’t waste time lamenting about the fact that you are not a cliff jumper and/or that you cannot make a living doing what you love.

You are not a failure just because you are not a risk taker. Not everyone is meant to be a risk taker. Just be at peace with who you are and where you are and make the most out of it.

3. Create From Within

When you create (all acts involve creation on some level), do not create with the intention of wanting to get clients or make people like you. Create from within your heart.

Many people write copy or blog posts with the thought that they will write what people want to hear. That is one of the stupidest things you can do.

I have seen numerous websites and marketing info where it is painfully clear that the writer is writing with the wrong intention.

People want to hear you…not what you think they want to hear. Write and/or create based on what is in your heart. Speak your truth and only your truth. Being genuine is sexy and unique because not many people are real. So be real.

There is beauty in honesty. There is no beauty in pretending.

All the successful people in the world are successful because they created something that was uniquely their own. Copycats are not artists nor are they extraordinary or successful. Copycats are people who play life small and life is too short to be played small.

4. Be Like a Billboard

Sounds funny but hear me out.

Everywhere you go and everything you do is an extension of yourself. You are like a radio that is constantly sending out vibes. So what vibes are you sending?

What you wear, what you say, how you walk and so on, all are reflections of you. So be like a billboard. Make sure that what you are sending out is a true reflection of who you are.

When I was in my last year of law school, I dyed my hair black with orange stripes. I looked like a tiger. That move was a scream from my soul who wanted to be free from being confined to a life of a lawyer.

People looked at me with confusion because my clothes were all lawyerly yet my hair was all punk. Who was I? I had no clue back then. So when I would go to meetings, I could tell the person had no idea where to place me which I thought was fun but I realized the lesson.

You teach people how to treat you by how you carry and treat yourself. This does not mean you have to be stick thin. This means loving yourself as you are and expressing what you believe with confidence.

In Conclusion….

The path to becoming extraordinary is really not that hard because all it requires is for you to shift your perception. When you look beyond the surface and see what lies within you, you open a treasure chest of options. And the key or rather the crucial first step to open that treasure chest is a willingness to be true to one’s self.

There is more that I want to say on the subject of being true to yourself, so I made a video. Consider it a supplement to this post.Other Articles that Might Inspire You: