Do not be afraid

What is the worst that can happen?  We have all walked out on that ledge and cowered but sometimes it is the time to jump (metaphorically speaking J).  I have jumped a few times in life and every time I have moved beyond anything I could have imagined. 

Not being afraid does not mean you will not be nervous or anxious about a decision.  When I have gone to a new job I have been anxious and nervous but afraid isn’t a word I would use to describe me. 

Living in a world where I am afraid all of the time would mean that I am not fulfilling my best life and what would be the point.  Being afraid means that I am not trusting in myself and Jesus Christ. 

Cast your cares upon the Lord… He will never let the righteous be shaken - Psalm 55:22. 

Dream

Have dreams for yourself.  What is it that you want?  What will it take to make the next step?  These are questions I ask myself all of the time.  I know my greatest dream is to be the best husband to my wife and father to my kids. 

I also dream that I will one day write the next cool app.  I don’t know what it is, but I always think, would this be something that others will want.  At some point I will create it, but until then I have that dream. 

Something to think about… Your daily life is some else’s dream.  The American dream is the white picket fence, two kids etc, are you already living that?  If you are reading this online, you are better off that 49% of the rest of the world.  Just remember that you don’t have to dream big to have fulfilled many other people’s dreams.  You ARE living many other people’s dreams.

Do unto others...

Is someone asking for help?  Speaking from the selfish side, helping others will help you learn more than making them figure it out on their own.  You will see how they think, see what they do, and see if you can use their knowledge to help yourself. 

Every day people come to me for help with something.  I try to be open and help them as much as I can and I find that I get as much out of it as they do.  At the end of the day, when working on a team, we are on a collective ship and as long as that ship is moving along it doesn’t matter who moves it.

So, the other side of “Do unto Others” is “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”  At some point you will need help, and if you are that person that constantly pushes everyone away they will not want to be there for you. 

The last point I want to make with this is that the worst thing you can do is to push down, put down, or step on someone else.  I am not going to say that I don’t say bad things about other people but I don’t do it to get ahead of them.  I make sure that I am an honest person and if you ask my opinion about something or someone I am honest.

Be Humble

Following on the heels of being open, we need to be humble when we do something great.  I know there are times when I haven’t been best at this, but I try often to not boast about that I have done well or when I get that promotion. 

This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t show off that new algorithm you have created or the new method you have used to solve world peace.  Great work hidden from the world will not help anyone.  When you have found a new way to do something, let everyone know.  Create a blog, write it down, and share it with the world. 

I have worked with people that are boastful about how great they are and at the end of the day you expect them to be as good as they say.  The problem with these people is that when they fail, they fail spectacularly.  They build themselves up so much that when they do fall they fall hard.  Be humble, say you don’t know when you don’t know, ask for help, let others be there for you and you will find that you will gain more respect that saying you know everything.

Remember your work should speak for itself.  If you have done well you don’t need to tell everyone how well you did with it, let them see it for themselves. 

Do you see a person wise in their own eyes?  There is more hope for a fool than for them. – Proverbs 26:12