Why not you? Why not now?

Have you ever looked at someone and said to yourself, “I can do that?” Sure you have. And you’ve probably said about it about the very thing that you have been longing to do! And get this, you’ve said it or thought it not just once or twice, but several times over and over again.

So why haven’t you? Why haven’t you started your business? Started speaking? Started writing? Dancing? Singing? Gone back to school? Made the amount of money you want to make? The list goes on.

But we all know the reasons why it hasn’t happened. It’s not some unresolved mystery. It’s our own fears and long list of excuses. Or maybe it’s our passive approach, thinking that one day we will get our big break. Listed below our 3 steps to help propel you forward in the year ahead.

Take Action
I learned a long time ago that people do get breaks in life. They get jobs they never had to interview for. They get discovered by simply walking down the street or in a mall. They get asked to speak just because and then their careers begin to grow organically. You can hear one or two of those type stories and think that’s the way it should happen for you. Sitting back and thinking…maybe one day someone will ask me to _____________ fill in the blank.

Unfortunately that’s the exception not the norm. And the norm for most of us is that we need to TAKE ACTION! We need to take a step. We need to prepare. We need to start moving.

I was recently having this very conversation with a friend over lunch. He has an amazing voice and for years has thought about doing voice over work. Well the desire to do it has increased over recent weeks. Especially since people (including strangers) keep telling him he should do something with his voice such as voice over or radio more and more. Well, like some, he figured maybe one day he would be discovered or someone would simply ask him to do something that leveraged his voice. But a stranger gave him an eye-opening moment after he shared those thoughts. He said, PURSUE IT! While it was the most logical common sense answer to making one of his goals come true, my friend said it stopped him in his tracks. For the first time, he was going to actually stop thinking about it and actively go after it.

But my friend isn’t alone in his thinking. There are so many things that we often times think that maybe it will just happen…maybe we’ll get lucky. But we have to learn to be our own catalyst for change.

Get a Team
Make sure you have a team that can support you. John Maxwell talks about the Law of the Inner Circle in his book, the 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership. It states that, “A leaders potential is determined by those closest to him or her.” I tell people all the time, make sure you have a team. A team of mentors, coaches, and accountability partners that have a vested interest in where you want to go. And if you can get there without them, you need reassess the level and depth of your thinking.

Don’t Give up
We are sooooo afraid of rejection and often times have a distorted view of success. If we don’t get the numbers we are looking for for our very first event we’re ready to quit. I remember listening to a podcast about a woman who has a huge platform now, a successful business, and doing extremely well for herself. She shared she blogged every day for a year without any accolades or a ton of followers. Now you or I, would have probably given up in month 6 and said…”oh, it’s now working!” But what would happen if you didn’t give up? If you kept going?

Make 2014 a different year! One that you actively pursue the goal that you have been holding back on. One that includes a team that will lead and support you to success. And one that you are to determined not to give up.

Why not you? Why not now?

About the Author

Melissa Nixon is a Featured writer with the John Maxwell team Blog.

She has over 15+ years as an HR and Organizational Development leader.

She is the founder of RedRoxx, LLC, a leadership and personal development company for multi-cultural women.

As a certified John Maxwell leadership coach, speaker, and trainer, she coaches and trains women leaders and entrepreneurs experience growth and change in their professional and personal lives.

Contact Melissa at http://www.johncmaxwellgroup.com/melissanixon/