“Don’t ask yourself what the world needs; ask yourself what makes you come alive…”

“Don’t ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and then go and do that. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.”

—Howard Thurman, 20th Century African-American author, educator, and civil rights leader.

Image from Unsplash by Jakob Owens

I support a strength-based approach to work performance and life in general.

The work of many individuals, including Marcus Buckingham, has established that the average person works in their area of strength perhaps only 20 – 25% of the time. However, some of the most satisfied and highly-successful people work in their areas of strength and unique abilities 40 – 50% of the time.

Exercise:

How could you design your life and career to shoot for spending 60%, 70% or 80% of your time in your areas of strength?

If you did this, how alive would you be and what difference would you make in your life and the lives of those around you?

#2: “Do not follow where the path may lead; go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.”

– Ralph Waldo Emerson

We’re wired to doing what other people expect of us. We learn (from parents, teachers, and other influencers) that we should try to fit in and not stand out.

Yet many of us regret that we did not follow our own muse, passions and visions.

Ask yourself:

  • What inspires me?
  • What am I passionate about?
  • Where do I lose all my sense of time?
  • Where and when am I the happiest?
  • What are my unique abilities and talents?

Exercise:

How will you find the courage to chart your own life journey? Where will you go and what will you do?

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