Years ago I ended a long term contract with an organization that I'd been subcontracting with. I ended it because I was unhappy with it; that's all I need to say about that. I realized I went into the venture with one thing in mind; making the almighty dollar. I stayed with it for the same reason.

feeling good

But from the first month I was unhappy, and I was falling deeper and deeper into my own little depression. I should have been feeling at the top of my world; instead, I was allowing someone else to bring me down.

I finally did what I've always told others they should do. I took control of my life, and decided it was time to fire a client. Not many people get to do that; few feel they have the luxury in their own minds.

It was a good contract that paid me well over 10 months, and I could have been looking at a nice sum of cash for another 7 or 8 months. But I wasn't happy; I didn't go into self employment to be working what had essentially become a job for another company. I went into business because I had a dream, a passion, and I wanted to share it with others.

Almost immediately after I sent the letter off, I felt a spark of life that hadn't been there in such a long time. I felt like I was ready to get back on the road I'd always wanted to be on. I'd let go of this comfortable place I'd been sitting in that was distressing me, and started to feel the passion I had when I first decided to go out on my own. Suddenly my mind was once again open to more of what was out there that I hadn't quite given my mind the time to absorb.

What happened after that?

The first thing I did was conduct some seminars on leadership. I picked the wrong time to do it; here in the Syracuse area doing seminars in January is dicey at best. All 3 Wednesdays I put on the seminars we had snowstorms, so they weren't well attended; I had to cancel one because only 2 people could make it. Still, it was a step forward; I was breaking out of my shell.

The second thing was going to a seminar on self awareness; this was timely As the presenter talked, I realized I was feeling at the level of an 8 out of 10 at that moment, but weeks earlier I'd been at 3 out of 10. There's a liberation of your soul when you finally decide that you're not going to allow others to dominate your destiny, and subjugate your spirit.

During this seminar, I heard people state that they felt anywhere between a 3 and a 6, and here I came out with my 8, which wasn't high enough, but was still the highest in the room. I knew I was on my way, though; every person needs to have a dream to strive for, and if you're on the road to that dream you're always going up.

be happy

Over time, as I talked to more people, it felt like they were reacting to me differently. I believed they were feeling a spirit that I hadn't had previously. I'm always friendly and courteous, but there was a new found sense of urgency; not out of fear, but out of the fact that, since I was now ready to focus on me again, I wanted to try to reach a few goals while I was feeling good.

After the seminar, things slowed down a bit, but I stayed positive. I kept my mind open to possibilities; I felt I was going to be just fine. The next thing I knew, I was repairing other people's computers; and I didn't know them! This wasn't even a profession I'd put out into the world, but some of my friends knew I could do it and they recommended me to others. It always pays to be able to do other things, especially when you're self employed.

A week after that I had a new contract; one that paid greater than the one I had before that. I made a lot of money in six months and I got to travel; I had a wonderful time and did some great work. I'm not sure I'd have been ready for it if my mindset hadn't been in the right place; all of us have to be ready when a good opportunity knocks.

You may feel that you don't have any choices because you've only learned one thing in life, have only one skill, and can't envision yourself doing anything else. You may feel that you don't have any choices because you've been beat down by life, circumstances, and realities that have inhibited your ability to dream of the type of life you wish to lead.

It's imperative that everyone finds a way to motivate themselves, to think about their dreams and wishes and feelings. Think about yourself first, take care of yourself first before anything or anyone else. If you don't take care of yourself, you can't possibly take care of anyone else.

How can you motivate yourself? Aren't you worth it? I'll answer that one; yes!

As Zig Ziglar says, if you can find the positive in yourself and show it to the world, you'll receive positives back many more times over. Give it a try this coming week; and, if you get a chance, drop me a line and tell me how it worked.