I believe that the axiom, ‘Timing is Everything!’, while accurate in some circumstances, is also incredibly short-sighted as well.  Because it’s not just about being in the right place at the right time.  Potentially, we’re always in the right place at the right time.  It’s about having the awareness of your potential while you’re there.  I have found that, without awareness of our potential and how to maximize it, we can absolutely be in the right place at the right time and not see the opportunities right in front of us.

Once you’ve developed and elevated your awareness and understand how to leverage your key talents and strengths, you will find that even if you are in the wrong place at the wrong time, you can win, because the potential for winning is with you always.

Now, you can find people who are saying that the economy is dicey or that the market is volatile, and this is the wrong time to grow a business or take a risk.  And while others are playing it safe, as you expand your awareness of your potential, your self-belief, and you begin to apply these principles, you’re going to find that you can win regardless of the conditions and circumstances.

Last week I had the opportunity to meet a young lady from Bangladesh.  Her name is Shuli.  And Shuli lives in the most unimaginable poverty.  The little things we take for granted in the comfort of our daily lives, Shuli can only imagine, like running water, clean clothes, frequent, healthy meals, etc.  But someone saw the need to lend a hand, and through an amazing series of events, found a way to provide an education for Shuli and now she’s a thriving, 20-year-old headed to University to continue her education.  Shuli now has an elevated awareness of her potential and is infused with confidence and ambition.  She declared loudly and proudly that she WILL one day be the Prime Minister of her country.  Talk about not being limited by circumstance!  Through an elevated awareness of her potential combined with a determination to choose how she will define her future, there’s no telling the levels of success Shuli will achieve.

And on a lighter note, here’s a humorous example of a business-savvy owner of a liquor store who definitely found a way to make the most of bad situations:

In all seriousness, it has very little to do with being in the right place at the right time and has everything to do with being aware of your potential- belief in your ability to do a thing regardless of circumstances.

Speaking of belief- what do you really believe you are capable of achieving in your life?  In Dr. Maxwell Maltz’s phenomenal book, Psycho-Cybernetics, he clearly states that a person does not get what it is that they want in their life, that instead they get what they think they are capable of achieving, what they believe.  He says that a person does not outperform their own self-image.

So how we do everything is really based on a learning model rooted in our level of awareness and our current beliefs.  And within each learning model, there are principles that we must master in order to call that learning model successful.  Because even if we expand our awareness- even if we have belief- if we don’t learn to master the principles within the model that we’re developing, we develop a model of failure.

Let me give you an example of a learning model that just about everyone can relate to.  There was probably a time in your life where you had a really strong desire to ride a bicycle, but your learning model was probably one of failure.  You got on the bike by yourself, and you probably fell.  Part of this failure was because you lacked awareness and understanding of your potential and all the principles within the learning model of riding a bike.

You lacked the belief in your ability to be able to ride the bike, even though you saw your sister or brother or neighbor or friend riding theirs.  And in order for that learning model of failure to be transformed to a learning model where you are now successfully riding a bike, several things had to happen.

First there was a coach or mentor, that was probably your Mom or Dad, or an older sibling who stood beside you while you sat on the bike.  And they began to expand your awareness of your potential.  They began to share with you a new belief that you could actually ride that bicycle.  You, in effect, borrowed on their belief in you.

 Then they started to teach you some of the principles about riding the bike with the next learning model.  They probably talked to you about balance and hand/eye coordination and muscle dexterity.  And as they stood beside you on the bike and ran beside you as you pedaled and pushed, they let go of you.  Chances are that you fell.  But you recognized that you did pedal one or two times.  And although you didn’t fully believe you could do it, you decided to act on the borrowed belief of your coach or mentor.  They showed you what you did wrong.  They encouraged you to do try again, and to do it better as you mastered the principles they were teaching you.  Each time in the process of failing and getting back on the bike, you expanded your awareness of your potential.  You gained a better understanding of the principles and you changed your limiting belief that said, “You can’t do this”, to, “Oh yes I can!”

Anyone can change their learned behavior and overcome their limiting self-judgments.  The illustration of learning to ride a bicycle is a basic understanding, but what about something bigger, something greater than just riding a bike without training wheels?

What about creating a learning model of achievement for your entire life?  What would it be like to change your entire life so that you were living your ultimate dream? 

IT’S BEEN SAID THAT THE LARGEST GAP IN OUR LIVES IS THE GAP BETWEEN KNOWING WHAT TO DO AND DOING IT. 

I believe the bridge between knowing and doing is awareness and understanding.  Understanding requires internalizing the knowledge, stepping out and acting on the knowledge, understanding the feedback of our results in spite of conditions or circumstances, and making the necessary adjustments in that process.

This is the journey that begins with understanding that you, as an individual, truly are equipped with all the necessary gear, all the resources necessary to co-create a life beyond the condition and circumstances you find yourself in.  It has nothing to do with hope and everything to do with belief.  You have been gifted with all the resources to create the life that you truly want and deserve.