I’m sitting here on a sunny April afternoon in Washington DC, having a late lunch and walk break. It occurred to me that I was overdue for a message to you my dear friends, to here is a quick note to encourage you.

Sometimes we don’t realize how our hard work is going to pay off in the long run. We often don’t get rewarded right away, or the things that we are trying don’t seem to be working. My message to you today is that your hard work is worth it. You may not get accolades right away… or ever (just being honest). But if it’s important to YOU, keep at it. Don’t do it just because you’re supposed to. If it’s your dream and you are still invested, keep at it.

Imagine this! You could have your wildest dreams!

It’s possible. It all involves putting in the work and being tenacious. It means believing in yourself when others give up or think you are bat-shit crazy for dreaming that dream. Who do you think you are anyway?

But that’s okay. What’s not okay is being afraid to go for it. What’s not okay is letting yourself get derailed by the negative self-talk that can come or by some well-intentioned person who doesn’t believe in you and tells you things like: “it’s too hard”, or “Oh dear! You’re wearing yourself out. Maybe later is a better time.” Or “that’s a lot of money to spend”. I’m sure they mean well, but staying safe will keep you from pursuing your brilliance.

I said brilliant on purpose because I know my tribe!

You are brilliant. You are amazing! You are all that and a bag of chips! Unfortunately, you may not hear it as often as you should. We humans are conditioned to focus on the negative. Look around you. We are being fed a daily diet of bad news, scandals, catastrophes, corruption and violence. It can be demoralizing. It can take the wind out of your sails and make you feel like quitting.

In the meantime, there is good happening in the world that we don’t always hear about. You are doing good right there at your job, in your business, in your community, and you don’t always get credit for it. Today I am here to give you a standing ovation. Today I am here to tell you that you are amazing! Keep going, because you’ve got this.

If there is no one in your world who is saying these things to you, it’s time for you to evaluate the people in your life. Because you matter. And you deserve to have people in your life who love support and care about you… people who are not so stuck in their own stuff to support you, or too busy comparing themselves to you and threatened by your brilliance, so they stay silent.

3 ways to make it happen!

  1. Own your greatness. Stop what you’re doing and make a list of 3 things that make you special, unique and amazing. Write it in your journal, or on a post-it that you can place in your daily, planner, by your mirror, your computer, or anywhere that you need to be reminded of just how ah-mazing you are. You are a rock star. You are a freaking unicorn!
  2. Build your support system. Do you have at least one or two people who have your back no matter what? You know… those ride-or-die friends and family who will listen when you need a shoulder, and do not hold it against you or mirror your doubts to you in the future. They lift you up and encourage you, and will hold you accountable. If you do not have someone like this in your life – it’s time to find that person. They may be in your life already, and you can build a closer relationship with them. Or you can proactively seek out someone who is already doing what you aspire to do, that you can invite to become mentor or adviser. It’s too rough out there to go it alone!
  3. Trust God. You were designed with a specific purpose in mind. Too many people die without truly contributing their gifts to the world. Don’t let that be your story! Sometimes achieving our dreams means trusting that it will work out despite evidence to the contrary. You know – having faith the size of a grain of mustard seed. With it – you can truly move mountains.

Life is a roller coaster – full of highs and lows. We can get discouraged and disillusioned about what we decided to pursue in the first place. We quit. We talk ourselves out of it or procrastinate… and you know what a slippery slope that can be!

On the other hand, It’s important to make decisions that honor your intuition. It’s important to know when you are over committed. It’s OK to change your mind. If it’s in your heart and spirit to continue, by all means – do so! But don’t toil away just for the sake of saving face.

Here’s the bottom line – in order to birth something truly magnificent, you’ve got to PUT IN THE WORK.

“A dream without a plan is simply a wish.” Katherine Paterson