I was recently reminded that our lives will ultimately look like our mental picture of it. Sure we’ve heard some variation of this before. Simply put, if you have a strong desire for your life to turn out a certain way, it usually does. Of course there are exceptions to every rule, and there are multiple factors at play here. But generally, our lives tend to go in the direction of our strongest desires.
In reading the biography of several “successful” individuals – defining success as high levels of wealth and impact – I’ve found that most of them knew in their youth that they wanted to impact the world in some way. This awareness drove them to make unpopular decisions until their lives reflected the world they saw in their minds.
While I understand that this is no new revelation, I thought it would be beneficial to remind all of us of the benefits of having big dreams. It’s virtually impossible to live life at a level higher than your mental picture of your ideal life. This week, I was reminded of this when someone said to me, “Ugo you’re living the “American dream.”.
Of course I was appreciative of their compliments and grateful to God that we have been trusted with His blessings. But I also realized that I would not consider myself as living the “American dream.” My definition of success is certainly different from most people’s, and theirs in particular.
My challenge to myself and to you is this: let us remember that we must continue expanding our mental definition of the quality of life that is possible for us. Since our mental framework defines the limits of our highest levels of success, I believe the work starts with the mind. Set high goals, and continue to raise the bar. And refuse to judge success by other peoples’ definition of the word.
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Ugo is an energetic and dynamic youth leader and the president of the nonprofit NEU Gen Leaders. He is the author of 2 books – Secrets of Academic Excellence and The NEU Era. He can be reached at [email protected].