April 20, 2010
building bridges between aspiration and consummation
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[Today’s guest post comes from Brian Solis, author of a new book that I’m currently reading, “Engage!”]
Building Bridges Between Aspiration and Consummation
Several years ago, I was re-introduced to a famous quote. While I had long forgotten the words, I believe that they had subconsciously inspired me. I was much younger when they initially tested my awareness. For me, and of course, similar to almost everything I learn, it took several appearances to permeate the thinning filters of my attention and focus, ultimately earning permanent residence in my mind and heart. And consequently, it now serves us my guiding mantra for all that I do today.
“Life isn’t about finding yourself, life is about creating yourself.” — George Bernard Shaw
Hugh’s maxim, “Remember who you are…” aligns with Shaw’s words and the piercing moral within each message, is the aide-mémoire of the experiences that moved and inspired us over the years and the hopes that each engendered. They define who we are and they’re the catalysts that trigger new opportunities and experiences.
It’s the remembrance and the application to who we are that becomes poignant. Remembering who you are serves as a history lesson as the state of “you” is the result of your past finding its place in the present. It is the future that is not yet written and without aspiration, ambition has nothing to fuel.
Understanding how we got to this place at this time is predicated by our actions as they were influenced by the events that touched us. Ergo, our aspiration is a deliberate state of intention and the distance defining our journey is measured by the actions that move hope and vision toward existence and propelled by conscious activity and purpose. It’s the difference between dreaming…and bringing dreams to life.
Lessons are the scenery that surrounds our journey and this is a trip best appreciated with eyes, minds, and hearts, wide open.
A good friend introduced me to the concept of Be, Do, Get…and I’ve since woven these words and the governing methodology into the hallmark of all that inspires me. The ideas and lessons that emerge through the discovery of answering the following questions serve as an everlasting sense of renewal of my personal mission and purpose.
What do I want to be?
Why?
How will I get there?
What’s working against me right now?
What challenges face me today and tomorrow?
How will I know when I get there and what is the reward for reaching my destination?
What is the opportunity cost of this ambition over others?
Once I discover and confirm who I want to be…I then do the things…that ultimately empower me to get to where I envisioned. The entire sequence is connected through discovery and action.
Again, life isn’t as much about finding yourself as it is creating yourself.
I believe that the distance between who I am and who I want to be is separated only by my actions and words. And defining who I want to be should remain in a perpetual state of aspiration rewarded through accomplishments and milestones intentionally introduced to transform the illusion of progress to a constant state of realization.
Remember who you are…
[The “Remember Who You Are” archive is here.]
[Download the high-res “Remember Who You Are” poster here.]
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Tags: Brian Solis, Enagage, Gapingvoid, George Bernard Shaw, Hugh MacLeod, Remember Who You Are
“I believe that the distance between who I am and who I want to be is separated only by my actions and words.”
And without a clear vision, anything we do is no better than Brownian motion.
Wow, another great guest post and another book I will have to read. Thanks
[…] building bridges between aspiration and consummation | gapingvoid In Uncategorized on April 20, 2010 at 13:06 via gapingvoid.com […]
[…] April 20, 2010 at 6:30 pm (Uncategorized) “Life isn’t about finding yourself, life is about creating yourself.” – George Bernard Shaw via gapingvoid.com […]
[…] I was reminded in a recent guest post on Gaping Void by Brian […]
A friend of mine has the Shaw quote on his fridge. I found it inspirational, but agree that the “do” part is critical.
[…] building bridges between aspiration and consummation (gapingvoid.com) […]
You had me at:
“For me, and of course, similar to almost everything I learn, it took several appearances to permeate the thinning filters of my attention and focus, ultimately earning permanent residence in my mind and heart. And consequently, it now serves us my guiding mantra for all that I do today.”
[…] work I admire, follow, and respect. When he asked me to contribute a post for his evocative “Remember Who You Are” series, I responded […]
What other way is there?
Thank you, a great read.
Just stumbled upon this old piece surfing some gapingvoid. I too love the Shaw quote. It reminds me of a something my father, a clergyman, has in his wedding services (including mine when he married Lori and I)…‘It’s not about finding the right person, it’s about being the right person.’