By Joanne Eckton

When I was a very young, we would spend our summer days at the community pool, where there was a diving board that seemed like it was 20 stories in the air.  Of course, it was nothing like that but at the time it seemed so impossibly high.  I would watch as kid after kid made the long climb up the steps to that high dive, and I would try to guess whether he would actually jump or come crawling back down.  The unspoken rule at the pool was that only one person went up those steps, and the next person would not start the climb until the previous person came down.  You see, it became obvious that the longer someone stood on the platform, the less likely it was that he would jump.  The only ones that consistently jumped into the pool were those that kept moving from the last step up onto the platform, walking the few steps to the edge, and then jumped in without hesitation.  If the kid stopped and looked down, he would freeze on the edge, and after several agonizing moments would admit defeat and take the steps back down.

So many people live their lives this way, starting in the right direction, beginning the climb, only to freeze on the edge right when it is time to make the jump.  Fear gets in the way, blinding them to all but the obstacles in the way and filling their minds with worst-case scenarios.   How many times do you hear someone who wants to start their own business but is afraid to quit his job?  Or someone who has spent years writing a book yet never publishes it?  Their own self-limiting beliefs prevent them from ever achieving their goals.  They sabotage themselves.

Successful people know what they want to accomplish and they put a laser focus on their target.  They define the goal in clear terms, they plan the actions needed to accomplish it, and then they take action day after day to move themselves forward.  They do not stop to worry about obstacles or fear about what might happen. They head right to the edge and jump.  If a real obstacle gets in they way, they figure out a way around it.  They are flexible and creative in their thinking.  Everyone has self-doubt, but it is what you do about it that determines your outcome.  Surround yourself with other successful people who are willing to support you when you most need it, and reach out to them in times of doubt.

One of the main differentiators of the successful is that they have faith.  They believe in themselves, and they also believe that what they need will appear at the time that it is most needed. You must keep moving and have belief in your abilities and confidence to take those final steps.  As long as you continue to move towards your goals with conscious, directed actions, you will find the universe will provide you with the opportunities you never dreamed of.

Remember, the crowd is at the bottom. There is plenty of room at the top.

Give yourself the knowledge, resources and tools you need to transition from employee to entrepreneur!

Joanne’s Mini Bio

Joanne has more than 20 years experience working with virtual teams around the world, bringing diverse teams together to deliver successful results.  With skills to provide motivation, leadership and guidance to achieve your goals, Joanne Eckton is a Life Choice Expert specializing in empowering you to find the life you were meant to live and become the person you were meant to be.   She currently offers coaching and resources to help define career transition strategies and build your mindset of success.

Links to Joanne:

Blog – http://www.parisandjoanne.com/

Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/joanne.eckton

Twitter – http://twitter.com/#!/parisandjoanne

LinkedIn – http://www.linkedin.com/in/joanneeckton

A Message from Jaki ~ Thank you

A Massive Thank you to Joanne for being willing to join us during our Guest Blogger month. Joanne and I only ‘met’ recently. She was in the Top 10 of Brian Tracy’s Guest Blogger competition and her entry stood out to me straight away. Her writing has heart and soul, is insightful and got me thinking.

I love this sentence in Joanne’s Blog ~

“Remember, the crowd is at the bottom ~ There is plenty of room at the top”

Simple Positive Steps You Can Take Now ~

• Make a decision to come back each day to Jaki’s Guest Blogger Month – there are many more amazing blogs to read
• Share this with Friends, post the link to this blog on your facebook page
• Please visit Joanne at – http://www.parisandjoanne.com
• Pop over to Jaki’s Pay-it-Forward Site ~ If Everyone Cares
• Click the ‘Like’ button on this page
• Leave a comment in the box below
• Have a Great Day :))

In Gratitude

Jaki :)