It’s a new year and, as usual and as it should be, it’s full of possibilities!! I am pumped!! Seriously. I am!! This year AGTW is going to focus on: Creating the life you want. That’s right. You heard me. We are going to create the life we want! This isn’t some mumbo jumbo stuff that sounds fun in January and then by March is a jumbled up ball of frustration because there are no results. Nope! This is the real deal. This year. That’s right. In 2017, you and I are going to create what we see in our heads when we imagine our life and the fulfillment of our potential. 

We are going to dream and then construct those dreams from a place we can only see (our heads)  to a place where anyone can see. 

There is a law for creating the life we want. A “way to do it”, if you will. The law for creating what you “see” or dream is boundaries. 

Everything that was ever made was made using boundaries. When the earth was created it was created by boundaries. God said and God made. He said “let there be light” then He established boundaries for the light. He moved water around and gave it boundaries. He moved earth around and gave it boundaries. He made the animals by giving flesh and blood boundaries and then giving those living entities boundaries for where they lived. Everything that was made and everything that will be made will have one thing in common. Boundaries. 

The chair that you are sitting in (if, in fact, you are sitting) was once an unseen thing. It was just an unseen idea. Then the person who had the idea moved it from its unseen state to its seen state by giving that unseen idea boundaries. They kept giving that idea boundaries until the idea was in front of them! That is the process of creation. Setting boundaries. It’s so simple that it’s a little scary. 

Next to boundaries, the other aspect of creating the life we want is-consideration. We, like God, must create with others in mind. When God created the heavens and the earth He did so with humanity in mind. He also made humanity in collaboration with…himself (He’s God. He can do that) At the creation of man, God said “Let Us make man in our image and in our likeness and let them have dominion…”

The point here is that God considered others and consulted when He created. Since we are made in His image and likeness then when we create we must consider others and consult. I want to stop here and clarify something though. We, like God, must consider and consult but we must NOT ask for permission to create. God didn’t ask for permission to create because He is God. There is no one for Him to ask. Because we are created beings, in order for us to create we would need to be given permission from our Creator. God gave us eternal permission to create when He created us in His image and said “Let them…”. The passage reads “Let Us…let them…”. There is the permission to create. Do not mistake consideration and consultation with the need for permission. They are not the same. 

In terms of creating with others in mind Dr. Angela Duckwork who is a professor at the Unveristy of Pennsylvania, author of the best selling book Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance and has 2.1 million YouTube views on her TED talk has uncovered a powerful insight. Dr Duckworth interviewed hundreds of people who are the top leaders in their field.  She calls them “paragons of grit”. In other words people who are very very successful and are a perfect example of perseverance and passion for long term goals. She indicates that her research shows, by far, a sense of “other-centered-beyond-the-self purpose” is the strongest factor connected to success and grit. Dr. Duckworth states that people who 

• Take into account how their life will benefit others. 
• Believe they have a responsibility to make the world a better place. 
• Believe their life has lasting meaning. 
• Believe their life serves a higher purpose. 
• Believe that what they do matters to society. 

have a greater perseverance and greater passion to stick with their work until it pays off and these are also the most successful people in their fields, in the world. Dr Duckworth is telling us to create with others in mind and stay with it! 

So this year. It’s on! We are going to create the life we see. The life where our potential is fulfilled and we see in front if us what we’ve always seen in our dreams! 

There will be weekly posts this year focused on  creating the life we want. We’ll be talking about creating through setting boundaries, other-centered-beyond-the-self purpose and how to handle barriers to creating our life. It’s going to be fun!! I’m so looking forward to doing this with you. 

Something to chew on and comment about: 

What boundaries are you thinking about setting? What is your idea of “other centered beyond the self” purpose? Do you think you’ve begun to do this in your everyday life? If so, how. If not, what are some things you can do to jump out there? 

Love,

Danita.