Be The Change You Want To See In The World.

I’ve always found reading autobiographies and biographies fascinating. Learning from the great and good (and not so good) has been inspiring and has walked me down roads of discovery that few people ever find.

The most common trait I find in these super-successful people is they have a single focus — a non-negotiable focus on one thing.

Steve Jobs had it, as did Charles Darwin, Thomas Edison and Isaac Newton. Throughout the ages, the super-successful had this single focus. Their whole life was dedicated to solving a puzzle, creating something or building the future.

They could think of nothing else. It was an obsession, and it furnished us with scientific knowledge and development and computers and tablets you just wanted to lick!

The sad thing is most people chase variety. They build a career, a network of friends and fill their lives with entertainment. There is nothing wrong with that. But it is not going to lead to anything special. It is not going to move anything or change the world.

Heroes such as Nelson Mandela, Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King and Emily Pankhurst changed the world because of their single monomaniacal focus on their cause. They changed the world for the better and gave us a blueprint we can all follow if we truly believe our purpose will improve our lives and the lives of the people we care about.

Yet most people will never change anything because they are continually moving from one interest to the next. They strive for a work/life balance; they continuously talk about needing rest and seek excuses for their lack of progress. They blame others for their lack of success and take refuge in the fact that their peers lead unremarkable lives and leave the world a little worse than when they entered it.

Every single one of us can create something special if we are willing to dedicate our focus and energies towards making it. You have the power to become the best salesperson in your industry, the most effective teacher in your school, the most inspiring leader in your company. You can become these if you put aside your excuses and start to focus on the things that matter to you.

How do you do that?

It all begins with you. You get to decide where you apply your energy and your time. If you prefer to spend your time on social media, watching the faux stories people build around their social media presence, that’s fine. It’s your choice. However, you could use the time you spend on social media to learn a new skill — something that will improve the way you do your work. You could spend that time reading history, science, learning a language or volunteering at a local care home.

With the beginning of every new day, you always have that choice.

Dwayne Johnson’s attitude to life is an inspiration. Despite failing to achieve his childhood dream, he never gave up. Dwayne Johnson’s goal was to become a pro-football player, yet he failed. But he did not give up. After failing at pro-football, he entered the pro-wrestling world and turned that into a success.

He then decided to prove himself as an actor. His first movies did not do too well, but with constant practice, his complete focus on building his physique into box office attraction he broke through, and today he is the highest-paid Hollywood Actor. Yet, he never trained to be an actor.

Dwayne Johnson knows where his strengths are. His personality, his charisma and his physique. He puts his fitness and strength first. His dedication to the gym is non-negotiable. If he needs to be at work by 7 AM, he will wake up at 3:30 AM and do his exercise.

How many of us are willing to do that?

Becoming an inspiration in the world and changing it for the better is not complicated, but it’s difficult. It takes a lot of discipline, dedication and focus, and we all have that ability — every single one of us. You can become an inspiration. You can set an example. You can ‘be the change you want to see in the world’. You need to decide what is important enough to you, so you dedicate your time and effort to making it happen.

Whatever it is that is important to you, it all starts with you and your willingness to dedicate yourself towards it. If you are not willing to commit yourself to it, you are going to fail. You will achieve little if nothing.

If you want to change the way people see an issue, start writing a blog or recording a podcast. If you’re going to be a leader in your industry, learn to be a better leader. Read everything you can about leadership and develop your leadership skills. None of these are challenging, but they all take a long-term commitment and many hours of dedicated focus.

If you are not willing to do that, If you still prefer to spend your time ‘resting’, being entertained by social media and TV, then that is your choice. But don’t be envious about those that choose a different path. They earned their success. They worked hard, studied and committed enormous amounts of time and energy to their cause.

It always was, and it always will be your choice. Take a stand and make that choice today.

Thank you for reading my stories! 😊

My purpose is to help 1 million people by 2020 to live the lives they desire. To help people find happiness and become better organised and more productive so they can do more of the important things in life.

If you would like to learn more about the work I do, and how I can help you to become better organised and more productive, you can visit my website or you can say hello on Twitter, YouTube or Facebook and subscribe to my weekly newsletter right here.