If you’re like most people reading this, you have something called an Aspiration Line. Your Aspiration Line is the imaginary version of yourself that you aspire to become. It’s the smarter, kinder, healthier, more balanced version of you that you know can exist . . . if someone just showed you a path how to get there.
I have some tips on reaching your Aspiration Line that I’d like to share with you. These are all part of a workshop I conduct called “Unleashing Your Superpower: How to Get the Best from Yourself and Those Around You.”
The starting point for unleashing your superpower is to understand what drives you and motivates you.
I call this your Core Essence, which is who you are at your deepest and most authentic state.
Here are some words and phrases that represent a lot of people’s Core Essence. Pick two or three of the words and phrases that catch your eye or strike your fancy. Don’t overthink it. Just make a note of two or three of the items below and then we’ll discuss what you can do with that information.
- Helping others
- Connecting with nature
- Mindfulness
- Spirituality
- Understanding the world
- Adventure
- Wisdom
- Connecting with people
- Physical movement
- Creativity
- Self-expression
- Control and stability
- Growth
- Predictability
- Stimulation
- Wellness
- Health
As you looked through the list, which ones caught your attention? Does “Adventure” catch your eye? Or perhaps it’s “Control and stability” or even “Health.”
As simple as it seems, selecting two or three items on the list will help you understand what drives you and motivates you. This helps you understand your Core Essence – who you are in your most authentic and natural state.
Of course, then the challenge is to figure out what to do with what you’ve learned about yourself. In other words, how do you take your Core Essence and manifest it into something that you can do to earn a living?
Good news. That’s not quite as difficult as it may seem. Let’s take a look at the same set of words and phrases – only this time, I’ve attached some careers that tie into each Core Essence.
The key to all of this is to make sure your Core Essence is tied to what you do for a living. Why does this matter? Because if you want to move towards your Aspiration Line, then it’s important to do work that you love.
Here are a few other tips and techniques you can use to move closer to your Aspiration Line.
Understand How Motivation Works: If you’re looking for motivation to get started on the next chapter in your life, remember this: Motivation doesn’t lead to action. Instead, action leads to motivation. Ponder that for a second. If you’re waiting to be motivated to start a business, change careers, write a book, etc., you’re waiting for the wrong thing. Instead, take action first. Just dive in. The motivation will arise out of your action.
How to Build Confidence: A lot of people wish they had more confidence. They wish their deeply held insecurities would go away by giving themselves pep talks (which don’t work as much as you might imagine). Instead of pep talks, understand a fundamental truth – confidence is the product of action. The more actions you take, successful or not, the more you’ll build confidence either about your abilities or about your perseverance.
The Key to Success: I’ve found that success is less about intelligence and more about perseverance. Sure, it helps to be smart, but it’s more important to have grit. (During the more challenging moments in my marriage, my late wife would say, “We’re too dumb to quit!” I always loved that. And it brings home the point – success is about perseverance.)
Watch Your Complaint to Action Ratio: Maurice White, the brilliant founder of Earth Wind & Fire says he fired the first iteration of EW&F because the members had a complaint to action ratio that was out of whack. In other words, they complained a lot, but didn’t take action on fixing things. So . . . he took action himself and fired them. What happened next? The new band members became the Earth Wind & Fire we know of today. (For those who are younger and aren’t familiar with Earth Wind & Fire, it’s one of the greatest bands of all time, second only to the Beatles.)
Don’t Self-Sabotage: Some people find themselves confronting the same problems in their lives over and over. Ultimately, those people might realize that they’re suffering from self-sabotage. The source of self-sabotage is that they feel unworthy. They feel unworthy because they have low self-esteem. Low self-esteem can be fixed by building confidence (see earlier bullet point).
See Failure as an Element of Success: Ariana Huffington says, “Failure isn’t the opposite of success. It’s actually part of success.” If you ask me, that’s brilliant.
Focus on the Future: There’s a great saying that sums up how to move forward if you’ve had a difficult past. It says, “Don’t create your future from your past. Instead, create your present from your future.” In other words, decide on what you want your future to look like, and then create your present life based on what you’ll manifest for yourself in your future life.
I hope these tips and techniques have been helpful to you. As mentioned, they’re all part of my workshop titled “Unleash Your Superpower: How to Get the Best from Yourself and Those Around You” which I’ll be conducting at the STAFDA National Convention in November. See you there!
DATE AND TIMES
Author and speaker Jamie Turner will present “Unleashing Your Superpower: How to Get the Best from Yourself and Those Around You” on Sunday, Nov. 10 from 8:30-10 a.m. and again from 10:30 a.m.-Noon.
CORE ESSENCE CAREERS
- Helping others: Non-profit Executive Director, police, fire, emergency medical services
- Connecting with nature: Forest Ranger, Park Ranger, National Park tour guide
- Mindfulness: Yoga instructor, meditation instructor, non-profit volunteer
- Spirituality: Minister, Rabi, Imam, funeral home employee
- Understanding the world: Scientist, biologist, geologist, astronomer
- Adventure: Ski instructor, rock climbing instructor, mountain guide
- Wisdom: Therapist, minister, school counselor
- Connecting with people: Event planner, wedding planner, hospitality, customer service
- Physical movement: Ballet instructor, athletic director, coach, athlete, physical therapist
- Creativity: Advertising, journalism, architect, art teacher
- Self-expression: Actor, artist, musician, ballet dancer, dance instructor
- Control and stability: Accountant, engineer, statistician
- Growth: Author, speaker, teacher
- Predictability: Statistician, accountant, engineer
- Stimulation: DJ, lighting designer, bar tender
- Wellness: Yoga instructor, nutritionist, organic farmer
- Health: Dentist, doctor, nurse, emergency medical services
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| Jamie Turner |
This article originally appeared in the October/November 2024 issue of Contractor Supply magazine. Copyright, 2024 Direct Business Media.
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