Every morning as I sit on my patio to enjoy quiet time with God, I’m treated to an amazing show by His creations.  From gophers performing acrobats on puny branches to an occasional coyote, there’s always activity on the little mountain behind my place.

One of my favorite performers are quail. I just love seeing them parade across the rocky terrain in a single file line so intently. But it wasn’t until recently that I realized I’ve never seen them fly. Not because they can’t – they just don’t. Although they get around pretty fast on foot, I can’t help but to wonder why they don’t use the tools they’ve been given to go further, faster?

My question to you: Are you using the tools you’ve been given? Or are you walking when you could be flying?

We’ve all been blessed with what I call your T.A.P.E. – talents, abilities, passions and experiences. Collectively, it’s what sets you apart from the other seven billion people on the planet. It’s also what gives you your wings – your unique tools for greatness.

But discovering and using your wings are up to you. Here are three tips to help you get off the ground:

1. Instead of comparing yourself to the people around you, figure out what you’re bringing to the table that others lack. It could be a specific talent or skill, a valuable personality trait, or a unique perspective. Don’t fear being different. There’s value in diversity of thought and style.
    
2. As much as possible, tailor your work to your strengths. When you invest unnecessary energy in perfecting your weaknesses, your capabilities in other areas are often diminished. No one is good at everything. Team up with people who are strong where you’re weak and you’ll all fly higher together.
    
3. Become an expert at something. Being a Jack (or Jill) of all trades and a master of none just isn’t as valuable as it used to be. We’re shifting from a labor-based to a knowledge-based marketplace and have the technology to share our smarts more broadly than ever. Planting your flag as an expert in a valuable niche will allow you thrive in any economic climate by creating additional income for yourself.

Are you so focused on what you don’t have that you’re ignoring the advantages you already possess? If so, make a decision to stop right now.

Need a little help using your wings? Get ahead of the crowd and be the first to know about upcoming coaching and training programs to help you go further, faster. Register for updates 

You’ve settled for being a bird on the ground using your legs to get around for far too long. Start using your wings and soar, my friend!

Whether you’re thinking about quitting your job to start a business, planning to launch a ministry or nonprofit, write a book, or any other ambitious goal, one of the biggest things that can get it our way is that four-letter word called fear. Fear that we don’t know enough. Don’t have enough. Or that we, ourselves, are not enough.

When God gave Moses the assignment of delivering the Israelites from Egypt in Exodus 4, Moses had plenty of excuses – I mean reasons – why he wasn’t up for the challenge. He wasn’t a good enough speaker. People wouldn’t believe that he really heard from God. And even though God answered every objection, Moses still didn’t want to do it. As you’ll recall, God grew angry with Moses and all of his excuses.

Is God growing angry with you?

Just because you don’t have all the answers doesn’t mean that God hasn’t equipped you with exactly what you need to accomplish His will for your life. He’s telling you to move, yet you’re waiting for every circumstance in your life to line up perfectly before you do. This same lack of faith in God’s ability to do what He said He will do is what kept Moses from entering the Promised Land. And it may be the reason why you’re still wandering in the wilderness.

The actions of Mary, the Mother of Jesus in Luke 1:26-38 serve as a stark contrast to Moses’ early actions. When the angel Gabriel appeared to the virgin and told her she would give birth to a child, her response was “May it be to me as you have said.” No arguments. No excuses.  

When God was calling me to start my first company, I didn’t have it all figured out. But to this day, as long as I move on whatever step He’s telling me to take –no matter how insignificant – my business thrives. When I drag my feet or fail to follow His instructions explicitly, challenges appear.

Remember this - fear and faith can’t exist in the same space. Isaiah 41:13 says, “For I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you”.  But the fleshly side of us often wants to know exactly how and when God is going to help us before we’re willing to move forward. But if we have the blueprint, does that really require faith?  

So whose example will you follow – Moses or Mary?  No matter how big or scary the calling on your life may seem, what will you say to God? Will you offer excuses? Or will you say, “May it be to me as you have said”?

Choose your response wisely. It may mean the difference between dwelling in the Promised Land or dying in the desert.  Need an extra boost? Download my free action guide, Make Plans, Not Excuses. 

Passion, smassion…just give me my paycheck! Some may tell you it’s one of those touchy-feely concepts reserved for artists and activists. But how important is passion in business?

The Power of Passion
Passion stirs the fire in the belly that drives you to do what most people won’t. It’s why individuals devote their lives to causes that will change the world. And also what compels a scientist to spend 16-hour days in the lab hoping to get one step closer to the solution for a customer. When we lack passion, we lack an authentic drive to succeed. We may be temporarily motivated by money or a fear of consequences, but that will only last for so long. 

Carrots and Sticks Just Won’t Do
My teenage son was an above-average student until high school. Suddenly, it was like his brain became disconnected from the rest of his body. Semester after semester, he teetered on the borderline of failure in at least one class. We enlisted the help of tutors, offered financial incentives, and took away every privilege short of eating and breathing, with mediocre results.

No matter how hard we tried, we just couldn’t get Deon to see the long-term implications of his actions (or inaction), mainly because he doesn’t possess a strong passion for anything. So I had to lay down my high scholastic aspirations for him in exchange for the hopeful realization that when he discovers his “thing”, he’ll be okay. Just this week, he mentioned that he thought it would be cool to live abroad. This just may be the thing that will turn life around for him.   

Did I Answer Your Question Yet? 
Is passion in business important? You bet. Leadership expert John Maxwell said, “A great leader’s courage to fulfill his vision comes from his passion, not position.” If the team you’re leading isn’t performing to your expectations, ask yourself, “How can I make them passionate about what we’re trying to achieve?” Short-term incentives and scare tactics will only go so far.

So what can you do if you find that you’re losing passion for your work? Here are a few questions to ask yourself:

1.  When was the last time I was really excited about my work?
2.  What existed then that doesn’t exist today?
3.  What can I do to get it back?

Maybe your business was really exciting in the start-up phase, but now it’s gotten dull and mundane. Or your last position involved lots of customer interaction, but now you’re stuck behind a desk. You may not be able to able to bring the passion back to your day-to-day routine, but maybe there are activities you can get involved in outside of work to fill the void, like volunteering. I’ve helped people launch side businesses that reignite their passion and allow them to earn extra income. Or maybe it’s time to start considering a bold shift.

You Owe It To Them
Whatever the right answer is for you, you owe it to yourself to thoughtfully pursue it. Simply hoping things will change is a lot like hoping to win the lottery when you didn’t even buy a ticket. When you’re passionate about your work, greatness happens. And the impact of that greatness is bigger than just you and your happiness. Living with passion isn’t a selfish pursuit; it’s your personal responsibility.

Will you live up to it? 

Whether you’re thinking about quitting your job to start a business, planning to launch a ministry or nonprofit, write a book, or any other ambitious goal, it’s easy to get overwhelmed by all of the things you don’t know or have.

But here’s a little secret – there aren’t too many obstacles that you can’t get over, under or around with proper planning. My advice to you this week?

Make plans, not excuses!

In a previous article and video, I talked about identifying the missing ingredients to your success. But what I’ve noticed from lots of folks I talk to – even some of my coaching clients – is that you may know what to do, but you still aren’t doing it.

If I called you out on it, you might have plenty of seemingly good reasons for not moving forward. Not enough money, the industry is too hard to break into, you don’t have the time to get the training you need, your kids are too young, your parents are too old, etc., etc., etc. Those could all be valid reasons, but if don’t develop a plan to clear out those barriers, they become excuses.

Have you ever noticed that some of the most successful people had to overcome the greatest barriers? R.H. Macy, the founder of the beloved department store failed seven times in business before he struck retail gold. Oprah Winfrey grew up poor, was fired from her job as a news anchor, filed bankruptcy, and was told to change nearly everything from her name, appearance and even her personality. There were plenty of people who wrote me off when I got pregnant at 17. But after juggling a baby with going to college full-time and working three jobs, I started to feel like there wasn’t much that I couldn’t accomplish with the right plan, diligence and focus.  

This week, I want to give you a free, downloadable action guide to begin developing your plan so that you can keep moving forward. I also work with a very select group of individuals who are serious about creating the professional lives that most only dream about. If that’s you, complete the application and my assistant, Jennifer, will schedule a get acquainted session to see if we’re a good fit. Because the number of people I can work with is so limited, I carefully screen those who are admitted to the program.

Are you ready to start making plans instead of excuses? The sooner you figure out how you’re going to get there, the sooner you’ll arrive. And I can tell you from first-hand experience, the destination is even better than you can imagine!

In the 1991 hit, Miracle, the late Whitney Houston sings about a burdened decision of whether or not to bring new life into the world. Believe it or not, it’s a choice every single one of us must make. Birth it or abort it? I’m not talking about the life of a child, but the embryo of purpose that is growing inside of you.

Why would anyone choose to abort their life purpose? For many of the same reasons one may give for considering a physical abortion. Think about it – have you ever looked at your calling in fear, thinking, “The timing isn’t right”, or “I’m not responsible enough to handle this”?

On Purpose, By Accident
Aborting your purpose may not even be an intentional act.  An expectant mother who chooses to drink, use illicit drugs or engage in dangerous behavior during pregnancy may not be setting out to harm her baby, but the risk is the same regardless of the intent. In the same manner, unhealthy relationships, laziness, passivity or not seeking out the knowledge you need to move forward can put what you have been destined to birth in jeopardy. Have you even taken the time to write down the vision you’ve been given?

When you understand the miracles that God has in store for you, you’ll do everything in your power to nourish and protect your purpose through the gestational period. The very nature in which you were perfectly knit together with the right blend of talents and gifts, skills and life experiences for what He wants to do through you is a miracle by itself.

All Things Work Together
I’m blessed with the opportunity to walk in my calling everyday through my work as an inspirational speaker and coach, but that wasn’t always the case.  There were times I hated my job so much that I didn’t want to get out of bed in the morning. But guess what? There isn’t a week that goes by where something random that I learned from the jobs I hated ends up being the right answer for me or one of my clients. It’s not an accident!  All things work together for good to them who love the Lord and are called according to His purpose (Read Romans 8:26-28 in The Message). And the experiences of your life – good and bad – are preparing you for the wonderful work for which you have been called.

But the choice is yours. Will you give birth, or will you let go of your miracle?

Some of you are so close to giving birth. You’ve patiently (or not so patiently) endured numerous trials. The labor pains feel like they’re too much for you to handle and the temptation to throw in the towel is real. But if you’ll just keep pushing, what you’ve dreamed of and prayed for will soon manifest.

The words of the Whitney Houston tune admonish, “Nothing should matter…not when love grows inside you,” and we must be reminded that love is literally growing on the inside of us. God loved us so much that He chose us for a critical assignment. And when fulfilled, it also demonstrates the love He has for those we have been called to serve.

You are the answer to someone’s prayers – your knowledge, wisdom, talent, passion and your beautiful spirit. You may not think what you have to offer is important, but it can be life-changing to those who need it in ways that you can’t even imagine.

There’s a miracle in store for you and through you. Don’t ever throw away your miracle.

Founded by Enjoy Work Expert and Coach Isha Cogborn of CoachIsha.com, we are a group that is confident in our God-given talents and abilities and are determined to unleash them to the world without constraints. We believe the rewards of our entrepreneurial ambitions far outweigh the risks.

We recognize that to whom much is given, much is required. Through our success, our families, communities, and ministries are radically blessed.

The synergy of our collective knowledge, experience, wisdom and resources allow us to accomplish more than we could alone. Because we are confident that prosperity flows abundantly, we are unselfishly committed to supporting the success of one another.

Join our group on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/groups/doingmything?ap=1