Success isn’t a destination; it’s a journey that requires a map, a mindset and movement. Whether you are navigating the fallout of a global economic shift, like the Great Recession (2007-2009) presided over by Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama, or you may be going through your very own personal storm, you got on the path to your own “Emerald City.” Another way of calling this your goal remains the same — to get there, you need the three A’s: Aim, Attitude Adjustments and Actions. Let us talk about these three points and how they can keep you moving forward.
Point #1: AIM – Means You MUST Define Your Destination
Don’t make it so complicated. Keep it simple, we are talking about your goal. There is a quote that says, “If you aim at nothing, you’ll hit it every time,” because you won’t be working to get to your goal. How many of you have heard that people who succeed are those who know where they are going? Earl Nightingale and Zig Ziglar both taught that a life without a goal is like a ship without a rudder, it is liable to end up anywhere!
• Find Your Joy: What would you do for free because you love doing it so much? That passion is your internal GPS, it is what you ought to be aiming to do with the rest of your life. It is what you were born with, it is what God sent you to this earth to do.
• The Fork in the Road: When you reach a crossroad, don’t guess. Trust your “built-in instinct.” When you align with your purpose, you move with the confidence of a bird — it doesn’t fear the branch breaking because it trusts its own wings.
• Scripture reminds us in Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”
Point #2: ATTITUDE – Master Your Perspective
What is the particular attitude toward how you look at things? See why your perspective matters, it is because “Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it.” — Charles Swindoll. Do not allow anything that happens to cause you to stand still and stop!
The “Wicked Witches” of life such as layoffs, divorce or health crises — will try to stop you in your tracks. This is where your attitude must kick into high gear, and do whatever it takes, to keep going!
• The Power of Change: If you don’t like your current reality, change your philosophy. As Wayne Dyer said, “Change the way you look at things, and the things you look at change.”
• The Light Within: Elizabeth Kübler-Ross compared people to stained-glass windows. We sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but our true beauty is revealed in the dark only if there is a light from within.
• Daily Practice: Meditate, pray without ceasing and choose to be the change you wish to see.
Point #3: ACTION – Walk the Path
“Tell the world what you intend to do, but first, show it.” — Napoleon Hill
People will begin to notice the change they see in you. You are now getting a special thing done, every day or every week, and year after year. Good intentions won’t get you to your goal, in this article we’re calling it your Emerald City; steps will.
Let us use my radio show as an example. It takes sacrificing a day or two each week of the year to confirm guests, set up the interviews, get them finished, edited and on the air EVERY Friday. Plus, this column, right here in The Washington Informer, requires me to get something ready that is sent through me by the Holy Spirit, something that can bless every reader. EVERY Sunday, 52 weeks per year.
• Check Your Circle: Dorothy had three companions (really metaphors) who were all trying to get better. Are the people in your life “toxic energy drainers” and are they holding you back, or are they helping you stretch? Remember: Birds of a feather flock together. This year, take a close look at everybody you are dealing with on a regular basis.
• Redefine Your Pattern: If you keep doing what you’ve always done, you’ll keep getting what you’ve always gotten. Break the cycle of negative self-talk (which accounts for 87% of our internal dialogue) and start speaking life into your dreams.
• The Competitive Edge: Whitney Young said, “It is better to be prepared without an opportunity than to have an opportunity and not be prepared.” Stay hungry.
The Legacy: Keep A-Goin’
Many of the world’s most influential figures started with nothing:
• Les Brown was born in an abandoned building.
• Joyce Meyer and Wayne Dyer overcame childhood trauma and orphanages.
• Henry Ford failed thousands of times before the Model T.
Like Harriet Tubman, who never lost a passenger on the Underground Railroad, you must refuse to quit. When the “Discouragement Club” tells you to give up, follow the lead of Peter walking on the water, when he kept his eyes on Jesus, he could continue to walk on water, but when he began to look down, he lost focus on who was giving him strength: Don’t focus on the storm; focus on the goal.
Your Yellow Brick Road is waiting. Believe in yourself, fix your aim, adjust your attitude and take decisive action. Your greatness is within — now go and show the world!
Lyndia Grant is a speaker/writer living in the D.C. area. Her radio show, “Think on These Things,” airs Fridays at 6 p.m. on 1340 AM (WYCB), a Radio One station. To reach Grant, go to her website, www.lyndiagrant.com, email lyndiagrantshowdc@gmail.com or call 240-602-6295. Follow her on X @LyndiaGrant and on Facebook.
