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By Casey Grey
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We all have a vision for our lives. There are things we want to buy, places we want to visit, relationships we want to create, experiences we want to have and a person we want to become.
But most of us keep this vision bottled up. We keep it to ourselves because we think people will think it's dumb and impossible to achieve or, even worse, we think it's dumb and impossible. But look around. People all around us are making their dreams happen. There are amazing people doing phenomenal things from all walks of life. So it's definitely possible... Below is my vision for my life. I'm putting it out there. I'm surrendering to the universe and will act on what the universe puts in front of me to make this happen. I will no longer slow it down.
This WILL happen. Do I know how or when? No. But it does not matter. It's already in the works. The universe is lining everything up perfectly and all I need to do is say YES! What's your vision? When are you going to be courageous enough to share it? The universe is waiting for you. Unless I have an early morning meeting, I always put time aside to read. I start the day off by putting some positive thoughts into my mind. I usually have a few books on the go and open up whichever one I feel most pulled to.
This morning I picked up The Success Principles by Jack Canfield. One of the things I love about Jack's writing is how he works humour into it. If you have not read the book, success principle number one is take 100% responsibility for your life. The comic strip below is a great example of what NOT to do but something we all come across (or potentially still do). If you complain or make excuses for ANYTHING, you are not following this principle. "I'm too busy" is something I often say. This is an excuse. It's a choice I have made. It's something I need to eliminate from my vocabulary. This truth is, if I'm too busy for something then it's not important enough to me or there is something more important in that moment. Choose your responses wisely. They will lead to actions and ultimately to your results.
"There is a principle of Mathematics, but none of error; there is a principle of health, but none of disease; there is a principle of truth, but none of dishonesty; there is a principle of light, but none of darkness, and there is a principle of abundance, but none of poverty."
-- from "The Master Key System" by Charles F. Haanel Principles work. If something is not working for you, perhaps you are not following the principles. The world is full of labels.
Passive House, Energy Star, R-2000, LEED Certified, FSC Certified, CSA Approved and HVI Certified are ones that come up often for me in the construction world. Vegan, Gluten-Free, Vegetarian, Paleo, Raw and Flexitarian are all labels for different types of diets (and I know there's more). Mental disorders are a whole other game. There's a 3" thick book called the DSM-5 that explains all the shit that's "wrong" with us. I'm not a fan of labels but I understand and appreciate the importance they play in our society. As somebody who primarily eats a vegan and gluten-free diet, I appreciate seeing those labels. As somebody who builds healthy and sustainable homes, I see the value in having a third party certify a home and prove that it was built to a certain standard. When labeled with a mental disorder, it can be beneficial in the sense that the person may gain access to additional resources and realize that they are not alone. The issue is that most of us have no idea what the labels mean. If I were to show the general population the Passive House label, chances are they would not know what it meant. If I were to show people at a Green Building Show that same label, most people would likely recognise it but I guarantee you a lot of them would have no idea what was required to get that label. People who do not put a lot of attention into the food they put into their bodies won't necessarily know what vegan is or where gluten comes from or what foods contain what. Personally, I'm still not sure what a paleo diet is... Since I have no education in the mental disorder world, when I hear somebody is labeled with something specific I have to do research if I want to understand what that means (a.k.a. I ask my wife because she does have formal education here). The other important factor to understand is that labels often only account for one aspect. A Passive House does not mean it was built with healthy products (it puts the attention on performance). A LEED Certified house does not mean it is energy efficient (it puts a lot of attention on materials). A Vegan diet does not mean it's healthy (refined sugar and vegetable oil is vegan). A diagnosis of ADHD does not mean the person is not smart or can not focus (most entrepreneurs I know would fall under this category). Don't get caught up in the labels. Although they tell us important information, it's not the whole story. You remember Little Red Riding Hood, right? Do you remember the lesson at the end of the story?
[Sorry if I'm ruining this for anybody who has been living under a rock.] In the version I read to my son tonight, the book ends with this: "As long as I live," said Little Red Riding Hood to her mother, "I shall never again leave the forest path when you have warned me not to do so." Personally I think this is terrible advice. In fact, Little Red Riding Hood only met the Big Bad Wolf because she was on the path in the first place. When she ventured off the path after meeting the Big Bad Wolf, she realized that there was so much more. She noticed the birds, the light dancing through the trees and the pretty flowers on the ground. In life, if you stay on the path most travelled, the chances of running into a Big Bad Wolf are high. It may feel safer because you can see further ahead but so can the wolf. There is less beauty to take in and when you do find something beautiful, chances are there will be a crowd around it and it may even be gone by the time you get there. If you venture off the beaten path, yes, you may run into a Big Bad Wolf but there is also way more beauty to take in. It's your own path you are creating. When you find something, you will be able to take in all of it's beauty without the crowd. It's then up to you to decide whether or not you want to share it with the world. Create your own path in life and you may just end up with some followers. When things get tough (and they will get tough) there is one thing above all that is required.
A team. That team could be your family, friends or co-workers. Teams work together towards a common goal. The best teams work hard, challenge each other and support each other. They sweat together, laugh together, play together and cry together. They win together, loose together and learn together. They stick together. When you are on a team, you are never alone. As long as you are a team player. Why do we put so much time into worrying?
We worry about if we're working on the right thing today, who our children will grow up to become, if we made the right investments or if our spouse is happy. We worry about eating the right food and where the next client will come from or, if you are not an entrepreneur, whether or not we will have a job next week. We worry about if we said the right thing at the event yesterday or if we're going to say the right thing tomorrow. We worry about the clothes we wear, the weather and where we're going to be next year or in 10 years or in 25 years. I'm worrying about whether or not this is the right post to write today... What if instead of worrying we decided to trust. Replace the word "worry" with "trust" and watch the beauty of the universe unfold in front of you. Do everything in your power and trust that you are doing the best you can with what you know right now. Because you are. Trust that you are exactly where you are suppose to be, doing exactly what you are suppose to be doing, with the people you are suppose to be with. Trust that life is happening FOR you. I trust it's the right thing to do. Throughout my 10 years of being in business, I have been lucky enough to have Chris Castillo in my life most of those years.
Chris has been a mentor of mine and has since become a very good friend. He has done nothing but give, share and invest in our relationship. He has been especially generous with his most valuable asset of all, his time. Throughout all our hours together, I have picked up numerous nuggets of wisdom. His story is inspirational and at the young age of 50 (which I was blessed to celebrate with him yesterday) he continues to grow and share. Being in his home yesterday, there was no shortage of love. Everybody who was there had a deep love and appreciation for this man. I could tell that he had touched all of their lives somehow and they were proud to have him in his life. One thing I have learned about Chris is that he loves to laugh. Nobody appreciates a good joke like he does. He always has a smile on his face. That being said, the jokes always have a life lesson linked to them. This is evident in his new book, Bucket Of Wisdom. He has found a way to combine his passion for business and his love of a good laugh. If you are an entrepreneur, or thinking of venturing into the entrepreneur world, I highly recommend connecting with Chris and checking out his new book. Chris, thank you for all your support and love over the past years. I'm looking forward to the next 50 :) Why do you buy what you buy?
Why do you shop where you shop? We all like to believe that we spend our money in logical ways but the truth is that it's always for emotional reasons. If I want to go somewhere for a coffee, I could go to Tim Hortons or I could walk into 692 Coffee & Bar where the owner says "Hey Casey!" Could I get coffee cheaper at Tim Horton's? Yes, but... It's not about the coffee, it's about the feeling. I feel good when I walk into 692 Coffee & Bar. They know me and they're a new business that I want to support. I feel like I'm part of the community. When people come into Younion, it's not about meditation. It's about the feeling they want. We see them at Younion. Natasha makes sure of this. They are part of something bigger than themselves. We're all in this together. Most importantly, these local businesses are a place where a face to face connection happens. Sure you can connect with people all over the world thanks to technology but there's nothing more powerful than being with somebody in real life. Who are you going to connect with today? Visualization is powerful. It can help you manifest things beyond your wildest dreams. But it needs to be done properly...
The trick with visualization is that you need to get beyond the HOW. If you want to manifest $1,000,000 or the person of your dreams, don't focus on how you're going to do it because you only know the "how" based on your current life experiences. Your mind limits you. Instead you need to visualize the WHAT. What do you want? What do you want to feel? Who do you want to help? Who do you have to become? Let the universe take care of the how. In reality you have no idea how you're going to achieve these things. That's why it's so hard to believe and that is why you need to trick your mind. If you focus on the how, you're going to slow yourself down because you'll be thinking of all these things you "can't" do or don't know how to do (or don't want to do).
I want to help 1,000,000 men become the heroes they are meant to be by the end of 2020. I have no idea how I'm going to do this but I'm putting it out there and I'm visualizing it. All I need to do is let the pieces fall into place and take action when I'm called upon. One of the actions I was pulled towards recently was to start Lean In with Casey Grey. So far so good! The latest thing I was pulled towards was to offer coaching to a select few. I have no idea where this is going to lead but it's out there and we'll see what happens. A mens group is also in the works and I had more things happen today that has pulled that forward. All I need to do is show up and act on my intuition. The universe works fast and I have every intention to go along for the ride. |
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