Are you a person who enjoys the challenge of competition, but also likes to fit in?

Admitting that a challenge energizes you but attempting to fit in with a group establishes a dichotomy that creates a conflict within.

You cannot fit in and stand out. The first step is admitting that you have a strong drive to overcome challenges.

A person who stands out must be unique, would you agree? Even in a group of unique individuals, you must be willing to stand out. If you don’t stand out, or if the group is unwilling to accept you as a standout, you’re in the wrong group.

This internal conflict sets you up for inaction…confusion. It may be time to consider where your need to fit in comes from…and examine your past experiences for clues.

What Drives You?

Consider it this way – you cannot drive a car with one foot on the accelerator and the other foot on the brake. You cannot safely accelerate when looking in the rearview mirror (analogous to living through our past experiences), so if you are riding the brake (limiting yourself so you feel accepted), perhaps you are also spending too much time looking in the rearview mirror?

The rear view is only one view – there are other perspectives – left, right, and forward. All are necessary for driving (powering) success.

Left and right give you a view of who’s traveling beside you.

Forward, who or what am I approaching? If you are riding the brake, perhaps you fear what’s around the next bend?

If you are riding the accelerator, have a need speed…to go, go, GO!…what are you attempting to evade? Who are you attempting to best?

The 360-degree view is necessary because we are in a world where we have access to a 360-degree view. It’s that simple, and sometimes, that frustrating!

Mastering all angles, and being able to use them all, is vital for driving success.

Where do I spend the majority of my time looking? As an individual who questions everything, I ask myself this question every day.

There’s nothing wrong with being restless. Being energized is a sign of life.

There’s nothing wrong with being hungry for more. The human mind needs fuel.

There’s nothing wrong with being you.

Originally Published on https://akasha111blog.wordpress.com/

Paula Tozer Author

Paula D. Tozer is the author of three books - Saving Your Own Life: Learning to Live Like You Are Dying; An Elegant Mind's Handbook, and Enchanting Treve, a Novel. She is also an actor, singer/songwriter, Creativity Coach, competitive speaker, and leader with Toastmasters, as well as an avid cyclist, hiker, gym rat, and critter lover. The vast majority of her accomplishments have been achieved after the age of 50, demonstrating that It is never too late to be what you truly could have been...

Paula believes that living fiercely at any age is the way to optimize our time on this side of the grass. She has taken up the mission to inspire and motivate her contemporaries with what she has found that has allowed her to age with elegance, vitality, and most of all, good humor!