What Stage Gives You The Best Chance at A Great Performance?

It is perhaps one of the world’s most recognizable quotes:

“All the world's a stage,
and all the men and women merely players;
they have their exits and their entrances,
and one man in his time plays many parts"

Okay, maybe only the first line is actually the most recognizable, so that’s what we’ll talk about, not the stage per say, but the stages of life. I submit to you as you read this article ready to reflect on where you are in your relationship, spiritual and professional, lives, that maybe we only get 4 key stages to perform on. I was once told that no matter what we’re doing; because 1st impressions are so important, every time you walk out of your front door, “you’re on stage”. While we talk about the 4 stages, I challenge you to embrace whatever stage that you may relate to, or find yourself in, and challenge you to realize the natural progression between the stages. While they all work together, and come through sheer life experiences, know that no stage is necessarily better than the other.

BLIND AMBITION: This is the stage of life most people find themselves in both fresh out of high school or up to about their first 5 years in Corporate America. I call it blind ambition because you know you have “time” to chase your dreams and goals, but most either don’t know what they want to do, or they find themselves chasing someone else’s version of how their life should turn out. You may have heard these pieces of advice before (usually from someone older than yourself):
“Stay on that job, it’s a good company”
“You should study this field, there’s always money in that field”
“Take some time off, you have the rest of your life to figure out what you want to do”
Or my personal favorite:
“If you work hard at it, in a few years, you’ll be upper management, at company xyz”
There is nothing wrong with blind ambition, it’s the part of life where everything is in front of you, and everyone around you is an expert, willing to give you their extensive advice. Ambition, you really just want to get something done, to make your mark in life, and set yourself up for success; blind ambition is usually the start.

BLINDERS ON: Blinders for lack of better words, is where most people find themselves 10-15 years into their adult lives, Imagine yourself well into your particular chosen line of work, on your 2nd or 3rd job. You’re in the preverbal rat race, making just enough to get by, but not enough to be happy or get ahead. The great part about having “blinders on” so to speak is that everyone else has them on as well. Their typical day consists of waking up hours before you have to be at work, commuting, working, commuting, and then enjoying the 4 hours they have awake to be with their families before they go to sleep to get up in the morning and do it all over again. The great thing about being at this stage of life is that NO ONE KNOWS THEY ARE THERE. It’s deemed normal and it’s what you’re supposed to do, and most people are perfectly content here. Unless you find yourself in one of these next 2 stages, trust me, you are DOING PERFECTLY OKAY! But even if you do, know that it's merely temporary...if you decide it to be.

CAGED RAGE: This perhaps may be the most identifiable stage that people find themselves in. Imagine feeling trapped, and unfulfilled at the very same place you spend the most time-your job and your relationship. Caged rage is the defining moment in most people’s lives where they decide that they’ve invested too much time in any given thing, without seeing the results that they feel they deserve. You’ll find yourself questioning your relationship, your job satisfaction, weighing your pros and cons, and everything that has to do with where you are in life. Some quit their jobs, some give ultimatums and want to define or re-define their relationships, all in the name of knowing what direction they need to UNLEASH in, or where they can gain some sort of traction. Everybody reaches this stage, there are no exceptions. Once you reach this stage you either separate yourself, or you find an outlet which has the potential to be nothing more but a distraction typically. If you make it past caged rage, you’ll find yourself at the most exciting stage there is…

RE-Invention: This is the absolute best stage of life (biased opinion) that you want to find yourself and operate in. Re-invention is where you decide that your dreams aren’t dead just yet, that it’s never too late, or that you just plain aren’t ready to settle for more than you feel you deserve. I’m reminded of a story of a lady that had been on her job for 20 years before a healthscare nearly ended her life. During a weekend of recovery, she realized that the stress of barely making enough money, with unreasonable demands from her job were heavily contributing to her health issues, THE JOB HAD TO GO, She is now living out her happiest of dreams as a motivational speaker and trainer making much more than she ever had, but more importantly feeling more fulfilled than she has ever been. She re-invented herself.

Another instance a young lady had been in a relationship for 4 years, as the girlfriend. Promised the ring, promised monogamy, after years of empty promises, she found herself no longer to make excuses for this man not noticing what a gift she was. She ended that relationship and is now celebrating her 1 year wedding anniversary saying she’s never been happier. She re-invented herself.

Lastly, there is a very good friend of mine that after the real estate industry crashed, found himself going through bankruptcy, a repossession, and a foreclosure all at the same time, he’d given his young life to this industry, only to have powers that were beyond his control take everything from him. This man could have easily given up, but to keep a long story short (I love that line) he was presented with an opportunity that many think may be too good to be true, fast forward 2 years later, and in that same opportunity he is a high 6-figure income earner and is helping people all over the country out of the very same situations that he found himself in. He re-invented himself

Can you, should you, will you; re-invent yourself? Right now is as good a time as any to take a good look at where you are in life, and writing out where you want to be, vs. where you are and being completely honest with both answers. Know that there is a definite difference between chasing dreams, and chasing fantasies, but if you believe there is something bigger and better in any area out there for you, re-invent yourself, and focus on how you can get there. Reading this article can be your starting point. Yes, I’m being optimistic, yes the goal is to motivate you, and yes it is to inspire you as well, if it feels weird, it’s because the world is full of different entities telling you NO, telling you to SETTLE, telling you to “take your time” and be patient. I leave you with this: Time is the only commodity that you cannot get more of, the longer you wait, the longer you wonder, and try to find the perfect time to take action towards your dreams, goals or personal changes that you would like to make, the less likely you are to make them. I believe that you deserve to be happy, and that you deserve to have more in any given area-find a good coach or mentor, and RE-INVENT YOURSELF!


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