Level Up! With Shay

Can we cut the crap on this whole “I’m happy where I’m at, I don’t need anything else” bull? There’s a difference between being grateful for where you’re at in life and then being satisfied. I have been guilty of making my dreams smaller to fit into other people’s comfort zones. I didn’t want to make people uncomfortable when I would say “I want a Mercedes Benz” or “I want to own a mansion and also another place in New York”. Why would they feel uncomfortable? Maybe they would think I’m greedy, I’m all about material things, or “wow she’s really far from that”. In reality, I was just uncomfortable saying them because if I did, I’d have to stick to them. I’d have to stick to my statements or somehow I’d be a loser who didn’t accomplish their dreams – just another person who failed and quit.

Well let’s stop all of this nonsense. The good news is…it’s all in our heads. What we think other people think about our dreams is much different than what they actually think. Tell your dream to anyone and ask what they think. I’m sure it will be an array of opinions, some nice and some a little doubtful, but probably not the things you think they will say. The truth is, people’s opinions and thoughts about our actions will always be there. It is a constant in life. People love to talk. Especially about those who are making moves. So if we understand that is a fact, we can focus on how we react to that.

The #1 person who holds you back from your dreams is YOU. Not your parents, not your siblings who are doing more than you or those who are doing less than you and are complaining about how much you’re doing, not your teachers who gave you crappy advice, not your boss who wants you to work more hours, not your partner who wants you to stay home more and take a break – none of those people! YOU have control over YOUR life. You have control over whose opinions you take to heart, your time, your energy, your resources.

And I’m saying all of this to bring around the fact that you need to stop being shy about wanting more. By wanting more you aren’t taking from someone else. If you got something and the other person didn’t, it wasn’t theirs to have! I remember one moment from my childhood very distinctly – I was about 10-12 years old and in a Value City with my mom. Value City is like a discounted name brand store where I would go to by Hollister and Abercrombie clothes, but all of the tags were either ripped off of or had permanent marker covering the name. Anyway, I was walking around looking at shoes with my mom and spotted a $50 bill on the ground. Holy crap! I couldn’t believe my eyes! $20 would’ve been cool, but $50??? That seriously seemed like a fortune. I picked it up reluctantly, thinking “Oh my gosh, should I be touching this money? It’s not mine.” I brought it to my mom and she was just as surprised! So surprised that she couldn’t believe that someone had just left $50 on the ground and that it was ours to keep. That seemed…unethical. My excitement plummeted after my mom told me we were going to see if we could find out who’s $50 it was because this must’ve been a HUGE mistake on their part and it was our job to fix it. “But I found it, it was my $50!” I thought. We took it to the Customer Service desk and asked if anyone had been missing $50, which no one had. So my mom, JUST TO MAKE SURE, asked to put the $50 in an envelope and keep it there for a week to see if anyone would come by to claim it. I waited impatiently for the next week until my mom called back to find out it was still there. We picked it up and I got a new pair of shoes.

Did I want more money as a 10-12 year old kid? Yes, of course! Did the Universe fulfill that desire by putting $50 on the ground for me to find? Yes it did! And I went on a week long journey to actually getting the money because of the thought that it wasn’t mine. Obviously my mom did everything for the “right” reasons. She wanted the other person who lost the $50, which was a lot of money I guess, to have it back. What’s the limit on that though? Would she have done the same at $20? $40? Whether we kept the $50 at the front desk for a week or I found the $50 and screamed in the middle of the store “I found $50!” and kept it, which one is more ethical? Neither! They both are! So don’t be shy! Shout it to the rooftops! Or put it in an envelope and wait for someone else to claim it. Up to you.

Thanks for reading ❤ Now, go claim what is yours!

#LevelUp

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