Hello, and welcome back. I hope you enjoyed the first blog (what it takes to be the difference in your life) post in this series. If you haven't read that one, please do yourself a favor, read it before continuing.

Ok, let's get to it.

You may be asking yourself what steps am I currently not taking to be the difference in my life? It's one I've asked myself multiple times and will continue to.

It's one that you should continually be asking yourself. Why? Because as you mature and evolve through your process to be the difference in your life, your steps will change.

Think about it as a staircase; you may start by taking three small stairs that take you to the next level. As you evolve, it may be eight stairs to your next level. Next, it could be a spiral staircase that takes you to your next level.

Here's a great quote for you to write down and understand about your journey to be the difference in your life. 

"Every next level of you will require a different you." 

Pause for a moment and let that sink in. Now look back on your life and think about where you are today. See it? There's a different you for every next level yourself. You may not have even noticed it before, but it's true.

Let's get into those steps to start being the difference in your life.

The first step, make a commitment to yourself and then honor that commitment. Devise a plan, start with small steps, and then progress to larger steps.

Remember, you couldn't run until you learned to walk.  Some ideas for your first step could be as simple as making your bed every day, scheduling ten minutes a day to learn something new or recognize and value your emotions. 

Then move on to more significant steps once you conquer the small steps. But never stop moving forward.

One side note, this will be one of the most challenging steps for you. Why? Because you might not see the progress you're expecting, which could cause you to get discouraged.

When you get discouraged, and you will. Take time to celebrate your small wins. I'm a big believer in celebrating as you go through the process. If you don't, it will quickly become something you dread, and, in most cases, it will fall off your to-do list. Believe it or not, this is where most people fail or quit.

Second, be patient. I cannot stress to you how important this step will be for you. Anything worth having in life takes patience and hard work.

Think about when you change jobs. You have to learn what the new company expects out of you, which takes work but it’s not too difficult to pick up.

However, consider this analogy. You are building your dream house from the ground up, and that will take time. It just doesn't magically appear once you draw it up on paper. No, it has to be built. There will be delays, setbacks, unforeseen challenges, and even frustration.

That's the beauty of it all. Whatever you want your life to be, it will take time and hard work. Enjoy the process, you will learn so much, and it will be so worth it.

Here's something to help you with patience. Schedule a 15-minute patience exercise in your calendar once a week. During this time, go back and celebrate (re-celebrate) all your wins, no matter how big or small they are. Give yourself kudos. Understand you are building your dream house, and it will take time.

Progress is progress, no matter how slow it is. Just keep moving forward.

Third, embrace who you are. No two people are alike, and being yourself is your superpower. I know this may seem complicated for some of you, but it may be easy for others.

When I say embrace who you are, I mean every little thing—especially the things you don't like or struggle with regularly.

For me, I'm my own worst critic; no one is harder on me than me. I often catch myself being so hard on myself. I have to pause and speak in the third person.

It sounds like this: Hey Paul, why are you so hard on yourself? Because I've done better in the past. Yes, you have, but it doesn't mean this effort was for not; you succeeded just differently than you have before.  Hmm, when you put it that way, it makes sense.

You might be laughing or saying that's a great idea. It helps me understand not to be so hard on myself, and I believe it pushes me o be better.

The good thing about being you is that you never need anyone's approval. Yes, I said it. If you are seeking approval from others, stop. The people who are supposed to be in your life will be, and they will accept you for who you are.

Here's an exercise you can do to help you embrace who you are. Grab a blank sheet of paper, draw four lines down the page. In the first box, put what you like; in the second box, put why you like it. In the third box, put what you dislike or struggle with; in the fourth box, put why you don't like or struggle with it.

When I did this exercise, it blew my mind. Some of the things I struggled with were due to what other people had said or mentioned to me. Here I was, trying to please everyone else instead of putting myself first.

Learn from my mistakes. I want you to stop hiding your superpower. The world needs to see it.

Now that you've committed yourself, understand it takes patience, and are ready to embrace your superpower, it's time for the final step. 

The fourth step, it's time to put your why in the driver’s seat of your life. Your why is something you feel so passionate about that it's almost like you were called to do it.

Your why will provide you stability and direction in life. It will give you the courage and resilience to handle life's toughest challenges. I want to be very clear here; money is not your why. Money is the result of the why that fuels the work that pays you.

See why it's so important to put your why in the driver's seat?  If you are not doing what you love, you are building something for someone else.

Let me share my why with you. To encourage and develop others by listening, protecting, and guiding. So that others know they have the ability, tools, and confidence to overcome anything. 

I do all those posts on social media, write these blog posts, and help people just like you to be the difference in your life because my why is in the driver's seat. I will be doing another post in a few weeks about how to keep your why in the driver's seat.

Thank you for taking the time – I feel very fortunate to have the opportunity to share this life-changing information with you. 

Best,

Paul – ZUP2U