WIND

"When everything seems to be going against you, remember that the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it." — Henry Ford

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It was pretty windy this past week here in Massachusetts, which is mighty appropriate because today's Magic Word concludes a three-part series that started with with the words Boat and Sail, and concluding now with the word WIND.

Here we're using the word wind as a metaphor for the power that moves us forward, the propellant that gets us started. Once we have our craft to keep us afloat and once we have our inspired purpose to provide direction, this wind is crucial to our success because without it we'll never even get started!

It's sometimes challenging to get started. You may be the most talented actor in Wisconsin, but unless you can get to Hollywood you'll never get your big break.

Here are two simple suggestions to provide some wind for your sails, no matter what your boat or sail happens to be:

1) Ask your allies for support. According to researchers at The University of Chicago, the average person knows about 600 people. That's a lot of people! Certainly most of those people are mere acquaintances, but you're at least acquainted with them enough to recognize them walking down the street or hanging out at a social gathering. Asking these allies to blow a little wind into your sail by offering a connection, a resource, or whatever, might be just the push needed to get you started.

If you feel awkward asking acquaintances, then ask one of the 10-26 people that you trust the most, which is the number of close connections the average person has (according to the same study). Heck, if you don't feel comfortable asking those closest to you for support then maybe you're in the wrong boat!

2) Start accomplishing small wins. Maybe you do happen to be the world's greatest actor, but the world just doesn't know it yet because you don't have an acting job and you don't have a bus ticket to Hollywood. Don't let that stop you! Do something every day to demonstrate your skills.

When I transitioned from being a magician to a speaker and facilitator, no one interested in working with me. Everyone only thought of me as "Jonas the magician," not "Jonas the keynote speaker." But instead of floundering like a sailboat without wind, I got to work accumulating small wins under my belt, and one of those wins was by producing these Magic Word videos. By emailing these to everyone I know and sharing them all over social media, it wasn't long before people started to notice that I had more to offer than just a magic show and the work that I'm most passionate about started rolling in. So much so that most weeks I have little time left for producing and sending these videos! But I do keep this series going because I know how many of you value it and look forward to the positive messages every week (shout out to all my loyal fans!)

REFLECTION

1. What craft are you working on, and in what direction are you headed? 
2. Who among your allies can you ask for support? What will you ask them for?
3. How can you start accomplishing small wins starting today?
4. What's your wind?

Have you taken the FREE online course in resilience yet? If not, don't worry—for a limited time enrollment is still free, so signup now while it's fresh on your mind.