Learning to Live Large!

September 1 st, 2006 I was moved reading one of Rosa's posts when something she stated got my attention:

"And yet… not a day goes by that I do not wonder, Did I end up to be who I am, doing what I am doing as my mission because it IS my calling, and it IS my innate talent, or because I ENDED up believing it is? Am I at a place of knowing, or of way TOO practiced believing? Could this MWA journey actually be just another chapter for me, and do I still need to do some self-discovery myself? What will be that BHAG I’m pretty sure I still want to come up with?" Via LEARNING: A Place of Knowing and of Practiced Believing

I responded with the following comment on her 2006 post:

"Your posts are so full of many deep and wonderful observations. As I was reading I was thinking of my own ‘Ike loa and when you spoke of coming up with your own BHAG - I saw it ever so clearly - I need my own BHAG.

I have a recurring vision where I am surrounded by hundreds, even thousands in a celebration of abundance. People from all walks of life, especially young adults who have accomplished amazing business achievements.

Whether that vision is fulfilled in this life or the next matters not. Today I choose to believe that we can and do experience a taste of heaven if we dare to believe.

Today I declare that my Big Hairy Audacious Goal (BHAG) of impacting the lives of 1,000,000 business owners before I leave terra firma.

May your Aloha be visible and vibrant, may you experience a new found sense of Mahalo and be willing to embark on your own version of ‘Ike loa.

Aloha fellow Explorer!"

This was an unusual step for me. I had never set a BHAG at this level before that day. In fact, I always avoided people with large goals, which I now know as Big Hairy Audacious Goal (BHAG) and anyone that seemed to over-hype their business or opportunity.

What I did not realize until recently, is that when people set a BHAG they do it for themselves. To awake themselves from the deep sleep of complacency and mediocrity.

Mediocrity and complacency, that is where I found myself and it was time to change...

Complacency is a subtle, voracious, and consuming misdirection. Complacency shrouds itself in reasonable justification. In my case I avoided people who seemed high on life or with large seemingly insurmountable goals - which was my way of avoiding the truth and having to face my insecurities, fear, and complacency. As Rosa said recently "We sell ourselves short." Creating my BHAG is my way to make sure I do not sell myself short.

Since I first set my BHAG to Impact 1,000,000 Business Owners, I have learned that in order to "Live Large!" I first need to work on myself. I have had to get way outside of my comfort zone and change the way I think, the actions I take, and how I go about doing business.

Ask Better Questions

Pursuing my BHAG to impact a 1,000,000 entrepreneurs I knew that it would need to be a multi-year effort. Recently, I developed a 10 Year Strategic Plan and with that plan I figured I could reach about 166,000 - far short of my goal to Impact a 1,000,000.

I realized that to reach my goal I would need have to develop a product that would remain relevant to the small business owner for a decade or more. So I began to think about what that might look like and have decided to pursue developing a small business web application that I have been thinking about for a decade.

My Dream Software Application

This  web based software application will:

1) Help business owners identify their "Issues & Problems".
2) Suggest a variety of "Processes, Solutions, & Strategies".
3) Lead business owners through a step-by-step process/project/plan to achieve the results they need.

My goal is to create a small business development tool kit to help entrepreneurs evolve and develop their business throughout the life cycle of the business. Ultimately, this will be an intelligent system to help operate and grow your business.

Collaboration, Competition, and Courage

July 24th I entered a competition at Cambrian House, a crowd sourcing community based in Calgary, Alberta - a three hour drive from my home town Edmonton. I entered the competition because I liked the tools, system, and community they developed to assist entrepreneurs with developing their ideas.

I have grown as a result of entering the competition. I have had to summon up my courage to persist, run the full race, and play full out. The folks at Cambrian House make it a lot easier with the support, communication, and of course the competition itself draws out the best. I would appreciate your help encouraging me to strive for my best.

Help Me Uncover My New Best

I won the weekly IdeaWarz competition for the week of August 1st and have made it through the first round of the Tournament of Champions. The ranks have been whittled down from 16 to 8 and I am one of the final eight. There are two more rounds of voting and I have been working hard on developing my concept into a viable business.

This round of the competition ends at noon tomorrow, Wednesday September 12th. It is based on a voting mechanism and that is where I hope you can lend a hand.

You can help me make a difference in the lives of others by stopping in at my idea page and deciding for yourself if my idea has merit and leave a comment, suggestions, and of course voting.

So this is how I am exploring and finding "My Place of Knowing and Practiced Believing". I encourage you to look for your highest and best and let me know how I can support you to "Live Large!"

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Post author, Greg Balanko-Dickson is a Licensed Professional Business Coach who is striving to live his dream while helping others define and live their own dream. He is the author of two business books, husband to one wife of 31 years, father to a 14 year-old young man, and a proud home schooler.

Comments

[Rosa Say]

Wow, you really take me back Greg. What a flood of feelings came back in visiting that post again … who knew then that it would spin off into the birth of this blog and community. What a wonder. The right words escape me right now, but I can say that the feeling is entirely delicious, and warmly comforting despite the unknowns that may be before us.

And what a wonder in all that has come to be on your journey! I am so happy for you, and humbled that I may have played some small part, for the dream was yours. The dream, the determination, the will, the heart and ho‘ohana to give. Live large indeed.

[Steve Sherlock]

Great learning Greg! You are evolving and becoming what you want to be. Congratulations!

Thought becomes words, words become actions, actions become reality!

What a great BHAG, you'll get there!