My IT Consulting business is moving along, not as fast as I thought it would but never the less I’m headed in the right direction. The website is finally up and running, http://lilmanIT.com. And while I don’t have any official customers yet, that’s because I haven’t begun to fully market it which is the next phase. During the past 3 months i’ve learned a few things about myself and about who I am, or rather who I thought I was. Some of you may have already figured this out or some of you may also be in the process of self-discovery but nevertheless take what you want from this.

Action and Not Thought Helps You Figure Out Who You Are

I have always been a thinker. Someone who pondered what was beyond the stars, where I would be in the next 5 years, what to do with my life. Thinking and ideas are great, they’re the seeds of creativity, but you can’t create without action, no matter how small and insignificant you may think it is. Even if it is one step you can take in reaching your goal such as buying a domain name or reading something that increases your knowledge, you have to take that step and not be afraid. I’m not saying that i’m over my fear but I am learning how to manage it.

We Are Never Who We Seem To Be

I thought I was the guy who had it all together. I’m 28, married with my own place, I have a career and am doing what I dreamed of doing when I was 18. But is that who I really am? Am I really just the IT guy? Am I not more? You bet your ass I am, and I didn’t figure this out until I took action towards my goals. Who did I discover that I really am? Someone who likes fixing computers but doesn’t love it. What I do love is the challenge, the troubleshooting, the investigative part of IT. It makes me recall when I was in college and I interned for a hospital with a group of other desktop support technicians. If you know most IT guys and you go to their house, they’ve usually got some kind of network setup, a couple of computers, their running a server or a linux box ya know…just doing some crazy stuff. Most of the technicians there were like that except one. When the interns asked him so how many computers do you have at your house and what kind of network do you have? His response, just one desktop that I barely turn on. He liked his job, but for him it was just a job, and he was very good at it. And I discovered that I’m that same guy. I don’t think it’s a bad thing as long as you have other interests and passions.

Passion Can Sometimes Be Overrated

You hear all the talk about passion, find your passion, do whatever is your passion, do what makes you want to stay up late and wake up early. I don’t have a problem with passion. I think we should all do what we love. But I also think we should also go in the direction that steers our curiosity. I was never passionate about IT and computers, but it’s what I was curious about, what I wanted to learn. I certainly don’t go to sleep dreaming about computers and wake up thinking about computers. Part of the reason its lost a bit of its lackluster to me is because I know a lot more now than I did when I first started. But through the process of taking action in pursuing my company, through reading, and just the journey of self-discovery I’ve discovered something I am passionate about and have taken steps to also go down this new road, this new venture.

So the key to unlocking your true desires is to do, don’t think, do. Take steps no matter how small. And you’ll discover your more creative then you gave yourself credit to be. I know that’s what I found out.

What about you?

“Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me”

“Easier said than done”

If you happen to live on this planet we call Earth i’m sure you’ve heard all these before. Some of these quotes have been used to describe every part of human life from relationships, marriages, careers, personal growth, weight-loss, and sports. They are the motto’s of our race, some more true than others. But one thing they each have in common is Action. Movement. Momentum, Doing, Acting.

I’ve never been one to say what i’m thinking or what I plan on doing. I’ve always gone by the philosophy that its better to show the results of what you did rather than talking about what you were going to do. Whether that works or not is still up for debate but I can tell you it’s not that helpful when you have a wife who gets upset that you don’t tell her everything, sorry babe. The reason that is my philosophy is because a lot of times “talk is cheap” (forgot to add that one above). People say what they want or what they are going to do or their plans for world domination, yada yada yada. But they do not always follow through. For me not talking has always been the safe route, if you don’t put out there what your plans are then no one will know if you fall flat on your face except for you. I think it’s about time I changed that.

The Greg V Miller Blog Spot is about embracing change. I can’t help my readers bring about change in their lives unless i’m willing and ready to do it for myself. (Brings to mind another quote, “Don’t talk about it, be about it”).

So here we go…..

Back in December, around the same time I began this blogging journey and self-discovery adventure, I wrote an e-mail to myself. Trust me it was not something I planned on sharing at all. But part of growing is putting yourself in uncomfortable positions, making yourself vulnerable to new experiences, and tapping into your creativity. So I present for the world to see Greg V Miller’s letter of inspiration:

I recently finished reading The 50th Law, written by Robert Greene and 50 Cent. For those of you who are unfamiliar with either of those individuals Robert Greene is an author who writes books focused on war, strategy, and seduction. 50 Cent is a very successful rapper and entrepreneur. Greene’s previous work, The 48 Laws of Power, has been a favorite among many hip hop artists, including 50 Cent. He tapped Robert Greene to colaborate on a book and this is how The 50th Law was born. The book is centered around the life and upbringing of 50 Cent aka Curtis Jackson and how the lessons he learned growing up in the streets, drug dealing, and hustling has lead him to become one of the most financially successful hip hop artists to date. It is these lessons and core principles that both Robert and 50 break down in The 50th Law in order to help us apply them to our everyday lives and achieve the same success that 50 Cent has garnered.

The quote posted above is from one of the most hardest hitting chapters in the book entitled “Make Everything Your Own”. (You can read a more detailed excerpt here) I say the hardest hitting because it directly correlates to where I am right now in my career and life and can hit home for others who are looking to start new ventures because they want to work for themselves or want to move in a different route that includes learning something new or self improvement. While this excerpt in particular is very inspiring and hard hitting, it can leave you wondering if it is possible for us all to make everything our own?

It’s never been easier as it is at this point in history for people to  embark on new ventures given the growth of the internet and the access to information at our disposal. Being that we’re all capable of forming new ventures and striking out on our own, I don’t think there’s a question of whether or not someone can make everything their own and be their own boss or run their own enterprise. It’s more of a question of do they really want to. While The 50th Law isn’t covering any new ground here with preaching the entrepreneurial spririt and being completely yourself, this is the first time I’ve read from such a realist and blunt perspective. The book reads:

” When you work for others, you are at their mercy. They own your work; they own you. Your creative spirit is squashed. What keeps you in such positions is a fear of having to sink or swim on your own. Instead you should have a greater fear of what will happen to you if you remain dependent on others for power. Your goal in every maneuver in life must be ownership, working the corner for yourself.”

Some people are very content with their lives and career. They love getting up every morning, going to the office, mingling with their co-workers. That can be the best part of their day. I once had a co-worker who was very content with his job and I would joke with him that he’s a lifer at that company, he’d deny and say he wouldn’t be there to much longer, but almost 3 years after I left, he’s still there. When I entered the workforce I thought that this was it, I knew what I wanted to do and I’m going to grow and learn and i’m set. How wrong was I. One of the ways that we can make everything our own in life is to keep learning and to keep growing. It’s great to get up and go to the office and work in a place where you’re contributing to something that’s bigger than yourself. But that’s not what we’re talking about. We’re talking about ownership and power. How can you truly be who you are when for 40 plus hours a week you’re being goverened by another entity. You’re playing office politics, getting wrapped up in other’s drama and games. Sometimes instead of spending your energy on actually contributing, it gets spent on foolishness and unnecessary conundrums. And at some point you will say to yourself, there’s gotta be more to it than this. And there is.

The point i’m trying to make is this. If you are unhappy with your work or where you’re working, change it. If you are not getting the money that you think you deserve, change it. If you are not happy with your spouse, change them. If you are not happy with the direction of your life in general, CHANGE IT!!! And I know what some of you are thinking. “Easier said than done?”. Sure, everything is easier said than done. So go ahead and keep being unhappy, go ahead and keep being paid less money, go ahead and keep being unhappy with the direction of your life because I’m willing to bet that the position that you landed yourself in didn’t happen overnight, so therefore the steps required to change the situation won’t happen overnight either, and it won’t be easy. But it will be necessary unless you like being unhappy.

Here’s an exercise. No matter how old you are right now reading this, whether you’re 18, 28, or 78. Think back on the last 5 years of your life, then the last 10 years. And if you’re in that older age bracket maybe even go back 20 years. When most of us do think back, we sometimes think of all the things we did and the mistakes we made, but instead I want you to think about all the things you didn’t do that you wanted to. And once you have them in your head, no matter what age you are I want you to ask yourself what’s stopping you from doing them now. And once you have an answer to that question, I want you to think about the next 5 years, or 10 years, or even 20 years of your life. Come full circle of where you could have been right now if you had done those things years ago, and where you could be in the future if you still embark on those ventures.

I’m trying to make everything my own because when I think back on even 2 years ago, I wonder why I didn’t start. But I’m starting now. Will I fail? Maybe. Am I scared? Of course. Will it be easy? Absolutely NOT! But I’d rather die trying then not try at all.

Always See the Bigger Picture

Whether you’re trying to launch a blog, start an IT Consulting company, or write a book (i’m doing all the above). Each one of those things have individual components that make up the whole. It’s not frustrating that I didn’t get to do one of the components, it’s frustrating that I can see the bigger picture and my lack of inactivity didn’t help to getting closer to it. On the flip side of that, knowing the bigger picture is what will keep you motivated to keep going and pursuing your goal.

Know Your Limits

Could I have pushed myself to work despite the running and stuffed nose, despite the muscle aches and headache. Probably, but I don’t think I would have been as productive as I could have been. Then again, I’m always reminded that if Jordan was able to play a game with flu like symptoms, I should be able to sit here and work on a website. Now thinking about it, it actually feels like I’m just making excuses for myself.

Don’t Beat Yourself Up

Even if I really could have worked although I was not feeling well. I can’t beat myself up over it. I just have to continue to focus on the big picture, recognize my limits, and keep moving forward.

How many of you didn’t get to do what you wanted this weekend? Or this week?

I can specifically remember being in high school and the importance that teachers and my guidance counselor put on setting goals in life. Now at the time I thought it was all bologna. It wasn’t until after I was out of high school that I understood exactly what they meant. Part of the reason I probably had a hard time understanding the concept was because I didn’t know who or what I wanted to be in life.

This concept of knowing who you are is probably why it takes some people years to get their stuff together. Why people in their 30′s, 40′s, and yes even 50′s have not achieved the things they thought they would achieve or are struggling day by day to survive. When you understand who you are, when you can look in the mirror and say “this is me”, it does something. There is a confidence behind you, a swagger that you’ll have. You put yourself in a position where you can move forward and put one foot in front of the other without skipping a beat. Knowing yourself is knowing what you want out of life, seeking out the knowledge and understanding to get those things, and then letting nothing stand in your way. Once you have reached that point, you can set goals for yourself to achieve and start to build upon the benchmarks of success.

Dictionary.com defines success as “The achievement of something desired, planned, or attempted.” Our desires and passions are tied directly to who we are. Confidence allows us to have the mindset and belief that we can achieve our desires. Once we’ve achieved them success is the end result. There’s a logical order to this

1. Know who we are

2. Have confidence in who we are

3. Go after what we want

4. Achieve success in our desired endeavors

So I guess the real question is how do you learn who you are? Is there a process or steps that you can take to figure this out?

I wasn’t very confident with leaving home and going to college to study Engineering. Mainly because that wasn’t who I was or where I wanted to be. When I actually figured out that I wanted to learn more about computers and go into IT, I was on the road to discovering who I was. While there is no blueprint for figuring out who you are there are some tips I would like to offer.

- Think about the times in your life that make you the happiest. The people, the places, what you were doing. Sometimes small events are clues to uncovering what you like.

- What strikes your curiosity? What is it that you want to learn about and drives you to find out more of?

- When you are somewhere you don’t want to be, what is the first thing that comes to mind? It is probably where you would rather be.

- Take a break from everything. Even if just for 10 or 15 minutes. Find time for yourself without the distraction of television, work, or anyone else. Sit quietly and contemplate on your present mindset and what you like or dislike about it.

Our success in life is directly tied to who we are. Once we figure that out we can actually set goals for ourselves. Achieving those goals is what allows us to grow as individuals.

Have you discovered who you are and set out to achieve your goals? I’d like to know.

As I grew and up and experienced different things, I no longer wanted to be a scientist. Honestly all through high school I had no idea what I wanted to be but there was always a strong push towards engineering. Growing up I was one of those kids who loved building planes and cars with legos, creating paper airplanes, and yes I even had an Erector set. My guidance counselor, teachers, and classmates all said that this is what you should be and to me it seemed like the logical career choice for me to take.

So what happened? I made it to college, stayed on campus, made some friends, and then I left. I hated it. I realized when I got there and my back was up against the wall that I didn’t want to be an engineer. It’s funny how when you’re somewhere you don’t want to be you immediately are able to figure out where you should be. And at that moment I set forth a plan that if you were to connect the dots would ultimately lead from that moment 10 years ago to me writing this post.

When asking the question, what do you want to be when you grow up, we all immediately think that it’s only a question you ask a child. What i’ve come to learn is that it is a question you will ask yourself at different points in your life. Sometimes when you reach your goals and have fulfilled that question, you have to ask it again. That is where I am at in life right now, still in my 20′s and asking myself once again the timeless question. And once again I am setting forth plans to get me there. And who knows, 3 years, 5 years, 10 years from now. It may be time to ask the question once again.

What did you want to be when you grew up and how is this different from where you are today?

So I guess the real question is, how much effort do we actually put into our activities and our daily lives?

How many of you out there feel like there’s so much more. As if your potential has yet to be tapped or tested. As much as we hate scrutiny and bad circumstance in life, isn’t it those tests, those moments of resistance that help us discover who we are and guide us in the direction of who we need to be, not who we want to be.

What result has minimal effort yielded for me? A modest income, financial independence from others, the ability for me to pay my own rent, buy my own things, a wife. I guess what I really should be asking is if minimal effort has helped me to get the things I want, what will maximum effort yield for me?

Maybe it’s about time that for once in my life I find out. I’m taking a leap. A leap that i’ve only talked about, read about, and played with for the past year or so. It’s a leap of self discovery, a journeydown a new road, and an adventure I hope not to regret. What i’m talking about is tapping my potential through creative pursuits such as writing, blogging, and starting my own business venture. It starts with this blog and where it ends is going to be up to my imagination.

We all get to the point in our life where minimal effort is not enough anymore and we have to discover for ourselves what exactly we’re capable of. The world is changing and complacency in the corporate world and in our lives is being phased out by the evolving of people wanting to be themselves and arranging their work around their life as opposed to the other way around.

This is my journey, and this is my story and I welcome all who want to be apart of it to come aboard and also, share yours.