"Oh Yes indeed..."

There are times in this thing we call life when we block our own opportunities or blessings.

We do it either by poor action or worst...inaction.

Once upon a time, in a state far, far away, in a hospital cafeteria, a young man stood in a line waiting for coffee. Standing right in front of him, was a beautiful woman, with chestnut colored hair, and alabaster skin. The young man was captivated by her racially ambiguous look, her alluring profile and the simple shape of her pert nose.

He wanted to know her, to hear her laugh and the sound of her voice. He knew he had only a little time before she reached the register and would disappear into the crowd forever.

She turned, looked at him and smiled. and it lit up the room.

And yet....he hesitated.

That smile could not have been for him could it?

She was NOT going to be interested in him, some random chocolate skinned guy in a coffee line.

So what did he do?

Nothing.

He stood there silently. Watched her walk away into the crowd without even uttering a word.

His inaction was his action.

It ensured that he would never know her name, or what it was like to hear her laugh or to sit across a dinner table with her.

I want to clear something up. That man was me, and as fate would have it, I would see that woman 8 hours later driving down the street several miles away from the hospital. I did NOT let her pass me again.

I got the girl.

We did not become an item, but that was never the point of this story. I was not here to tell you about a happy ending.

The very simple moral to this story was based not on the end game, but the journey there. It was about allowing my fear to become a barrier to what I wanted to experience in my life.

It was about standing in my own way and saying "No" to my "Yes".

Not very many of us are lucky to have those second chances. It was entirely possible that when she walked away, I was never going to see her again.

I was lucky, in the purest sense that I not only saw her hours later, but that I recognized her and that she recognized me.

I was lucky that she took the time to stop.

What was not luck was my determination to get her attention and to ask her to pull over in her car. What was not luck was me taking the time to take action.

But I should have done it the first time, instead being my own "No".

There are times when you will be faced with a chance to do something great in your life. You might feel fear or concern. You might feel like it wasn't made for you or that you won't be good at it.

You might have a fear of failure.

Sometimes we believe the lie that we are telling ourselves. WE stand in the doorway, blocking our exit from Mediocrity and our entrance into Excellence.

When find yourself standing in your own way, being eclipsed by your own shadow. When you hear yourself whispering doubts that you are aren't worthy, I want you to smile and give those doubts the middle finger.

It is long pass the time that you remember that although not every opportunity is made for you, the journey certainly is.

Not a little, not maybe....or possibly.

Completely and Entirely.

So, do us both a favor...get Out of Your own Way and say Yes to Success.

Speaker...Coach...King...Architect