My client looked across his desk at me during our first day of my on-site visit and proclaimed, "It's just like Texas Hold ‘em, Coach...I'm ALL in." It struck me that the fierceness in which he drew out the vowel sound in Aaaall, prescribed his future. I experienced a moment of pure reverence for his human spirit. Those three words, I'M ALL IN, was his succinct way of saying...I believe in my true potential and in all things being possible and nothing can persuade me to believe otherwise...not failure, not risk, not challenge, nor the gremlin in my mind, occasionally pushing the buttons on my old tapes of self doubt.
Does being "all in" come to one after a certain and deliberate set of action steps? Does being "all in" occur when the chips are down, or when you feel at your safest and most secure? Does it happen overnight or after years of coaching, therapy and a lone six-month back-packing trip to Budapest? Yes! Yes, it does. You may feel I just dealt you an unsolvable riddle. The simple fact is that the cards that you have been dealt are always the winning cards. And, more spiritually, can you really second guess what God (or whatever higher being you believe in), created you to be? Wayne Dyer captures this in his book, The Power of Intention, when he writes, "I accept the guidance and assistance of the same force that created me. I let go of my ego, and I trust in this wisdom to move at its own peaceful pace. I make no demands on it."
Let's dissect Mr. Dyer's affirmation to uncover the source of awe we feel when we read it. The active words or verbs in this quote are accept, create, let, trust and make. I can't help but sense a message within the message, that is, in order to make or create the life we envision, we must not demand but simply accept and trust that the path we find ourselves on today will undoubtedly lead us to it.
Think about all of the times that you pushed, insisted, manipulated or out-right strong armed a person or a number of people into making a particular situation you desired come to fruition. Did it turn out as you had hoped? Were your "demands" met? Your vision fulfilled? I'll bet that you were met with more challenges, set-backs and resistance than you first imagined and that the outcome was far from sweet.
Proclaiming to be ALL IN does not mean that we put our wishes, desires and goals above everyone else's, nor does it mean pushing forward like a tornado obliterating everything in our path. Rather, being ALL IN means taking 100% responsibility for one's self, knowing that there is a direct connection between our own goals and dreams and those of every other living human being and remembering that no one achieves success alone. This viewpoint was first introduced to me three years ago when I had the good fortune of seeing Zig Ziglar at a conference in San Diego, California. He said, "You can have everything in life you want, if you will just help enough other people get what they want."
What feats do you believe you could accomplish by proclaiming, "I'm all in!" For one of my clients, being "all in" meant becoming an impeccable Leader, one whose team members will stretch as far she needs them to. For another client, it propelled him to tap into his talents as a public speaker, whereby he is now sharing his genius with dozens of people each month. For yet another, this silent proclamation spurred him to open his own company and become an entrepreneur who now enjoys more freedom than he ever has. You might wonder, ‘Is there something that these three people had in common?' Absolutely! But if you thought it had anything to do with education, background, personality, money, environment, luck or I.Q. you would be way off the mark. What it does have to do with is this... They had a belief. They took risks, lots of them. They did not act alone and they gave and gave and gave.
If you're ready to put in all your chips, what you need to do first is ask yourself these three questions: What do I believe in, passionately and absolutely? What risks am I taking today to enjoy my dreams tomorrow? Who do I know who could benefit from my assistance in some capacity or another?
Once you have gained clarity in regard to these three questions, you'll have the confidence to stare destiny square in the eye, while deliberately moving that tall stack of chips out in front of you and declare, "I'm ALL in!"
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