The tittle for this article derives from observation of our current environment, especially from a business perspective. If you are keeping track of any of the news headlines, one can easily be led to a feeling of uncertainly vs the opposite: Clarity in our Focus and enthusiasm for how we Execute what we intend to accomplish with our time, knowledge, experience, skills, passions, and purpose.

Two AFE Contributing writers speak consistently about the preceding. Stedman Graham (AFE Recommended Resource) reminds us of “Who We are by asking the question: Who Are You? Tony Jeary (The Results Guy) reminds us of the importance of maintaining clarity, and a clear focus on how we execute our plans at all times, especially during times which may trigger a bit of uncertainty.

“You’ve got to get to the stage in life where going for it is more important than winning or losing.”  
– Arthur Ashe, Iconic & Legendary Tennis player.

The following paragraphs are lifted from Stedman Graham’s book Who Are You available at Amazon.

The person we are transcends past, present, and future categories – that is, your core values, beliefs, disposition, and talents largely remain unchanged over time. Therefore, assessing who you are is a process that looks at all your goals (past, present, and future) to identify those essential aspects.

In my seminars, I talk with participants who are at  different stages of their lives yet grappling with common issues. It’s noteworthy that as uniquely individual as we are, collectively we tend to go through the same specific challenges, passages, or crises at certain points in time.  Some incredibly astute people have spent much of their lives mapping out these stages  so that individuals and society as a whole may benefit from planning and preparing for them. While pioneers such as Sigmund Freud stopped exploring the stages of life at the end of childhood. Others (including social psychologist Erik Erickson) took up where they left off and found evidence that we continue to grow well into adulthood.

We may be experiencing one of those special moments in time whereas it is incumbent upon each of us to years from now. It’s wonderful for them to begin to frame it based on the self-examine where we are and, once again,  who we are.

Young people want instant gratification. They live in the present, on a day-to-day basis, so when I present examples of likely future consequences of their actions, it wakes them up. It also gives them an idea of how to visualize their future, not just 5 years from now but 50 years from now.

The following is my basic interpretation of the Stages of Life, based upon what I’ve learned through my experience as a social worker and educator, as well as from my interactions with the people I’ve met over the years:

1. Youth

2. Young Adulthood

3. Adulthood

4. Older Adulthood

During times when we may feel a bit uncertain, it is important to remember who we are and where we are. We must remain the architects of our own destiny regardless of the optics we may see or absorb as we keep track of the community and world around us. It is wise to remember that we are here with a purpose and that purpose should always include an awareness of who we are and where we are at any moment in time, not such some moments in time!

You are an entrepreneur in some fashion! Therefore you are always the architect.