We are living in a new economy whereas technology impacts everything we do in our daily living and working. The work possibilities for those who seek flexibility and freedom in how work can be accomplished have never been greater. The possibilities to become an Individual Entrepreneur are enabled by new tools and new choices. These new tools and choices are  new equalizers. Leveraging underutilized assets in the form of knowledge, skill, experience, even passion or purpose enables the development of incremental income, even multiple income possibilities for those who seek more control over how they live and work.

Becoming the Architect of Your Destiny

Becoming an architect means being in control of the design, being a visionary. You must have a vision for what you want the design to accomplish. Architects are not in the “wish” game. They believe in their abilities to envision what can be, and they believe  that they can create designs and develop plans to fulfill those visions. You must now believe in your ability to design your future. We will give you guidelines, however, you are the architect . . . you must believe that what you take the time to study, and embark upon, can become your reality.

An architect knows that they cannot design something that is impossible to build. That would be foolish. Architects know engineering, and they know how to incorporate their visions within the realm of possibility. Both vision and engineering must come together in order for buildings to become a reality.

The Power of Imagination

When we are young, we usually have many dreams of what we want to be, what we want to accomplish, and how we plan to enjoy the fruits of our labor. As we get older, we tend to let our dreams slip away, dismissing them as childhood fantasies or simply forgetting that we even had them. Life becomes a challenge, and instead of continuing to pursue our dreams, we focus more on survival. The masses easily fall into the trap of living from paycheck to paycheck, which can easily become the norm. The opportunities and possibilities being presented in what we refer to as the new economy reveal equalizers that can be embraced and engaged by anyone from any walk of life when you believe this to be true.

You are now reminded that the child inside you, regardless of age or current position in life, is alive and well and that it is still perfectly acceptable to imagine what you can achieve and what you can become . . . to recapture those earlier dreams that you might have let slip away.

Dreaming is the unleashing of your imagination. It’s the power to let your thoughts and fantasies stretch out and beyond the confines of what you may be currently experiencing.

Have you ever been to the Magic Kingdom or Disney World? Both of these theme parks are the result of one man’s power of imagination. Walt Disney envisaged the possibility of a mouse becoming a cartoon character that could bring happiness and joy to children everywhere. Can you imagine that? A mouse putting smiles on the faces of children all over the world! Disney used his extraordinary power of imagination to lay the foundation for what has become a global empire.

What Disney showed us is that one of our most precious assets is our ability to imagine—to see things that are not always visible, yet certainly possible. We can imagine ourselves in practically any situation if we simply take the time to think about what we might enjoy, what we might want to achieve, and what we might want to be.

Visualize Achieving Your Goals

Consider what you envision for your life, as well as for your family and loved ones. Think about how much of the world you have seen and would like to see, what charities or good causes you are supporting or would like to support. Think of your feelings about your job, career, the amount of savings and investments you have and want to have, your current state of health, and the things that might better support or enhance an optimum state of health or even the way you are enjoying your retirement.

Here’s another basic truth: When we do not have specific goals and plans for our own lives, we are not designing our personal lives… we are simply living life. And by simply living it, we can easily become vulnerable to external forces that can control us and prevent us from being all that we can be.

Turn on the powers of your imagination! Now is the time to believe that you can be anything that you want to be. Let’s not place any limits on your imagination. It’s time to focus on your dreams—the design phase of the building process, the phase where all architects thrive.

Summary

Knowing where you are is important… but knowing where you want to go is critical to building a successful life. One of the greatest assets you possess is your ability to create a vision of your future. You have the power of imagination, the power of being able to dream great dreams, and the power of being able to engineer exactly what you would like to achieve and what you would like to become. The possibilities have never been greater to seize more control.

No matter what your current situation may be, you have the opportunity—and the obligation—to see your dreams come true. It doesn’t matter if others cannot see your vision; as long as you believe in its possibility, and you believe it is within your reach, it can become your reality. YOU are the most important EQUALIZER.