Posts by Allan Lacoste

While some might argue that rules are meant to be broken, some also serve as the foundation of a respectable human being. For example, we could all benefit from learning how to listen with curiosity, speak with honesty, and act with integrity. It’s simple really, work with integrity, succeed with integrity. A major problem with the way a lot of people communicate is that they don’t listen to understand, instead we tend to listen only to reply. However, when we successfully listen with curiosity, we’re looking for what’s behind the words. This shows integrity, the act of doing something good, even if no one is watching. For those who want to be truly free, a life of integrity is what needs to be lived. Integrity frees us from hiding, because those who have it, have nothing to fear. It’s having a life full of intentions and beliefs that are aligned perfectly with our words and actions. Integrity is a word that a lot of people know, but some have trouble defining. However, it can easily be summed up with one small, easy-to-understand, sentence. If it’s not right, don’t do it and if it’s not true, don’t say it. Practice this and enjoy freedom at the cheap cost of having integrity. Wisdom is knowing the right path to take in life, but integrity is having the intelligence and courage to take it.

Perseverance is vital for all of us because it keeps us going when the road of life gets a little rough. Persistence and patience go hand in hand and someone who lacks either will just tend to give up when the circumstances start to become too difficult to bear. On the other hand, someone who is persistent never loses hope and regardless of the size of the hurdles before them, they’ll always find a way around so that they can successfully achieve their dreams. Even the darkest of nights will end with the brightest mornings. Of course, it’s easy to understand just how crucial perseverance can be, especially for someone who sets a lot of goals in their life. Perseverance is failing something 100 times over, but succeeding on try 101. While moving mountains sounds hard, perseverance is the act of achieving it by moving all the small stones that it’s made of. It’s all the hard work that we do after we’ve grown tired of doing the hard work we already did. It’s not the long journey, but all the small ones that the bigger one is made from. Perseverance means we can take as long as we need to complete something, so long that we do actually complete it. Champions become champions by persevering through all the trials and tribulations that are speckled throughout their path to the top. Enthusiasm to do something is common but the endurance to see it through is rare. Perseverance makes all the difference. However, don’t become stuck down a road without anything of worth at the end. Perseverance is seeing something through, but if the endgame doesn’t produce fruit, it’s not worth your focus.

Courage is the most important virtue. We all need to show a little of it every now and then whether we’re changing careers, moving to a new place, or having to do something else outside of our comfort zones. Courage is key that makes the impossible become possible. Even taking a stand for something you’re passionate about takes courage. Courage starts with showing up and being seen. It’s the most important virtue because, without it, we can’t practice any other virtue consistently. Without this virtue, we can only practice erratically, but nothing consistently without a little bit of courage. If we want to grow as people, it takes courage. Not only does it take courage to stand in front of a room of strangers to give a speech, but it also takes courage to sit in that room and listen. While some may tell you that courage is a resistance to fear, the truth of the matter is that it’s more of a mastery of fear. Courage can be found in the unlikeliest of places. Even creativity takes courage and with enough of it, who needs a reputation? To put it plainly, courage is having grace under pressure. Without it, we’d never be able to do anything. It’s the greatest quality we possess, next to honor. Even John Wayne once said, “Courage is being scared to death … and saddling up anyway.”

Vision is more than what we see with the naked eye, it’s the ability to close our eyes and envision things that have yet to come. Vision isn’t what sits before us, instead, vision is insight. It’s the capacity to see beyond the real and mundane. With true vision, we can take a step back from life, evaluate it, and then find within it a future that hasn’t yet occurred. Life is a trip and to best understand where you want to go, you need to possess a clear picture of where it is you want to be. To have vision without execution is nothing short of a delusion. A vision that lacks passion is like a picture that lacks possibilities. People who fail to obtain a vision beyond what their eyes tell them will find themselves stuck within the world as they know it. They’ll only be able to see whatever it is that they have already seen with no possibilities, no dreams, and no future. It’s more than just an image of what could be; it is an appeal to our better selves, a beckoning deep inside of our souls that are screaming for us to evolve our minds into something more, and why not, It’s powerful enough. Words to the wise and to those who want vision beyond sight: have a vision, be demanding, and don’t settle for the ordinary. Trails are meant to be blazed, so blaze them. Because a person living without vision will remain frozen in illusion forever.

We need passion in our lives as it’s the key to unlocking our dreams. For those who are able to identify their passion and align it with whatever they’re doing, something magical happens. A synergy is born between fortified energy and our actions. Work becomes enjoyable and pleasurable. Hours fly off the clock unnoticed. Tiredness and fatigue drift into the back of our minds as we power our way to bigger things and greater achievements. Passion is the key to creating excellence, and a passion for learning creates great people. Just think, nothing great has ever happened in the world that wasn’t accomplished without passion. People who possess it can make the impossible happen. Without it, we lack energy and when we lack energy, we have nothing. Passion can move people beyond themselves, their shortcomings, and their failures. How do you find your passion you ask? Well finding it is more than just careers and money. it’s about finding yourself. Your authentic self. The version of you that may have been buried beneath the needs and expectations of others. Find your purpose. It’s the reason for your journey and passion is the torch that lights the way. At the end of the day, remember one thing. As long as you have passion and are willing to work hard, you can achieve the unachievable and create the life you want for yourself. After all, it is the key to unlocking our dreams.