If you receive applause, you’re not there yet.

If you make more money, you’re not there yet.

If someone you admire notices your work, you’re not there yet.

If you receive more invitations, accolades, likes, comments, shares, snaps… you’re not there yet.

If you’re able to vacation to far-off islands and take selfies while your friends slog away at 9–5 jobs, you’re not there yet.

Why?

Because most of those things are not destinations. They’re mirages in a desert of other people’s expectations and images of success.

The only way you’ll get "there" is if you decide your own destination and why it matters to you. Most of where you need to go has nothing to do with your external environment, and everything to do with the ability to notice and appreciate where you are right now. When you can see, manage, and even appreciate what's in your control, on the inside, you're there.

So what now?

If you're feeling caught up in some future scenario, pause. Where are you now? What feelings are surfacing? Appreciate why you're feeling that way (you care deeply, you are trying to provide, etc), and then look for ways to shift to where you want to be and what you want to feel — without changing any external factor. Most of the time, this shift begins with being grateful for what you have and how far you’ve come.

Everything around you is telling you to be somewhere else; but for some of us, the biggest Leap we can take is back to this very moment.

PS: We received an awesome response to last week’s invitation to Leap Sessions. If you signed up, stay tuned for details. If you missed it, add your name here.