Some very royal lessons
No one does royal weddings like the British and the latest one was not an exception. Millions of people from around the world watched the bride marry her prince to much pomp and pageantry.
It was an opportunity for hope, faith and love to be restored to the hearts of many. For others it was about the celebration, pride in the royal institution, fashion and the cake. Many careers were made over the weekend.
Millions now know the British wedding gown designer and future designs of clothes, cakes and event planning will be shaped by this weekend.
As I write this week’s post, I thought it was only fitting that I share my life and career lessons from the royal wedding weekend. 
Invest in and nurture a dream
Most little girls dream of marrying a prince some day. Others dream of becoming a pilot, doctor, astronaut, nurse, teacher, engineer or a mom. It’s not about the career choice, rather it’s that they have a dream.
Question is, ‘did Meghan’s parent know they were raising a daughter who would become a future duchess in England?’ If they knew that, would they have done any thing different in how they raised her?
Would her acquaintances, co-workers, friends and family members have acted differently if they had caught a glimpse of her future?
What can you do differently today as a parent or carer, a co-worker, friend or family member that will make sure you can be a beautiful part of someone’s dream and future story.
Prepare for your future
Did Meghan know she would be married to her prince some day and how did she prepare for this?
We can learn from her determination to become a successful actress, overcoming the challenges and odds of a tough industry, the grace with which she carried herself and the causes she lent her voice and time to.
She didn’t start to show these qualities after she met her prince. She was already a person that was worth taking another look at, one that would confirm she’s the one.
So how are you preparing for your future? Dreams don’t just become a reality. They take time, effort, determination and you have to keep working at it till your Master, prince or moment comes. 
Wait for your moment to come
While you are waiting for your moment, make sure you don’t give up or check out of the race called life. Keep going, stay busy doing the right things and start building a resume, dossier or legacy that will be ready when your moment comes.
It wasn’t just Meghan and Harry waiting for their moments, many of the invited guests were too. Some guests were there because of their accomplishments or service to others and many were shocked to get an invitation.
What led to their invitation to a royal event had been years in the making. They, like you, might have wondered, ‘who sees me and what I am doing in this little corner?’. Someone sees. Royalty sees you and all you need to do is stay faithful until you are called out for public recognition.
You’ve got something to say, so say it
We’ve all got something to say and have stories to tell. Who can you inspire today? Express yourself! Surprise yourself!
Change is coming. Get ready!
Sometimes change is forced on us, at others times, we seek out the change we want and go after it. The one thing I have found is that we have to be prepared for change regardless of how it comes about. I have seen too many people stuck in the same place because they are afraid of change while others put much-needed changes on hold whilst going after other things. A
Is ‘your pot’ big enough?
Last week’s post was inspired by a plant so I thought I would continue the trend this week. Recently a friend gave me a plant and it was in a small pot, and she explained that if I wanted it to grow really big, all I needed to do was plant it in a larger pot. This particular plant’s size is determined by the space it is given.
I found this fascinating. Of course, I know the conditions that make plants grow but there are some plants that stay the same regardless of the size of their pots.
What does this mean for us?
Where we are planted and the conditions we are planted in will work together to determine our growth potentials and outcomes.
Where are you planted?
Have you figured out where you are meant to be?
Is working in a large or small company the right thing for you? Do you have to be in the city or will an opportunity in a quieter town suffice? Being in the right place at the right time makes a great difference to our journey in life. We owe it to ourselves to figure this out and not be influenced by other people’s choices. Just because everyone is moving somewhere doesn’t mean it’s right for you.
What company do you currently keep?
Have a look at the people who are closest to you and see if the qualities they possess enhance your life and uplift you. Who are the five people closest to you and what do you learn from them? It is said some of your future accomplishments will be determined by the companies you keep today. Some of us surround ourselves with only those who agree with our viewpoints or tell us only what we want to hear, so we miss out on opportunities to be and do better.
What are you feeding on?
Too many people feed on a junk diet but expect a dream body, sadly it doesn’t work like that. I see people who are obsessed with their bodies and have low self-esteem, yet they spend their time watching reality TV shows and magazines that are filled with people who are perfectly made up. It’s no surprise they feel bad about themselves.
In the same way, we can fill our minds with negativity or spend too much time with those who never see the good in any situation and lack an attitude of gratitude. It’s time to change your diet to achieve the life that you want.
My plant is still in a small pot because I haven’t made time to go find it a larger pot and I know I am stifling it and limiting its potential. Some of us are doing that, not to a plant, but to our lives.
What chapter are you in ‘Your Book’?
The inspiration for this week’s post came as I walked out of my front door and spotted one of my plants with little buds that signalled life.
Through the winter months, my garden looks dire, dreary and uninspiring. Some plants look like dried twigs and it’s very tempting to give up on them.
One year, I told my gardener that we needed to uproot a plant as it was dead but he smiled and told me it was still fine and we should just wait and see. He pruned the plant which was painful to watch and true to form, the hydrangea came back to life looking as beautiful as ever.
This makes me think of our lives as being more than snapshots of events. We often see each other’s lives in moments or based on time periods and very rarely do we see the totality of a person’s life.
When we look at ourselves and others, what do we see? Do we see a failure or a disappointment? Perhaps you see an unsuccessful career, a fading glory or a failing business? Maybe you see a successful career, marriage and family.
Regardless of what we see, we need to know that life can be likened to reading a chapter in a book, watching a clip from a movie or seeing a plant in a particular season.
So, what does this mean for me and for you?
Don’t give up on yourself
For me it means hope and it encourages me to never give up because what appears dead today can be alive tomorrow. This can be a dream, career, marriage, relationship, business and your faith. Even when my plants look dead, the potential for life is still there though hidden to my natural eyes.
Don’t judge isolated moments or seasons
It reminds me never to judge anyone based on the season they are in. Perhaps things aren’t great today, but it can and will turn around. We need to remember that a blip is just a blip and it doesn’t mean it’s over.
Don’t give up on others
I'm encouraged not to give up on others. We need to learn to see beyond an event in a person’s life, see past a poor choice or bad decision they’ve made and help them to see so they don’t give into despair. I am sure we all know at least one person who appeared to miss it big time based on a mistake but that’s not always the end of the story.
I have seen teenage mothers go back to university and get their qualifications, wayward sons come back home and rebuild their lives, ex-convicts starting all over again and moving on to have successful careers and family. I have also seen broken relationships healed and restored.
One step, two steps ….. then one day!
I told you last week that I was excited by a quote by Mark Twain that says, "Continuous improvement is better than delayed perfection". This week I want to explore this quote further and apply it differently. What did Mark Twain mean by this quote? As a Project manager, I know about continuous improvement and delaying improvements or solutions as you wait for perfection. Your wait could be for a long time