Great Expectations

“In a word, I was too cowardly to do what I knew to be right, as I had been too cowardly to avoid doing what I knew to be wrong.” ― Charles Dickens, Great Expectations

Happy Family Day!

I am confident that that in each and every one of you there is an innate desire for you to achieve your dreams. If I can do it, you can do it too. On Thursday, I will be doing a presentation on Bitcoin and the implications for regulation at one of our Top Canadian Banks. Bitcoin as you may know is a virtual currency being used on the Internet. Few months ago a representative from the bank called to request that I do a presentation for the staff in one of the bank’s compliance and risk division. From all indications the staff are very excited and a lot more of the bank senior employees than was initially anticipated will be participating in the workshop.

When I agreed to doing the presentation I did not know that Jim Flaherty, the Federal Minister of Finance, was going to announce plans in the 2014 Budget to explore implementing laws to regulate Bitcoin in Canada. Bitcoin is a relatively new phenomenon and recently it has caught the attention of lawmakers not just in Canada but globally including Benjamin Lawsky, superintendent of New York Department of Financial Services. When I agreed to do the presentation never in my wildest mind could not I have predicted that just over a week ago two major Bitcoin exchanges, specifically Mt. Gox and Bitstamp, would have experience disruption of trades causing concerns among Bitcoin users.

Why have I shared this with you? I share it with to you because I truly believe you can achieve your dreams. If I can do it, you can do it too. You never know where your next opportunity will come from all you have to do is set your goals and take actions to Exceed Your Potential, Create Opportunities and Make the Impossible Possible.

In our lives everything starts with a dream. However, it takes courage and perseverance to turn dreams into reality. I have been inspired by Elon Musk, of PayPal and SpaceX. Elon Musk wants to colonize Mars with 80,000 people. I ask myself the question, if Elon Musk can dream of colonizing Mars with 80,000 people, what more can I dream of? What more can I accomplish?

The truth is I can dream of much more and I believe you too can also dream of more. I also know that if I have the courage to take action and the will to persevere I will accomplish my goals long before Elon Musk create the technology for people to travel to Mars. What can you accomplish by the time Elon Musk succeed with is lofty goals?

Motivated and inspired by Elon Musk’s lofty goals I have committed to using my time and skills to help bring awareness to the homeless and needy in communities across the Greater Toronto Area. Consequently, in blog 5 Tips to BeExtraordinary I committed to walk/run approximately 50K during the month of February. So far, I have walked and run approximately 20K and in the process feeling physically healthier. I have also committed to spending the entire night of February 22, 2014 outdoors in solidarity with the homeless. My goal is to raise $2,000 for Regeneration Outreach Community of Brampton’s Coldest Night of the Year. Regeneration Outreach Community of Brampton has a wonderful program that provides breakfast and care for those who need food and care. To this end, I seek you kind support, sponsorship and donation. Click here to sponsor my walk/run.

Please come out and walk with me on February 22, 2014. You can also bring me a cup of coffee or something for me to stay warm or even just stop by to chat and keep my company. To the best of my knowledge even the weather is being supportive. The forecast Saturday seem to suggest favourable weather conditions for me to survive outdoors.

One of my key take away from Elon Musk’s goal is that there is absolutely nothing wrong having great expectations or high goals. Our expectations are based on our dreams and dreams are limitless. Dreams are not impossible. Eleanor Roosevelt said “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” Dreams do come true when you demonstrate courage and perseverance to chase them. My daughter, Marchelle is three months away from graduating from her training to be a pastry chef and my son Malcolm is completing his first year at the University of Ottawa. I usually tell both Marchelle and Malcolm to chase their dreams. I tell them they have to want their dreams so much that it feels like being in the deep ocean desperately trying to take keep on breathing.

You have to want your dream more than anything else and you have to be willing to do whatever it takes to make it come true. For Elon Musk, success is not just when the first person arrives on Mars. The path to success is a journey with small accomplishments. For Elon Musk, is will be his contribution to technology, communications, science and the environment. For me, it is a tweet on Twitter from ‏@Dhindsa_04 and @680News which indicates that others are helping to bring awareness to the issue of homelessness in communities across the GTA. It indicates to me others are also getting involved. It is about the email I received from my friend Lawrence Scott who wants picture of me sleeping outdoors. A picture tells the story of a thousand words and for me key is to bring awareness to the issue of homelessness. To date I have raised $100 and I I am confident with your support I will achieve and even surpass my goal of $2,000.

Here are my tips for having great expectations:

Believe in yourself

Success is about believing in yourself and believing you will succeed. It is like a prophecy. Read my blog about the power of believing in yourself.

Walk away from Naysayers

You have to maintain a believe system that empowers you. To do this walk away from naysayers and pessimists. Don’t let anybody take your power away. At the same time don’t be too critical of yourself. Recently in a conversation with my friend Jeet Tulshi I told him one of the keys to success is being soft as sponge to absorb positive encouragements while having the shell of turtle that let negative vibes just slide right off.

As long as you are able to stay away from naysayers and maintain the belief system that empowers you, you get back up from your mistakes. You will have the courage to keep on taking action as well as the strength to persevere and eventually succeed.

Don’t let fear stop you

The most common excuse I hear to setting high goals is, “But what if I fail?” Never let the fear keep you from take action. True failure is when we fail to take actions. Accept that you are going to make mistakes.

Michelangelo said: “The greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short, but in setting our aim too low and achieving our mark.” Look at Elon Musk he has very great expectations and he is not afraid to go after his dreams and goals.

Why should you be afraid? Why should I think I can’t help to bring awareness to the issue of homelessness in the Greater Toronto Area?

What are your dreams? What are your great expectations?

Mark McKenzie is a leading Subject Matter Expert in financial services regulation and supervision as well as a professional motivational speaker, corporate trainer and youth mentor.  He can be contacted by email mastbmckenzie@gmail.com or by telephone 647-406-4622. Read my blog http://mastbmckenzie.blogspot.ca/ and always write me a comment and share. Follow me on Twitter @mackynacky. Connect with me on www.youtube.com, Google+, Facebook and Linkedin.