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zone and continuously operate outside their
comfort zone. We do not grow if we remain inside
our comfort zone. No dream is achieved within
our comfort zone. The things that we desire to
achieve are outside our comfort zone, and to
attain them we must step out of the familiar and
away from what is comfortable. When Arthur
took Liz on day trips and showed her a better life,
he was challenging her not just to desire it but to
want it so badly that she would be willing to step
outside of her comfort zone to obtain it.
Great leaders reach back to help others. Liz
shares her story all around the world, primarily to
motivate others. She is a passionate advocate for
underserved youth. When great leaders achieve
their dreams, they reach back to help others
achieve theirs.
High achievers are people with lofty dreams.
They are dreamers; they dream of a better life;
they dream of contributing to humanity. They
are constantly dreaming. Every achievement
starts with a dream. Until you dream it, you can’t
achieve it. In the book, Hero, Liz shares how she
would sleep in stairwells using her book bag as a
pillow. She states that as she lay her head on that
book bag she would dream of a better life. The
life she has today began with a dream. What you
dream, you will become.
High achievers follow through on their dreams.
They understand that an idea in and of itself
has no power to produce unless it is compelled
to deliver by the dreamer. What separates high
achievers from failures is their ability to pursue
their dream until it materialises. The vision you
do not pursue will not emerge. Still in the book,
Hero, Liz talks about how her mother would share
her dreams with her when she was a child. Yes,
her mother had goals. We all have goals. But her
mother never followed through on her dreams.
All she did was talk and talk is cheap. Liz says that
when she was done talking, her mother would
declare that she would do get around to doing
it. Some day she would make it happen. Well,
that day never came for her as it never comes
for many. She died without seeing her dreams
materialise because she never took steps to make
them happen. Dreams do not fulfil themselves.
Great leaders strive for excellence. They abhor
mediocrity, and for this reason they stand out
from the crowd and rise to the top in business
and career. While Liz Murray was a student she
desired straight A’s and so got a copy of her
transcript while it was still blank –she was a new
student and had no results – and she wrote in
the empty transcript the grades that she wanted
and then began to work towards those grades.
Every time she wrote her homework, she set the
9
transcript before her as a reminder of her goals.
Making straight A’s was crucial to her; she wanted
the best and was willing to pay the price for it.
With an attitude like that is it any wonder she
went from homeless to Harvard?
8. Nobody owes you anything! The day you learn
this fundamental truth that all great leaders
know is the day you will be unleashed into
your greatness. If it is to be, it is up to you, and
don’t expect anyone to pull you out of a pit you
are not making a conscious effort to climb out
of. Liz Murray says that she grew up thinking
that nobody owed her anything. See where that
line of thinking has taken her over the years.
Small-minded people go through life with an
entitlement mentality, and as such, are always
ungrateful. But great leaders are people of
gratitude because they understand that nobody
owes them anything.
9. You are going to have to do it afraid because, as
Liz Murray says, you can never get rid of fear.
Fear is a part of the journey to success, and great
leaders know this. Therefore, they do not allow
fear dictate to them the terms in pursuit of their
dreams.
10. You are enough. Great leaders realise this. They
know that they are enough to bring their dream
to fruition. Many think that they need something
which they do not have, and it becomes a
significant reason that they procrastinate and die
and never see their dreams materialise. According
to Liz, if you think you are not enough and that
you are missing something or waiting for the right
time, there is no right time. Get up and go just as
you are. God said to Gideon, go in this thy might
and Nike says, just do it!
11. Successful people know that things will not
always go as planned. If you have tried to pursue
a dream and failed woefully, you are in good
company. If you wanted to quit, you are also in
good company. Many great people have had these
experiences. Liz says she got rejected to the point
of almost depression. Life will test you before it
allows you to have your dreams. Greatness is not
for the feeble-minded. Yes, it is okay to cry, and
yes, it is okay to throw in the towel, but it is never
okay to leave the towel where you threw it. At
some point, you must pick up the towel wipe your
tears, and dare to dream again. And say to life, you
are going to see what stuff I am made of. I will not
be defeated!
12. Great women are an inspiration to other women.
Their story sends across a simple but powerful
message to other women. One that says, if I can,
so can you. Liz Murray turned her life around and,
so can you.
DOZ Magazine | November 2019