President Barack Obama visited Elyria, Ohio on January 22, 2010. This was the second stop on his “white house to main street” tour. He came to my city because our unemployment is higher than the national average.

The reason I am writing this is I had a chance to see the President. There was a rumor that he was stopping at a local restaurant to have lunch. I was sure he would be there as it was our Mayor’s favorite restaurant. All morning long I heard all the roads that were closed and kept telling myself that I will never be able to get to the restaurant and he probably won’t show up so I didn’t even try. Well, he did show up and two of my co-workers found a way to get to the restaurant. They met him, shook hands and had a great time. This was probably a once-in-a-lifetime experience for them and it could have been for me also.

So why am I telling you this?  I missed a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity because of my negative thoughts. Bob Proctor calls this the X Y Factor. X being your “comfort zone” and Y is out of your comfort zone. When you decide to do something that is different (Y factor), the X factor steps in and stops you with those negative thoughts. I know you have had this experience also. I believe everyone has been stopped by the X factor.

After, I found out the President did show up at the restaurant, I vowed to never let this happen again! I plan to act on my thoughts and ideas no matter what negative thoughts come into my head. I vow to overcome these thoughts and do the things I want to do.

This was a learning experience for me and a turning point in my life.  I hope by sharing this with you, you won’t miss out on a once-in-a-lifetime experience. If you really want to do something such as a new job, or moving to a new city or starting your own business go for it.  Of course, you do need to think about a life-changing opportunity but make sure the thoughts are not all negative. Don’t let  your X factor step in and tell you you can’t do it.  Make sure that your thoughts are based on fact not fear so you won’t miss your once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

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Donna Filipiak is an online business entrepreneur. She enjoys helping people
by sharing information that will help their business grow.

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