I'm going to share with you an excerpt from a life changing kind of book that I'm reading right now by John C. Maxwell called, "Failing Forward". The excerpt consists of two lists in a context of taking sensible risks for life changing opportunities. One list consists of illnesses that unsuccessful people generally share and it's called the, "Don't dare try it people" list. The other list consists of virtues that successful people generally share and it's called the, "Don't dare miss it people" list. I increased my income by 81% in 2009 because I read books like this and I exercise the processes I learn about in these books in my life every day.
Don't dare try it people 1. They resist opportunities. 2. They rationalize their responsibilities. 3. They rehearse impossibilities. 4. They rain on enthusiasm 5. They review their inadequacies. 6. They recoil at the failure of others. 7. They reject the personal cost involved. 8. They replace goals with pleasure. 9. They rejoice that they have not failed 10. They rest before they finish. 11. They resist leadership. 12. They remain unchanged. 13. They replay the problems. 14. They rething their commitment. 15. They reverse their decision. Motto: I would rather try nothing greatand succeed than try something great and risk failure. | Don't dare miss it people 1. They find opportunities 2. They finish their responsibilities 3. They feed on impossibilities. 4. They fan the flame of enthusiasm. 5. They face their inadequacies. 6. They figure out why others failed. 7. They finance the cost into their lifestyle. 8. They find pleasure in the goal. 9. They fear futility, not failure. 10. They finish before they rest. 11. They follow leaders. 12. They force change. 13. They fish for solutions. 14. They fulfill their commitments. 15. They finalize their decisions. Motto: I would rather try something great and fail then try nothing great and succeed. |
Very distinctively different lists right? Consequently; very distinctively different feelings of fulfillment and regret between the successful and unsuccessful.
I didn't share this with you just for the sake of arbitrarily sharing. Make an exercise out of these two lists. Print it out and put a check mark next to each of the fifteen virtues and illnesses that describes you.. If you're an unfulfilled person this exercise WILL show you why you feel unfulfilled. But I caution you. This will only work if you are honest with yourself. This can make some of you feel uncomfortable to take this kind of affirmation in the truth but if you don't do it you will be stuck in an unfulfilled rut for the rest of your life making it nearly impossible to get out of that rut you might be in.
The first step to changing everything. Step 1: See today for today. See "it" for what "it" is. If it's miserable it's miserable. If it's broke it's broke. If it isn't working it isn't working. Step 2: See tomorrow for what it could be! Humans have an amazing ability to be able to Envision tomorrow if you could just look beyond the mess of today. Once you know what the truth is for today you now can see tomorrow for what it could be by simply picking up some new daily disciplines to replace some old disciplines that were holding you back! That is exciting news my friends. That's how you can change everything. That's how you can get healthy and increase your income this year in a bad or good economy by 81% like I did, if you want to.
Here is a simple piece of follow up philosophy to all of that. If you think you can't then you can't. But if you think you can then you can. They key word in that philosophy is YOU. Win or loose, rise or fall, fulfillment or regret... It's YOU. It's your choice! The economic and political winds have nothing to do with it. It's YOU.
IF you want to get ahead then quit blaming your problems on the economy and politics. Accept the responsibility of YOU because it's the ONLY way you will have the POWER to Rise.
Taking responsibility liberates you. It's the most liberating thing there is even when it seems unfair or when it hurts. There is no power within yourself without the liberation that responsibility manifests within you.
The purpose of lifes set backs and problems is for you to learn, grow, and achieve more. This process doesn't ever stop, but if YOU stop then the problems and set backs just pile up and you begin a vicious slide down the curve of failure. Now if you choose to blame variables you have no control over and retreat rather than choosing to learn, grow, and achieve then that's not the economies fault nor is it the fault of the political winds. It's YOU because YOU made the decision to retreat rather than to learn, grow, and get better.
I can say these things because I practice what I preach every day. I changed my health and my income because I took a long hard honest look at the truth in August of 2007 BUT I also saw tomorrow for what it could be if I did what I had to do. In my case it was a total fitness program and self employment as an independent team Beachbody coach. I did this in the midst of great adversity in my life. My good job of five years was off shored to India for cheap labor and I was going to school full time and a half. Jobless, income less, and not enough time on my plate because I was attending school full time and a half.
I was introduced to the possibilities of great health and a handsome income that I would be in control of rather than an employer when all of that was going on and stacked against me. I thought to myself, "I don't want to be stuck in the same horrible rut a year from now", so I took my credit card out and got started. I didn't wait for things around me to change before I changed. I didn't wait another year, another month, another week, or another day for things around me to change before I would. I created the change within myself and acted on that change every day; still to this day.
I wasn't going to sit around waiting for more time to open up for me or for more money to come my way. That's what people do who eventually wait only to wait some more and never seem to get ahead in life. Tomorrow will always be a day away; therefore it never comes. I'm not into it! Sadly 95% of people are.
If you want to be on the side of the fence of the 5% I'm tellin ya you can do it! I faced great adversity and am doing it anyway. This great nation of ours is riddled with people who have pulled themselves up from great adversity that most of us have never known. 80% of all self made millionaires in our nation come from extreme adversity. They were armed with nothing more than an openness to change and the right philosophies to do the necessary things every day to change everything. As it turns out it's the openness to change and the right philosophies in the face of extreme adversities that meant EVERYTHING to their successes. Most of us don't experience the adversities they experienced and still we insist on waiting for more favorable conditions around us to appear before we are willing to change ourselves. What's our problem? Some of us have to hit rock bottom first I guess. If you're still waiting for your ship to arrive I've got some shocking news for you. It's not coming! It's already here docked and waiting.
The fact is you pay a much larger price for not acting every day starting today to bring about change than you do for putting it off till outside conditions become more favorable to get started. There is a price to pay for success but an even bigger price on a much larger scale to succumb to a life of unfulfillment cultivated by an unwillingness to change. The best way to live in regret is to wait for more favorable conditions to appear around you before you begin to change yourself.
Given my background and the adverse conditions in which I decided, "Today is the day to begin changing myself so that everything around me changes", I do not subscribe to the excuses, which are really just problems meant to be solved, offered by most people ESPECIALLY the big ones I was faced with; time and money. This is precisely why I have no desire to try and change people. My mission is to inspire, hope and pray. I will not spend time trying to help someone who is not open to change. I will help those with an openness to change and pick up some new philosophies. All I can do; all anyone can do is inspire, hope and pray.
If you're interested, with a crucial openness for change, in the opportunities that changed my life as an Independent Team Beachbody coach get in touch with me. You can research ahead of time if you would like. My Beachbody given website: http://PassionFitness.info and my personal website http://PassionForFitness.info
Tom
Independent Team Beachbody Coach
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