[Here’s
another post (
kind of like this one) that may not be
your cup of tea.
I’m “
earnestly advocating a course of action” here — and some people just don’t like to budge much when it comes to deviating from their “tried & true”, even if their tried & true isn’t actually getting them what they want.
But if this post is your cup of tea — it will mainly be your cup of tea because it speaks of things you already know and have probably thought of — and just need a little nudge.]
“For tomorrow belongs to the people who prepare for it today.” — African Proverb
I have some questions for you…
- If you keep doing what you’re doing — and I mean in general, not necessarily your “job” — where do you see yourself in 10 years?
- Does that picture make you happy?
- Will you have spent those 10 years living the life you want?
- If you keep heading down the path you’re on, will you have done the things you truly wanted to do in that time?
If the answer to these questions is “yes” — awesome! — you can stop reading now. This post isn’t for you…
…
“When it comes to the future, there are three kinds of people: those who let it happen, those who make it happen, and those who wonder what happened.” — John M. Richardson, Jr.
If you’re like many people, there are a number of things you’d like to do, but you just haven’t gotten around to them yet. I’m not talking about the things you’ve wanted to do since last week though — I’m talking about the things you’ve wanted to do for years.
So why haven’t you?
You’ve probably just treated these things like distant fantasies or afterthoughts — “I’ll get to that later”, you say. But then 1, 2, or maybe even 10 years goes by and they still haven’t happened.
Now I’m going to venture a guess here and suggest that you’re not waiting for technology to catch up so you can spend a night on the Moon. I think it’s entirely likely that the things you want to do are perfectly doable — like that trip to a foreign country or a national park.
So what’s holding you back?
“Don’t find fault. Find a remedy.” — Henry Ford
Perhaps you’ve thought about all the reasons why “now isn’t the time”, “next year will be better”, you’ll “have more money later”. But then next year comes and it’s the same story and you tell yourself the same things — next year, next year, next year. You focus on all the reasons why you couldn’t or shouldn’t do something — and then it doesn’t happen. Well, that’s not a surprise (it’s a reliance on self-limiting beliefs).
Reality Check.
Right this moment there are all kinds of people doing all kinds of amazing things all over the planet. I’ve had the good fortune to meet some of them on my trip — Like Nathan, a British dude I met at the “Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas sign” the other day. Nathan is pedaling his bike down the west coast of North America (from Alaska) and will soon be heading into Mexico.
Why is he doing it? “For me“, he said.
Because after Nathan hit 30, he looked into his future and didn’t like what he saw. Sound familiar? I couldn’t help but relate — his story has so many parallels to my own. I listened to him talk about his journey and thought, “Wow, what an incredible life experience.” Maybe you think so, too?
“Action conquers fear.” — Peter Nivio Zarlenga
Now, I hope this doesn’t come as too much of a surprise, but many of the people who you might envy or admire for doing what they’re doing were no better off than you are when they decided to “go for it”. The difference is they took action — they focused on what they wanted and the reasons why they should do what they’re doing — and not the obstacles.
And doing it “For me” is about as good a reason as any I can imagine anyone doing anything — because it’s your life.
Consider this a gentle kick in the butt.
Create a definite plan for carrying out your desire and begin at once, whether you ready or not, to put this plan into action. — Napoleon Hill
If there’s something you really want or want to do — you’ve got to plan for it. Stop putting it off.
Life is short. Tomorrow is always uncertain. But you have today. Use it! Because life is precious and our time on this planet is both uncertain & limited. The most valuable thing we have in our lives is time — and every second that passes is gone. See, there goes another one.
Having read that, you might be feeling some kind of “guilt” for not having started to act upon (or acquire) the things you wanted sooner. That line of thought makes you think:
“Don’t wait. The time will never be just right.” — Napoleon Hill
- “It’s too late”
- “I’m too old”
- “It’s already been done”
- “It won’t be ‘perfect’ like I imagined”
- “Too much time has passed already”
- “There’s no point in starting now”…
Stop that right now!
These are not real reasons to not to do something — these are your self-limiting beliefs kicking in and holding you back. These are your fears telling you to stay the course and stay comfortable — even at the expense of the big picture. Even at the expense of potential regrets later on for the things you didn’t do.
Because it’s not too late — and deep down, you truly know it.
“Many fine things can be done in a day if you don’t always make that day tomorrow”
So stop waiting — because you have today. You can start your journey towards doing or getting what you want right now. Because if it’s something you want, starting now is better than never!
Stop looking back! Just focus on what you can do from this moment forward to start attracting into your life what you’ve always wanted. Start now and stick with it. No, I’m not suggesting you act “irresponsibly” and jump on the next plane to Paris — I’m only suggesting that you finally take some time to start planning for the things you want or want to accomplish — today. And it can actually be a lot of fun…
“The possibilities are numerous once we decide to act and not react.” — George Bernard Shaw
Have you made a bucket list? If not, you can start there. Everyone should have a bucket list. Everyone.
That sounds like a good idea, right? But I know, your TV show is on — or you’re on Facebook at the moment — or any of a million other reasons excuses why you’ll get to it later. I get it.
But wait! — this is just the same attitude that results in the things you want in life never happening.
Think about it — is this other stuff really that important? Are you really going to care about that must-watch TV show in 10 years? How do you feel about the one you used to watch 10 years ago?
“There is no moment like the present. The man who will not execute his resolutions when they are fresh upon him can have no hope from them afterwards: they will be dissipated, lost, and perish in the hurry and scurry of the world, or sunk in the slough of indolence.” — Maria Edgeworth
Is the hour you spend on Facebook or playing that video game today really rewarding, meaningful, or productive? If the answer is “no” — skip it! — or at least put that off until after you’ve made real-life plans. That TV show will always be available in one form or another — why not spend your 80’s or 90’s catching up on all the TV you miss today while you spend your time maximizing what you are capable of?
You owe it to yourself to focus on what you truly want. That is almost certainly the only way those things will come to you. And if these things matter to you — stop putting them off. Don’t wait! Because I can assure you, these things that you really want to do — when you’re actually doing them — will be far more real and rewarding to you in the long run than all the things you do for mild amusement just “passing time”.
It doesn’t take much to get started today — just take the time to determine what it is you truly want and visualize the end result. Picture yourself having or doing what you want and really feel it. Then, when you’re sure this is something you’d like to do or have in your life, write it down — along with a few things you can start doing today that can help make what you want a reality.
“Everything you want is out there waiting for you to ask. Everything you want also wants you. But you have to take action to get it.” — Jules Renard
It is a fact that the simple act of planning for something greatly increases the likelihood of it actually happening. So does writing it down! And sometimes — even if it’s a thing don’t think you’ll actually be able to do for quite some time — just the act of visualizing what you want can attract it into your life much quicker than you’d anticipate (and in ways you cannot even imagine).
Everyone has the ability to attract into their lives the things they want or want to do. But you can’t just sit around hoping for it. You can’t sit around thinking about all the reasons why it won’t happen. You have to give it your time and attention and make consistent progress towards making it happen. Now, that may sound like work, but when you are working towards what you truly want, you can be certain it’s time that isn’t wasted (not the same can be said about that TV show, video game, or time surfing the web).
“There are risks and costs to action. But they are far less than the long range risks of comfortable inaction.” — John F. Kennedy
- Stop pushing things off.
- Figure out what you want or want to do.
- Write it down.
- Focus on the end result.
- Think of some things you can do that will help you make progress towards what you want. Do them.
- Focus on solutions. Ignore the obstacles.
- Don’t worry about how it will all work itself out. Let the universe do that for you.
Just go for it.
“What simple action could you take today to produce a new momentum toward success in your life?” — Tony Robbins
