I’m sure you’ve heard the saying; everything you want, but don’t yet have, is on the other side of your comfort zone. Does it annoy you as much it does me? People who say it, often have a smug look on their face, like, the cat who got the canary, or, the penguin who woke the polar bear with symbols, and, survived! Do you ever want to slap these people and tell them, that your life is okay, and you don’t need them prancing around telling you what you should and shouldn’t do? Me too!
Fear is a word, actually a feeling, that either paralyses or propels, all depending on how it’s perceived. Unfortunately for many people they allow the feeling to paralyse them. It’s important to understand here that feelings don’t just appear out of thin air, they aren’t lucky or unlucky and no one else is to blame for your feelings. Every emotion we experience is the result of a thought. Again, no one chooses your thoughts, except you. People may try to influence you, television will start to coerce you, and society will definitely impact you, but you are in control of your thoughts.
Therefore, if you choose your thoughts and your thoughts lead to the emotions you experience, then you are responsible for your emotion. There are many destructive emotions, but the one we are talking about this week is fear. You may have heard the acronym of fear as False Evidence Appearing Real. What this is actually saying is that we incorrectly perceive, or think about, a situation which leads to the damaging emotion of fear. Now, don’t get me wrong, we are not ever going to eliminate fear, and in fact some fear is good, because it keeps us alive. It stops most of us from getting too close to the edge of a tall building, picking up a venomous snake, or endangering our life in some other way. However, we seem to default to fear far too easily these days, and I can tell you it is robbing you, and I, of the life we were put on this planet to enjoy.
Honestly, is it really worth being scared of making the phone call, unsure of what the person at the other end of the line will say? What’s the worst that could happen? Should we really be afraid of trying something new when the worst thing that could possibly go wrong is making a mistake and then learning from it? Why be afraid of changing careers or starting a business when it could possibly lead to the greatest joy and achievement of your life? Why be afraid of attempting to regain lost health, when it will happen predictably, one day at a time. I have spoken to many aspiring authors, so scared of what others will think about their book, it stops them from ever writing it. There is only one way they will ever know what other people think. The tragedy is that it could have turned out for them like Harry Potter did for JK Rowling, but they’ll never know. Fear is stopping people, maybe even you from doing exactly the thing you need to do to have what you want. Are you ready to do it anyway?
Just have courage for the first step.
Any great achievement is the culmination of small daily steps. No one flies, like superman, to the top of the mountain, they walk up one challenging, painful and slow step at a time. The top seems unreachable, but each step is doable, so all you need is to have courage to take that first step. Great things will happen, one day, one step and one little scary action each day, so have just enough courage to take that first step.
I have spoken before about 1500m swimmer, Kieren Perkins, an Australian Olympic legend. He swam in three consecutive Olympic games, 1992, 1996 and 2000, winning two gold medals and one silver medal. I think we can all agree, that’s a pretty impressive achievement. Now, do you think, when he was a young teen starting on his swimming journey, he ever considered that a possibility? It would have been a terrifying and overwhelming thought that may have even stopped him from swimming. His coach was very smart. Instead of teaching Kieren to watch other swimmers and compete to beat them, he taught him to just focus on daily improvement.
Kieren’s only goal was to beat his previous best time, irrespective of the other swimmers. In one of his early competition races, when he was a child, he dived into the pool, swam the race, looked up at his time and saw that he had swam faster than ever before. So excited, he jumped out of the pool, ran around yelling to his mum and dad, ‘Did you see that mum & dad, did you see that? Look at my time!!’ His mother, a little embarrassed, said, ‘Yes, dear, well done, let’s go home now.’ She was embarrassed because Kieren had come dead last, by a long way in a 50m race! He didn’t care, he was thrilled to have beaten his previous best time.
It was this daily commitment to just improve one day at a time, that took him to the top in the sport and help him to achieve what most people would consider impossible for them. I’m sure a young Kieren would have also thought it impossible for him. What was possible for him, however, and for you, was the next step, the next swim and the next day. You will never have to fight a dragon, stop a moving train, win a gold medal without any training, sing perfectly without any practice or do anything that contributes to you being as fearful as you may be right now. Just have a little courage to take the first step.
Is this making sense to you? You truly are good enough, and, the amount of fear you may be creating around the things you want is unnecessary and destructive. So, if this is you… stop it! Understand very clearly that you only need a little bit of courage to simply take the first step. Trust me, this will be the most courage you will need, because once the first step is taken, you will be feeling clearer, more confident and the next step won’t take as much courage. Or the next, or the next, or the next. You just need that little bit of courage to get started. In fact, just as Benjamin Mee said to his teenage son, ‘You just need twenty seconds of insane courage, and something great will always come of it.’
If the best-case scenario excites you, if the worst-case scenario is bearable and if you have no conclusive evidence to prove that you can’t achieve success, then have the courage to get started and see where it leads. I can tell you, from personal and purposeful experience, this has always been my approach in life, and, served me very well. It has helped me; play professional football, build businesses, become a successful author and led me to many other wonderful blessings in my life. It will do the same for you. So, please, for your benefit, that of your family and the life you are destined to live, have a little courage today, and, take the first or the next step.
What I admire and envy about children most is that they have much less history to drag them down than we adults do. They believe they can do anything. They have visions of grandeur. They believe they will change the world, be famous, fly to the moon and live a life of adventure. There is no limit to the imagination of children, and they honestly believe their dreams will become reality. Do you remember what you dreamed of as a child? Do you remember knowing, without a shadow of a doubt, that it would happen for you? Did you ever fly down a mountain on a bike, or Jump off a roof, believing you could fly? Did you ever hold that pretend microphone in your hands, singing like a superstar, and, absolutely believe it would happen? We all did, because at that time in our life, our destiny was far greater than our history.
Then what happened? We grew up. We made mistakes, had accidents and chose poorly. Some of those mistakes, accidents, and poor choices were painful. We started getting influenced, more and more, by the people around us; parents, family, friends, teachers, TV and society. We were told to; be careful, be realistic, not take risks, avoid talking to strangers and not dream too big. We attempted things that didn’t work out the way we wanted. I mean, when I jumped off the roof certain I would fly, the ground shattered that illusion. When I flew down that mountain on my bike, in the need for speed, I ended up face down in the dirt with a bike on my head. I have tried and failed tests. I have missed on team selection, time and time again. I have had my heart broken more times that I care to discuss. I have lost more money, invested in businesses or ‘opportunities’, than I want to share.
The older I get, the more and more my history grows, and, the more and more I rack up experiences of failure, mistakes and loss. With each failed experience, another space in my brain is taken up with its memory that will be in there forever. The problem with my brain, and yours, is that it has enough space to store every one of our lifelong experiences; good, bad and horribly ugly. We far too readily use those experiences for evil, because we perceive them the wrong way. We reflect on them with anger, resentment, bitterness, regret, guilt and embarrassment, and consequently we avoid putting ourselves in the same position. I mean, why would we want to go through the same misery, again?
With every day that goes by, our history grows and the time to create our destiny shrinks. If we incorrectly perceive that rapidly growing history, and the undesirable events that happen regularly, we can wear ourselves down, beat ourselves up and talk ourselves out of the dreams that we had, and believed we could achieve, when we were children. Are you relating to anything I am saying right now? Are you ready to make your destiny greater than your history? If so, keep reading.
Use your history as a platform for your destiny.
I am at a pretty cool place in my life right now. I really feel like I am in my zone, in a flow and fulfilling the destiny and purpose I was put on this planet to realise. My recent trip to the USA, the incredible people I met, opportunities that opened and vision I have created, have reinforced to me that I am right on track for what I was born to do. It’s a wonderful place to be, but I can tell you, in no uncertain terms, I am here today, doing what I am doing, because of my history, and the many seemingly undesirable things that have happened in my life.
I can say this because, rather than dwell on the failures, beat myself up and use them as evidence as to why I can’t live my true destiny, I have learned from them, let go of them and moved on. Can I recommend this to you? My many years of missed team selection in my football career could have left me with the belief that I am not good enough, instead it taught me the power of determination and persistence. All of the money I lost in failed businesses and investments could have crippled my entrepreneurial attempts, but instead it taught me and led me to find better ways of doing things. Many rejections from publishers could have smashed my dreams of being a published author, but instead it fuelled my passion and creativity to make it a reality. Losing my mother to cancer could have devastated me, but instead it committed me to learn the secrets of optimal wellbeing and take my message to the world.
I have had a long history, fifty-five years so far, but my destiny is way bigger. I mean way way way bigger. I am excited about, even a little intimidated by my destiny. I know that God has put me on this planet to make a massive difference. I know what that difference is and what I need to do. I am fired up beyond belief about what’s to come, and, I know every day that passes and adds to my history, will continue to fuel the fire for my destiny in this life. But, enough about me. I want to talk about you.
I know you have a history. I know you have made mistakes, chosen poorly and failed at things in your life to this point. I know there are people in your life who have told you things that have not helped you in life. I know that you possibly feel embarrassed, guilty, resentful, regretful, angry and/or bitter about things that have happened in your history, right? Well, if you are ready, then right now is the time to stop looking back and living in your history with regret, and, look ahead to the amazing destiny you have come into this world to fulfil. I believe that those things, in your history, have happened for you, not to you. Therefore, everything that has happened is to be used to learn from, grow from and be a platform for you to live your amazing destiny.
The health challenges you have been or are going through are there to be conquered so you can use them to help other people overcome their own illnesses. The money you have lost has happened for you to learn how to be smarter with your money and go on to create financial independence. The broken hearts you have experiences are all required for you to become the person you need to be to find that one soulmate and love of your life.
You can’t avoid your history. It’s there and it will continue to grow with every day that passes. You can either use it as a growing file of wonderful experiences to learn and grow from to help you live the destiny you are born for, or it can be your excuse to live a life far less than what is meant for you. What would you rather? As easy as it may be to use it as your excuse, it will be the greatest regret of your life if you do. Make today the day you choose to love and learn from your history. Use it as wonderful experiences to go forward, from today, and make your destiny greater than your history.
As I am writing this blog, I am sitting on a flight from LA to Melbourne, on my way home after a spectacular month in the USA. By the time you are reading it, I will be back on home turf, and planning my next assault on the world. For the last month I have met some amazing people, been able to share my message to different groups, and, I can now see opportunities open up, before my very eyes, to take my purpose to the next level. There are so many amazing memories that I bring with me as I return home, but one lady, in particular, has inspired me beyond words. Her story will change many lives and empower numerous people to stand up and dance, when maybe, they don’t think they can.
The picture you can see is Heather dancing. Now, Heather seems to be a normal girl doing what many girls do, that is; dancing at a wedding. Let me tell you, however, Heather is no normal girl. From a young age she suffered from a severe brain condition called, Cavernous Angioma, which consists of weak blood vessels in the brain or spinal cord. This disease has resulted in a lot of discomfort, fear of the unknown, numerous strokes, paralysis and ultimately a 9-hour emergency surgery to remove the lesion from her brain. The prognosis for her recovery was not optimistic, and, doctors doubted whether she would ever walk or function normally again.
After the marathon surgery, her family was with her in the recovery room, waiting for her to come out of the anesthetic. Her mother, father and sister were in the room and all understandably concerned about and anxious to see how Heather would come out of the operation, and, recover from her ordeal. Heather had half of the hair shaved from her head, a long scar on her skull and had tubes of all sorts coming out of her body to keep her alive. Her sister, who was to be married in just 6 months from that moment, was especially upset, and, sobbing for Heather.
As Heather woke up from the anesthetic, the first person she saw and heard, after opening her eyes, was her sister. She saw how upset her sister was, so, even in her condition, Heather held out her hand to her sister. The first words that came out of her mouth, after her nine hour surgery, were; ‘Stop Crying. I’ll be dancing at your wedding!’ Six months later, despite her condition and despite the doctor’s assessment of her recovery, Heather was dancing at her sister’s wedding!
You create your reality in your mind.
What was the magic that helped Heather achieve that miracle and create such an incredible result and memory for her, and her sister? Doctors told her that it would not be possible, so how did she make it happen? When Heather came out of the anesthetic, saw her sister sobbing, she thought about and visualised what she wanted. She imagined herself dancing at her sister’s wedding. She could feel the freedom of the movement she would be enjoying. She felt the pride and ecstasy associated with her achievement. She could see the smile on her sister’s face. It was that vision, and the powerful emotion it released in her that got her into action to start the rehabilitation process.
Every day, and with every challenge that Heather faced, she kept that image in her mind and focused on the feeling of success. It kept her going and it kept her getting up after each fall. Despite the opinions of educated and experienced medical professionals, she defied the odds and did something extraordinary. Why? Because she created the reality in her mind. With the clarity, and emotion that came with it, taking that first spontaneous step, getting into action and finally dancing with her grandfather at her sister’s wedding happened almost naturally.
Heather is a powerful and inspiring example of what is possible when we choose to focus on the outcome we are after. She is an exceptional lady, but she didn’t do something that you couldn’t do. We can all get a powerful, compelling picture of what we want, in our head. We can all take that vision, and use the excitement, empowerment and determination that comes with it to move us into action. The question you need to ask, as I need to keep asking myself is; what do I want, and, why?
What I love most about what Heather achieved, and, what I truly respect about her, is that she never doubted or feared that she would not achieve the result. She just pictured it, decided it would be done and got to work. What stops most people is doubt, fear, confusion and lack of belief. Heather didn’t have the luxury of those self-indulgences, and, they are self-indulgences. They are a waste of mental and emotional energy. To doubt your capacity to achieve what you want is a lie, and the sooner you realise it, the quicker you will stop making excuses about why you can’t achieve what you want, and just get on with the job.
You were born for a purpose. Your destiny is bigger than you can possibly imagine. You were given a body that can perform all manner of tasks, and, you have a mind that will drive your body to do what’s needed to live the incredible life you are destined to live. Stop accepting mediocrity. Stop complaining about lack of energy, lack of money and lack of time. Stop blaming other people and circumstances. Start picturing what you want and getting real clarity in your mind. Start believing that you have the God given ability and capacity to get the job done. Then, please, for your own sake, stop waiting, stop whining, stop wasting, and, start winning!
Heather and I had the pleasure of speaking to two different groups while I was with her and her family in Pittsburgh. Both times, I had the daunting task of speaking after her. She is well aware of something that you need to know. Her brain condition was not a tragedy or a burden, instead, it was a gift. It was the gift she needed to help her fulfil her purpose of impacting the world. Her brain disease, its challenges and now her recovery provide the platform she needs to stand on to inspire others. If you want to impact the lives of many people, then all you have to do is; stand up, face your adversity, visualise what you want, make a decision, get into action and keep going until you are dancing!
It’s a sneaky trick; to fool a donkey into chasing the carrot it will never attain, just to get it working, and, moving for human gain. It’s sneaky, but it works, for us not the donkey. Do you want to know what’s crazy about the human race? We should know better than a donkey, right? We should know that the chase is futile, yet we dangle unattainable carrots in front of own noses, every day, and start on a chase that will leave us frustrated, unfulfilled and wondering what will give us the happiness and success that we all want in our lives.
I’ve just stayed for ten days with a wonderful couple in St Louis, Deb & Troy, and their adorable little 5 month old Shitzu pup. I love dogs, and, Dibby is ridiculously cute. From the moment I set eyes on her, I wanted to hold her, pat her and play with her. She is very cute, very shy, very connected to Deb and Troy, and, very wary of strangers, like me. So, when I went to pat her, she ran and hid. I tried for a while to chase her to give her some affection, but every time, my attempts were futile, so I stopped chasing. Interestingly, when I stopped chasing her, she would come to me and start sniffing & licking, and then, every time I tried to chase her again, she ran away. Hmmm.
I think it would be fair to say that everyone wants to be happy. I know I want to be happy, that’s for sure. The sad thing is that for much of my life I have been chasing happiness in all the wrong places. I was chasing things that were unattainable. I was chasing external achievement and validation to help me feel good about myself, and, be happy. I know now that it could never work, because fulfilled happiness is an inside job. For many years I thought being a famous footballer would give me the recognition and happiness I wanted. I chased it, I made it to the top, but it didn’t make me happy. Then for many years I chased the perfect male body, because I thought it would make me more desirable and hence happy. It left me over-trained and unfulfilled. I chased business and financial success to help me feel good about myself and be happy, but again, I ran myself, and, my bank account into the ground. It left me feeling even more disillusioned and hopeless.
How many seemingly ultra-successful people do you know, or know of, that, even with incredible fame and wealth, are far from happy? Why do many millionaires, and billionaires, with more money than they will ever need, continue to chase more? Why do so many celebrity actors and entertainers, even with all their fame and fortune, turn to drugs and alcohol? How could people who steal, to get more in their life, not think that they are going to get caught and lose it all again? How many people do you know who chase weight loss, but never achieve it, long-term? People are chasing things, every day, that will never give them what they want, yet they keep chasing.
Now, please don’t get me wrong. I absolutely want to be financially free, optimally healthy, make a difference in this world and live a life of abundance and happiness. What I have finally come to learn, is that secret to attaining these things, like getting attention from cute little Dibby, is to stop chasing, start focusing on inner peace and then start receiving.
Inner peace is what you want, and, it’s easy to catch
As humans, we are created to chase. Chase food, chase protection, chase money, chase status, chase security, chase recognition, chase love and chase significance. Somewhere along the way we were sold the idea that it’s the attainment of these things that will lead to happiness. What are you chasing right now? What have you chased, achieved, and, actually found the happiness you are hoping for in your life? If you have, then I am guessing you finally realised that the answers don’t lie in your material achievements or external validation, but in knowing and believing that you are good enough, just as you are.
Why would someone, who has more money than they will ever need, continually chase more if they believed they were enough? Why would someone in a loving relationship, look elsewhere, if they truly believed they were enough? Why would someone with success and money, get seduced into an addiction of some kind, if they really deep down believed they were enough? I know this stuff intimately, because for much of my life, I have been chasing a greater level of success, money and attention, for one reason, and one reason only. Because I never felt that I was enough.
This flawed world rewards and reinforces the things that seduce many people into the comparison trap. We are continually exposed to, look at and compare ourselves with people who are fitter, leaner, better looking, richer, and seemingly happy and more successful. We compare ourselves and come up short, leading us to the conclusion that we are not good enough. We then push ourselves to bridge an unbridgeable gap, because no matter how much we accomplish, there is always someone who is; fitter, leaner, better looking, richer, and seemingly more successful. We are stuck, just like a donkey chasing the carrot on the end of a string that it will never catch. Are you relating to anything I am saying? Are you sick of chasing that which you can never catch? Are you ready for something different, better and immediate?
If yes, then get ready for the answer to happiness. Here it is; you are already enough, just as you are. Okay, now I’ve said it, the only thing left for you to do, is believe it. Do you? I am well into the second half-century of my life, and I am grateful that I will be living to over 100, so I still have lots of time to make up for all the time I wasted not believing how great I already am. I have lost money, wasted time, chased love and pursued external validation for too long. I sit here writing this with an inner peace because I know that I am good enough, just as I am. This doesn’t mean I am not aspiring to have more success, and a greater impact on the world. I am. I have a massive vision, and, I know it will happen. Why? Because I believe am enough!
Now, back to you. Please know that you will never earn, perform or acquire your way to happiness. It is not possible, because happiness is an inside job. If that’s the case, then wouldn’t it be worth starting the process to truly believe you are enough, now, just the way you are? You are a wonderful miracle. You are born for a purpose. You have unique and amazing talents. You have an incredible capacity for change and adaptation. You are enough. If someone has ever told you that you are not good enough, it’s a lie, and, they are wrong. The only person whose opinion matters, is your own.
You don’t need to chase the carrot, you just have to go into the garden and pick it, or to the store and buy it. You don’t need to chase things to feel better about yourself. Your accomplishments are admirable, and certainly to be proud of, but they don’t define you, nor do they validate you. You are already validated by the fact that you are alive. I wish it was as simple as me telling you that you are good enough, for you to believe it. I am not that naïve to know that you have work to do, as I did, to believe in your heart that you are good enough just as you are. It is my greatest desire that you’ll stop chasing the unattainable and know with certainty that you are enough, just as you are.
I feel like a broken record at times. I sit here trying to come up with new and exciting blog ideas, and yet, I keep coming back to the same boring and repeated messages. Why? Because, they are the ones that will most count in your life, and, you probably missed this message or weren’t paying attention the last time I wrote about it. Yesterday is gone and there’s nothing you can do to change it, and, tomorrow will never come. That leaves one day, and one day only that you have control of. That day is… today. My question is; are you living today like it’s the most precious commodity there is? Are you making choices today, based on what you learned yesterday and what you want in the future? If not, the past is wasted and the future unknown. Everything is controlled by what you do today, so, make it count.
This week has been an incredible one for me in St Louis, USA. The people I have met, the talks I have done and the connections I have made have excited me, more than I can say. I have spoken about it before, but the part of my character that I am most proud of, is my propensity to act immediately when an idea comes into my head. I think it’s more because I am scared to forget about it if I leave it till later than anything else. Whatever the reason, it helps me to take action on and in this day, and it’s incredible what happens as a result.
There’s no arguing with the fact that, action leads to wonderful results. It’s also very true that inactivity leads to doubt and frustration. So, which would rather, wonderful results or doubt and frustration? Dumb question, right? So, why aren’t you acting today when you know you should? Instead of ‘shoulding’ all over the place, can I suggest we take the advice of Benjamin Mee, who said to his teenage son in the movie, We Bought a Zoo, “You know, sometimes all you need is 20 seconds of insane courage, just literally 20 seconds of embarrassing bravery, and I promise you something great will come of it.”
The small action you take today, no matter how easy or difficult it is for you, will start a ripple that will impact many lives, trust me. The phone call you have been dreading, but make in that 20 seconds of insane courage, will start the process of mending a relationship, building a business or creating something amazing. The decision you make and action you take to start getting your health and wellbeing back in order will inspire others to do the same, and, impact many lives, not least your own. The courageous choice to send a message to an unknown person on LinkedIn could transform many lives, as has happened for me. I know that the message I sent six months ago and the things that happened this week is just the very beginning. I believe and expect that what will eventuate is going to be the wave of wellness around the world that I am working towards.
Just 20 seconds of insane courage!
It was six months ago, as I was arranging my trip to the USA with the help of my great friend Deb, an incredible lady living in St Louis, I knew I needed to start making connections in St Louis so that I could maximise my time there. I had no idea, at that time, what one simple message to a lady who I didn’t know would lead to. I am by nature, shy, quiet and reserved. Many people who know me will disagree with that comment, but when it comes to reaching out to people I don’t know, I am right out of my comfort zone.
On LinkedIn I came across a lady, named Michelle, who lived in the St Louis area and on her profile she described herself as a global wellness coach. That got my attention. Then the fear set in, as I knew I should message her, and, doubt reared its ugly head. What would I say? Would she respond? How would she respond? What if nothing happens? All these uncertainties and fears ran through my mind, and then I thought of Benjamin Mee, and, 20 seconds of insane courage. Honestly, it really didn’t require insane courage to send the message, but it did require some. So, I stopped thinking, stopped worrying, stopped doubting and just sent the message, in that moment.
Well, as is often the case, when you take action, something good happens, and, Michelle sent me a reply. Now, let me just try and explain where that one simple, immediate action, on that day six months ago, has led. Michelle arranged for me to speak to her organisation, which was amazing. She introduced to an fabulous couple Cindy & Christina, who introduced me to a very successful businessman, Mike, and his son Brandon, who led me to meeting a successful chiropractor and author, and, then to one of the most inspiring men I have ever met. This man, Dr Tom Hill, is in his 80’s and running marathons, writing books, building businesses, mentoring entrepreneurs and making a global difference.
We all got together to organise an event, that happened in St Louis this week, at a place called OsteoStrong, owned and run by another amazing and inspiring lady, names Jaime, who is making a massive difference in the world. The event went brilliantly, the message is starting to get out into the world, and the ripple leading to the wave of wellness is happening. These are the people I came to the USA to meet, and I know that many more big things will come from this association and the coming together of passionate and purpose-driven people… all wanting to change the world.
It all started with taking action, in that moment, and sending that one simple message to Michelle. I love the quote; Yesterday is history, tomorrow a mystery, today is a gift. Please don’t waste the precious gift you have in your hands, right now. What are you waiting for? Are you waiting to be motivated? It will be a long wait, so start now and the motivation will come! Are you waiting to be in the right mood? Decide now to be in that mood. Are you waiting for better weather? You are waterproof, so get out and do it today. Are you waiting for more time to open up? You are in control of how you spend your time, so turn off the TV, put down your phone, and there you go… more time has opened up, today! Are you waiting to know more before starting? Get started to today and I promise you will learn everything you need to know, once you are in action.
Are you getting my drift? Every day you let pass you by without taking the required action, is another day in your finite life that you will lose. We have one life, we get one shot, we live for a period of time and then we are gone. Take action today. Get started now. Find and enlist 20 seconds of insane courage immediately. When you are taking action today, and you create the habit of taking action today, you will get to the end of your life saying, ‘I’m so glad I did,’ rather than, ‘I wish I had.’ It is with all the encouragement I can muster that I implore you to not waste this moment. Act now, today is the only day you have.
We live in a society that puts limits on us. We live in a world that, if we let it, dictates the choices we make and the actions we take. We live in a time when logic, reasoning and practicality plays too large a part in the things we believe, and, the results we end up with. You are not going to get what you want or deserve, you are going to get what you believe. You will not be successful because of what you know, where you come from or what makes sense, your success is about what you believe. Your intelligence, talent and natural ability will not guarantee high achievement, what you believe and are prepared to do, will. I want to encourage you to stop listening to other people, stop thinking logically and rationally, and starting believing that you are good enough, then, see what happens.
I want to really get your attention now. You are here, on this planet, for such a short time and then you are gone. Don’t ever allow yourself to go to your grave with regret and your music still inside. It was Steve Jobs who said;
“Remembering that I’ll be dead soon is the most important tool I’ve ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Almost everything – all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure – these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart. ”
I hope that doesn’t come across as morbid or negative, but that it helps give you some perspective. The reality is that you have no idea what is possible for you unless you start moving purposely in the direction of what you want… whether you know how to get there or not. My favourite definition of ‘faith’ is; believing in advance that which only makes sense in reverse.’ In other words, right now, you don’t have to know the path forward to achieve what you want, when you step out in faith, the path will open up for you. Then, when you get the job done, you will turn around, look at how it unfolded and see how much sense it made. That is my story to a tee.
I am in the USA right now, and, I am launching my seventh book, The Wellness Puzzle, over here. I am pinching myself as I reflect on where I am today, what I am doing, the people I am meeting, and then, where I was more than 15 years ago when the illogical thought, to write a book came into my head. At that time, I was a non-reader, I was working more than 100 hours per week, and, I had no experience in, qualifications for or knowledge about writing. All I had was a thought, a vision and a belief that if I would just get started, the path would open itself up to me. It made no sense at all, but the feeling of getting it done and how it would impact the lives or others, and, help me in my life was strong enough to move me to taking that leap of faith.
Belief plus action equals MAGIC!
I was speaking last week at an event in San Francisco with the wonderful Danna Lewis, and, some pictures were taken. Of the many wonderful photos taken, and interestingly, the two that impacted me the most were photos of my first and latest books. I thought back to when I published my first book, Eat Chocolate, Drink Alcohol and be Lean & Healthy. At that time in my life, I thought it a miracle that I had somehow written just one book.
To be here in the USA, talking about my seventh book and reflecting on the things I have done and am doing, is mind-blowing. When I decided to write my first book, I knew I wanted to be doing all the things I am doing now, but do you think I had any idea of how that could or would happen? None whatsoever! Which raises the question and reinforces the message of this blog, how did it happen? It seemed like, at that time, to make this dream a reality some sort of magic would have to happen. Well, the magic actually occurred, because I put the right ingredients into the bubbling cauldron. Those two ingredients were; belief and immediate action.
This is what I did, and what you can do, today. I thought about how cool it would be to have a book. I imagined the feeling of holding it in my hands, the lives it could impact and the doors it would open for me. I got excited, and, without any further analysis, I got started. In other words, I took it from my head and quickly moved it to my heart. The powerful positive emotion associated with becoming an author, helped me take that first, spontaneous, even illogical first step. It was not that I actually believed I could do it, I just didn’t know that I couldn’t. Each day, each step and each word built my confidence and belief that I could be a successful author, and the rest, my friend, is history.
It’s about now I want to tell you, as passionately as I can, that logic is the killer of creativity and success. Too many people ‘logically’ analyse their idea or aspiration before any action is taken. The tragedy is that most will talk themselves out of taking that first step because of what they justify as ‘logical reasoning.’ Logic has nothing to do with success. Belief, action and persistence is the key. Unless you have irrefutable evidence that you cannot achieve the desire and aspiration you have in your heart, then it is possible. In fact, with belief and action, it is not just possible, it is predictable.
As always, this blog is less about what I am doing or have done, and more about what you want. Are you truly living the life you want? Are you following your passion and living your purpose? What are you procrastinating on or may have even talked yourself out of? Is it important for you? How will it feel if you actually made it happen? Are you ready to put aside logic, reasoning and intellect, and, take that first spontaneous and seemingly irrational step? I hope so.
So, what is that first step? Right now, it really doesn’t matter, as long as you do something, today! Make a phone call, develop a plan, start writing, start learning, get some advice, book a flight or anything that will get you moving in the direction of your dream. You may not be able to believe that you can achieve your big picture aspiration, but I’m sure you can believe that you can take the first step. If you can believe in and take the first step, you can believe in and take the second. Just one day, and, one step at a time you can achieve anything you want. So, even if it makes no sense, why not believe it anyway?
