Most people thought I was living a dream life. And to the outside world, maybe it was true.
But inside, something different was going on. Inside, I’d started living my life on autopilot, merely going through the motions day in and day out.
Autopilot has a way of catching up with you. It’s called living the busy lives we’ve currently created here in modern civilization. You wake up, do a hundred things before you get to work, play in traffic while juggling and multitasking from behind the wheel, work ten hours in an eight-hour time frame, only to turn around and multitask for hours until you go to bed. Rinse. Repeat. Five days of the week.
Weekends? They become even bigger catch-up days for trying to recover all you’ve lost from being so busy during the week.
I was there. I was the master at trying to force 25 hours of living into a 24 hour day.
Until one day I stopped and asked myself a question.
Did I give 100 percent of myself today?
Not even close.
I gave just enough to get by. I was tired of my business. I didn’t like the community I’d built around me. Inside, I wasn’t the person those around me had come to expect. I was living a double life, and I didn’t like the “outside” me much anymore.
I gave just enough to live a “comfortable” life. Not one that pushed my own personal boundaries. Not one that allowed me to live my life the way I wanted.
I was comfortable in many ways. Nice house. Great schools for my daughter. Lots of stuff.
But inside I was a wreck, trying to hold that “picture” life in focus.
Dust Off The To-Do List
The online world is a great place for exploring. With just a few searches, you can be off in any land you choose.
I did that. I found people who were living the life I wanted to live. Who were doing the things I wanted to do. I signed up for their information. I read their books and took their classes. I made them a part of my life.
And I took another look at my to-do lists. I threw the old ones out and started building my new ones. The ones that made me wake up and feel good about my direction.
I Asked What It Would Take To Give 100 Percent
You know when you’re not giving 100 percent when you find your mind drifting to a different life. You daydream about the places you want to see. You see in your mind’s eye a life you want to live. You start asking “what if” over and over again.
I started writing all of that down. I started to see patterns. And I worked a little harder to put the best of that list into play.
Opportunity Is Everywhere
When I was reinventing myself, I had many people tell me “you can’t do that” or “that’s been done before.” True. But never by me.
The thing is, you don’t need a zillion people to buy from you. You don’t need a billion to love who you are. You don’t even need a million to follow you regularly. Just a few people who love what you offer can change your world.
But I Can’t Do That, Can I?
Of course, you can. The problem is your entire community is telling you, you can’t. Because you’ve never done it before and they don’t want you to get hurt. (Or they have entirely different motives, and they really don’t want you to grow. They’re afraid you’ll leave them behind.)
You CAN do that. And it requires a lot of stamina on your part. You have to understand you’re going to change. And that might mean leaving today’s world behind. (But it’s okay. You’ll meet some GREAT people in the place you’re meant to be! I’ll even show you how – you have downloaded my FREE book Stop The Madness, haven’t you?)
Become That Driven Person
I remember back when I created my first business. I HATED my job. I wanted nothing more than to give my two weeks notice and walk away. It motivated me. It energized me. It allowed me to survive on just a few hours of sleep, diligently working late into the night to put my plans in place.
I gave 100 percent because I saw my life with my desires in it. I saw my life in vivid colors, and I knew exactly what I had to do to get it.
The only way to get back to that place is to start seeing your life once again in all of those brilliant colors. I did, and it made all the difference.
You … Or Them
I joined a club … for them. I attended dinners … for them. I lived in my house … for them. I stayed in my community … for them.
But when I started searching inside for what I really wanted, I discovered the path had been there the whole time. It was just my confidence lacking to be able to do what I wanted to do. Stay safe and keep everyone else happy? Or make waves and make myself happy?
It’s Time To Choose Excellence
Today I’m giving 100 percent. Not every day – that would be impossible. But I have clear direction. I know what I want my life to look like morning, noon and night.
I’m not quite there yet. I don’t ever anticipate being all the way there. Because every day brings new opportunity and challenges. Every day lets me discover a little bit more of who I’m about to become.
But I know now that I’m on the highway of MY choosing. I’m doing things that are perfect for me.
And isn’t that all we really can hope to become? The person we’re happy being, a person in the right place at the right time, fully enjoying all we’ve built around us?
If not, today is your day. What can you do to put the new you into motion?
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