A Map of My Journey (so far)

Wow, it just hit me as I was looking at the title of this post.

 

Have YOU ever thought about looking back over your life and imagining what it would look like as a map of where all you've been from a particular "starting point"?

 

Perhaps from your birth or whenever it was that you had goals and ambitions that you wanted to achieve. I don't know, maybe when you graduated High School or college and you had particular and maybe even specific ideas of what you were going to accomplish in your life.

 

Now, this is NOT an exercise in looking back in regret but simply an exercise in taking a look at the journey that we have been on.

 

Most of us probably envisioned this journey as one that was pretty much a straight line from point A to point B.

 

But, looking back, how straight is the path that has been taken so far?

 

That should make you smile!

 

Now, think of this: You're still here, friend. AND, you're still plugging along, right?

 

And, as you consider all of this, you discover that all of these "side-treks" that you have taken and all of the roadblocks all play a part in making you who you are today.

 

Take a few minutes (it's about 12 or 13 minutes which is about twice as long as usual) to listen to the podcast on iTunes or the RSS feed that goes along with this article to hear me talk about my journey along the way.

 

Yeah, I could type it all in here but, to me, there is just something "more" about hearing someone talk about their experiences.

 

What I talk about is not only jobs that I have had that were not what I had planned to be doing, but also all of the different "opportunities" or "home based business" ideas that I have tried with various levels of success over the past 25 or so years.

 

Just take a look at this: water purifiers, some kind of fiber cookies, buying "knick knack" items at wholesale and selling them for retail at flea markets, etc., some sort of electric gadget for business to use to save them money on their electric bill, business ads on maps,

opening a store selling badges and buttons that had cute little sayings and/or pictures on them, working at two different car dealerships, working as a sales rep at a chemical cleaner company, working at a lumber yard supply company as well as a grocery store, selling vacuum cleaners door to door  and a paper route.

 

Yeah. And all of that was in one town over the course of about five or six years.

 

I'm not going to type the rest of it here but let me tell you, this was just one place that I lived and tried different things and there are about six others. Listen to the podcast...LISTEN TO THE PODCAST so you can hear all of the rest.

 

Why am I sharing all of this? Because I want you to understand that I have "been there, done that"....literally.

 

But I have never given up and I will NEVER give up!

 

Oh, I've been close. There have been some very dark and depressing times through all of that but, friend, I'm still moving forward.

 

I've gotten more focused over time and more determined and, now, I feel that I have finally connected with the right company to take me - finally - where I plan to be.

 

Side note: You can find the website on this in the last blog post that I put up. Not trying to sell you anything or persuade you to do anything. I'm simply sharing information that may be just what you - or someone you know - are looking for.

 

I feel like it's similar to the lyrics in the chorus from a song I've many times over my lifetime:

I've been everywhere, man.
I've been everywhere, man.
Crossed the desert's bare, man.
I've breathed the mountain air, man.
Of travel I've had my share, man.
I've been everywhere.

 

 

 And I'm still going and going and going like that big rabbit on the television commercials.

 

Stay focused and committed to where you want to go and do NOT allow anyone or anything to stop you!

 

And, yeah, I do think I have a right and the ability to say that to you.

 

I hope you agree and I hope this has encouraged you to keep going.... regardless.

 

And, as you do so, be sure to...

 

"Make it an AWESOME day! (Who else is going to do it for you?)"

 

Mike

 

Future You University    "Like" FYU on Facebook!    Podcast on iTunes    Podcast RSS feed

When Your Journey is Interrupted

DELAYS MAY TAKE LONGER THAN EXPECTED

I really don't like detours when I'm trying to get somewhere - do you?

For one, I think it is the uncertainty that I will actually be able to maneuver through the detour route and still get where it is that I want to go.

And, secondly, it is simply an interruption to my planned path on my journey and I just don't like it to change unexpectedly like that!

It's especially hard when this detour is not on a trip traveled in an automobile or some other mode of transportation, but it's a detour in your planned journey (path) for your life!

I've talked about this before in past blogs and podcasts. As a matter of fact, I've done several little "mini-series" on this topic off and on over the history of this blog - just go back through and see what you can find.

But, you know what? It's TOUGH to live it, isn't it? Yeah, you know, the old, "Easier said than done" scenario.

Many of you know that I lost my job back mid-August of 2010. Purely unexpected but, at the same time, not unwelcomed. I was already trying to "plan a route" to where I could do so financially while I pursued my dream of my seminars with my "Future You University" concept.

Well, here I am now at the end of July 2011 and not a whole lot has changed. Oh, I have made attempts to get my seminar started but, quite honestly, it was ill-timed and I was not financially prepared to do it in the way I had planned. Too, other opportunities that I have looked at to try to see us through in the mean time just hasn't worked out. I am starting a new "job" but it will likely be another month before I see any income from it which is not good news right now.

Because of all of this, I stopped doing my podcast after losing my job last August because I didn't know where I was going to be and when and I knew I wouldn't be able to keep up with my daily schedule like before. I began it again earlier this year more for me than anything but discontinued it again because, quite honestly, I was having a hard time keeping MY OWN mental attitude where it needed to be.

Surprised?

Don't be! I don't think you'll ever find any situation (podcast or blog) where I said keeping a positive attitude even through tough times would be easy. Never. It's NOT!

But, I still have a choice. Give in, give up or GET UP and KEEP MOVING forward even though my path/journey has been redirected due to a detour.

Still easier said than done for sure.

So, I'm struggling big time! Financially, I'm lower than a pregnant ant's belly! And, on some days, the same can be said of my mental attitude. Yeah, that's right - I'm human.

Believe me, there have been days where I felt like giving up and, honestly, there are days that I DID give up temporarily.

That's the key. Make any such situations a TEMPORARY one.

Yes, I WILL still have my seminars but it will be later than I had planned since I had planned to be well involved in them at this point. But, I will continue on that path REGARDLESS of any detours that continue to come my way.

So, I encourage you to do the same. REGARDLESS.

I can - you can - WE can!

And, as you go along this detoured path...

"Make it an AWESOME day! (Who else is going to do it for you?)"

Mike