Trivial Pursuit?

Trivial Pursuit?

This quote comes from my friend, Jim Ferguson: "In absence of clearly defined goals, we become strangely loyal to performing daily acts of trivia.” (author unknown)

Think about that quote for a minute and, as always, see what it means for YOU and YOUR life!

What are YOU doing with your life? What are you NOT doing with your life?

When my sons were little - at different stages of each of their lives - I would ask them why they did something they were not supposed to OR I'd ask them why they DIDN'T do something they were supposed to do. Their most often used answer: "I don't know." I realized very quickly that I needed to do a "Barny Fife" on this (you know, "nip it in the bud!") and help them realize that "I don't know" was NOT an acceptable answer and that it was, actually, a LAZY answer! I would instruct them that they DID know why the did or didn't do something and that I was going to charge them $1 every time they decided to say "I don't know". Guess what? That answer stopped being used and, as uncomfortable as it was for them, they began to actually " 'fess up" to the reasons behind their actions.

Hey, friend - IT'S THE SAME WITH YOU!

If I were to ask you, "How's your journey going toward your goal?" What would your answer be? If you were to say, "Well, not as well as I'd like!" my automatic response would be, "Why?" And - my guess is - your tendency would be to answer, "I don't know."

Bologna! (BALONEY!)

You DO know why you aren't making the progress you desire! It's just easier to throw up your hands and say, "I don't know" than to get REAL and HONEST with yourself and face the real reasons.

Oh, and the quote? See how it plays a part in all of this?

WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS?

If you have not "mapped out a journey" then how will you have any idea where you are along the way and IF you happen to stray off course? How will you know?

YOU WON'T!

And that, my friend, produces the performing daily acts of trivia. No real focus. No real purpose. Just aimlessly wandering with no direction.

WAKE UP and GET BACK ON TRACK!

And, if you don't have a "track" (plan/path/map/goals) then, for goodness sake - actually, for YOUR sake and the sake of your future -GET WITH IT!

There. I'm done. What else can I say?

It's a NECESSITY!

And, as you go along your way, be sure to...

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

Mike

Stayin' Put Won't Get You There!

Stayin' Put Won't Get You There!

As the "theme" for the week continues with quotes, today I will share another of mine: "Staying where you are will NEVER take you where you want to be!"

Now, I know what I'm about to say is somewhat repetitive but, look at the picture above and ask yourself this question: "If the guy in the picture stays where he is and gives up, will he ever reach his destination?" NO!

Let's get down to it and ask it this way: If YOU give up will YOU reach your destination?

Um...in a word...NO!

Yet, every day, I'm guessing that thousands of people "give up" on reaching their goals and dreams. If you could see this visually as broken down cars on the side of the highway for everyone that has done this it would make quite an impression, would it not?

There would be car after car on the side of the road with their hood up and abandoned. Done. Finished.

It would be hard for those that are trying to stay focused on their journey to weave their way in and out of all the abandoned cars (abandoned dreams).

That's really a pretty sad picture when you think about it, wouldn't you agree?

I'm not sure that I'll ever look at an abandoned car on the side of a road (or out in a field, etc.) ever again and I hope you won't either. I hope it will be a VIVID reminder for us to NEVER give up on our goals and dreams.

I've done podcasts and blogs before about this journey and about the vehicle that is needed to take us on that journey. It never changes and the need always remains the same.

Just as it is true that cars will break down and trips may be delayed, unexpected things can and will happen in our lives that can delay or detour this journey on the way to our goals and dreams.

This is true in ALL of our lives. If it hasn't been true in your life then just hang on - it's coming!

I'm not trying to be negative, friend. I'm not trying to scare you. It's just a FACT that, if you live long enough, STUFF WILL HAPPEN that we wish would NOT happen.

But what you DO about that and with that is what will separate you from others. It is what will make the difference between your life being represented by another abandoned car on the side of the road OR one that is still moving forward.

Yep, you know it's coming and here it is: IT'S UP TO YOU!

Are you catching on that ALL of this that I talk about comes down to YOU making a DECISION? That ALL of this is a CHOICE that YOU must make.

That's the way it always has been, that's the way it is and that's the way it will always be.

So, again I ask, "What will you do?"

Me? I think I'll keep driving.

And as YOU do the same (you ARE going to do the same, right?)...

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

Mike

Just A Bump In The Road

Just a Bump In The Road

I've been using different quotes for my topics this week and today I'd like to share one that my 19 year old son, Jordan came up with the other night:

"The past is just a bump in the road to the future." - Jordan Spillman

Not bad, huh? Now, if he can just make sure that he remembers that in his young life he will be
WAY ahead of many others as they go through the "bumps" along the way!

You've likely heard this before: "Your past DOES NOT determine your future!"

And, even though you have "heard" it -- did you really HEAR it to the point of letting it sink in?

No matter WHO you are, no matter WHERE you've been and no matter HOW BADLY you've "messed up" you MUST remember that "the past is just a bump in the road to the future"!

And, yes, I know there are those of you out there that have messed up REALLY badly and you very likely may be paying the consequences of your actions for a very long time. But, you STILL have the ability to change the course - the path - of your future!

You see, that is what is MAGICAL about each day! There is found the TRUTH behind the thought that you can TURN each day AROUND! It is also what is so exciting when you consider that TODAY (and every day) is WIDE OPEN for you! And who in the world would NOT be THANKFUL for such wonderful opportunities each and every day?

As always, it's up to you!

You can sit on the side of "the road" on the journey to your future and cry out, "Woe is me!" while staying put OR you can correct the problem and move on down the road to your destination!

What will you do?

Will there be more bumps along the way? I can answer that with a very definite, "YES!".

But, as long as we keep on moving those bumps will soon be nothing but a distant memory of the journey to our goals and dreams.

And, never forget to...

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

Mike

Even When You Don't...

"Even When You Don't - You Do!"

- Mike Spillman

We're talking about some of YOUR favorite quotes this week but, until some more are sent in from you I will resort to using some of my own! Oh yeah, I have a bunch of them to share with you.

Don't think it's too late to get them in --- I'd love to have you share them with me and I will likely either carry this over to next week as well OR just store some of them up for a future set of podcasts. Either way - please send in your favorite quote along with a short note as to why it is so special and meaningful to you.

Sometimes we may be fooled into thinking that the way to NOT make mistakes is to simply DO NOTHING!

WRONG. That's the BIGGEST mistake you can make!

Sure, if you make a choice or if you make a decision it could be the wrong one and it could be deemed as a "mistake". And, I understand how someone could begin to shy away from making ANY choice or decision if the past several have seemed to turn out wrong.

I highlighted the word "seemed" in the preceding paragraph for a reason. Whether we realize it or not, we often determine something to be a "mistake" before the results of that choice/decision have had a chance to run its full course. Sure, it may bring a lot of problems and criticism, etc. into your life right now (who WOULDN'T think that it was wrong when it's like that?) but, you still don't know the final result.

For example, the person you do or don't marry is a decision that you simply CANNOT be 100% sure about one way or the other until years down the road. The one that you DIDN'T marry...well, you'll never know, will you? But, it may have been a blessing and not a mistake! And, the one you DID marry? Sometimes we find a completely different person once the honeymoon is over, right? Sometimes, even when you are SO happy on the wedding day and SO convinced that this person is the ONE FOR LIFE...you find out even years later that this may also have been the biggest mistake of your life.

Hey, good or bad - that's life, right?

So, what do you do? Just STOP getting involved in life and STOP making any decisions?

"Even when you don't - you do!"

The very act of attempting to STOP making a decision is a decision in and of itself!

Deciding to withdraw from life so that you don't get hurt is a decision that WILL hurt you.

So...bottom line - GET IN THE GAME! Bumps and bruises are just part of the game and only those that sit on the sidelines are the ones that have clean uniforms and no scratches!

I once heard the following observation about there being three groups of people at any event - in this situation, let's use a football game. First, there are those that are IN the stadium and that have paid good money to have a ticket to WATCH the game. They may really get into the game and be very passionate, but they still are only WATCHING the game. Then, there are those that are ON THE FIELD and that are actually PLAYING the game! It's not as easy as that person sitting up in the bleachers and sometimes the players get hurt - some worse than others, but they PLAY TO WIN and pain is just part of their participation. And finally, there are those that are OUTSIDE of the stadium. They decided - for whatever reason - NOT to buy a ticket but to sit and/or stand outside of the stadium hoping some of the excitement of even being this close might rub off on them. PLAY the game? No way! That's too dangerous! PAY for the game? No way! That's too expensive! Stand outside the stadium and neither PAY nor PAY? Well, they DO hear the crowd roar when something exciting happens! They have no idea WHAT happened, but they can hear the roar of the crowd and WONDER WHAT HAPPENED.

Friend, that is NO WAY to live life! As a matter of fact, that is NOT "living" life at all - it is merely existing on the sidelines WONDERING what happened.

LIVE LIFE and LIVE LIFE TODAY!

Don't let your past mistakes keep you from pushing forward. Hey, the only ones that AREN'T making mistakes are the ones in the grave.

Keep that in mind as you go for it! And...as you do, always remember to:

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

Mike

What Do You See?

What Do You See?

This week I will be focusing on some of YOUR favorite quotes - so get them in to me right away either straight through the message board on the website (http://www.futureyouuniversity.com/ - contact tab) OR via email: mike@futureyouuniversity.com

Here is a quote that my friend Brian Johnson sent to me a few weeks back and it will serve as the foundation of today's discussion:

"The question is not what you look at, but what you see." - H.D.Thoreau

Here's the thing - we ALL "see" the same thing but, yet, many "see" something completely different than others.

Huh?

I think you know what I mean, but let me explain anyway. When we LOOK at something we usually talk about what we "see", right? And, yet, we all know that we can LOOK at something and miss out on a lot of details or not "see" what's really there.

Have you ever had someone come up to you and purposely not tell you that they got a new hairdo or something else to see if you would notice. And you didn't?

Wow, sometimes that brings on some problems because you might get accused of, "not paying attention".

I'm sure you've experienced someone looking "at" you but not really "seeing" you.

In our world today - with the economic turmoil that is talked about to the point of nausea - many see nothing but problems. But, what do YOU see?

Are there problems out there? ABSOLUTELY!

But, many see OPPORTUNITY!

Notice what Winston Churchill said: "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."

Two people LOOKING at the exact same thing but SEEING something completely different.

What about YOU?

What do YOU see around you?

Remember the story about "The Emperor's New Clothes"? The guy was absolutely NAKED but, due to the societal pressure surrounding the situation, the majority of the crowd complemented him on what they "saw" - a beautiful outfit! However, one small boy saw something completely different - he saw what really was true and made his observation known: "Hey! He's naked!"

Do NOT allow others to tell you what you "see"! Have the guts, the determination and the courage to "see" what others refuse to see!

What do you "see" in the following link of letters?

OPPORTUNITYISNOWHERE

(Yes, I know I've used this before along with the quote used earlier - but, hey, they FIT!)

For whatever reason, the majority of people will read the above line as,"Opportunity is nowhere".

And, there a FEW people that will read the exact same letters as, "Opportunity is now here".

What about you?

What you "see" can impact each and every day of your life IF you will allow yourself to "see" what so many others simply refuse to "see" or are to lazy to "see".

Here we go with the same bottom line again - it's all up to YOU! Yes, it's YOUR CHOICE!

May we all truly open our eyes so that we may SEE!

And, as always...

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

Mike