What Adventure Are YOU Ready For?

What Adventure Are YOU Ready For?

In the March issue of Success magazine, Jeff Probst (host of "Survivor") makes the following quote that I used for the "spring board" for today's discussion: "The adventure you're ready for is the one you'll get!".

Are YOU approaching life as an adventure? Are you LIVING life or are you merely "existing"? These are some things I'd like you to seriously consider as we go through this discussion. I do encourage you to read the article that I've mentioned. I have posted it on the FYU fan page on Facebook but, for your convenience, here is the link:

http://www.successmagazine.com/jeff-probst-a-survivors-perspective/PARAMS/article/987

This article will challenge you and, I believe at the same time, inspire you to approach each and every day with a little bit different outlook - AN ADVENTURE!

Another quote that I used from the article was this - "I'm here for an uncertain amount of time and I want to get the most out of it."

Hey friend, what Mr. Probst says is true for us all! We ALL have an uncertain amount of time here - so what are YOU doing with YOURS?

I've shared thoughts before on the movie, "The Bucket List" in which two men make a list of things that they wish to do before they die. We should ALL create such a list! MTV also ran a show with a similar theme ("The Buried Life") featuring a group of young men that were setting out to check off items on their list while helping people along the way complete something on their own list. Likely, we all get inspired by such things but, does it change us or inspire us enough to actually DO something?

Tell me, friend, what do YOU do to keep your days from becoming a monotonous routine if you do the exact same thing every day for years at a time? What do YOU do to keep from taking your days from granted? What do YOU do to squeeze the adventure available out of each and every day?

You don't have to become a contestant on a show like "Survivor" or "The Amazing Race" to enjoy and experience the joy of life right where you are! It's not always easy to do, but isn't that part of what makes it such an adventure?

You see, just like everything else I talk about - this is a choice and it is YOUR choice!

How you approach your day is YOUR choice. You either choose to dread the day and go through it merely "existing" OR you can choose to anticipate the day with excitement and attack the day (yes, along with it's problems) as the adventure that it is and retire at the end of the evening feeling that you have, indeed, lived an adventure!

It's up to YOU!

Now, this takes a little "advanced training" in the area of "adventure - living" but it's something to strive for... each and every problem that comes your way is an adventure waiting for you! If you will allow yourself to develop a mindset that will help you approach even your problems and your struggles in this way then you will also begin to live a life of "adventure" while others simply go through each day griping and complaining about the problems in their lives.

This DOESN'T mean that it is always fun! Most adventures involve some hardship and some times that just aren't fun...BUT that is part of the adventure!

To be able to push yourself physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually beyond your perceived abilities is what makes life such an adventure!

"Wow, I didn't know I could do that!" is a much better way to live than to always wonder IF you could have or what MIGHT you could have done "IF ONLY".

So, friend, what adventure are YOU ready for today?

I'd love to hear from you on this one. I'd love to be inspired by YOUR story and YOUR adventure of life. Please share with me anytime by dropping me an e-mail at: mike@futureyouuniversity.com

And, as we live this life of adventure, be sure to...

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

I don't usually answer this, but I will today....NO ONE!

Mike

Breaking the "NO" Habit!

You've probably seen the following saying: "The best way to break a habit is to drop it!", right? As corny as it sounds - it's TRUE!

Again, I encourage you to check out the article about Phil Keoghan in the February issue of SUCCESS magazine or access it via www.Success.com (on the main page in the left column click on "current issue" and then click on February 2010 and scroll down and find the article) OR just go to our FYU Fan Page on Facebook where I have already posted it for your convenience.

Yesterday we talked about the need to start "Living in the 'YES!'" and today we want to talk about doing so by BREAKING the "no" habit that many of us have gotten too comfortable with.

Again, part of what Phil shares is this: “People become very good at what they practice. If you practice building a ‘wall of no’ up in front of everything you’re trying to do, you’ll be very good at building that wall. The more you practice, the thicker the wall becomes; the more resilient it becomes, the harder it will be to push that wall down.”

So, if this is true - and I do believe it is, don't you? - then we need to make a shift in what it is that we practice! Wouldn't you agree?

Instead of practicing telling ourselves NO all of the time - let's start examining the great potential of getting in the habit of saying YES in our lives!

We - I speak for myself and assume that many of you have experienced the same - have gotten ourselves in the habit of telling ourselves why we CAN'T do something and we need to shift our mindset to start thinking of ways that we CAN!

"Can't" or "No" is easy! It requires no effort and no risk. It's the easiest way out - the path of least resistance. When considering our future or ANYTHING do we really want to take the path of least resistance? Do we REALLY want to take the easy way out?

Likely, if you are reading this blog - you would answer, "NO WAY!" - and that is one time that answering "NO" would be a good thing!

Well, listen, I have to get on with today's business, but I hope you have been stirred up a little to start breaking the "NO" habit and to begin living in the "YES!".

And, as always, as you do so...

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

Mike

Living in the "YES!"

You know, it didn't dawn on me until I was recording the podcast for today (I recorded today's podcast on Monday evening) that I didn't write a blog entry for Monday! YIKES!

My apologies on that - sometimes the day just gets busy and things don't happen while other things DO happen!

So, here is the blog entry that goes along with Monday's podcast on, "Living in the 'YES!' ".


I've shared with you before how I get behind on my reading of SUCCESS magazine. By the way, if you are looking for an EXCELLENT magazine this is one of the best - if not THE best - in my opinion. But, remember, you can also go online to www.Success.com and have access for FREE to a lot of the articles that can be found in the magazine.

Well, anyway (I NEVER get sidetracked, right?) I have gotten behind on my reading again and, given the fact that they send them out a bit early, even though I am currently reading the February issue I still have the March and April issues sitting on my reading table!

But here is what I have found and what I have shared with you before... I don't think this happens by accident!

I'm not sure that ANYTHING happens by accident and I have seen this same thing happen again and again whenever I have gotten behind on my reading.

What is it I'm talking about? Although I'm behind, what I'm reading right now is what I NEED to be reading right now! Do you understand what I mean?

There have been times before that I was in the middle of a series of discussions in my podcast that I decided to try to catch up on some reading and I would read something that was RIGHT IN LINE to the current discussion that I was having on the podcast.

This has happened not only once, but three or four times now and this week has been no exception!

As we are preparing for my FREE 8-week course on "Setting and Reaching Your Goals" there has been a wide range of thoughts, ideas and excited emotions that has been going on in my life. For one, just preparing for the class and the information that I plan to share has me refreshed and excitedly thinking about the great potential that lies within each of us in not only planning or setting our goals but actually moving on to REACHING them!

Then, on top of that, my wife and I have been spending a bit of time talking about some of the goals we have set for ourselves and how exciting it is to realize that we are moving forward with those goals!

ANOTHER SIDE NOTE HERE: Friend, let me encourage you to understand that this is how CONTAGIOUS positive thoughts and people are and how it works! Right now I am more refreshed and excited than I have been in a long time. Now, that doesn't mean I was about to give up or anything like that - but we ALL need a boost and a charge from time to time and I'm getting one from preparing for this class and also sharing thoughts with my wife on these things. GET AROUND POSITIVE AND LIKE MINDED PEOPLE and see what happens in YOUR life!



O.k. back on track now!

But, as I was reading the February issue of SUCCESS magazine I began reading an article about Phil Keoghan, the seven-time Emmy-winning host and producer of "The Amazing Race". Now, I LOVE that show so I was immediately drawn to it and then I was inspired by what I read! (By the way, I have placed this article - which is available on Success.com - on the Future You University fan page on Facebook for your convenience - you can click on that link/banner over toward the bottom of the right column of this blog to become a fan).

He arrived in New York City from New Zealand in the late 80's, he had little money, no job and no friends. As the article asks, "Risky, right?"

But I LOVE what he has to say about such things by saying it's the only way to be - "The successful people I know have taken a lot of risks - risk of failure, financial loss, being judged. Successful people tend to think less about what might go wrong and focus on what might go right." (emphasis mine)

Wow, does that hit YOU between the eyes the way it does me? So many times we focus on what MIGHT go wrong that we forget to even THINK about what MIGHT happen if things go RIGHT!

I heard Tony Robbins say something along the line of, "We are so afraid to make a move - to take a risk that, even if we are miserable where we are, we'd rather stay in THAT situation than take the chance to find out what 'might be'."

I really don't want to live that way, do you?

Another thing I found interesting in this article (well, actually I found the WHOLE article interesting, but you'll have to read it yourself) was when Phil began to discuss how we get so used to saying, "no" in our lives.

"People become very good at what they practice. If you practice building a 'wall of no' up in front of everything you're trying to do, you'll be very good at building that wall. The more you practice, the thicker the wall becomes; the more resilient it becomes, the harder it will be to push that wall down."


Sound familiar?

As we go through this week's discussion, I want to encourage you to start thinking about the possibility of living in the "YES!" and get EXCITED about those possibilities!

Just notice even today, as you go through your day, how often you are tempted - out of habit (that wall) - to say "no" to something that really doesn't have to require a "no" - especially when it comes to what you might be able to accomplish or achieve in your own life!

Remember, you're good at what you practice so why not begin to practice living in the "YES!"?

Try it, see what happens. And, as you do...



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

Mike