Joy in the Journey

Today is "Fun Friday!" How appropriate that this day is tagged in such a way on the same day that today's podcast and blog is entitled, "Joy in the Journey". Have some FUN today!

Gas prices. Flat tires. Hotel rates. Road construction. Confusing signs. Detours. Cancelled flights. Wrong flights. Expensive flights. Screaming kids. Screaming adults. Yuck.

Missed deadlines. Others unenthused about your brilliant idea. Job loss. Behind on bills. Credit collectors calling. Sickness. Disease. Broken bones. Broken hearts. Loss due to death. Loneliness.

I've just described situations that may be a part of two different types of journeys. One is obviously connected to some trip or journey we may take in an automobile or plane or any other type of transport. The other, life's journey.

Now friend, if we were to just stop and take a look at these two paragraphs, let me ask you this: would YOU want to be a part of EITHER of these two journeys?

Let's go back to the first one and add some more: Smiling faces. Beaming faces. Children's laughter. Your OWN laughter. Pictures taken to keep those images alive. Sights and sounds shared. Awe. Inspiration. Time spent that will be remembered for a lifetime. Why don't YOU add some more to that list?

And the second one - our journey of life? Let's do the same and add some more descriptive words: Laughter. Love. Memories. Awe. Inspiration. Smiling faces. Beaming faces. Children's laughter. Your OWN laughter. Pictures taken to keep those images alive. Sights and sounds shared. Awe. Inspiration. Time spent that will be remembered for a lifetime. Again, why don't YOU add some more to THIS list?

Isn't it interesting how BOTH of these journeys can be described in much the same way when we consider the JOYS of such a journey?

Sure, there are hurts and disappointments that come and go in life, but don't miss that word...LIFE!

And, in the same way, as you move toward your goals and dreams, don't miss out on the JOY that is in THIS journey as well. Remember, you have had and hopefully still have a PASSION for WHY your are moving toward these goals and dreams. Remember the PURPOSE!

Don't forget to laugh along the way and to share your passion with those around you as you move ever closer to these goals and dreams.

Bottom line: DON'T GET BOGGED DOWN IN THE SET-BACKS! It's all a part of the progress, right?

Whatever you do, in ANY area of life, be sure to FIND JOY IN THE JOURNEY!

And, part of that is being sure to remember to...

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

Mike
(podcast: http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/mike-spillmans-future-you/id423660739 )

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

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

How Did You Get Here?

Have you ever gone into a room and then forgot why you went into that room in the first place?

Oh, believe me - if it hasn't happened to you yet, it will! I have found that, the older I get, this seems to happen more often. And I don't like it!

Once, when I was in college, I took some sort of physical education class that involved a game played on a football field (I don't remember the name of the "sport") and combined elements of football, basketball (you could "dribble" the ball) and soccer. Really, it did! At one point in the game as I dove to make a spectacular catch in the end zone I struck my head on a telephone pole that was in one corner of the field.

The next thing I was aware of was my teacher leaning over me asking how many fingers she was holding up (yes, people really DO that) and my classmates all crowded around and looking at me as well. I knew how many fingers she had up but that was about ALL I knew! Class was dismissed and as I sat on the bleachers with my girlfriend I kept asking her why everyone was leaving and what had happened. I know I had to have gotten pretty annoying because I kept asking the same thing over and over again - "Why is everyone leaving? Why is class over? What happened? Where did I get this knot on the back of my head?"

I had no idea why I was no sitting on the bleachers instead of still participating in the game.

Now, that's excusable, right? I mean, I did receive a concussion and had a legitimate reason not to have any idea how I got where I was.

So, now let's get to the point of today's discussion...how did you get where you are today?

Again, when you look at the timeline of where you were when you began your journey to improve your mindset and your life and the desired destination on the other end...when you honestly determine WHERE you are you have to determine a few things about this discovery.

One of them - the point of today's discussion - is, how did you get here? How did you arrive where you are?

You may discover that you have not moved very much at all - WHY? What is it (the "how") that has caused you to move so little?

Let's hope that you have not found that you are actually in a "negative" situation. What I mean is a situation where you find that you have actually gone backwards in your journey. Even if that is so, you really should be asking yourself, "WHY did that happen and HOW did that happen?"

I saw a sign a couple of weeks ago that really hit it on the head. It read:

"You Are Where You Have Been Going"

Straight and to the point, wouldn't you agree? You see, when we get rid of all the excuses and quit playing the "blame game" we are left sitting alone with ourselves in this situation.

We are where we are because of the steps that we have - or have not - taken.

Often, when we lose or misplace an item we will go back and retrace our steps in an attempt to find that item, right? We will think about where all we have been and we will go back to each place - perhaps in the house - with the intention of finding that item somewhere along the way.

This is exactly what we need to understand in this situation. It is IMPORTANT to figure out WHY and HOW we got to where we are and the way to do that is to retrace our steps along the way.

Confucius said, "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." You are where you are because of the steps you have taken - or, again, NOT taken - along the path of this journey.

This is not always easy to accept! We don't like to admit our failures or that we have just been "lazy" in the process!

Hey, remember...the EASIEST thing to do is to give up and just slip back in to the "same ol', same ol' " - know what I mean?

Making a change in our lives (beginning with our minds) is a HARD process! It ain't easy!

The easiest thing to do is to follow the path of least resistance - DO NOTHING and go back to what you were doing before.

But think again about WHY you decided to make a change in the first place. REMIND yourself of that "why" - hopefully you wrote it down somewhere. If so, go back and read it again and get motivated to get back on your journey!

Tomorrow we will discuss the question, "Are you HAPPY with where you are?".

Be sure to join me on my NEW "High Five" podcast and then follow along in the blog.

Hey, all along your journey, be sure to...

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

Mike

You Are Here!

You Are Here!

Have you ever been at a theme park and, needing to know how to get to a particular ride, found one of those "you are here" maps? You know, the ones that show you where you are so that you can figure out how to get where you want to go. Make sense?

The same thing - same concept - applies to any journey you want to take using a map or a GPS device. In order to figure out how to GET SOMEWHERE you have to first determine WHERE YOU ARE!

Look around you and "see" where you are. I don't necessarily mean physically even though where you are physically is tied into this idea.

YOU ARE HERE!

Just picture yourself sitting right in the middle of that big star indicating where "here" is - there you are!

Here are some of the things we will be discussing this week: Where IS here? How did you GET here? WHY are you here and are you HAPPY with where you are?

Another visual image to consider is to think about your journey that you are on (you ARE on a journey whether you realize it or not, but it DOES help if you realize it!). I especially am talking to those of you that are attempting to take definite steps to improve your mindset and, thus, improve your life.

On a piece of paper (or on your computer) draw a straight line from left to right. On the left end put a small "x" and above that write, "where I was" and on the right end place another "x" and write "where I want to be". Now then, place a larger, red "x" where you think you are on this journey. Be honest with yourself - there's no one else to try to impress, this is for your benefit.

So...are you happy and/or satisfied with where you are?

Again, we will be talking more about WHY you are where you are and HOW you got there but, for now, really be trying to determine WHERE you are and how you feel about that.

Also, I mentioned in today's podcast that you might want to be working on filling in the blank on the following: "I am where I am because...................................."

(Be sure to read the extra note after I "sign off" from today's blog entry)

You may or may not have heard the phrase, "Where will you be when you get where you're going?" It's a good phrase and full of things to think about. HOWEVER, in this discussion we are not talking about where you are GOING...we're focusing on where you ARE. Right now. Today.

Think about that and be sure to join me again tomorrow as we continue this discussion. As always, I welcome feedback and your thoughts via e-mail: mike@futureyouuniversity.com

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

Mike

------------------------------------ EXTRA NOTE ---------------------------------------

Today I introduced "Mike's HIGH FIVE" podcast.

What is it? It is simply a shortened version of my podcast - instead of 11 minutes I have now "power-packed" it into a 5 minute podcast!

Be sure to listen and send me some feedback on what you think!

You can either search iTunes for either Mike Spillman or Future You University OR just go to http://www.FutureYouUniversity.com and click on the podcast tab.