Okay, every now and then I do something that reminds me that I'm still just an ordinary farm kid who sometimes leaves the gate open. It has been brought to my attention that this newsletter did not go yesterday - well, actually I sent it to myself but no one else. So a little late but here it is.
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Our ideas are so powerful, working for us or against us. Are you expecting ideas that will help you increase your knowledge, wisdom, wealth and wholeness? If we are not careful, the daily demands of life can put our minds and spirits in neutral - causing us to get locked into a status quo kind of living. No one wants that; we want our lives to be rich and meaningful.
If you've ever felt like you are living small you'll want to read the first article here. You can start living large immediately - just decide to do so and start doing those things that break the cycle of living small.
Make sure you are expecting new ideas every day -- ideas that will change your life and the lives of those you care about. Find a favorite quotation from today's quotes - memorize it to inspire you this week!
*************************** A pile of rocks ceases to be a rock when somebody contemplates it with the idea of a cathedral in mind.” ~Antoine de Saint-Exupery
This week a 36 yr old MBA in an executive position in an exciting industry shared this concern in her coaching profile: “I have a vague sense that my life is too small.”
Living large does not necessarily mean a bigger salary, house, cars or retirement fund. It has nothing to do with fancy vacations or the latest fashions. Rather, it means having a life that is full of meaning and purpose. And that can occur - or be absent - at any place on the continuum of the traditional parameters of “success.” I've seen millionaires who are living life “small” and those with scarce financial resources who are living “large.”
Let me ask you this: What is your life saying to the world? Are you living your life too small? Is it so full of meaningless tasks that there's no room left for the things that make your heart sing? Are you pushing so hard in doing more that you've lost the sense of being more? Does more activity really equal greater accomplishment, or does it at some point tip the scale and begin to diminish the meaning of your life? Are you creating the legacy you want to leave for your loved ones?
Reflect back on last month - yes, just this last month. What did you do to keep your life from being too small?
Can you identify:
4-5 ideas you had for a better job or starting your own business?
3 things that you did just to help someone out with no expectation of payback?
The books you read or listened to that enlightened your spirit, confidence, knowledge and wisdom?
The number of hours you spent in quiet contemplation?
The 2 or 3 things you did that you had never done before?
The concerts, art shows, seminars, workshops or other enriching experiences you had?
2 or 3 specific things you did to strengthen the relationships that mean the most to you?
If you have no responses to these seven questions, chances are strong that you are living your life too small.
Make it a regular practice to embrace living large times in your life. Wisdom, peace, contentment, and insight about investing your life in fulfilling work will grow in those times. Take a walk, give thanks for simple things, take a bath with music playing and candles burning, turn off the telephones, TV, and computer. Carve out those times for restoration and spiritual breathing. Don't confuse activity with accomplishment. Even Jesus got away from the crowds periodically. Don't let your life be too small.
Four years ago Steve told me he was writing a small e-book on creative ways to buy a car. I saw him last week at a seminar and asked him about that book. He very excitedly told me he was still working on it but hoped to have it out this year. This Year??? How could it take 4 years to create a 40-page book on buying a car? I guess he's still getting it “right.”
But that's a trap I see many people fall into. They spend so much time getting their idea or product or service perfected that they lose the window of opportunity for making it a success.
My advice - if you have it 70% refined, go ahead and release it. My first version of 48 Days to the Work You Love had a hard card stock paper cover. Then we made it a 3-ring binder with a single cassette in the front cover. We ran them 50 copies at a time at Kinko's and sold over $2 million worth before I ever talked to a publisher about a real “book.”
Dave Ramsey just did a great interview with marketing guru Seth Godin on this very concept. Check out their take on getting started: Seth Godin Interview Seth says: "Get it out the door now!"
What excuse have you been using for waiting to show the world your idea?
Each week I read through the questions submitted to select a few to respond to in this recorded podcast.
I never get tired of reading through the real-life questions that come in each day. The poignant descriptions are far beyond anything I could dream up. Here are just a few that I discussed in this week's 48 Days Podcast:
From a 31-year-old call center agent - "I feel like I am running late for a party that never happened."
I am a 32 year-old "nervously-employed" salesperson in a highly unstable industry!
I am not young and would like to get started in the shortest possible time.
I am motivated to find a path in my life that will be good for my soul, as well as provide the material requirements of my family.
I spent the last 5 years in the School of Hard Knocks getting a degree in life experience.
I have a vague sense that my life is too small.
*************************** If you have a question, just email me at askdan@48Days.com and you can ask about starting your own business, getting a better job, or finding your purpose in life.
And you can click the link below to listen to this week's broadcast immediately - no downloading - no wait.
Coaching with Dan
Many of you ask if I still coach people individually. Yes, I do. Feel like you've been living small? This is a common issue with the physicians, dentists, attorneys and pastors who let us know they're looking for more. Give us some brief information and I'll recommend one of my coaching packages: Coaching with Dan
********************************* 48Days.net
By now most of you know about 48Days.net. This is different than 48Days.com. At 48Days.net you'll see lots of other excited people who have ideas - and they're willing to share those with you to help your business grow and profit. If you want your life to be different this year, get involved with people who are on the same path. There is no cost - just lots of helpful people and resources.
********************************* One small step for parents
Here's a new invention: a snack bowl for kids that will never spill. It's a gyro-bowl that will keep your kids entertained and your living room floor clean. I love these simple inventions that don't involve complicated technology and don't need batteries. Check it out: Loopa Gyro-bowl
********************************* Please pass me the knork
Yes, that's a knork. How many times do you use your fork to cut through a baked potato, carrots or a piece of fruit. Yeah, we all do it. Last night I sawed through my pizza a little at a time. Why did it take so long for someone to invent a fork that simply is sharp on one side? Mike Miller acted on his desire for just such a utensil - and now it's being used in restaurants and is being sold at Bed Bath & Beyond. Check out the KNORK That casual thought you had last night may be the best idea you've ever had.
********************************* Are you still living small?
Do you know how you are "wired?"?
The most popular product in the 48 Days arsenal continues to be the 48 Days Career Profile. What's the best environment for you to live "large?" You can find out here.
”Often the difference between a successful man and a failure is not one's better abilities or ideas but the courage that one has to bet on his ideas, to take a calculated risk -- and act.” -- Maxwell Maltz
”One's mind once stretched by a new idea, never regains its original dimensions.” - Oliver Wendall Holmes
”A man may die, nations may rise and fall, but an idea lives on. Ideas have endurance without death.” -- John F. Kennedy
”All achievements, all earned riches, have their beginning in an idea.” -- Napoleon Hill
” Thinking is easy, acting is difficult, and to put one's thoughts into action is the most difficult thing in the world.” -- Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe
”Lack of money is no obstacle. Lack of an idea is an obstacle.” -- Ken Hakuta
Do you know how you are "wired?"?
