Don’t make little plans

In a recent post I mentioned that I would be promoting a new book today.  That book is Chris Guillebeau’s newest creation – The Happiness of Pursuit.  

I quoted a passage that says:   “Nothing is more damaging to the adventurous spirit within a man than a secure future.”  Security is not our friend.  It is more likely to bury our adventurous spirit and our passion for being fully alive.  In the latest EntreLeadership podcast Seth Godin told Dave Ramsey he encourages people to “do enough that something doesn’t work.”  That’s where we find new opportunities, new solutions and new adventures.

Another quotation that addresses this is at the base of the Hancock Tower in Chicago.  It says: “Make no little plans; they have no magic to stir men’s souls and themselves will not be realized.  Make big plans; aim high in hope and work, remembering that a noble, logical diagram once recorded will not die.” – Daniel Burnham, Chicago architect

Think about it – what’s more fun for a dog?  Chasing the car that’s just out of reach, or having caught the car to then sit beside it in the driveway?  Well of course – the chase is the exciting part.  As it is for each of us.  The central message of The Happiness of Pursuit is that a quest can improve your life.

Chris interviewed:

• A man who had undertaken a vow of silence for 17 years
• People who walked across entire countries or continents
• A family that embraced unconventional living together by cycling from Alaska to Argentina
• A woman who cooked a meal from every country in the world
• A gal who spent 449 days in a tree to protest rampant logging
• A guy who completed M.I.T.’s complete four-year computer program in one year

Have you taken on a quest lately?  Do you have something that gets you up in the morning – that energizes you and that will leave a legacy for you?

Read more about The Happiness of Pursuit here – it just might unlock the most exciting adventure of your life.