How do you react when you hear that question?
Do you stop, look within, and think about who you want to be, and what you want out of life?
Or do you get defensive, expecting another self-proclaimed expert to tell you how to fix your life?
My life’s not perfect.
I’d like to find/strengthen, or develop new abilities, and do things that seem out of reach.
I want to experience new possibilities in myself, so the world remains new and fresh around me.
There are endless books and methods of personal development that tell us what to become, and how to move along a path from where we are to where we want to be.
A few books are focused on giving us a new vision of life.
These books show us that who we are, what we’re capable of, and the way that we and the world live, is only one possibility among many.
Such books inspire us to rethink what is possible for ourselves, and the world.
I received a copy of a book like this recently, called A Life Worth Living, by Bill Giruzzi.
Typical for me, I try to get an overview of the book before I sit down to read it.
I look at the covers, the introduction, and the table of contents:
- Work is a Cultural Phenomenon
- It’s All Made Up
- Building Blocks
- Paradigm of Business
- Is this It?
- Someday the sun will go out
- The Curtain, Please
- The New Paradigm
- Not of this World
- Meet Your Narrator
- The future
- A New Mind, A New World
- The Edge of Language
- A Life Worth Living
It’s a small book.
And it doesn’t take long to read it.
But the issues that Bill raises, and the questions he asks us at the end of each chapter will stay with you long after you’ve turned the last page.
[Continue reading: What Kind of Life is Worth Living?]
Relative Freedom
(In Part 1 of this series, we explored Sway, by Ori and Rom Brafman, a powerful book that discusses several psychological forces that drive irrational behavior. Here, in Part 2, we continue by looking at Predictably Irrational by Dan Ariely.)
How free are you?
Some people pretend that they are completely free to make their own decisions.
But it’s not true.
Everyone is influenced in an endless number of ways.
Don’t give up, though!
We can focus on maximizing our freedom.
Learn about the common forces that influence you, and you have a chance to neutralize those influences, or use them to your advantage!
[Continue reading: Freedom to be Irrational?]
Under the Influence
How do you make decisions?
Do you analyze the situation, and weigh all the pros and cons before taking action?
Or do you just go with your gut, without giving it much thought?
Whichever way you decide, you probably feel that you’re in charge of your decisions, and your life.
Sometimes our gut feelings are based on all kinds of subtle issues that our unconscious mind has digested to give us a quick answer.
Sometimes our feelings express what is truly important to us, even though we haven’t put it into words and thoughts.
There’s nothing wrong with going with your feelings.
Conscious thinking isn’t the only way to understand the world.
But our feelings are not always our own.
[Continue reading: Make Your Own Decisions!]
This is not what I typically write about, but I think it’s a great message of hope for anyone and would love to see all of my readers think about spreading it today.
My good friend, Ken McArthur is standing in a circus tent today
asking 2,000 people to spread a message of hope to teenagers who
don’t think that life is worth living.
(You may know Ken’s name from the world of internet marketing, but this is NOT about internet marketing.
Ken is a wonderful guy, but this post is not about Ken)
Here’s Ken’s simple message for for giving hope (and maybe saving
someone’s life!):
G – Greet and meet: talk to others, smile, say hello, ask
someone how they are doing
I – Involve yourself and others: find a cause you can support,
volunteer, pledge resources. Get the people around you
involved, especially if you see someone beginning to
withdraw. Invite them to participate in some activity, to
“get out” of their comfort zone
V – Validate others: tell others that they matter – especially
family members and friends that you tend to see daily but
may take for granted, give genuine complements
E – Empathize: be a listening ear, take time to be fully
present, don’t try to solve – just acknowledge someone’s
feeling/hurt
You can find out more about Ken’s wonderful project with his
Impact Action Team at:
Speak up, Save Lives
Spread this message today!
And if you send it on let me know how many you sent it to!
Thanks,
Joel
You won’t Believe what Happened to Me Today…
Are you the victim of bad drivers, rude salespeople, annoying co-workers, or bosses that never give you credit for anything?
How many times does it take you to get a problem resolved with a bill, purchase, etc?
My wife and I have a standing joke that we always have to ask at least 2 different people at a company or agency what to do about a problem, since we’re not likely to get the right answer the first time.
Sometimes it seems like the whole world is conspiring to give you grief.
No wonder that you feel like complaining to anyone who will listen!
It’s so easy to slip into negativity, even when that accomplishes nothing.
And negativity is one of the most powerful ways to sabotage your own personal growth.
[Continue reading: Do You Love to Complain?]
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The Heart Fountain: Stories of the Energy Mind
The Heart Fountain is an ongoing collection of my stories. They speak about a magical world, but then again, I believe that all stories are full of magic.
The about page on The Heart Fountain site has more information on the stories, and the techniques used to free the unconscious and give it a powerful voice.
Fearless Dreams Lenses on Squidoo
Video Vision Statements and Credits
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