Funny, Yet Something to Ponder…

From 1999 thru 2004, I was in steady “work on me” mode. I’d been introduced to personal development and, even though I’d gone in at the beginning kicking and screaming, I eventually figured out which parts I enjoyed and “bought into”, which authors and speakers could explain the stuff to me in a language I could understand, and which areas I either wasn’t ready for or thought was for those “fluff-i-nutter” types.

And, even though I became very successful both personally and financially as I moved towards a better “me”, I gradually stopped doing the things I knew were good for me and began gradually falling back into old habits. I’ve the same thing when I start eating better because I know it’s good for my health. When I stop paying attention to what I’m eating and start reaching for food out of boredom or old habits, I start gradually working my way back to where I was before, one bite of chocolate at a time. Anyone else ever done that? LOL

Time for Change

Well, last month, I had a conversation with Craig Desorcy and I had a breakthrough during our conversation. We figured out together that I like being the “healthier, happier” person I’d become back then, much more than who I was BEFORE that time… from a financial standpoint as well as a personal one.

And it’s not that I’m not “me” now. I was just a better version of me and I liked it.

So why do people go back to old habits? Most of the time, it’s because being who we’ve always been is much easier. It takes a lot less work because we don’t have to slow down and think about it.

The thing is, after I’d made improvements, it got to where I didn’t have to think much about it THEN either.

But it’s kinda like building muscles at the gym. It takes a lot of time to sculpt your body and build the kind of muscle you want, but once you get there, it’s much easier to maintain with a lot less work. You don’t go back to being sumo-man if you pig out on a Friday night with your friends and miss the gym the next morning!

The bad news is, that if you keep doing that occasionally and then occasionally becomes regularly, your body WILL go back to the shape it was before! And when you’ve finally had enough, and you figure out that you felt better back then and that you miss that toned body you’d created and worked so hard at, it’s going to take work to get yourself back to it.

Well that’s where I am right now. Even though I used to know exactly what it took to be better (to the point that I was training hundreds of others to do the same), there’s a lot I’ve forgotten and have to re-learn. My mindset “muscles” have lost their tone so I’m back to the gym!

How far do I have to go to get back to being that person? Not far. But to get where I’d been headed back then? I’ve got a LOT of learning to do! And I’m OK with that because I know I’m not alone.

In fact, let’s do something. Whether you consider yourself an “enlightened” human being, you feel that you’re just fine the way you are, or you’re somewhere in between, here’s an excerpt that I remember really striking a chord with me when I was first learning about all this personal growth stuff. It’s from one of my all-time favorite books by an author/speaker I really relate to (I’ll put the info at the bottom in case some of you have read this but forgotten).

How many of these can you answer yes to?

If you can:

• Start the day without caffeine
• Always be cheerful, ignoring aches and pains
• Resist complaining and boring people with your troubles
• Eat the same food every day and be grateful for it
• Understand when loved ones are too busy to give you any time
• Overlook when loved ones take it out on you when, through no fault of yours, something goes wrong
• Take criticism and blame without resentment
• Treat a rich friend the same as a poor friend
• Face the world without lies and deceit
• Conquer tension without medical help
• Relax without liquor
• Sleep without the aid of drugs
• Honestly say that deep in your heart you have no prejudice against creed, color, religion, gender preference or politics

Your turn:  How you doing with this so far? Have you been honest with yourself all the way thru? Are there ones that you read and thought, “Oh my gosh! If I could do that I’d be Ghandi or Mother Teresa!”… I had a few of those too, so no smacking yourself around wondering how you’re ever gonna reach those levels!

But here’s the kicker…. the fun part… the “something to ponder”… AND, the rest of the excerpt…

IF… you can say “yes”… to ALL of those well… THEN, and only then…

… you will have reached the same level of development as your dog . . .

 

Book excerpt: Larry Winget’s Shut Up, Stop Whining and Get a Life!

Larry has quite a few other books available that will kick you in the butt and get you moving forward too! Just make sure you’re ready to get completely honest with yourself. Warning: Not for the faint-hearted.

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