Harvey, Jason - Achieve Anything In Just One Year - Be Inspired Daily to Live Your Dreams and Accomplish Your Goals

Imagine you are the winner of a luxurious train trip. You can take anyone you want with you, and the journey promises to be filled with loads of exciting sites, spectacular events, and a few surprises. The train is pulling away from the station, and rather than hopping on, you choose instead to rearrange your suitcase in the terminal. That sounds ridiculous, doesn’t it?

Think about your life right now. Are you rearranging your suitcase, or are you getting on that train? Are you preparing for life, or are you living it?

Your assignment today is to take a page of your notebook and draw a line vertically down the center of the page. On the left side of the line, list at least five ways in which you are preparing for life instead of living it. On the right side of the page list strategies you might use to change what you’re doing. How can you stop preparing and start living? What can you do today, at this very minute, to change your inaction into action?

Life is a journey that is just too wonderful to pass up. Get on the train!

DAY

54

“Remember no one can make you feel inferior without your consent.”

— Eleanor Roosevelt

As you navigate your road to success, you will come across roadblocks. We have mentioned them a few times already, and today we will talk about one particularly ominous one—individuals who make you feel inferior.

Do you have a boss, a coworker, a family member, or a friend who makes you feel like you are unworthy of having a successful life? Who is that person? It may be difficult to point them out, especially if they are someone you admire. Nevertheless, it is important to identify them. You must clearly label your roadblocks in order to find a way around them. Who makes you feel inferior?

Your assignment today is in two parts. First, write down who makes you feel inferior. List them by name. Then, write about what that individual does specifically to make you feel substandard. Do they make fun of you? Do they criticize your work? Do they ignore you? What actions do they take to make you feel bad?

The second part of your assignment is to take personal responsibility. You had a chance to complain about what they do to you in part one. Now, you must own up to the fact that you are allowing them to do it. You are giving them consent to make you feel bad. Open up your notebook again, and write about how you can change that. What can you do to take away their power? They cannot make you feel inferior without your consent. You know the truth, and you are in no way inferior to that person. Take responsibility for yourself and take back your power.

DAY

55

“The louder he talked of his honor, the faster we counted our spoons.”

— Ralph Waldo Emerson

On Day 38 you worked on putting your words into action. You found out that it is often better to speak little and do much. Today, we will revisit that concept in a slightly different way. Actions almost always speak louder than words, and in fact, words will have a negative effect on your character if you don’t follow up with appropriate actions.

In the quote above, Ralph Waldo Emerson pokes fun at people who boast about themselves. They usually come across as untrustworthy, and we tend to question their behavior. You may know of someone who is a big talker. They sing their own praises whenever they get the chance, but they don’t actually do all the things they say they do. In fact, they are often missing in action when it’s time to do some real work.

Now for the tough question: are you one of those people? What do you talk about the most? Does it have anything to do with your reality? Do you talk about all of the wonderful trips you plan to take around the world, but the truth is you’ve really only taken one vacation, and it was two hours from home? Do you boast about what you would do if you ran the company, but you never take any concrete steps to become part of a management team? Do your actions match your words?

Your assignment today is to shut up. Refrain from talking about yourself. If you do good work, people will notice. You do not need to tell anyone how wonderful you are. If you do great deeds, those actions will speak for you. Trust that you will get the attention you deserve if you make the right choices and put your words into action.

DAY

56

“I have been through some terrible things in my life, some of which actually happened.”

— Mark Twain

Samantha had a gift for imagining worst case scenarios. She spent a lot of mental energy thinking about what might happen to sabotage the good things in her life. When she got a promotion, Samantha worried for days about what would happen if she couldn’t handle the added responsibilities of her job. Her mind wandered through horrible scenes where she failed on projects and ended up being fired by the boss who originally promoted her.

She took those images with her to work every day and wore them like a heavy coat. Pretty soon, Samantha began to believe in her terrible imaginary things, and her misgivings showed up in her actions. Every day she was more paralyzed by fear and less effective in her job. She was living out her negative fantasies.

Do you have an active imagination? Imagination is a very powerful tool that may have a positive or negative effect on your everyday life. Your assignment today is to test that power. Use your imagination to visualize great things happening in your life. Imagine a successful presentation at work or a productive meeting. Imagine a fun day with relatives, free of bickering and pettiness. Imagine people turning to greet you when you enter a room, because you glow with excitement and positive energy. Drop any negative thoughts that enter your mind today, and concentrate on happy, useful, and positive visualizations. At the end of the day, write about your experience.

DAY

57

“You never know how a horse will pull until you hook him to a heavy load.”

— Bear Bryant

Bear Bryant was a long-time coach at the University of Alabama who was known for his trademark houndstooth hat. He was also a man of few words, but his carefully chosen gems are terrific phrases to ponder.

Consider what Bear Bryant is saying in the passage above. You really don’t know what you are capable of achieving until you hook yourself to a heavy load. It is natural to want things to go your way and grumble about the obstacles in your life. On the other hand, if those difficulties weren’t there, you would never have a chance to discover your true power.

You are not likely to unleash all of your potential unless you are forced into situations that require every bit of energy you hold. This year your goal is to achieve success, so every time you find yourself carrying a heavy load—celebrate! You are being handed exactly what you need to achieve more than you ever dreamed possible.

If you do not experience defeat, sorrow, pain, or setbacks along your life journey, then you will also never experience the uniquely satisfying achievement of pulling through those difficult times. On Day 52, we talked about life as a game you play to win. Do you want to miss that experience? If there is no challenge, there is no game.

Your task today is to look at your burdens with new eyes. Consider them as opportunities for success and chances to unleash your true power. You have no idea of your capabilities until you are hooked up to that heavy load.