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

What do you think about the statement above? It takes it one step further and says diplomacy is the cornerstone of love. When you are willing to give up something and meet someone halfway, it shows that person that you value them. Their views have meaning to you, and you are willing to give up some piece of your own self to take them into account. That is love in action.

Compromise isn’t always about giving up something that is important to you; it can also be about giving to someone outside of yourself. Brainstorm ways that you can use compromise to honor the important people in your life. Follow through on at least one of those ideas this week.

DAY

309

“Never cut short your waiting with compromise. Simply put, the waiting’s not over until the waiting’s done.”

— Duke Rohe

Here is an example of a kind of compromise that is deadly to your success—the shortcut compromise. If you give up on your original goal and settle for something that isn’t as wonderful but can be obtained faster, then you will linger waiting for ultimate success forever. Shortcuts don’t work when your goal is to achieve your dreams.

For example, let’s say you really want to become a doctor, but then you find out how much time it would take to obtain your degree. You’re impatient to taste success. You don’t want to wait that long to get your reward. So instead you look into becoming a medical assistant.

Now, there is absolutely nothing wrong with being a medical assistant. It is a very worthy profession and requires quite a bit of talent. However, if you chose it simply because you would get that degree quicker than you would get an MD, then you are compromising your success. You are picking an easier, faster solution and not owning up to your true potential.

Your assignment today is to be willing to wait. Success is almost never immediate. You have to be willing to put in the work, and then you have to be willing to wait for it. Don’t be lured by temptations that look like they will get you to the finish line faster. They will not fulfill your dreams.

DAY

310

“Some people never learn the art of compromise. Everything is either black or white. They do not recognize, or will not concede, that the equally important color gray is a mixture of black and white.”

— Waite Phillips

Today you have one more chance to spend some time considering the art of compromise. It is just that—an art.

Imagine if you were an artist, and you were only allowed to use pure black and pure white in your color scheme. It wouldn’t give you a lot of choices for shading and contour, would it? How will you make your work come to life and give it dimension?

Compromise incorporates the equally important color gray into your life, and suddenly you see depth. You experience what was once a two-dimensional object in 3D. The black and white are still present, but when they combine, they offer additional opportunities for a creative mind.

If you are willing to give up a few of your stubborn notions through the art of compromise, then you make room for new thoughts and different perspectives to emerge and become part of your palette. A fresh outlook may completely change the scope of your reality and take you places you couldn’t imagine when you were stuck in your black-and-white world.

Your assignment today is to remove a few of your preconceived notions and make room for new ideas. Be willing to compromise when the opportunity presents itself. Try something new. Dabble in colors you haven’t used before, and find out what you’ve been missing.

DAY

311

“Time is fun when you are having flies.”

— Kermit the Frog

What do you do for fun? Kermit likes flies, but he’s a frog. What makes you happy? Have you taken time out recently to do some of the things that make you smile? Taking time off for fun is not a luxury. It’s mandatory if you want to achieve your dreams. Your dream for success is probably filled with happiness. So it doesn’t make sense that the road to success should be filled with drudgery. You have to experience a little levity along the route if happiness is your goal.

There is no truth to the myth that you have to work like crazy and have no fun in order to reach the upper levels of success. You need to balance hard work with joyful play. So what’s it going to be today? A hike in the woods? Ice cream? Playing basketball? A road trip? A game with your five-year-old nephew? Schedule your fun time with equal reverence as the time you set aside for work. It is no less important. Do something that makes you really happy today.

Make a list in your journal of all the things you can think of that would be fun to do at this very moment. Don’t limit yourself to affordability, time, or location. Let your mind enjoy the exercise. Come back to this list often and add to it whenever you are feeling weighed down by your work responsibilities. Make sure you do some of the things on that list. The assignment isn’t over until you’ve given a few of those ideas a whirl. Take time to have your flies. Life is too short to save up all of the fun for the final chapters.

DAY

312

“If it’s not fun, you’re not doing it right.”

— Bob Basso

You have studied the importance of fun in your life throughout this book. There is a reason for that. Nobody wants to spend their days toiling away. That is no way to achieve your dreams. We all need a little softness and light to balance out the hard stuff.

Spend some time today going back through your dreams for success. You have written about them a number of times in your journal. What do those dreams look like to you? Are they full of misery and pain? That is highly doubtful. Dreams are happy, fun, joyful, and hopeful. If for some reason your dreams are not full of fun, then you’re not doing this right. Throw away your journal, and start over at Day 1.

What do you really want?

Most of us just want to be happy when we get to the core of our dreams. You can obtain some happiness today—right now if you want. Just do something fun. This does not have to mean quitting your job and spending your life savings on a trip to Disney World.

Stop your chores for five minutes and play with the family pet. Read a funny story on the Internet. Listen to your favorite music. Look at a piece of artwork that fills your heart. None of those things cost money, and they all invite a little fun into your life. That fun is like getting an infusion of energy, and you will be better equipped to go back to the tasks you want to complete today. Life should be fun every day. If it’s not, you have no one to blame but yourself. You control the joy you let into your life. If it’s not fun, you’re not doing it right.

DAY

313

“People rarely succeed unless they have fun at what they are doing.”

— Dale Carnegie

Lee absolutely hated his life. He hated his job, he hated his car, he hated his house, and he wasn’t that fond of his dog, either. He was a brilliant engineer specializing in robotics, and he had used his talents to rocket to a pretty lofty height in his profession. Now he found himself as an upper level manager. He was no longer building robots. Instead, his job was to tell other people what they were doing wrong when they built robots—at least that’s how he saw his job.