You’ll Never Be the Same Again
Steve Jobs said, “When you grow up, you tend to get told the world is the way it is, and your life is just to live your life inside the world. Try not to bash into the walls too much. Try to have a nice family, have fun, and save a little money. That’s a very limited life. Life can be much broader once you discover one simple fact: Everything around you that you call life was made up by people that were no smarter than you, and you can change it, you can influence it, you can build your own things that other people can use. Once you learn that, you’ll never be the same again.”
Ah, friend, you can change it, you can influence it, you can build your own things that other people can use. Once you learn that, you will never be the same again.
So, how was your life? Really — go ahead and answer me… how is your life? How are you doing? How do you feel today? See, I think every once in a while, we need to stop and talk to ourselves and ask the question that rolls around in our head and hopefully gives an answer that is true.
I asked the question from the thought that Steve Jobs states that when it comes to life — you can change it, you can influence it, you can build your own things that other people can use. How cool is that to build for others once you find your place in this world?
Many people live in a very controlled world… your friends live that way, your family lives that way, your boss lives that way. So, if you venture too far from the farm, you’re going to scare some folks… the truth is when we were growing up, we were told the world is the way it is, and your only option is just to live your life inside that world.
But friend, that’s not true, and I have a serious problem with that worldview, not because I am a rabble-rouser but because that is too small a way to live in such a big world.
And my worry and, in an odd way, happiness is for so many that when the controlled world crumbles away… they fall apart, and then they hit the ground, and then they realize the only way out is up, and that’s a great day… Why? Because you’ll never be the same again.
I know you have responsibilities, and because you’re a good person, you honor them, but I also encourage you to do the extra work to build your own things that other people can use. Build a life that leaves a legacy, build a future for the next generation, and build a firm foundation that can stand strong against the storms of life and shelter you and those you love.
So, what big idea do you have that you’ve thought would help others?
What opportunities have come to you this year (or last) that you are weighing the pros and cons about?
What possible actions can you take to make your life better?
Now, only you can answer those questions, but I encourage you to think, hope, and dream about leaving the small box that you called your life and with your family safely in place, consider doing some of the things on your bucket list.
Now, just for the record — please don’t do anything that would bring harm to you or your loved ones… and don’t let the pundits talk your ears off about saving money, getting in shape, and eating healthy. No, I’m not about looking over the proverbial fence and seeing the other side. My job today is to remind you that everything around you that you call life was made up of people who were no smarter than you, and you can change it; you can influence it, and you can build your own things that other people can use.
I have the great fortune to be the TEDx speaker coach for the presenters, and one of the many reasons I accept the job is because it puts me one-on-one with those who looked around, didn’t like what they saw, and made life-changing decisions for their personal benefit and the benefit of others.
I am inspired by the lives of so many who do something in life they felt called to do, and it reminds me that Far better is it to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure dash than to rank with those poor spirits who neither suffer much, because they live in a great twilight that knows not victory nor defeat. Theodore Roosevelt
I recently saw a TEDx video for Ric Elias he had a front-row seat on flight 1549; the plane that crashed landed in the Hudson River in New York in January of 2009. In his talk, he tells what went through his mind as the doomed plane went down, down, down, towards the Hudson River with no jet motors running a stunned silence filled the plane, and then three words came across the plane’s loudspeaker from the pilot — Prepare for Impact.
I won’t spoil the ending for you; I hope you’ll look it up on YouTube, as it is a pretty good talk.
Sufficient to say, Ric Elias didn’t think about his work or his car or his golf game — in those few minutes, his world was made very clear that if he should survive, he was going to get going in life with his kids, his wife, his dreams, and he ends his talk by saying that he hopes that no one in the audience would experience what he did, but he hopes you and I will stop waiting for tomorrow and stop living the limited life that others have put upon us and stop thinking that you cannot at any time change your life.
In another blog post, I shared the old Spanish proverb, which states, Tomorrow is often the busiest day of the week. I’m here to remind you that today needs to be your busiest day, today should be the day you make your move, your decision, your promise to yourself that you can change, you can influence, and you can build whatever life you choose.
You know I’m not much on New Year’s resolutions because no one keeps them past January 15th, but I know this from all my coaching and speaking to people when you were younger: you tended to follow the crowd only to become older and wiser and realize the crowd many times never had your best interest in mind and you should set your own direction for life.
I know this is hard, especially for many, because our parents had hopes and dreams they wanted us to follow, and for many, they wanted us to do things they didn’t do.
I’ve told the story before, but my parents wanted me to be in real estate they knew I was good with people, and they thought that that would be a good business for me, but after I got my real estate license and started selling homes, I realized I was not cut out for that business because frankly, I could care less where you put your washer and dryer and outdoor furniture because I have little to no ability to see a blank space and fill it with stuff it’s just not my gift.
Through trial and error, I had to find my own way. I have failed, and I have been successful, but I will say I have rarely been bored, and I’ve had the good fortune of having a grand time along the way, no doubt I have been blessed.
All our lives take different paths — you can see this so clearly when you connect with past schoolmates on Facebook, and although many put their best face forward, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see that so many settled for a safe life where they don’t bash into the walls too much. Try to have a nice family, have fun, save a little money, and live their very limited life. And if that’s what they felt they should do, then good for them I have no judgment here… but it is exciting to read about the others who discovered one simple fact: that everything around them that we called life was made up by people who were no smarter than we were and then went about to change it, influence it, and build their own things that other people can use.
Once you learn that, you will never be the same again.
