Dive into your mission today, and remember the code you wrote yesterday describing your standards for how you want to live your life. You aren’t done yet. In fact, you’re just getting started. Enjoy your mission. It is completely, uniquely yours. At the end of the day, write in your journal about how the mission went on Day 149. List at least three things that were a success, and then list a few things that you could improve next time around. Then reset, recharge, and get ready to continue your mission tomorrow.
DAY
150
“Life without a purpose is a languid, drifting thing; every day we ought to review our purpose, saying to ourselves, “This day let me make a sound beginning, for what we have hitherto done is naught!”
— Thomas Kempis
You have done some pretty amazing things in the first 150 days of this book. Look back through your journal and review all of the work you’ve done. You are laying a very solid foundation for success, and chances are you are already starting to see a change in yourself.
Today you have a chance to review and reflect on the last fifty days in particular. Write about how you are changing and what it feels like to find your purpose in life and reveal the gifts you have to offer.
In a few short days you have practiced personal responsibility and kindness to others. You found out that failure is no big deal. You learned that you can actually cultivate enthusiasm without acting like a crazed lunatic. You have been a hero and attempted the impossible. You gave prayer and meditation a shot, and either or both of those might be part of your daily routine now. You have also gotten used to the fact that achieving success is a long-distance race. You will need to develop endurance to continue on this journey. You nourished your mind and body through health and fitness work and breathing exercises, and you even got to play a little. Finally, you discovered just how important relationships are in your life and you resolved to improve your ability to interact with those around you in a positive way.
You have done amazing work. Rest today and enjoy your accomplishments.
DAY
151
“You can’t wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club.”
— Jack London
Barry was ready for success. He had his goals in mind; he could envision a future full of achievement. He was just waiting for inspiration to hit him. Well, here’s a news flash for Barry: nothing is going to happen if you sit back and wait. You have to go after inspiration with a club.
Many people think inspiration is the ticket to success, but they don’t believe they have any control over how and when inspiration hits them. That is simply not true. Inspiration is nothing more than a great original idea, and it has very little to do with chance. In addition, it can’t be your ticket to success unless you follow it up with some leg work to turn your great idea into a reality.
So how do you get an inspiration? Can you force it? You can practice making conditions right for inspiration, and the more you practice, the better your ideas will be. Your assignment today is to list things that inspire you. Does music inspire you? Maybe art does the trick. Some people get inspired by getting out into nature—taking a hike in the woods or sitting by the ocean or skiing in the mountains. What gives you a sense of awe and wonder? What perks up your senses and makes you feel grateful to be alive?
Find out what inspires you. If you don’t know yet, then try things until you hit on a particularly inspiring event. Practice putting yourself in a place of wonder. It will get your mind in gear and help you tap into that innermost spot where your unique talents are waiting to be discovered. Don’t sit around waiting for inspiration. Go after it right now.
DAY
152
“Wait a minute. Maybe I can do anything.”
— Janis Joplin
You have done a lot of great work over the last 151 days. Are you starting to feel a little brazen? Can you sense the power you have within yourself to change your life and reach for success? It has always been there, and through this work you are uncovering layers of dirt that have been covering it up. How does it feel to know you’ve got the goods?
It can be an epiphany when you realize you have every right to be successful. It’s not just that you deserve to be successful; you have the talent to do it. You are not mediocre. You are not undeserving. You are actually entitled to be successful. There is absolutely nothing holding you back. Maybe you can do anything.
Today you get to have an ego the size of an elephant. (That doesn’t give you license to be mean to anyone, by the way.) You are all that—and a bag of chips. It doesn’t matter if you recently gained twenty pounds, lost your job, and got a gigantic zit on the end of your nose. Who cares? Even when you’re a complete mess, you are beautiful in the eyes of creation. You might be a beautiful mess, but you’re still lovely. And you deserve success, so get back in the game and prove to yourself that you can do anything.
No one else has your unique talents and gifts, and it’s about time you unleash them on the world. What do you want to do today? What goals do you want to strive for next? Pretend you have a huge ego today and zero doubts about your capabilities. Now write in your journal about everything you are going to accomplish. You can do anything . . . anything. So what’s it going to be?
DAY
153
“So-called inspiration is no more than an extreme example of a process which constantly goes on in the minds of all of us.”
— Anthony Storr
Inspiration is a process. It’s not a one-time sledgehammer over-the-head kind of deal. It’s constantly going on, and it gets really intense when you make the conditions just right for it to grow.
Dana started to practice inspiration. She went to museums, wrote in her journal often, and went for jogs in the park by her home. Most importantly, she spent some time alone each day. She had three kids and a host of commitments between work and family activities, but she still spent at least fifteen minutes of quiet time each day, just to give her mind a break. Before Dana practiced inspiration, she was constantly ticking off a to-do list in her head of things she needed to do each day. She was preoccupied with the minutia of her life and never got a look at the big picture. She was often overwhelmed, and there didn’t seem to be enough hours in the day to get things done.
Finally, Dana made a commitment to practice inspiration. She took that fifteen minutes of quiet time each day, and she scheduled a date with herself at least once a week to do something that inspired her. Within weeks she noticed a change. She was no longer preoccupied with the little things. Suddenly, her mind was working overtime in other areas. Out of the blue she would get a great idea for a project at work or think of something she wanted to do to help a friend in need. Inspiration came at her from all angles and when she least expected it. Are you willing to make a similar commitment for a week?