— Oscar Wilde
Think back to the times when you’ve made a lot of progress in your life. What brought on the impulse to move forward? Write about a few instances in your journal and try to remember exactly what initiated your progress. Did you have an inspiration? Were you solving a problem? What was the catalyst that caused your growth spurt?
Sometimes progress does not come out of a positive feeling of wanting to move forward. It more often comes from feelings of discontent. Even though moving forward is a good thing, it’s much easier and more comfortable to stay in the same spot. Therefore, it takes a strong feeling of discomfort to get in gear. Things have to get pretty bad before most people are willing to change.
The formation of the United States came out of the massive discontent of British colonies in America. Their situation finally got so bad that they were willing to fight for independence. Apartheid, a system that institutionalized racial discrimination in South Africa, caused years of discontent, and ultimately it was dismantled in 1994 as a result of the combined discontent represented by demonstrations, riots, and international pressure. In 1980, Gdask , Poland, was the site of a labor strike that resulted in the recognition of the first non-Communist trade union in the Soviet Eastern Bloc. The discontent of those 17,000 shipbuilders was one of the first steps toward the collapse of Communism in Eastern Europe. Discontent cannot be underestimated as a powerful tool for progress. It has been the first step for change throughout time.
DAY
200
“We all want progress, but if you’re on the wrong road, progress means doing an about-turn and walking back to the right road; in that case, the man who turns back soonest is the most progressive.”
— C. S. Lewis
Welcome to Day 200! You have made a huge accomplishment by coming this far in your work to achieve your dreams. You are more than halfway through the year, and if you are diligently working on the exercises presented in this book, change is starting to occur in your life whether you recognize it yet or not.
Progress doesn’t happen all at once. It is a gradual transformation that becomes more and more visible over a period of time. You should take time to congratulate yourself today for the hard work you have put into achieving success. You have more to learn, greater opportunities for growth, and thousands of new chances for progress ahead.
Do you feel like you are on the right road today? This moment of reflection on should give you an opportunity to make sure you are traveling down the correct path. It’s easy to get off and end up on the wrong road. Actually, it’s not that terrible if you think that’s what you’ve done. You learn from your mistakes just as much as your triumphs. Maybe you tried your hand at a new job opportunity, and it just doesn’t seem right for you. That’s okay. Admit when you’ve made a mistake and change. As C. S. Lewis mentions in the quote above, the guy who turns back the soonest when he realizes he is on the wrong road is the most progressive. Notice it doesn’t say the guy who never makes any mistakes is the most progressive.
DAY
201
“Sometimes questions are more important than answers.”
— Nancy Willard
What? How can questions be more important than answers? You are striving for success, and that means you should be finding the answers. You should be getting to the truth, reaching your destiny, and making things work. You want conclusions, not questions.
Not true! Questions will lead you down new and inspiring roads. Where do answers lead you? If you already have a conclusion, why would you go exploring?
When you start really asking questions and pondering the things you don’t know, that is when you have the ability to reach beyond your current abilities. Questions open doors and give you choices. Answers tie everything up in a neat bow and close things up. Been there, done that, bought the T-shirt. End of discussion.
Are you asking enough questions? Do you prefer to be the know-it-all in the group, or would you rather be the one with the least experience who is willing to learn new things? Maybe you fall somewhere in the middle of those two extremes.
Ask questions today. That’s not just a general idea, it’s a directive. Try to ask more questions than provide answers today and see where it takes you. At the end of the day, journal about your experience as a result of this assignment. Did the questions open any doors for you? Did they change your current way of thinking? Did you gain any valuable knowledge from the questions you asked? Make it a daily practice to ask questions and actively search for new information. The more you seek, the more you’ll find.
DAY
202
“Millions saw the apple fall, but Newton asked why.”
— Bernard Baruch
Sometimes asking questions is not the most popular thing to do. People around you might think you’re a troublemaker . . . or just plain stupid. Are you willing to go out on a limb—just like Newton did—and ask why?
Asking questions is a character-building experience, and that’s a good thing. The more you can be true to yourself and not worry about what the rest of the crowd is doing, the better. It doesn’t matter if your co-workers are snickering behind your back. You have an honest motive when you ask why. You are gaining knowledge and increasing your chances of success. You might also ask a question they’ve been wondering about for months and were too afraid to voice.
If you don’t understand something, ask. It’s much better to admit you need help and learn something new than it is to pretend you know what you’re doing and then get caught in your ignorance. It’s okay to be curious. In fact, it’s the sure sign of someone on the road to success.
Trust that every single question you ask will lead you to a greater understanding of the world you live in. Find something today that you don’t know everything about. Ask questions and find some answers so that you have a deeper understanding of that subject by the end of the day.
DAY
203
“Be curious always! For knowledge will not acquire you; you must acquire it.”
— Sudie Back
Jennifer worked in a bookstore, and she was complaining one day to her coworker that she had nothing new to look forward to in her life.
“It’s the same old thing, day in and day out. I come here, I sell books, I go home. How am I ever going to learn anything new and interesting?”
Her coworker was a high school junior at least fifteen years younger than Jennifer. He glanced around the store and then looked at her blankly, unsure of how to respond. You see, the high school student couldn’t wait to get to work at the bookstore three times a week, because he was surrounded by shelves and shelves of undiscovered territory. He could work there for years and never fully take advantage of all of the information at his fingertips.
The young man had no idea what to say to Jennifer. The books weren’t going to jump off the shelves and into her brain. She needed to have enough curiosity to wonder what was on all of those beautifully bound pages.