Chapter 11 | The Day that Changes Your Life
(Part 1 out of 2)
In this chapter I'll discuss:
* What is the Ant Philosophy?
* Which things will change your life?
* Questions you should ask yourself.
* A personal message from me.
The day that changes your life:
Now that you've learned the strategies for wealth and happiness that lead to a successful life, all you have to do is just decide when to begin your journey.
Will you start today, tomorrow, in a week, month, a year? It's your decision.
Ideas are waiting for the day when your emotional investment will wake you up to life.
This will be the day that changes your life.
Time to laugh, time to cry
You're probably familiar with this saying, right? It says in the Bible (Ecclesiastes 3:4):
"A time to weep and a time to laugh".
Notice it doesn't say: a time to laugh and a time to laugh some more.
There's a reason to that.
Be smart enough to understand that life has its "crying" moments too, negative things as well as positive ones.
The Ant Philosophy
Here's a philosophy worth learning from this tiny crawling creature - never give up.
Ants never give up!
If you block their way, they go another. How long will an ant look for another way? Until it finds one.
What a great philosophy!
All summer long, ants think about winter.
You must think long-term, beyond tomorrow.
Just because right now the sky is clear and the sun is shining, doesn't mean it's going to stay that way, right?
During the summers of your life, think about the winters to come.
Here are two examples:
Short term - You build your house on sand, it's an easy task and it will hold all summer.
Long-term – You build your house on stone, a slightly harder task (you'd want to look for a solid stone) but that's what summer is for. In the winter, your house will be firm and steady.
Negative things are common
You can not ignore it, it's part of the course of your life - learn to deal with it (preferably in summer).
Do not overlook, learn to recognize the dangers and learn to deal with them.
Don't disregard the ignorance taking over your life, don't disregard the rejection stealing your success.
Don't disparage your bad health, it will become your legacy if you neglect it.
Fight fervently against your outer enemies as well as enemies from within.
Positive
Here's the day that will change your life:
1. Disgust: disgust is a negative emotion, but it can have a positive effect (maybe even a crucial one).
What I mean is when you say to yourself, for example: "No more! I've had it!!".
Rohn says once when in New York, he met a very influential beautiful woman holding a senior position.
She was deputy CEO in one of the largest companies.
They got acquainted, which is how he came to know her amazing life story.
One day he asked her straightforward: "How did you manage to get a high-rank position with a generous income?", knowing she had no formal education (she dropped out of high school and didn't go to college).
She answered: "I'll tell you how. When I was a young mother a few years ago, I asked my husband for ten dollars. He asked me what for?".
She continued: "That very same day I decided that never again will I have to ask such a thing...".
She got started by learning about personal development, success in life and opportunities... and even found some.
She took courses, read self-taught books, researched and practiced...
And today she's deputy CEO in one of the largest companies...
She kept her promise and never again asked for anything from anyone.
The day you say "enough", is the day which could change your life.
By the way, let me add it would be beneficial to do something about it too… Saying 'enough' is not enough.
Take for example a man, who makes a decision to never again drive that wreck in his front yard called a "car".
He takes a baseball bat, goes out and smashes all the windows.
Next, he punctures the tires of the car... He now decides to keep this piece of junk!
Years later, when someone will ask him how he became rich, he'll answer:
"Excellent question. Let me show you something. See this wreckage? One day I was so fed up, I smashed it up!".
2. Decision: coming to a decision can be a life-changing day.
If for the next few days, you'll write down some of the decisions you came to, it could create enough inspiration for five to ten years to come.
What an inspiring day is the day you come to make a decision.
3. Passion: something you want more than anything.
It is yet to be discovered what is the power of passion, but here's something we already know - sometimes passion needs a trigger, waits for something to ignite it.
That trigger may be a song you heard, a movie you saw, a lecture you attended, a website, book, experience, confrontation, a conversation you had with a friend...
Remember to keep an open mind to all experiences of life.
You can never know what will ignite that change in your life.
Don't surround yourself with barriers to avoid disappointment, keep in mind they'll also block success.Get rid of the barriers and embrace the experiences.
4. Action: taking action means doing or making something.
Promise yourself never to give up.
Here's a ludicrous question you can ask your friends, and yourself of course: how much time should you give a baby to learn to walk?
How long will it be before you say: "You know what? That's enough, never mind walking…".
Funny, right?... It's crazy.
Probably every mother in the world will go ballistic when hearing this... for she will teach her baby as long as it takes, until he'll be able to walk by himself.
Remember these magic words: as long as it takes.
Promise yourself to read books and search online as long as it takes, until you have the skills you want.
Promise yourself to consult experts as long as it takes, until you understand everything.
Promise yourself to practice as long as it takes, until you are an expert in your field.
Promise yourself not to give up and keep working on your self-development, as long as it takes.
Step by step, reading one book and then another, adding healthier food to your diet and little by little reducing the junk food, starting with a slow walk around the neighborhood and gradually building it to a run - don't miss out on the opportunity to grow.
Make a decision to pay the price it takes until you learn, change and develop – that's when you'll find one of life's greatest treasures.
5. Helping others: by this, I don't mean 'giving someone a hand to pick a heavy box', for example.
I'm saying help people in their lives: touch them with comforting words, a good book or a poem.
Don't hold back on something that could be meaningful to those around you.
Help them set goals.
Help them fulfill a dream.
Help them to correct mistakes.
Take your children, for example, don't only help with their homework… build them a wonderful life by good inter-personal communication and by setting goals.
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Continue to Chapter 11 | The Day that Changes Your Life - Part 2
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* Chapter 10 | Looking Inside and Outside Yourself - Part 2