Attitude - Now It's YOUR Turn!

www.PeopleInParadise.com/ebook-yourturn.html Now It's YOUR turn!rnThink About This ... Listen to your voice of adventure!rnMax Lucado, Imagine Your Life Without Fear "There is a rawness and a wonder to life. Pursue it. Hunt for it. Sell out to get it. Don't listen to the whines of those who have settled for a second-rate life and want you to do the same so they won't feel guilty. Your goal is not to live long; it's to live. The options are clear. On one side is the voice of safety. You can build a fire in the hearth, stay inside and stay warm and dry and safe. Or you can hear the voice of adventure. Instead of building a fire in your hearth, build a fire in your heart. Follow your impulses. Adopt the child. Move overseas. Teach the class. Change careers. Run for office. Make a difference.rnSure it isn't safe, but what is? ~~ Max LucadornBest-selling AuthorrnIE: FEARLESS: Imagine Your Life Without Fear Are you ready for a life change? Definition of 'Change' … * To cause to be differentrn * To give a completely different form or appearance to; transformrn * To lay aside, abandon, or leave for another; switchrn * To give and receive reciprocally; interchange Who is ever ready for a life change, right?rnA woman can be pregnant for 9 months and still not be ready to give birth or be a mother.rnA student can learn for 7 years or more about being a doctor but not be ready to work the emergency ward at the hospital.rnBut both are in the process of change: a carefree young lady to full time mom; a student to brain surgeon! Philosophically, change IS life, life IS constant change. Even when things seem to be standing still, everything is changing, always. Change is inevitable and one of our greatest teachers. How we respond to change is what makes our life either super great or one big pain in the butt. Embracing change means being open to new challenges, adventures, work, tasks, people, cultures, worlds. When we’re open to receiving and learning, we’re not so shocked by things that present themselves that would otherwise shake us up. Watching SCUBA divers on the National Geographic channel is very different from actually doing it. In retrospect, I see travel as the greatest opportunity to create good positive change … and again, with change comes individual and personal growth. To some people that constant change, moving from one destination or adventure to another, is like a rush, a high, a craving. They need to see more, do more, experience more! To others change is scary, unexpected, a sneak attack! They fear the unknown. They become swallowed up by 'what ifs'. As for ANYthing in life, change is in the eye of the beholder. That’s my point! We may never be ready for change but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t bravely and enthusiastically move forward into to, towards it, and embrace it. Beats sitting on the couch any day watching reruns, hanging out with people that ‘live for the weekend’, or spend week after week doing the same mundane tasks at work over and over and over again. Get it!? What we know for sure is that you’re here, reading this because you want change, you want something different, you want to spice up your life, you want adventure, you want to travel!rnFabulous! Lifestyle Are you a fan of reality shows like The Amazing Race, Survivor or The Biggest Loser?rnI just love ‘em! And maybe I don’t get the chance to see them often, and there’s serious editing involved before it airs to the public … but I just love ‘em for the real life drama expressed by the participants, the dynamic of personalities clashing: the whiners & complainers, the highly educated, the physically fit, the leaders, the optimists, the pessimists, the bold, the beautiful … and they’re all walking into a new lifestyle that they’ve never experienced before that challenges them in every way possible.rnI'm a fan of the saying, “Every challenge or obstacle is like a gift wrapped in sandpaper”. Have you noticed that you’ll always have a favorite participant?rnThe magic of television will make the whiner look like Mother Theresa and the evil one look like a superhero! But it all comes together for our entertainment. And how many times have you watched these shows thinking, “I could do this”, or “There’s no way I would do that”. Throughout the show, participants try to outwit, outplay, outlast each other (with the winning prize in mind) but ultimately realize that the joke's on them. When all is said and done, the show is over, and they resume “normal” life, they realize that the experience was ALL about them. What they took away from The Amazing Race or Survivor or The Biggest Loser before being eliminated, before eating crocodile brains or before losing 80lbs, was a new outlook on life! Woohoo!rnWhatever pain or discomfort they had to endure was SO worth what they lived and what they now have to look forward to with their new outlook on life. Ok, so what are you getting at Andrea??rnMy point is, again, change is not always comfortable but so worth it!! The rewards so outweigh the challenges when you go into it with the right mindset, the right attitude!rnWorking on a cruise ship sounds like an amazing lifestyle, but is it really? It is if you want it to be! You can complain about every little thing: the food, not having enough time to explore on land, the shifts are too long, you’re homesick. Or you can focus on the fabulous: duty-free shopping, waking up in a new country every day, getting a tax-free pay check, free food, free uniforms, new friends who live for the next day (not just for the weekend!), and visits from family & friends that can watch you in action! I’ve watched some new employees who became so horribly homesick that they stopped functioning at their jobs. They became unbearably miserable, impossible to deal with. Ultimately, they’re sent home. I’ve seen others who can’t get enough of what every day serves up. They revel in every task, enthusiastically exceeding every customer’s expectations, enjoying every break with other staff members, and taking advantage of every way to explore, learn & grow. It’s easy to see who the winners are. Both of these individuals came in with certain expectations of their new lifestyles. One came in with fear and uncertainty but willing to “try”. The other jumped in with both feet. It’s different for everyone. My challenge to you is this … identify right now if you’re the fearful person who has doubts, if this is the right move for you, OR if you’re the person bursting at the seams with excitement ready to get started. It’s completely OK to be either. Just know, going in, that YOU are the Creator of your own experience. If you’re fearful, Law of Attraction states that you will create more circumstances for you to feel fearful about. What are you afraid of anyway?rnIf you’re excited, the Law of Attraction will create more circumstances for you to feel excited about! What are you excited about anyway? It’s all mumbo-jumbo in your mind. The thoughts in your mind become your reality and ultimately your lifestyle. If you can’t get through a simple 4 to 6 month contract, 4 to 6 months of your life on ship or in Mexico or teaching in Japan, you’re going to struggle with 4 to 6 months of anything ... cause it's not all roses! Where were you when 9/11 hit?? It was morning in Cancun, the hottest no-holds-barred party town in Mexico. I’m managing for a major Canadian Tour Operator living at the Continental Plaza on the main strip. As I routinely prepared myself for another day of desk hours, incoming flights/outgoing passengers, tour sales, and briefings, I’m captivated by the ‘TV show’(?) playing … on every channel! Odd, I’m thinking to myself. I turned it on to check the weather for the day seeing as how it was rainy season and there was plenty potential to expect tour cancellations or reimbursements from clients. But as I thumbed the remote from channel to channel, I’m getting the same picture! Two buildings, one on fire, smoking like crazy. I’m confused and not comprehending what I’m looking at or why there is such attention on these buildings on ALL stations, in every language. I am drawn to the ‘LIVE’ flashing at the bottom left hand corner. My hold world felt like it was moving into S-L-O-W motion as I realized “this is REAL!” And then, the 2nd plane hit the 2nd building … HOLY SH__!!!! (pardon the expression but that was putting it mildly). For a good 20 minutes, I remained mesmerized by the events that played over and over and realized that I was about to face a lot of people who’s family, friends and loved ones were in New York or new someone who was. It was going to be an interesting day. As I numbly exited my room and headed for the lobby area of the Continental, you could hear a pin drop, a deafening silence coupled with the awestruck expressions of only one or two hotel employees visible. Deep sigh … Here we go! I headed out to the street and towards my first hotel. Unbelievable stillness. No one in sight. Barely any cars on the street. Surreal. Every hotel that day was a replicate scene of the last. You just knew that every passenger in destination was glued to their room television sets to follow the updates, to understand what was happening, praying that it was a dream. A couple of days later, the panic kicked in! Desperation, tears, anxiety. The lobbies became flooded with madness. People trying to connect with their loved ones, make calls, leave by any means of transportation they could find which was an impossibility since no one was allowed to cross a USA border in any way, shape or form. We had to stay put until further notice. The insanity escalated when some hotels continued to charge for the unexpected ‘extended holiday’ these people were obliged to take, racking up credit cards, hotel bills, and other expenses. Many hotels, however, were empathetically stretching the resources as much as possible to accommodate people through this unforeseen storm, not charging for rooms (since they weren’t expecting any incoming) and discounting food costs. Ironically, paradise became a prison for thousands. Nearing the end of that week, airlines finally started flying down extra aircrafts and getting people home safely. How did you handle your last earthquake experience?? Earthquakes, torrential rains, flooding … Mother Nature can be relentless but it comes with the territory. Some examples include … 1. solar eclipses in Antiguarn2. the volcanic eruption of the Caribbean’s Montserrat, and recently Icelandrn3. Haiti’s recent earthquake disasterrn4. unforgettable Katrina pulverizing poor little New Orleansrn5. the Indian Ocean quake that triggered a tsunami wiping out a ¼ of a million people in 13 countries One year while I managed the destination of Huatulco, Mexico for another Operator. As I sat in the hotel lobby of the Sheraton with my colleagues, off in the distance I could hear what sounded like an out-of-control turbo train coming up to the front entrance of the open lobby. We all stopped what we were saying and doing from the deafening noise it emitted. Seconds later, a monstrous rumble, then the ground violently shifted underfoot and the entire hotel lobby shook with such force. AAAAGGHHHH! HOLY SH__!!! Now, I don’t know if you’ve ever experienced an earthquake but this was my first time ever and something I was soooooo praying I would never experience anywhere in my journeys. Huatulco is situated along a huge fault and often gets the residual from what Acapulco or Mexico City gets. It rattled me enough to remind me how very vulnerable we are when caught in Mother Nature’s wrath. Again, it happened in a matter of seconds, but the banshee yell that spewed from me could have awoken the dead for miles. Whoo! As soon as I regained composure, I realized that I was centre stage of a laugh fest … nice to know I can keep my buddies entertained. I joined them. But, WOW! One could easily live in fear anticipating the next and the next. But I decided I was going to have fun with this one. As every plane load of passengers graced this gorgeous destination, they were settled onto the transfer bus and for the 45min ride into town. ‘Welcome Briefing’ time! With a captive audience, I could tell them all about Huatulco, what to do, where to go, best tacos & pizza places, awesome tours, money exchange venues, buying gold/silver, etc …I’d have them laughing and looking forward to their holiday … oh, and by the way, if by chance on occasion you’re feeling a bit woozy and you haven’t hit the bar yet or had your fill of tequila shooters, very probably it’s NOT the alcohol but the earth moving under you! Oh for sure I’d get the odd ‘gasp’ but for the most part I eliminated the fear attached to experiencing an earthquake by instilling a sense of fun around it. Worked every time! And sold lots of tours! And no, I never experienced another for the rest of the season … that I know of! What about the Blackout of 1999/2000?? Maybe that goes back a looooong time for some of you but the gist of what I want to get across here is that the world was paralyzed with fear of it somehow ending when the clocks struck 00:01 Jan.01/2000. Bizarre, yes! The world was preparing for major technological shutdowns, malfunctions, universal disarray! It was very weird but nonetheless all preparations were made to ‘go on’ manually if our computers suddenly stopped breathing! Phew! We survived that, too! Here’s the deal … This stuff is going to happen to you whether you’re cruisin’ or not. The world stops for no one! Now, the chances of you actually being affected by anything like this is really slim to none. Stats do claim that it’s more dangerous to be driving your car across your cities highways. Point is, and getting back the premise of this chapter, life is filled with countless experiences, good and bad, but your attitude will determine what you focus on which is what you’ll ultimately get more of. If you haven’t yet watched The Secret , do it! Understand that you hold the power to make or break what could be the most impressionable experiences of your life that set the course of your life’s journey. If that’s too much for you to swallow right now than disregard and move to the next chapter. If you’re on board with me … you’re going to amazed and dazzled by what you create! "There are no menial jobs, only menial attitudes." ~~ William John Bennett "The only difference between a Good Day and a Bad Day is your ATTITUDE!" ~~ Dennis S. BrownrnChange Your Attitude, Change Your Life "If you don't like something change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude about it. Don't complain." ~~ Maya AngelournWouldn't Take Nothing for My Journey Now