Waiting for Something to Happen

Too many people are going through their lives wishing, hoping, wanting or waiting for something to happen. “I wish I could just get that lucky break.” “I hope that tomorrow will be better.” “I want to win the Lottery!” Unfortunately, what most people don’t realize is that nothing “just happens” in life – you’ve got to do what you’ve got to do yourself to get the ball rolling. And, unfortunately, as if to compound people’s misunderstanding of how our world works, there are far too many self-help books and personal development websites out there that, at the very least, suggest that, to get what you want out of life, all you have to do is believe – nothing more is required. And, as a result, I’ve met quite a few people over the years who have convinced themselves that they believe in some great outcome and, having convinced themselves that it will simply just happen, they now believe that all they have to do is sit back and wait for it to happen – as if it will, by some miracle, materialize before their very eyes. That’s the same as believing that you’re going to win the Lottery but not bothering to buy a ticket! You’ve got to do what you’ve got to do.

You’re the one who makes things happen in your life. You’ve got to get up of your ass and start doing the brave and courageous things that normal people wouldn’t dream of doing – that’s why they’re normal, not-too-bad, not-too-uncomfortable on the pathetic sorry-go-round of their ordinary mundane everyday lives. And that is why highly successful people are highly successful – they’ve done what had to be done, taken the brave and courageous decisions, put their heart and soul into getting what they want out of life – stuck their neck out. These are people who are not afraid to be different, to stand out from the crowd – or, in fact, the herd.

Of course the first thing that you must realize is that there is nothing brave or courageous about doing something that will lead you towards what you truly believe in, that will take you the next step on your way to the life that you really, really want. What would be viewed as courage or bravery by normal not-too-bad people is simply the logical and obvious thing to do for those who believe and are driven to succeed. But where do you start? What is it that you have to do? What immediate action can you take right here, right now? Well, for starters – and this is pretty damn obvious – if you want something different to happen in your life, you’re going to have to do something different. But the really intriguing thing is that you’re not going to have to do something that is outlandishly different. If you start with something ridiculously small, you’ll be absolutely amazed where it will take you. By small, I mean something as apparently insignificant as brushing your teeth with the other hand! Yeah, you heard me – you’ve read that sentence correctly! Doing something this small in a different way breaks the habit of an adult lifetime – the habit of doing all your routine things automatically and mindlessly. In breaking little habits, you take your mind out of the comfort zone that has you content to be not-too-bad. In effect, you actually set your mind up to take a totally different perspective on absolutely everything that’s going on at the present moment, in your life, in your world. By doing one thing differently, you’ll start doing other things – bolder and braver things – differently. You’ll stop going through the motions of living and start taking real action – and it will all be effortless simply because you started yourself off gently. But you’ll also notice something else that is startlingly different about the course of your everyday life. You will begin to spot opportunities at every turn. The fact of the matter is that these opportunities were there already – you were just too buried up your backside admiring the view of your mundane not-too-bad life to see them.

But, here’s an important question. What if you’ve already tried something bold and different and it failed? What if you’ve already stuck your neck out to achieve something that you truly believed in and you fell flat on your face? Well, didn’t you know that only losers give up! Statistics from surveys and research in various parts of the world show that the most successful people in business, politics, sport and entertainment, take failure in their stride. They see failure as another opportunity to go at it again. After all, if you really want your life to change, you’re not going to give up that easily, are you?