Daily Inspiration 1-16-11

"The indispensable first step to getting the things

you want out of life is this: decide what you want."

-- Ben Stein

"If you limit your choices only to what seems possible

or reasonable, you disconnect yourself from what you

truly want, and all that is left is a compromise."

-- Robert Fritz

"The greater danger for most of us is not that our aim is

too high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it."

-- Michelangelo

Tonight, I was looking through one of my favorite books called The Success Principles by Jack Canfield. I highly recommend it and what I love most about this great book is that it has 64 chapters (Principles) and they are all very short, just a few pages, and that you can open the book where ever you want and pick up tidbits to brighten your day, cause you to think about something more clearly, or just a little encouragement. The three quotes above came from the third principle: Decide What You Want.

At first glance that statement, decide what you want, seems like a no-brainer and that this would be the easiest thing in the world to state, but I found that in my life and in that of many I know, it was not so easy. When I was young, I was going to be a fireman, then a policeman, then a teacher, then . . . well, the career path changed on a moments notice. Even in college I wasn't really set on the major that fired me up, but just one I could make a decision on. Then, I started working, then went into the Air Force, then out and into a job selling cars. Frankly, that was the first time that I actually made a conscious decision that I wanted to try something like that, but it wasn't selling or cars that fired me up, it was that I wanted a career, not a job. I wanted something that meant something to me, where I could grow and become more.

I became a sales manager and studied that career field. I tried a few other things during my career days including owning a musical instrument store, selling life insurance (for a couple of days. . .) and multi-level marketing with Shaklee Corporation. Then, there was a truck body company, and now back in business for myself again. It's been an interesting journey, and looking back, I don't think I would change any of the choices and each has brought experience, knowledge and good income.

I guess you could say that I'm still deciding what I want. At least that's the way it might look on the surface, but there is an underlying theme throughout these choices that is what made all of those choices satisfying in one way or another, and here it is: I really wanted to be a teacher and a writer, but I didn't want to teach in school, and I didn't want to be a novel writer.

In each and every position I have held, there has been some aspect of teaching and some aspect of writing. In that I have been successful and it has been fulfilling to me, and what is even more interesting for me is that it continues to grow and become more as I do. I have decided what I want and I have received it pretty much from day one; however, I didn't really realize that until very recently.

Maybe You're Already Doing What You Really Want!

Spread Some Joy Today--When you discover that underlying thing that drives you, that is a joyous thing.