Don’t “go” through life—“grow” through life.
Realize that the journey of life is not about being right or pretending that you know it all—it’s about learning and growing every step of the way.
Instead of getting stuck in a rut, or holding yourself back, make your life an adventure. Decide today that your commitment to learning and growing over the next five years is bigger than your commitment to staying the same.
I would rather be ashes than dust; I would rather that my spark should burn out in a brilliant blaze than it should be stifled by dry-rot; I would rather be in a superb meteor, every atom of me in a magnificent glow than in a sleepy and permanent planet; the proper function of man is to live, not exist; I shal not waste my days in trying to prolong them; I shall — USE my time. -Jack London
Learn another language: Learning a second language is a new way to see and experience the world. Learn Italian, Russian, Cobal, American Sign Language, Farsi, or Swahili. Then get on a plane and go try it out with the people who know it best.
Master a skill: Don’t just be good, be great, take an “interest” and elevate it into an art form. Learn to do something so well that people will come from miles around just to watch you do it again and again. Become a master: scrabble player, magician, French chef, ventriloquist, ballroom dancer, wine maker, orchid grower, glass blower, photographer, standup comedian.
Kick a habit: If there’s anything in life that’s holding you back, now is the time to think about changing it. What habits are currently preventing the best that’s in you? (On average, it takes about 30 days to change a negative habit into a positive habit—but the benefits will last a lifetime!) Transform negatives: What bugs you? A fast track to happiness and fulfillment is to zero in on whatever makes you unhappy, and turn those negatives into positives. Identifying what bugs you about yourself or your life is a lesson in instant clarity.
Get fit: Yoga, Running, Rock climbing, hula hoop—it doesn’t matter what you do, but do it. Get in the best shape of your life. Over the next five years you can have the body, the energy and the health you’ve always wanted.
