changing today
I’m not going to give you a rah-rah spiel with a positive thinking twist. Can that work for some people some of the time? It’s in the ball park, more or less. But, what I am going to offer is 100% effective. Every time! I didn’t invent it, so I won’t take credit. But will it work? Yes.
Some people have listened to many hours of the best motivation and self-help gurus in the world (including me). They have read all the must-read books and have even given them to friends and family (me too). Those who have had some success point to this book or that tape as the reason. And those who have not succeeded can point to the same book or tape but with guilt (guilty, your honor).
Both are wrong.
Does this next demo sound familiar to you?
Ready to turn his life around, Johnny heads straight to We Sell The Latest Bookstore and is mesmerized by the wonderful selection of books. Close your eyes and make a wish. He can’t choose, so he buys six of them. Straight home. No time for that frappamochalattachai (with skim, please). Johnny boy starts reading. As he does, he laughs along with the author and wonders how he ever managed to live without these nuggets of wisdom. You pour it in and you’re ready to show the world the new improved Johnny.
But wait.
Johnny demands a recount. His life is no better a month later. In fact, he gained back ten pounds for the five he lost (and it took him much less time to do so!). Watch TV instead of reading. He knows that his life was destined to be lived roughly and roughly. Motivational and self-help books don’t work, and Johnny swears he’ll never read another one.
For a while it doesn’t.
A year later, Johnny’s friend tells him about the newest and best self-help author there ever was. Johnny reads the authors’ best-selling book series titled The Newest and Best You (1, 2, and 3). He reads them again. Can’t believe the revelation.
The depth. The puntuality.
Two years later, a cheeky Johnny has lost 25 pounds. You have started a business that is making huge profits. She seldom watches TV, choosing challenging and thought-provoking books and articles instead. And, of course, he’s working on all the classics.
Johnny is unwilling to welcome back old Johnny because he likes his current life too much. He will fight to keep it.
Interesting.
What changed from the old Johnny to the latest Johnny?
Before we go back to consult the new and popular Johnny, let’s go back in time to June 3-5, 1989.
Beginning in the afternoon of June 3, 1989, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army cleared Tiananmen Square of protesters. The millions upon thousands of Chinese civilians (including large numbers of university students) were seeking democratic reforms and economic change. They were galvanized into action by the recent death of Hu Yaobang, a pro-democracy official. Please study this event in depth, but for the purpose of this writing we will abbreviate it. The tanks arrive (late afternoon on June 3) and by 5:40 a.m. on June 4, the crowd had dispersed, resulting in deaths and injuries (figures for which are disputed). As the tanks departed on June 5, approaching an intersection on Chang’an (Eternal Peace) Avenue, a man who has since been nicknamed ‘tank man’ stands in front of the leading tank. It boldly stands its ground against a piece of metal that weighs over 100,000 pounds. The tank tries to turn around, but the tank man is not swayed and stays in front. So, the unthinkable. Tank engines are off. We are talking about one of the most powerful nations in the world, known for acting quickly in the face of any hint of dissent. As if this couldn’t get any better, he then climbs into the tank to have a brief chat with the occupants.
Conversation concluded, he descends to ground level. The tank’s engines start up and the lead tank begins to move forward. Once again, the tank man gets in the way of the lead tank. Once again the tanks stop. Shortly after, the tank man is quickly pulled from the front of the formation and out of camera shot. The result or the whereabouts of the tank man is still a mystery. I can tell you this: his memory lives on.
And in.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t959SEpUaEw&feature=fvw
Now, I have some questions for you:
Was this caused by a motivational speaker?
Read a self-help book?
Audio tapes or CDs?
I highly doubt these were anywhere near their realm of reality on this date. Also, I would assume that this ‘tank man’ did not wake up that morning with the idea of stopping the oncoming tanks. He was probably not a careful student of wushu (martial art). I don’t think he was a thrill seeker. But, that’s what he did. He did a simple thing. It was proposed to take action. And so he took action.
An action that named him among Time magazine’s 100 most influential people of the 20th century. An action that has stimulated hearts and actions ever since. You may be able to think of many other brave and audacious undertakings that have been done over the centuries. Tank Man is near the pinnacle for me. Remember, he didn’t have an army behind him, just in front of him.
Let’s go back to our boy Johnny.
Suddenly, Johnny is a popular guy. People look for him at meetings. His energy is contagious and people try to bottle it up. Some friends she has known for a long time tell her that they always knew she would succeed. Mom says how proud she is of her little Johnny. Before I continue with the story of Johnny, let me tell you a little more about him. Johnny is married (14 years old), has three children and a dog named Spot (a mini pinscher). His hair is receding more than a little. No school. His pace is reserved for the shuttle because Wifey-Pooh can’t stand Johnny doing the two steps on his feet. However, she loves the new house and the huge kitchen (and Johnny). She was a bit hesitant at first about her new change. You see, Johnny was going to ‘make it’ many times before. Hell, she loved him either way, but this time she was under no illusions. But, she started noticing little things: like someone other than her was taking out the trash, there was no more yelling on TV about bad passes or missed calls, but one of her favorites was that Johnny’s pectoral major was actually it was becoming important. Johnny’s children also began to notice. He rode a bicycle and played ball. He even let the scoundrels bury him in a monstrous pile of leaves (and jump on him!). The friends silently wondered how Johnny was ‘catching’ all the breaks. Every time they turned around, Johnny was ‘taking’ another break.
Even though he had been advised not to touch real estate, he did so anyway. However, he did not do it blindly, he educated himself. He went to seminars, read books and listened to tapes. He asked successful investors how they did it. It wasn’t easy because Johnny was working 5 12 at the plant. Hell, he only had 13 more years to retire. But, like Saturday, Johnny was working for his dream. At night, during the week before succumbing to sleep and right after the kids were tucked in, it was growing time. Read, listen, build, grow, talk and dream. You see, at some point Johnny decided that excuses wouldn’t work anymore.
He knew there was more to life than what he had been receiving. He also admitted to himself that the problem wasn’t the rest of the world, it was him. It was painful to admit, but it became the catalyst for a new way of life for him and his family. It was proposed to take action. And so he took action. And again. A conscious choice for every day.
Johnny and the ‘tank man’.
The common bond these two and many others have had is taking action. Not just thinking, dreaming and planning, but acting. At some point there can be another day, more planning or another excuse. There must come a time when you are fed up enough to stand in front of a column of tanks. When the only life worth living is a life of action.
Acting may not have been rewarded in grade school, but the rewards are endless for those brave souls who will take action. For those who will take action and never back down. Fortune favors the bold. Will you be brave today? Will you act on your dreams today?
There is nothing to lose, but your own life to gain. It has made all the difference in my life and in yours as well.
Make it happen.
How are you acting?
How are you spending your cultivation time?
How will you behave today?
What will you do today to grow?
Take on the tanks!
Take action, my friend.
Grow up, friend.
Go out and live it, and live it out loud.
Remember, you are the only one you have.