Happy, Rich and Success Blogs

As promised, I’m continuing with this blog’s challenges, moving on later to the beer and potatoes of it all. Namely, trying to help you recover your dreams, so you too can be happy, rich and gain real success. Just so you know…challenges are really opportunities in disguise. They’re like the half-full part of that half-empty glass. Speaking of “half-fullism”, here’s an interesting blog by Terry Starbucker about “half-fullism”.

Challenges Challenges

Here’s a challenge all happy blog authors face one way or the other. But more so in my case. To spell this one out, I’d first like to suggest there are two kinds of blog in the “get happy, rich and success” world. One kind has a core message. The other doesn’t. Core message blogs say they have the cure for your unhappy life. “Law of Attraction” blogs are good examples. Their message is “I’ll teach you how to envision success….so you can attract success”. But most by far are what I call “Happiness Is” blogs. They comb the huge (built up over many generations) “Happiness Is” list to bring us timeless wisdoms. Blogs promoting “stop and smell the roses”, “be productive”, “be grateful for what you have” or “meditate to reduce stress” are good examples. These sites do a us great service by bringing many bona fide Happy things to our attention so we can profit from them. They don’t profess to have the cure for unhappy lives, but they do offer temporary relief. Below are five good examples of “happiness is” blogs and some comic relief:

SOME “HAPPINESS IS” BLOGS

Becky’s Joy Bistro

The Art of Loving Yourself

Happiness Is

Inspired Action Weekly

Thinking Park

Okay, but both kinds of blog need to be interesting, informative and entertaining. Even those promising on a stack of Bibles to make you happy, rich and filled with success have to have a “fun factor”. “Happiness Is” blogs have an easier time with the fun factor, because their posts don’t need to be tied together into a single, basic message. Every article is a little stand-alone entertainment package. On the other hand, core message blogs like this one need other ways of being “fun”. Here’s the way I’ve chosen. For the most part, this blog will consist of “little stories”….like fables or parables….each designed to make a simple point. Readers can simply enjoy each and every little story….without connecting the dots. But those interested in following the stories like stepping stones, will learn how to live the life they were meant to live. Just in case you were wondering, that’s the happy, rich and success thing you’re after. Something for everyone you might say. If you’re not quite sure what I’m getting at here, how about I give you one right now. This one illustrates the difference between “Message blogs” and their “Happiness Is” counterparts.

Before you peruse the story though, here’s five good examples of “Message blogs/sites”:

The Dali Lama Site

The Wayne Dyer Blog

Eckhart Tolle Blog

Deepak Chopra Blog

Tony  Robbins Blog

Now to the “little story”. Imagine you’re imprisoned in a room with a battery and a light bulb. It’s darker than the ace of spades in there, and you’re terrified to wander around without light. The door is locked tighter than a rusty bolt from outside, but there’s a mailbox slot smack dab in the middle. Oddly enough, every few minutes a little metal trinket is pushed into the room. As trinkets fall to the floor nearby, you make out two distinctly different kinds by feeling them. One sort has little hooks either end that can be joined up like a charm bracelet. Others are exactly the same, but without those little hooks. So there you are in the darkness, playing with trinkets. Linking ones together with hooks, you begin to make a chain. Then a question dawns on you. Can you connect the light bulb and battery with the metal chain? Tentatively you wrap one end of your chain around the battery and the other around the bulb. And…. wonder of wonders…..a brilliant white light floods your dark room, showing you a way out.

Okay, so let’s stop and think about that little story. In your darkened prison, you had two kinds of trinket. In the light of day, they don’t look much different. One kind has little hooks either end. The other doesn’t. That’s it. Even so, I’d say that little difference turned out to be pretty important. Why? The ones with hooks let you fill the room with light and free yourself from prison. The other kind of trinket would never let you do that.

Was that much of a difference? I’d say so, and probably you would too…..if you really were trapped in darkness. And here’s the point of it all. “Message blogs” are like trinkets with hooks on them and “Happiness Is blogs” are like those without. Message blogs can cast light on your reason for being here and purpose on earth. Happiness Is blogs can’t. And guess what? Knowing your reason for being here is how you really do get happy, rich and success all over you. I don’t know about you, but I think that’s a big difference.

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My “Challenge”

Today’s post kicks off a series of articles about the challenge of my Blog in the “get happy, rich, success and love” arena. If you’re not sure what or where this area is, here’s a link to 100 good self-help blogs. Eventually I’ll hunker back down and get to the meat of what being rich is really about. But as you’ll eventually see from these articles, I’m saying something very different from my colleagues in the success business. And you really have to see where I’m coming from to find true love or become authentically happy. First I’d like to tell you about the blog’s name. Later I’ll explain the real challenge behind my message.

What’s in a Name?

The original blog was called “A Cry For Help”…..after my book (pictured here with an Amazon link). Seemed like a good idea at the time. Message in blog and book are the same…. so why not give them the same name? Here’s why. Do you see any mention of success, being rich, or learning how to be happy in that title. No you don’t. “A Cry For Help” doesn’t give you the foggiest idea what it’s about. In fact, if you’re looking for love, happiness or any kind of good thing like that, you might just give the thing a very wide berth. Why? Crying for Help doesn’t really sound very happy does it? It sounds more like suicidal people desperately pleading for help. Or an innocent man stuck in some God forsaken prison. Folks caught in quicksand pits might cry for help as well. And so, eventually a super simple fact dawned on me the guy with half-a-brain. This was not smart. When designing my “new and improved” blog then, I knew it needed a better name. Something that told readers what the blog was about.

What’s It About?

Alright, so what’s the blog about? Well, at first glance, it’s about the same thing hundreds of other blogs are about. Namely, “how to create the life of your dreams”. Put another way, it’s about how to “get happy, rich, success and love”. Okay, so you’d think I should be naming it something like “How to be Happy”, or “Find What You’re Looking For in Life”. Most “Get Happy” blogs have titles like that after all. Here’s a short list of good examples written by sincere people with something to say that illustrates what I mean. Each blog name says something about what’s to be found there.

Advanced Life Skills

Change Your Thoughts – Change Your Life

Personal Success Factors

The Happiness Project

Prolific Living

Less Ordinary Living

My Supercharged Life

A Flourishing Life

Eckhart Teachings

Dr. Wayne Dyer

Steve Pavlina

The Positivity Blog

But my blog is radically different from all those other get rich and love blogs. I’m not using the word “radically” here lightly either. I mean something like this. Imagine all the other “get happy” blogs were apples. Some are “Granny Smith”, others are “McIntosh”, and so on. Hundreds of different varieties of apple. Alright, with that in mind, this blog would be a red rubber ball sitting in that huge barrel of apples. It may look a bit like an apple, but it sure as heck isn’t. To get a first-hand idea how big a difference I’m talking about here, try making a snack of a red rubber ball. I’m sure you’ll agree it’s “radically different” from an apple. Same with my blog. It’s is a different kind of thing altogether from the others out there.

What’s Different?

This blog explains why the other success and love blogs don’t work. That’s why I called it “Why Self-Help Rarely Helps”. But please don’t misunderstand me. I’m not saying the wisdom offered by all those other folks is bad, or wrong. Not in the least. Some of the “Get A Great Life” blogs, books and gurus out there provide truly enlightened, sincere, and inspired advice that can change lives. The list of blogs above is a perfect example. Even so, lives are very rarely changed by it. As a matter of fact, the entire self-help industry helps so rarely, it’s often likened to one huge get rich and happy scam. But, truth be told, it’s not. There’s nothing wrong with the advice. It’s you and I something’s wrong with. This blog shows you what’s wrong and how to fix it. Fix what’s wrong and all the other blogs and gurus will be able to help you create the life of your dreams.

Different Like This

Chances are you still aren’t sure how my blog differs from others. Certainly you can see that rubber balls are different from all the apples out there. But the idea this blog is that different from all the other “find happy success” works is a bit hard to digest. Right? Thought so. To help you see where I’m coming from then, I’ll give you two little stories and relate them to the "get rich and happy" universe. Hopefully they’ll help you see where I’m coming from. Alright, here we go.

Gold, Gold, Everywhere, But Not a Drop For You

Imagine walking down a road one day. Suddenly you turn a corner, and a few yards ahead is a billion dollars in gold bricks. Holy flying blue whales Batman! You can’t wait to get rich. Sprinting forward, you run headlong into an invisible wall, smacking yourself silly. What the truck? Plate glass? A Force Field? Dusting off your bruises, you desperately look for a way past. No luck. It’s higher than the sky, deeper than oceans, and longer than you could walk around. It’s so strong, even battering rams have no effect. Now what? Wait a minute. Suddenly you notice something. On your side of the wall you see two tables. One’s piled high with books. At least a hundred big volumes. But the other table has only a single solitary book on it. Table number one has titles on it like “how to spend gold”, “investing gold” and “things you can do with gold”. A veritable treasure trove of all things golden. On the other hand, that one book on table two is called “how to get past the invisible barrier”. Gee. Let’s see here. Which table are you going to attack first? It’s a no brainer. No point reading about gold if you can’t get at it. O.K., in this story, my blog would be that single book about how to get past the barrier. Other blogs are like those other books. Alright, but I know you want to relate the story to your very own life. So think about this. As we speak, there’s an equally big and hard invisible barrier between you and the life of your dreams….that the other “get happy, rich and success” blogs don’t even mention. And….you guessed it…..my blog is all about how to get past the doggone wall.

A Mysterious Construction Project

This time imagine your Boss says she wants you to make something. If you do a good job you’ll be promoted five rungs up. Even better, she gives you the key to a huge warehouse filled with tools of every conceivable kind to help you in your construction project. Then she turns and walks away. “Excuse me Ma’am!” you shout after her. “What am I supposed to be making?” “You have to figure that out for yourself” she says…disappearing over the horizon. Now what? You have no idea what you’re supposed to be making. Bummer. Visiting the warehouse anyhow, you’re enthralled by all those tools. Maybe you should just pick some neat tools and make something. The ancient advice….“when in doubt….make something” comes to mind. But what if that isn’t what your Boss wants you to make? You could spend a whole lot of time making some nifty thing, only to find it’s the wrong thing. And miss that promotion. On the other hand, doing nothing doesn’t sound like it has any chance of success at all. What to do?

Alright, so here’s the deal. In this story, my blog would tell you how to figure out what you’re supposed to be making. Once you’ve got that important little part under your belt, you can turn to all the other blogs. How come? They’re the tools you’ll need to make it. And…once again….just to help you relate the story to your life, listen up. The very same thing is going on in real life….in your life….right now. You’re supposed to be building the life of your dreams. Trouble is, you don’t really know what the life of your dreams is. You might think you do, but if you follow along with me, you’ll discover you have no clue. My blog will teach you what your dream life is…..so you can go make it. The other “get happy” blogs really do offer you effective tools to do exactly that. But don’t forget. If you don’t know what your dream life is…all the tools in the world won’t help you.

Enough stories for now. Next posts I’ll continue to flesh out the difference between this blog and others….and the challenge of the message itself.

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What Is Being Yourself?

Being yourself is your purpose in life. Love, life and meaningful work comes with it. More to the point perhaps, you’re here to make a living being yourself. But being yourself isn’t quite as easy as it sounds. You can consume everything in this WikiHow article about how to be yourself for instance, and never come close to learning how. Being yourself isn’t just anything and everything you do either. Most people think you can’t NOT be yourself. But you sure as heck can fail miserably to be yourself all your life. Being yourself is something very special. It’s carrying out the Purpose in Life you came here with. If you’re anything like I was though, the words “Life Purpose” won’t mean much to you. Dyed-in-the-wool scientific rationalists like Richard Dawkins in this article, will tell you “life purpose” is nothing but poetry for example. Poets may talk about destiny and Divine Plans all the time….but just for entertainment. Right? Dead wrong. But how about you?

How About You?

Does the idea there’s something special you were put here to do make sense? A Plan for your Life you’re supposed to follow? Probably not, because you’ve been taught Life’s all about choices. What kind of choices can you make if you’re following a Plan for your life? It sounds like you’ve been stuck on a one-way road with no choice but to stick to the path. (Speaking of choices, if you’d like a good read on choices, try this article by Jonathan Wells). Then there’s that tricky little question about who wrote the Plan. Needless to say, nobody’s come up with a good answer for that one yet. No doubt you’d choose a Path that’d get you a meaningful life, true love and work that turns you on if you could. But do you know how to do that? If you do, you’re one in many millions. By far most folks don’t realize, the only meaningful work there is…is making a living being ourselves. It’s actually growing the seed of who you can be. But for the most part, this simple truth is no longer part of our world. If you don’t think so, take a look at this Psychology Today site. You’ll soon see “Meaningful work” is really a big puzzle….but it shouldn’t be. This Forbes article also makes it clear “meaning in our lives” remains a big mystery.

Do You Believe There’s a Plan?

When all is said and done then, you probably don’t spend a minute wondering “why you’re here”, because you don’t believe you’re here for anything. I didn’t for at least forty-five years. But I should have, because my life really does have a purpose, and so does yours. You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to understand how it works either. If you did, I never would have got it, because my brain is about as powerful as a vegetarian meatloaf.

Life Purpose is a Simple Idea

To get an idea what “Life Purpose” is all about, let’s begin by planting an apple seed in fertile ground. What do you think will happen? Something inside the seed tells it how to take water and nutrients from the soil and grow. First a little sprout shows up, and later it becomes a sapling. Eventually the seed fulfills its purpose. Which is? To grow into a fully mature apple tree of course. Makes sense? Sure it does. But there’s more to it yet. Inside that seed we planted was a Plan for making not just any apple tree. It made a one-of-a-kind, unique tree that will never be seen again. Certainly there will be gazillions of other apple trees around the world. But none of them is the unique individual tree we grew from our seed. There we have it. The purpose of our seed was to grow into THAT mature tree and no other. It’s reason for being here was to become a fully mature and unique apple tree. If nothing stops it from being itself, it will too. If you’ve ever heard people talking about the “Journey that counts”…..this is it. It’s the Journey that comes from growing. It’s the process of becoming Human. Here’s a good little article by John Sherry (simple life blog) you might want to read.

All Life Has the Same Purpose

Chances are you’ll agree that an apple seed’s purpose is to grow until it blossoms into a fully mature example of life on earth. Same holds for you and I. If you stop and think for a minute, you’ll realize that’s what we began our life doing. From our first beginnings, we followed a Plan for blossoming. As soon as egg met sperm, something inside each cell told it how to change and find its proper place in an ever changing body. For nine months we followed this plan for growth until we were born. We stuck to the growing Plan for some time after birth too, until all our Mind and Body matured, being guided by direction from within. Yes? Absolutely. And here’s the thing you have to know. Remember all those amazing things we all want out of life? Love, meaningful work, joy, riches, feelings of esteem and importance and so on? Sometimes called “success” (see what Jonathan Wells says about "success" here).You get all of them if you continue to grow Your Way until you blossom. And what do you get if you don’t grow? You get to “exist…not live”. Sandra Hendricks has something to say about the difference between “living and existing” in this article. Don’t forget either. Growing Your Way is nothing more or less than being yourself. Learn how to be yourself and you’ll move relentlessly towards your destiny. Which is? To have life, love and meaningful work.

But Watch Out….Because You Can Lose Your Purpose

Lose your purpose? What do I mean by that? How the heck can you lose your purpose on earth? Actually, it’s very simple. Here’s a good way to get the idea. Imagine you came here as an acorn. Someone planted you in a nice little piece of ground, and you’re all set to grow into a majestic oak. All you need is food, water and light. So off you go. A month later you’re six inches high and reaching for the stars. But something bad is about to happen. Somebody comes along and turns a pail upside down over you. Now you have almost no light. But… unfortunately…. you need light to grow. Now what? It hasn’t killed you, but it’s stopped you from growing. Now you can’t fulfill your purpose on earth….to grow into a mature oak tree. You’ve lost the Plan you came with. That’s exactly how you and I lose our Life Purpose too. Something bad happens that stops us from growing the Way we were meant to grow. It keeps us from being ourselves. And here’s something to think about. We know absolutely huge amounts of things about “being ourselves”, but miss the most important one. Which is? How to. Take a look at all these quotes about “being yourself” for example. And then read on. You may be surprised to learn that gigantic numbers of people give up “being themselves” without even noticing.

Same With Real Life

Okay, so if gazillions of people get stopped from being themselves, how come they don’t know it? How can they lose the Plan for their lives….without even realizing it? Well, the short answer is, most folks do realize something is missing…..but they don’t know what it is. They begin to realize there “should be more to their lives” for instance….but have no idea how to find it. The start to feel like they could “really do something with their lives”…..but don’t know what that is. They’ve been taught to give up growing “their Way” and grow some other way. Towards money big jobs, and status symbols. When they get there though, they often realize something very important is missing. Can you guess what it is? It’s their life. The life they were meant to live. No wonder so many people are so sad. They’ve lost their lives.

How Does This Happen?

Now I’m going to try and make you feel something. You can read about this sort of thing in this blog, but I want you to have FEELINGS not just intellectual ideas. Ready? Pretend you’re going to a really big exam. If you fail the test your name is going to be put up on billboards all across the country. It’ll say “Mr. or Mrs. is a real loser”. If you fail you’ll also have to live on the wrong side of the tracks forever, with people looking down on you every day. Just for fun as well, you’ll have to take the test in public…on stage….and be televised across the world as you’re asked the questions. People in every land will see you pass or fail.

Screw this one up and the whole world will call you a failure. Alright, so close your eyes and imagine. Today is the day. Your name has just been called. The stage is waiting. Are you a wee bit nervous? Do you feel like hiding or running away? Would you rather just stay in bed today? Can you feel an ocean of fear sweeping up from your gut? Be honest now. I would. And here’s the thing. It’s that kind of fear that keeps you from growing the Way you’re meant to grow. It stops you from being yourself. It makes you lose the Plan for your Life. Later blog posts will tell you how to dump this kind of fear and get your Life Purpose back. Just so you know, what I’m going to share with you is very, very simple. It’s not complicated like you’ll find in books or on the net like this.

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Fired, Laid Off, or Unemployed? (Job Loss Crisis)

Being fired, laid off, or suddenly becoming unemployed are all traumatic kinds of job loss. Survival is first and foremost on everyone’s mind when this happens, and figuring out what to do next is a close second. If you’ve just lost your own job, here’s a survival guide, 10 things to do, 30 websites to visit, and six tips for coping with job loss. If you think a layoff might be in your near future, perhaps you should read what Time Magazine says about that fateful moment. But don’t forget this. Job loss crises happens to the best of us.

Lee Iacocca got fired from Ford after all, but went on to save Chrysler from biting the dust. With all the economic disasters going on right now as well, it’s a lucky person who doesn’t get laid off, downsized, or made redundant. I’ve had my share and you may be having yours right now.

Before we get to the unhappy, stressful, crisis feelings of job loss emotions though, I’d like to offer you a couple of light-hearted things to turn to when the going gets tough. Here’s the funny side of getting canned in a book called "Fired" you might want to put on your desk. Another lighter look at losing a job is in the "surprising benefits of being unemployed". If these don’t lift your spirits, perhaps this will. Dark clouds of crisis can have bright silver linings if they shock us into taking stock of our lives and changing direction. A man fired from a job he’s hated for years may suddenly realize he wants to be happy more than he wants a big paycheck for instance. Being laid off might make a woman unfulfilled in her job want to make changes to her life too. Becoming unemployed in later years can cause a real mid-life crisis as well, if it forces he or she to want something better for the balance of their days. Like I said in earlier posts, these scary and painful parts of life can force you or I to get our “wants” in line with our “needs”. In a flash it may become obvious to us that we “want” to be happy a lot more than we “want” a bigger television or car. If that happens, our “wants” and “needs” are one and the same.

Job Loss Crisis Number Two

Unless you happen to be independently wealthy like I’m not, job loss will make you scramble for the next paycheck as fast as possible to make ends meet. That brings us to Job Loss Crisis number two. In short, you can end up in a worse job than you had before. Sound familiar? With little time to find something before your money runs out, you may have to take a job that pays less, doing something you really don’t want to do. You could find yourself one, two, or ten rungs down the corporate ladder too. If you were unhappy with the job you just lost, you could be far less happy in the one you were forced to take. Now you may need some assistance coping.

More Job Loss Crises

For the sake of argument, let’s say you’re one of those unfortunate souls who’ve been laid off and had to leap to a far worse job. You’re making enough to pay your bills, but not much more. Now some scary little thoughts creep into your unsuspecting brain. You no longer have the time to look for a better job. You’re working 44 hours a week or more after all, and free weekends won’t help, because nobody’s that car hire you is working. If you try networking, phone calling, or following up Job Ads during working hours…..you’ll get fired again. Even worse, the skills you need for that better job will slowly but surely get rusty. Your resume won’t look good with a big step down in it either. Adding insult to injury, your contacts in the better job world began to evaporate the day after you left your last job. Holy legless racehorses Batman! Crisis big-time. By now you might want to read up on how to heal yourself from job loss.

Can Job Loss Crisis Be Good?

If you’ve been fired, laid off or become unemployed maybe you feel like you’ve been caught in a bear trap. You’ve had to take something you don’t want to do…and now feel stuck there. Okay, don’t despair. You’ve protected yourself and your family from financial ruin…..and that’s good. But I have some better news for you. You aren’t stuck there. In fact, if you’re lucky, all this crisis has made you want something better for the rest of your life. Something like being happy for example. If so, here’s a newsflash. Right now, as we speak, there’s a Golden Braid attached to your heart-of-hearts.

It leads to the kind of work that will excite and inspire you. It’s the only path to growing yourself until you finally blossom. If you learn how to find and follow this Golden Braid of Destiny, you’ll receive a share of happy success equal to anyone who ever lived or will live. Just in case you think this sounds….well….New Age Nuts…or worse….I’ll put it to you this way. Learning how to follow the Golden Braid of Destiny is learning how to make a living being yourself. As an absolutely unique creation, you must live and love and play and succeed in this world of ours your very own Way. If you do, you’ll discover what every soul who goes this Way discovers. Being yourself is the only thing that can make you truly happy. Making a living Being Yourself is how you fulfill all that spectacular potential you know deep down you have. Making a living Being Yourself is what you’re supposed to be doing with your life. So? If job loss crisis has forced you to really “want” to be happy……follow me. Together we’ll find that Golden Braid of Destiny firmly secured to your soul.

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Are You a New College Grad?

Even though I’m nowhere near a new college grad (I’m close to a hundred years old), I remember my college graduation like it was this morning. There I was, all hyped up, looking forward to huge dollars, fancy cars and six week vacations that all new college grads receive in a few weeks. Little did ditzy naïve new college grad me know, diplomas only get you into the game. To win riches, you have to learn how to play.

On the upside, every new college grad does get a kind of bonus. Without the education, nobody will even let you into the room where the action is…..much less give you a seat on the team. Just FYI, check out What Value is a College Diploma?, and What’s the Use of Graduating High School? That should be food for thought for you, but it’s not what I’m getting at right now. Now I want to see what new college grad feelings you have.

Can I Squeeze Some Feelings Out of You?

Do you have the post college blues? Here’s some info you might want to look at before I try and squeeze some of those feelings out of you. Done checking it out? Okay, so If nagging doubts about where you’re headed hurt bad enough already, maybe you really want to change the path your life is on, by following along with this blog. Having said that though, I must add this. New graduates rarely feel bad enough about what they’re doing with their lives to do anything about it. Like I said in the last post, most of us must have a kind of “quarter-life, mid-life or later-life crisis” before we’ll make being happy our first priority. Not sure what crisis is about. Try these signs on for size. In my case, crisis came early and stayed late. If the term “quarter-life crisis confuses you, go check out this forum. There you’ll find young people in just as much crisis as their older buddies. Certainly cash, dollars, coins and Euros can be priorities two, three, four and five. But as someone (me) once said, “if dollars are number one, you’ll be about as happy as an ATM”. Alright, enough talk about bank machines for today. Now I want you to see if I can make you feel bad. Keep in mind, if I succeed, you qualify. (To work with me to get your life back).

How Do You Feel?

So here you are, diploma in hand looking for that first job. Maybe you’ve even got that first job lined up. Either way, I want you to put a blindfold on, and look ahead with your Mind’s eye. Gaze ahead many years, to the horizon of your life. Do you know where you’re headed? Do you know where you want to be in five, ten or twenty years? Can you see a bunch of stepping-stone jobs ahead that will get you there? Can you see where you want to go, even if you’re not sure exactly how to get there? No? Okay, you’re just like I was when I left school. Here’s what I felt like. Compare yourself to me. Check out what Oprah says about these questions on You Tube while you’re at it. If you’re academically inclined, visit Psychology Today.

I Felt Lost

After college, when I gazed to the horizon of my life, it was like looking into a black hole. I had the same kinds of feelings I got when getting lost in the woods one day. That’s why I use the word “lost” today to describe anyone who doesn’t know what to do with their life. Here’s my story of getting lost in the woods. If you feel a bit like this…..I hate to be the one to tell you…but you’re lost. If being lost scares the pants off you, don’t worry. You can find your way home again. I did. Anyhow, here we go. Back when I was maybe twelve or so, I used to go hiking with my buddies in the forests surrounding Thunder Bay (Ontario, Canada). Just so you know, these forests aren’t just small parks. They’re real tracts of wilderness. They stretch for hundreds of miles north, east, and west. Boys being boys, we used to go hiking down well-marked trails a few miles into these wilds.

I Strayed Off a Path in The Woods

On one such occasion, I strayed off the beaten path into the forest chasing chipmunks. Maybe fifty yards away from the trail, I got turned around and couldn’t see which way was out. At first I wasn’t overly worried, because I thought I’d soon find my way. I probably also thought getting really lost big-time “couldn’t happen to me”. In short, I didn’t really believe I was lost….so it didn’t bother me. But soon my stomach began to turn. Everywhere I looked was nothing but a dense sea of trees…..and no hint of which way was out. I knew there was only one way back to the trail…..and every other way lead to the North pole. Suddenly panic swept up from my gut. I realized nothing I was doing was helping me find my way out. Even worse, it dawned on me that I had no idea how to find the trail. When that happened, I had the kind of scary, sickening, panicky feelings you get when you’re really lost. But lucky for me, my friends began calling out my name and I followed their voices out. Even so, I’ve never forgotten those terrifying feelings.

I Strayed Off the Path After Graduation Too

It didn’t take me long after graduating college to feel lost either. I had no guidance, information like this good article, internet forums like 43 Things or mentors like Po Bronson to help me out either. I knew for sure I could really do something with my life for example……but had no idea what that might be. I was certain I could do anything I wanted to do….but I didn’t know what I wanted to do. I knew I deserved my share of success….but had no idea how to get it. Ring any bells? If so, you might want to subscribe to this blog and discover what goes wrong with pretty much all of us. Just put your e-mail address in and I’ll send you posts as soon as they’re written.

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