Self Motivation & Changing Your Mind Set

I had a conversation with a colleague today, just standing on the stairs chatting about life in general and holidays. She was telling me all her plans for the future and the things she wants to do and places she wants to go to. I chipped in with “oh that sounds lovely and brilliant you should go”, but there was never a straight answer like ” oh I plan to go next month or it’s booked I can’t wait to go”.

As the conversation continued I noticed all the plans were in the future, not near future but far away future, plans for when she retired, which was about 10 years away. Then she said something which really struck a chord, ” I’ve done some research on the Internet, as I really fancy doing some charity work abroad, maybe in Borneo or Florida, anywhere with wild animals. Oh and I’d love to go away for 6-8 weeks just traveling around. I’ve found out the majority of people who book with these charities and traveling companies are in their early twenties, on their gap year or in their fifties and sixties and retired”. “Oh” she sighed “I can’t wait till I’m retired to do all those things”. I looked at her incredulously, WHOA stop there, “so the people who go are either young or old but what the heck happens to the THIRTY years in between, what do all those people do? where is their life for THIRTY years”. Notice I am emphasising the THIRTY!.

OK so lets break this down the two age groups who go and do the things they really want to are gap year students or those who have retired. The group in between well lets see there are lots of them and the average person will have a mortgage, they will be working, they will have families, they will have 2 weeks in  the sun (if lucky) every year, they will look forward to that and Christmas, they will pay their bills, they will go to bed. Oh next day they will get up , they will go to work, they will save for their 2 weeks holiday a year and maybe put a little aside for Xmas oh and then go to bed, next day…………… I’m sure you’ve got the picture. Does this sound familiar.

I remember back to all the things I’ve been taught, work hard at school, get a good job, work hard, get a mortgage, work hard to pay it off, retire, oh now start living. How can this ever be right. What happens if you get ill, what happens if you get injured, what happens if you become a carer. We don’t want to ask those questions because we don’t want to seem pessimistic or worry about what ifs. But WHAT IF. If today is your last day will you look back on you life and say I’m glad I did that or will you say I wish I’d done that. Only you know the answer to this question. But think about it, think about what you want, think about how you are now, really think about it. Now don’t get me wrong there are things we can all improve. Me I’m happy, I have a great life. I have good friends, a family who love me, a partner who loves me for me, a good job and money to pay my bills. But I have no time. I have two days a week off which I fill with chores and catching up with friends and family and a bit of charity work. It’s not bad at all. But if I die tomorrow I will say I wish I’d done that. I wish I’d had more time to spend with friends and family and helping others. I wish I’d gone to Kenya on safari and sailed form Alaska to see the bears catching salmon in  their natural habitat. One day I will, maybe in eight or nine years when I’m older because I’m living the life I have been taught. But no longer, I am changing, I am trying to make a difference to my life so I can say I am glad I did that. My thought processes have changed and my out look on life has changed. Now you will all have your own opinions and you might not be ready to see out of the box but if you’re reading this then something inside you is changing. Go and read The Secret. Read Rich Dad, Poor Dad and The Riches of Babylon and then make a start on being whoever you want to be.

This article is dedicated to Jayne Stratton who would have been 41 today.