51 Life Lessons Raw, Uncut, and Totally True

51 Life Lessons Raw, Uncut, and Totally True 51 Life Lessons: Raw, Uncut, and Totally True By someone’s clock I just rolled over 51. Age is truly nothing but a number. And, it’s not even that really. I apparently breathe better than I did ten years ago according to the ECG and EKG my doctor just  gave me. So, my doctor said its true and doctors know everything even though mine tells me I still need to get the colonoscopy I didnt get last year. Many of you reading this know me for my award-winning business  book, The Hiring Prophecies: Psychology behind Recruiting Successful Employees, or my job interviewing book, Interview Intervention: Communication That Gets You Hired. To a lesser extent, Im also known for my motivational speaking and original, daily, motivational quote called  Today’s Line to Live By ®. You can find those quotes circulating all over the social sites (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn). You know you want to hit the LIKE button, FOLLOW button, or whatever other button thingies there are. Hurry. Go ahead. I dare ya. Youre missing out on 3 seconds of daily enjoyment. (Thats 18.25 minutes/year of enjoyment. Think big picture people.) Im not just a one-line wonder either. I wrote an entire book with loads of inspiration called  Out of Reach but in Sight: Using Goals To Achieve Your Impossible.  In fact, it was a speech I gave about how to get everything you want out of life and have fun doing it. I do literally zero, zip, nada marketing for that book, which, of course, means its my best-selling book. Go figure. Wait. Dont. Best part comingyou can have my Out of Reach but in Sight  Digital Experience  (normally $17) for FREE, by clicking here, signing up  before Friday September 8th at 11:59 PM Central Time. That grants you the FREE eBook and FREE audiobook recorded by yours truly. Yes, for my birthday, I dont accept gifts. I give gifts. So, you can add human oxymoron to my list of qualities. If youre reading this after Friday September 8th at 11:59 PM CT, youll likely have to wait until September 2018 to have this wonderful FREE opportunity again. Sorry. Thats your  punishment for not following me sooner. Okay. Stop crying. Just send me an email. Anyway, where was I? Oh. Life lessons History never technically repeats itself. But it sure does rhyme. Dejavus and do-overs make life easier. But, those sonnets, odes, and limericks are killers. Doubling down is risky. You better triple down to be safe. You can listen to others. You can listen to the universe. Youll never be great if you do both. Its never risky to value and follow your passion. Its deadly not to. Sometimes that death happens quickly. In most cases, its slow and painful. Someday isnt even a real day. Although for some people its every day. When you blame others, youre really punishing yourself as well. Dont blame me for this fact. Be there. The innate presence you enjoyed as a child requires practice as an adult. Youll never remaster it, but that doesnt mean you shouldnt try. Never explain yourself. Not even to yourself. You probably wouldnt understand you anyway. If you need more than one hand to count your best friends, youre not a great best friend. The truth isnt the problem. But fear of the truth is another story. Life AND death are part of life. Make sure you live first and die second. Yes. Its possible to do it the other way. Make plan A work. Tell the other 25 letters to go to hell. But, if you get to plan C, feel free to call the slaughter rule on yourself and start over. If your friends dont understand you, find smarter friends. Or at least more understanding ones. Life was meant to be lived on the edges so Ill never understand why theres so much real estate in the middle of the road and so little on the sides. I guess some questions arent meant to be answered. Your life only gets better when someone is willing to go against the status quo. Imagine how awesome your life would be if that someone was you. Go for broke. Itll test your mettle. Just dont quit 5 minutes before the miracle. If youre wondering when that is, its usually 5 minutes from now. Set your watch. There are only two things you should pray for: the ability to recognize the signs God puts in your path and the strength to handle running into them. Asking for anything more is  sheer gluttony. Marriage is only hard if you marry the wrong person. Choose wisely. Wait if you have to. Watch what you look at. You cant unsee some things. Some things might be unteachable, but nothing is unlearnable. No excuses. What. So. Ever. If youre afraid, good. The biggest lie you believe: success is a place. If you think success is somewhere else or somewhere down the road, itll never be where you are. There is magic in everything you do. E-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g. If you cant see it, youre not looking hard enough. The chaos in your life is eagerly waiting for you to make sense of it. Its patient. Itll wait for you to assemble its value. If you cant see it yet, I suggest you enjoy it rather than fight it. Its tougher than you are. And smarter. You can play air guitar perfectly or fumble with the real thing. Fumbling is way funner. You didn’t need to learn any lesson one second before you learned it. Dont judge yourself. You were never stupid. You were always timely. You can shadow box all you want, but life is lived in the ring. And the other guy throws punches. Learn how to take a punch. More importantly, learn how to get up. Keep a list of everyone who tells you you cant. The longer the list, the more successful youll be. Do the same thing with rejection letters. You cant and were sorry to let you know are basically the same words. If you feel old, you are. If you feel young, youre probably still old if you have to talk about feeling young. Never speak ill of anyone. Better yet, dont even think it. If you dont love dogs youre not worthy of being my friend. If you dont love my dogsI cant even finish this sentence Family is who you say they are. Not something you determine by swabbing your mouth or plucking your hair. Unless you wanna pluck your familys hair for the fun of it. There are time zones you live in and ones you stand in. For very few, theyre the same. You talk to yourself more than to anyone else. Be nice. Write stuff down. Dont try to remember it. Youll forget. Most times youll even forget where you wrote it down. Even if you have to do it in your head. Dont be stupid. It requires no skill, is your greatest asset, and will get you farther than any degree. I dont know if Im on the right track until someone calls me stupid or crazy. Then Im sure of it. Its better to be ridiculed than silent. Marry the person you cant live without. Thats not a suggestion. Or debatable. I cant point you in the right direction until you tell me your dream. Speak. Or guess in silence. The older you get, the looser your plans get. Thats because youre smart enough to know things never turn out the way you plan. And youre good with that because they always turn out okay. Even those times you unnecessarily worried yourself to death. Dont listen to anyone who tells you to be yourself. THE only real goal in life is to be your best self. Claim every minute you live. You lived it. No matter the outcome. No one else gets credit. No one else gets blame. Cowards blame. Winners own it. Facing your fears will never make you more afraid. Never. Try it. Its a no-lose situation kinda thing. Pinky swear. Other peoples expectations of you are their problems, not yours. Money is an inaccurate measure of value. Profit is not the same as important. Get a new pair of glasses if your prescription is old. Look for the good in people. Its there. For some, youll have to look harder. Really harder. Watch what you chase. You could lose everything chasing nothing. Most people spend as much time judging a moment as they do living it. Sad. But true. I hope you enjoyed this moment… Dont forget to get the Out of Reach but in Sight Digital Experience for FREE. Thats way better than paying the $17 I charge for it. Dontchathink? I hope you enjoy it!