A Life That Counts – sample chapter and table of contents
Do you want to be more successful in what you turn your hand to ?
Do you want to turn your good intentions into actual results ?
Do you want to learn from Olympic and World Champions ?
Are you serious about losing weight? Getting that job? Winning that championship? Achieving that goal ?
Do you want tools and strategies to help you create the life you dream ?
Do you want to find out why other books didn’t change you but this one will ?
Are you ready to make change in your life but are not sure where and how to start ?
Do you want to live a magnificent, authentic and purposeful life ?
My hope is that my new book will be your tool to do just that. And in view of that, I wanted to give you an introduction to the book. So I have included in the blog this week Chapter 1 s well as the table of contents so you can get a better sense for the book. You can BUY IT HERE.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Chapter One Purpose Driven
Chapter Two Dare to Dream
Chapter Three Impossible is nothing – removing limitations ?
Chapter Four Understanding yourself – the psychology ?
Chapter Five You’ve got to ‘get it’ before you get it ! ?
Chapter Six The daily process
Chapter Seven It takes commitment
Chapter Eight The little voice
Chapter Nine Enjoying the journey
Chapter Ten To what end?
The last word
The Contributors (Biographies of the ten famous contributors)
CHAPTER ONE – PURPOSE DRIVEN
‘If you don’t have a dream, how are you going to make it come true?’ (Oscar Hammerstein)
We all have dreams for our life: visions for the quality of life we desire and deserve. Yet for many of us, those dreams have become so shrouded in the frustrations and routines of daily life that we no longer make an effort to accomplish them. Our dreams have dissipated, and with them, so has the will to shape our destiny. I want this book to help you rediscover and re-awaken your dreams; to ignite the unique and incredible potential inside you; and to encourage you to live your life with everything you have . . . with purpose.
Throughout history, all the great men and women we’ve admired were driven by purpose – from Nelson Mandela, to Bill Gates, Mother Teresa, Mahatma Ghandi, Winston Churchill, Isaac Newton, Christopher Columbus, Jesus Christ, Martin Luther King, Michelangelo, Florence Nightingale and so on. When you’re living with purpose, you’ve set your sights higher than on simply just paying the rent and getting to the next weekend. Rather than live aimlessly and take whatever life throws at you, you have a grander vision and bigger goal to propel you towards greater action. You’re energised, passionate and focused, and every morning, when you get out of bed, you’re fuelled by something worthwhile. You have a dream to inspire you and you’re compelled by meaning and purpose.
I believe it’s no accident that deep down in our soul we have the desire to live life with purpose and meaning – that inkling that we were born for something bigger. Think about it. Each of us is so amazing that we had to have been created with design and on purpose. Our sense of touch is more refined than any device ever created. Our hearing is so sensitive we can distinguish between hundreds of thousands of different sounds. Using our eyes, we can distinguish up to a million colour surfaces and take in an amount of information that surpasses the amount distinguished by the largest telescope. Each person’s tongue has its own unique imprint.
Our brain is more complex than the most powerful of computers and has more than 100 billion nerve cells. Within 6.5 square centimetres of each of our hands, we have 2.7 metres of blood vessels, 600 pain sensors, 9000 nerve endings, 36 heat sensors and 75 pressure sensors. On average, we breathe 25,000 times a day and 10 million times a year, which means we take about 600 million breaths during our lifetime.
On average, our heart beats about three billion times in our lifetime. An adult is made up of about 100 trillion cells, each one of which contains about one or two metres of DNA. The aorta, our largest artery, is almost the diameter of a garden hose. Our capillaries, on the other hand, are so small that 10 of them are equal to the thickness of a human hair.
The human brain is made up of about 30 billion cells, called neurones, and each neurone is capable of handling about a million bits of information. If we were to write down that information as a number, we’d include 6.5 million miles of zeroes that would stretch from earth to the moon and back 13 times.
Human bone is as strong as granite as a supporter of weight. A block of bone the size of a matchbox can support nine tonnes, and that’s four times as much as concrete can support.
We generate 100 billion red blood cells every day and about two million of them every second. Cna yuo raed tihs? So phaonmneal is the pweor of the hmuan mnid taht it dseno’t mtaetr in waht oerdr the ltteres are in a wrod, the olny iproamtnt tihng is taht the frsit and lsat ltteer are in the rghit pclae.
More than these mind-boggling statistics, though, is the fact that each of us is not only amazing; we’re uniquely amazing. You’re one of a kind, a ‘once in all history’ event. There’s no one else like you in the entire world. You’re completely unique. Sure, you might be similar to your brother or sister, and your environment and upbringing might’ve been similar to his or hers, but each of us is uniquely different with our own individual physical, mental and emotional characteristics. Not even identical twins are the same as each other.
This means you’re no accident or random event; your life matters, and you were born and fashioned on purpose and for a purpose. In my opinion, it’s this understanding that makes a difference because when you’ve acquired it, you have both the foundation and the impetus for wanting to explore and discover your unique dreams and purpose – after all, you’ll never live your best life with a question mark above your head. You have only one life, and it’s not a dress rehearsal!
What is a dream?
Simply put, a dream is a desire or an aspiration you might have for a specific aspect of your life. It’s a true, genuine longing for your life.
We all have dreams. They might be related to your personal development and fulfilment; to your family; to your relationships or romances; to your fitness or health; to your school, education or career; to your hobbies or recreation; to travel; to your charity work or philanthropy; to your spiritual life; to your experiences; or to an interest or passion you have – they can be anything you desire or aspire to.
Dreams don’t have to be grand ideas or sound impressive to other people. They’re as individual as each one of us – just as each of us has a unique personality, likes and dislikes, and talents and abilities. They’re shaped along the way according to our own unique background, characteristics, culture, family and environment. They’re not subject no rules or limitations. They’re about what you desire, not what other people think of them.
‘There are many things that will catch my eye, but there are only a few that catch my heart. It is those things I consider to pursue.’ (Tim Redmond)
Dreams come from your heart. They come from deep inside you. You’re excited by them. When you think about them, you come alive, and have a passion that helps motivate you over the long term. They’re not the images you see in your sleep; they’re the things that cause you sleepless nights!
Let me tell you about one of my childhood dreams: to become an Olympian. I remember clearly one day in particular when I was growing up at my home in the north-western Sydney suburb of Pennant Hills. Some time in the morning I can remember the sun streaming through the curtains. I was by myself, sitting on a wooden chair by the window, watching the tiny little TV we had in the kitchen. I was viewing the opening ceremony of the Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles. The year was 1984, and I was 11.
I remember seeing all the athletes walking behind their flags into the stadium. And I remember seeing the Australian team walk in. All the athletes were waving to the crowd, and laughing and smiling. They were taking photos, playing up to the camera, holding up signs for loved ones at home, and having a great time with their team mates. They looked so fit and healthy, so happy and excited.
But I also remember that they looked so proud: proud to be representing their country, proud of themselves, and proud of being at the Olympics and proud of what they’d achieved to get there. I sat in front of the TV transfixed; nothing else existed around me, and time stood still.
I didn’t recognise it at the time, but at that moment a dream was born inside me, a dream to become an Olympian. I dreamt of one day being one of those fit, proud athletes walking into the stadium, waving and smiling and laughing. I dreamt of representing my country and of walking proudly behind the Australian flag, in front of the world. I dreamt of competing against the world’s best athletes. A flame was lit deep inside me.
I didn’t tell anyone, so no one knew what that moment meant to me. From then onwards, though, I dreamt of being one of those people. I didn’t know how I’d become like them. I didn’t know whether I had either the ability or the talent. In fact, I didn’t even think of those two things; I just dreamt of one day being like them.
Big dreams start with small moments and small beginnings. For me, that morning watching the TV was a small but significant moment during which a dream was born inside me – so much so that here I am, more than 25 years later, and I can recall that very moment as if it were yesterday. I can see what I was seeing and hear what I was hearing. I can hear the commentary. I can see the athletes smiling and waving. I can feel the same emotions I felt. And during each and every Olympic Games that followed – both summer and winter – I always watched the opening ceremony. While I watched the athletes compete and then stand on the dais to receive their Olympic medal, that little flame was fuelled inside me and my dream continued to grow.
I wonder whether you’ve had any similar moments. What are the dreams inside you – or what were the dreams inside you that have long since died? Do you wish you had a dream to fuel you, and do you wonder how to even find out what they might be?
Four ways to find your passion/s and discover your dreams
Here are four ways to find out what you’re passionate about and to discover what some of your dreams are. Remember that like anything, dreams evolve. They often start small, and grow and unfold more clearly as you start following them, as you nurture them, and as they develop over time.
1. Look inside your heart
Your dream and purpose are things you discover within you, not things you just make up. What do you spend your time thinking about? What do you imagine when you’re at home doing nothing, or when you’re in the shower or in bed by yourself? What would you love to do in your wildest dreams if there were no barriers and no limitations, and if you weren’t limited by time, confidence, age, money, resources or experience? What are you passionate about? Where would you really like to go? What would you want to be like? What would you really like to have? What would you really like to do? What are you excited by? What would need to happen or come true for you to become happy beyond recognition?, These are the sorts of questions you can ask in order to help shine a light on the dreams inside you.
In the workbook that will accompany this book, I list a series of questions to help you undertake this process by clarifying your passions, what you like and what’s inside your heart. In the meantime, however, please reflect on some of the aforementioned questions and search your heart. As you do, and while you think about some of the answers, I’m sure you’ll reveal the seeds of some of your dreams.
Remember though, that while you’re asking these questions, you need to make sure that whatever you’re passionate about it is something you’ve got a measure of talent for. There still has to be a matching of your skills/talents and your desires. The reverse applies as well: just because you’re talented in a specific area doesn’t mean you’ll be passionate about it. Our passion and our ability have to be congruent if we’re ultimately to realise our dreams.
2. Tears of inspiration
Think about a time you’ve cried. It might have been while you were watching a movie, listening to a song, looking at a picture, reading a book or hearing someone say something to you. What was it about that moment that caused you to be emotional?
We’re moved to tears when we’re most self-actualised – or, to say it another way, we’re moved by something at a deep level when it means a lot to us. If you can figure out why you were moved, you’ll help yourself recognise the things that mean a lot to you, the things you’re passionate about and that you care about. In figuring them out, as well as discovering more about yourself and what matters to you, you might find you have dreams locked up in similar emotions, thoughts and cares.
3. Journal
Keeping a journal of your thoughts and feelings is a good way to find out the main focus of your thoughts over a time. It can often be a great way of identifying some of your passions and dreams. Remember, though, that you mightn’t know exactly and immediately what you want in life, and that dreams start as seeds and often take time to evolve, mature, grow and take shape.
Also, journalling becomes helpful when you recognise that your dreams can change over time, during the natural journey of life. As you go about your normal daily life, or as you go out and try different activities and experience different things, try keeping a journal about things such as how you felt, what you liked, what you didn’t like and what you thought. As you journal and reflect on what you’ve written, your journal might contain revelations about your predominant thoughts, cares, passions and feelings over a specific period. In keeping the journal, you might be better able to draw out some dreams that are locked up inside you.
4. Common passions and their drivers: why? why? why?
In this process, you list all your passions and the things you enjoy doing. Then, for each passion and interest, you start to identify its intrinsic drivers. Why do you like doing that thing? You keep asking why until you’ve worked out what truly drives you to follow that passion or interest. You then consolidate all the drivers into a single list in order to see whether there’s much overlap – and without doubt, there will be.
You’re essentially using your passions as a sort of mirror so you can analyse yourself without being subject to any natural prejudices or mindsets. So, what are your passions? What do you like doing? What leads you to feel inner satisfaction? Why do you like doing that? Why are you passionate about that? Why do you derive inner satisfaction and enjoyment from that? Why is it so? Why is that important to you? Keep asking why in order to drill down into the drivers of your passions.
While you’re analysing your passions, you’ll gain a deeper understanding of your authentic self, achieve more clarity about your drivers and potentially illuminate some dreams you might have. You see, when you’re doing what you’re passionate about and when your dreams and drivers are aligned, your goals aren’t burdensome at all, and you find it easier to stay we help ourselves motivated over the long term. Also, by undertaking this process, you’ll help ensure that your existing goals are aligned with your true nature and your true drivers, as well as provide yourself with a good checklist for when you’re making decisions in the future.
Below is a list of four steps and a table, to give you an example of how I began to analyse my own passions and the drivers behind them.
Step 1 – List all your passions and pursuits and the things you really enjoy.
Step 2 – For each passion, identify the intrinsic drivers – ask, Why? and keep asking it so you can distil your drivers down to as basic and core a reason as possible.
Step 3 – Consolidate all your drivers into a single list.
Step 4 – Is there any overlap? What are your common drivers, regardless of the specific passion?
In summary, then, to pursue your dreams and be purpose driven are both a great way to live your life and a great foundation for living a significant and exceptional life. So, what do you dream of doing? What do you love doing? What are your passions? Find them first, because they’re the starting point. From there, as I cover in the following nine chapters, you can set about actually making your dreams come true and ultimately making a difference. That is, you’ll learn to deal with limiting beliefs and fears and to use the various mental tools and techniques in order to develop an unshakeable belief in yourself and your goals. Then, when you combine this process with a lot of hard work, commitment, discipline, perseverance, preparation, mental toughness and an alignment of your skills and talents, I have no doubt you’ll achieve your dreams – but first things first!
I trust this gives you a feel for the book and you enjoyed reading chapter one. Again, you can BUY IT HERE.
Here’s to your best year yet !
Jeremy
