Becoming a Game Changer

Looking back, my life seems like one big obstacle race, with me being the chief obstacle.

-       Jack Paar

The famous American inventor, Thomas Edison, once said: “If we did all the things we are capable of doing, we would literally astound ourselves.” When you think about it, each one of us has so much potential – so many gifts to bring to the world.

In terms of maximizing our potential, or not, Charles Schulz used the following analogy: “Life is like a ten speed bicycle. Most of us have gears we never use.” It’s so easy to coast in life (pardon the pun!) and rest on our laurels. But when we do that we sell ourselves short. One of the things I’ve learned, especially over the last couple of decades, is that there is so much joy to be found in the constant pursuit of personal growth.

What gears in your life are “wanting wear?” (That reminds me of the words in Robert Frost’s poem, “The Road Not Taken.”) As a sidebar, the bicycle that I ride on occasion has about twenty-five gears or speeds. Without a doubt, if I’ve used five of those gears, that’s about the limit. I wonder - maybe there’s a message there for me!

Henry David Thoreau said, “The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation.” Why should we settle for mediocrity? There are so many opportunities available today to improve our lot in life, and to be of more service to others. Just imagine if you and I made a decision, every day, to go for the gusto and live a life without limits – in terms of the goals and dreams we aspire to achieve.

One of the goals I set back in January was to read fifty books this year. Yesterday (Sept. 20), I finished reading my twentieth book. Yes, I know, thirty books to read in just over three months seems like a daunting task. But I plan to do it.

By referencing one of my yearly goals, I wanted to make a point. That is, sometimes the things on the high shelf (please insert your “magnificent obsession” here) can only be reached by stretching beyond our comfort zone. (Relative to my point, American author and motivational speaker, Jim Rohn, said, “If we want the things on the high shelf, we have to stand on the books we read.”)

If we really want to make a significant change in the quality of our life and we have arrived at the point when we say “enough is enough,” we can slip the boundaries of our self-imposed comfort zone? Then it’s a matter of narrowing our focus (i.e. clearly defining our purpose) and taking the steps needed to make a real difference.

Another famous author and motivational speaker, Tony Robbins, says, “The path to success is to take massive, determined action.” It’s not a complicated thing to carve a path to achieving our overarching purpose in life. Yes, it will take an ongoing commitment to the task, combined with a steadfast belief in our abilities. But the payoff is worth it.

You could be already doing this, but, if not, who knows what the positive ripple effect would be if you decided to become a game changer in your own life? Why wait any longer to show the world what a difference you can make?