 CONGRATULATE: How to clean your rose-colored glasses. If you have read more than five of my Dares in this series, consider placing a set of future events on your calendars. The subject of the meeting maker should be: Congratulations! In today’s electronic world of spam mail, millions of emails have the subject line that simply says, “Congratulations!” And despite all the warnings about computer viruses and spam mail, we still fight the urge to open that email and see if we have actually won something of value. Learn to leverage the part of our nature that longs to celebrate and appreciate. As you gain momentum toward achieving The Ideal life, schedule the opposite of what some people call a pity party; plan a Power Party. Coordinate a Commendation Celebration. Organize an Optimistic Open House. Call it whatever you want… but congratulate yourself on moving from merely learning to becoming a lover of wisdom. Reinforce, reemphasize, and highlight your new philosophy. Do not underestimate the power of self-exaltation. Indeed, others might look upon your newfound joy with doubt, disagreement, or even disdain. Some may say you “think you’re all that.” Simply tell them: Believing is one thing. Knowing is everything! (Do you believe or know your name?) To continuously clean your glasses, beginning today, YOU can…
You now have the knowledge. (The question is, “What will you do with the knowledge?") ~ ~ ~ ~
~ ~ ~ ~
~ ~ ~ ~ Now it’s time to shift gears. Here is where the rubber meets the road. The last 10 dares are focused squarely and specifically on the daily directions of how to achieve an ideal life. And just like a grand land journey: If you really want to find and use the best route, it’s best to use the knowledge found in a good map. The previous Dares have focused on providing an overarching strategy for your current journey. However… let’s not confuse knowledge with a lack of wonderful wisdom. In theory, you could have the best roadmap in the world. But if you decide not to use your roadmap, so much of your time could be wasted. Notice the key differences… knowl·edge (noun) - The state or fact of knowing wis·dom (noun) - Utilizing knowledge, understanding and insight Here’s the Idea: Wisdom is the application of knowledge. Here’s the Deal: Knowledge is not power until it is applied. When we actually use our knowledge, we become instantly wise. These are specific roadmap directions. If you can successfully master just one of these daily directions, you can then master two… and then three. (I think you see where this is going). You now have the knowledge to do these 10 very simple things:
Famous Last Words: We have all heard the saying, “When one door closes, another one opens.” In reality, by the time that first door has closed, the other door was likely already open for quite some time. We just didn’t see it… Take a breather today and look all around you. There is a vast network of unseen connections. There are physical networks, yes. But there are also emotional, spiritual, professional, familial, local, international, natural and, yes… supernatural attachments that link you with me, us with them, and everybody, everywhere on some level of inter-connectedness. Our links can cause seemingly unrelated and remote actions in one part of our world to affect the lives of people in an area geographically distant... but supernaturally close. We are never that far apart. Make it your priority to make it a habit to change world perceptions… by first changing you. And whether you are seeking additional money, better relationships, improved health, or any other tangible asset, the same principles and universal laws apply to everyone, everywhere. For many people, the aforementioned concepts are difficult to accept or understand. I sincerely hope that you, my friend, seek first to understand… And that you, too, will… Accept. Adapt. Achieve. ®  A few acknowledgements... Thank YOU for reading this series of Dares. In my well-traveled life, there are so many people who have taught me the profound nature and beauty of the Absolute Truth. Ironically, I have learned from an equal number of “good” and “bad” people. I seem to have learned the most from the least of us, and I have learned the least from the preeminent hierarchy of people in powerful positions of authority. But I have mostly learned from the Great Spirit that led you to this post. I have learned at the time and rate at which I was supposed to learn. And, undoubtedly, I will learn so much more as I continue my path along life’s spectacular journey. I am often forgetful of, but always thankful for the vast depth and expanse of knowledge of which I was blessed before I read my first book, heard my first word, or saw my first teacher. Through this very Dare, I acknowledge the most important person in the world: YOU. I acknowledge the fact that we know different things; yet we live by the same requirements. I acknowledge that, while you may have learned a few nuggets of knowledge within this short note, I am no better, no stronger, and no higher than you. I thank you for reading this series of Dares. Today, I Dare YOU to tell CONGRATULATE yourself for reading this series of Dares. If, for some reason, this is the first Dare you have read, I encourage you to invest a smidgen of time and take a peek into the previous 24 Dares. You deserve it. Congratulations!  John H. Clark III is an optimistic realist. Principal consultant at The PIE Group, and Executive Director of TeenBuilding USA [a non-profit 501c(3)], John believes better development of leaders is what we (all) need. And to be better organizations, we need more good leaders, not followers. To build better leaders, we must start with the individual (you, she, he, and me). Described as “an innovative leader,” John teaches leaders, organizations, and individuals how to inspire each other. With a bold goal to inspire a worldwide community of optimistic realists who continuously accept, adapt to, and achieve the bold and beautiful concept of The Ideal Life, John is leading a movement to inspire people to apply his trademarked mantra {Accept. Adapt. Achieve! ®}. An innovative business manager and retired naval officer, John is fascinated by leaders and organizations that make the greatest impact within their organizational culture and within the “real” world — people who “get it.” Over the course of his life as a military leader, corporate mentor, and innovative content creator, John has discovered a wealth of insight about how we think, act and communicate within our respective work/life environments. As a career naval officer, mentor, educator, and optimistic realist, he has devoted his life to sharing insights to assist in our quests to become better at what we all do – live @ work! An optimist with a penchant for writing about realistic solutions to the challenges of everyday life, John is the author of 3 books: a leadership-development insider, The Ideal: Your guide to An Ideal Life, a teen-focused guide, Getting Out: Expert Advice for Today’s Teens, and the Christian-based book, God’s Heartbeat: A Powerful Premise for Leading a Christian Life. He delivers a unique and refreshing point of view to life's seemingly overwhelming situations. Through books, blogs, and everyday conversation, John's message resonates with an empowering blend of ideals that enrich, uplift, and “authorize” people to set and achieve goals far beyond current mindsets. His trademarked phrase is a winner:  |
My purposeInspiring a worldwide community of optimistic realists. Archives
July 2024
Categories
|
RSS Feed