A weak person wishes.
A strong person sets smart, stretching goals.

A weak person says “I can’t”.
A strong person asks “How can I make it happen?”

A weak person stops when they’ve completed what is expected.
A strong person considered those expectations to be the bare minimum and prides themselves on how much more they can achieve.

A weak person hits a wall and stops.
A strong person hits a wall and pushes forward.

A weak person complains.
A strong person helps.

A weak person gets frustrated at the challenges.
A strong person sees challenges as opportunities.

A weak person says “I’ve had enough”.
A strong person says “I can do more”.

A weak person avoids responsibility.
A strong person embraces responsibility.

A weak person envies successful people.
A strong person inspired by successful people.

A weak person says “I’m going to do it on my own because I want the glory”.
A strong person asks “Who can I get to help me?”

A weak person desperately wants to reach the top of the ladder.
A strong person enjoys the journey as much as the destination.

A weak person wants the reward now and willingly pays more for it afterward.
A strong person works hard now and looks forward to the reward later.

A weak person does whatever they can to avoid turmoil, discomfort, and effort.
A strong person accepts these challenges as a necessary cost of success.

A weak person measures their happiness by what they have.
A strong person chooses to be happy in whatever circumstance life has placed them in.

A weak person is content with what they know.
A strong person never stops learning.

A weak person talks but does not act.
A strong person lets their actions talk for them.

A weak person asks what they can get out of something.
A strong person asks what they can give.

A weak person wants to be healthier.
A strong person pushes through feels of procrastination to exercise.

A weak person wants to be like others.
A strong person wants to lead others.

A weak person finds the easy way.
A strong person makes their own way.

A weak person envies successful people but never achieves it themselves.
A strong person is successful.

Now, I’m sure if you asked any handful of people walking down the street whether or not change is actually good for us the majority would say that “yes it is”. However ask those same people whether or not they actually like change, and most would reply with a resounding “NO”!

Now I do realize of course that not all change is good, and depending on current circumstances some may actually be unwanted for a very valid reason, but for the purposes of this particular blog post I’m going to discuss the change that we all seek out, but reject on the basic principle that change is unwanted, even when it’s something we actively strive for.

Take the individual who’s looking to drop 20 pounds before attending a high school reunion in the coming months. Ask them and they’ll tell you they want the particular change that comes with that goal, but when faced with the prospect of actually joining a gym, putting themselves “out there” and learning some new exercise routines in order to accomplish that goal and many of those same people balk.

The problem is that it’s easy to want something. It’s much harder to actually follow through and accomplish it however. I hear so many people claim that they desire to be rich. However when I then ask those same people what they’re doing to accomplish that goal they’ve just told me is important to them 99% are doing absolutely nothing in order to further it.

So just what can we do to not only figure out what it is we truly desire in life, but also give ourselves a decent chance at attaining those goals?

Well for starters it’s probably a good idea to sit down with a pen and paper and actually figure out the top ten things that are most important to you in life. If you’re married, or have children it might be a good idea to include them to make sure you’re goals are actually in alignment since these are the people you’re going to be spending your life with.

Now that you’ve got your list of things that you think are the absolute most important things to accomplish or achieve in your life write out the things you actually do on a day to day, month to month basis. Often people will find that what they do isn’t anywhere near in alignment with what it is they want.

If you are hoping to get in shape but don’t have a gym membership, or haven’t been making the time to actually go to the gym and work out, then you should either admit it isn’t actually something you want or adjust your schedule so that you are accomplishing this one goal each and every day you attend a class, or do a workout.

If spending time with your family made it on your list, but you find yourself working 60 hours a week just to make ends meet it’s time to devise a new strategy. Perhaps starting a part time home business won’t allow you to achieve your goal in the immediate future, but it might get you on a track that will allow it to happen in the future.

It’s important to remember that these are the things you’ve decided are the MOST important in YOUR life!

If you didn’t do something this week to bring you closer to the things you say are important in your life, then it’s time to make some changes. Either to your list or to the way you’re living your life.

The Bucket List

I think it’s important to have a list of things that we’d like to do or accomplish as we each journey through our individual lives. It helps keep us on track with some of the bigger, or even smaller things that we’d like to try at least once as we go through. Remember, we only go through life once, better to do it now rather than leave it till later.

It can also be a useful tool to show those people around you just what sort of a person you are, and what types of things you have an interest in. I wouldn’t be surprised if someone who see’s your list goes one step further and offers to help you with one of your goals.

(I was out driving with a friend one day, and as we drove by the Airport, I commented on a nice looking helicopter out front, I commented that I’d always wanted to fly in one, but never had as yet. Turns out his company needed him to rent one the following week to video an area they were going to be laying some pipe. He offered, I accepted, and the following week I spend two hours flying in the very helicopter I had commented on.

Scratched one more off my list!

I’ll share with you my own list in the hopes that it helps you to either create your own, or simply gives you a few things you’d like to add to your own.

My Bucket List

And I am continually on the lookout for new and exciting things to add to my list, so if you the reader would like to share your own “Bucket List” with us, I look forward to reading them!

Once again thank you all for reading TheHappySelf.com

Warren

"All I can do is be me, whoever that is."

You either love him or you hate him. And if you haven’t heard of him, you must be living on Mars…

Mr. Bob Dylan (real name, Robert Zimmerman).

The first time I heard Bob Dylan was early in high school. I had purchased a discount cassette copy of Highway 61 Revisited. Being an avid music junkie and connoisseur, I figured it was time I finally listened to this “legend” and see what all the fuss was about. So I popped in the tape and the first song I heard was “Like a Rolling Stone”. Hmmm…interesting. I remember once reading this song was one of the top rock and roll songs of all time. My first impressions of it were one of confusion.

What was that voice?

Is that organ in the background on a rock and roll song?

Oh…then there was that voice! “How does it feeeeeeeeel…” Yikes!

Needless to say, it was at that moment a seed was planted. It would not be years later until it grew and Bob Dylan had my heart and soul forever.The lyrics. The change in styles. The profound wisdom and charm. The man himself.

What at first was not love at first listen, grew to total admiration for this guy who took off from Hibbing, Minnesota at a young age full of desire and ambition and landed in the coffee shops of Greenwich Village simply doing the thing he loved most…playing folk songs.

Nothing else really mattered except doing what he loved.

Whether you are a fan of Bob Dylan, whom I believe IS the greatest songwriter to ever walk this planet (Shakespeare with a guitar)…there are a multitude of reasons you should pay attention to him. There are great lessons to learn and admire from him. Here are 5 of them…

Here are 5 reasons why I admire Bob Dylan…

1. He Lives Life His Way

Bob Dylan is a man who has always followed his heart and lived life the way he wanted to live it. As a teenager, Dylan dropped out of college as a freshman and left the cold constraints of Hibbing, Minnesota and headed off to New York City with just a suitcase and his guitar…and a quest. He had high hopes to play with his idol, Woody Guthrie. Can you imagine doing that at that age? That is bold. That is courage. That is fearlessness.

Even after fame and fortune come his way, he still does (to this day) what he wants to do without outside influence. It really is about the art and passion for music that drives him.

“A man is a success if he gets up in the morning and gets to bed at night, and in between he does what he wants to do.”

2. He Found His Passion and Made It His Life

From an early age, Bob Dylan was obsessed with music. He spent much of his youth listening to countless hours of radio which ranged from blues to rock and roll. In high school he formed a few short lived bands. In one performance of Danny and the Juniors’ “Rock and Roll Is Here to Stay” at their high school talent show, the principle cut the microphone off because it was too loud.  In 1959 he saw Buddy Holly in the Winter Dance Party tour and later recalled how he had made direct eye contact with him.

In his 1959 school yearbook, Dylan listed his ambition “To join Little Richard.”

But the real influence in his life was Woody Guthrie. He once said about Woody’s music, “You could listen to his songs and learn how to live.” Dylan even went so far to meet Woody on his deathbed. At that moment, I do believe the torch was passed from one great icon to another. Dylan once wrote in regards to Woody: “The songs themselves had the infinite sweep of humanity in them … [He] was the true voice of the American spirit. I said to myself I was going to be Guthrie’s greatest disciple.”

“I consider myself a poet first and a musician second.
I live like a poet and I’ll die like a poet.”

3. He Let’s Creativity Flow Through Him and Never Stops Creating

Dylan has been involved in music ever since he started listening to those early radio broadcasts in high school. That lead him into creating multiple bands at that age, and then, taking off to NYC where he eventually mesmerized those sitting in coffee shops with his unique songs. The major record labels soon came knocking and his life, and the world’s, changed forever.

He has been nothing short of prolific with thirty-four studio albums, fifty-eight singles, thirteen live albums, and fourteen compilation albums. The list of awards he has achieved is just beyond belief.

He has been consistently touring since the 1980′s now with his “Never Ending Tour”. Even at the ripe old age of 68, he still tours to this day.

“A lot of people can’t stand touring but to me it’s like breathing. I do it because I’m driven to do it.”

4. He Never Looks Back and Only Moves Forward

Dylan has always been the one to never look back and only move forward. He knows that looking backwards is simply a waste of time. In fact, there is a fantastic documentary about him during the time of the 1960′s called, Don’t Look Back that is simply amazing and I would highly recommend it. Dylan is the type of creative force to not walk in previously walked paths, he makes his own. Moving forward without looking back is a vital lesson we can all learn and admire. Doing so leaves us free of burden and opens up our cups to the flow of life. If there is anyone on this planet who does this really well, it is Bob Dylan.

“Yesterday’s just a memory, tomorrow is never what it’s supposed to be.”

5. He Is Not Afraid To Change Course

Early in high school Dylan started rock bands that were so loud, he was stopped mid-performance. Then he moved on to folk music and became the icon of the classic folk musician. He lead a movement in the 60′s with his folk songs about life, struggle, and politics. His followers grew and grew…until one day, at the Newport Music Festival (July, 1965) he decided he wanted to do something different and change.

He plugged in and went electric.

The “folkies” cringed and booed him. But Dylan didn’t care, he never wanted to be categorized as a “folk” singer anyway, he was simply a performer, a musician, a poet, and nothing more.

Put simply, he was not afraid to change course or direction in is creative endeavors. His art was all he truly cared about, and it was not driven or influenced by what his fans wanted.

Look at today’s music industry…can the same thing be said about it? I don’t think so. It is mainly corporate driven, not artistically driven.

Dylan has gone in all kinds of directions with his music over the last several decades. He has touched base with folk music, rock and roll, country, gospel, swing, and this year…Christmas songs.

“He not busy being born is busy dying.”

Beauty. Poetry. Heart. Simplicity. Soul.

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Ask the simple question..."What if?"

• What if we already have infinite knowledge and we actually do not learn anything…we just remember it?

• What if you did that one thing you are afraid of? What is the worst thing that can happen? Is it really that bad?

• What if the past is like clothes on your back, and you can simply drop them and go naked? Imagine the liberation. You can do this, because your past is only in your mind.

• What if you lost your job today, would you really be that upset or would you actually finally feel free?

• What if you were not afraid to die? You would not be afraid to really live…right now.

• What if you finally realized that your thoughts are just thoughts (like puffs of air), and not reality or necessarily truth. Would you feel a sense of relief?

• What if you lost everything...your home, your family, your friends, and all your possessions and money? What would be your first action that you would take? I bet it would be straight from your heart, with no ego attached.

• What if you took a vacation all alone? Where would you go? What would you do if no one you knew was around?

• What if your last day on this planet was going to end early this evening? What would be the first thing you would do if you just heard this news?

• What if stars are simply tiny holes in a large ceiling, letting the light of heaven shine through? How beautiful would that be? I like to believe this.

• What if you could have one day in life where you did not fear one single thing? What would you do on that day?

• What if you could feel all the love that people really have for you, all in one moment? I bet it would be much stronger than you can imagine.

• What if you were not so afraid to feel your emotions, and even cry about those things you know still haunt you from your past?

• What if you realized that everything in life occurs perfectly? Would you struggle against it so much? Think about this…if this was not true, how could the planet and the entire universe exist for millions of years?

• What if you kissed that one girl or boy when you had that chance? Would your life had taken a different direction?

• What if you stopped asking…”What if?” and changed it to…”So what?” in your life? Imagine the decrease in fear.

• What if you actually achieved your dreams? Then what? I bet you would still not fill fulfilled. Being content and happy starts now, not when you win the lottery.

• What if you got an extra hour of sleep a night or took a daily 30 minute power nap? I bet your mind and body would thank you and pay you dividends.

• What if you were not afraid to speak your mind to that one person in your life that you feel needs it? Then again, what if you could just really let it go.

• What if you did not have perfect health? They always say that the one thing that gets hit first when you have bad health is your…ego. Don’t take your good health for granted. Someone out there would literally die for it.

• What if you actually did something with your life instead of hide in the fear of being afraid to fail? If you don’t fail, that means you never try.

• What if you focused on this one moment only, no past, no future, and no judgments from your mind. What would it feel like? Try it now.

• What if you had never read this post on this blog (there are millions of blogs)…would your life be better or worse? I hope it just got a little better and made you think.

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“It is not because things are difficult that we do not dare, it is because we do not dare that they are difficult.”  -Seneca-