Are YOU Ready to Start Living a Fulfilled Life?

I don’t know if you saw the news the other day but there was a national story that was actually inspiring.  Normally, I despise watching the news because most news is depressing.  There are just too many news stories for me that tell the tale of some murderous criminal behavior, a politician deceiving the public, some nefarious international incident or a heart wrenching account of great human misfortune.

However, on Tuesday, August 6^th, 2013, I saw a story on the news that was not only upbeat but it was encouraging.  On Tuesday, Anthony Martin skydived from a plane and landed successfully.  Actually, Mr. Martin did more than just skydive from a plane, Mr. Martin skydived from a plane and landed successfully after being shackled and locked in a casket.   After being flown to a height above 14,000 feet, Mr. Martin (shackled and locked in a casket) was tossed from the plane and began his descent towards the ground at more than 130 miles per hour.

http://youtu.be/UyBNLe1kYyM

After plummeting more than half the distance of the initial drop, Mr. Martin emerged from the casket.  He was unshackled and parachuted his way to a safe landing.  Watching this story was exhilarating.  Not only did it liberate me from having to watch the same recycled news story but it reminded me of the formula for Living a Fulfilled Life.

So as your child prepares to return to school and you prepare yourself for another mundane day at the office, I dare you to take the challenge of Living a Fulfilled Life.  The elements of Living a Fulfilled Life are described below.

Find Something You Would Do For Free

Anthony Martin found something that he would do for free.  Actually, Mr. Martin found something not only that he would do for free but something that he would do as a testament to his faith.  Mr. Martin uses the Art of Escape as an evangelistic event.  It is his belief that people are attracted to the unusual and extraordinary thus his feats of daring encourage people who would ordinarily shy away from the Gospel to take a closer look.

Now in no way am I suggesting that what you do be tied (no pun intended) to your religious beliefs.  I have learned to shy clear of discussions of race, religion and politics.  However, I would suggest at the very minimum that you start each day pursuing a passion that you can tie to a cause that is greater than you.

Each of us has gifts and/or talents that are valuble to someone.  Trust me when I tell you this.

There are more than 7 billion people on the planet.  This means that there is always somebody somewhere who needs to know how to do something that you know how to do.  There is always somebody somewhere whose life could be changed if they knew something that you know.

Unfortunately for the world, too few of us are willing to make good use of our gifts and talents.  The lack of our willingness to make use of our talents and gifts has inspired me to challenge you to a number of things.

The First Challenge that I have for you today is this: encourage yourself and your kids to consider yourselves as the caretaker of your gifts and talents rather than the owner of those gifts or talents.  I believe if we think and act as caretakers – custodians, we might be more inclined to stop talking about what we want to do, what we want to become and what we want out of life and instead do something immediately with the life we have.

Caretakers and custodians work for the good of others.  Let today be the first day that you begin to use your gifts and talents as if the care and well-being of others depended on it.

Begin and End With the Basics

Mr. Martin’s first escape did not occur on Tuesday, August 6^th.  Mr. Martin, the forty-seven year-old Escape Artist, began picking locks at age six.  The young Anthony Martin went from picking locks, to escaping from straitjackets to progressively more challenging escapes.

This progression of success is lost on most of our children.  In fact, many adults just like children want the big production – the jumping out of a plane while shackled and locked in a coffin while parachuting safely with thousands of reporters and onlookers – without first mastering the basics.  Such desires for instant gratification is why so many of us suffer a fate that Mr. Martin avoided – falling flat on our faces.

Mr. Martin succeeded because he first mastered the basics.  Mr. Martin succeeded because he continues to master the basics.  The basics for him have always been and will always be his ability to pick locks.  The skill that he first began to master at age six is the skill that allowed him to escape from a coffin more than 14,000 feet in the air on Tuesday.

Challenge Number Two: make sure that your children understand the importance of mastering the basics.  No matter how mundane it might seem – no one achieves, no one succeeds who has yet to master the basics.

For today’s child the basics are dreaming audaciously, reading voraciously, writing proficiently, understanding math accurately, communicating superbly and pursuing their dreams relentlessly.

Never Forget The 10,000 Hours Rule

You probably have heard me mention the 10,000 Hour Rule 10,000 times so consider this the 10,001 time with the 10,002, 10,003, 10,004…times to come shortly.

I repeat the 10,000 Hour Rule over and over again because I can’t state it enough.  There are no shortcuts to getting the life that you profess to want.  It’s real simple, in order for you to have the life that you profess to desire, you are going to have to put in the time, you are going to have to make the effort, you are going to need to be prepared for trials and tribulations and you are going to have to make great sacrifices.

I find that everyone especially children would love to have the attention and success of Mr. Martin but few of us are willing to take the time, make the effort endure the trials and tribulations or make the great sacrifices required to develop and master just one of our many gifts and talents.

Challenge Number Three: instead of raising a child who repeats your failures, raise a child who is committed to dreaming and achieving at an audaciously high level.

Instruct your child that if they are willing to do what the average person won’t do – practicing the specific tasks germane to their dream for three hours each day for 10 years –  the odds are that they will do something like Mr. Martin.  Similar to Mr. Martin, they will do something extraordinary, something that might inspire others and something news worthy that might elicit public delight rather than dismay.

Oh and when you or your child undoubtedly begin to complain about doing the same thing for three hours each day, simply remember that this is far less than the time they spend messing around with electronic gadgets.  American children spend more than seven and a half hours a day using a smart phone, computer, television or other electronic devices.

Don’t Settle for Good It’s All About the GOAT

The moment Mr. Martin landed safely, the questions began.  Where does he rank as an escape artist?  Is he as great as Harry Houdini?  The kid who started out simply learning to pick locks was now being considered one of the greats.

I have to believe that those initial moments after landing and being inundated with questions about his greatness were surreal moments for Mr. Martin.  Dreamlike flashbacks, if you will because every child – each and every one of us – dreams or dreamt at one time or another of being great at something.

Ask any all-star caliber professional athlete and they will almost always tell of playing in the backyard or playground as a child while pretending to be one of the all-time greats.  Kobe Bryant dreamt of being Michael Jordan.  Venus and Serena Williams dreamt of being Althea Gibson.  Michael Phelps dreamt of being Mark Spitz.  Mary Lou Retton dreamt of being Nadia Comaneci.  Lionel Messi dreamt of being Diego Maradona.

I imagine Mr. Martin at some time in his childhood dreamt of being the GOAT (Greatest Of All Time).  On Tuesday, many considered Mr. Martin’s childhood dream to have been fulfilled.  He had done something the Great Harry Houdini had never done.  He had allowed himself to dream audaciously, and then put in the requisite time and energy to see his dream realized.

Move over Harry Houdini, now the next generation of escape artists will dream of being Anthony Martin.

Challenge Number Four: Ask your child what do they dream of being?  For that matter, what do you dream of being?  It’s never too late to have a dream and pursue that dream.

Who is it that is considered the GOAT in the thing that your child dreams?  Find out who the GOAT is and once you find out who the GOAT is, set your sights on learning all that you can about that person.

Most importantly, you must find out how they prepared to be great.  I believe when you examine their life, you will find someone who followed the same formula for living a fulfilled life.  I’m almost positive that you will find someone who discovered something that they loved and would do for free, began mastering the basics of their craft, worked tirelessly for at least 10,000 hours to perfect their gifts and talents and remain to this day driven to be the greatest of all time.

Start Living a Fulfilled Life

The formula for Living a Fulfilled Life is right before you.  Like the wheel it doesn’t need to be reinvented.  All you need to do is apply yourself to the mixture and follow the recipe.

Finally, don’t forget someone in this world of 7 billion people is counting on you to do something with your gifts and talents so that they can be encouraged and inspired to do something with their gifts and talents.

So please make today the day that you do like Mr. Martin.  Escape from those mental shackles and emotional coffins that confine you and your child – emerging liberated – soaring above everything and amazing all those that you meet.