Lessons from Books

I must admit, I am on a string of amazing (in my opinion) books lately.  I have thoroughly enjoyed the last several books that I have read, and I would highly recommend them to anyone who likes (or needs) self-development books..

Each author had their own story and lesson to share in each book.  As a result, each book shares a valuable message.

Steve Harvey

One of my latest books conveying these messages to me is Jump by Steve Harvey.

Now, I know what some of you are thinking.  You are thinking, “Jennifer, you read books by Paulo Coehlo, Wayne Dyer, Gabrielle Bernstein, Marianne Williamson, and….Steve Harvey?”

Yup, I do.

I am a huge Steve Harvey fan.  In fact, I believe that I have read all of his books.

I think he is funny. and I also greatly admire what he has achieved in his life.  In addition, I also admire how he has tried to use the “fruits of his labor” to make a positive impact in the world, through his mentoring programs for young boys.

Certainly, Harvey is a good storyteller. He has a message, and he knows how to effectively convey his message; his messages are “to the point” and he uses his background as a comedian to tell them in a humorous way.

Jumping

In his latest book, Jump, Harvey discusses the importance of having the guts and determination to take jumps, or leaps, in life.

He discusses how life presents ALL of us with opportunities to pursue our dreams.  BUT, we have to be aware of them, and we have to have the courage to pursue them.  In other words, we have to have unwavering faith in our natural abilities and gut instincts and JUMP towards our goals and dreams.

Otherwise, we risk missing out on the life that we truly want.

After all, as the old saying goes, “we only regret the risks that we didn’t take.”

Risk

Barry Farber famously said that “Without risk, there is no reward.”

But risk, by definition, is risky.

Taking action can be HARD!  As a result, most of us avoid it whenever possible.   We avoid leaving our comfort zone.

Sometimes, the self talk gets the best of us.  We convince ourselves that if we don’t jump, we won’t risk getting bruised.   We won’t fall, so we won’t break.  We will stay whole.

But, staying whole doesn’t mean that we will be complete.

Failing to pursue our dreams will most likely result in less fulfilling life, whether that means that we never get the dream job that we want, or whether it means that the wildly romantic partnership we wish for will never materialize.

Telling the Universe What We Want

As Harvey stated in the book, it i
s hard, or even impossible, to achieve “gifts” from the universe when you don’t tell the universe what you want.  If we want the universe to help you to achieve your desires, we must tell the universe what we want.      After all, how likely is it that you get the present that you really wanted for Christmas if you never let any of your friends or relatives know that is what you really wanted?

For this reason, we must be definitive and clear in our intentions to the universe so that it can support us in the pursuit of our dreams.

If you need help setting clear goals, please read these past blog posts:

• Morning Routine and Goal Attainment
• 5 Ways that Sleep Can Impact Goal Attainment
• How Can Practicing Yoga Help You Meet Your Personal and Professional Goals?
• Sometimes you should ride the horse…{Achieving Your Goals}
• Get More Productive; Set SMART Goals!
• Setting Goals: What is most important to you? (2nd post in a series of posts on goals)
• Setting Goals (1st post in a series of posts on goals)

 The Universe is not a Magic Lamp

We also need to remember that the universe will not generally simply give us everything that we desire.  It is not a genie, waiting in a bottle to deliver the wishes that we create.

We can’t set our intentions and simply sit back and wait, thinking that the universe will simply deliver it to us.  Unfortunately, that isn’t the way that it works.

Instead, to accomplish our desires, we must follow these three steps:

1. Clearly tell the universe what we want
2. Show the universe that we are putting in the work to achieve our goals
3. Be willing to trust in yourself and take a risk

The Universe WILL Test You

Know that it is likely that they universe will provide you with the support that you need to achieve your goals.   But, that doesn’t mean that it necessarily be an easy road.

Life will test you along the way.

It will see how badly you want it.

It might knock you down and see if you want it so badly that you get back up.

There are No Guarantees

I would love to tell you that, if you take action towards the pursuit of your dreams, you are guaranteed success.  However, the harsh reality is that, even with hard work and good intentions, jumping towards our dreams does not always produce the intended results.

Unfortunately, life doesn’t always turn out like we planned.

Sometimes, despite our best efforts and well laid plans, we experience twists and turns in the road, or even a road that appears to be a dead end.  We will likely all experience turbulent times, whether it be a relationship crisis, health crisis, job crisis, etc.

Sometimes the path is clear and we can fly or sail directly towards our destination with no obstacles.   Sometimes we have to jump over hurdles, avoid potholes, or even pull ourselves out of a ditch.

In fact, life can sometimes be a struggle.   The life that we want may not be not match our experiences.

As Harvey says in one of my favorite lines from the book, “Sometimes, life is a four letter word.”

However, even if the path to our destination is full of challenges, we are unlikely to achieve what we want if we don’t ever pursue it.

That is, the risk of turbulence doesn’t mean that you should avoid the opportunity to fly.   After all, avoiding flight may cause you to miss a breathtaking view, or you may be unable to reach your destination without boarding the plane.

Don’t Stop Jumping

The decision to jump, or not jump, applies to all aspects of your life.

If you want a promotion, you have to jump.

If you want to earn a degree, you have to jump.

If you want to increase your income, you have to jump.

If you want to experience a different culture, you have to jump.

If you want a wildly romantic and compatible partnership, you have to jump.

Jumping and Relationships

While writing this post, I couldn’t help but see the implications that jumping (or not jumping) has on relationships.

Personally, virtually everyone that I know wants to acquire or maintain a long-term, blissfully happy and widely romantic relationships.

Some of these people have found “the right one” and are experiencing the relationship of their dreams.

However, too many people that I know are unable to find, or keep, the relationship of their dreams.

Giving Up

Of course, now that I am in my forties, I have heard many “war stories” about romance from many friends and acquaintances.   Of course, I also have my own experiences.

Some of these friends are still looking for “the right one.”

Others gave up on finding “the right one” and settled for the “good enough one.”

Still some others have completely given up on finding “the right one.”

Decide What is Important to You

Of course, a wildly happy and romantic relationship is not a priority for everyone.  Everyone is different, and everyone has somewhat unique priorities.

If a relationship is not a priority for you, then you should definitely not expend time or energy to acquire one.  Instead, focus your efforts on something that is really a priority in your life.

But, if you gave up on something that was important to you, then you should consider reevaluating.

Heartbreak and Hard Work

By the time that you a certain age in adulthood, many have been knocked around a bit.  Most of us have had our heart broken.    Some of us immediately think of a failed romantic relationship when we think that “life is sometimes a four letter word.”

The negative experiences sometimes cause people to give up on their dreams, whether it is finding the perfect mate, the perfect job, or the perfect housing.

Sometimes people convince themselves that finding a good relationship is too much work.  I have heard multiple say that “dating is too much work” and “takes too much time.”

Others decide that maintaining a relationship is too much work; staying in a relationship is not worth the compromises that have to be made, so they end their relationship.

Still others are simply afraid to pursue a good relationship because they feel that a good relationship won’t work or happen for them.

Of course, entering a relationship can be a risk.  When you are “all in” a relationship, you can become vulnerable.

You have to open your heart, and sometimes your home and wallet, to someone else.

You are forced to expose your real self to someone else.

You have to learn the art of compromise.

You might make a mistake.

You might get hurt.

But, as the old saying goes, “nothing worth having comes easy.”  So you probably won’t find your ideal made if you sit on your sofa alone every Saturday night.

Therefore, if finding a relationship is a priority, you need to take a calculated risk and JUMP into the pursuit of your dream.

My Thoughts

I could be wrong but, I wholeheartedly believe that we owe it to ourselves to try to create the happiest life that we can.  Undoubtedly, we all acknowledge that life is short; and it is most assuredly too short to life an unfulfilled life.

I also believe that we are all here to fulfill our SOUL purpose.  I have heard experts like Gabby Bernstein say that we have to learn lessons; I have heard others like Neale Donald Walsh say that we have to “remember” who we are.  (As a side note, I also found the Conversations with God books interesting.  While I understand some people’s hesitancy to take Walsh’s material as “gospel,” I considered the books an intriguing opinion on God and why we were are here.)

Granted, life is not a fairy tale.  Even with hard work and good intentions, you will not immediately cultivate everything that you want to achieve.  BUT, if you are unfulfilled in some aspect of your life, try to change it.  Don’t just jump, leap with wild abandon towards the life that you want.   You may stumble or fall but, eventually, the universe will support you and help you to achieve your dreams.

And as it always does, the universe always sends us exactly what I needed to hear as Harvey’s message was exactly what I needed to hear, just when I needed to hear it.  (Remember the universe sends us ALL signs.   We just need to stay “tuned in” to the signs and listen carefully.  For instance, maybe you have read this post all the way to the end because there is a message that you needed to hear contained in it?  ;-))