Sometimes, when I tell people, "You always have a choice," they look at me kind of funny. There's this kind of gulp! Then their eyes get a little wider. And finally, they choke out the words, "Yeah ... I guess that's right, isn't it?" Not like they like it. They realize it puts the burden on them. There's no more blaming other people. No more saying it's not their fault that things didn't turn out differently. No victims. No bad guys. There's just the ability to make your own choices. And that gives you the power to change.
Once you really understand how amazing it is to have this power, you'll never be the same. You'll be sort of like Spiderman, when he realizes that he has the ability to fly through the air with his webs. At first, he's freaked out by it. Then he swallows hard and takes a running jump off a building. He's scared it's not going to work. But it does. And he gets it. "I can do this! It's amazing. It really blows my mind. But this is in my power!" Then nothing can stop him. He soars through the city, from building to building, fighting the bad guys and saving the day. He comes into his own. And you can too.
Living a life that's dull, unhappy and without meaning is like being Spiderman but never even giving your new powers a try!
Whether you've ever used it or not, you have the power of change. That means you can change your job, improve your relationships, have more fun, make more money or do just about anything you can think of.
But I've got news for you: It's even better than that.
You can choose to make all of that stuff more meaningful. Real quality of life isn't about having more cool stuff. It isn't about living in a bigger house or better neighborhood. It's not even about finding the perfect job or perfect mate. The quality of life is about your experience of those things.
Let me give you an example. Have you ever gone on vacation that you didn't enjoy? Have you ever spent a fortune on car or boat and found that, after the initial rush wore off, it didn't make you any happier?
That's because the quality of your life doesn't come from those things. It comes from inside of you. Cars, boats and houses don't have any meaning on their own. They only have the meaning we give to them. Even the perfect job and the perfect mate are only wonderful to us because of the way we experience them, because of the meaning they have for our lives.
How much meaning do you have in your life? The skills you'll learn from the Harley Attitude will give you a remarkable ability to achieve things, to change your life in incredibly powerful ways. But don't forget the importance of living a meaningful life as well.
A meaningful life will make you excited to get out of bed in the morning. It will make you feel satisfied with your day, when your head hits the pillow at night. It will bring you happiness and contentment that goes beyond the things you have and things you do every day.
Begin by asking yourself this: What do you value most? What do you want to be sure to accomplish before you die? Why are you here?
These are actually deep, philosophical questions. They cross most people's minds at some point, but it takes a lot of thought to answer them. It's easier to brush them aside. So that's what most people do. But take a look around. Most people aren't living fulfilling lives.
What would you do to guarantee you had more meaning in your life? Would you be willing to spend some time thinking things over, asking yourself hard questions, like: What really matters most to me?
If so, let me give you a hand. There are three key things to consider: your purpose, your vision and your values. Once you know what your purpose, your vision and your values are, you will know how to live a meaningful life. The only thing left will be setting your goals to achieve it.
Years ago, I was out on the golf course with Laddy, one of my Yodas, when he asked me: "What's your shelf life?"
"What do you mean?" I said.
"Well, I was in a grocery store this morning and I noticed all the products have an expiration date on them telling you when they're done," Laddy said.
"Yes...." I said, still waiting. I couldn't figure out what he meant.
"Well," Laddy said, "when are you going to expire?"
I said, "I don't know."
"Exactly, you don't know. But most things have an expiration date. It's just not stamped on the label. You've got one. I've got one. We don't know what it is, but we're going to expire anyway. So let me ask you this. You've been talking about writing a book for a long time.... When's the expiration date on that?"
The next time I was in the grocery store, I picked up a carton of cottage cheese and remembered what Laddy had said. So I turned the label around and noticed that the date on the cottage cheese was today! I thought, "What if today is the expiration date for my book and I haven't written it yet? I have a lot to say. I have a lot of information that I want to share with others that may help them." And that's how I started working on this book in earnest. I immediately reflected on all of the things that I wanted to share in this book and started jotting them down. It was just the motivation I needed to get me going.
So I'm going to ask you the same question: What is your shelf life?
What do you want to start? What do you want to finish? What's your purpose? What's your vision? What dreams or desires do you have? Are you the best doctor, the best lawyer, the best truck driver you could possibly be? Are you the best husband, father, mother that you could possibly be? You'd better get serious. How do you know when your opportunity to be those things or do those things will expire? It might be today!
What is your shelf life?
By making one choice after another, you can go from good to great. The choice is up to you.
You always have a choice!