The 3 questions that will change your life now!

There are three kinds of people in the world: those who wait for things to happen, those who make things happen, and those who wonder what happened. And only one of those is living a life worth living ... the one who MAKES things happen.

To make things happen in your life and your work you must take time to stop and think once in a while. You've got to take time to ask yourself these three questions.

? 1. Are you enjoying what you’re doing?

The infamous comedian George Burns always came across that way. He thoroughly enjoyed what he was doing. Perhaps that's why he lived into his 100's.

When asked how he felt performing in Las Vegas at the age of 100, George answered, "Nice to be here? At my age it's nice to be anywhere."

The trouble is ... most people merely exist. Only a few seem to be really, really, really enjoying what they are doing.

The rest are held back by a variety of reasons. As psychiatrist Elizabeth Kulber Ross observed in her work with the dying,

"There are dreams of love, life, and adventure in all of us. But we are also sadly filled with reasons why we shouldn't try. These reasons seem to protect us, but in truth they imprison us. They hold life at a distance. Life will be over sooner than we think. If we have bikes to ride and people to love, now is the time."        

Did you catch her comment? That most people are "filled with reasons why we shouldn’t try” to really enjoy our lives NOW.

One of those reasons is "induced discontent". You are exposed to thousands of commercials every day and every one of them has the same underlying message ... that you can't be happy without their product or service. And some of that is bound to rub off on you, making you feel more miserable than you ever realized.

Well, you've got to resist "induced discontent". As I tell my coaching clients, "Learn to be happy with what you have while you pursue all that you want."

So what’s your answer to my first question: “Are you enjoying what you’re doing”? If not, then for heaven’s sake, get to it.

My two-day virtual Journey-to-the-Extraordinary experience is all about the 12 keys to getting the most out of yourself, your life, your work, and your relationships, and ENJOYING it to the fullest.

That’s what Sheryl Schwartz, who works for the USACE (Threatened and Endangered Species Section), learned. She says,

"I learned that the ability to enjoy life and be a better/happier person lies within me ... and what I say or don’t say ... and what I do or don’t do. I learned how to speak and act differently so I get the results I want out of my career and my life."        

Register now for the Journey coming October 3-4, 2024 and save $500.

Click below for more information and to register.

? 2. Are you happy with where you’re going?

If you’re happy with where you’re going, great! Congratulations!

If you don't like where you're going, CHANGE IT. It's your responsibility. It's not your company's, your boss', your spouse's, your parents', or the government's responsibility to make your life better.

The day you pick up that responsibility … taking responsibility for your life … is the day your world changes for the better.

As Michael E. Gerber, author of The E-Myth Revisited, observed, "The difference between great people and everyone else is that great people create their lives actively while everyone else is passively waiting to see where life takes them next. The difference between the two is the difference between living fully and just existing."

Of course, some people will say to me, “Dr. Z., that sounds good in theory but I don’t know how to CHANGE my life for the better.” Then try this for starters.

Dr. Norman Vincent Peale, the author of The Power of Positive Thinking, wrote, "Create in your mind a mental picture of what you expect from life. The picture you create, even when you are only half-serious, will be conveyed to your subconscious mind. When it gets into the subconscious, you have it, because it has you."

So go ahead. Relax completely. Think of a motion picture screen with nothing on it. And using your mind as a projector, project onto the screen pictures of what you want to be, where you want to go, and what you want to accomplish. Create pictures of the future you would like. And keep focusing your pictures until they're perfectly clear and sharp.

Every time you go through this exercise, tell yourself over and over, "This is what I expect to get ... this is what I expect to have ... and this is where I expect to go in the upcoming year. This is what I expect to accomplish."

And the good news is, most of the time you get what you expect. So the way to be happy with where you're going is to expect good things to happen.

Finally,

?3. Am I satisfied with what I'm becoming?

You can answer this by breaking the question into three parts.

First, are you satisfied with the DIRECTION of your growth? Are you continuing to read books, attend seminars, and listen to educational and motivational materials that will help you become a better and more satisfied individual? As business author Jim Rohn reminds us, "Ignorance is not bliss. Ignorance is poverty. Ignorance is devastation. Ignorance is tragedy. Ignorance is illness. It all stems from ignorance."

Then ask yourself: Are you satisfied with the RATE of your growth? The drive to go faster and get bigger can give you ulcers, keep you awake at night, and stop you from enjoying the blessings you already have.

For those of you who believe in a Higher Power, if you're asking your Higher Power to make you bigger instead of better, you may be disappointed. All the prayers in the world won't pressure your Higher Power into giving you what you're not ready to handle.

And finally, ask yourself: Are you satisfied with the TARGET of your growth? If all your ambition and hard work is focused on getting more attention, more power, and more stuff for yourself, chances are you won't be highly satisfied. In study after study, people always report the highest levels of satisfaction when they spend time helping others.

As novelist Elizabeth Berg sees it, "There is incredible value in being of service to others. I think if many of the people in therapy offices were dragged out to put their finger in a dike, or take up their place in a working line, they would be relieved of terrible burdens." In other words, they would feel so much better about themselves.

To live a life worth living, you must be able to say "yes" to these three questions: Am I enjoying what I'm doing? Am I happy with where I'm going? Am I satisfied with what I'm becoming?

Do what you need to do so you can say "yes" to all three questions.

For a copy of Dr. Zimmerman’s latest book, The Champion Edge: Skill Sets That Fire Up Your Business and Life, go to https://www.businessexpertpress.com/books/the-champion-edge-skill-sets-that-fire-up-your-business-and-life/

To subscribe to Dr. Zimmerman’s free weekly Internet newsletter, the Tuesday Tip, or to give someone else a free subscription, go to https://www.drzimmerman.com/subscribe . You’ll also receive Dr. Z’s whitepaper on 93 Truths for Unlimited Happiness and Success.

To receive more information on Dr. Z’s speaking, training, and leadership coaching, go to https://www.drzimmerman.com/ .