3 Ways to Be Happy, Make Money and Help Others: You Know What to Do, Now Do It

Gavin’s Law: Live to start. Start to live.

Since my son Gavin graduated from this life to the next, I’ve preached these words to tens of thousands of people around the world. And guess what? It never gets old. The idea is simple, yet true. Live to start those ideas that keep pressing on your mind and start living the life of your dreams.

I can’t count how many people have told me how these words have inspired them. Changed them. I love it. It makes me feel like a little piece of Gavin still lives on in this insane world and his influence is still felt for good. Thank you to all of you who have embraced Gavin’s Law and are living a little better because of it. It seriously means the world to me.

He lived 76 days. I’ve since learned that I can do anything in 76 days. That’s a little less than three months. A little less than a quarter of the year. A little less than a full season. A little time period in the average person’s life. But with a little effort, this short time period can dramatically change your life forever.

That’s why I’d like to challenge you to do something great over the next 76 days in Gavin’s honor. Do something. Anything. This is a real challenge. A challenge to make the most of one of your greatest gifts: TIME (Today Is My Everything). I call it The 76-Day Challenge.

DEFINING THE PROBLEM

What do you do when you feel like making a personal change is necessary to your overall happiness and well-being but there is no real pressure or urgency pressing you to make said change?

This is a a conundrum we all wrestle with. We feel the undeniable need and/or desire to be doing something different in/with our lives, but simultaneously, we can’t bring ourselves to make the change (in many cases read: “sacrifice”) necessary to do it.

• We may feel the need to change employment, but we don’t.
• We may feel the need to start a specific project, but we don’t.
• We may feel the need to pursue higher education, but we don’t
• We may feel the need to heal a broken relationship, but we don’t.
• We may feel the need to work to improve our spiritual lives, but we don’t.
• We may feel the need to take steps toward a healthier physical or emotional life for ourselves and/or our family, but again, we don’t.
• (This list could likely go on for eternity.)

It’s important to note that I’m not talking about mere whims and lusts. I’m talking about deep, honorable desires for the betterment of ourselves and/or the overall quality and satisfaction of our lives.

THE PROBLEM: WE DON’T HAVE TO CHANGE A THING

The desire for progression is innate, but the problem we face is that the actual act of progression is also a choice.

Without embracing our inherent need for progress, for positive growth and/or change, we’ll still go on living. Yes.

But at what cost?

There is a very real danger present when we suppress our feelings to act on inspiration in exchange for the “safety” of the status quo.

We risk sacrificing the opportunity to live a more fulfilling and purpose driven life. We risk sacrificing the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of others. We risk sacrificing the beautiful blessing of finding a greater sense of meaning in our own lives.

In short, we run the very real risk living a life of regret.

3 WAYS TO MAKE CHANGE (ESPECIALLY WHEN IT’S “UNNECESSARY”)

1. Determine what will add value to your life.

Think about it, what does a ship absolutely need to stay afloat? I’m not a mariner, so I can’t exactly say. . . but what I can tell you is that ships don’t absolutely need lighthouses — but they sure do help!

When it comes to acting on inspired ideas, it’s easy to trick ourselves into thinking we don’t really need to do them, but that’s like a ship ignoring the beacon of light on a rocky shore.

Just like a ship at sea, everything outside of our most basal human needs, isn’t a necessity to “keep us afloat.” Essentially, all we really need to sustain life is clean air to breathe, food to eat, water to drink and rest to sustain us. After the basics, everything else simply adds or detracts value to/from our lives.

Which begs the question: How much value do you want to get out of life?

You get out what you put in. Approach your life with intent, courage, faith and hard work, and you’ll reap the beautiful value those sacrifices provide. That’s the way our strange world works.

C.S. Lewis explained this principle beautifully when he said,

“Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art…. It has no survival value; rather it is one of those things which give value to survival.”

2. Swing the bat.

Give your idea a chance. You’ll never hit a home run (or a base hit for that matter) if you don’t swing.

Take comfort in the words of Babe Ruth,

“Every strike brings me closer to the next home run.”

The thing about change is that, regardless of what we do (or don’t do, for that matter) the world is changing all around us. The good news is that as the world changes, new opportunities arise. In an ever changing world, opportunities come at you like balls from the pitcher’s mound — it might be a curve ball: swing anyway.

3. “The man who moves a mountain begins by carrying away small stones.”

Confucius said that.

Smart man.

Some “unnecessary” changes can feel like a looming mountain to climb.

But remember, Rome wasn’t built in a day — and your beautiful life of intent won’t be either.

What is one small, “unnecessary,” thing can you do today?

Hint: As Confucius advised, simply start with that small stone that is right in front of you.

Want to win at life and business with your next unnecessary change?

I’ve created an online course that I’m giving to you free today (sells for $2,766) for putting yourself into the IDEAL SELF-START MODE, immediately. Follow this course and your life will become more productive and happy.

Get the free course here!