The following is an excerpt from my book Always Forward! Discover the 7 Secrets of Sales Success
Take the time to reflect. Gain perspective from the reflection and find the voice that compels you to do what you must to move forward in 2016.
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Words that fill the pages of books are just words—action is the stuff that happens between the spaces. In life, you can passively participate, observe from the sidelines, or actively engage to change the game.
Life is to have fun, and games are fun if you play them well. Sometimes people get too serious, which makes them play small; you need to put yourself out there, lighten up a little bit, and make it fun. Life is a game worth playing, learn to play it well.
Engagement is a participatory sport that demands we put ourselves in play, get in the game, face our fear, go forward, strive, and achieve. Before we can embrace the emotion of happiness, we must face the emotion of fear. How we respond and adapt to fear will strengthen our resolve in the present as it grows our resistance to it in the future. If we fear to risk, we lose the chance to obtain anything of worth. The victories are earned by those who engage in the game, run the risk of failure, and cash the emotional and physical checks from the reward of successful participation.
Remaining on the sidelines in life makes existence a spectator sport. It will be up to us to decide which risks are worth the rewards. For me, it would be fun to drive in a Formula One race, play quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers in an NFL game, or, racket in hand, be Centre Court at Wimbledon—but, for the record, I’d rather be a spectator at a bullfight.
