How to Jump for Joy After Joy Leaves Your Party

Article Title: How to Jump for Joy after Joy
Leaves Your Party
Author Name: Doug C. Grant
Contact Email Address: doug @dougcgrant.com
Word Count: 873
Category: Motivational/Inspirational
Copyright Date: 2002
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HOW TO JUMP FOR JOY AFTER JOY LEAVES YOUR PARTY

By Doug C. Grant

Ever hear this one?

"Man...this growing older stuff is the pits. Teeny bobbers
own the world. I mean you ever see an ancient of days
hustling soft drinks or flashy cars on TV? No way. Once you
get past 'young' you might as well hang it up. Joy is over."

Yeah, I know. You don't believe that. You don't ever want
to believe that. And there's no reason why you should. But
you may well have to perform a constant tune-up on yourself
once you start losing speed. Otherwise, you could find
yourself permanently parked in the pits.

It's a sneaky business. Every year you end up doing more
things for the last time and fewer things for the first
time. One day, you wake up and find that joy has left your
party.

Here's an exercise that will help you recover some of the
joy of life.

Consider for a moment that you have been given an
opportunity to roll the years back to age 20. Not only does
your youth return but with it comes a fat unending bank
account. Pretty nice, huh?

But don't waste the opportunity. On a sheet of paper, list
the things you would like to do or learn now that you're
young and rich. Remember, neither age nor money is a
problem. Start writing.

Would you like to learn to fly? Climb a major mountain?
Take up scuba-diving? Write a book? Start a newspaper?
Visit a foreign country?

Pull out all plugs. Soar over all obstacles. If you can
think it...write it! Don't let fear or the 'I'm just being
realistic' attitude stop you. Go ahead. Be unrealistic.
This is dream time, baby. Let it all out.

Don't take more than ten minutes for this part of the
exercise. That should be enough time to list all your major
dreams...plus any dreams you might have packed away years
ago.

Now...let's do some dream-scheming

Review your list and draw a line through any dream that is
simply physically impossible. For example, if you're fifty
years old, chances are a major league baseball team isn't
going to get excited about having you on the roster.

However, you may discover that you don't have to scratch
off very many dreams because of physical limitations.
Particularly if you ask yourself, "In what ways could I
make this dream come true based on my abilities today."

Next, put a star beside your all-time favorite. You know,
the special dream that really gets the passion juices
flowing. You and I are going to start today to make that
dream come true.

For example, maybe you always wanted to scuba-dive. Okay,
why not now? You're in reasonably good health and you can
always work on improving your health.

Decide now that you're going to make this dream a
priority. Don't dwell on the obstacles or what people might
say. You're going to make it happen.

Begin with three small steps.

On another sheet of paper list three steps you could take
right now, today, to begin moving you toward your dream.
Forget difficult. Forget huge. Think easy and think small.
The important thing is to begin.

For example, if learning to scuba-dive is your passion
dream, your first three steps might be:

1. Conduct a scuba-diving search on the Internet and
begin a Favorites File.
2. Check out a book on scuba-diving from the library.
3. Start a scuba-diving savings account. (Maybe you can
only afford to contribute a dollar. Doesn't matter. Start
it.)

What seemed impossible often becomes possible.

When you take your first step toward your dream...your
dream will take a step toward you. Don't ask me why or how
this happens. It just does. Call it a law of nature if you
want. But it works..

You will meet people, encounter circumstances, receive
unexpected monies...all pushing you toward your dream. Your
only job is to keep stepping forward with faith and
persistence.

And here's the bottom line.

It doesn't really matter whether your dream comes true or
not. Oh it will. Don't ever doubt it. But that's only a
fringe benefit.

What matters is that you're staying in the race of life.
You're hell-bent for a finish line. And when you're in the
race, you're growing. And that's important. Because if
you're growing, you aren't dying. It's a fact of nature.

Keep adding new dreams to your list.

Don't ever throw your dream list away. You may have to
modify it from time to time but keep it active. Once your
first dream is launched, start another. You might have two
or three going. Perhaps more. Just leave breathing room to
take at least a few action steps toward your dreams every
day. You want to maintain a forward momentum. Not create
stress in your life.

Once you realize a dream, move on.

Always have a few dreams working and a few more in the
wings ready to come on stage. The action steps required to
move you toward their fulfillment will add zest to your
days, years to your life and JOY to your spirit.

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