My Reality Check Bounced! - Jason Ryan Dorsey [13]
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Only a few of you are so committed to living your Future Picture that you will take on Reality Check Challenge 1. If you are one of those who will tour your dream home, manage a room full of lively kids, interview local business owners, or sit in on an unfamiliar religious service—you should be very proud of yourself. You have taken an important step toward proving to yourself how much control you have over your life and future.
If you were given a brochure after test-driving your dream car, pin it to a wall in your bedroom. If you received a thank-you note from the children or elderly persons you volunteered to help, keep it where you can read it if you begin to feel frustrated or underappreciated. If you sat in on a university class, make the university’s home page a favorite in your Web browser. Keep these mementos of the future that you want within reach, so you always have something to remind you of where you are going.
As you move closer to the future you think you want, you will become more certain of the future you really want. As your confidence grows in the direction you have chosen, so will your enthusiasm for the path you are taking. Be open to what most feels right to you, and you will get to what is most right for you.
From the familiar confines of his mom’s couch, Josh was able to see beyond his family photos and create a mental picture for his own future that was worth pursuing. This took him from feeling frustrated and confused to inspired and in control. Three years later, he lived the rewarding life he imagined. You will, too, once you harness the power of your own Future Picture.
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INSTANT MESSAGE
The future you want starts with a compelling mental picture.
The more details you add to your Future Picture, the more you will believe you can make it happen.
To bring your future to life try it on in the present.
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BOUNCED:
I don’t know what I want to do with my life.
CASHED:
My Future Picture is so enticing, I’ll do whatever it takes to live it.
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ONLINE: Hear Josh share more about making his big move to Atlanta at www.myrealitycheckbounced.com/book
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3
LIGHT YOUR FIRE
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Dreams reveal possibilities. Passion determines whether you live them.
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REALITY-CHECK MOMENT—
IS IT ALWAYS GOING TO BE THIS HARD TO GET OUT OF BED?
Many people I’ve talked to have problems coming up with their Future Picture; or once they do, they doubt they’ve chosen the “right” one. So they procrastinate, avoiding the path that would make them happy, or they get busy with a million trivial things rather than focusing on fulfilling their dreams. The longer these people choose to stay adrift the more helpless and empty they feel.
A few years ago, Ben found himself in this very predicament. He was seventeen and could not shake the depression that held him hostage through high school. His girlfriend had already attempted suicide. In deepening despair, he severed relations with his family. That led him to move into the nasty basement of a trashy bar in Manhattan. His new home had no windows, no comforts of any kind, just a makeshift six by eight room with a concrete floor converted from unused storage space. Roaches fought for every square inch.
An older friend, Leslie, recognized Ben’s downward spiral. She knew he needed direction and encouragement. She found him sitting alone in the basement and persuaded him to go for a walk. She said she had something important to show him.
She took Ben to the mammoth headquarters of the