My Reality Check Bounced! - Jason Ryan Dorsey [5]
A DISTURBING TREND
All that led back to more conversations with people my age about what weighed most heavily on their minds.
In the last few years, those conversations took on a consistently disturbing tone. Smart people in their twenties from all walks of life were calling and e-mailing me with their frustration and discontent. They felt unexpectedly uninspired about their place in the world.
Their angst ran deeper than money, titles, and degrees. They were expecting the real world to bring them happiness, meaning, and purpose; but instead it brought confusion and second guessing.
This crisis hit close to home. I had been through this turmoil, and it led me to leave college and write my first book. That one big leap of faith put me on a course that has been inspiring and rewarding. But many of my friends and contacts were not feeling so lucky or confident. From the outside they looked okay, but inside they were slowly falling apart.
They dealt with their growing dissatisfaction in a number of ways: one-night stands, maxing out their credit cards, weekend drinking binges, moving in with Mom, changing jobs frequently, and questioning their previous decisions. Underneath it all, they felt unsettled and alone. I heard this story so many times, I felt I had to do something to help. I became intensely focused on addressing this twentysomething search for meaning.
HOW THIS BOOK WORKS
Each chapter of this book is packed with stories of real twentysomethings—plus a few older and a few younger—who have survived the ups and downs of life just like you and me. These are everyday people who have chosen to look deep inside their heart, mind, and soul to figure out who they are and where they are going. This questioning allowed them to have earth-shaking epiphanies that changed their life; the same thing can happen to you.
Walking a few miles in their shoes will stretch you in new directions, because they’ve dared to not settle, defied defeat, and broke free from the prison of indecision and insecurity. Looking at the world through their eyes, you can reap their gain without their pain. These stories will also serve as a reminder that you’re not alone but one part of a larger movement toward meaning, which is taking place around the globe.
Weaving the stories together are specific actions you can immediately use to escape from your restlessness. These actions will get you unstuck, on fire, and back in control. That’s why it’s necessary for you complete the interactive sections in the book as you read. (Yes, write in this book! Forget what your sixth-grade English teacher said, you bought this book so you have the right to write in it and make it your own!) The interactive sections are brief and a bit challenging, but the payoffs to you will be huge.
As a bonus, if you’re really ready to start getting more out of your life, I’ve included a few “Reality Check Challenges.” These challenges will push you to go to some places you may not want to go. But once you do, your perception, confidence, and direction will be transformed.
As Tiffany learned, feeling inspired about your life comes from taking responsibility for creating the life you want. This book contains the practical, real-world knowledge you’ve been looking for to get from where you are now to where you want to be. In your hands are the steps you need to take to make your life as fulfilling as you want. But only you can make it happen. Once you finish reading, you have a choice: either put it off until tomorrow or live like you mean it today. I vote you live it. Time will be on your side once you start making the most of what you have now.
* * *
INSTANT MESSAGE
You never realize how much control you have until you use it!
Right now is the right time to start living like you mean it.
Time is on your side once you act like today matters.
* * *
BOUNCED:
My happiness is out of my hands.
CASHED:
How I feel about my life is determined by how