How much do you value your friendships? Do you agree with George Eliot? Do you think of friends like a wellspring in the wilderness? Or do you consider the duties of friendship more like a muddy puddle you would rather avoid?
Today you will have a chance to write about your honest feelings regarding friendships. Think about how they affect your life. Journal your positive and negative thoughts on the subject. One person will consider friendship a chore, while another individual thinks of friendship as a precious gift. Once you get your thoughts down on paper, try to link instances in your life to your conclusions about friendship.
Some people have not had good luck with friendships. They are mistrustful of confiding in a new friend because they have been ill treated in the past. Others have used friendships like money in exchange for things they want. Their lack of consideration for the feelings of others soon causes people to avoid friendships with them.
After you have given a thorough report on your assessment of friendships, the next thing you should do is consider ways you might improve or change your views. Is there anything you can do that might increase the value of friendships in your life? Write down actions you can take to change. You are not allowed to consider how others might change. This is up to you. What can you do to improve how you handle friendships?
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Who do you think of when you see the word courage? Do you think of daring explorers like Ferdinand Magellan or Neil Armstrong? Maybe you think of people in history who had the courage to stand up for their beliefs like Chief Sitting Bull or Joan of Arc. You are just as courageous as those giants of history. All you have to do is give yourself a little push.
Your assignment today is not to become a superhero in world history. Your assignment is to give yourself a little nudge. Go somewhere you haven’t gone before. Do something that you’re not entirely sure you can do. Test your limits. You have the ability right now to be great. You can do that by stretching yourself just a little bit today. Then tomorrow you will do the same thing.
Heroes don’t often break through barriers in one push. They tap away at a roadblock until it crumbles. There are often numerous small failures before there is one huge victory. You have to be willing to put in the effort and continue tapping away at that wall.
Your assignment today is to push yourself. Don’t be happy with where you are. Test your limits, even if you do it timidly. Rewrite your big presentation one more time to make it even better. Spend an extra fifteen minutes at the gym. Interview for a new job that will really push your limits. Go just a little bit too far out on the ledge and see what the view is like.
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Dave was a successful entrepreneur. Within three short years he built his business from a workshop in his basement to a million-dollar enterprise. When asked about the methods he used to rocket to success, Dave smiled and gave a three-word answer:
“Reality Check Day.”
The interviewer looked at him suspiciously, but Dave went on to explain that he chose one day a week as Reality Check Day. He spent thirty minutes first thing in the morning on Reality Check Day (sually Monday), and he went through his calendar for the previous week. He wrote in his journal about his victories and also made a list of where he didn’t push hard enough. Then he took five minutes to close his eyes and concentrate on his breathing. He came up with short mantras, like “come hope,” “come innovation,” and “come God” to accompany his breathing technique. When Dave was finished with this exercise, he launched into the week with renewed energy and a resolve to push harder. It was an extremely successful technique and easy to do.
You may have already guessed your assignment. It is to give Reality Check Day a try for at least two months. Every Monday practice what Dave suggested and see if, at the end of the second month, you find you pushed a little harder and created a little more success in your life. Almost no one pushes hard enough, but you can become the exception one week at a time by incorporating this new habit.
