+ i EDITED BY SALLY SHIELDS & DR. KENT GUSTAVSON AMAZON.COM BESTSELLING AUTHORS TON Eiiiurs MOTIVATED auptences PROM COAST TO COASTTHE SPEAKER ANTHOLOGY — MOTIVATION “Even as we may outgrow some earlier marks of ourselves, we can take comfort knowing that we were always ourselves. And, like wine classics such as Bordeaux and Cote-Rotie, ‘often what we thought was pretty decent was only the beginning. The best is yet to come, — Wnuart Is Your Excuse? — by Esther Jacobs we WHAT IS YOUR EXCUSE? “I DON'T HAVE TIME OR MONEY...” “D'VE GOT RESPONSIBILITIES...” “THIS 15 NOT THE RIGHT MOMENT...” ‘MANY PEOPLE HAVE EXCUSES AS TO WHY THEY ARE NOT FOLLOWING THEIR DREAMS. I SAY: “WINNERS MAKE GOALS, LOSERS MAKE EXCUSES!” Follow these steps to stop giving excuses and start following your dreams. 1. Know What You Want and Communicate It If YOU don't know what you want, how are others going to know? So talk about it and you'll be amazed at the suggestions and help that will come your way. In the Netherlands, knew guy who was going to quit his job to sail around the world. When his employer, a large telecom company, found out, they refused to let him go and even offered to sponsor him fora year! Ifyou don't know exactly what you want, that’s okay. Sometimes you have a vague inkling, 6 you just know what you DON'T want. Ask yourself the following questions: + What would you do if you only had a limited time eft to live? + What if you won the lottery? + What have you always wanted to see or learn? + What location, activity or kind of people makes you happy? 2. Face Your Worst Fear What is the worst thing that could happen? And is that really so bad? Once you cross your own boundaries, you'll never be afraid again. = 202 ~THE SPEAKER ANTHOLOGY — MOTIVATION During my travels, I often get challenged. ‘Two years ago in Madagascar, I discovered that it was not possible to use my ATM or credit cards, so I was almost penniless. I had to travel south, but I had no money for a flight. A nightmare scenario! But then, some fishermen offered to take me along in their sailing boat, warning me that it could be more than one week’s travel, depending on the wind. It was a great experience. All day Isat in their tiny boat made of a hollowed tree trunk. At one point, my iPod was empty and all my to-do lists were made. Because I had nothing to think about, I reached an ultimate peace in my head. My participation on the Survivor television series was really about facing my worst fears. I was used to eating every two hours, was a vegetarian and not a group person at all. Being on Survivor with no food, having to catch, kill, and eat my own fish and live with other candidates, I had to cross many boundaries. But I learned a lot, and it brought me new adventures. 3, Start NOW! Don't wait for the ideal moment, when all circumstances are going to be perfect. That moment will never come, and your dream will never be realized. Take the first step NOW, and the next step will materialize. Any problems can and will be solved along the way. I sometimes use my Coins for Care project to illustrate this. In 2002, the Euro was going to replace the national currencies of 12 European countries. I came up with the following idea: What if I collected all obsolete foreign coins for charity? It sounded like a simple plan. But without money, resources, a network or relevant experience, it ‘was bound to become complicated—especially for a 28-year-old girl. I’m just triggered when people say something is impossible. Even in the most desperate situations, I see opportunities. I started this project without having a clue where it would lead. In the end, it led to 25 million dollars! 4. Work with What You Have Again, Coins for Care is a great example of how to achieve more with fewer resources. Coins for Care was a great idea, but because I had no office, money, contacts, and reputation, nobody believed that my plan was feasible. But precisely because I had to start from scratch, I was very resourceful. It may sound weird, but it really helps to start a project with NO budget. If you do have money available, you'll be thinking about what you can do with that amount. Having no resources, you'll have to think creatively, out- of-the-box. For example, when we needed 4,000 collection boxes to put in supermarkets and banks, we used transformed sewer pipes. We got sponsors to help with nearly everything. That worked because it was a charity project. But you'd be amazed how much you can get for free or very little if you just ask. Use the Internet to get in touch with people offering services and products. Be very specific about what you need and what you can offer in return. — 203 —THE SPEAKER ANTHOLOGY — MOTIVATION 5. Take Little Steps How do you eat an elephant? Bite by bite! I don't advocate that everyone should quit their jobs and live like me, but I do want to show that within your own context, you can always change things. For example, you could choose to spend your next holiday differently. Why not take the kids camping in South Africa? Thanks to the exchange rate, this trip could still be within your budget. I would encourage people to look at their options instead of limitations. Could you live in a smaller house so you have to work less? If you are not completely happy with your life, there are always possibilities to do things differently. It often helps to think in small steps. For example, if you have the dream of ever going to live in Mexico, you can start taking Spanish lessons. If you take the first step, then the next one often becomes clear. 6. Don’t Be Afraid to Fail Inour society, we learn from childhood to opt for security, not to risk takinga different path or to go for what we really want. We think we are safe because we save for our children’s studies, or we buy insurance against all kinds of things, but security is an illusion of the eyes; life is about taking risks. The only way to learn is by doing, even if that means failing ‘many times. That’s what happened to me, and [learned a lot! Think of it this way: wouldn't it be a shame if at the end of your life you were thinking: “I wish I had done this or that”? Wouldn't that feel more like failing? — RUNNING IN A PosITIVE DIRECTION — by Karl Gruber ee HAVING BEEN A RUNNER FOR MANY YEARS ALREADY, I WAS PRACTICING MY DAILY LIFESTYLE OF GOING ON MY MORNING RUN. This particular 7-mile run took place on a frigid, but clear and sunny, February morning, and took me through the gorgeous but hilly countryside in Hocking County in Southeastern, Ohio. I loved this course, which involved a combination of winding asphalt country roads, and a series of rough dirt and gravel back roads. It gave me an awesome challenge, and a great workout to start my day off on the right foot before I went to work. With my frosty breath visible before me as I charged up another hill, an idea came to me that would literally change my life in the long run: an idea that would hopefully make the world a better, healthier place. I would run 52 marathons in 52 weeks to raise money - 204 ~