Читать книгу Living Big - Пэм Гроут - Страница 16

TO CHANGE YOUR LIFE: START IMMEDIATELY; DO IT FLAMBOYANTLY; NO EXCEPTIONS.

—William James

I know what you're thinking. You wanted to read a book, have something to stick on your bookshelf. But if you really want to live big, you have to take action. You have to do something.

In fact, the main problem with inspirational books (and, yes, that includes this one) is they're undertaken while sitting down. The only thing they require is mental activity.

Now, don't get me wrong. A rich, deep mental life is key number one to a big life. But once you start asking and answering the big questions, you can't help but stand up and actually be a bigger person. Living Big by definition means taking action.

But here's the good news. Boot Camp for the Soul, if practiced with discipline, is guaranteed to peel the calluses off your heart. It's guaranteed to modify any and all small-minded behavior. Follow the simple actions suggested at the end of each chapter for the number of days suggested and you'll be lifted once and for all out of worn-down old ruts.

As your drill sergeant, I must warn you: Boot Camp for the Soul has some pretty “in-your-face” requirements. At first, they might look, well, a bit outrageous. Yet, they're not. All of these Boot Camp exercises are things we should be doing anyway, things we shouldn't need a book to remind us of. Some of them will be sheer terror at first. I mean, who wants to break out of old patterns, especially if it means talking to strangers and embarrassing yourself in public? But I guarantee that if you follow through, dullness and boredom will melt away. Your life will become joyous and fun. You will become a PLB.

There's nothing the average person can't do. In fact, the big surprise is that the average person isn't doing these things already.

Nothing in Boot Camp costs a penny. None of it takes much time. You don't even have to get up at 0500 hours. All it takes is a slight bit of willingness to do some things that might be termed “out of the ordinary.”

But, hey, that's what we're sick of. Being ordinary.

Yes, I know you'd probably rather write some more affirmations, visualize some more goals, and speak some more positive thoughts.

But Living Big is a whole different brand of cereal. It's definitely not, as the commercials say, your mother's Oldsmobile.

But take heart. Once you break out, once you complete basic training, you will be so incredibly amazed at the “you” that you are that you'll wonder why you didn't do this ten years ago.

Trust me on this one. You will never he happier, more energized, or more sure about who you are. Great freedom comes in taking risks, stepping outside that tiny little line that society prescribes as “normal.”

So that's Living Big in a nutshell.

Might as well buckle your seatbelts. Or better yet. Unbuckle them. Unroll the windows. Scream out at the top of your lungs, “Hey world! Here I am! And I am ready to live B-I-G exclamation point!”

It's about time for the ride of your life.