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I was talking with a friend today and he started telling me how a very serious health scare had gotten him to rethink his life, he was re-evaluating a few things and taking out more time to enjoy himself - and to look after his health better.
That made me think - I have never been too serious with my life, I have always been out there enjoying it "too much" but how many people are trapped in their lives waiting for the day when they will really live?
How many people will go to the grave never having even lived yet?
I used to see them everyday when I managed to work in an office for a whole 4 months, guys, friends and co-workers who wanted more than anything to break free and live a fulfilling life doing the things they wanted to do.
I remember in a meeting once to get to know each other the senior technician asked us to tell where we would like to be in 5 years. The fellow before me jokingly said sitting by a pool with a hot blonde girl sipping Pina Coladas. Everyone giggled.
Then they asked me, I replied "Well I have just done that for the last 2 years, sitting by the pool with a hot blonde, which is why I am here now getting serious about a career. Oh yes, but we drank Screwdrivers or Champagne, not Pina Coladas"
Everyone stopped and looked at me, it seems even then my life was like a dream to most of these guys. I ended up leaving that job to go film a TVC in India for the Pepsi Corporation, my boss would not give me time off so I had to quit. End of that career.
Another time a friend and stunt woman that I met on set at the Manthing movie invited me to a party with a group of her friends. She informed me that there was a wild party on Friday night, it's dress up, we are going as Charlies Angels, do you have anything to wear? Yes my wrestling outfit.
So Friday night we arrive at the party, invitation only costume party, myself, a guy in a bad 1960's safari suit and hair and 3 of the hottest athletic girls you have ever seen, in the smallest skirts and the tightest tops.... stunning. I even said to my friend "If I knew you looked this good I would have hit on you".
So at the party the doorman asks for our invites Milly tells them we don't have any but we came dressed up for the party. The doorman sends his buddy upstairs to get the organiser, he heads downstairs sees us all dressed up and not only invites us in but takes our phone numbers to invite us to all his future parties.
We go upstairs and find out very quickly was he was so excited. The party was for Telstra (Ex-government owned telecommunications company, think BT or AT&T) middle management. Everyone was dressed in grey and the most anyone else dressed up was a little cat mask that went around her eyes, some of the other more daring types wore sunglasses. Two of them had even changed into hawiian shirts. Wow! talk about fancy dress parties.
I was wearing tight fake leather pants with red tassles down the legs and a fake leather vest with red trim and a big red 7 on the back - my pro wrestling costume.
So we hit the party pretty hard, livening things up, having a ton of fun, 2 more of our group turned up a little later both guys, both dressed up as much as we were and both from the Australian Navy's Elite Force - Clearance Divers. A lot of these cross over into the SAS and they are just as trained. For American readers think your best military force combined with your best spies, combined with your best athletes. These guys are not good they are THE BEST.
After a short talk about the terrorist training they were currently undergoing - rappeling down elevator shafts, blowing the roof of the elevator and taking out dummy enemy while not injuring live 'hostages' in one take with no stuff ups and live ammo - they said it was a nice change to being dropped several km out in the ocean and swimming into harbours at 2am in the morning to plant 'bombs' on other manned and alert navy vessels.
It also turned out that an old flatmate from Newcastle had joined thier unit. Chris! Last I saw him he was working as an aluminium salesman at a wholesale depot. He left saying "What do I have here? Job security? So I can end up like my Boss? I'm going to join the navy so I can do something exciting"
And he did.
Walking around a bit more I started talking with a lady, who by the grey suit and super straight appearance was middle management. She started out by asking me "Who are you dressed as?"
"Me" I smiled broadly
"What do you mean?" She inquired
"I am a professional wrestler, we travel Australia doing wrestling shows and I also work in movies, that is where I met my friends with me tonight - on the Manthing horror movie we just finished"
She went quiet for a moment and sort of stared off into space.... then softly "Wow, your life is like a fantasy dream"
I am not bragging about how great my life is, because there are plenty of things not good about it - like my current apartment and living conditions.
What I am doing is explaining through personal experiences what life can be like if you want it. You can do whatever you want in life, there is no one stopping you except yourself.
Life can be an adventure if only you allow it to be.
Maybe you have not thought about it before, but is your life now what you expected when you were 10 years old and Uncle Dave asked you "What do you want to be when you grow up?"
Is your current life your fantasy dream come true, if not why not? What is stopping you?
"My mother wouldn't like it" - leave the country, she cannot physically force you to do what she wants
"I'm married and have kids" - an even better reason to go out and be the best you can be for your wife and family "I can't stop drinking or doing drugs" - then the time to seek addicton rehab is right now
"I'm too old" - yeah so is Sean Connery, but he is still voted into Sexiest man alive competitions
Whatever reason you have I can offer a counter to it. Don't let excusitis get in your way.
Imagine this - you have been diagnosed with an incurable rare disease, you will be perfectly health until 3 months from now then you'll drop dead.
What would you do? What things would you want to try? Where would you like to go? What would you have to say to those close to you before you went? Close your eyes and think about all the things you would have to fit into the next 3 months.
No, I mean it, close your eyes and just think about it for a minute.
...
...
...
Now write down the things you have to do.... AND START DOING THEM. What happens if you are hit by a bus tomorrow and you never get to do any one of these dreams.
Life is not long, you do not have to be trapped by your current circumstances, you have to make life the way you want it.... little by little.
Start today, start doing those things you have always wanted to do.
Please for your own sake.
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