Get in the Car.

Just watch it.

People who know me know a little about my life philosophy. I want to try to share a little bit of it tonight.

Step 1 – Plan

My mother used to say that I was probably her messiest and her cleanest kid…. Actually that may just be what I thought she thought. Either way – I feel like I am still that way. I‘ve never been diagnosed with ADD or any other mental disorder (yet) but I definitely have a hard time focusing. The way I’ve learned to deal with it is with organization. 3+ years after my time as a missionary and I still do weekly planning. Now I do it in Microsoft Outlook. From outlook, my calendar and to-do lists upload to Google. From Google, they sync back to my other computer, my tablet, and my phone. I plan every assignment and due date, tests, and goals every semester during the first week after I get the syllabus. If it isn't on my to-do list or calendar, it does not exist. I’m meticulous. I try to plan for every deviation and try to be realistic in my goals.

If it is not in the plans – it doesn’t happen.

Step 2 – Take “the plans” and throw them out the window!

That’s right. Life is filled with raw emotions and untold experiences. Its too short to cage yourself in with plans until [I]

use and old age accept them and all chance of valor has gone beyond beyond recall or desire.

JRR Tolkien – and  yes – its LOTR

I wish people still talked like this. Not because I'm a fantasy geek, but because I don’t know if people really believe in adventure and valor anymore. In a time where the average Joe has never been able to do,see, or learn more – it sure seems like a lot of people are working really hard to stay ‘average’.

Every time I come up with one of my brilliant ideas – it has to pass a few criteria.

1. THE MOST IMPORTANT – Whether it goes well or horribly wrong doesn’t matter as long as there is a good chance I’ll get a good story out of it. My best experiences/stories in my life are when things are going horribly wrong. Its about adventure and grandeur. Do something big enough and crazy enough and your bound to get a good story out it.
2. MONEY DOESN’T COUNT AS AN EXCUSE – ok yes it is. But its an excuse far less than people make it out to be. Fact is – if you want to do something bad enough, there is nothing on earth that can keep you from doing it. Money should def NOT be a driving force in your life. Thinking back – you couldn’t pay me a dollar amount to give up some of the experiences I’ve had. Why should “thinking forward” be any different.
3. WHY NOT – If there is not a seriously good reason why NOT to do something your bound to have a good story from, then DO IT! “I’m tired. I have homework. It’s not in my 5 year plan.” All really lame excuses.

Fifty years from now, when you're looking back at your life, don't you want to be able to say you had the guts to get in the car?

Quite possibly the ONLY remotely smart thing said in this movie.

 

List

The following is a list of some of the things that I’ve done that have met the above criteria in the last few years. They’re not all huge but I have great stories about them all, money didn’t stop me, and I couldn’t think of a good reason not to (and even a few good reasons TO DO them).

Serving a Mission.

1. Summer Sales of Pest Control.
2. Trying out for American Idol.
3. Snowboarding/ Wakeboarding/ Surfing
4. Midnight drive to California from Utah.
5. Driving straight through to Texas from Utah.
6. Fugitive
7. Gingerbread Houses
8. Buying Motorcycles
9. Living in Peru

 

 

Lesson Learned.

I don’t have a fantasy life (lots of money and time to do whatever I want).

I do have some awesome stories to tell.