Amazing Things Will Happen E-Book

C. C. Chapman

• Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
• Kategorie: Fachliteratur
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 139

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2012

Beschreibung

Work hard, be kind, and amazing things will happen Amazing Things Will Happen offers straightforward advice that can be put into action to improve your life. Through personal anecdotes from the author's life, and interviews of successful individuals across several industries, this book demonstrates how to achieve success, in all aspects of life, through hard work and acts of kindness. Split into five sections, this book details how to begin the self-improvement journey. * Explains how to cope with the situation you are currently in, and how to make the most of it until you can break free * Shares exercises and practices that can help define your goals and how to set realistic tasks to reach them * Helps you to navigate the seas of doubters and obstacles to get to where you want to be * Ensures that you help others, once you have reached your goals Each of us has different goals in life, but everyone wants to succeed, and have as much fun as possible along the way. Amazing Things Will Happen shows how to get on this path to success.

Leseprobe

Contents

Acknowledgments

You Choose the Path to Follow

Preface

Short On Time, But Still Crave Amazing Things?

Why a Guide?

Introduction: My Journey So Far

Chapter 1: How to Be a Passion Hit

Chapter 2: Trust Your Gut

Chapter 3: Take Stock

Chapter 4: Knowing When to Move On

Chapter 5: The Power of Writing It Down

Chapter 6: The Three-Word Exercise

Self

Circles

Amazing

Chapter 7: The Magic of Turkey Pot Pie

Chapter 8: Don’t Let the Seagulls Get You Down

Chapter 9: Simplify, Focus, and Attack

Simplify

Focus

Attack

Chapter 10: Everyone Has Excuses

Chapter 11: No More Saying, “I Can’t”

Chapter 12: Stop Talking; Start Doing

Chapter 13: Risk Can Be Scary; Embrace It and Move Forward

Chapter 14: Quitting Is Always an Option

Chapter 15: Know What You Hate and Then Don’t Do It

Chapter 16: With a Little Help from Our Friends

Chapter 17: Life Is Too Short for Bad Wine

Chapter 18: Be a Duck

Chapter 19: To Each Their Own . . .

Chapter 20: Forget Skipping Pebbles; Throw a Boulder!

Chapter 21: Living the Road Less Traveled

Chapter 22: Focus on the Flame

Chapter 23: Learning to Say No

Chapter 24: Have a Small-Town Mentality

Always Say, “Good Morning”

Talk to Strangers

Learn People’s Names and Then Use Them

Develop a Reputation

Help Your Neighbor

Be Involved in the Community

Chapter 25: Workshifting

Chapter 26: Rules Are Like Rubber Bands

Chapter 27: Beer and Coffee

Chapter 28: Hallway Magic

Chapter 29: Celebrate Success of All Sizes

Chapter 30: Learn from Failure, But Don’t Seek It Out

Chapter 31: Don’t Let the Asshats and Ankle Biters Get You Down

Chapter 32: Can You Idle Well?

Chapter 33: Giving Back and Gratitude

Chapter 34: Play in the Rain

Chapter 35: The End and the Beginning

Appendix: Dangerous Books

Cover image: Tree © Classix/iStockphoto

Cover design: C. Wallace

Copyright © 2013 by C.C. Chapman. All rights reserved.

Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey.

Published simultaneously in Canada.

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data:

Chapman, C. C., 1973-

Amazing things will happen : a real-world guide on achieving success and happiness /C.C. Chapman.

p. cm.

ISBN 978-1-118-34138-4 (cloth); ISBN 978-1-118-42010-2 (ebk); ISBN 978-1-118-41662-4 (ebk); ISBN 978-1-118-43411-6 (ebk)

1. Success. 2. Self-realization. 3. Happiness. 4. Conduct of life. I. Title.

BJ1611.2.C475 2013

650.1—dc23

2012036998

For Dylan and Emily,

I hope these words prove to be a valuable travel companion as you find your own roads less traveled.

Acknowledgments

Being an author is a beautiful way to make a living, but it is not something that you can ever be successful at on your own. There are always people along the road who help you, and I want to make sure I thank them all.

To every fan, follower, homefry, manager, mentor, and friend, I say thank you. I could never list you all individually, but know that I am grateful for every one of you who has crossed my path over the years.

To my team at John Wiley & Sons, Inc. who saw this book as more than a simple idea and supported me from day one. Shannon, your blunt honesty and challenging thoughts made the book better than I first imagined.

Ann, I missed having you as my copilot on this journey and I look forward to our next adventure together.

To my acorns and squirrels who are always there when I need a nudge of encouragement and a laugh to push through the hard times.

Jane, Clarence, Steve, and JC, you all push and support me at every turn. Whenever I question the direction I’m moving in, a quick chat with any of you confirms if I’m going the right way or not.

Dad and Mom, although you may not fully understand what I do on a daily basis, I know that you love and support me no matter what. You helped me grow into the man I’ve become, and I can never thank you enough.

Dylan and Emily, you two are how I judge if I’m doing the right things in life. Watching you mature into the young adults that you’ve become reminds me that I’ll leave the world a better place than I found it.

Laura, you are my best friend, and I couldn’t live the life I do without you in it. I’m so glad you started that tape fight so many years ago and that we’ve tickled and teased each other ever since. Now and always.

You Choose the Path to Follow

Welcome to Amazing Things Will Happen.

The following pages are filled with advice, thoughts, and experiences that you need to take to heart if you want to live a happier and more fulfilling life. They are a collection of lessons I’ve learned from my experiences and that have been given to me from a variety of people I’ve met throughout my life. They’ve served me well and will assist you to move forward in your life.

The smartest people are lifelong students—always learning from those around them and never believing that they know enough. Although our education system may believe that we can learn only from books and in classrooms, the truth is that everything around us is a classroom. To be a better person, you should never stop experiencing and learning new things.

How you get from where you are now to where the amazing things begin to happen is up to you. This is a guide to get you jump-started, push you forward, and motivate you to find your own path.

Preface

You need to know up front what this book is and, more important, what it is not.

People say that the way I live my life inspires them. I had always just sort of shrugged this off with a giggle or a gracious nod and moved on to other things. But as more people told me this, I became inspired to share my approach with the world in the hopes that it helps change others’ lives as well.

For years, my podcast Managing the Gray has been an outlet to share my diverse knowledge about everything from online marketing to advice on how to have a more successful career. The more listeners commented and reacted to what was said, the clearer it became that focusing on self-improvement, achieving your goals, and living a happier life was what they were most interested in. This book grew out of that show.

This book takes the knowledge I’ve accumulated over the years and shares it with you. It isn’t a life guide, a coaching playbook, or a be-happy-quick manual. It is my personal approach and thoughts on life straight from the heart.

Although many people get lucky, most people who have found a successful balance of life and work have done so through lots of hard work. Life rarely will hand you something without requiring you to put in the time to earn it. You have to do the work!

The words of encouragement and inspirations shared are meant to push you in the direction of which you’ve always dreamed. Perhaps you will decide to pursue your dreams, change career, make a difference in the world, or follow your passions wherever they lead. A large part of success also calls for taking risks that don’t always pay off. You don’t get to walk on the path of amazing if you are too scared to risk a bit.

I don’t promise the world, but I do promise that if you work hard, stay true to yourself, be a good person, help others, and listen to those around you, amazing things will happen.

Short On Time, But Still Crave Amazing Things?

The reality of reading is that most don’t make enough time for it.

For those of you who are short on time but still want to learn from this book, I’ve made it easy for you. Sure, it is cheating a bit, but I’d rather you think of this condensed overview as a little lifehack instead. Hopefully when you have time, you’ll come back and read the full thing.

The ideas for this book began forming as my children grew older and began asking lots of questions about their future. Combine that with the constant stream of questions from others asking how to live a happy and fulfilling life and I knew I had to get this book out into the world.

Many people want more money, a new job, or a happier relationship, but they are not willing to put in the time and work to make any of it happen. Those people drive me nuts. There are so many get-rich-quick schemes out there that I wanted to create a road map that people could actually use to achieve their dreams successfully.

Amazing things happen only if you work hard—really hard. And they happen only if you are good to others. No one can do it alone, and it is the people around you who are going to help make your success happen. When you are kind toward others, they will return the kindness to you. Listening and kindness are two skills that don’t get taught in school, yet they are crucial for you to succeed in any capacity.

Life is short. You never know if you’ll be given tomorrow, so get out there and make the most of it. At its heart, that is what this book is about.

If all these pages were summed up into a single paragraph, they would say:

Amazing Things Will Happen makes it clear that once you figure out what you want out of life, if you work very hard, day in and day out, you can make it happen. But you have to be a good human in addition to doing the work. As you achieve success, never forget to be kind to others. Help those who need it and share everything you’ve learned with all who ask. Follow these principles in your life, and amazing things will happen.

Still not condensed or short enough for your busy life? I can condense it even further:

Amazing Things Will Happen is a guide to living a good life.

Why a Guide?

Life doesn’t come with an instruction manual. Humans are too much of a mixed bag for it to be that easy.

Each of us must find the stories, books, inspirations, and people who inspire us. Those who give you a kick in the right direction or guidance on big decisions.

As such, I’m sharing the words of wisdom that have been shared with me over the years from various intelligent individuals, as well as some words of wisdom I’ve discovered on my own. Hopefully, these words will speak to you and in turn inspire you as they have me.

If it were as simple as X + Y = A Happy Life, then the world would be a much happier place. And although these words are meant to help each of you, this book can only guide you forward; it cannot give you specific directions.

The path for each of us is unique, and it’s up to you to find the way.

How you use this book is up to you.

I’ve divided the book into rough sections, with the hopes that you can pick and choose what is most impactful to you. The sections are as follows:

1. Telling the Tale

This is where we are right now. Every house needs to be built upon a solid foundation. Once we’ve established a few essential things, the real fun begins and we can take steps toward making your life more enjoyable.

2. Taking Stock

If you are going to make changes, you first need to identify where you are now and where you want to be. Many people are able to recognize that they must make changes, but they are not sure what to do next. Looking over the edge of a cliff into the unknown below never comes without fear. Some choose to enjoy the view and never take the plunge. But the wise will minimize any dangers they might encounter before jumping in with anticipation.

Taking risks can be immensely rewarding, as long as you are informed of and prepared for the outcomes. And this section is going to ensure that you are.

3. Time for Change

Once you’ve prepared for the big change, it is time to do it. Often, this is when the most obstacles and challenges will arise. It is easy to question if you’ve made the right decision, but the tips in this section will give you plenty to think about to keep pushing forward.

No one enjoys change, but it is a crucial part of finding and doing what you love in life, so it’s important to face it and push through your fears.

4. Taking the Road Less Traveled

There isn’t a single path that everyone can use to reach the goals they seek. We each make our own success, and that can come only after a lot of trial and error. But the sooner you realize that the journey is part of the enjoyment, the more fun your adventure will be.

There have been plenty of books written about making the decision to do what you love, but not enough has been written about fully enjoying the time once you get there. Be sure to come back to this section for inspiration if you get stuck along the way.

Are you ready? Let’s go!

Introduction

My Journey So Far

I was born on December 19, at Dartmouth-Hitchcock hospital in Hanover, New Hampshire. My parents had recently graduated from high school and would marry shortly after. They were not financially or emotionally ready to have a child, but through sacrifice and the help of their families, they made it work.

We moved around a lot when I was little, eventually settling in Upper Valley, New Hampshire, which is small-town America at its finest.

It is a slice of America where everyone knows everyone and where some of your high school teachers taught your parents. Every day your path crosses with people to whom you give a knowing nod as you go about your day.

Growing up, I always had tons of energy, and wearing a T-shirt that read, “Look out, here comes trouble,” was standard uniform. After my two sisters were born, they gave me new outlets in which to use my energy. I got grounded a lot for doing stupid little things to torment them.