I never thought I would be writing this!
Much has happened this past year: My son got married, my Scottish friends have come to America for the twelfth year in a row (and thankfully have returned to their wet yet beautiful weather), my wife has had another birthday, I have been asked to speak in a number of fine locations for a number of fine organizations, I have ridden a zip line high over the beach in the Caribbean and I have managed to keep my weight below the danger line.
And still, just the other day, I heard myself saying to myself, “Mike, you are beginning to bore me.”
This, my friends, is the kiss of death. To “bore” oneself is a four-letter word. To “bore” somebody else is worse than a four-letter word.
I woke early this morning tossing and turning while thinking about this, and I just had to share my feelings with somebody. Who better than you?
We, (you and I) cannot become boring. We cannot allow ourselves to bore ourselves. The clichés are too abundant to start waxing poetic so I will spare you the grief. Okay–just one. “life is short.”
Since I write, speak, train and coach for a living, I sometimes thing that I have heard it all. But this feeling is dangerous. It is an early warning sign of bad things to come. How did this happen? More importantly, what can I do about it?
I have decided to respond in the only way I know how–to be more of myself, and to refrain from blindly practicing political correctness simply because that is the “easy” way to get through each day.
How about you? Are you beginning to “bore” yourself to tears as a result by playing by somebody else’s unfounded rules? No, I am not suggesting you become a jerk simply for the sake of making waves. Nobody likes a jerk. I am suggesting that you step out of your comfort zone to see exactly what lies beyond the imaginary boundaries you have so conveniently placed on yourself.
Go ahead. Ruffle a few feathers. Turn a few heads. Raise a few eyebrows. Put a little “juice” back in your life–both personal and professional.
My promise to you from this day forward: I will strive to become less boring.
In return, I would like you to promise me that you will slowly and gently move in the direction of making yourself laugh more while having more fun sliding away from the chains that are bonding you to the status quo.
Do we have a deal?
Get ready. Some non-boring suggestions are bound to be coming your way in future columns. I feel better already.
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You need this stuff whether you know it or not. If nothing else, it will help you to become less boring.
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