
                          DON'T JUST SIT THERE!
                              TAKE A RISK!

Right now you're sitting there, writing the story of your life.  Are
you writing yourself in as a flopping bowl of Jello, letting the world
dictate how your story is going to go, or are you writing yourself in
as the hero who overcomes all the obstacles to win freedom, fortune and
fun?  The choice is up to you.  You are holding the pen.

The ability to take risks is the biggest difference between the person
who is building all life full of passionate experiences, and the person
who is reliving the same dull memories day after day.

Look at your life up until now.  What stands out?  It's not the times
you played it safe doing just what was expected.  No!  It's the times
when you took a risk.

Why not start making some of those memories today?  It's easy.  All
you have to do is force yourself to take those first scary,
uncomfortable steps.  No matter what kind of risk you want to take
-- whether it's starting up an exercise program or quitting your job
and moving to Tahiti -- the hardest part is getting yourself going.
It's much easier to come up with a couple of good excuses for why
you shouldn't start today.

Excuse #1:  "I'm too busy now!"
-------------------------------
What a beautiful excuse.  One size fits all.  It doesn't matter what
you want to do, you just don't have the time right now.  But when are
you going to ever have more time?  You will only have less. Every day
gone, is gone forever.  Waiting for free time is like waiting for an
empty spot to open up in the middle of your bathwater before you climb
in!  It's not going to ever happen!  If you want to start something
new, just start doing it!  Then let your less important activities
naturally spill out of the tub.

Excuse #2:  "There's something in my way!"
------------------------------------------
Another internationally famous excuse widely accepted in over 10
million situations.

If you're married you can blame it on your mate for taking up all of
your free time.  If you're single you can blame it on not having enough
love and support.

If you have a job you can say "I'm too busy now, if only I worked for
myself then I'd have more time." If you work for yourself you can say
"I'm too busy trying to make ends meet, if I had a 9 to 5 job, I'd have
more time."

If you don't have a lot of money, you can say "If only I were rich, I'd
take more chances." If you are rich, you can say "If only I didn't have
so much to lose, I'd take more chances."

There are a million "if only's." If you think you'll start writing a
book when you quit your job, that's just an excuse.  Because when you
when you quit your job, you'll be too busy worrying about something
else!  The right time to start writing a book is today. Just take 30
minutes to write the first page.

Excuse #3:  I'm not in the mood right now!
------------------------------------------
Do you feel too tired, lazy or depressed to start something new?
Nothing will make you feel better faster than starting on something
that has meaning to you.  Inaction just breeds more apathy.  The we way
to break out of the cycle is to take the first step.  Even if that
means forcing yourself to make a phone call, join a club, or get some
exercise -- you will have much more energy once you get going.

Excuse #4:  I'm afraid I'll fail!
---------------------------------
You're not the first.  Look at almost every successful person, and
you'll find a history riddled with failure right up until the day they
struck gold.  Suddenly that's all everyone sees!  But failure was their
path to success.  If you're not making any mistakes then you probably
aren't growing very much.  Mistakes are not your enemy. Apathy is. When
you make mistakes you learn that you will always survive them. And once
you realize that it's okay to blow it, you stop putting your life on
hold, waiting endlessly for the perfect time to take a risk. You learn
how easy it is to grab hold of your life just as it is, and make it
work for you.

Excuse #5:  I don't know where to begin!
----------------------------------------
If you're afraid to try something new because you don't know enough
about it, just begin anywhere.  Do something -- anything!  You'll find
out soon enough if you're headed in the right direction.  All you need
to get started is to reach out just a little bit.  If you stand there
looking down at the pond and never lower your bait because you don't
see any fish, you're never going to catch anything! You need to lower
your bait into the water and then the answers will come. Make a phone
call, buy a book, enroll in a class, just break your deadlock. The path
will be revealed as you travel down it.

Excuse #6:  I don't know which path to take!
--------------------------------------------
Should you become a novelist or a chiropractor?  Should you save for a
house or a vacation?  Just start moving down either path.  Take a small
step and check out the view from there.  Any path.  Take a small step
and check out the view from there.  Any path you take is far better
than standing in the middle of the road wasting your life away! And
don't spend a lot of energy worrying that you might have chosen the
wrong path.  What's ten times more important is taking whatever
decision you make, and making on you make, and making it work for you.

What risks would you like to take?  What excuses are holding you back?
Are you wasting more time and effort making excuses, than if you just
went ahead and did the thing you really wanted?  Every week you put off
your dreams is a week you will never be able to enjoy them.

We are often like tremendous rockets of potential, stuck on the
launch pad, waiting endlessly for enough fuel for lift off.  But the
thing is, you don't need that much fuel!  All you need is just a
couple of drops to take the first small step.  From there, you start
generating your own fuel.  Then, with each sequential move you gain
momentum and it gets easier and easier to reach your destination.

Our world is in desperate need of more people who have discovered their
unique talents, and then go out and share them with others. Every
untapped talent is a gift wasted forever.  Where are your talents? Are
they lying unused?  If so, then this is where you should be taking your
risks.  Tapping into your potential is the most fulfilling risk you can
ever take.  Don't waste your time taking foolish risks that just
impress other people.  Take the risks that will bring you (and the
world) the greatest gain.

Let no excuse stand in your way.  Stop waiting for your circumstances
to change; it's up to you to change your circumstances You are writing
your life story each passing day.  Do you secretly know that you could
be doing better?  Look at the blank pages that lie ahead. Are you going
to write a brilliant story to share with the world, or are you going to
fill it with empty words that will soon be forgotten? It's up to you,
this is your story.  What risks are you going to take?

By Joan Gale Frank
====================================================================
This article is copyright 1993 by Joan Gale Frank and contains
excerpts from INSTANT GUTS!  a 70 Minute audio tape produced by Big
Mouth Publications.  For more information on INSTANT GUTS!  or to
order copies, write to Big Mouth Publications, 4104 24th Street,
#380, San Francisco, CA 94114., or call (415) 826-4703.  Copies of
this tape can be obtained for $10.95


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