At the age of 22, I stepped off the edge of a second story balcony. I woke up in an emergency room surrounded by a swarm of doctors.
They feared the worst; broken spine, paralysis, internal bleeding.
But when the X-rays, cat scans and blood work came back, something happened that shocked everyone…
I was fine.
I didn’t have any broken bones, there was no internal bleeding and I walked out of the hospital a day later with barely even a scratch.
Now I don’t know why I was kept alive that night, but I do know that facing death at the age of 22, left me with more questions about life than ever before:
Is this all there is? Are we meant for something greater? How can we all live our dreams? What’s the secret to happiness?
I packed a bag, bought a one-way ticket and set out to discover the answers.
Then, I traveled to over seven different countries and talked to 24 experts on wealth, happiness, success and abundance.
(By the way, it was featured in the Top 10 Law of Attraction Movies list).
I sat down with everyone including the late Bob Proctor (The Godfather of self-development) to Shawn Achor, a Harvard instructor, and Oprah’s go-to happiness expert.
On that journey, I learned a lot, but there were 3 keys that stood out above the rest!
I’ve since come to call these:
I know, I know, you’ve heard it a thousand times, from your mother, society and your friends, “Be grateful for what you have.”
It was something I had heard all my life. However, I never understood its power until recently.
After talking with Shawn Achor, author of The NY Times bestseller, “The Happiness Advantage” he showed me how gratitude can literally change your life.
Everyday take out a piece of paper and think of 5 things you’re grateful for.
Things that took place in the last 24 hours. Then, write down as many details about those events as possible.
Example: Ran into a friend at Starbucks!
The more details you write down the better! Soon, your brain will become laser focused on positivity and begin to scan your world for similar things in the future!
According to Shawn it takes 30 days to permanently rewire your brain for happiness.
Here’s why that’s super important…
The happier you are, the more creative you are.
Happiness leads you to be a better problem solver, more productive, more successful and in the end helps you create abundance faster!
Even big companies like Apple and Google tap into this “happiness advantage” to give their employees the edge over their competition.
Thus, they have ping pong tables in the hallway and gourmet chefs preparing free lunches.
Once again, I know what you’re thinking, “How is giving away stuff going to help me get more stuff?”
I agree it seemed a little crazy to me too.
This principle was explained to me by star of ‘The Secret’, Joe Vitale.
As I stepped into his office for our interview, I found myself surrounded by hundreds of guitars!
Being a guitar freak myself, I recognized everything from $1,000 Gibson’s to $100,000 custom builds.
As my eyes lit up, I asked: “How did you get all these guitars!?”
He replied, “By giving them away.”
I was perplexed, “If you give your guitars away, how do you have so many?”
He smiled and said “Riley, the only way to get more of something is to give it away to others.”
I was skeptical at first. It all sounded a little “woo-woo” to me, but once I tried it out for myself, I never looked back!
Giving is now a huge part of my life!
I pay for cars behind me in the drive-thru, I buy sandwiches for the homeless, and I tip my servers 100%!!
And yet no matter how much I give, I always seem to receive more and more in return.
When I first heard this, I didn’t really understand… After all, what’s the difference?
Turns out, a goal is a dream with a deadline.
How many times have you had the greatest idea in the shower? The best song in your head? Or the next great American novel dancing around in your imagination?
Now, how many of those have you actually manifested into reality?
Unfortunately, if you’re like most people, your BIG idea, to BIG creation ratio may be a little lacking.
And generally, that’s because you haven’t given yourself a goal or a true deadline.
Without those, your pesky friend “procrastination” might just steal those dreams from you.
I waited until I almost lost my life before I finally took action on my big dream to travel the world and talk to my heroes!
Don’t make the same mistake, start today!
