Running along the sides of highways taught author and psychologist Paul Smith some important things about life.
He learned how to avoid being run over by trucks and became an expert on detecting the sounds trucks made as they changed gears going up or down hills.
"What gear is your life in at this very moment?"
Paul asked on p219 of his book 1001 Questions to Change Your Life.
Paul's perception on life is that to change speed as well as direction is to listen to those wake up calls.
Whether the call is a doctor's concern about blood pressure or a child asking for a hug.
How often do you change gears in life?
Paul recognises that "changing direction in life can be tricky" and that "dreams are essential in the pursuit of success".
But he believes that change is possible because life is full of second chances where first impressions are nowhere as important as last impressions.
So why not wake up your gears by doing the following change stimulus exercise, Paul challenges.
1. List five places you would like to visit in the next five years.
2. Name five people you will greatly help in the next five months.
3. Describe five positive changes you have made in your life and in the last five years.
4. List five skills you've improved over the last five years.
5. Describe five ways you'll be a better citizen of the world in the next five years.
When Paul challenges individuals to chase excellence with more enthusiasm, he often hears the verbal side step
"It's hard to do that" and his response?
Who is stopping you from changing gears?
