Amazing Things Will Happen

A Real-World Guide on Achieving Success and Happiness

C. C. Chapman

• Publisher: Wiley
• Year: 2012
• Print ISBN: 9781118341384
• eBook ISBN: 9781118416624
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Personal Development
• Subtopic: Personal Success

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.

Chapter 1

How to Be a Passion Hit

Passion Hits are people who are able to make a living doing what they love.

You want to do what you love, or you wouldn’t be reading this book. You want to find a way to spend every day working on that single thing that fills you with glee thinking about it.

Those who decide to make their passion their work and keep pushing forward no matter what are Passion Hits, a play on the word passionate.

My official definition for my made-up word:

Passion Hit—(noun) A person who has discovered his or her true passion in life and found a way to make it his or her livelihood.

Most entrepreneurs are also Passion Hits. If you dedicate that many hours of a day to your business, you’ve got to be at least a little bit passionate about it. Sure, some do it only for the money or to solve a problem, but the successful ones are also the passionate ones.

They include people such as Jason McCarthy, who after bravely serving our country as a Green Beret wanted to start an American manufacturing company that could live up to military standards as well as the everyday traveler. He focused his energy on starting the GORUCK brand.

Ellen McGirt always had a love for finding, capturing, and sharing the stories of others. She has interviewed chief executive officers, U.S. presidents, celebrities, and regular people across the country. She is currently a senior writer for Fast Company magazine.

AJ and Melissa Leon wanted to work and travel together. They formed Misfit Inc. to make both a reality. They now live on the road and help make the world a better place with each new project their team takes on.

Zack Arias is a poster child for the fact that hard, constant work can make dreams come true. He is now one of the best professional photographers in Atlanta and beyond. His style of using only one light when shooting has grown into a series of courses that he sells himself and teaches around the world.

Chris Penn and Chris Brogan were not finding the level of interaction and teaching that they had hoped for at other conferences so they began PodCamp to create a forum for the interaction they wanted. Since that first event in Boston, people have hosted PodCamps around the globe that have educated and networked tens of thousands of people.

Each of these people has a unique story to tell, but every one of them exemplifies the values that a Passion Hit believes in.

I wanted as many people as possible to be inspired by these stories, so I started my Web series Passion Hit TV (http://www.passionhit.tv). I’ll be adding new stories there all the time, so be sure to subscribe, and if you have ideas of new Passion Hits that I should interview, you can e-mail me.

The hope and goal is that by the time you finish reading these pages, you’ll be inspired enough to set off on your own journey to be a Passion Hit doing what you love. Be sure to let me know how it goes!

Chapter 2

Trust Your Gut

You can read all the books, attend all the lectures, and listen to all the advice. But living the life you’ve always dreamed about comes down to one person making the decision to do so—and that person is you.

From the smallest decision about which way to turn when you’re lost, to the biggest decisions that affect your career and your family, you should always follow one rule that won’t lead you astray:

Trust your gut instinct.

You’ve been there before. You’re about to do something, and you get a feeling that perhaps you shouldn’t. This isn’t that little voice in your head warning of danger, but something much deeper and internal that feels like something is off. Likewise it is the feeling you get inside when an idea is so exciting that you know you have to act on it.

Ever read an e-mail with an offer that feels a bit too good to be true? Met someone at a cocktail party and instantly known that he was someone you need get to know better?

We all wish the feeling was always there, but it isn’t. It seems to come and go when it wants. But when it does show up, we must learn to listen to it.

Do you listen to your gut? Think back. Has it ever led you astray?

We all agree to do things we don’t want to do. We say no when we want to say yes because we worry about the possible repercussions. Perhaps there is something we’ve always wanted to do—have been dying to do even—but we don’t because we worry about what others might think.

Instead, trust your gut. Learn to embrace that feeling and go in the direction it tells you even if it isn’t the direction you were planning on going.

Chapter 3

Take Stock

There will come a time when you’ll feel the yearning to make a change in your life. Maybe you realize you aren’t as happy as you could be. Perhaps you want to do more with your life than what you are currently doing.

Mine came one day while I was commuting to work. It hit me that I wasn’t passionate about my job anymore.

You may feel like, whatever it is that you are doing in life, you want to do better. You may feel this way about your relationships, your career, or another aspect of your life that you realize isn’t where you would like it to be.

Many ignore these feelings and instead bury them in a deep, dark corner of their brain. Sometimes you have to do this. It is not always a great time to make a major life shift, and you should never blindly jump over the edge without careful thinking.

Before making any changes, you need to be sure that all of your bases are covered. Look at it from all angles. Do a solid review of your bills, income, and commitments so that you have a clear picture of everything in your life that may be affected. Play the Devil’s advocate and think about the worst things that could possibly happen if you were to make a change.

Nothing bad ever comes of being careful before moving forward. Taking that bit of extra time to be prepared is a good thing: be smart and move forward.

Chapter 4

Knowing When to Move On

Let’s face it; if you have a job of any sort, you are better off than some people.

Plenty of good, hardworking folks are out of work or struggling to get by, living in a paycheck-to-paycheck state of existence, which is neither easy nor desired by anyone. But living safe only for the sake of being safe is not any way to live a life either.

Life and happiness are about a lot more than only money.

Humans must get satisfaction on a regular basis to enjoy their lives. This applies to jobs, relationships, and daily life. You can tolerate going to the events that you have no desire to be at, or you can put in several months working on a project that drains you.

The key is being able to recognize when too long is too much and then moving on. You can stick something out for only so long if you are not happy doing it.

The universe has a funny way of knowing when you are going through difficult times. Ever been in a bad mood and the radio plays a song that fits your mood? That is what I’m talking about.

Counter to this, though, is that even if the universe knows you need a change, it is going to help you only if you let it and the world around you know that you are ready for a change. Explaining the magic of the universe is not something I’m prepared to do at this time, but I will teach you some ways to leverage its magical ways.

Once you’ve realized that a change is needed, the first thing you should do is let the people closest to you know about the unhappiness and explain that this is more than a typical “I hate my job” moment that we all go through. Let them know that it is draining you and that a change is needed.

Rather than assuming that they are going to instantly help, you must ask directly for help in order to receive it. Assuming they know how much you need their assistance is a dangerous approach. When you need help, always ask for it.

Although friends want to help you, many don’t want to feel like they are imposing on you by suggesting changes unless they are directly asked for their input.

Realizing that a change is needed is only the first step toward a happier life, and in many cases, it is the easiest one because all you need to do is accept that a change is needed and decide to move forward. Now the real work begins!

Chapter 5

The Power of Writing It Down

You should always have a small notebook on you.

I use Field Notes notebooks, but any small notebook that fits in your pocket, purse, or backpack will do. You should have it with you at all times.

If you ever meet me, I can promise you that I’ll have a notebook with me. It is a very rare occasion that I go out without having one with me. Sure, I have my phone and iPad with me and can make quick notes on those if I need to, but I find that nothing focuses me better or is quicker to go back and flip through than handwritten notes.

Once you have your notebook, be sure to put some form of contact information inside the front cover. I have yet to lose one, but I hope that if I did, whoever found it would take the few minutes to contact me; I can’t imagine my scratches are going to do much for that person, so why would he or she want to keep it?

Another trick that I’ve learned over the years is to date each notebook as well. Inside the front cover or on the first page, write the date you start to use the notebook. When you get to the end, it is always fun to look back to see when you started it. Plus, if you save the notebooks (and you should), it makes keeping them in order much easier.

I have to give special thanks to two close friends who showed me the way of the notebook: motivator Julien Smith and multimedia storyteller Clarence Smith Jr. were the first to push the idea into my head. We were sitting down over breakfast one morning when they started harping on the importance of always having one with you. If it wasn’t for these two men, I’m not sure I would fully appreciate how important a notebook can play in someone’s life. And I’m glad they pushed me to adopt it so that I can turn around and do the same to you.

There will be exercises throughout this book when you are encouraged to write in your notebook. Keep it handy as you continue to read. And remember, even after those exercises are done and you’ve finished reading this book, the power of writing down ideas, dreams, and goals in a notebook is an important one.

You can use your notebooks to jot down grocery lists, business ideas, or random doodles. Your notebook is a sacred place where no idea is a bad idea, so don’t censor yourself. You never know when an idea might hit you, and it is always better to write it down than to forget it.

There is something very powerful about writing something down versus typing it into a device. It forces you to think about the words, there’s no Delete key to hide the mistakes, and it’s instantly more tangible.

Do me a favor, please. If you ever come to a book reading or other event I’m at, hold up your notebook and show it to me. We’ll share a knowing nod and a smile. That would make my day.

Chapter 6

The Three-Word Exercise

I first heard about this focusing exercise from blogg...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Contents
• Title
• Copyright
• Dedication
• 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
• Chapter 7: The Magic of Turkey Pot Pie
• Chapter 8: Don’t Let the Seagulls Get You Down
• Chapter 9: Simplify, Focus, and 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
• 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