Be Brave Not Safe

Another one of my favorite movie franchises is Die Hard. And, the latest installment, Live Free or Die Hard, is at the top of that list!

In that movie there are a couple of lines that I thought we’d play on, for this post.

The scene – The 2 main characters (John McClane, played by Bruce Willis, a Police Detective and Matt Farrell, played by Justin Long, a computer hacker) are on the city street, caught-up in the mayhem resulting from a domestic terrorist who has initiated a “fire sale”: an assault against the United States’ government, transportation, and economy by computer hackers. Any and all computer-based systems are the objective with the goal of destroying the modern day life of America.

The unlikely pair needed to decide their next course of action in an effort to prevent further chaos. Matt had a hunch as to the next step in the terror plot but needed access to a communications network to further investigate. Since the public communication networks were down, he decided to use his cell phone to hack into the satellite network. And, the following lines play out…

John McClane: How do you know all this stuff?

Matt Farrell: Dude I don’t know. There is a lot rattling around up there. I couldn’t tell you.

The point…

How many times have we been in a class (school or training), or working on an assignment in which we asked ourselves: Why do I care about this? Or, How/when will I EVER apply this in the future? All the while lamenting the fact that we may be wasting our time.

We must realize: Every minute of every day “can be” a learning experience, whether we know it or not.

Our powerhouse mind takes in information every waking moment of our life, storing it away for future reference. During this process, our brain sorts, sifts and makes connections between all the various data points we’ve stored. The result: we often experience epiphanies in which we seemingly / magically put 2 or more unrelated facts together and come up with an elegant solution to a problem or opportunity we are focused on in our personal or professional life. And, we are often unaware of the source of the information or how we pieced it together to formulate the brilliant idea.

I cannot tell you how many times I’ve been in a meeting or conversation with others in which we were discussing some vexing situation and I was able to share perspective that was, frankly, quite enlightening. Yet, after the words left my mouth, I’ve often said to myself: Dude, where did THAT come from? How did I know that?

I’m sure you’ve experienced the same thing – numerous times!

The reality: There is a lot rattling around up there, because of the input we’ve poured in day-after-day, week-after-week, month-after-month, year-after-year.

The lesson: we must never cease to take in new ideas via “quality” sources of information. You can decide what “quality” means to you. The point is that we should NEVER look down on a class (school or training) or work assignment thinking that it cannot serve us. If it has been assigned, there is a purpose. Take it in, perform the task and realize that at some point in the future you will (consciously or unconsciously) leverage that experience to advance your life.

An apt quote would be:

Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young.

~ Henry Ford

So, to pose the question that is the title of this post: How much is rattling around in your head?

We could all probably answer: not enough.

What can we do after acknowledging this? We can decide to keep pouring useful information into our powerhouse minds!

How can we keep pouring it in? Well, there are a number of EASY ways to do so:

• Read positive / constructive / teaching books at least 15 minutes EVERY day
• Listen to positive / constructive / teaching audio programs while driving
• Attend training classes (online or classroom) to develop key skills and abilities
• Seek out a mentor: an experienced person who has deep insight on life and/or in areas you are exploring

And, lest you think I’d leave you hanging, this site is FULL of suggestions for ALL of the above.

So, what are you waiting for? Worried about the (minor) cost (time and/or money)?

The good news is that your employer “may” fund some of the above. If they do, that is GREAT! And, if they don’t – who cares? This is all about investing in yourself! Only YOU can create the life you desire.

So, take action NOW!

All the best!