Hey Guys,
I am sitting here plotting the subversion of a few minor laws that nobody that I care about really cares about, and it spurred me to ponder one of "those" questions. So let me put it out for a discussion.

What is keeping you from jumping off the precipice of extraordinary? Why do you continue to lead your ordinary life rather than taking the leap and doing something....more?

The point of asking is not to "stick a wet finger in your eye", but to find a way to help. I suspect that if we distill all of our collective reasons down into a concentrated answer it would be something like "security". All of our, "well I have bills to pay", or "what if I fail" answers properly boiled down would become a strong stew of, "I need security". Again, to be clear, I share the same fears and I make the same excuses so I am not trying to pick at a scab. Here's my thought, you are all extraordinary in some way or the other. It's a fact, not an opinion, you ARE extraordinary. You can try to deny it but the word extraordinary is defined as: beyond what is usual, ordinary, regular, or established; and you are most certainly that. The reason you read pages like this is that we have something in common. You can define what that "something" is in your own terms, but if we can all accept that we are "beyond what is usual", it's a start.

So if what you are living now is mostly "usual"; what is beyond that? If you were to turn and walk the path less traveled; where would it lead? I'm not trying to be wild esoteric so let me clarify. During those moments in your life where you are in your element and you feel the most free, what is it that you are doing? Would it be possible to do that, or something that provides that feeling, for the rest of your life? Isn't that the goal? Why aren't we trying to achieve that goal?

Using myself as an example, I get to live only brief moments of the life that I desire. I get to be "Gabriel" for perhaps 5% of my time. Most of the time I am an Army officer and successful in my field. I am responsible for millions of dollars and there are times when the things I say can cost Soldiers their lives, but that is not the life I want to lead. If I were to walk to the edge of the cliff, it would be a life of adventure that I would see below. If I were unencumbered by my own personal needs for security, I think I would be a treasure hunter. Wildly optimistic, I love the idea of betting everything I have against my ability to hit pay dirt. The "security" excuse that I tell myself is that I just have to hold out for another 6 years until I retire and then I can chase my dreams with a security net below me.

The point of this entire diatribe is to find out if anyone is closer to the edge than I am, and to encourage them to jump. What would have to change in your life for you to be able to take that leap of faith and lead the life less ordinary? Is there anything that I can do to help? I am coming up to a significant change in my life and I excited to turn the page. I would love to help someone else make a significant change in their life. Maybe what you need is beyond me, then again maybe it's not. It's an interesting mental exercise if nothing else. When it really comes down to it; what needs to change for you to change your life?

My friends, I'm interested to hear what you think. Post a note when you get a chance. Maybe I just shouldn't drink dark rum alone, who knows? Take care; be well.

Yours in Service,
Gabriel