Living your passion today, and always!

What if we told you that you could find something you enjoyed (a passion), before you were even 10 years old, and you could enjoy it all your life. Would you believe us? Well, the only way to prove our point is a real life example.

Take a kid who started playing violin at age 4/5. He stayed with it, enjoyed his school years in all sorts of orchestras and bands, and than went on to a musical institute for college. The day before classes started, the dean asked a simple question: “Do you have other passions?” He said if the answer was “yes” you should pursue them, because making a living playing an instrument is more than difficult. Now, shoot ahead 27 years, a masters in music and 22 years of playing in a major orchestra (along with playing private events and teaching hundreds of kids along the way). According to this guy, he has NEVER woken up and wished he was doing something else. Wouldn’t that be nice!

We are not claiming that, at 10, 12, etc, he knew he wanted to be a concert violinist. But what we are saying is that, throughout his life, he made choices that would allow him to continue doing what he knew he loved to do (and eventually earn a living doing it). That is a Get It!, and that is what following a program like ours will enable each and every one of you to accomplish!

The Gurus of Get It!

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A Thought For The Weekend

There’s a line at the end of the movie Scrooged which Bill Murray delivers with joy which we think of every once in a while with a very different emotion. It is:

“For a few hours every year, we ARE the people we always hoped we would be.”

If that’s true, that we’re only the people we hoped we would be for a few hours a year, then we need to get out of our little boxes and change our habits. So . . .

This weekend, be your Best Self–be the person you always hoped you would be. It doesn’t really matter how–do something selfless, do something courageous, do something you’ve been putting off . . .

Just do something. Something that makes the world a little brighter place.

The Gurus of Get It!

Your Best Self in a world of Worst Selves

Chapter three asks the question “What are you capable of?” But more important than simply answering that question, we first guide our readers through a process of understanding who their “Best Self ” is.  This is the person they are when they are “in the zone;” and when we’re thinking about our lives, wouldn’t it be great if it were that person answering the question, rather than our normal, everyday self?

That was all we could think about the other night as we were doing family movie night and watching “Bride Wars.”  Now, we know it’s just entertainment and blah blah blah, but it is not unique–think about how many movies are centered around themes of women being catty to each other (“My Best Friend’s Wedding” or almost all of the Lifetime Network), or when was the last time you saw a father protrayal from Hollywood who wasn’t a buffoon (maybe Bill Cosby . . )?

We would by no means counsel everybody to get too worked up about movies–for the record, we laughed quite a bit in “Bride Wars.”  On the other hand, as we’re trying to develop a picture of what our “Best Self” looks like, wouldn’t it be nice to spend some of our entertainment dollar watching characters who are heroic, self-sacrificing, disciplined, mature and humble?

Just a thought.

The Gurus of Get It

“Do You Have Any Idea How Long I Sucked?!”

Forgive the bluntness, but that’s our favorite line from a conversation we had recently with a good friend which highlights the value of perseverence, one of our favorite character qualities.  Allow us to tell the whole story . . .

We were talking about teaching, and she was telling us how she had just last week had a conversation with one of her students.  This student told her he was going to quit playing violin because he “sucked.”  Our friend, who is infinitely quicker than we are, fired back “Do you have any idea how long I sucked?!”  It was one of the most hilarious and brilliant answers we’ve heard in a long time.

And, for the record, our friend is a very gifted cellist.

The point is this: everybody, in any field, who has ever accomplished anything, starts out bad.  It’s just how we’re built as humans.  But the beautiful thing about humans is their capacity to grow, and with effort and concentration almost anything is possible.

So never NEVER be discouraged by failures and temporary setbacks.  Learn from them, adjust your focus accordingly, and get busy chasing your VISION.   If your VISION is powerful enough, it will carry you past any frustration.

The Gurus of Get It

Respect, it never gets old!

In our program we talk a lot about getting along with everyone.   A part of that includes respecting others.  There is an old adage that says, “you have to give respect to get respect!”  The act of giving respect seems to be getting lost on a day to day basis (for people of all ages).

In some cases, you need to get “shocked” by other cultures to really understand and appreciate this concept.  On a trip to Japan, we had a great opportunity to just soak in a different culture, different energy and a different way of life.  One of the first things we noticed was while traveling on a train from the airport.  Everytime a train employee walked in or out of one of the cars, they bowed, as a show of respect.  This was just one example of many that we saw on the trip.  At one point, we finally asked a question (luckily to someone who spoke english) about respect in the Japanese culture.  The answer was simple: “you need to repect all people around you so you can respect yourself.” They explained to us that if you respect others and respect yourself, the respect will certainly be returned to you.

What a great concept!  Concentrate on respecting others and yourself, and the respect you seek will come to you effortlessly.  That may be a good “experiment” for all of us in the coming days.

The Gurus of Get It!

Thoughts on “Change”

We mention the word “change” close to 100 times in the book. Why is it so important? Because we are hoping to change lives, and through that to propel this generation forward to change the world. So we are big believers in the importance of being open to and embracing–sometimes even forcing–change.

Not to be too parochial (since Get It! is centered in suburban Denver), but the local sports scene provides two very strong case studies in change.

Two weeks ago the Colorado Rockies fired their manager, Clint Hurdle. At the time, the Rockies were abyssmal–the only team in all of baseball with a worse record was the Washington Nationals. Did a new manager suddenly make the pitchers throw better? Did he suddenly cause the hitters to see the ball better? Was his hiring marked by a sudden increase in the talent of the club? Of course not. But, sometimes, a change is necessary within an organization (or a life!) to open up new possibilities and maybe just alter the dynamic a little bit. And, true to the value of change, the Rockies have just won 12 of their last 13 and are actually being spoken of with respect by people around the league.

Down the road at the Denver Broncos training facility, that organization is going through a pretty dramatic change, as well. Their long-time head coach, Mike Shanahan, was fired in December and replaced with a very young coach named Josh McDaniels. The organization had really lost some of its luster, and it seemed that a change was in order. Unfortunately, this change hasn’t quite had the same effect as the Rockies’ change. Now, granted, the team hasn’t played a single game under its new coach, but in the few months he’s been in charge a Pro Bowl quarterback/franchise player has demanded and been granted a trade, and now a Pro Bowl wide receiver has demanded and will likely be granted a trade. It’s tough to see how, at this juncture, these changes in any way add up to a better football team.

So, while we are big advocates of making necessary changes and embracing the new with boldness, bear in mind that “change” is not always good in and of itself. “Change” requires foresight and vision to truly make things better. Welcome change as a chance to improve your life, but do so with a clear plan and vision.

The Gurus of Get It

A true “Get It!” knows no age limitations!

The premise of our program is that you do not have to wait a certain age to figure out and build your perfect life.  Part of what we want to do is bring you real life examples (testimonials of sorts), of young adults who not only Get It!, but get it young.  You do not have to be striving to be a famous athlete or entertainer, you just have to have passion, direction and drive to achieve the life you want by choice, not chance.  Whether it is our program, or another, some kind of help to guide you in this is crucial to your success.

If you get a chance, follow this link to read about a 17 year old who decided at 16 that his passion was to sail around the world alone (25,000 nautical miles).  We especially liked the part about how he knows that life can never be “normal” after pursuing his passions and achieving his dreams.  Isn’t this the kind of future we wish for everyone?

The Gurus of Get It!

The maiden voyage of Get It! Blog

Here is our first blog post, courtesy of Word Press.  This blog exists for the purpose of us adding continuous content to our mission of creating an Army of Get Its!  We are always looking for stories of people living a life of Getting It, links to people advising ways to Get It, and quick thoughts that support our mission.  Feel free to leave links in the comments leading us to different ideas for this blog.

Of course, this blog also exists to support our book, which you can learn about at this site.  We also exist in Facebook and in Twitter . . . though we are only occasional tweeters (partly because we have a hard time keeping a straight face while saying “tweeter”).  

The Gurus of Get It!