Why Do We Love Underdogs?

There is something in the American character that seems almost pathologically drawn to root for an underdog.  Maybe it’s because of how our nation was founded, as an upstart rebellion against the preeminent military power of its time.  Whatever the cause, it is indisputable that we as a people like to see surprises.

You are that underdog.  Whatever dream you have, whatever Perfect Life you picture yourself living, NOBODY expects it of you.  That small dream is a sacred thing, and you need to take care not to lose track of it.  And while you will inevitably run in to individuals who will be discouraging or who will try to distract you from your Purpose, there are also vast throngs of people waiting to celebrate you when you “strike gold.”

Because when you make it, they will start to believe that it’s possible for them to make it, too.

The Gurus of Get It!

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Give Back!

Over the last month we have spent a lot of time on a website that awards money to people who want to help others.  What we saw was a TON of people, doing good things to try and help better the lives of others.

We got a chance to speak with a lot of these people.  We learned that they all want to see their project complete and yes they want to help as many people as possible.  But, the most important part of their help is how it makes them feel.  They feel good about themselves.  They feel they belong to something bigger than themselves.  These feelings of pride and accomplishment ooze out to anyone who is near them.  Some would say that the project will help more than the feeling it leaves.  We agree, but, the effect it has on an individual will be contagious and that is why, on a website like the one we were following, there were so many people trying to do good.

So just for today, think about someone else and try to make a difference in their lives.  It could be as small as helping with a door, or as big as a world wide project.

The Gurus of Get It!

Weekend Challenge: Improve Yourself

In our research, we discovered that one of the qualities that is nearly universally true of people that find their Perfect Life somewhere along the way is the quest for growth.  Not just the capacity, and the openness to growth: the active pursuit of growth.

A few years ago, one of us tried something difficult to do just that.  We tried to read “Moby Dick.”  Ever read Moby Dick when it wasn’t for a class?  It’s not pretty–which is why we switched to Shakespeare.  But the lesson there may be that growth sometimes go a little different direction than the original plan. 

And we’re not saying that great literature is a must for self-growth; there must be something out there that you could say “that would be good to do someday.”  Well, make this weekend the first part of “someday”: read a great book, watch a series of classic movies, climb a mountain, or break out a “how to” manual and learn how to do something new. 

Whatever you choose to do, do it in the spirit of improving yourself.  Accomplishing tasks is great, but opening yourself up to new possibilities and an expanded “you” is exceptional!

The Gurus of Get It

Traits We Admire: Whimsy

We write in the book that we believe that there is a child-like quality to people who are living their Perfect Life.  By that we mean that people who Get It (!) tend to laugh easily, to find little moments of fun in their day, and to squeeze just a little more enjoyment out of their lives than most of us do. 

The best example of this is the proverbial “crazy uncle.”  We all know the type: the old man (woman) who says what they want to say, occasionally has been known to splash through rain puddles, and have more fun playing on the floor with your children than they do talking to “the grownups” in the room.  These are people who have realized that life is not nearly as serious a business as we all make it, and who try to show the rest of us how to live life.

It’s too bad that the archetype for this “bad” behavior is usually twenty years older than the rest of us.

The Gurus of Get It

Weekend Challenge: The Last 10%

Raise your hands as high as you can.

Now raise them higher.

How many of you were able to do something after that second instruction?  Then I guess you didn’t quite follow the first instruction, did you?

We are conditioned to only give as much as is necessary to get the job done.  Whether it’s at work, school, or in our personal lives, our tendency (sadly) is to put 90% effort into our lives.  And most of the time, that’s good enough.

But it won’t always be.  Your Perfect Life is only going to come to fruition if you press through with that final 10%.

So get in the habit of giving that final 10%, starting this weekend.  Working out today?  Do your normal thing, then add 4 more reps and another lap.  Cleaning the house?  Vacuum the floor like always, but then reach down with a cleaning cloth and get the baseboards.  Got a date planned?  Head out early and pick up a rose (or other gender-appropriate gesture).

Build the habit of reaching into that final 10%.  You won’t always need it, but if you never tap into it, you won’t be able to get to it when you need it.

 The Gurus of Get It

Starting Points

We begin the book and program with the most important question of all: “Who Are You”?  It is, of course, the most logical possible starting point because your dreams have to launch from somewhere, and that somewhere is within you.

Think of it this way: the best businesses in the world do not look around and think “what are we really bad at, because that’s what we want to base our business around.”  They would be insane to do that!  Some of us who are the right age still remember the debacle that was New Coke; New Coke was a great example of a company forgetting who they are.

The best businesses look at themselves and ask “What do we do better than anybody else?”  They find the answer to that, and then build their business around that strength.  And the same thinking holds true for hundreds of other endeavors, from athletics to art to engineering.

YOU SHOULD BUILD YOUR PERFECT LIFE IN THE SAME WAY!  Start from your strengths and your convictions and build out from there.  That’s why we start with “Who Are You”: answer that, and the rest gets a lot easier.

The Gurus of Get It!

Are all obstacles bad?

We sometimes view our struggles with a “whoa is me” attitude.  The story below will hopefully give you a different perspective:

“One day a man found a cocoon of a butterfly.  He was watching the small opening and the struggle the butterfly was having to get out.  For several hours he watched as it tried to squeeze through the tiny hole.  The man, wanting to help, snipped the remaining bits of the cocoon so the butterfly could easily emerge.

The man continued to watch, expecting the butterfly to be able to fly away.  That never happened.  In fact, the butterfly spent the rest of its life crawling around, never able to fly.

What the man did not understand is that the restricting cocoon and struggle was a normal obstacle for a butterfly.  It was a way of forcing the fluid from the body into the wings so that it would be ready for flight once that was achieved.”

Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in our lives.  Going through life with no obstacles could cripple us.  Without them, we may not be as strong as we could have been and may never be able to “fly”.

The Gurus of Get It!

Weekend Challenge: Shake the Rust Off!

Easter.  Spring Cleaning.  Opening Day.  The Masters.

All of these events have one thing in common: they mark the beginning of new seasons.  Each new season is marked by endless possibilities and abundant hope, optimism and a sense of excitement.

Use this time of year to renew yourself, also.  Have you lost some momentum over the long winter months?  Did you let your dreams fall into some form of hibernation over the last five months?  Have you slipped out of some of your good habits?  Well, SHAKE IT OFF! 

The days are getting longer, so recommit yourself to spending a little extra time every day refining/pursuing/living your Passion!  Snap out of your slumber and make the Dream happen!

And, for those of you who busily pursued your plans over the winter months, we bring you the metaphor of the blossoming flower, which spent the winter gathering resources and digging the roots in deeper.  We hope this is the season that you see your dreams grow and flourish!

The Gurus of Get It!

Not All Those Who Wander Are Lost

Why did we target our first book at 16-24 year olds?  Because that is the point in life when you have the most freedom to change direction–but it’s never too late!

Take this example:  a young man parlays his basketball skills into a college degree in economics; he’s nominated for academic All-America three times (top 15 student-athletes in the country (mostly student)); immediately after graduation he is offered a job at Eli Lilly, one of the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies; two years later, he decides to quit Eli Lilly and volunteer with the basketball program at a small college in Indiana.

Not exactly a direct road to a Perfect Life.  However, this is the short biography of Brad Stevens, the Head Coach of the Butler University men’s basketball team, who was one friendly rim away from winning the National Championship earlier this week.  One year after volunteering for the program, Stevens was promoted to assistant coach, and six years later was promoted to Head Coach.

We want you to make smart choices early and find your Perfect Life as soon as possible; but we also want to encourage you to not be afraid of changing directions if your Passions take you.

The Gurus of Get It

Simple Advice!

Today we take a simple list that we recently read and pass it on to all of you.  It may not be new, but if you actually follow some of this advice it may make life a little less stressful:

 1)  Say no to the good opportunities so you can say yes to the great ones

2)  Live with grace and awareness

3)  Acknowledge those people doing good things (family, friends, co-workers, etc)

4)  Avoid negative people

5)  Create a second set of keys and important documents

6)  Take at least 15 minutes each day to do what you want to do

7)  Help someone who needs it (it can be as simple as getting a door)

8)  Believe in yourself, your gifts and your talents

9)  Have patience

10) Be open to learning something new every single day

11) Try to find your purpose in life while you still have time to pursue it

12) Be honest and trustworthy

13) Laugh out loud

As we said, this is not new advice but just for today (or this week), try to live by it.  We promise you may just find yourself a little happier and a little more relaxed.

 The Gurus of Get It!