Jumpstart Your Dream Life

Sylvester Stallone On Fighting for What You Want

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It was the early 70s, and things were looking bad for Sylvester Stallone.

Stallone was broke, out of work, and struggling. To make ends meet, he stole his wife’s jewelry and sold it. He soon found himself sleeping at the bus terminal in New York City for three weeks.

The worst was yet to happen.

Stallone realized he didn’t have enough money to feed his dog. Out of desperation, he took his beloved dog to the local liquor store and sold it to a stranger for 25 dollars. He walked away, crying.

How did things get so low?

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If You’re Not Successful By a Certain Age, Does That Mean You’ll Never Be Successful?

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Do humans have a sell-by date? Is there an age at we should give up?

At a certain point, we begin to shed expectations. We receive a few harsh life lessons, see our peers settling in, and receive critical feedback from friends and family. After feeling the squeeze of everyday pressures, we wonder if it’s time to start being realistic.

No more fun and games. No more daydreaming. We need to accept things as they are, like it or not.

If you’re thinking this way, there is an incredible essay that Oscar-winning director Ang Lee wrote in 2006 on his “never-ending dream”. Here is a translation of that essay:

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A Beginning is a Chance to Start Fresh

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I love beginnings.

Beginnings of what, you wonder? Of anything, really. The first day of school. The first day of a holiday. The first time trying something new.

When you first start out, there are all these different stimuli that hit you right away. You look around in wonder, soaking in everything. It’s as if the sun is just rising.

When you begin, all the doors are open. Infinite possibilities lie ahead. Your future is a blank slate, yet to be written.

Nervousness mixes in with excitement. You feel unfamiliarity, uncertainty, maybe even fear. These emotions combine to create a rush, a thrill from being someplace new.

We usually assume that experts are superior to novices, since they know better. And that’s usually true. But in some unexpected ways, a beginner can have hidden advantages over an expert.

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The Meditative Magic of Journaling: How It Can Transform Your Life

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So you want to change your life.

What is it exactly that you want to change? If you were to answer honestly, the answer would likely be: everything. You look in every area of your life and see room for improvement.

You could be making more money, be in better shape, and have better relationships. You have all sorts of wishes that are yet to be fulfilled. When you envision the perfect lifestyle, it’s something drastically different from what you currently have.

But the big question is how do you get there?

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How to Use the Eisenhower Matrix to Get Your Most Important Work Done

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Do you ever feel like you’re scrambling around like a chicken without a head?

Tasks just keep piling up on your plate. You frantically try to get everything done, leaving you flustered. In fact, sometimes there’s so much happening that your brain just ends up shutting down instead.

No matter what you do, there’s that sinking feeling at the end of the day that you haven’t really achieved what you wanted to. Sure, you might have done a number of things, but you can’t shake the feeling that something is missing.

If this sums what you’ve been experiencing, there’s a method you should consider using to organize your day.

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8 Subtle Signs You’re Settling for Comfort Instead of Embracing the Unknown

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Does it ever feel like you’re waiting?

Waiting for something to happen. Waiting for the fog to clear, so you can see what lies ahead. Waiting for the moment the pieces come together, culminating in the perfection you spent your entire life waiting for.

If you’re still waiting, here’s news: you’re wasting your time.

Waiting is dangerous. It gives the false illusion that if you’re patient enough, time will reward you with everything you hoped for. It causes you to sit there and let things fall into place rather than doing something yourself.

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Were Our Ancestors Happier Than We Are Today?

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Picture this: It’s the year 10,000 B.C. The sun is just rising.

You wake up to the sounds of rustling nearby. A few people sharpen their spears as they discuss the upcoming hunt. After downing a few gulps of water and some dried meat, you collect your supplies in a bag for the day.

You go out hiking with a few close relatives and friends to a berry patch. As you pick the ripest berries and place them in your basket, you overhear a funny story that your cousin shares about a conversation that morning. Laughter erupts.

The day carries on, dragging the sun along the sky. Beads of sweat accumulate on your forehead while your basket grows heavier. Finally, you hear a call from a fellow forager. It’s time to head back.

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5 Ways Travel Changes You As a Person

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When you’ve been away for a while, everything feels so different after you return home again.

As you step out the front door and embark on your journey, you don’t know what to expect. Sure, you might have watched some videos and read about your chosen destination. You probably have an itinerary planned out. Maybe you joined a tour.

But until you’ve lived, breathed, and seen somewhere with your own eyes, nothing compares to experiencing it in person. Books may be useful for gaining insight and knowledge, but they don’t quite capture the vividness and emotions associated with a place.

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You Only See the Tip of the Iceberg: Lessons on the Invisibility of Success

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It’s believed that any dispute, big or small, can be settled through a game of rock-paper-scissors.

It’s simple, really. Like flipping a coin or drawing straws, rock-paper-scissors (otherwise known as RPS) is a fair decision-making method between various parties. There’s equal footing since everyone has the same, equally random chance of winning.

Or is it?

The $20 Million Auction Dilemma

In 2005, Takashi Hashiyama was in a bind. As CEO of the Japanese television manufacturer Maspro Denkoh, he decided to auction off the corporation’s collection of Impressionist paintings, including works by Cézanne, Picasso, and van Gogh.

Hashiyama contacted the two premier auction houses, Christie’s and Sotheby’s, for proposals. Although both auction houses provided extensive plans on how they would market the collection and maximize profits, Hashiyama still couldn’t pick. Finally, he asked the two houses to make a decision using rock-paper-scissors.

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6 Questions to Figure Out If You’re Living Up to Your Potential

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The older we get, the more our dreams fade away.

It’s a sad fact of life, if not a very real one. Early on, you have an entire slew of things you want to accomplish. Enthusiasm, energy and excitement pump through your veins as you picture yourself reaching those achievements.

Yet those feelings gradually die down with time. For some aspirations, you might have set the benchmark incredibly high and then failed to get where you thought you’d be. Maybe you talked yourself out of even trying.

And when you did accomplish something, it didn’t live up to your expectations. Reaching a goal wasn’t the be-all-end-all you anticipated. Afterward, there was a void as you thought, “What next?”

Eventually, it becomes exhausting to keep trying (and often failing). You stop resisting to the pressures of everyday life and succumb to the routine. It’s comfortable. It’s safe.

But it’s also dangerous.

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