Вы находитесь на странице: 1из 30

Page

$19.95

Get A Life!
How to Live the Life
You Want - Everyday!
Special Edition By Jim M. Allen,
for subscribers of
BigIdeaCoach.com Jim Allen’s
Big Idea Ezine
The Big Idea Coach
Page

GET A LIFE! How to Live the Life You Want - Everyday


(Special Edition)
Copyright © 2004 Jim M. Allen & BigIdeaCoach.com
All rights reserved

This ebook is provided to subscribers of The Big Idea ezine


free of charge. If you like, you can share this with anyone you
like, as long as it remains in ebook form, you do not charge for
it, and no changes are made to any of the content.

BigIdeaCoach.com
8607 Capistrano Way
Odenton, MD 21113-3412
(877) 719-8939
JimAllen@CoachJim.com
http://www.BigIdeaCoach.com
http://www.CoachJim.com

To subscribe to Jim’s bi-weekly internet newsletter, THE BIG IDEA,

send a blank email (from the address you want subscribed) to:

bigidea@add.ms00.net

Please visit Goals 2005, whose kind support provided for this free ebook!
BigIdeaCoach.com
Page 3

Get A Life!
CONTENTS

Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 4
It’s Your Life, So Live It! . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 6
Know What You Want. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 10
Know How You’ll Get It. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 15
Work Your Plan (And Love Your Work). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 18
What To Do When Nothing Works. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 20
Where Do You Go From Here? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 23
Appendix A: Great Books to Grow Your Life & Mind. . . . . . . . Page 26
Appendix B: Special Bonus Audio Interviews. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 28
Author’s Bio. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 29

Author’s Note:
All client names and identifying characteristics have been changed.
The scenarios, situations, and results are real.
BigIdeaCoach.com
Page 4

Introduction
Carpenters fashion wood; fletchers fashion arrows;
the wise fashion themselves.
- Buddha

Are you ready to get a life? I don’t mean just any life or the same old
life you’ve been living up to now. I mean the life you really want. The life
you’ve always dreamed of. A perfect life. Made just for you.
Sound impossible? It’s not. Oh, it takes some thought (and a bit of
time and effort), but the reality of you living a happy, fulfilled, prosperous
life is very, very possible.
I know because I help people create this reality in their lives every
People need to be made more day. Before helping others do this, though, I did it for myself….
aware of the need to work at
learning how to live because
life is so quick and sometimes In 1999, I was working what I thought would be my big
it goes away too quickly. break into an exciting career in television management. I was
- Andy Warhol
Studio Operations Manager for a cable television network in
Washington D.C. It was challenging work, in an exciting city, and the pay
was, well, more than I’d ever made before.

BigIdeaCoach.com
By all accounts, I had everything going for me. I “should” have been
happy. Instead, I was miserable.
I was working more than twelve hours a day – from early afternoon
Page 5

until past midnight – and spending another two hours commuting to and
from home.
Except for when I crawled into bed each night, I only saw my wife on
weekends. And on the weekends, tired and stressed from work, all I wanted
to do was sleep. I dreaded Monday mornings and the thought of having to
go back to work. The job that had once filled me with hope now just filled
me with dread.
One night, after a particularly stressful day, I came home and col-
lapsed on the couch. Sitting there in the dark, alone, I said to myself, “There
has to be a better way. Life has to be easier than this.”
So I searched and studied, read and took courses. And here
Nature intended that we I am two years later, running my own business, working from
should need no great
equipment for living happily; home, healthier and happier than ever before.
each one of us is able My hunch was right.
to make his own happiness…
There is a better way. Life can be easier.
--Seneca
If you’re ready and willing to accept that it’s OKAY to be
happy, to enjoy your life, then you’ve already taken the first step towards
living the life you really want. Now it’s just a matter of continuing that jour-
ney.
So what are you waiting for? Let’s go…

Dreams come true;


without that possibility,
nature would not incite us to have them.
- John Updike

BigIdeaCoach.com
Page 6

It’s Your Life,


So Live it!
“To change one’s life:
Start Immediately. Do it flamboyantly.
No exceptions.”
- William James

Life is a gift you’re given when you’re born. Living is what you do
with that life. Whether you like it or not, you are responsible for most of
what happens in your life. If you’re not living the life you really want, then
it’s all down to you.
Let me say that again, because this may be the most important lesson
in this entire book:

YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR WHETHER YOU ARE


BigIdeaCoach.com
(OR ARE NOT) LIVING A LIFE YOU TRULY ENJOY.
Page 7

Most of the time, if we aren’t enjoying our lives, it’s because we


haven’t accepted this lesson. We haven’t accepted the responsibility we
were given. Instead of taking charge and commanding the direction of our
lives, we’re simply passing through, seeing what happens…
Now is the time to stop letting life to happen to you. It’s
Life likes to be taken by the
lapel and told, "I'm with time to accept responsibility. It’s time to take charge!
you kid.” Let's go! I know, taking charge sounds like it ought to be an easy
- Maya Angelou
thing to do. Really, though, it’s one of the most difficult.
Why?
Because not one of us was given an owner’s manual or instruction
guide when we were born. We weren’t handed a rulebook for how to live.
Instead, all the rules and regulations, guidelines and good advice for living
we got from others: parents, teachers, siblings, spouses, churches, jobs, etc.
While much of the guidance we get from these sources is useful, a lot
of it is not. The trouble is that too many of us never bother to separate the
wheat from the chaff - the ideas we believe in from those we don’t. We end
up living according to somebody else’s rules, somebody else’s hopes and
expectations. The longer we
“Taking control” doesn’t mean you can’t listen to good advice -
do this, the more time we only that you not follow it blindly. That said, you might consider
these 10 long-lasting suggestions from Thomas Jefferson:
spend following a life path
1. Never put off till tomorrow what you can do today.
that is unsatisfying and unful- 2. Never trouble another for what you can do yourself.
filling. 3. Never spend your money before you have it.
4. Never buy what you do not want because it is cheap;
For example, John, an it will never be dear to you.
5. Pride costs us more than hunger, thirst, and cold.
accounting instructor at a re- 6. Never repent of having eaten too little.
7. Nothing is troublesome that we do willingly.
spected business school, came 8. Don't let the evils which have never happened cost you pain.
to me for help in deciding 9. Always take things by their smooth handle.
10. When angry, count to ten before you speak; if very angry,
whether or not to pursue his count to one hundred.

doctoral degree in business finance. As we spoke, I could tell John was very
unhappy with the idea.
BigIdeaCoach.com “Why,” I asked John, “are you pursuing a goal that doesn’t make
you happy?”
“Three reasons: My wife, my mother and my father,“ he said. “They
Page 8

really want me to get my Ph.D. so I can get tenure.”


As well intentioned as John’s family might have been in encouraging
him to pursue this goal, the truth was John had no interest in getting his
Ph.D.! I learned through our coaching that John really didn’t want to teach
any longer. In fact, he didn’t want to work in anything related to finance!
Truth be told, he only went into accounting because his parents had
pushed him in that direction when he was in college. And here he was
again - at age 47 - ready to be corralled into pursuing one more
The ability to accept
responsibility is the goal for someone else!
measure of the man. When John took charge and assumed responsibility for his
- Roy L. Smith
future, everything changed. Instead of getting his doctorate, he
pursued a long-time interest in public speaking. Soon after, he started giv-
ing presentations to local business clubs and associations, small business
owners how they could easily improve their profits. Within a year, John
quit his teaching job and was working full-time as a professional speaker
and trainer.
So buckle down and take control of your life! Here are the ten most
important areas of life you need to control:

1. What you do - Your actions.


You don't have to control
your thoughts,
you just have to stop 2. What you say - Your words, what you speak and write.
letting them control you.
- Dan Millman
3. What you think - Your beliefs, ideals, values, and faith.

Most of our beliefs and values are given to us when we are children.
We learn them from our parents, teachers, and friends. As adults, we need
to evaluate our beliefs and make sure they are our own.

BigIdeaCoach.com 4. Your work - Your job, your career.

5. Your associates - Your friends.


Page 9

There's a famous t-shirt that states: "It's hard to soar like an eagle
when you're surrounded by turkeys."
It’s both funny and true: your friends can either lift you up or bring
you down.

6. Your physical health – Your energy, stamina, and well-being.

While there are many aspects of our health that are related solely to
genetics, environment and exposure, we can make an enormous impact on
our basic health through things like diet and exercise.

7. The environment you live in - Your home, where you live, what
amenities you have available to you.

8. Your finances - Your income, expenses, and investments.

9. Your time - How and where you “spend” it.

10. Your legacy - - What you leave behind.

How much you control all of the other aspects of your life will deter-
mine what type of legacy you leave behind. Just keep in mind that all your
actions, words, and knowledge you share while you are living become the
gift that you leave when you are gone.

In my experience, the ten areas I listed above are the ones that people
most frequently abdicate their responsibility. Ask yourself if you are ced-
ing control of one (or more) of these areas to someone else. The sooner you
assume control, the sooner you’ll be living the life you truly want each and
BigIdeaCoach.com every day!
Page 10

Know What You Want


Decide what you want. Decide what you are willing
to exchange for it. Establish your priorities
and go to work.
- H.L. Hunt

So you’ve taken charge and accepted responsibility for your life,


right? Great!
I know you’re eager to get started living the life you truly want, but
are you sure you know what you want? Not things that you think you
want. Not things that other people want for you. Not the things that you
should, could, or ought to do. I mean, what you really, really want.

Define Life: It leads to the fine life

It’s time to get specific about what it is that you really want in – and
from – your life, your career, your family, friends, and associates.
It’s time for you to define your life and what’s important to you.
What are the things that you absolutely must have in order to be happy?
BigIdeaCoach.com
What do you need in order for your life to be perfect?
Pull out a piece of paper and start writing down your answers to
these questions. The list you create will become a sort of “checklist” for
Page 11

you, letting you check where you are versus where you want to be.
Most people never actually do this, they never define their wants and
needs. Instead, they go through life thinking they know, latching on to other
people’s hopes and dreams, desiring all sorts of ‘stuff’ they think will make
them happy (such as cars, clothes, jewelry, etc.) but they never focus on
their real needs.
Sit down with your pen and paper and get busy being specific about
Success is half won when what it is you want. Create a list of perfect or “ideal” life items.
one gains the habit of setting
Elements that, when you have them, will help create your perfect
goals and achieving them.
Even the most tedious chore life.
will become endurable as You may find it helpful to put a heading at the top. Some-
you parade through each day
thing like:
convinced that every task,
no matter how menial or
boring, brings you closer to My life will be perfect when…
fulfilling your dreams. or
- Og Mandino I know I’m living my ideal life when I…

If you have trouble defining things that way, use the following ques-
tions as a prompt to get you started:

What is my ideal/perfect job? What do we do for fun as a couple?


How much money do I make? How much education do I have?
What days do I work? What courses/classes have I taken?
Where do I work? What types of books do I read?
What are my ideal co-workers like? How would I describe my friends?
How would I describe an average day at my per- How do my friends and I share our time together?
fect job? What is the state of my general health?
What type of home do I have? How frequently do I visit the doctor/dentist?
What type of furniture do I have? How do I develop and satisfy my creative needs?
What’s my bedroom look like? How do I develop and satisfy my spiritual needs?
What type of vehicle do I drive? How do I pursue my personal growth?
What is my neighborhood like? Who supports me in my personal development?
What type of clothes do I wear? How do they support me?
BigIdeaCoach.com What food do I enjoy eating? What do I want to be remembered for?
What restaurants do I go to regularly? How do people describe me when they talk about
Where do I take vacations? me?
Page 12

These questions will get you started on defining your ideal life.
Whether you use them exactly as they’re written or change some of them to
fit your particular need doesn’t matter.
Your list may not even be a list. You might write it out like a short
story, a poem, a recipe, a mathematical equation or something else alto-
gether. Use whatever format helps you define your ideal life, so you can
start living it right way.
There is nothing that you MUST include or exclude – it is, after all,
your list. There are a few guidelines, however, that I encourage you to con-
sider:

Vision, Mission, Purpose

As you create your list, don’t just focus on the stuff you want (that is,
the materialistic things like cars, clothes, jewelry, etc.). Include the emo-
tional and non-materialistic aspects of life. Also, consider your personal vi-
sion, mission, and purpose for yourself and the world.
Vision, mission, and purpose can be big ideas to grasp, but once you
do, you’ll you have a whole new perspective on your life. When you define
these you’ll know:

1. Your picture of what you want for the world. (That is, your VI-
SION.)

2. WHY you are here, who you have to be to help create that vision.
(PURPOSE)

3. HOW you will create that vision in your world. (MISSION)

BigIdeaCoach.com By way of example, I’d like to share my Vision, Mission, and Purpose with
you:
Page 13

Jim’s Vision, Mission & Purpose Statement

My vision is a world where people can be happy and


productive each and every day of their lives, knowing,
living, and fulfilling their true life’s purpose.

My purpose is to help people take charge of their


lives, assisting them as they work to define their per-
fect lives.

My mission is to share simple tools and ideas for


personal development through my coaching as well
as my writing, speaking, and positive example.

It may not seem like much, but these three definitions help me make
very important decisions about what I need in my life at any time, who I
choose to associate with, and how I will approach different opportunities.
They provide useful guideposts or benchmarks for me and help me answer
the question, “Am I truly doing what I want to do with my life?”

Creating a Vision, Mission, & Purpose can be


daunting for some. If you’re one of those people,
try instead to write down your life dreams in the
following areas:

A dream for myself


A dream for my family
A dream for my community
A dream for the world

Needs First, Wants Second

BigIdeaCoach.com
Don’t confuse NEEDS with WANTS. A need is something that you
require (food, water, shelter, love) in order to survive. A want is something
that you desire (to work from home, a new car, etc.)
Page 14

When putting your list together, keep NEEDS and WANTS sepa-
rated. Once you’ve finished your list, focus on meeting your NEEDS first
and move on to your WANT list after you’ve done so.
If you focus on wants before all your needs are met, you’re going to
have difficulty. Something in your life (time, money, health, relationships)
will always be out of balance if you continue satisfying your wants before
taking care of your needs!

Yours, Mine, Ours

Double-check the source of your wants before you add them to your
list. Are they really yours? If yes, fantastic! If no, do you really want it on
your list?
Some wants may be shared, such as the desire of you and your
spouse to live on a farm, and that’s fine. But, if it’s simply the goal of your
spouse and you hate farms, you might want to leave it off your
…[T]he more realistic and at-
tainable people’s goals are, the list until you and your partner have addressed the issue.
more likely they are to feel
good about themselves. People Think Big AND Realistically
who conclude their goals are
out of reach are less than 1/10th Face facts: you can do most anything you want, but you
as likely to consider them-
probably can’t do everything. There will be limitations to the
selves satisfied with life.
- Diener & Fujita amount of time, money, and energy you can commit to a par-
ticular goal. It’s great to have big dreams and goals, but if you
aren’t realistic, all you are doing is setting yourself up a life of failure and
disappointment.
As you add things to your list, add those items that are possible, or
that might be possible if you have the right support (again, the right
amount of time, energy, money, education, etc.). Consider whether or not
this thing you want is a real possibility…. or is it just a pipe dream?
BigIdeaCoach.com When your list is reasonably complete, when it contains your current
desires for what you want for your life, then you’re ready to take the next
step in bringing these goals, dreams, wants and ideas to life.
Page 15

Know How You’ll Get It


I have always thought that one man of tolerable abili-
ties may work great changes, and accomplish great af-
fairs among mankind, if he first forms a good plan, and,
cutting off all amusements or other employments that
would divert his attention, make the execution of that
same plan his sole study and business.
- Benjamin Franklin

You now have defined what it is that you want from life. It’s time to
sit down and figure out how these dreams are going to come about.
You need a plan.

If it's on paper, it's a plan. If it's in your head, it's a dream.

Just knowing you want something wont’ make it real. You have to fig-
ure our how you are going to get it.
My client Sharon always talked about her desire to cruise the Carib-
bean. She would spend our coaching sessions talking about how much she
BigIdeaCoach.com wanted to drift along the ocean, visit one tropical island after another, and
have people wait on her hand and foot. But that’s all she did with the idea:
talk.
Page 16

One session, as she started talking about her unfulfilled vacation


dream, I told her, “Sharon, talking about it doesn’t make it real. What do
you need to do to be able to take a cruise?” Without hesitation she quickly
rattled off a list of different actions she would need to complete in order to
take a cruise.
”Great,” I replied, “now let’s go over that again. Only this time, I
want you to write down each of those things.”
Together, we reviewed her final list of actions. For each one I asked
Sharon WHAT she needed to do to accomplish each item and WHEN she
could commit to completing it.
By the end of our call, Sharon had a plan for how she would be tak-
ing a Caribbean cruise by the end of the following year. (And I’m happy to
report that, as I write this, Sharon is just a few weeks away from taking that
cruise!)
And that’s all there is to creating a plan. It’s a much simpler project
Good plans shape good than many people make it out to be. You simply:
decisions. That's why
good planning helps to
make elusive dreams Define your objective, the outcome you desire. (Example:
come true. To cruise the Caribbean)
- Lesster Bittel
Determine your time-frame for accomplishing this goal,
when you want to do it/complete it. (By the end of next year)

Determine what actions you must take to make it happen.


Indicate WHEN you’ll do/complete each item. (Check my work schedule
to find potential vacation times by Tuesday; Contact a travel agent to get
brochures, ideas, information by Saturday; Review brochures and choose 3
possible cruises, by the following Monday; etc.)
Like your wants and needs list, your plan can take any form
you like. If helps you identify and track what you need to do to accomplish
your goals, that’s what matters.
BigIdeaCoach.com
Still, the best plans will always indicate WHAT YOU NEED TO DO,
WHEN YOU NEED TO DO IT, and WHEN YOU’LL HAVE IT ALL
DONE.
Page 17

Be as specific as necessary in creating your plans, as specific as you


can, but whenever possible, create a plan that is flexible.
Life has a funny way of popping up with challenges to test our com-
mitment to a particular dream. A good plan considers this and actually
prepares for as many possible obstacles as one can think of.
Every plan is valuable in that we specify the process we’re going to
use to attain a goal. It is never so important, however, that it can’t be
changed, adjusted, or modified.
Once you have your plan, the rest is easy: Just put your plan to
work….

Life is what happens


while you are
making other plans.
- John Lennon

BigIdeaCoach.com
Page 18

Work Your Plan


(And Love Your Work)
Unless commitment is made,
there are only promises and hopes... but no plans.
-Peter F. Drucker

You probably don’t need this chapter, but I want to make two quick
points…

One:
A plan only works if YOU work the plan.

The best plan in the world is worthless if you don’t actually put the plan
into action, and the only person who can do that is YOU. It won’t matter
how much you hope, wish, want and dream. It won’t matter how many
self-help, self-improvement books and articles you read. If you don’t take
BigIdeaCoach.com action, you won’t reach your dreams.
Page 19

Two:
Have fun!

No matter where you are in the process of creating and living the life
you really want, have fun!
Enjoy what you’re doing. Enjoy the process, even the challenges and
the setbacks. The path to making your dreams come true may difficult, but
quite honestly, if you’re not having fun, not doing it right!

BigIdeaCoach.com
Page 20

What To Do
When Nothing Works
Obstacles cannot crush me.
Every obstacle yields to stern resolve.
He who is fixed to a star
does not change his mind.
- Leonardo da Vinci

Okay, this is the emergency chapter. This is what you read when you’ve
done everything else suggested in this book, but you’re still not living the
life you really want.
When you’re doing everything you can think of but nothing seems to
work….

DON’T WORRY, BE HAPPY. Remember, the road to success is not al-


ways smooth. There will be challenges, but with effort and dedication, you
will be able to surmount them. Staying positive and upbeat will help you
BigIdeaCoach.com reach your goal.
PAUSE, DON’T STOP. Don’t succumb to the inertia problems bring
with them. Pause long enough to evaluate what you are doing and what
Page 21

you are going to do, but keep working towards your goal.

CHANGE WHAT ISN’T WORKING. An easy step, I know, if you


know what’s working. But what if you don’t what isn’t working? What
then? That’s when you….

1. Review your plan.

Is there another step you need to take? More information you need to
get? Additional help you must have? Do you need more time to complete
this plan than you’ve given yourself?

2. Review your priorities.

Are you trying to do too many projects at once? Are you working on a
want before all of your needs are met? Is there another project that must be
completed before you can finish this one?

3. Review your goals and wants.

Is this something that you really want? Is making this desire a reality
really important to you? Is it something that YOU
SEND IN THE PROS!
want or something you were doing for someone Completely, 100% stuck? Consider
getting help from the following
else?
resources:

Family/Friends
ASK FOR HELP. Whether pride or mere stub- Clergy
bornness, many people could reach their objec- Therapist
Counselor
tives a lot faster if they simply asked for help Psychiatrist/Psychologist
Coach
when they needed it. Organizer
BigIdeaCoach.com Often times we’re surrounded by brilliant, suc- Image consultant
Business consultant
cessful people who are more than willing to assist Financial advisor
Debt Counselor
us if we just let them know we could use a hand.
Page 22

Wayne Gretzky once said, “One hundred percent of the shots I don’t take,
don’t go in.” Likewise, you’ll never get the help you don’t ask for!

DO ANYTHING. Really. Doing anything is better than doing nothing


(when you have absolutely no idea what to do next). If you’re wrong, you
can change your plan. If you’re right, you’ve maintained your momentum
and kept moving towards your goals.

Just because something doesn't do


what you planned it to do
doesn't mean it's useless.
- Thomas Edison

BigIdeaCoach.com
Page 23

Where Do You Go From Here?


We shall not cease from exploration
And the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time.
- T.S. Eliot

If you’ve been working hard at applying the ideas in this book and have
started living the life you truly want, you may wonder, as many do, what
happens now? Where do you go on your path of personal development?

I can’t answer those questions for you. Not exactly, that is. The real an-
swers are for you to decide:

What happens now?


Anything you want!

Where do you go from here?


BigIdeaCoach.com
Anywhere you want!

I am happy to leave you to think about those answers. But before I do, I
would like to leave you with a few remaining ideas…
Page 24

Don’t Stop Now!

Far from being finished, your adventure in living your ideal life is
just beginning. There are many more great lessons to be learned and many
great ideas to consider. Keep pushing yourself to grow in new ways every
day. Expose yourself to new ideas and new points of view. How?

1. Read. Read. Read.

A book, a magazine, a new website. Feed your mind fresh ideas by


reading something every day! (For a list of recommended self-help, motiva-
tional, and inspirational books, see Appendix A.)

2. Take a class.

No matter what your age, go back to school to finish up that degree


you’ve been putting off. Take a non-credit course in an area or activity that
you’ve always wanted to learn.

Success, like happiness,


3. Teach a class.
cannot be pursued.
It must ensue. And it only Share what you know with others who might like to learn
does so as the unintended
side effect of one’s
it. Get a new perspective as you share all the great things you’ve
personal dedication learned over the years.
to a cause greater
than oneself.
- Viktor Frankl 4. Volunteer.

You can share what you know, and learn a lot about what you don’t,
by spending part of your time focusing on others and their needs.
BigIdeaCoach.com
I once heard it said that we only truly die when we stop learning. So
stay alive, stay active, and keep learning!
Page 25

Use Everything

Humorist Erma Bombeck once said, "When I stand before God at the
end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left
and could say, 'I used everything you gave me'."
Every day use all of the skills, talents, and knowledge you have been
given. Don’t ignore or overlook any of your gifts as you continue to work
and grow your perfect life. Challenge yourself to live up to - and exceed –
your potential every day.
I do hope you’ll get started today following the steps I’ve outlined in
this book:
We ask ourselves, who am
I to be brilliant, • Take responsibility for your life
gorgeous, talented,
and fabulous? • Define what it is that you truly want
Actually, who are you
• Plan how to make those desires real
not to be?
You are a child of God. • Put your plans into action
Your playing small
doesn’t serve the world.
• Adjust as necessary
- Marianne Williamson

It’s a simple formula that, if you continue to apply it and


work it every day, can help insure that you not only live the life you want
every day, but that you will enjoy it, too!

Do you know what happened to the man


who got everything he ever wanted?
He lived happily ever after.
BigIdeaCoach.com - Willy Wonka
in WILLY WONKA AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY
by Roald Dahl
Page 26

Appendix A:
Great Books to Grow Your Mind & Life
I am hopeful that you’ll find this short ebook just the first book
of many that you’ll read as you work to create the life you truly want
to live. Below you’ll find some of my personal favorites, books I regu-
larly recommend to clients and friends.
For more information on any book, or to order from Ama-
zon.com, just click on a book’s title.

How to Win Friends & Influence People by Dale Carnegie


The Power of Positive Thinking by Norman Vincent Peale
The Greatest Miracle in the World by Og Mandino
Think & Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill
The 100 Simple Secrets of Happy People by David Niven,
Ph.D.
Coach Yourself to Success by Talane Miedaner
The Prophet by Kahlil Gibrahn
Life 101: Everything We Wish We Had Learned About Life in
School- But Didn't by Peter McWilliams
Why is Everyone so Cranky? by C. Leslie Charles
BigIdeaCoach.com
This is Your Life, Not a Dress Rehearsal by Jim Donovan
Living Your Best Life: 10 Strategies for Getting From Where You Are to
Where You Want to Be by Laura Berman Fortgang
Page 27

Attitude is Everything by Keith Harrell


Success for Dummies by Zig Ziglar
Self-Help Stuff That Works by Adam Khan
The Other 90%: How to Unlock Your Vast Untapped
Potential for Leadership & Life by Robert K. Cooper
Checklists for Life by Kirsten Lagatree
Conversations with God by Neale Donald Walsch
An Open Heart: Practicing Compassion in Everyday Life by Dalai Lama
Life Strategies by “Dr. Phil” McGraw
6 Keys to Creating the Life You Desire by Mitch Meyerson
Success @ Life: A Zentrepreneur’s Guide How to Catch &
Life Your Dream by Ron Rubin & Stuart Avery Gold
Turn it Off: How to Unplug from the Anytime-Anywhere Office Without
Disconnecting Your Career by Gil E. Gordon
The Ultimate Weight Solution by “Dr. Phil” McGraw
The Life of Pi by Yann Martel
Radical Honesty: How to Transform Your Life
by Telling the Truth by Brad Blanton, PhD.
Take Time for Your Life by Cheryl Richardson
Lessons for Living: Simple Solutions for Life’s
Problems by Daniel H. Johnston, PhD.
Work Less, Make More by Jennifer White

BigIdeaCoach.com
Page 28

Appendix B:
Special Bonus Audio Interviews
Bonus Item #1:
AudioMotivation.com’s Andy O’Bryan interviews
The Big Idea Coach™, Jim Allen, (24 minutes).
Click here to listen!

Bonus Item #2:


How to Quit Life & Start Living! Allan Hunkin of
Success-Talk.com interviews Jim Allen
Click here to listen!

Bonus Item #3:


Why is Everybody So Cranky? Big Idea Coach™ Jim Allen
interviews author C. Leslie Charles
Click here to listen!

Bonus Item #4:


Turn It Off! Jim Allen interviews author Gil Gordon as they discuss
how to unplug from the anytime/anywhere office.
Click here to listen!
BigIdeaCoach.com

To listen to these audios, you will need an active internet connection and a sound program
such as a RealAudio Player or Windows Media Player on your computer.
Page 29

Author’s Bio:
Jim M. Allen

Jim M. Allen, The Big Idea Coach™, is a professional Life, Business, &
Guerrilla Marketing Coach based in Maryland. A member of the International
Coach Federation, he is a graduate of the Coach Training Program at CoachU, Inc.
and the certified Guerrilla Marketing Coach program.
Jim is known as the “Big Idea Coach” for his work with individuals, helping
turn their ideas into action, as they create powerful, profitable lives and businesses.
Since starting coaching in 1999, Jim has helped thousands of people from
around the world through one-on-one coaching, teleclasses, speeches, newsletters,
and articles. He has been featured in articles in: THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE,
READER’S DIGEST (United Kingdom edition), LA TERCERA (Chile), LAW GA-
ZETTE of Singapore, and ECONOMIC BULLETIN (Singapore), BALTIMORE
STYLE magazine, and hundreds of other professional publications, websites and
newsletters in North America , Europe, and Asia.
For more help on how to live the life your really want (or to subscribe to
Jim’s FREE bi-weekly newsletter) visit his website:

http://www.BigIdeaCoach.com

For more great ideas, subscribe to Jim’s bi-weekly internet newsletter, THE BIG
BigIdeaCoach.com IDEA by sending a blank email (from the address you want subscribed) to:

bigidea@add.ms00.net
Page

Special Bonus:
The Best Online Support Programs
There are many ways to get additional help and support as you start pursue
your personal and professional goals. From books and CDs to websites and one-on-
one coaching with a personal coach, there are literally thousands of ways that you can
get the inspiration, motivation, and encouragement you might need to achieve your
goals.
Below are 6 different programs that I recommend to anyone looking for addi-
tional support as they work seriously toward accomplishing their goals, no matter
what the goal may be.
And, to be honest, I’ve used each of these programs myself at various times in
the past few years. Many of them I still use. Why? Because it’s only the constant ex-
posure to new ideas that helps us think, act, and achieve in new arenas.
I encourage you to visit each of these to see how they might be of benefit to
you and your personal goal setting strategy. The ideas they have to offer are price-
less and may very well hold the key to unlocking your biggest dreams...

BigIdeaCoach.com

Вам также может понравиться