How many times have you heard someone say, "I'm not a pessimist…I'm a realist? Maybe you have said it yourself. Here's another one. "I don't deal in fantasy, I deal in reality." Allow me to let you in on a little secret…there is no reality; we are all living in a fantasy world, a fantasy world of our own making and our own choosing, brought about by the model of the world that we have been sold, much like a bill of goods – brought about by our own choices, values, reference points and perceptions – brought about by the DEAL that we made with life long ago.
You may be asking yourself, "What is this deal?" "I don't remember making a deal." Well whether you remember it our not, you made a deal. Some of us made better deals than others. A select few made great deals, most made average deals, and an awful lot made terrible deals. For the few who made great deals, you don't need to read the rest of this post, as there is nothing here that you need. The same goes for the people who have already broken their deals and demanded a new drastically better deal for themselves – and got it. As for the rest of you, please read on.
The DEAL that I am referring to is directly related to the quality of your life – every aspect of your life, your relationships, your finances, your physical well being, and your emotional and/or spiritual well being. When I allude to the select few who made great deals, I'm not necessarily talking about the rich and famous. There are far too many examples of people who "had it all" and proceeded to self destruct. Some of the most notable names that come to mind are: John Belushi, Freddy Prinze, Marilyn Monroe, Kurt Kobain, River Pheonix…the list is endless. Nor am I referring to the poverty stricken and those who live under what society would describe as tragic circumstances when I speak about the ones who made terrible deals. There are also numerous examples of people who went through unspeakable tragedy and extremely difficult situations only to come out of the ordeal better, stronger and happier than ever. The difference between the two is their DEAL.
What is the DEAL?The DEAL is an agreement we made with life. The DEAL is an acronym for:
DEFINITIONS,ENVIRONMENT,AMBIGUITY, andLIMITATIONS
If you are one of the select few who made great deals with life, you'll know it. Your life is one of happiness and abundance. You wake up in the morning and can't wait to start your day. Anyone that comes into contact with you, benefits from the exchange. Your relationships are rewarding and supportive for all involved. Your outlook is one of extreme optimism.
To be specific the select few that made great deals in life have four things in common, the four clauses of the DEAL.
Definitions:
They do not buy into other peoples or societies definitions. They define life on their own terms.
Environment:
They do not allow their environment to dictate their development and accomplishments. They master their environment and utilize it to their benefit.
Ambiguity:
They do not sleep walk through life. Their days have purpose, clarity and meaning.
Limitations:
They do not accept the limitations that life tries to attach to them. Their beliefs empower them and give them unlimited potential.
The people that have anything less then the life they truly want, at some point in there existence, agreed to accept it. The moment they accepted and internalized all four clauses, the deal was made.
The second they bought into what other people define as reality, whether it came from family, friends, glamour magazines or their need to be accepted and perceived as worthy by someone other than themselves… they began to entertain the deal. The exact moment they allowed your environment to dictate what they would, should, or could achieve or become… they began to dot the I's and cross the T's. The specific hour they began to live life as though they were asleep and just going through the motions almost as if they were just trying to get it over with… they were reaching for your pen. The day they accepted that their potential was maxed out, that they were incapable of anything more, that they were limited in their abilities, intellect, strength, will power, imagination or any other resource necessary to achieve their ideal life… they put their name on the dotted line…the deal was done.
Having unconsciously made the deal, the tendency is to spend the majority of your life trying to live up to that deal. Why? Because everyone knows that in life you have to honor the deals that you make. In society, there is an extremely negative perception put on anyone that enters a deal only to break it early on in the process. There's nothing we hate more than the athlete who signs a contract…has a good year…then expects the team to renegotiate his contract for considerably more money. I happen to be one of those people who think that contracts should be honoured. The difference is this, the athlete new the in's and out's of the deal before he/she signed it. They weren't tricked into it. They had lawyers and agents acting on their behalf. Most importantly, they received something of value in exchange for their signature.
So what's your DEAL?If your life isn't exceeding all your expectations of what life should be…break the deal. If you have unfulfilled dreams….break the deal. If you have un-utilized talents…break the deal. If you aren't living your best life...break the deal. If the deal that you made isn't working for youNOW…BREAK THE DEAL!!
