You Need A Hobby!

by Darryl L. Mobley

Do you have a hobby that you love? One that consumes you? I certainly hope so.

One of the subscribers to my Success eNewsletter (Jim W. from Tennessee) sent me information on his hobby. I loved his stories and the photos. Jim collects, re-tools, and races Mustangs. His hobby caused him to meet his wife of 40+ years, meet folks who have become friends, bond with younger members of his family, and travel. He tells me that his car hobby has even kept him young! That’s good stuff. [CLICK THE CONTINUE READING LINK TO SEE MY LIST OF 214 HOBBIES>>>

Jim closed his letter to me with this: "Mustangs, and the people who love them, are two of my favorite parts of life! Regarding my hobby -- I live it and love it. I hope that everyone can find something similar that they love and are passionate about, and live it, too!"

Wow! [Thanks Jim!!!]

Here’s my question to you: What’s Your Hobby?

Here are some of the benefits of having your own wonderful hobby obsession:

1. It is an important aspect of having a well-balanced life.

6. You will never be caught bored and with nothing to do. Your hobby will always be there to fill your free time.

Your hobby can be anything that you LOVE to do. It doesn’t have to be expensive or take away from other important parts of your life. When you find the hobby that is right for you, you will find it to be the perfect friend, ready to be picked up whenever you have a chance.

So again I ask: What’s Your Hobby?

If you don’t have a hobby or you are looking for another one – I have listed below 214 hobbies that you should look over and choose from. You are bound to find some new hobbies that get your blood racing.

By the way – send me information and photos on you and your life, your hobbies, and your magnificent obsessions. Email it to Hobbies@CoachMobley.com . Include your full name and any other interesting tidbits I should know.

LOOK BELOW FOR THE COMPLETE LIST OF HOBBY IDEAS.

Remember – You DO deserve to live a great life.

Enjoy Life!

Darryl’s Hobby List

1. Aeromodeling

214. YoYo

About Darryl L. Mobley
For coaching, you may email Darryl at Info@CoachMobley.com. Known as the “Bulldog of Work-Life Balance,” Darryl Mobley is a top Life Coach, an in-demand Executive Coach, a Business-Growth Consultant, a Professional Speaker, and host of The Darryl Mobley Show: Your Life Coach On The Radio. For info, visit www.CoachMobley.com . Darryl is also president of the Association of Small Business Marketers. For info, visit www.BusinessGrowthAce.com . © 2010 Darryl L. Mobley

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You Get One Life. Live It!
By Darryl L. Mobley

As I spoke with my children on how best to reach their goals in sports and academics, I was reminded of my story of the pet store and the squirrel monkey. (I actually had squirrel monkeys for pets when I was a teenager. My mother decided to feed them scrambled eggs and bacon. What happened next would bring a tear to your eyes. But that’s another story for another time!)

I thought I would share my story with you.

A man was walking downtown and passed a pet store. As he looked in the pet store window he saw a large cage filled with some really cute squirrel monkeys. Like me, he had always liked monkeys and so he went into the pet store.

As he looked at the five little squirrel monkeys he noticed the price tags on the front of the cage. $75. $75. $75. $75. And then, $500.

He was intrigued by the large price for one of the squirrel monkeys – even though they all looked exactly the same to him.

He asked the pet store sales clerk why one of the squirrel monkeys was priced at $500. The sales clerk told him that that particular squirrel monkey could talk. So, of course it was a bit more expensive than the other “regular” squirrel monkeys.

The man was excited and told the sales clerk that he wanted to buy that talking squirrel monkey right away. The man paid for the talking squirrel monkey, purchased an expensive monkey cage, and took it all home.

The next day the man returned to the pet store, found the sales clerk and told him that the squirrel monkey had not talked.

A Multicolored Ball?

The sales clerk asked the man, “Have you given the squirrel monkey a multicolored bouncing ball? He loves to play with the ball. The happier he is, the more he talks.”

The man said, “I don’t have a multicolored bouncing ball. Can I buy one from you?”

The sales clerk said, “I have one right here that I can sell to you for $21.95.”
The man grabbed the ball, paid the clerk and took off back home.

The next day the man again returned to the pet store, found the sales clerk and told him that the squirrel monkey still had not talked.

Shiny Silver Chair

The sales clerk asked the man, “Have you read to him from his favorite book, ‘Planet of the Squirrel Monkeys’? It’s a special edition with very nice colored photos and a hand-written note from the author. The talking squirrel monkey loves that book and discusses it after every reading.”

The exasperated man said, “I don’t have the ‘Planet of the Squirrel Monkeys’ book. Can I buy one from you?”

The sales clerk said, “I have the one I read to the talking squirrel monkey right here. It’s my only copy. But, I can sell to you for just $84.95. These books are very rare.”

The man glared at the sales clerk. But, he took the book, paid the clerk and hustled out the door to go back home.

The very next day the man burst though the door of the pet store, saw the sales clerk and yelled that the squirrel monkey still had not talked.

The sales clerk asked the man, “Is the talking squirrel monkey sitting in his shiny silver rocking chair? He just talks up a blue streak whenever he gets to rock in his shiny silver chair. I have the very chair he used to sit in right here for just $395.”

The man was furious but he really wanted to see just how far this sales clerk was going to take this talking monkey tale. So he grabbed the offered shiny silver chair, signed the credit card charge slip and sped out the door.

Talk, Talk, Talk…

The next day the man – looking depressed – walked slowly back into the pet store carrying the multicolored bouncing ball, the special edition ‘Star Monkeys’ book, and the shiny silver rocking chair.

The sales clerk saw him and asked, “What’s going on? Didn’t the talking squirrel monkey like playing with the multicolored bouncing ball? Didn’t he like it when you read to him his ‘Planet of the Squirrel Monkeys’ book? And didn’t he enjoy his shiny silver rocking chair?”

The man said that, “Yes. The talking squirrel monkey loved playing with the bouncing multicolored ball. He also really seemed to like the special edition ‘Planet of the Squirrel Monkeys’ book when I read it to him. He even perked up when I gave him the shiny silver rocking chair. In fact, the minute I put the rocking chair into the cage with him, he put the multicolored bouncing ball down, closed the special edition ‘Planet of the Squirrel Monkeys’ book, sat in the shiny silver rocking chair and began rocking. He then slumped forward with tears running down his hairy little face – and before he passed away – the talking squirrel monkey said to me, “Don’t they sell squirrel monkey food at the pet store?”

What’s the message in this little story? (You knew that I had one!)

The message is to make sure that you are focused on the right things when you are trying to achieve your goals. It doesn’t matter what your goals are – health, business, family, education, relationships, parenting, career — whatever!

Make sure that you are spending your time and money and energies on things that really matter.

Don’t Be Seduced!

Don’t be seduced by the shiny, sparkling things that most often will NOT help you, your children, or your family — achieve your dreams. These things are dream-stealers.

You and those you love must master the fundamentals.

One of my football coaches from back in the day told me that the teams that win most often are the teams that do the best job of blocking and tackling.

My college basketball coach told me that the teams that win most often are the teams that do the best job of rebounding and shooting free throws.

My college volleyball coach told me that the teams that win most often are the teams that do the best job of serving and setting the ball.

Check it out. They were so very right. The seemingly most basic things have the biggest impact on success or failure.

Blocking, tackling, rebounding, free throw shooting, serving and setting are not very sexy. But they are essential if you want to win. Being great at them requires focus and hard work.

Are you spending your time, effort, and money on those things that mean success?

What are you doing with your time and energies?

Remember – You DO deserve to live a great life.

Enjoy Life!

About Darryl L. Mobley
You may email Darryl at Info@CoachMobley.com. Known as the “Bulldog of Work-Life Balance,” Darryl Mobley is a top Life Coach, an in-demand Executive Coach, a Business-Growth Consultant, a Professional Speaker, and host of The Darryl Mobley Show: Your Life Coach On The Radio. For info, visit www.CoachMobley.com. Darryl is also president of the Association of Small Business Marketers. For info, visit www.BusinessGrowthAce.com. © 2010 Darryl L. Mobley

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Why do the few businesses achieve magnificent success and the majority live on the edge of failure? This question has challenged me since I was a young boy. You should know that besides my work as a Life & Executive Coach, I am also a Business-Growth Coach to clients across the country. This means that I spend a good deal of my time studying what makes businesses succeed and applying those techniques and strategies to client businesses.

We have all heard of the folks who started with little and went on to drive their businesses to massive success. Surely there must be a set of action steps or “laws” that you and I could apply to grow our own businesses and live our best lives. There are…

CLICK HERE TO GET THE REST OF THIS ARTICLE or Click Here >>> www.lifecoachontheradio.com/wantyourbusinesstosucceed

Here’s what I mean by “stuck.”

Stuck is where you are when you feel you don’t know what to do next or now. Perhaps you are stuck in a bad or unsatisfying job. Maybe you are stuck in a less than fulfilling relationship. Or, you could be stuck and unable to start that book. You might be stuck hanging around the same underachievers or negative people day after day. Sometimes we get stuck in bad habits – overeating, smoking, excessive drinking, out of control anger, laziness, wasting time, lack of focus, spending time on worthless endeavors, negative thinking, and on and on.

Being stuck reflects your results. Your results are a reflection of how you feel about yourself. Your results reflect what you have done up to now. Your results reflect how you act. Your results reflect who you allow to influence you.

Often, being stuck reflects the habit of saying, “I’ll get to it later” to just about anything and everything that would move you closer to your goals.

Stuck happens.

You know how stuck feels. You are not happy with your situation. You know it could be better. I’ll bet you even tried to make it better.

YOUR PASSIONS ARE????

Let me share with you that being stuck is where you are when you have not passionately embraced your dreams and goals. Being stuck is like standing on the side of the pool and constantly sticking your toe in the water, but never jumping in. Being passionate about your life is like sprinting toward the pool and doing a big belly-flop right into the middle of the water. A pool exists so that you can get immersed and have fun. A life exists for the same reasons.

You might be stuck in a passionless gray world because you were raised to believe that passion is bad. Perhaps your friends make fun of anyone who is enthusiastic about life. (This was certainly true for me in my early years.) Maybe you want to avoid embarrassment.

Being stuck is where you are when you fail to value every second of every minute of every day of the time you have available to you.

Another example of being stuck is when you find yourself doing the same thing over and over, but expecting different results. (That’s also known as insanity.)

Happy and fulfilled people are not stuck.

In fact, let me flip the script. Once you un-stick yourself, your happiness and level of personal and professional achievement will accelerate.

Being stuck is not an option when you have just one life to live on this earth.
The time to get unstuck is right now. Not later today. Not tonight. Not tomorrow. Get unstuck right now.

How do you become unstuck?

THE THINKING THAT GOT YOU STUCK WON’T GET YOU UNSTUCK!

You make a decision. You make the decision that you will not waste another minute of your life not making progress towards your life goals. Your decision must be coupled with a change of thinking.

Change how you think. Change how you speak. Change how you act.

“Your future is not a result of random decisions made. Your future is a specific place that is created first in your mind and then it is created in your actions. The future is not where you go. Your future is the place you create.” ~ Darryl L. Mobley

QUESTIONS TO ASK YOURSELF. NOW!

You change your thinking and your actions and your speaking by asking yourself better questions.

Here are some questions that can get you unstuck and moving towards your highest place.

GET OUT OF PARK

My friend Les Brown told me the story of how after he had a failure in his life he pulled over and just parked his life. He got stuck wallowing in the disappointment he had experienced. He finally asked himself the right questions and got unstuck. Know this: You have to get your life out of park and into drive.

ASK FOR HELP

I have found that the best way for me to get better results is to ask others for input. But wait! The key to you asking for help is to ask the right people for input. Don’t ask those who are also stuck. Don’t ask perennial losers. (Hey! Most people who are stuck hang around people who accomplish little.) I am always amazed at the women who come to me for coaching on getting their relationship on solid ground or getting into a great relationship — who have been getting advice from their female friends who are not, or never have been, in a great relationship! That’s just stupid. Don’t ask advice of people who have not succeeded in the area you wish to succeed in.

The best people to ask are those who have achieved what you wish to achieve. (Side comment: I have found that the people who have achieved what I want to achieve are almost overwhelmingly willing to give me advice that I can use.) Ask them what they do to achieve the success they have. Whatever the area of achievement – losing and maintaining healthy weight, saving money, effective parenting, writing a book, changing jobs, getting into a great relationship, getting promoted, setting & achieving goals, improved health, enhanced romance, and so on – you can find those who are where you want to be.

I have taken the opportunity over the years to get advice from Les Brown, Wally Amos, Zig Ziglar, Raleigh Pinskey, Dr. Joyce Morley-Ball, Dr. Dennis Kimbro, Army Generals, Olympic Athletes, top entrepreneurs, John Pepper, Al Dunlap, Bob McDonald and other CEOs of Fortune 100 firms. I was just stupid enough to call up these folks out of the blue and ask them for input. They all gave me tons of great advice, for free! Who can you call or write, asking for advice? Do it now.

UPLEVEL YOUR CIRCLE OF FRIENDS

You will remain stuck as long as your network is full of the happily stuck or those with negative attitudes. Get out of the crab barrel, now! (A personal insight: If they aren’t positive, they are not in my life!)

BANISH “YEAH, BUT” FROM YOUR LIFE

When we say “yeah” (or “yes”) we move toward our highest being. When we follow “yeah” with “but,” we place a sticky, magnetic goo on our shoes that stops us from moving forward toward our passion-filled best life. Saying “yeah, but” is a horrendous habit. Maximize your enthusiasm and lose your fear of the giant you were put here to become. When you do this you will overwhelm “yeah, but” and make “yes!” the core of your being.

All winners are “yes!” people.

“All your life you are told the things you cannot do. All your life they will say you’re not good enough or strong enough or talented enough; they will say you’re the wrong height or the wrong weight or the wrong type to play this or be this or achieve this. THEY WILL TELL YOU NO….and you will tell them yes.” ~ Nike commercial

YOUR BEST LIFE

You were put here on this earth to live your best life. You were put here to do something special — to leave your unique mark.

Get unstuck now!

Make the decision now to design and live the life you dream of.

Remember – You DO Deserve To Live A Great Life!

Enjoy Life!

Darryl L. Mobley
“The Life Acceleration Coach” and the “Bulldog of Work-Life Balance”
DarrylMobleyShow.com

P.S. – One last tip. Are you fearful of going out after your dream? Deal with it. The only way to develop courage to chase your dreams is to act brave until you feel brave. I call this, “fake it until you make it.”

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