Allen Klein - You Cant Ruin My Day: 52 Wake-Up Calls to Turn Any Situation Around

you
cant
ruin
my
day

52 Wake-Up Calls to
Turn Any Situation Around

Allen Klein

Foreword by Kristine Carlson

Copyright 2015 by Allen Klein.

All rights reserved. Except for brief passages quoted in newspaper, magazine, radio, online, or television reviews, no part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying or recording, or by information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

Published in the United States by Viva Editions, an imprint of Start Midnight, LLC, 375 Hudson Street, Twelfth Floor, New York, New York 10014.

Printed in the United States.

Cover design: Scott Idleman/Blink

Text design: Frank Wiedemann

First Edition.

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Trade paper ISBN: 978-1-63228-022-0

E-book ISBN: 978-1-63228-031-2

Permissions:

The Incredible Time Machine from In the Beak of a Duck by Alan Gettis, Goodman Beck Publishing, 2008. Used by permission.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available.

To the policeman who gave me a speeding ticket; without him the idea for this book would not have happened.

CONTENTS

Kristine Carlson

AS I READ through Allen Kleins book You Cant Ruin My Day I thought about how much my late husband, Dr. Richard Carlson, author of the New York Times best-selling series Dont Sweat the Small Stuff, would have appreciated the good humor and the essential wisdom of Kleins book.

A magical moment happened as I snuggled into my chair and began reading the introduction. A paragraph jumped out at me reminding me of a passage I had written in my journal from many years back.

Shortly after my husbands sudden departure (death) from a pulmonary embolism in 2006, I began to journal as part of my healing. In the beginning of this process of grieving, I couldnt type fast enough, and it seemed as though Richard was using my fingertips to speak to me through the keyboard. Here is something that appeared as a random thought one predawn morning in grief, as if Richard and I were sitting and having a conversation through the keyboard of my computer: Enlightenment is far easier than anyone can imagine. Its not so much about what you do or dont do or how often you meditate or the position of your fingers as you do so. You quite simply have to just lighten up and stop taking life too seriously. It was laughable, to me, that it was stated so simply.

Reading a similar passage in You Cant Ruin My Day, brought me a smile too. Allen says, I mean, after all, who says that the road to enlightenment need be super serious? Even the word itself, enlightenment, contains the word light. In addition, many spiritual leaders know the value of humor and are lighthearted in their approach to life and learning.

This is so poignant and so true. (Thanks, Allen, for making me smile!)

I love the humor of Zig Ziglar, who said, People say that motivation doesnt last. Well, neither does bathing. Thats why we recommend it daily.

We all need to stay inspired to live life awake! You Cant Ruin My Day will provide you the daily motivation you need in order to live a happier, more inspired life.

Life is like a sport. You have to practice it the way you want to live it. And happiness is not a pursuit, but it is a perspective.

You Cant Ruin My Day is funny, lighthearted, and real, providing anecdotal advice that will help you gain the happiness perspective and mental dynamics you needno matter what small annoyances come your way. Life is not just about getting through the big things that happen; it is even more about how you are able to manage the small stuff that can bring you down in a big way. Our lives are comprised of moments, hours, and days, and time flies fast into weeks, months, and years. If this were your last day on earth, you might not take those small things that happen so seriouslywould you?

Allen shows us through his Weekly Wake-Up Calls that one of the wisest tools we have is the simple realization that there are pivotal moments, which are forks in the road, when you can gain perspective. While at this fork in the road, you get to decide if an incident or circumstance will alter your mood or notthus, altering your day or not. Theres a mindset that you can adopt where you learn to listen and hear the calls to actionthose wake-up calls that can be a jingle or a nod to help navigate you on your way to greater peace and contentment.

Once we realize that we have a choice to be happy, it would be like banging your head against a wall to choose otherwise. Knowing this, why would you allow the minor annoyances in life to continue to upset you, or worse, ruin your day?

It boils down to the basic agreement you have with reality. Are you going to be victimized by lifes circumstances or will you be a victor refusing to allow lifes minor setbacks to disrupt your flow?

All of the annoyances, setbacks, and disappointments in life can all be wake-up calls and reminders to us of how incredible life is and that within the paradox of circumstances there is humor and wisdom and perfect orderas long as you listen and learn. Allen shows us that we have the power to label our experiences good or bad, positive or negative, helpful or hurtful. And, there is always a lesson to be learned and a blessing in those lessons. If you look back on your personal history, like dominoes in a row, Im sure you can see how they all lined up to bring you where you are today.

I recently was on a media and speaking tour in Australia. I had packed way too much luggage, which I was carting around on a seven-city tour. I laughed, sometimes, as my arms and back hurt from lugging my bags up and down stairs. I thought to myself: Geez, Kris, how is this like your life? What kind of oversized baggage are you carrying around, and why are you doing that?

This book reminds me that I dont (metaphorically) have to carry my burdens like excess baggage. I can choose to travel more lightly. I can choose to literally lighten up!

Life can change on a dime, and every day matters.

You Cant Ruin My Day will help you shift gears into the most powerful choice you will ever make and that is to be victorious in your ability to choose an empowered approach to life. This book will wake you up and show you how this day may truly be the best day of your lifeyour speed bumps may slow you down just long enough for happiness to catch up to you.

Treasure the gifts of life and love.

Enjoy this book!

Kristine Carlson

Coauthor, with Dr. Richard Carlson, of the Dont Sweat the Small Stuff book series

Getting born is like being given a ticket to the theatrical event called life. Its like going to the theater. Now, all that ticket will get you is through the door. It doesnt get you a good time and it doesnt get you a bad time. You go in and sit down and you either love the show or you dont. If you do, terrific. And if you dontthats show business.

STEWART EMERY ,
self-help author and trainer

That is the real spiritual awakening, when something emerges from within you that is deeper than who you thought you were. So, the person is still there, but one could almost say that something more powerful shines through the person