Tim Rode - Are You Drifting?

Are You Drifting?

TIM RODE

Copyright 2014 Tim Rode.

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ISBN: 978-1-4525-8806-3 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4525-8808-7 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4525-8807-0 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2013922377

Balboa Press rev. date: 12/30/2013

Contents

It is not the author who creates the book, but the book that creates the author, just as we all are creations of the mental images and ideas and thoughts that have found a home in our minds.

U. S. Andersen

To drift or not to drift? That is the question you will need to ask yourself. Are you drifting in your life? Are you just going through the motions, doing the same things day in and day out? The same routine that you have followed for years? If so, maybe its time for a wake-up call. Maybe you need to take the advice of the Greek philosopher Heraclitus: Every walking animal is driven to its purpose with a whack. Maybe its time for a good whack. Deep down, you know that you have a much greater purpose, much loftier goals and aspirations, but yet you continue to drift.

Or are you the type of person who has to be constantly on the go? Do you plan every minute of your day from the time you wake up until your head hits the pillow at night? You have no time for yourself, as you are constantly doing all day long. If you are this type of person, you may need to drift. As you will see in the pages that follow, drifting can be not only a time to recuperate and revitalize, but also a time when your mind is still and more likely to be creative and original, a time to let your true genius surface. This book is about incorporating both drifting and not drifting into your life. Its about bringing awareness to your life now and perhaps motivating yourself to do something different.

I have read hundreds of business, inspirational, metaphysical, and philosophical books, and this book contains some of the best excerpts, passages, and quotes from my favorite books and authors on a wide variety of topics that are of interest to me and hopefully to you as well. My intention is to make you aware that there is another way of looking at life and the things you believe in. Look at your life now and determine if you are just going through the motions with no purpose or maybe need to slow down and stop the constant doing . Perhaps you are satisfied with your life and feel you dont need to change anything. Whatever your life situation, this book is ultimately about your personal freedom.

The ideas and concepts in this book may expose you to freedoms you never knew existed. Although most of us think we want happiness in lifeand there are countless books on the shelves promising to tell us how to get itI believe that what we are really longing for is freedom. If you make freedom your ultimate purpose in life, you wont have to worry about chasing the elusive happiness that is here one minute and gone the next.

If I had to sum up what my life mission has been, it wouldnt be school, grades, college, athletics, career no, it would be my lifelong quest for freedom. Its my passion. The pursuit of freedom is the reason for everything in my life. But the question has always been, Free from what? By the end of this book, I hope you will know, and I hope that you too can find freedom in your life. You will see how this pursuit of freedom has influenced almost every aspect of my lifeand almost always for the better.

As I mentioned, there are a wide variety of topics and ideas in this book, and if you find one that doesnt resonate with you, move on to the next. I chose to use and share some of the best teachings that I have read on topics that I feel passionate about and that I believe will benefit you as well. This book contains what I consider the best of the best, with excerpts and writings from a wide variety of authors, sages, and inspirational teachers. The book also contains many quotes. I love quotes, not only for their timeless message but also for their simplicity.

Finally, you may be wondering, what qualifies me to write a book? A better question might be, why would I want to write a book? I have a successful business, so its not for the money. Its not for the travel, as the only traveling I like to do now is to my favorite vacation destinations.

So what qualifies me to write this book? The best answer I can come up with is a burning desire deep within to put on paper that which has been in my head for the past ten years. Each day that goes by in which I have done little or no writing, I have the same feeling I used to get in school when I knew I had homework or a test to study for but put it off. I feel the same way about this book that I did over twenty years ago when I started the company, TR Toppers, that I currently own with my two brothers.

A business I started with a simple idea, a knife, a bucket, and some Reeses Peanut Butter Cups is now a successful company, distributing chopped candy toppings throughout the country with sales over 100 million dollars. Many people have good ideas, but the key here is that I took action. I had drifted long enough. I mention the sales not to boast but to show the magnitude of the business that I started at a time in my life when I had virtually no money. My first child was on the way, I owned frozen-yogurt shops with rapidly declining sales, and I was closing in on my personal rock bottom. You can read more about that in chapter 9, The Beauty of Rock Bottom.

So back to the question: what qualifies me to write a book?

If man carries within him any portion of that which is infinite and eternal, then it becomes his obligation to express it. If he does not, he loses his soul. That which is unexpressed, in the end becomes non-existent.

U. S. Andersen

I have been carrying this book around in my mind and my soul for many years, and I now feel it is my obligation to express it, otherwise I would lose a part of my soul, and in the end it would be nonexistent. So am I qualified to write a book? Lord Byron wrote, One hates an author thats all author. That offers hope! I feel the words of Robert Lowell can answer if I am qualified much more eloquently than I possibly could: