Glenn Van Ekeren - Tinker: The Art of Challenging the Status Quo

THE ART OF CHALLENGING THE STATUS QUO

GLENN VAN EKEREN

Tinker, The Gentle Art of Challenging the Status Quo
by Glenn Van Ekeren

Published by HigherLife Development Services, Inc.
400 Fontana Circle
Building 1, Suite 105
Oviedo, Florida 32765
(407) 563-4806
www.ahigherlife.com

This book or parts thereof may not be reproduced in any form, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwisewithout prior written permission of the publisher, except as provided by United States of America copyright law.

Copyright 2013 by Glenn Van Ekeren
All rights reserved

ISBN 13: 978-1-939183-23-1

Cover Design: Doni Keene

First Edition

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Printed in the United States of America

DEDICATION

This book is dedicated to the people who have allowed me to tinker with the status quo, the countless people who have tinkered with me and for those who are tinkering for themselves to discover all the possibilities

H ERES A SILLY question. How does a fish know it is wet? The fish spends all its life in water and knows no other conditionit knows no other alternative.

Like fish, we tend to be drawn toward what weve always experienced. Its called the comfort zone. Once caught in its snares, the zone inhibits our ability to break free from the restrictive parables of the past that limit us from achieving increased fulfillment and satisfaction in our lives.

The comfort zone involves those feelings, experiences, and thoughts you feel comfortable with. Whenever you consider thinking or acting contrary to this internal monitor, a distress signal sounds warning you to pull back into your comfort zone. This natural impulse grows stronger as life becomes more complicated.

Comfort zone paralysis can eventually weaken and destroy the human spirit. Apathy sets in. Energy wilts. Nothing changes. Nothing is gained. Still swimming the same small circle.

If you want to succeed, said John D. Rockefeller Jr., you should strike out on new paths rather than travel the worn paths of accepted success. To experience a brighter future void of comfort zone mentality, saturate your mind and life today with these fundamentals.

J.C. Penney passionately declared, No man need live a minute longer as he is because the creator endowed him with the ability to change himself.

What a liberating thought!

Make a commitment to new skills, new feelings, new discoveries, new insights, a new way of looking at life. What you wholeheartedly commit yourself to will change what you are and what you experience. Committed people accept no excuses and produce the results they want.

Heres the payoff. The more committed you are to something, the less difficult it will ultimately appear. Obstacles, hurdles and setbacks become temporary inconveniences or even potential opportunities to be pursued.

Stop doing anything you are presently doing that is not enriching your life. Why? Max DePree advised, We cannot become what we need to be by remaining what we are. Remember, if you keep doing what youre doing, you will keep getting what youre getting maybe.

Sometimes, the most difficult step toward growth is simply stopping what isnt working or getting in your way. Its difficult to exit the ruts that have provided comfort and security. Routines that inhibit fullness of life will need corrective measures.

Stop being negative.

Stop criticizing others.

Stop complaining about your work, spouse, other people or life in general.

Stop blaming others or circumstances.

Stop giving others control of your life.

Stop settling for mediocrity.

These stops will give you the green light to go after something new.

Tremendous opportunities await you. But first, you must overcome the fear of stepping into the unknown. Fear is the greatest single obstacle to success and imprisons people from possibilities.

The fear of letting go of what we have in pursuit of something more can be paralyzing. But without risk, the achievement of even the greatest endeavor will seem dull and routine. There is nothing in this world thats worth doing, wrote Barbara Sher, that isnt going to scare you.

The next time you are confronted with the choices of challenge or comfort, risk the former and explore new territories. Plan to live without unnecessary limitations. Live with and enjoy uncertainties. Invest the time and effort needed to excel beyond mediocrity. Play the game of lifethe whole game. And play it with an agenda of uncompromised excellence.

It takes all the running you can do to keep in the same place, advised Lewis Carroll. If you want to get somewhere else, you must run at least twice as fast.

Realizing how quickly the future becomes the past, the present takes on a whole new urgency. There are multitudes of people who crave the best now but few are willing to do what they know needs to be done. What you do in the here and now will make a considerable difference in your future.

Make your move now by creating momentum through action. Please understandyou dont prepare to exit the comfort zone. You take a giant leap and work out the details later. Waiting to get everything just right will stymie action.

Its possible to spend an eternity getting ready for something without ever taking the necessary action to achieve it. Preparation can become a stall tactic. Trust your instincts and go for it. You may initially feel like a fish out of water, but its healthy to do something every day outside your comfort zone.

I love the story of the music instructor who asked a young student, Can you play the Saxophone?

I dont know, she replied. I havent tried yet.

A life filled with meaningful activity and the pursuit of compelling dreams insures the maintenance of momentum. You have to move out into the wide expanse of life and investigate whats out there.

There is a story of two caterpillars crawling across the grass. When a beautiful butterfly flies over, one caterpillar nudges the other and comments, You couldnt get me up in one of those things for a million dollars.

The caterpillar didnt understand the excitement of being transformed. Life enrichment, idea development, personal growth, and professional advancement all require movement beyond the habitual way of doing things.

Seize the opportunity to take the seemingly insignificant steps to innovate, cultivate and create fresh prospects on the canvas of each new day.

I sometimes ask myself this question: In what areas of my life have I accepted less than excellent outcomes?

I dont sugarcoat my response. I must be honest with me. Where have I taken shortcuts that resulted in less than excellent performance and done nothing to improve upon the results? Have I been content with low standards? What would happen if I committed myself to constant and never-ending improvement in all areas of my life?