Applying the 111 Secrets

We made it! 111 Secrets.

Now what?

Good question. How do we take these 101 secrets plus 10 and apply them to our lives in a practical, tangible way that positively and profoundly changes the course of our lives?

The creative part of me wants to say—well, we don’t. This book is not meant to be a step-by-step plan, but a conversation starter to prompt us to think, speak, and believe differently about our lives.

Then there’s the practical part of me that wants to say—here’s a simple three-step action plan to take these secrets and run faster and with a clearer direction than an Olympic sprinter being chased by an angry monkey throwing unusually large mangos.

And since I’m getting paid the big bucks to have all the secrets, here are three more secrets to applying all the secrets.

3-STEP NOT-SO-SECRET ACTION PLAN TO APPLYING THE 111 SECRETS

1. Twentysomething Soiree

I love the idea of 4–13 friends getting together and talking through this book. Not only would that increase my sales, thus prompting my seven-year, get-rich-quick scheme to finally come true, but more importantly, if this book is read and absorbed alone then it kind of misses the point. The overwhelming theme that I hear over and over is that twentysomethings feel all alone.

Be the first to reach out your hand and debunk that lie. Use this book as a conversation starter. This twentysomething shoot ain’t easy! Let’s talk about it.

2. Get All Visual on Your Bad Self

I don’t know about you, but I need visuals of quotes and goals around my house so I can consistently remind myself of where I’m going and what is motivating me to get there.

Create some visuals for yourself, whether online or printed out. I would love to see what you can create from these secrets and post on your website/Instagram/Pinterest board. Don’t stash these secrets away or they will forever remain a secret. And that’s just silly.

3. Think Bigger and Further Out

Yes, our plans haven’t exactly gone as planned, but that doesn’t mean we should think smaller. No, I think it’s actually the opposite.

We need to think bigger and way longer. Sometimes we get so immersed in the immediate that I think we lose sight of the big picture. Right now, I want you to write down and describe a typical day in your life twenty years from now.

Twenty years out is way too far to accurately plan, so this is about you dreaming. Don’t worry about what’s “possible.” Don’t just put down a title or a list of things; no, I want you to tell your story in first person present as if you’re actually living out a day in your life 20 years from now.

“I wake up at 7am next to my spouse to the smell of coffee. I look out the window and see mountains as I hear my three children getting ready for the morning …”

Make this as descriptive and sensory driven as you can. Really bring it to life. Tell the story of your day. What do you see, taste, touch, smell and hear? Where are you living? What time do you get up? What are you wearing? Where are you headed for work? Who are you meeting with, etc.?

Write down the story of your entire day. What are you doing in the day that’s bringing you life and joy?

An amazing mentor of mine, Ray Rood, had me do this in my twenties when I felt like failure and angst were my two daily companions and it was an unbelievably life-giving, freeing experience. It helped me unwedge my head from the dark and dismal places where it had been stuck for far too long, to take a look at the amazing view.

A few years ago I had to write Ray an excited note because I had this wild realization—I was actually living out the vision of the life I had described so many years before! But the thing was, I had accomplished it in ten years, not twenty! The dreams I was dreaming as a twentysomething that I thought were outlandishly big, were actually too small!

Once you have that day in your life twenty years from now, write a day in your life fifteen years from today. What are you doing in that day that’s bringing you closer to your twenty year vision? Then ten years, five years, one year, then three months from today.

Then give yourself goals for what you need to accomplish in the next three months to begin walking toward your life story that you’ve just written. The power of this exercise is now you can see your future and treat it as reality, as Ray Rood always says.

Snag those friends you’ve been having a twentysomething soiree with and share your stories together. Put your goals on paper and talk about them. Your story is not a one-person show; invite some people into the audience to give you some feedback and cheer you on as you step into the part you were made to play.

THIS IS ME, SIGNING OFF

Thank you to you! This book would not be in your hands without so many readers’ incredible generosity over the years in sharing this book with others. You telling friends about this book is the main reason it has been able to encourage so many and given me the opportunity to write more books. Thank you, gracias, xie xie, mille grazie, a thousand times over.

And can I just say, I’m really excited for you! Even if life feels like you’re driving through a blizzard right now—you can’t see a thing, the roads are slick, and there’s a very real fear you might get stuck and not be able to get out—I promise, come morning when the sun does what it always does, the beauty around you will make the hard drive to get there so worth it.

And don’t be a stranger! I know that’s like writing in someone’s yearbook: Let’s hang out this summer!, but I’m serious. Here’s how you find me 24/7 (well, in between a nap here and there).

I cherish every message I receive from readers telling me about how this book has impacted and spoken to them. What secrets spoke the most to you? I’d love to hear.