Isn't life funny? One minute you're cruising along on a path, and the next minute, you've taken a sharp right turn!

When I was in my early twenties, I worked on a morning show in Roanoke, VA. It was my first big move from home and the first year was a disaster.

Times were so tight. I was trying to play in a game that I was never prepared for, which put me in a world of financial problems. I'll tell the car repo story at another time.

My social life was non-exsistent because I was still hung up on a girl from yesterday.

And to top it off, I ended up working with a person that was so dominating that I feared going to work each day.

The key to your success starts with your attitude. Step 1 is to stop doing or listening to negative things.

I use many different ideas to reinforce this idea, but one of my favorites is a daily email from TUT... A Note from the Universe‏ by Mike Dooley, the author of Infinite Possibilities and Notes From the Universe.

Mike has a free philosophical club for the adventure of life where anyone can sign up for daily Notes from the Universe.

My note today said,

Adventurers All Points Bulletin (APB)

Today is a one-time deal, Sammy.

Cowabunga,
The Universe

Offer expires at midnight.

Sometimes a song just says it all. Like when I heard U2's, Stuck In A Moment today. Enough said...

I'm not afraid
Of anything in this world
There's nothing you can throw at me
That I haven't already heard

I'm just trying to find
A decent melody
A song that I can sing
In my own company

I never thought you were a fool
But darling look at you
You gotta stand up straight
Carry your own weight
These tears are going nowhere baby

You've got to get yourself together
You've got stuck in a moment
And now you can't get out of it

Don't say that later will be better

Shel Silverstein wrote, "I know a way to stay friends forever, There's really nothing to it, I tell you what to do, And you do it." My friend Roger Hendrix once told me, "People do exactly what you ask them to...no more, no less."

But, I would like to start a conversation here and challenge these ideas. If you have a desire to become Tuned In to your goals and your dreams, you'll need to go a little further. Shel and Roger, in my opinion, have great advice on how to color inside the lines and be liked by many people. You can be big, inside that box, loved and admired; but in the shadows of yourself will lie a voice asking why there isn't more.

Fast Company asked an interesting question in their Fast Talk section. The questions was, "Is branding overrated?" The first response from Steven Heath said what I believe, and something for you to consider as you get Tuned In to your work, your money and your life. He said, "It's not overrated but it is taking on a new meaning. Branding isn't just for business anymore. Everything is a brand. YOU are a brand. It is communicating who you are and what you are about." See for your self Is branding overrated?