Today I would like to share something that may provide some important insights into what is happening to many people in our country today. My hope would be that if I can get this across where it is clearly understood, we may be able to make a positive difference in the lives of many people. This is the purpose of each one of my columns, and while I am sure I don’t succeed every time, that is my goal and also my heart’s desire. The truth is, we can’t help another person any more than we have helped ourselves. This is why we should always be looking for good, productive and positive ideas.

Please let me begin with this statement, Our Minds Are So Powerful, but we cannot live in a vacuum. The reason this is true is because when you vacuum something you take all the air out of it. For example, go into a supermarket sometime and look at the meat case. You will find vacuum-packed meat packages everywhere you look. The reason they are vacuum packed is to preserve them for longer shelf life. For this reason they have taken all the air out of the package because air contains oxygen, the substance that eventually breaks down meat tissue and causes it to spoil.

As human beings we must also have air to live. Without it, we will soon suffocate and die. If you will go to a dictionary and look at the various meanings for the word “vacuum,” in addition to “a space from which air has been exhausted,” you will also see the meaning “a void, an empty feeling.” Now, that last definition relates to us human beings, because obviously vacuum-packed meat does not have feelings.

To get to the crux of the matter, please allow me to pose this question: Why do many human beings have a void or empty feeling? The answer is a lot simpler than you may realize. The reason many people have an empty feeling is because they don’t have a purpose for their lives, something that causes them to get all fired up every time they think about it. Another word for void or empty feeling is “bored.”

If you are bored about life in general, then you know what I am talking about. If this is the case, I care and I hope I can help you change your life to be happy. Life is too short to be unhappy. Sadly, when many young people get bored, they also get into trouble. The vast majority of people in our country do not have a purpose, something to be excited about and for which to live. You will also find that these people do not have specific, written goals. If that is the case with you my friend, let’s work together to change that.

My new book “Your Future Begins Today” has a complete section on goal setting and how to go about it. If you happen to be the parent or grandparent of someone like this, get a copy of my book for them. It will be some of the best money you ever spent, and you will also be helping to fund bookcase projects across our land.

Here is another pitfall that traps too many young people, and this is sports. I loved sports and played, but now realize that my time would have been better spent by reading and listening to quality material, ideas that I could project on the screen of my life for a great career on down the road.

Regardless of your age or station in life, the one thing I hope you will take from our visit today is that your mind is powerful and can help you achieve most anything you want to achieve. Wouldn’t it be great if you are still in school as you read this? My friend JoVoni Johnson got a bookcase and some books when he was 4 years old, and reading changed his life. It can change yours, too.

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(Editor’s Note: For a personally signed copy of my new book ‘Your Future Begins Today’ send $20, which includes postage and handling, to Jim Davidson, 2 Bentley Drive, Conway, AR 72034.)