The Rolling Stone Story

I am not a fan of snow.

It makes driving difficult, messes up the sidewalks, and makes my socks all wet.

Sure, it looks pretty when it shines in the sun, but so does Kristen Bell, and I don't see her chilling in my front yard all winter.

But snow does make me remember.

Especially to the winter of 2005.

I got an email. An email from Rolling Stone magazine.

I had subscribed to this magazine since I was in high school, so for more than 10 years at $25 a year, I had been up to date on all things music.

This email was an offer for a lifetime subscription.

Cool.

After I clicked on the link, I realized that this lifetime subscription was only $100.

$100 for the rest of my life. No strings attached. (I combed it through...there really were no strings).

So, I took my St. John's math and my calculator and quickly discovered that normally I would spend $100 in 4 years. I consulted my accountant, ran an actuarial analysis, and signed up.

The next month when the Rolling Stone magazine came in the mail, I happened to glance at the address label.

Side note: Did you know that on magazine subscription address labels, there's a line with the expiration date of your subscription?
When I was checking the label, I noticed that my expiration date said, "Sep55."

Huh?

I had just signed up for a lifetime subscription. Why would there be an expiration date?

I'm a reasonable dude, so a few thoughts came to my head...

Maybe they just added 50 years to my subscription to make it easy on their computer system? Nope. It was 49 years and 8 months.

Maybe that's the date where all paper magazines are required to go digital?

Maybe Rolling Stone knows when I'm going to die?

Ooohhh (insert creepy music).

But then I came to my senses and realized that's dumb. Nobody knows when their time is up.

Heck, I could walk outside tomorrow and get hit by a Nickelback tour bus. (The coroner would not want to look at that photograph).

So, I really started thinking...

Who is driving that tour bus, me or fear?

Am I going to let fear knock me down?

Or am I going to take control, (drop Nickelback off at the closest rest stop), and create my own tour?

I might have until September 2055.

But what if I don't?
Sometimes we end up waiting our whole lives for something to be perfect before we take that big step. The perfect opportunity, the perfect business plan, the perfect opening line.

If we wait until perfect, then we just push our happiness further down the road.

We can't control the outcome, but we can control the probability.

So, we better do something now.

We better make our opportunity now.

We better care more now.

We better love more now.

We better appreciate more now.

And we better give and live more. Now.

You want a better job? You want a better golf game? You want a better relationship? You want a better life?

Refuse to wait. Refuse to listen to critics. Refuse to let fear stop you.

It's time you understand that you are worth it. You are significant. You matter.

There are no little people.

Do something now. And think big.

We all have something we want.

Go get it.

Happy Life Starts Here.

Talk soon,
Bryan