Do you watch “Chuck” on NBC? It’s a show about a lovable loser turned international spy. Nerds, spies – what more could you ask for!? The new season just started up last Monday, and will be on again tonight at 8/7c. This is a guest post from Joel Runyon over at Blog of Impossible Things.
Chuck isn’t Brad Pitt.
He’s an average guy with an average job with average co-workers making an average pay. He never finished school, has no girlfriend, and spends most of his free time playing video games with his high school buddy Morgan. Not that ANY of us could relate to that or anything…
So how does he go from average Joe to James Bond overnight? Well, having a secret government database embedded in his brain certainly helps…but there are plenty of other great qualities that Chuck possesses that make him stand out from the crowd.
It’s time for you to upgrade your life right now.
Be Dissatisfied With Average.
After Chuck accidentally downloads the government database into his brain (I HATE when that happens) and becomes a valuable government asset, he still has to decide to be a spy. He has to decide that average isn’t cutting it anymore. Consistently throughout the series, when faced with the choice of being either a spy or a normal everyday Nerd Herder, he consistently rejects the second option in favor of the first.
In order to live a better life than the one you’re living now, you have to want to. It sounds so basic, but it’s true. You have to commit to not living an “average life” and actively pursuing your dream. It’s not enough for Chuck to say he wants to be a spy, he has to actually do it.
Don’t be satisfied with average.
Learn To Ignore Your Emotions…
Spies don’t have emotions.
Chuck does.
He falls in love, cares about people, and gets discouraged when he doesn’t do everything perfect. All these things get in the way of “normal’ spy work and make it harder for him to do his job. He has to learn to control his emotions so that he doesn’t put himself in danger or screw up a mission.
Just like Chuck, most of us aren’t super human. We can’t run super long distances or lift really heavy weights. We don’t all have six packs and we can’t always pick the hard choice 100% of the time. You will get tired, you will get discouraged, and there will be times you don’t “feel” like doing anything. These are the times you need to ignore your emotions and just push through it. You have a lot more in you than you think. I promise. Limiting by yourself by what you feel are your limitations is a sure-fire way to do nothing groundbreaking.
You have to learn to ignore your emotions…
…But Learn To Listen To Them When You Need To
Weaknesses aren’t always bad things. Sometimes, your weakness can also be your biggest strength. Over time, as Chuck learns to ignore his emotions, he also learns when he actually needs to listen to them. Instead of being a cold-blooded killing machine always following orders, he actually thinks things through and is able to handle situations in ways his spy friends can’t.
Changing things up is hard. There will be times where you will be tired and you need to just get through it, but sometimes you’ll need to readjust. You might need to take a break, set more realistic goals or you may even need to push yourself harder.
The only person who will know what to do…is you.
You have to learn to listen to your body, and know what it means. This is only something you can learn over time, but you have to master in order to take your life to the next level.
Get Yourself A Stellar Cast
The reason Chuck is so successful is because of the people he has in his life. Surrounding yourself with the right people is one of the absolute keys to success in whatever you do. Check out some of the characters Chuck has surrounding him pushing him towards success.
- Casey is Chuck’s bodyguard. He makes sure that no matter what, Chuck becomes a spy. He also saves Chuck’s butt every time Chuck gets himself into a bad situation. He’s not always nice about it, but he makes it happen. He’s the perfect example of tough love and is determined to see Chuck succeed, even if he pisses him off all the time.
- Sarah is hot. Like really hot. She also guards Chuck and helps him like Casey does, but in a different way. When Chuck is second guessing himself and his abilities, Sarah is there to remind him that it’s okay to be himself and that Chuck’s uniqueness is actually what make him special.
- Ellie is Chuck’s sister and is the most important person in the world to him. Seeing her reminds Chuck that being a spy isn’t just about going cool places and doing awesome missions, it’s ultimately about helping people. She helps him realize the bigger picture.
- Captain Awesome is Chuck’s brother-in-law and is awesome at just about everything. He does everything perfectly and Chuck constantly looks to him as the ideal person that he’d like to be.
- Morgan is Chuck’s best friend. He looks up to Chuck like he’s a god. He forces Chuck to think through the consequences of his actions and makes Chuck realize that he is an example and needs to step up his life in order to be a better example to others.
- Lester, Jeff & the rest of the Nerd Herders are a constant reminder to Chuck of his other choice. He can choose not to be a spy, he can choose the easy path, but where’s the fun in that?
Everyone that Chuck has around him serves a different purpose, all pushing him towards his ultimate goal – to become a better spy and to ultimately live a better life.
Want to upgrade your life? You have to get yourself a good supporting cast. You need to find your own personal:
- Casey, who will kick your butt when you need it.
- Sarah, who reminds you that it’s okay to be yourself.
- Ellie, who will remind you about the bigger picture.
- Captain Awesome, who you can look to as an example.
- Morgan, who you can be an example to.
When you need a reminder why you’re doing all this, why you’re choosing the harder path to upgrade your life, just look back and see all the Nerd Herders living the boring life you used to be content with and remember how silly it all seems now that you’ve doing something so much more awesome.
You can be dissatisfied with average, get yourself a stellar cast, and still not live the life you wanted however. There’s one last step you need to take…
Get Out Of The Car
When Chuck first starts going on missions, he’s always told to “stay in the car” and stay out of trouble. Thankfully, every single time he doesn’t listen. Why? Because nothing happens in the car! He never experiences a mission and he never grows. Nothing changes, he’s still the same old Chuck.
Fortunately, all kinds of exciting things happen outside of the car. He experiences the action, he’s put into danger, he has adventure. He’s a spy. But it all happens outside the car. Sure it might be scary, bad things MAY happen, but extraordinary things may happen too.
There’s only one way to find out…
You have to get out of the car. If you want to upgrade your life, you have to want it bad enough to do something to make it happen. So do it. Get out of the car. Do something (or 43 things). Whatever it is, just do it.
Today.
Get out of the car.
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Joel Runyon is a javelin-throwing, world traveling triathlete. You can follow his adventures at the Blog of Impossible Things where he helps people do impossible things.
