When you were a kiddo, did your grandma or favorite aunt ever send you a check for your birthday or Christmas? HOLY DOLLAR BILLS! What was the first thing you did? Well, once you jumped up and down and squealed about having some money of your very own to do with as you pleased, you probably started bugging your mom or dad to take you to the bank. You could hardly wait to cash that check.

I moved away from my hometown when I was eight, so getting checks for occasions became pretty commonplace for me. I couldn’t wait to get my hands on that cash and go buy a new game or the latest Beatle record or 16 Magazine or some groovy new pair of shoes.

Did you get to experience that? It was so exciting. I really couldn’t wait to cash those check.

So fast forward to adulthood. I don’t know about you, but over the years, especially the last five or so, I have been on a learning kick. I’ve always leaned in that direction but with so much knowledge available online, the possibilities are endless. It doesn’t help that I have sometimes slid down that slippery slope of thinking that so-and-so’s latest program was going to be the magic bullet to launch me into fame and fortune.

Well, maybe not fame and fortune, but at least cure what was ailing me.

I have accumulated some really good stuff. Online training, books, webinars, study guides, live classes, teleclasses. You name it; I probably did it.

Now believe me when I tell you that at the time I was being a good consumer and buying up all of those goodies, I had every intention in the world of using them. I planned to jump in that day or at the very latest, the next day, and power through to the finish.

Yep, that was my plan.

But for some unknown reason, when I got to about page 87, either

1. my enthusiasm was starting to wane, or
2. the next big thing had distracted me,

and I was heading down another trail.

So I don’t look like a hopeless quitter, I have to interject here that I didn’t always wander off the beaten path. Sometimes I went start to finish and completed the program. The problem often was, when I finished, I put the book on the shelf, stored the information in that compartment inside my brain marked “For Future Reference” and then went on my merry way.

I’m pretty sure, even though I am taking time to write about this, that I am the only one in the world who has ever done this. Am I right? What’s that? You say you’ve done the exact same thing?

OK, so maybe I’m not alone. Let’s talk about it.

We live in an information-driven society (world), and with the endless stream of facts and figures and how to’s and how not to’s and such, we can be on an eternal learning frenzy. And many of us feel like we just have to keep piling it in. (My head gets pretty full sometimes, and I have to go in and do a little dusting and restacking).

So maybe your thing is books. Gosh, if I had a nickel for every book I’ve read, I could probably buy a new Mercedes. On the other hand I’m almost embarrassed to say that I have so many great books with bookmarks still in place on page 49 or 57 or 102. I also have many that I have read cover to cover, sometimes more than once.

What did I take away from those books? Did I just read them casually, or did I glean from them wisdom and knowledge that I could apply to my life?

Maybe your thing is online classes. Gee, I’ve taken a few of those as well, and I have a couple downloaded to my laptop that I plan to get to someday (which, as we all know, does not exist). Some of them I have started, only to be distracted or lose interest. And again, some of them I have sailed through start to finish.

What did I take away from those classes? Did I just attend them casually, or did I glean from them wisdom and knowledge that I could apply to my life?

Do you see a little pattern forming here? Yeah, I thought so.

Look, if you are a person who finishes what they start and maintain focus all along the way, may I offer kudos to you. Where do I sign up for your class? But if you’re like me and have a stack of, oh, shall we call them uncashed checks, listen up. All is not lost.

If you’ve read my blogs, you know I encourage folks to start where they are. It’s all about taking action, and it is no different with this stack of checks that you have accumulated over the years. Hey, I get it. Some of that stuff no longer holds any value for you, and truth be told, it may not even be relevant Forget those. But if there are trainings you have gone through that really stoked your interest, or if you have books on your shelf that still call to you, even though you’ve had them for ten years, don’t miss an opportunity to partake of what they have to offer you.

Cash those checks! (I like to say that. I kind of get a vision of Extreme Makeover’s “Move that bus!” But I digress).

Take advantage of the infinite possibilities that may be hiding inside of those cast-aside vessels of learning. Give yourself an opportunity to try that thing that could revolutionize your life, your business, your world. There really could be magic inside. And the only way you’ll know is if you cash those checks.

I really hope you will consider diving into those golden nuggets that you already own. Jump in with an open mind and a thirst for adventure. Who knows what you will find?

Now tell me, which check are you going to cash first?

Onward,
Steph Marks

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Sometimes those things that we forget about can hold the most juice when we pull them out and give them another look. If you have a check that’s begging to be cashed, tell me about. And once you do it, I’d love to hear your outcome. Let’s do this!