Maybe they've had negative experiences when taking risks in the past and have decided to risk no more. Many people rationalize their lives away by delaying and postponing taking charge of their lives until everything is "just right." Unfortunately, things will never be "just right." Whatever the reason, they're mired in mediocrity and the saddest thing is that many of them don't even know it.

I've written before in this column about the brevity and the sanctity of life. When you look at the billions of people who have been here before us and the billions that will follow us, it's apparent to all who choose to see that we're here for only a twinkling of an eye, then we're gone, never to return. And in that brief instant that we're on this planet, what becomes of us is not due to our friends or family or job, or position in the community.

It's due directly and exclusively to us. Do we wake up every morning excited to be alive and ready to take whatever life has to offer us or do we pull the covers back over our head, not wanting to get up at all? The answer lies within you. The answer is totally dependent on your attitude. LIFE IS ATTITUDE! You either expect to win or you expect to lose. And when you do win, the feeling is so exhilarating that you can't wait to repeat the experience. And when you lose, you get yourself up, dust off the seat of your pants, analyze what went wrong, and try to do a better job next time out.

That's the way people handle the daily events of their lives when they approach life with passion. They face each day eagerly, knowing there will be setbacks and disappointments but also knowing that to succeed at any level of their lives, there are certain risks that must be taken. The old adage, "nothing ventured, nothing gained," comes to mind here. A commercial currently being aired on television suggests that the greatest risk is not taking one. I agree wholeheartedly. It is so easy for us to lull ourselves into a false sense of comfort and security and to convince ourselves that any kind of change would entail risk and could make our lives worse instead of better. But we must also know that the opposite is true as well. Change has the ability to significantly enhance our lives, sometimes beyond our wildest dreams.

When you step foot on an airplane to take your dream vacation, there are all kinds of things that could happen. Your bags could be lost and never found, you or your traveling companion could be sick for the whole vacation, the hotel could have lost your reservations, or, heaven forbid, the plane could crash. On the other hand, you might be in for such a profound experience it literally changes your life. People living their lives with passion expect the best, people who don't expect the worst.

I joined the Body Connection a while back and have become obsessed with working out. I go through a routine that takes about an hour every day and every day I walk a little further, run a little further, lift a little more than I did the day before. I want to get the most out of this experience I can. On the other hand, I suppose I could tear a muscle, break a leg, or kill myself while I'm working out too. I choose to ignore those latter possibilities and attempt to get as much out of the experience as possible.

So whether we're talking about vacations, or staying in shape, or changing jobs or moving to a new house or town or changing partners, or altering relationships, the same choice is always there for all of us. We can meet those changes head on with a passionate embrace, daring life to give us the best it has to offer or we can be a shrinking violet, scared of facing risk, fearful of facing the unknown. If we choose the latter instead of the former, we literally become immobilized, unable to take any action that might improve the quality of our lives.

The thing we must all remember is that if we HAVE become negative in our thinking, it's not a terminal condition. Every person has the ability to regain control of their lives, rediscover that passion for life that lives in the soul of every man, woman, and child and live life to the fullest and the utmost, every single day.

And, if we don't, we can't blame anyone else. Not our children, or our spouses, or our friends, neighbors, and relatives. We can't blame the security of our jobs or the comfortableness of our homes. It's OUR life to live and, if we choose not to, the culprit looks back at us from the mirror every morning. It's up to us.