Never Give Up

As a high school student, I participated in track and field for four years.  After seeing Carl Lewis in the 1984 Olympics I decided I wanted to be a sprinter and long jumper.  I found out that although I was not slow, I was not the fastest in the 100 and 200 meter events but did excel at the long jump. One of coaches by the name of Coach Burke was an elderly man who volunteered on our track team.  He was a former college track coach and knew his stuff. He was over long jump and hurdles. He suggested that I give the 110 meter high hurdles and the 300 intermediate hurdles a try because he thought I would be good at them.  I followed his advice and I found my place.  Coach Burke always use to tell us that no matter what happens during your race to never give up and always cross the finish line because you never know what will happen.  During a track meet I made it to the finals in the 110 meter high hurdles and three people, including myself, fell over hurdles at the start of the race.  The other two guys got up and walked off the track and I heard Coach Burke in my head saying to finish the race.  Although I was scraped up and embarrassed I finished the race. About thirty minutes later the results of my race came over the PA system and I got fifth place.  Coach Burke looked at me and said, "See, you never know what will happen if you just finish the race."

I will never forget that day or the lesson that I learned for the rest of my life.  Often times in life when it seems as if things are not going our way we want to give up and quit.  One of the keys to success in life is staying in the race and enduring to the end.  One thing that might have to be considered is if you are running the right race.  This requires you to find out how to apply all of your gifts and talents in the most effective and efficient way. A long distance runner would not find success in the 100 meter dash. Once you find out what race in life is better suited for you, remember to always finish and never give up.

Going Where You Have Never Gone Before: Doing New Things for Different Results

     You may have heard the definition of insanity which is, "Doing the same thing but expecting different results."  So many people get into this rut and feel like there is no way to get out which can be very frustrating.  As a result, a person might think they are doing something different but it is actually the same thing.  So if that is the case, how does someone do something different to get different results?  I am so glad you asked. In order to do something different does not mean coming up with a new idea or scheme to reach the level of success you are looking for.  It actually means that your thought process has to change in order to achieve different and more specifically better results.  Ideas are great and wonderful things but if the idea is not carried out using the right plan and strategies all you have is a good idea. So in order to go where you have never gone before requires you to be willing to get out of your comfort zone.  Here are some steps you can use to help you achieve different results:

1. Read- The wonderful thing about reading is that it is the quickest way you can expose yourself to different ideas and ways of thinking.  You don't necessarily have to spend money traveling to attend conferences or workshops.  You can read books, magazine articles, blogs and numerous other publications.

2.  Networking- Associating with others who are like mind as well as others who are where you want to be is invaluable.  Networking can help to keep you motivated as well developing contacts that can help you in your journey.  One area of networking can your local Chamber of Commerce where weekly or monthly networking events are often held.

3. Conference/Workshops-  Although it may involve some travel and possible participant fees, conferences and workshops are great ways to hear directly from experts who are successful in their fields and are willing to share knowledge.  Conferences and workshops are also opportunities to network and build key relationships

4. Life Coach- Working with a life coach is a wonderful way to have someone help you to break out of your rut and do something new to get different results.  A life coach can help look at what you are doing and provide you with feedback so you develop new ways of thinking. They can also help you overcome any mental blocks you may have that are preventing you getting to the next level.

5. Study Successful People- By studying successful people, you can see what road blocks in their lives they had to overcome to achieve success.  It will help you to see that they are regular people like you and had challenges they had to overcome.  One major thing you learn is that successful people think differently and see the world in a different way.  You will also see that successful people look at failure in a different way than others.  They look at failure as feedback and use as a spring board to get to the next level.

    Success can be yours for the taking but you have to be willing to get out of your comfort zone.  Having a good idea and simply working hard is not enough but you have to be willing to do new things to get different results which is done by learning to think differently.  This can be challenging because at the end of the day the thought of falling flat on your face is not attractive and can discourage you from moving forward to success.  Once you get out of your comfort zone and achieve the success you have been looking for you can go on to teach and encourage others who where you are at now.

Leaving Your Mark on the World

I have had conversations with people where we talked about leaving their mark on the world or in other words leaving a legacy. This is a noble desire to have especially when we hear of people who did something that either changed the world or did something memorable. We all cannot be in positions where we get recognized for something we have done but we can definitely leave a legacy. The one area where we can change the world is by how we raise our children. With the busy life styles that we lead in can be really easy to focus on just taking care of them and not take the time to really pour into our kids. The fact of the matter is that our kids will remember what we have taught them over any other thing. This can include how we have treated them, what we value and how we have have lived our lives before them.

When we have taken the time to really share our wisdom with our children they will take those lessons into adulthood. There is nothing worse than not preparing our children for success. Of course, you never know if you have raised a future president, scientist or great performer it is still important to teach them. We cannot let our own hang ups and failures get in the way and we can most definitely not try to relive our lives through them. When I look at my kids, I realize that my DNA will live on through them but I really want my wisdom to live on through them as well as they teach their children.