Recharge your battery

With Memorial Day Holiday weekend comes the summer and many have big plans for the extended break from work and will focus on activities that will help them feel refreshed and rejuvenated. Some plan for months on travel and related activities that they look forward to and will bring them enjoyment. It is a great time to have fun at the beginning of the summer, rather than Labor Day, which is the end of the summer and then its over.
I look at any break like this as an opportunity to “recharge my battery”, as the saying goes. For me, I look for ways to relax and enjoy the time, and set vision for the months ahead. Here are some ways I use time like this to recharge myself and some patterns that help me better me.

• Don’t let things go: By the end of the day, resolve any issues with family, friends, and business associates. Don’t ignore things that we can resolve. Baggage doesn’t help anybody, so get rid of it. If something is not contributing to your goal, then get rid of it.

• Leave your problems at the door: I always have a mental box outside wherever I go and mentally empty my problems in that box before I go in. Don’t drag personal challenges into a business meeting, and vice-versa. Problems and challenges will always be there, the opportunity to make an impact on a person may not.

• Plan tomorrow: It’s crucial that we plan for the next day and think through the details like what we will wear, etc, so that we can focus on accomplishing what we want. You would be surprised how much this frees us up mentally to concentrate on our goals.

• Have a vision for where you will end up: We need to see ourselves standing with that medal, or receiving the award, or enjoying the accomplishments we have worked so hard for. See it as clear as you can and strive for it.

• Don’t be so hard on yourself: At times we all need to adjust and adapt as circumstances change. Don’t beat yourself up if you don’t succeed. If Thomas Edison hadn’t failed 6000 times, we would not have the light bulb today. So, stay the course and reflect on the good you have done. Constructively look at areas where you can improve and strive for perfection.

You may find these points helpful in the race of life and should enable you to move ahead without the shackles weighing you down. And finally, take time periodically to reflect on where you have been and most importantly, where you are going. The best long distance runners are benchmarking where they are and rarely look back because it is energy that could be used in moving forward. Hit the tape strong!

Ignite your passion!

Shaping your destiny

There are factors that may play a part in what happens in your life. And at times those factors may influence what is going on at the time, and may even require added effort and strain in dealing with them. But it is only you who can determine what the final outcome is in your life. You have the power to shape and mold what you want.
There are numerous accounts of people who were dealt tremendous pain, trauma, loss, tragedy and misfortune but kept on moving toward what it was that they wanted. When things cease to be easy is when most get discouraged and lose drive and momentum and eventually give up. Yet those who really achieve something great and meaningful are those who continue with an ideal that is greater than their own comfort and convenience, and they persevere until they finally arrive at the destination they envisioned for themselves. This has been the way of greatness for those who make a difference in the world today.
The old phrase, “a winner never quits, and a quitter never wins”, is a theme that has played out many times in the lives of people for centuries. It is based on the premise that you MUST have the will to win and a vision for where you wish to be if you are going to achieve anything. Things just don’t fall into your lap.
At one point in my sales career I was having a moment of despair and was unhappy with my results. A fellow salesman came up to me and said, “if it was easy, everyone would be doing this”. I’d heard that before but at that moment it helped me understand that the biggest payoff is for doing the work where it gets hard and most give up and don’t expend the effort. If you were to ask the most successful people in the world about how they got to where they are, they could all tell you about the times when they wanted to give up, or at least were tempted to give in and do something else. This is where the rubber meets the road. And an interesting fact is that the area where a tire physically touches the road is called the “contact patch” and is about the size of your hand. That’s a small area compared to the tire itself. It is similar to the idea that if we go the extra mile, the last few yards, or feet, we will be in that category that most will never see and therefore we will win the prize.
We shape our destiny by never giving up on our vision for what we wish to achieve. Never settle, never compromise, never give in, and never give up on what we believe in. Break the tape, finish the course and enjoy the excitement of the journey every step of the way. You can reach new plateaus in life as we have a vision and are clear on how we’re going to get there and are willing to pay the price.
Ignite your passion!

Be Unstoppable

Last week one of my favorite baseball players, Justin Verlander threw a no hitter in Toronto. This was the second of his fairly young career. He is a big, strong guy with great skills and a tremendous attitude. He is a team player and he wants to win and he is committed to his team. His goal is to throw 7 in his career. Now that’s what I would call vision.

What makes him stand out is the fact that he has a belief in himself that he can accomplish what he sets out to do and he obviously has the skills to back it up.

Those who make things happen are the ones who think big, and don’t focus on why things can’t happen, but as the question, “Why not.” Everything that is done today was once never done by anyone. The first hurdle in achievement is the mental barrier. Remember Roger Bannister? On May 6th, 1954, he was the first human to run the mile in under 4 minutes and shocked the world. Since that time hundreds of people have done it, and yet before that many, many races were held when people didn’t accomplish that great feat.

For us, the power is not in the mind, but in the belief that we can achieve and develop the ability we have. And it must be in the realm of reasonable possibility. For example, I shouldn’t expect to run a 4 minute mile if I am not in shape and never train. Now that’s an extreme illustration, but you can set reasonable goals for yourself and get the things you want out of life by applying principle.

Here are some things that can help us attain new heights and get what we want:

Focus: It is easy to get distracted and change what we want. Be single minded and clear about what we want and why and what it will do for us after we get it.

Give: That’s right! A giver is one who can receive as well. It is imperative that we give and share of our resources and help others along the way. The other main area of giving is the giving or yourself to your goal. There is no such thing as something for nothing. There will be a price to pay and you need to weigh that and consider what that will be before you set out to achieve.

Don’t settle: Why do people just accept what is dealt to them? If you are not in the circumstances you want, then make them. Don’t settle for anything less than what you truly want. You deserve it.

Pick yourself up: There will be setbacks and obstacles. How you deal with them will be a major factor in the achievement and the speed with which you reach the finish line. Stay fixed on the goal.

Be relentless: Be bullish about your goal and don’t let others affect you. Don’t let others take you down with them either. Stand firm on what you want and don’t pay attention to the “nay-sayers”.

In the end, you will be happy with yourself and what you have by being true to yourself in your goals and aspirations in life. You attitude is key in all of this and enjoy the excitement of the journey as you stay on the path to success.

Ignite your passion!