"Our choices have the undeniable power of transforming our lives.”
Jose Teixeira
Imagine you are in a sail boat on a beautifully sunny and windy day. You pull away from shore with your sails open and the wind is blowing hard in the perfect direction. You set sail and begin cruising along very swiftly. The wind is blowing in your hair, the salty air is kissing your lips and skin, and the cool breeze keeps you at a perfect temperature on an otherwise warm sunny day. The thrill of the ride is exhilarating and relaxing. As you pull further and further away from shore you suddenly realize there is a large rope that is tied to the boat and on the other end is a giant anchor. You realize that soon the rope will become taut and you will be unable to go any further. Held back by the anchor you notice your ride will soon end and you will be unable to fully enjoy the open water and the blissful ride unless you cut the rope.
Often in our lives we are like the sailboat. We are full of potential and can do, be, and accomplish so much yet we have a rope that holds us back. For each of us our rope may be different. For some of us it may be a lack of confidence or fear, or maybe laziness, or other bad habits. Regardless of what it may be this rope limits our progress and our ability to fully enjoy the ride.
As leaders and as people we must cut the ropes that hold us back. We can’t afford to be held in place by them. We must overcome our lack of confidence, or our laziness, or fear, or whatever bad habit that may be inhibiting us from fully enjoying the open water and taking full advantage of the good winds and beautiful day. If we decide not to cut the rope, we will one day look back on our ride and realize we missed out, that we could have experienced so much more, and that the rides potential was wasted.
What are the ropes in our lives that are not allowing us to reach our potential and enjoy all life has in store for us?! We can’t hesitate, we must do it now! We must cut the rope!
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Embracing the "Same Old"
Recently I had someone mention that many of my blogs are very related and that it seems I have similar themes that I like to discuss—and I can’t argue with this observation. As I thought about this a bit, I realized that throughout our lives, similar themes, lessons, discussions, etc. constantly pop up. There seems to be a pattern of repetition in much of what we learn, talk about, and do. And to me, there is power in repetition. In fact, many of the most skilled people in any given profession are those who have repeated and practiced their skill time and time again. Thus repetition is a powerful way for us to reach our potential and excel.
How many times do we groan when we hear the same lecture from our parents or boss? This is natural however repetition is a powerful way for us to learn and apply lesson in our lives. In fact, it seems we need repetition in order to truly learn and to be our best. And those who can overcome the mundaneness of repetition, and discipline themselves to repeat over and over again that which they are trying to perfect, will gain an insurmountable advantage in coming out on top.
So, rather than avoiding a class you’ve already taken, or that lecture you’ve already heard, or that activity you’ve done a hundred times, perhaps the best way for us to grow and be better is to go back and do it again. If we can learn to be content with repetition, realizing how it can hone our skills and help us reach our potential, we will be on a path to greater success.
So next time we start complaining about “the same old” remember there is power in repetition. Rather than shun or bemoan the repetition you see in your life, embrace it!! And as you do you will be becoming a better you!
How many times do we groan when we hear the same lecture from our parents or boss? This is natural however repetition is a powerful way for us to learn and apply lesson in our lives. In fact, it seems we need repetition in order to truly learn and to be our best. And those who can overcome the mundaneness of repetition, and discipline themselves to repeat over and over again that which they are trying to perfect, will gain an insurmountable advantage in coming out on top.
So, rather than avoiding a class you’ve already taken, or that lecture you’ve already heard, or that activity you’ve done a hundred times, perhaps the best way for us to grow and be better is to go back and do it again. If we can learn to be content with repetition, realizing how it can hone our skills and help us reach our potential, we will be on a path to greater success.
So next time we start complaining about “the same old” remember there is power in repetition. Rather than shun or bemoan the repetition you see in your life, embrace it!! And as you do you will be becoming a better you!
Thursday, June 2, 2011
The Again Principle
There once was a wise old man who told his wealthy young friend how to obtain much success in life. The wise old man told him that a book existed that held the mysterious of the universe and that if the young man truly wanted to be happy and successful in life, he would do all within his power to obtain it and study it. The rich young man believed his wise old friend and learned that an ill-tempered king in a land far away was in possession of the book. So, the young man journeyed to the city, entered the palace and asked to speak to the king. The king did grant the young man audience so he asked the king graciously if he could have the book. The king was angry that a stranger would ask anything from him and he threatened to kill the young man if he did not leave immediately. The young man left and came up with a new plan. This time he brought all of his possessions, gold, silver, and anything of value to the king and asked if he could purchase the book from the king. The king saw all of the beautiful possessions and wanted them for himself however he still did not want to give away anything he owned to this stranger so he ordered his guards to kill the wealthy young man. The young man escaped narrowly but lost all of his riches as they fell in to the hands of the king. Finally, unsure of how he was going to obtain the book but knowing he must do so; the now once rich young man entered the city wall again, this time late at night. He was very careful for he feared for his life but in a dark alley near the castle he saw a man drunk. As he approached him he noticed it was the king. While the king was drunk he astutely dressed himself in the king’s robes and went to kings chambers where he asked his servant to fetch him the book. The servant, believing it was his master, returned with the book and the young man was able to accomplish his desire and escape the city safely with the book.
I recently heard a speaker share a very similar story as this while explaining a powerful principle known as the Again principle. Many of us have hope, dreams, and desires yet we are unwilling to try again. We allow discouragement and a lack of faith to convince us that we cannot obtain what we desire. However, those who try again always find success.
In the story, most of us would probably quit after our first attempt to obtain the book. The young man had traveled far and had made a good attempt but things just didn’t work out. It would have been easy to move on, justifying that we had tried our best and we were in danger. We simply would have settled with disappointment and failure. Some of us may have tried a second time but then would have despaired when even a larger sacrifice to obtain our desire did not pan out as planned. The man in the story however did not despair and tried again a third time risking his life to obtain his desire.
Though in most instances we may not be required to risk our lives, many times we give up too easy, we settle for unfulfilled dreams, we allow ourselves to get distracted and discouraged and we move on when if we simply would try again, we would eventually find success. The Again principle is precisely that. That many times to obtain our dreams we must try again, and again, and again, and again and by so doing, we will eventually obtain the prize.
Success is often awarded to the persistent. If we can learn to be persistent, accept failure, challenges, and obstacles, and always apply the Again Principle, we will have success in life.
I recently heard a speaker share a very similar story as this while explaining a powerful principle known as the Again principle. Many of us have hope, dreams, and desires yet we are unwilling to try again. We allow discouragement and a lack of faith to convince us that we cannot obtain what we desire. However, those who try again always find success.
In the story, most of us would probably quit after our first attempt to obtain the book. The young man had traveled far and had made a good attempt but things just didn’t work out. It would have been easy to move on, justifying that we had tried our best and we were in danger. We simply would have settled with disappointment and failure. Some of us may have tried a second time but then would have despaired when even a larger sacrifice to obtain our desire did not pan out as planned. The man in the story however did not despair and tried again a third time risking his life to obtain his desire.
Though in most instances we may not be required to risk our lives, many times we give up too easy, we settle for unfulfilled dreams, we allow ourselves to get distracted and discouraged and we move on when if we simply would try again, we would eventually find success. The Again principle is precisely that. That many times to obtain our dreams we must try again, and again, and again, and again and by so doing, we will eventually obtain the prize.
Success is often awarded to the persistent. If we can learn to be persistent, accept failure, challenges, and obstacles, and always apply the Again Principle, we will have success in life.
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