Today, I didn’t want to, But did it anyway.

 One of the biggest discussions I have had with successful people and those that continue to stay disciplined, no matter what their profession, specialty or passion is, is what they do when they don’t feel like doing whatever it is they need to do or know they should do. The most common response and even in my own life is that they do whatever it is whether they want to do it or not. 

Success, in no matter what areas you want to succeed in life many times will involve doing things you don’t feel like or don’t want to do.  I’ll use myself as an example.  Today, I am at work, at the fire station, day 4 of 5 at work, working 120 hours before I go home in total.  Today, we had hose testing and training at the station and a ride-along (granted it was my son, but an extra person nonetheless).  It was a busy day.  I didn’t feel like working out, walking for an hour, lifting and moving my body.  So after lunch, I completed my reports and went to the treadmill and walked for an hour, and I didn’t want to.  I stepped on the treadmill, and took one step after another and soon, an hour had past.  I had walked the three miles I  try to get in every day and had watched a show while doing so.  Instead of settling down and resting for a bit, I walked.  Then, after further training, and running calls, when I was tired mentally, and physically from being day 4 at the station, i sat down for a second.  I forced myself to get up, head into the station gym and started lifting weights,  Low and behold, I went harder than just going through the motions and got a great lifting session in.  

My why- it guides me.  Even on days I don’t want to do it, I do it.  Even if it means just going through the motions, I do it.  Even if I am tired, exhausted, overwhelmed, under rested, I do it.  I may not go as hard, I may not go as fast, I may not go as long, but I do it.  I do it because I want to be healthy for my family.  I do it because I have a 3 year old grandkid that requires me to run around for her spurts of excitement. Lil do it because I want to be around for my family for a long time.  I do it because the why is bigger than me.  

One of the things I have learned is to allow myself some grace.  I used to be intense about everything, and now I am intentional.  Successful people are intentional in their actions, but they take action.  It doesn’t matter how large or how small as long as you are taking action towards your dream, goal, desires.  No matter what they are.  Watch the patterns of successful people.  Watch how they work when they are tired, when they are energetic, when they are stressed, overwhelmed, underappreciated.  They are crazy enough to believe in their dream, passion, desire, their PURPOSE that they continually work towards it, even when they don’t want to. 

YOU have the power within you to make what you want become a reality.  It simply takes action, many times even when you don’t want to do it.  

• Don’t want to get out of the warm bed, do it anyway.
•  Don’t want to workout today, do it anyway

• Don’t want to read that book today?  Do it anyway. 

•  Don’t want to study today? Do it anyway.
• Don’t want to make that phone call?  Do it anyway 
• Don’t want to deal with the challenges?  Do it anyway. 

Whatever it is in your life that will progress you towards the life you envision, Do it whether you want to do it or not.  You’ll thank yourself later.  

     

Impossible becomes possible when you simply- Believe!

So This weekend I had an opportunity to stop, smell the roses and have a chance to spend time with the three little lights of my eyes as well as good friends and people close to me.  tIt was an amazing weekend for me to reflect.  I was able to take a walk on my own a few times when every one went to sleep.  I was also able to hold my sons hand, and take him for a walk, catch a tadpole with him and really just enjoy the quality time with him.  I also got to see my daughter become an instant entrepeneur as she created her t-shirt design.  I saw my littlest one become an instant friend of other smaller kids and have a blast while he was sharing his heart and energy with others.  Even as I sit here typing, they are here, sleeping quietly, looking innocent and powerful in their own light.  SO I had time to reflect for a moment on what it is that makes the ordinary turn into the extraordinary, the simple turn into the advanced, the worker turn into the leader, the heart turn to solid gold, the taker turn into the giver, the impossible become the possible and the unbelievable become the believable.

The first thing I was thinking about as I was looking at the moonlight shimmering down over the lake was how amazing it is that we exist in such an amazing and powerful world.  We are here in tumultuous times with opportunites presented to us all around.  The challenge is in the way people think, not in the situation we are in.  I sat listening quietly to the lake, contemplating what things I have accomplished in my life, what I have turned away from, what types of opportunities have presented themselves to me and just sat with them for a moment and was grateful for the opportunites that I have had the ability to recognize and to believe in them when maybe many others didn't or wouldn't.  I looked for a moment in all of the people who have been attracted into my life, and gave thanks for the powerful and inspirational people, namely all of you, whom have touched my life and gave a silent thanks for the opportunity to strneghten bonds between friends, and to be able to have the ability to be open and share.   You see, before you can recognize an opportunity tha tis laid out before you, you have to recognize those that are already in your life.  The best way I have seen to recognize those opportunites is to give thanks for them.

Once you have given thanks, it is then time to work on belief.  And when I say belief, I don't mean like the belief in the tooth fairy, or belief in Santa Clause, but belief in yourself and your abilities to achieve.  As a coach, I am often put in situations in which people have a lack of belief or doubt the ability they have in themselves.  It is often my goal or my "job" as a coach to create belief in themselves.  And wait, you saym you have to CREATE belief in someone?  Yes.  We have to create belief in ourselves.  You see, we inherently as kids have nothing but belief that we can do anything- meaning that we can leap off a huge tree and survive, we can swim any amount of miles, we can be the president, we can be where the wild things are, we can be anything we want to be and literally do anything we want to do.  This goes back to a few posts ago when I talked about how perfect children are.  Their belief in being able to do anything until proven differently and then determination even if they can't is a HUGE lesson we often forget and have to "remember" for ourselves. At one time, each and every one of us believed in ourselves.  Our parents, our life, our teachers, those who were "Leading" us in our own lives began to create some of the emotions associated with how we feel about ourselves.  And then we continue to build upon that into adulthood.

Let me use an example of my kids versus another set of kids I saw this weekend camping.  My kids showed me a rattlesnake this weekend, so I followed my son down the path and had him point out where he saw the snake.  I didn't act in disbelief but I wasn't quite expecting to see anything when I got there.  It was one of those situations where as a dad.. you say "OK, let's see together and find out"  So I followed them down and sure enough there was a baby rattler right there to the side of the trail, although it took us a while to see it.  And there was another kid coming down with his dad a little after who said to his kid something derogatory in nature towards his "personality" and calling him ... well let's just say it wasn't the nicest thing.  So you see, when we are talked to as kids, by those whom lead us, it shapes us, it guides us and lays down the foundation for who you are today.

This doesn't mean that if someone didn't believe in you as a child you can't gain belief.  In my experience as a coach, I have seen many instances where you can "Borrow" belief.  I have had to in many instances in my own life, "Borrow" Belief from my peers, coaches, teachers.  I have also been there to give belief to people that they can go beyond what they think they can do, and achieve the once "Impossible" task and make it through without harm!  This is one of the wonderful things about our lives.  You see, we are all coaches, teachers, students, motivators, educators, in need, able to give, and have varying and different degrees of belief.  The beautiful thing about this is at any given moment we can stop and lean on someone else if we need to to borrow the belief or the lack of fear they may have for the task we are feeling is impossible.  I feel this is the FIRST step if you are lacking belief and are wanting to take on what you feel is impossible.

Let's take a look at the title of this .  The Impossible becomes possible when you simply- Believe!  When we Create in our life, we are in a state of belief.  We believe in our mind what we want to believe.  If we limit ourselves to our "Self Limiting beliefs", then the ability to do anything really does get hindered.  I think the best example I have seen of self-limiting beliefs are in the CrossFit facility with the "Box Jump".  the goal of this ecercise is of course to.. jump on a box.  For some reason, 16" can scare the pants off the toughest and most fit individual coming into the facility.  It is a MENTAL game we play with ourselves that keeps us from believing.  We create stories in our mind that tell us we won't make it or we may get hurt.  We attach emotions the the "FEAR" of failure and become "destined for failure" rather than Destined for Greatness.  We are capable of so much more in our lives than we give ourselves credit for.  The problem is NOT that we can NOT, but that we CHOOSE not to do the things we want in our own lives.  this simply comes down to that one word which is belief.

Leaders are created in their own minds.  This means that, yes, there are s certain set of human characteristics that "Leaders" possess, but when it comes down to it, Leaders in life typically have the ability to BELIEVE they are doing the right thing, whether they are or not.  Leaders know how to CREATE belief in others.  This is in my opinion one of the BEST qualities of a leader.  The ability to look at someone, see the potential within and help that person recognize where their strengths are and help them to work on their weaknesses becomes a huge ability in Leadership roles.  Sometimes Leaders need to use this to their advantage to help accomplish a common goal.  Leaders recognize when belief is wavering as well.  Look at some of the stories of the best leaders not only in history, but in movies.  The best stories, like Braveheart where William Wallace creates belief in his troops because he recognized the wavering of the army, become great examples of leadership.  We MUST create belief in our own lives, belief in ourselves as leaders in order to achieve that which may seem impossible.

As my eyeballs hang in the balance, Let me wrap up tonights' post which I will continue later this week with.. to CREATE the Impossible, you must BELIEVE in the impossible.

What are some things YOU have found impossible that you have overcome?