Building A Better You

  There is no Shortcut to Greatness. Simple as that.  Think of anybody you consider The Greatest of All Time. They didn’t just wake up one more morning and decide they wanted to be great at something, and it magically happened. Muhammed Ali was a beast in the gym, famously pushing himself as far as he could go. Picasso painted tens of thousands of pieces. Can you say that you've made tens of thousands of attempts at what you want to be great at? Albert Einstein didn’t just wake up one morning, out of the blue, and say, “Hey, I’m going to write up the Theory of Relativity today.” Instead, he did thought experiments, and asked himself new and difficult questions in order to challenge his thinking. Serena Williams is known to be incredibly disciplined with her training, working for 4 hours at a time. And, she didn't put in all that work to get really good, and then coast. She continued to push herself until she was incredible, and then worked some more. Naturally, we can debate a...

  Don't Stop Yourself Before You Start How many times have you talked yourself out of doing something? Or given up before you even started? I know I certainly have. Countless times. In fact, it was a fairly regular occurrence for me. Until I had an epiphany. I was telling myself “No” before even starting.  How dare I limit myself like that? Imagine standing in front of a mirror and telling yourself, “No, don't bother even attempting that. You're not good enough. You won't succeed, so don't try.”  It's absolutely horrible isn't it? When I thought of saying those words out loud to myself, it made me sad. It felt cruel. But, isn't that exactly what you're doing every time you stop yourself from trying something you want to do? When you won’t even let yourself explore the possibility, dip your toe into the waters. What's the difference between the action of stopping yourself short, and saying the words out loud to yourself?  The result is the same. I...

What Is Your Starting Point?   “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” -Chinese Proverb The journey may start with a single step, but, where are we stepping off from, and what are we leaving behind? If you want to get from point A to point B, you’ve got to know where point A is! I suspect I’m not alone in my journey, and certainly not in my starting point. I know there are many of us who feel lost, and without direction. My question for you is: where are you right now? Take stock of your life- the good and the bad. The advantages and disadvantages. Be honest, be real, and be forgiving. Maybe you don’t like where your life is right now. Maybe you’ve made mistakes in the past. We all have, so give yourself some grace. Know that there is a place for you in this world. Remember that even something as simple as being a good friend may not sound like a lot, but it is. There are people who appreciate you more than you realize. If you’re at a real low point in your life,...

Set Yourself Up For Success Most of us wake up in the morning, and hit the ground running.  I know I do. Most mornings I have to get my kid up and moving, make him breakfast and pack his lunch, make breakfast and lunch for my wife and me, clean up everything, then get ready for work. Then, the rest of the day just sort of moves along. Work has its own flow, then when I get home we’ve got to do all the family stuff- dinner, whatever sport is happening that day, get the kid ready for bed. By the time it’s all said and done, my wife and I are ready to just read or watch a little TV, go to sleep, so we can get up and do it all again. When you go through life like this, it leaves little time to set your mind straight. It’s hard to get focused on your goals and what you want to do, because you’re so caught up with what you need to do. Life's flow sort of just pulls us along.  What can you do? One of the best things you can do for yourself is give yourself 10-15 minutes at the beg...