Focus

I listen to a lot of personal development audio. One of the ideas I kept hearing was about how to keep your sights on you end goal. They always say that the end goal will help drive your every step towards that goal.  So I wanted to give a little write up today about an analogy that has helped me learn this principle.
As I was leading the stretching portion of our Saturday morning men's fitness group, I noticed a lot of people struggling to keep their balance especially during the standing quad stretch. This is a stretch where you stand on one leg, reach back with both hands and grab your other foot behind you. You have to pull up as far as you can to get a good stretch on your quadriceps. But this is very difficult for some people, so I instructed them to take the opposite arm and use it to point to an object at least 15ft in front of them and keep their focus on that object. Everyone was amazed at their balance and how easy it was by using that technique.
I think this principle is especially true even in our everyday efforts moving towards our goal. Think about it for a moment, if you keep focusing on the events around your current action you can get distracted very easily. I was working on my business papers one night and a thought popped into my mind about how I could resolve an issue on the Porsche Cayenne I am working on. So I thought I would take a second to do a little research. I ended up not getting my paperwork done and not even getting the research I needed to complete. If I was to keep my focus on the paperwork, I would have gotten everything done I needed to that night.

So take a few moments and ask yourself if you are getting distracted, or if you are completing all your steps to get to your goal. I would say that the majority of our issues with not getting some things done is little distractions.

Opposition

"Before success comes in any man’s life, he is sure to meet with much temporary defeat, and, perhaps, some failure. When defeat overtakes a man, the easiest and most logical thing to do is to quit. That is exactly what the majority of men do."

I have met a lot of people that give in too easily. At the first sign of opposition, they give up and wonder why they even tried. They believe it was a waisted effort. But in fact it was just a moment in time that they realized that there was a better way of doing it or that the way they tried to do it was wrong.
Those who are weak will only see the part that is not a reflection of success. Their biggest failure is not being able to see the opportunity to get closer to success the next time. The nation gets closer and closer to a full on communist society, hoping that the government will take care of them so they don't have to try anymore. But there is hope. I do see people, and am meeting more, who stand strong even when times are tough.
I would like to encourage you to be persistent and change your view of unsuccessful moments. Its not that you have to fight harder but that you have to fight smarter.

Consistency

So for the past few days have been a little overwhelming in terms of activity. As part of my small business (renting cars on RelayRides) I brows craigslist for European SUVs and I have been watching the market and doing some research on Porshe Cayennes. I found one I thought was a scam and turned out that it was a real deal. I bought it knowing that it needed engine work and that I would not be able to add it to my fleet for renting. I spent most of my day working on it after class on Saturday and some on Sunday. I did not get the result I wanted and ended up deciding that I have to tear apart the whole engine. I do not have time to do this but I am scrambling to make that time in little cracks here and there.
The whole time, I noticed a theme. I talked a little bit about it at our men's fitness class and I recently heard it on a podcast. I spoke on consistency. There is something about being consistent that nobody likes. I believe I know what it is. So here it goes.
I believe there is a fear aspect that is being overlooked or ignored by a lot of people. They fear that they will have to be tied to something and they will loose their freedom to do whatever they want. To loose that spontaneity. But we all know in our sub-conscience that the results we want are obtained by doing things over and over. We become better at things when we continuously invest time into them. That's where the phrase "Practice makes perfect" comes from.
I will give you an example. I haven't really noticed this till a few days ago and it has become more apparent to me lately. I am consistent in working out every morning even if it ends up only being 10 minutes. Most of the time it is 20-30 minutes. I noticed the other day that I am getting abs like those you would see on TV or some workout video. This didn't happen in a day, or a week, or even a few months. It was a result of a consistent workout routine that I practice every morning.
If you look at the things that are selling fast in our society and fade out slowly, they are things that offer quick fixes. I am warning you now, don't look for the quick fix. It fades away fast. Just like sin, if you try to gratify that hole in your life with vises, you will only find yourself wanting more and more to try to fill that space. I promise you will never be satisfied if you are running after material things or even shallow relationships. Look at our medical industry, it is a monstrosity of a business and it is run like it too. Everyone follows their doctors and take pills and get surgeries and you would think that we would become a healthy nation with the best doctors in the world. It is run on the fact that it can give you a quick fix. But it is only offering a band-aid to cover the problem until another one pops up and then they can make more money on you.
I could ramble a long time about that, but I will not in this post. I wanted to point out that if you have a goal in mind, it will not be achieved unless you are consistent in the path you designed to get there. Remember you can't walk the entire length of the US in just a few steps, it takes a consistent walk towards that goal.
Get out there and take your steps even if they are small.

Fighting for your future

So I haven't had a post in a couple days and I wanted to give an update. I haven't had any time to do anything other that what is on my schedule. One thing that I did not schedule in is time for homework. I will be taking some time off from work today to study for a test that I am not prepared for.I also have homework for my other class that I haven't started yet. I am going to stay up late this weekend and write down all my responsibilities and set priorities for each. I may have to bow out of a few things to allow time to focus on my tasks. Everything I am doing is moving towards a better future and sometimes is gets frustrating that it is not coming fast enough. But I always take a step back and find out that I am moving forward and making progress toward that future.
I am in the training phase right now and trying to grow my skills in several areas. Not really working on balance right now but I am realizing that it might be a mistake. I haven't jumped into a business just yet for the sake of finishing my degree. Once that degree is finished, I plan to fully invest my time into creating my future and retirement. It is an extremely tough time in life right now but I know I will come out stronger and better prepared to fight hard for a future.
I am so thankful that I have an understanding wife. I have not been home much these past few weeks and she has had to do a lot of work around the house and handle the kids. She is amazing and I am so blessed to have her on my side. I think she keeps our future in mind as well. It is the vision we share and it gives us strength each day to keep going.

I would like to encourage anyone reading this to make the most of your time. It is a resource we take for granted. Understand that the way you use your time counts toward something. I asked my wife one day, what do you think the rich do when they get home from work? Do you think they sit down and watch TV? They know that their time is an investment into something. If you are watching TV, you are putting value the media's pockets. You could be investing your time into your family or your knowledge or your health. Entertainment and relaxation has it's place, don't make it a large part of your time each day. Invest in yourself.

Life limits

So last night I read my favorite kids book of all to my two little girls. "Oh the places you will go" by Dr. Seuss. Almost every time I read this book I have an epiphany. Maybe not quite an epiphany, but a moment of realization. We all get so caught up in life that we naturally start to blend in with the crowd. We forget that we can achieve greater things.
As I was reading this book, I was thinking of my kids and could see the whole future ahead of them. Each one of my kids has great potential and have gifts they can use. They got my wife's ability to socialize with people and be the cool girls. They have a natural attraction.
The book talks about flying higher and faster than the rest and then suddenly watching them all pass you up as you crash. But that is where most people will stop and be content with blending in with the environment around them. They will never take a risk again fearing they will fall again and just say "What's the point." Less Brown points out that those who learn how to get back up every time they are knocked down are the successful people.
But there real moment of realization was not that I was able to see a bright future for my girls and what they could actually do in their life, but that I did not have that natural ability to see it in myself. So while I was reading the book, I started to apply it to my kids and my own life. There are mountains to be moved and I am stuck here at my corporate job trading time for money.

If you are comfortable with getting up everyday only to do the same thing you did yesterday, you probably got caught up mixing into your environment. Jim Rohn says "You are the average of the five people you hang out with the most." I believe that applies to today's theme. Don't be content and complacent, get out there and find the mountain you are going to move.

Each step counts toward something

Yesterday I left off talking about how each decision we make is a stepping stone towards a worthy ideal. Earl Nightengale gave his definition of success that I believe most people will agree with. He said "Success is the progressive realization of a worthy ideal." This is becoming more and more real everyday to me as I keep moving forward. Although I have my hard times or times that I fail, I know through those times that I am a success because I am still moving toward my goal.
If I lived in California and I wanted to get to New York, I would have to first come up with a plan to get there. Lets say that that was my goal and I just started walking in that direction. I would have to guess that it would be only by a very small circumstance that I would make it. Most likely I would run into situations that would pull me from my ultimate goal and I would get comfortable there. It could be that I meet new friends and they drag me into their goal and I become content with it. Whatever the circumstance, the point is you would never reach your goal.
If you planned correctly and kept your goal in mind, you would be able to move past every obstacle with ease and determination. Some people might plan to walk there, or to ride a bike, or even fly a plane. No matter what plan you make you will never make it there in an instant. My guess is that if you planned to walk, you would find a different and faster way eventually.
The point I want to make in this post is that you have to work toward your goal every day. But first of all, set your goal and know "why" you are going there. Your why will be your motivation and determination to get there.
I am in the process of writing my goal on paper and hanging it somewhere that I will see it. I have had a general goal for a long time now (to be financially independent) and I am making better plans to get there along the way.

Proverbs is riddled with knowledge. Proverbs 3:6 says "In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight." I challenge you to take steps everyday to move toward your goal and learn from those times that you fall. I promise you will get better at getting up and better at walking. But you have to make the choice to take those steps.

Out of balance, lessons learned

I thought I better write another post about balance since I feel like I cannot keep up with everything right now. First of all I woke up late today because my alarm is not going off. So immediately I get a shot of Cortisone and already feel stressed. Not a good way to wake up. So I tried to switch my mood and started thinking of where I left off before I went to sleep. That wasn't good because I didn't get all my work done and got stressed about not having enough time to catch up now. Then nothing seemed like it was going in a good direction. Since I woke up late, I didn't have enough time to do my devotions, workout, take time to meditate or even make my food for the day and get to work on time.
But I was able to stop myself and think about my two little daughters and their smiles. My wife and life partner and how she supports me and our family. The support I have from friends I surround myself with.
Philippians 4:8 says "Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things."
Jim Rohn once said "Any man that can go to work everyday and still feel his kids hug and kiss; that man is unstoppable."
Although I am unbalanced in life right now, I will not let that stop me or slow me down. That is not in my plans and I am determined to keep moving forward and to succeed in life. I will use these moments in life as learning lessons and be proud that I could experience them and grow from them. I do know that I have too much on my plate and am trying to see every aspect of each lesson.
Each moment in life becomes another stepping stone to something. Let's all make sure the direction of those stones leads to a worthy ideal.