June, 2020 -

Inspirational Quotes About Your Gifts

Today I want to write about something that is near and dear to my heart. Namely, your gift. This is not a gift wrapped in pretty paper with ribbons and bows, it’s a gift that you carry around inside of you. You have had it your entire life. I am talking about the gift that has been placed in you, by God, before you are born. Everyone is born with their gift and I hope that these inspirational quotes will help you to discover your gifts.

“Your talent is God’s gift to you. What you do with it is your gift back to God.”
~ Leo Buscaglia

“Don’t let your talent go to waste.”
~ Anonymous

Do you want to know the secret I used to build three successful businesses, have a lasting marriage, and overcome all challenges? Click on the button below.

My Secret

Where Can You Find Your Gifts?

These gifts that we are born with can be the same or different than other people’s gifts. You can choose to utilize them or not; They are specifically tailored to you. Many people don’t even realize the gift that’s inside of them. They can search their whole lives trying to find out what they should do or become. While they are on their quest to find out who they are, they search everywhere but never look inside themselves. Their gift was there all along.

“Talent is a gift, but character is a choice.”
~ John C. Maxwell

. “Talent is God-given. Be humble. Fame is man-given. Be grateful. Conceit is self-given. Be careful.”
~ John Wooden

“Why hide your talent in the closet of complacency when you have greatness within you?”
~ Robin Sharma

“If you have talent, use it in every which way possible. Don’t hoard it. Don’t dole it out like a miser. Spend it lavishly, like a millionaire intent on going broke.”
~ Brenda Francis

Questions People Ask Me About Our Gifts

Frequently, I have people talk to me about not having a direction in their life. They don’t know what their gift is and seem lost. Their lives have become stuck in a rut and they’ve ceased to move forward. Next, they will ask me, what my gift is? My response is, my gift is giving. Being able to help as many people as I can by giving them inspiration. I have always enjoyed giving more than receiving, even at Christmas. The most joy I received was by watching others open gifts that I had given them than I did opening my gifts. Don’t get me wrong, I was extremely happy and thankful for the gifts I got, but happier watching others. Below is a good inspirational quote.

“All of us are talented in our unique way. We just need to recognize our capacity and develop our talents to their full potential.”
~ Anonymous

My Gift

After explaining what my gift is, the next question that I get is, how did I find out what my gift is? The answer to that question is simple, I asked. After I asked God what my gift was, I began to realize how happy it made me to give. I realized my whole life that I had been serving others, giving my time and talents to keep others safe. Also, more and more people began telling me that my words helped and inspired them. I remembered the inspirational words of my mother, who gave me one of my greatest gifts when she said, “you can become anything you want as long as you put your mind to it.” I became someone that found joy in helping others.

Sometimes everyone needs help getting up

This inspirational quote shows that your gift doesn’t have to be extraordinary.

“With ordinary talent and extraordinary perseverance, all things are attainable.”
~ Thomas Foxwell Burton

Questions To Ask Yourself

If you’re searching for your gift, ask yourself this question. What am I good at? Take an inventory of your life, search deep, and see what you come up with. Think about what other people have told you that you are good at. Secondly, if nobody has ever told you that you are good at something, then start asking questions of your friends and family members. Finally, ask yourself, what makes me happy? Hopefully, this will lead you to discover what your gift is. Please remember, your first step in finding your gift is to simply ask. It will be revealed to you if you ask the universe.

Unique Gifts

Your gift is simply that, your gift. It is uniquely yours and nobody else’s. It could be that you’re a good cook or can bake well, you make tasty dishes that others enjoy. Possibly, you have the gift of leadership inside you. You instill the belief into men and women that they can be better than they currently are. Do you like to tell a joke? The gift of laughter is a great one because laughter is the best medicine. We all need to laugh at least once a day.

“True happiness involves the full use of one’s power and talents.”
~ John W. Gardner

“Talent is like electricity. We don’t understand electricity. We use it.”
~ Maya Angelou

Your gift can be something that you’re doing every day and don’t even realize it. You can improve the lives of people around you and not even know that you’re doing it. By utilizing your gift you are fulfilling God’s purpose for you. Once you realize what is inside of you, then you need to share it with as many people as you possibly can.

Opportunities

Take advantage of the opportunities that are being presented to you every day and share your gift. Today, with the Internet, you have the opportunity to share your gift with billions of people. There are numerous different vehicles on the Internet in which you can share your gift all over the world. You can write, make videos, host a podcast, share photos, etc. Find the one that’s right for you and share your gift. Don’t let the present or the past set your future. If you don’t utilize your gift, then you wasted it. Whenever your time comes to leave this planet make sure you go out with no regrets.

“The person born with a talent they are meant to use will find their greatest happiness in using it.”
~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

“I believe that every person is born with talent.”
~ Maya Angelou

Do You Have The Tools?

You might not think that you have the tools or the talents to share your gift but you are wrong. I, for example, have always been an introverted person. Nobody would have ever thought I would be a great speaker. Public speaking was not my forte, I even got a “C” in my public speaking class in college. I was never comfortable in front of an audience. That didn’t stop me because I practiced until I was good at it. Now it is quite easy for me to speak in front of large audiences. Don’t let anything stop you from sharing your gift. Henry Van Dyke said it best in this inspirational quote:

“Use what talent you possess: the woods would be very silent if no birds sang except those that sang best.”
~ Henry Van Dyke

“Talent is a universal gift, but it takes a lot of courage to use it. Don’t be afraid to be the best.”
~ Paulo Coelho

Success: A Definition

In previous posts, I have written about the definition of success. Different people define success in different ways. One of the best definitions of success encompasses all people in all different walks of life. Success is the completion and the fulfillment of the original intent or purpose for your existence. Simply put, you will be successful if you discover your purpose and complete it before you die. Anything less would be failure.

“Success is measured by why you were created. Success is purpose fulfilled.”
~Dr. Myles Murphy

“Success is not measured by what you have done compared with what other people have done.”
~Dr. Myles Murphy

If you consider yourself successful because of wealth, the position you hold, or the accolades you have earned, and you are ignoring your gift, then you are not truly successful. You are not fulfilling your God-given purpose. Only God can measure success. It is measured by what you have done with your gift compared to what you should and could have done. Even though I have accomplished much in my life, my purpose is to help millions of people. Until that happens I cannot consider my life to be a success.

Final Thoughts

I would love to hear if you have discovered your gifts and how you are using them. I hope that I have inspired you and you use the inspirational quotes about your gifts to accomplish great things. Leave a reply along with your quotes, advice, tips, or links to helpful groups or sites in the comments section below. If you have any questions or requests for topics I would love to hear them. If you like this post, click on the little star and feel free to share it with others it might help. As always, my posts are based on lessons I’ve learned throughout my life. I don’t claim to be an expert or professional therapist, I just play one on TV (some of you might get that joke).

Impenitent Begging 😉

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“This Train Is Moving on, You Can Get on, You Can Get off, But the Train Keeps Moving on! We Are Going to the Top of the Mountain!”

This article may include affiliate links. www.inspirechief.com is a participant of Amazon.com Services LLC Associates Program. As an Amazon Associate, I earn a commission from qualifying purchases. www.inspirechief.com participates in other affiliate programs, and receives commissions when purchases are made through the links. This is at no extra cost to you.

June 28, 2020July 26, 2020

InspireChief7 Comments

Powerful Quotes On Failure To Motivate You

What is failure? How do we define it? In the dictionary failure has many meanings, it can be defined as a lack of success or one that has failed. I believe this is too broad a definition and I refer back to some of my previous posts where I talked about success. Success being different for each person means also that failure can be different for different people. I prefer to define failure as a necessary building block on the road to success. Very few people have immediate success when they begin a new venture. These powerful quotes will help you understand failure.

“Most great people have achieved their greatest success just one step beyond their greatest failure.”
~Napoleon Hill

“I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.”
~Thomas A Edison

Do you want to know the secret I used to build three successful businesses, have a lasting marriage, and overcome all challenges? Click on the button below.

My Secret

Quotes On The Meaning of Failure

We must come to understand that failure is important and necessary to succeed. Everything is a learning process and I like to refer to the process as a journey. We all start out on a journey with a full pack of food and gear. The first steps are taken on a nice comfortable, well-worn path and we are full of energy. At some point along the way, the path becomes overgrown with vines and covered in rocks. Our food supply begins to dwindle as our journey becomes more laborious. We don’t arrive at our destination before winter sets in and we have to turn back. Our journey is a failure.

We didn’t quit on our journey; we are just temporarily delayed. Our failure has presented itself as a learning lesson. Our journey will take longer and we need to begin earlier in the year before winter sets in. Most journeys to success follow the same path, begin, fail, learn, and begin again.

Check out these powerful quotes:

Failure is a detour, not a dead-end street.”
~ Zig Ziglar

“Mistakes are the portals of discovery.”
~James Joyce

“What is the point of being alive if you don’t at least try to do something remarkable?”
~John Green

“Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better”.
~Samuel Beckett

Powerful Examples

If you don’t believe that failure is part of the journey to success, look at some of these examples.

Author Jack Canfield’s manuscript was rejected by 144 publishers before he found one who would publish it. The manuscript was “Chicken Soup for the Soul.” It’s now been translated into 43 languages and published in over 100 countries. There have been more than 500 million copies sold worldwide.

“The problem is that most people focus on their failures rather than their successes. But the truth is that most people have many more successes than failures.”
~Jack Canfield

Funny Man

Actor Jim Carrey dropped out of school at age 15 to help support his family. He was booed off the stage during his first comic standup. He auditioned for Saturday Night Live and was rejected. Later, he used the Law of Attraction, writing himself a check for $10 million for “Acting Services Rendered.” He kept the check in his wallet. Seven years later, he received a $10 million payment for his work in Dumb and Dumber.

“Life opens up opportunities to you, and you either take them or you stay afraid of taking them.”
~Jim Carrey

What A Voice

Singer Katy Perry dropped out of high school after freshman year to pursue singing. She was dropped from three different record labels. She worked odd jobs until she was signed by Capitol Music Group in 2006 and became a commercial success.

“I just feel like I’m going to be criticized regardless of what I do next, so I might as well do something that I feel really passionate about.”
~Katy Perry

An Innovator

Henry Ford failed at two other automotive companies that resulted in bankruptcies. On his third try, with the Ford Motor Company, he revolutionized the automobile industry by pioneering the Model T and the assembly line. He is also credited with the concept of an automobile in every home and went on to sell over 17 million Model T’s.

“Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently.”
~Henry Ford

Teaching

One of the biggest mistakes I believe we make in our society is not teaching children about failure. We plant the idea of perfection in their heads by saying things like, “don’t color outside the lines.” We teach that failure is a bad thing, children don’t learn how to deal with failure when it happens. This can put a lot of pressure on a young mind. Instead, let’s begin to teach children that failure is a steppingstone and to learn from it. Utilize failure in order to succeed.

“I can accept failure, everyone fails at something. But I can’t accept not trying.”
~Michael Jordan

The pressure to never fail as well as our viewpoint of failure as a negative which are ingrained in us early in life translates over into adulthood. As adults, we operate and make decisions based on the input we received as children from our parents, teachers, religious leaders, etc. The thought that failure is to be avoided can at times provide us with an excuse to quit. We can believe that everything is easy and that whatever we attempt we will succeed in it every time. Whenever we don’t see that success, early on in the process, then we give up.

“It is impossible to live without failing at something unless you live so cautiously that you might as well not have lived all, in which case you have failed by default.”
~J. K. Rowling

A Mistake

Most people don’t even attempt the difficult tasks that it takes to change because of fear of failure. I wrote in a previous article, “The Journey,” how I utilized my fear of failure to motivate me to graduate from The U.S. Army Airborne School and become an Army paratrooper. In hindsight, I should’ve gone into the training with the confidence that I was going to graduate as my motivator instead of fear. As young adults, we are constantly reminded to, “Have something to fall back on,” when we express our dreams. This one statement leads many people to give up on their dreams far too quickly.

“Failure isn’t fatal, but failure to change might be.”
~John Wooden“

The difference between average people and achieving people is their perception of and response to failure.”
~John C Maxwell

If everyone played it safe and always went to their backup plan as soon as things became too difficult, we wouldn’t have accomplished anything. We would have never landed men on the moon, personal computers would’ve never been built, and we would still be riding horses instead of in cars. It takes great risk and personal sacrifice for anything great to be accomplished.

You’re Close

When we devise a plan to come up with something great we are going to experience many failures along the way. One thing that I have learned about success is, we never know how close we really are to our goals. Many people turn back to their old lives right before they would’ve achieved a breakthrough. SpaceX endured many failures during its launch of unmanned rockets. They utilized every failure as an opportunity to learn and fine-tune the engineering as well as their process. They continued on and have recently made history by launching to humans from Earth and docking with the International Space Station.

“Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm.”
~Winston Churchill

In conclusion, the idea that I would like you to take away from this article is to get rid of your fear of failure. Embrace your failures, use them as a learning tool, and make changes to your plan. Remember that your goal doesn’t change, only your plan. With every failure you will find yourself one step closer to becoming the person you are meant to be. The only way you can truly fail at anything is to quit. Never quit.

Leave Your Thoughts

I would love to hear about how you overcame failures and used them in your journey. I hope I have inspired you and these powerful quotes will help you to overcome any failures. Leave a reply along with your quotes, advice, tips, or links to helpful groups or sites in the comments section below. If you have any questions or requests for topics I would love to hear them. If you like this post, click on the little star and feel free to share it with others it might help. As always, my posts are based on lessons I’ve learned throughout my life. I don’t claim to be an expert or professional therapist, I just play one on TV (some of you might get that joke).

Click It!!

If anyone would like to help me out please click on the product icons if you need to purchase anything from Amazon. You can purchase whatever you want and I earn a small commission as long as you enter through my links. This is at no extra cost to you and you will be helping me out. I appreciate it and I am grateful to all my followers and readers.

“This Train Is Moving on, You Can Get on, You Can Get off, But the Train Keeps Moving on! We Are Going to the Top of the Mountain!”

This article may include affiliate links. www.inspirechief.com is a participant of Amazon.com Services LLC Associates Program. As an Amazon Associate, I earn a commission from qualifying purchase. www.inspirechief.com participates in other affiliate programs, and receives commissions when purchases are made through the links. This is at no extra cost to you.

June 21, 2020June 15, 2020

InspireChief1 Comment

Motivational Quotes About Self-Confidence

Today I want to discuss self-confidence and how important it is to our success and use these motivational quotes to help you. Every one of us has no reason not to be confident, we just need to step back and see what we have accomplished. I have included 15 quotes about self-confidence to help motivate you to replace any negative thoughts which are holding you back from your inner greatness.

Do you want to know the secret I used to build three successful businesses, have a lasting marriage, and overcome all challenges? Click on the button below.

My Secret

Motivational Quotes To Boost Self- Confidence

“Always remember you are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.”
– Christopher Robin

“People are like stained-glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in, their true beauty is revealed only if there is light from within.”
– Elizabeth Kubler-Ross

You wouldn’t know it by looking at me now, but I’m a much different person today than I was through most of my life. Today you would see a person who is/has:

Successful;
Retired after an accomplished 30-year career;
Educated and earned a master’s degree in criminal justice;
Served in the U.S. Army and obtained the rank of captain;
Lived an adventurous life; and
Been married for 27 years and have raised three wonderful children.

Lack of Confidence

If you knew me early on in my life, you might’ve got the impression that I was a noticeably confident individual. I looked confident on the outside because I was athletic, smart, and always had lots of friends.

What you wouldn’t have seen was the true person of who I really was, a person that was not confident on the inside. My extreme fear of heights meant I had to make up excuses whenever my friends wanted to jump off a high dive platform. I couldn’t even go on roller coasters. Even though I was selected for athletic teams, I never thought I deserved to be on the team. Inside I felt as though I wasn’t good enough and that everyone else was a better player. I was always surprised and thankful that I was even a part of the team.

“Each time we face our fear, we gain strength, courage, and confidence in the doing.”
– Theodore Roosevelt

“One important key to success is self-confidence. An important key to self-confidence is preparation.”
– Arthur Ashe

My Confidence Took A Hit During College

When I went off to college, I struggled mightily. I had no idea what I wanted to study or why I was even there. My classes were difficult for me and my grades reflected my efforts. Throughout my earlier years in school, I was always an “A” student. Now, I was failing classes when I’d never failed anything before in my life. The fact that I wasn’t living up to the expectations of my parents, friends, or myself led me to suffer a bout of depression. There were days when I couldn’t even get out of bed and go to class.

“If you really put a small value upon yourself, rest assured that the world will not raise your price.”
– Author unknown

“Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home, and think about it. Go out and get busy.”
– Dale Carnegie

“You are the only person on earth who can use your ability.”
– Zig Ziglar

Even In The Military I Lacked Self-Confidence

Even after I graduated from college and was an officer in the military, I still battled with my self-confidence. There was no reason for me not to be confident in my abilities as an officer because I had accomplished so much. I had excelled during all my training, both physically and intellectually. My leadership qualities were second to none. My lack of confidence issues came from strict weight standards the military had and as an officer, you are judged on how you look in your uniform. Even though I weighed 180 pounds, at 18 percent body fat, and achieved the highest score on every physical training test, I was labeled as overweight by the military. This undermined my confidence as an officer and my leadership ability.

“You wouldn’t worry so much about what others think of you if you realized how seldom they do.”
– Eleanor Roosevelt

“Once we believe in ourselves, we can risk curiosity, wonder, spontaneous delight, or any experience that reveals the human spirit.”
– E. E. Cummings

My Career

After I left the military and began my career as a Special Agent with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), there was still a lack of confidence inside my head. I continued to feel that everyone was better than me and I was being judged by my peers. There was no reason for me not to be confident. I had numerous successful investigations and led the office in subjects arrested every year. One year I was even named, “Agent of the Year,” by the law enforcement commission. I volunteered and was selected for a headquarters run special operation named, “Operation Snowcap,” and went through training with the U.S. Army Rangers. After training, I was selected on a team and went to live and work in the jungles of South America. Even still, I lacked confidence.

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sail. Explore. Dream. Discover.”
– Mark Twain

“If you hear a voice within you say, ‘you cannot paint,’ then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced.”
– Vincent van Gogh

Cancer = Confidence

After everything I had accomplished in my life, I really had no reason not to be a confident individual. It took me being diagnosed with cancer before I really took a look at my life and became confident. Here are some of the things that I began to do in order to change, I:

Looked at ALL the successes I had had throughout my life;
Stopped having unrealistic expectations of myself;
Started reading more books;
Changed the way I thought about myself;
Started speaking about the confident person I was;
Stopped caring about what others said or thought about me;
Stopped taking everything personal.

In general, I became happy with myself. This led me to be a better person and allowed me to get rid of unwarranted anger. All these negative thoughts and feelings of anger were holding me back from becoming the person that God had intended for me. I became a better husband and father. The release of these unsubstantiated feelings has given me greater self-confidence. It has allowed me to accomplish even more things in my life and obtain greater wealth.

“Because one believes in oneself, one doesn’t try to convince others. Because one is content with oneself, one doesn’t need others’ approval. Because one accepts oneself, the whole world accepts him or her.”
– Lao Tzu

“Trust yourself. Create the kind of self that you will be happy to live with all your life. Make the most of yourself by fanning the tiny, inner sparks of possibility into flames of achievement.”
– Golda Mier

Final Thoughts

Do you struggle with self-confidence? Are you a different person on the outside than you are on the inside? As humans, we are all unique and we have to see the real person who we are. We are not defined by other people’s words, only by the words we tell ourselves. Tell yourself every day that you are a confident, strong person. Look at all the successes you have had in your life and don’t compare them with others. All victories, no matter how large or small, are victories. Celebrate every one of them. Every day strive to be the best person that you can be on that day. Life is life, and some days are simply better than others. Some days I accomplish a lot, other days not so much, but every day I’m the best me. Go be the best you.

“Wouldn’t it be powerful if you fell in love with yourself so deeply that you would do just about anything if you knew it would make you happy? This is precisely how much life loves you and wants you to nurture yourself. The deeper you love yourself, the more the universe will affirm your worth. Then you can enjoy a lifelong love affair that brings you the richest fulfillment from inside out.”
– Alan Cohen

“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose. You’re on your own. And you know what you know. You are the guy who will decide where to go.”
– Dr. Seuss

Comment Below

I would love to hear about how you developed confidence in yourself. Leave a reply along with your quotes, advice, tips, or links to helpful groups or sites in the comments section below. If you have any questions or requests for topics I would love to hear them. If you like this post, click on the little star and feel free to share it with others it might help. As always, my posts are based on lessons I’ve learned throughout my life. I don’t claim to be an expert or professional therapist, I just play one on TV (some of you might get that joke).

If anyone would like to help me out please click on the product icons if you need to purchase anything from Amazon. You can purchase whatever you want and I earn a small commission as long as you enter through my links. This is at no extra cost to you and you will be helping me out. I appreciate it and I am grateful to all my followers and readers.

“This Train Is Moving on, You Can Get on, You Can Get off, But the Train Keeps Moving on! We Are Going to the Top of the Mountain!”

This article may include affiliate links. www.inspirechief.com is a participant of Amazon.com Services LLC Associates Program. As an Amazon Associate, I earn a commission from qualifying purchase. www.inspirechief.com participates in other affiliate programs and receives commissions when purchases are made through the links. This is at no extra cost to you.

June 14, 2020November 8, 2020

InspireChief21 Comments

The Murph Challenge: How I Tackled It

At the beginning of the year, I was looking for a physical challenge to keep me motivated and continuing my exercise regime. At the end of March, I watched the video of a group of people doing the Murph Challenge. Even though it looked daunting, I called my oldest daughter and asked her if she would want to do it with me. She was excited, so we set up a plan and began training. I knew in order to make it through the training and the challenge I would need to read inspirational fitness quotes on a daily basis.

“The last three or four reps is what makes the muscle grow. This area of pain divides a champion from someone who is not a champion.”
— Arnold Schwarzenegger, seven-time Mr. Olympia

“The successful warrior is the average man, with laser-like focus.”
— Bruce Lee, actor, and martial artist

Do you want to know the secret I used to build three successful businesses, have a lasting marriage, and overcome all challenges? Click on the button below.

My Secret

The Murph Challenge

Lieutenant Michael P Murphy was a Navy Seal who was killed in action on June 28, 2005, in Afghanistan. LT. Murphy was severely wounded but still fought on, allowing one member of his team (Marcus Luttrell) to escape before he was killed. For his selfless actions, LT. Michael Murphy was posthumously awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor on October 27, 2007. Thousands of men and women honor his memory by competing in The Murph Challenge on Memorial Day every year. It has become a humbling tradition that gives us an opportunity to push ourselves and persevere to honor, LT. Michael P. Murphy, a man who sacrificed everything he had for our freedom.

The Murph Challenge consists of a one-mile run, 100 pull-ups, 200 push-ups, 300 squats, and another one-mile run while wearing a 20-pound vest. Why would I want to put my body through such a test? Even though I’m in good physical condition, especially for a man my age (I will be 60 years young in August), I wasn’t close to being in the type of shape I needed to be in to complete this challenge. I could do only three pull-ups and 10 push-ups when I started. I knew I would need a big WHY to keep me going. My WHY was that I wanted to do it to honor my family members, my friends, and all the servicemen and women who paid that ultimate sacrifice fighting for our country.

“You must expect great things of yourself before you can do them.”
— Michael Jordan, basketball player

“A champion is someone who gets up when they can’t.”
— Jack Dempsey, professional boxer

Why Would I Do This To Myself?

After I had my WHY, I then wrote down my goal. This was easy because The Murph Challenge is specific and given to you. My goal was to complete it as specified and not modify it. I could’ve decided to do it without the vest but I really wanted to challenge myself and prove that age is just a number.

The hardest part for me was coming up with a plan to be able to tackle this challenge. When I sat down and looked at the workout, it scared me. I had no idea how I was going to get through it. Then I read my favorite inspirational quote, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” I came to the conclusion that I could do small parts of the whole challenge. I had two months to train so I broke down The Murph Challenge into fractions.

The Plan

I began on the first of April with a plan to do one-fourth of The Murph Challenge without wearing the 20-pound vest. I would do this workout, 25 pull-ups, 50 push-ups, and 75 squats, three times a week for two weeks.

During weeks 3 and 4, I increased my workout by attempting to do one half of The Murph Challenge. I completed this workout three times a week, but only wore the vest during one of those three workouts.

As weeks 5 and 6 rolled around, I was strong enough to complete one half of a Murph with the vest three times a week. With only two weeks to go before the challenge, I knew I had to ramp up my training.

In weeks 7 and 8, the last weeks before The Murph Challenge, I decided that I needed to do 80 percent of a Murph, without the vest, three times a week. As painful as this was, it gave me the confidence that I would need to complete the challenge. Throughout my training, I was constantly listening to motivational speeches and reading the inspirational quotes that I have included in this post.

“What hurts today makes you stronger tomorrow.”
— Jay Cutler, pro bodybuilder and four-time Mr. Olympia

“If something stands between you and your success, move it. Never be denied.”
— Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, actor and pro wrestler

The Day Is Finally Here

Memorial Day has finally arrived and I will get to achieve the goal I had set for myself two months ago. I have to admit that I was glad the day was finally here because the training had become harder on my body. It took me longer to recover between training days. I woke up that morning and felt great. My body was strong and I knew I would endure the pain and make it through. Unfortunately, my daughter had moved back to her apartment to begin work again and we couldn’t do it together. It’s always easier to have a partner, someone to suffer with you, and motivate you. I would have to motivate myself, so I fired up some good music, inspirational speeches, and fitness quotes, and off I went.

One Mile Run

I put on the vest, which felt a lot heavier than 20 pounds and opened the garage door. I was disappointed at the site and the sounds of a rainstorm. Hesitating for a minute, went over my options, determining that I only had one. I went out into the dark, rainy morning. At times, the rain was coming in sideways and I felt the sting on my face of raindrops propelled by the wind. I continued on, knowing I couldn’t turn back. My adrenaline was pumping and I moved with a brisk pace, hardly feeling the extra weight.

So Many Pull Ups

After finishing my one-mile run/walk, I had decided to do 10 sets of 10 pull-ups, 20 push-ups, and 30 squats. My first set was as painful as it always was. My arm and shoulder muscles felt as if they were on fire as I lifted my body off the ground. It takes a while for my old joints and muscles to get warmed up, but I knew from my training that the pain was going to go away the more sets I did.

“Things work out best for those who make the best of how things work out.”
— John Wooden, basketball player and coach

“You have to think it before you can do it. The mind is what makes it all possible.”
— Kai Greene, pro bodybuilder and artist

By the time I finished the fifth set, I was feeling good. I was tired but my muscles were strong and I knew I could keep going. During the sixth and seventh set, I noticed that my grip strength was beginning to wane. Reading the inspirational quotes really helped me to stay focused and forget about the pain.

Almost Home

Finishing the eighth set was a milestone for me. I had never completed 80 percent of a Murph while wearing the 20-pound vest. Now I knew that nothing was going to stop me despite the pain in my shoulders, hands, knees, and elbows. Two more to go.

Approaching my last set, I was feeling extreme pain in my arms and shoulders but I was too close to quit. I just kept repeating my favorite quote, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me,” over and over until I completed my last squat. I did it! Only one more mile to go.

“I’ve missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. Twenty-six times I’ve been trusted to take the game-winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.” —Michael Jordan

“When you feel like quitting, think about why you started.”
—Unknown

The Last Mile

I headed out into a steady rain this time, not the downpour I endured on my first mile and was thankful it was not a normal humid Florida morning. This time I moved a lot slower than I did when I began the challenge. The weight of the vest was digging into my shoulders and felt like 100 pounds. The pain I felt in my arms and shoulders from all the pull-ups and push-ups was almost unbearable and I wanted to stop. I just kept going, putting one foot in front of the other until I saw the finish line. The inspirational quotes kept repeating in my head and gave me the strength to persevere.

Victory

Finally, it was over and I had done it. I pushed through the pain and it humbled me as I thought about my reasons for taking on this challenge. The images of my family and friends were imprinted in my mind and were there with me. They were my team along with all the men and women of the Armed Forces who have paid the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom. My victory over this challenge is dedicated to Brad Smith a colleague of mine in the DEA. Brad passed away a little over a month ago after a long courageous battle with cancer.

Final Thoughts

Taking on The Murph Challenge is no different than taking on any of life’s other challenges. Are you facing any challenges today in life you need to take on? If so, just do what I did and use the tools of success to overcome those challenges. Decide your WHY, set a goal, make your plan, and go work your plan. Break it down into its simplest form, something you know you can handle and begin. Find your team to help you overcome any obstacles. Use these inspirational quotes to help get you through the most difficult times. When you want to quit, think about why you started. Persevere and victory will be yours.

“To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift.”
—Steve Prefontaine

“Today I will do what others won’t, so tomorrow I can accomplish what others can’t.”
—Jerry Rice

Have you ever took on a challenge and beat it? If so, I would love to hear about it. Leave a reply along with your quotes, advice, tips, or links to helpful groups or sites in the comments section below. If you have any questions or requests for topics I would love to hear them. If you like this post, click on the little star and feel free to share it with others it might help. As always, my posts are based on lessons I’ve learned throughout my life. I don’t claim to be an expert or professional therapist, I just play one on TV (some of you might get that joke).

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“This Train Is Moving on, You Can Get on, You Can Get off, But the Train Keeps Moving on! We Are Going to the Top of the Mountain!”

This article may include affiliate links. www.inspirechief.com is a participant of Amazon.com Services LLC Associates Program. As an Amazon Associate, I earn a commission from qualifying purchase. www.inspirechief.com participates in other affiliate programs, and receives commissions when purchases are made through the links. This is at no extra cost to you.

June 7, 2020July 8, 2020

InspireChief4 Comments

15 Quotes To Live A Simpler Lifestyle.

Why do we complicate everything? We tend to complicate all things, especially those that are important, relationships, creating wealth, or getting healthy, pretty much anything. These 15 quotes will inspire you to a more simple lifestyle.

My grandmother could simplify anything. First, if you went outside and it was cold, go put on a jacket; next, if you went outside and got wet, you might need a raincoat; finally, if you want a relationship to last, don’t go to bed angry. She didn’t need a weather channel to explain the exact temperature, the heat index, or the chill factor, she just knew if it was hot or cold outside.

“Stay low, stay quiet, keep it simple, don’t expect too much, enjoy what you have.”
― Dean Koontz

“When simple is more than enough, you will feel happy more than enough!”
― Mehmet Murat ildan

Simple and great times

When I got my first car, the combustible engine was a fairly simple device. You can perform maintenance on your vehicle fairly easily and even repair or replace certain parts.

Nowadays you need a computer to fix a vehicle. I can remember those hot, humid summer nights in my grandfather’s garage working on his old car. The crickets would serenade us as we tried to wipe the sweat out of our eyes with greasy hands. I’m sad that my children didn’t get to experience those simple moments.

“Life is as simple as these three questions: What do I want? Why do I want it? And, how will I achieve it?”
― Shannon L. Alder

“A simple life gives birth to more clarity, inner peace and meaningful relationships.”
― Margo Vader

Not Us But It Brings Back Great Memories

You have to keep it simple in the jungle

Everything nowadays seems so complicated that we need to break it down into its simplest form in order to understand it.

“My choice of a lighter lifestyle has brought me a greater sense of well-being. In a world that often seems stressful and chaotic, that’s a feeling I cherish.”
― Lisa J. Shultz, Lighter Living: Declutter. Organize. Simplify.

When I was in the jungle, I carried the explosives we used to destroy the cocaine labs. Trying to understand the scientific facts of how explosives work can be complicated. You could waste a lot of time looking at formulas and trying to figure out the best locations to place the dynamite and C4 to obtain the most destructive power.

“Don’t make your life complicated. Adapt to every circumstance.”
― Lailah Gifty Akita, Think Great: Be Great!

“Well, all I need is the air I breathe and a place to rest my head.”
― OneRepublic, OneRepublic: Dreaming Out Loud

Boom!!

We didn’t have a lot of time to do that, so I learned in my training that the simple fact is that the energy caused by the explosion will always travel along the path of least resistance. Simply put, if you wanted the explosion to travel in a certain direction, we just had to pile rocks and other heavy objects against the charge on the side opposite of the direction you wanted the explosion to travel.

You don’t have to complicate things in order to obtain great results.

“As he thought of it, though, he could not imagine what “just living” might actually be. He had never done it in his life. But he wanted to do it anyway.”
― Orson Scott Card, Ender’s Game

Avoid “Paralysis by Analysis” by keeping it simple

“The simplest things are overlooked. And yet, it is the simplest things that are the most essential.”
― Thomas Lloyd Qualls, Painted Oxen

The character Tony Stark, played by Robert Downey Jr., in the Marvel Cinematic Universe films, when faced with a problem calls up his computer and several holographic computer screens appear in front of him. These screens are loaded down with a plethora of scientific data and it might take someone days to try to figure it out.

Tony Stark looks at all the data in front of him and immediately starts capturing a screen and swiping his hand to the side to eliminate it. He continues to do this until he is left with just one screen on which he finds a solution.

“I just want to live simply and pay attention to what’s happening each day.”
― Kent Haruf, Our Souls at Night

Break it down

He just simply broke everything down to its simplest form. That’s what we need to do to accomplish our goals, break down our plan to its simplest form. When we first start something, it can look so complicated that we don’t know where to start.

We then never commence to doing anything and our goal is left unfulfilled. This is called “Paralysis by Analysis.” We just get too much information, we over-analyze this information, and we never get started.

We never even take the first step. If you’re trying to do something and are frozen by fear or are having paralysis by analysis, break it down to its simplest form and just do it.

From complicated and frustrating to simple

“A simple life is not seeing how little we can get by with—that’s poverty—but how efficiently we can put first things first. . . . When you’re clear about your purpose and your priorities, you can painlessly discard whatever does not support these, whether it’s clutter in your cabinets or commitments on your calendar.”
― Victoria Moran, Lit From Within: Tending Your Soul For Lifelong Beauty

Here are some examples of how I break down different projects to their simplest form.

When I started my online businesses, I read books on different business opportunities and how to start them.

Then, I searched through YouTube for instructional videos and spoke with people who have started online businesses.

Do you get confused?

Quickly, I found out that there is an enormous amount of information on starting online businesses. Not everyone who creates an instructional video or writes a book agrees on how to be successful. I would watch one video and be told one thing, only to watch another video which contradicted everything I learned in the first video. Who could I trust? Did they really believe the information they were putting out, or were they snake oil salesman just trying to get my money.

This became overly complicated and filled me with anxiety so I began to break it down to its simplest form. If I wanted to succeed I had to ask myself the question, what do I need to do first?

I began and then moved on to what I needed to learn second and so on. I didn’t try to tackle everything in one day, I just did a little every day.

Another thing that I did to simplify everything was to pick just one mentor and learn from them.

There were days……..Still are

My simplified exercise plan

“Escape from complicated life! Take refuge in simple life! You will find three treasures there: Healthy body, peaceful mind, and a life away from ambitious fools!”
― Mehmet Murat ildan

If you want to get healthy and have never exercised before, it can be very daunting to go to a gym and see all the different machines or take instruction from a personal trainer.

What I always tell people who want to start an exercise program is to do the simplest thing, start by walking. Walking is the simplest form of exercise, we do it every day, and it can be done anywhere.

The next step is to begin increasing your muscle tone by doing bodyweight exercises. You don’t need a gym to do these and they are a good way to build muscle prior to beginning weight training.

Push-ups are great exercises for building your upper body and hit a lot of different muscles. If you can’t do push-ups, try to do a push-up with your knees on the floor.

If you don’t have a lot of upper body strength yet, begin with incline push-ups or even stand up and do push-ups against the wall.

How we simplified weight loss in the “Good Ole Days”

In the past, whenever I needed to lose weight, I would see so many different weight loss books and diets that I would be overwhelmed. What I noticed about all the different weight loss programs out there is that they tell you to eat the same types of foods.

Simply put, if you want to drop some pounds, make sure your plate is mostly covered in vegetables.

On the most uncomplicated level food is made up of calories that provide us with energy. In order to drop some pounds, you must expend more calories than you take in. All the calories that you don’t expend will be stored as fat in your body.

Cut it in half

“He toasted his bacon on a fork and caught the drops of fat on his bread; then he put the rasher on his thick slice of bread, and cut off chunks with a clasp-knife, poured his tea into his saucer, and was happy.”
― D.H. Lawrence, Sons and Lovers

If you want to start losing weight, begin by only eating half your normal plate of food.

You can then start by replacing some of the food you are now eating with foods that are better for you. Remember that it is a marathon, not a sprint and you don’t have to lose all your weight in a short period of time.

The Murph Challenge

Back in February, I decided I wanted to increase my workouts and was looking for a challenge. My oldest daughter and I signed up for the Murph Challenge. The challenge consists of a one-mile run, 100 pull-ups, 200 push-ups, 300 squats, and another one mile run while wearing a 20-pound vest.

This looked impossible to me at first and I didn’t know how I was going to train for it. I simplified it by making a plan to complete a fraction of the challenge twice a week and then build on that until the day of the challenge. I knew I could do that. On Memorial Day, May 25th, we took on and conquered the challenge to remember and honor my family, friends, and everyone that has paid the ultimate sacrifice. #Murphchallenge.

100 Pullups

Keep It Simple

You can accomplish anything that you set your mind to as long as you don’t get paralysis by analysis and never get started. In the military, we are taught early on the K.I.S.S. principle. That’s Keep It Simple St***D. Break it down to its simplest form, do it, and build on it until you succeed.

How do you simplify things in your life? Please leave a comment below and share them. I learn a lot from your comments If you have any questions or requests for topics I would love to hear them. If you like this post, click on the little star and feel free to share it with others it might help. As always, my posts are based on lessons I’ve learned throughout my life. I don’t claim to be an expert or professional therapist, I just play one on TV (some of you might actually get that joke).

“This Train Is Moving on, You Can Get on, You Can Get off, But the Train Keeps Moving on! We Are Going to the Top of the Mountain!”

I appreciate every like, follow, comment and share. Keep’em coming.

All quotes come from https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/simple-life?page=1

This article may include affiliate links. www.inspirechief.com is a participant of Amazon.com Services LLC Associates Program. As an Amazon Associate, I earn a commission from qualifying purchase. www.inspirechief.com participates in other affiliate programs and receives commissions when purchases are made through the links. This is at no extra cost to you.

June 6, 2020July 8, 2020

InspireChief6 Comments