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Control Your Thoughts

It is said that you have 20,000 thoughts a day. By learning to control your thoughts, you can live the life you want to live. I am grateful I have learned to be conscious and control my thoughts. As I grow, it becomes more important to me because I have more free time now. More free time means more thoughts bombarding my mind.

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Control Your Thoughts As You Get Older

When I was younger, I had so much going on that I didn’t have time to think. I focused on the ongoing activities that were happening around me. Now, there are fewer activities so without controlling the thoughts they could easily take over.

I control my thoughts and I live the life I want to live. I don’t leave it up to chance to determine the life that I’m going to have. The past doesn’t matter. It has happened, and there is nothing I can do about changing it. In fact, I would not want to.

Good or bad, my past has shaped me into the man I am today. All my mistakes were lessons to be learned. The challenges I went through built up my strength and perseverance. My future is what I want it to be. I determine my path by my thoughts, words, and actions.

How Do You Feel?

The person I will become is not the same person writing today. I am changing and improving as I write this post. The most important time in my life is right now. Not necessarily the actual events happening right at this moment, but how I feel about those events.

How do I feel and react to the things happening to me as I write? I feel joy because it makes me happy to put pen to paper. The feeling of my right hand resting on the sheet of paper in my journal. Listening to the quiet, soft sounds of the early morning. These are what is going on, and it goes beyond my five senses. It has become a feeling for me. I feel the energy in my body vibrating; the warmth in my chest as I experience joy in the smallest things.

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You can control your thoughts and determine your path. It is the difference between living unconscious or conscious. Being unconscious is letting the thoughts in your mind control you. You are not aware of most of the thoughts you are allowing to enter your mind.

Live In The Now

If you spend time thinking about the past and the future and it is causing you to feel worried and anxious, you live unconsciously. You don’t believe that you have any control over what is going to happen to you. Your unconscious mind allows negative feelings to take over, and you have no control over these feelings. That is not true.

Being aware of what is happening now, the thoughts you are having and, the feelings you are experiencing is living a conscious life. As life happens around you, how do you feel? For example, if someone cuts me off in traffic, it makes me angry. How does anger feel in my body? My chest feels closed, there is a pit in my stomach, and I feel the tension rising in my face and head.

Choices

At this moment, I have a choice, I can keep those uncomfortable feelings and remain angry, or I can release them. The moment has passed therefore, there is no need to hang on to the anger. You can control your thoughts and feelings by recognizing what is happening to your body and taking control of these feelings.

Recognize when your thoughts are making you feel uncomfortable and change them. Begin to think of the life you want to live, not the life you are living. Picturing yourself living your ideal life will change your feelings to ones of peace and happiness. It is a process that will take some time, but if you want to change your life bad enough, trust and enjoy the process. Control your thoughts, and you can control your life.

Cites

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Celebrate Small Victories

Winning is hard. To win at any contest or life is a difficult endeavor; you must be at your best. Winning championships is even more difficult. Championships will only come after you have first won many games. Games are small compared to a championship, but they should be celebrated as much or more than being crowned champions. In other words, without winning the less significant games, there is no championship trophy to hoist. Make sure you celebrate small victories.

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Celebrating Small Victories

Living the life you want to live is like winning a championship. It can be hard to obtain, and you have to do the right things consistently to become the person you want to be. There are many victories along the way, large and small. Celebrate small victories as much as obtaining your ultimate goal.

Your eyes opened this morning; small victory. You breathe, and your heart pumps blood to your vital organs without thinking about it;  small victories. There is food in the refrigerator; a small victory. I can write this post; small victory.

In a previous post, I told the anecdote about the golfer cussing after each swing while Sofia and I celebrated every time we struck the ball well. Each bad word that left his mouth only brought him more bad swings. On the other hand, each time we celebrated returned to us good swings, and we got better as the day went on. Celebrate small victories.

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Find And Celebrate Small Victories

Look around and find everything you can be thankful for and celebrate all things. If you are losing weight and becoming healthier, celebrate the small victory of putting on your workout clothes. Celebrate starting your car and driving to the gym. Smile and feel the joy of walking into the gym and knowing you are becoming healthier. In Divine Timing, small victories will add up to huge, huge wins for you.

The other evening, Sofia and I were out by the pool practicing our golf swing, and she felt a raindrop. I looked up, and there wasn’t a cloud above us. We live in Florida, the sunshine state, so that is not unusual. Soon, one raindrop turned into 10, and 10 turned into 100. Then millions of raindrops poured from the sky for ½ hour.

Give Thanks

This is an excellent example of the Law of Attraction. If you give thanks for one raindrop, millions will follow. Imagine being a farmer during a drought and feeling a raindrop. Instead of celebrating the small victory and giving thanks, the farmer complained that it wasn’t enough. No rain would come. Conversely, if the farmer celebrated the small victory, a deluge would be on its way. Celebrate finding a penny just as you would finding millions. It is a small representation of what is out there for you. Feel the same way you would feel finding that suitcase of money, and soon millions will follow.

If you want to change your life, celebrate small victories. It will not take long before you start seeing the changes in yourself. Each change no matter how large or how small is leading you to become the person you want to be.

Cites

https://unsplash.com/@lukephotography

https://unsplash.com/@nixcreative

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Find Your Inner Child

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Today I want to talk about belief. Many people lose sight of their dreams when they enter adulthood. We forget how to believe like a child. Our childhood beliefs become replaced by anxiety and worry as adults. Find your inner child and begin believing in your dreams again.

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Find Your Inner Child And Believe

The holiday season is a wonderful time to reflect on your childhood. As a child, you believed all things are possible without question. A man in a red suit, sleigh, and flying reindeer will fly around the world, in one night, and deliver presents to every child.

If you have been good all year, you get the nice present you asked for. In contrast, if you have been a bad boy or girl, you will find coal in your stocking. These unquestioned beliefs resulted in many a wonderful childhood. You might have grown up, but you should find your inner child and continue to believe once again.

Believe In Your Dreams

Believe in your dreams with the same unquestioning passion you had as a child. The only reason you stopped believing was you entered adulthood. Family, bills, your career, and all of the situations associated with adulthood kill your dreams.

Find your inner child and begin to believe you can change. The Bible says, “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” Mark 11:24 NIV. As long as you believe and do not doubt, it will be yours. The timing though is up to God.

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Law Of Attraction

This is how the Law of Attraction works, Ask, Believe, and Receive. Belief, mixed with emotion, is the key ingredient in this formula. You must erase all doubt. You might ask for something but do not believe it in your heart, therefore, you never receive it. Ask God to release all doubt within you.

When you find your inner child, you have no doubt. Doubt comes into your mind through your experiences in life. As a child, your parents told you that Santa would come down your chimney and deliver presents on Christmas Eve. The next morning, Christmas Day, you wake up and find the gifts you asked for under the tree. You asked, believed, and received. There was never any doubt.

Reflect On Your Childhood

Today, reflect on your childhood and remember those wonderful days. If you’re not living the life you want to live, decide to make a change. Commit to your decision and begin to believe like a child. Dust off your forgotten dreams and start dreaming again.

Begin to develop daily habits of prayer, affirmations, and meditation. Tell yourself every day, “I release all doubt;” “I release everything that is holding me back.” Do this several times a day, every day, and begin to build belief. In time, your doubts will appear less often, and you will feel the belief building inside of you.

Ask God

Ask God for what you want and believe in your heart that you will receive it. Remember that the Bible also tells us to ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. James 1:5-8 ESV.

Take some time for yourself to relax and reflect on your childhood. Find your inner child and the ability to believe like a child.

Cites

https://unsplash.com/@profwicks

https://unsplash.com/@carolynchristine

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Enjoy The Process

In all endeavors, there is a process to get from point A to point B. Learning to walk is a process, so was taking a vacation. You have to pack, get to the airport, go through security, board the plane, arrive at your vacation spot, and God forbid, don’t forget anything. Whatever you’re trying to improve in your life, please enjoy the process.

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Learn To Enjoy The Process

In the past, I didn’t enjoy the process of anything. The process of going on vacation was such a hassle it diminished the fun of the first few days for me. In contrast, today, I have learned to love the process as much or more than the result.

Last week, I was gifted an excellent example of what I am talking about. The Mrs. and I were at the Driving Range hitting golf balls. We recently took up the game, and neither of us is good at it. As we were hitting, and the balls were going wherever they wanted to, I heard behind me a distinct word beginning with a F***. Turning around, I saw a man swing, hit the ball, and immediately shout F***! He didn’t look like he was having a good time.

Fore!!

Sofia and I would swing, hit the ball, analyze what we did wrong, and rejoice when we hit it well. We understand to become good at something is a process. It might take 10,000 swings before we hit the ball consistently well.

It is important for us to play well, so we signed up for a lesson with a professional. Within five swings, I hit the ball straighter, farther, and with more consistency. It is all a process. Soon we will be able to drive around a course and enjoy the game with friends.

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Enjoying The Process Of Writing

I have finished the first draft of Chapter 1 of my book; yea me! I enjoy the process of writing. Opening up my creativity and coming up with the story brings me joy. Once I begin, I don’t want to stop, but it is hard to walk after sitting for hours writing. I should get a timer and move around every twenty minutes or so.

I am not focused on the end result of my novel or golf game. The only thoughts, and more importantly, feelings I have, are about the joy of the process. Feeling happy while I’m in the process increases my vibration and attracts more ideas. It is how I open up my creativity. Before I pick up my pen, I like to meditate and open myself up, getting the creative juices flowing.

Enjoy Getting Healthy

Most people who want to get healthy don’t enjoy the process; I know I never did. They are just like me and want to skip the monotonous, exhausting process of changing their diet and exercise. Like me, they want to skip all that and get to the results. They suffer through it, but that is the wrong approach.

For example, my daughter Nicole is training for a fitness competition in June. Every morning she eats plain oatmeal, cinnamon, and an egg white. In support of her, I am eating the same. It is tasteless gruel, and we complain to each other and suffer. I realized that was only attracting negativity. We started looking at the meal not as gruel but as a healthy meal that will help her win. It is part of the process of changing our bodies, and we enjoy it.

How Do You View Situations?

It is all how you look at things. Focus on enjoying the process, and the results will come. I hope and pray everyone is well. I appreciate every one of you who takes the time to visit my site and read my posts.

Cites

https://unsplash.com/@shotbyrain

https://unsplash.com/@jpineapplepen

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The Key To Making Goals Work

Today I want to talk about the key to making goals work and a little about my family. I am living out a dream. It is a recent dream of mine to work with my two daughters. Nicole is an entrepreneur, starting a fitness business. Lindsey will graduate at the beginning of May. She is creative and wants to write movie scripts, eventually breaking into the entertainment industry.

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Making Goals Work

Nicole and I have partnered up and opened Beastrong Fitness. It is an online and in-person fitness company. She is designing a line of fitness apparel and wants to open up a gym. This is her dream, and we are working together to get it started.

Lindsey and I are writing a book together. It is a fictional novel loosely based on my experiences. She is very talented and creative. For Nicole, Lindsey, and I to be successful we have to have goals. More importantly, we have to know the key to making goals work.

Goals

A goal is simply what you want, written down with a date. For example, a certain number of words written for the book; or a design finished by a certain date. These are the results we are looking for. It is our roadmaps for getting us from nothing to something. They are results-based.

Results-based goals are necessary, but what happens after we achieve the results? For example, take weight loss. You set a goal to lose a certain amount of weight by a certain date. You change her diet and exercise more. Congratulations, you met your goal. You feel better, look better, and are happier.

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The Key To Making Them Last

What happens next? Studies show 90% of people will gain the weight back. Why? It is because they didn’t know the key to making goals work. They achieved their results and met their goal, but they are the same person. The key to making goals work is you have to change your identity. You have to set identity goals.

One day, I asked Nicole what do you say when someone asks, “What do you do?” She replied, “I am a personal trainer.” She identified as a personal trainer. I told her she should start saying, “I am a business owner.” She should set a goal to become a business owner. Lindsey must identify as a writer, not a college student.

Become The Person You Want

By changing your goals from results-based to identity-based, you will become the person you want to be. The results will then last a lifetime. Going back to losing weight, turn your focus to the goal of being a healthy person. Begin to change your habits and the person that you are. You will still set results-based goals to keep you on track, but now your results will last.

Think of the person you want to become and picture you as that person in your mind. Start doing the things that they would do. A healthy person walks more and is in the gym daily. A writer writes consistently and meets their deadline goals.

Enjoy The Process

Once you set identity-based goals, don’t get in a hurry. Change takes time. It won’t happen overnight. Make small changes to your daily routine. Do not try to do it all at once. These small changes will begin to add up. Soon you will act, feel, and think like the person you want to become. Your results-based goals will be met, and they will last a lifetime. Changing your identity is the key to making goals work.

Cites

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Vince Lombardi’s Inspirational Speech

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For my podcast today, I am reblogging a post I wrote several months ago, Vince Lombardi’s inspirational speech.

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Vince Lombardi was a great leader who knew how to motivate men. He was an American football coach, winning many championships. He was the head coach of the Green Bay Packers when they won the first Super Bowl, and The Super Bowl trophy is named after him. Lombardi was famous for his inspirational speeches. One of his most famous speeches is “What It Takes to Be Number One.”

Lombardi was known for his drive and determination, but he is remembered for his leadership. Lombardi was driven to be the best and demanded the same from his players. “What It Takes to Be Number One” was first given in the locker room at halftime. Since then, Lombardi gave this speech many times to businesses and at political conventions.

I have always admired Vince Lombardi. You could say, he is my “go-to” guy for inspiration. Vince Lombardi’s inspirational speech is one of my favorites. I have it on a card hanging up in my office. Now and then, I take it down and read it. Vince Lombardi has been such an inspiration to me I even married a girl named Lombardi.

Lombardi’s Inspirational Speech, “What It Takes To Be Number One”

“Winning is not a sometimes thing; it’s an all the time thing. You don’t do things right once in a while; you do them right all the time. Winning is a habit. Unfortunately, so is losing.”

By doing the right things all the time you will find yourself winning more often than not. Develop the habit of winning in everything that you do

“There is no room for second place. There is only one place in my game, and that’s first place. I have finished second twice in my time at Green Bay, and I don’t ever want to finish second again. There is a second-place ballgame, but it is a game for losers played by losers. It is and always has been an American zeal to be first in anything we do, and to win, and to win, and to win.”

You won’t win every time, nobody does. When you don’t win it should drive you to come in first the next time. Only one team is having fun at the end of a championship game. The winning team.

All In

“Every time a football player goes to ply his trade he’s got to play from the ground up, from the soles of his feet right up to his head. Every inch of him has to play. Some guys play with their heads. That’s O.K. You’ve got to be smart to be number one in any business. But more importantly, you’ve got to play with your heart, with every fiber of your body. If you’re lucky enough to find a guy with a lot of head and a lot of heart, he’s never going to come off the field second.”

Giving it everything you’ve got is how you win. You cannot do things halfway.

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Win

“Running a football team is no different than running any other kind of organization, an army, a political party, or a business. The principles are the same. The object is to win and to beat the other guy. Maybe that sounds hard or cruel. I don’t think it is.”

The objective of any business is all the same. It is to make a profit. If you are not making money in your business, you have a hobby.

Compete

“It is a reality of life that men are competitive and the most competitive games draw the most competitive men. That’s why they are there, to compete. To know the rules and objectives when they get in the game. The object is to win fairly, squarely, by the rules, but to win.”

Competition makes everyone better. It doesn’t have to be nasty and you don’t have to cheat. Do your best and win fairly.

Grind

“And in truth, I’ve never known a man worth his salt who in the long run, deep down in his heart, didn’t appreciate the grind, the discipline. There is something in good men that really yearns for discipline and the harsh reality of head-to-head combat.”

Embrace the grind and everyday challenges. Learn to love the daily routine of making yourself better. Championship teams put more emphasis on practice. They embrace the difficulties of the daily grind. Championships are won during these times.

Read

The final paragraph of his speech is the most important part for me. It sums up what it takes to be number one. Read it many times and let his words take hold of you.

“I don’t say these things because I believe in the “brute” nature of man or that men must be brutalized to be combative. I believe in God, and I believe in human decency. But I firmly believe that any man’s finest hour, his greatest fulfillment to all he holds dear, is that moment when he has to work his heart out in a good cause and he’s exhausted on the field of battle, victorious.”

I love Vince Lombardi’s inspirational speech and hope it helps those still sitting on the sidelines. Get in the game and go after what you want. Thanks for reading and listening.

Cites

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Using The Law Of Attraction

Normally, I would publish a podcast for today’s post. Unfortunately, my neighbors are replacing their windows, and I have been listening to grinding all week. The noise gets picked up on my microphone and ruins my recording. Always moving forward, this post is about using the Law of Attraction.

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The Law of Attraction

I’m writing this post specifically for people who want to make a change in their life. If you are content with your life and are happy, you might not find this information useful. On the other hand, if you are not satisfied and are looking for more out of life, read on. Hopefully, you will learn something about how to use the Law of Attraction.

I will talk about using the Law of Attraction and why some people say it does not work. To begin, let’s get an understanding of the Law of Attraction. It is simple, whatever you are thinking is what you attract. In the Bible, Galatians 6:7 states, You reap what you sow. If you sow good seeds (thoughts), you will reap (attract) good things.

If you want a better life, make the life you want to live your predominant thought. Your brain is working all the time. You are constantly putting out thoughts. Even now, while you are reading this, you are putting out thoughts.

You Attract What You Think

Most people do not pay attention to their thoughts. In turn, their lives become the result of those random thoughts. The life I am living today is a result of the thoughts I had in the past. My future will be shaped by the thoughts I’m having now. By controlling my thoughts I can determine the life I live in the future.

Do you know anyone who is always complaining? Their lives never seem to get better. In contrast, other people always have good fortune. Everything falls in place for them. They are the people you never hear complain. The bottom line is you can control your thoughts or be a slave to your thoughts. The choice is yours.

Law Of Attraction Steps

These are the steps on how to use the Law of Attraction. First, understand that we all live in an unlimited universe. You are part of and connected to the universe. The universe has to give you what you are thinking about if you believe it, can see it in your mind, and it feels natural to you.

Decide

The second step is to decide what you want. Do you want a better job? How about a new car or house? Would you like wealth and be financially free? Maybe it is time to settle down and start a family. Whatever it is you decide, believe that you can obtain it.

Visualize

Third, picture what you want. Visualize your desire. Meditate and see yourself as if it has already happened. See your friends congratulating you on the new job. Drive your car and live in your house in your mind. Picture yourself paying off that last debt. The best way to visualize what you desire is to create a vision board. Put pictures on your board of the things you desire. Put your vision board in a place where you can look at it several times a day. Burn those photos into your mind.

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Ask

Fourth, ask the Universe/God for what you desire. Verbalize and put emotions to your desires. Create a statement of what you want and what you will sacrifice to get it. Write what you will do to obtain it and put an end date on it. Read this statement twice a day, once in the morning and once at night. Always fall asleep thinking of your desire.

Release

Fifth, release all worries about how or when you will achieve your desire. The Law of Attraction will show you how to get what you want. You will attract that knowledge. It takes time to develop the belief and get to the point where it feels real and natural. Do not worry if nothing happens right away.

Most people fail to attract the life they want to live due to a lack of patience. We live in a fast-food society, and everybody wants it right now. Develop patience and persevere. Nothing can stop your desire from manifesting except yourself. One negative thought can erase and rewind all of your work to the beginning.

Plant The Seeds

Think of the universe as fertile ground. The Law of Attraction says you will receive what you plant. Each thought is like a seed. In nature, a seed is dropped on the ground and the ground goes to work enveloping the seed. The soil nurtures the seed until it begins to transform and grow roots.

The soil provides food for the seed, and the plant emerges from the top. It works its way up until it breaks through the soil. The soil sustains the plant through its lifecycle. The seed does not have to do anything. It has little control over the timing.

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I grew up in a middle-class family. We lived a very middle-class lifestyle. Therefore, I could never see myself living any other way. Those were the thoughts that I put out, and that is what the Law of Attraction gave me. Now I can live whatever lifestyle I choose because I know how to use the Law of Attraction.

Believe You Can Do It

I believe most people would like to be wealthy but do not believe that they can ever achieve it. By knowing how to use the Law of Attraction and developing a habit of following the steps above, you can have anything you desire. Be patient and persevere because it does take time to develop belief and turn your belief into faith.

I hope you enjoyed this article on how to use the Law of Attraction. If you’ve ever used the Law of Attraction to manifest something in your life, leave a comment. Don’t forget to like, follow, and join my email list. I am very grateful for every one of you.

Cites

https://unsplash.com/@coopery

https://unsplash.com/@davideragusa

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Never Quit

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What is the true meaning of failure? What happens to you when you fail? In this article, I want to talk about failure and most importantly quitting. There is a distinction between the two. As you commence the process of changing your life, you should know the difference. Never Quit!

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Failure is defined as a lack of success, the omission of expected or required action. Quitting is defined as giving up or admitting defeat. These definitions are subjective. I believe the true meaning of failure is when you quit.

Quitting Is Never Acceptable

Failure is acceptable and should be encouraged. It is a way for you to learn and move forward. Failure will show you your mistakes. Learn what you did wrong and correct it on the next attempt. Continue your attempts until you get it right. Quitting is not acceptable. No one ever learned anything from quitting.

To be successful in anything, you must develop a habit of winning. Hall of Fame basketball player Michael Jordan said, “If you quit once, it becomes a habit. Never quit!” The late, great football coach Vince Lombardi stated, “Winning is a habit, unfortunately so is losing.” Quitting is losing, and that is the true meaning of failure.

They Failed But They Never Quit

I am sure Vince Lombardi failed at some point in his life. He did not win every game. Surprisingly, Michael Jordan took the game-winning shot 26 times and missed. He missed more than 9000 shots and lost 300 games. He failed over and over, and that is why he succeeded in life. They might have failed, but they never quit.

Quitting comes from a weak mind. Developing a strong mindset is the best prevention for quitting. Understand that you will have failures in life. Learn to embrace your failures and not use them as an excuse to quit.

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Resistence

When you decide to change something in your life, you will experience a phenomenon called resistance. Your brain is wired to keep you safe. It does not like change or stepping outside your comfort zone. You can experience resistance in the form of procrastination, excuses, rationalization, and lack of knowledge. All people with creative minds, artists and writers, have experienced resistance.

A strong mind will conquer resistance. You will fail, but you will not quit. Understand that failure is part of the process. Failure is temporary. It will teach you how to succeed. Quitting is permanent. It becomes easier and easier to do. It will stop all growth. As long as you don’t quit you will never truly fail. The true meaning of failure is quitting.

You Almost Had It

When people quit after a setback or series of setbacks, it is usually right before the breakthrough. They were just about to learn something that would keep them going. When a seed is planted in the ground, it struggles to become a plant. Imagine if seeds would quit right before they break through the soil. We would have no food.

You will need to develop a strong mind. You will strengthen your mind just like you develop your body; through exercises. Begin habits of positive self-talk, meditation, visualization, belief, and faith.

Focus On Why

Focus on WHY you started. What was the reason you decided to improve your life? Your WHY has to be big and emotional; your health, family, or personal reasons. If it is big enough, you will go through setback after setback but never quit.

Another great way to avoid quitting is to not go through the process of change alone. Find a team of like-minded people. Go through the process together, helping each other. If one person is experiencing setbacks, the others will lift them. It is easier to quit on yourself than it is to quit on the team.

Have you decided to change and are experiencing failures? Are you thinking about quitting? If so, I am here to help. Leave a comment or email me at tbcinspires@gmail.com. There are plenty of articles on my website, InspireChief.com, which can be of help. I will see you next week.

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The Importance Of Perseverance

My family attended the graduation of our oldest daughter from the University of Central Florida last month. Two of the many colleges at the University were holding their commencement ceremonies at that time. As I watched the ceremony, I realized this was a perfect example of the importance of perseverance.

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After the opening remarks and speakers, they began awarding degrees to the graduates. They began with the students who earned their doctorate degrees. Next, the students were awarded master’s degrees. This part of the ceremony went rather quickly. The majority of the students were earning their baccalaureate, and there were over a thousand students.

The Importance Of Perseverance

The first students to walk across the stage or the distinguished students who graduated summa cum laude and magna cum laude. There were only a few of these. I began to think that the students were the only ones who didn’t struggle during the last four years. Studying was easy for them, and they probably didn’t change majors. The rest of the students understood the importance of perseverance.

I was not a good student in college. Consequently, I changed my major five times before I found one that interested me. I struggled and was plagued by procrastination, fear, uncertainty, lack of motivation, and even depression. Failing so many times I didn’t think I would ever complete the requirements for my degree. It took me five and a half years, but I persevered and made it.

My Daughter

My daughter struggled as well. She did not have high test scores. While her friends were attending a university she had to attend a local state college. After a very poor start and a “come to Jesus” meeting with me, she did well. She was supposed to stay at the state college for two years. Before completing her first year, she reapplied and was accepted for the fall semester at the University of Central Florida.

importance-perseverance-college-graduation-two-girls
So Proud!

At UCF, her struggles did not end. She had difficulty finding a major that suited her. She would procrastinate in courses that did not interest her. Her grades reflected her effort. Finally, she found her niche in kinesiology, and she excelled. She told me later that she almost quit more than once because it got too difficult. Something inside her would not let her, and eventually, she found her passion. She understood the importance of perseverance.

Reflections

As I sat in the arena waiting for the ceremony to begin, I began to reflect on her life. I was reliving important events of her childhood. I remembered the day she was born, her accomplishments on sports teams, and her high school graduation.

As the music began playing, signaling the start of the ceremony, I remembered a phone call I received. It was from her and she was screaming into the phone. I couldn’t understand what she was saying and thought something bad had happened. Then I understood the words, “Dad, I got in, I got accepted to UCF.”

As the processional of graduates continued, we finally spotted her walking into the arena. I could not have been prouder. It wasn’t that she earned her degree. A degree is not a guarantee of a good job or better life. I was proud because she didn’t quit. She conquered all obstacles.

Never Quit

I’m sure many other graduates went through equally difficult times. They all have one thing in common; they didn’t quit. The sheepskin that all graduates have does not mean that they are smarter or better than anyone who doesn’t have one. It stands for accomplishing what they set out to do four years before. That is the importance of perseverance.

Cites

https://unsplash.com/@city_child

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Living In The Now

Living in the jungle was both boring and exciting. It all depended on what was happening and could change in an instant. Living in the now became commonplace. There wasn’t a lot of time to be thinking about the past or worry about the future.

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We Were Living In The Now

Life inside our base camp was mostly monotonous. We look forward to going on operations and getting into the jungle. I spent a lot of time cleaning and prepping gear, as well as reading. The temperature inside the tent would quickly reach 100 degrees. I don’t remember ever being cool or dry; I was always sweating.

One day as I was lying in my bunk reading and sweating, I was suddenly startled by the “burp” of a machine gun. I saw bullet holes appearing in the roof of the tent. I immediately rolled off my bunk onto the floor, grabbing my weapon. My teammates and I made our way outside the tent. Much to our dismay, we saw the Peruvian commander standing outside the barracks across from our tent holding an Uzi machine gun.

The weapon was seized on a mission the day before, and the commander wanted to test fire it. Not being familiar with the weapon, he did not know how to handle it. Without any warning, he pointed the weapon at the sandbag wall facing our tent and squeezed the trigger. The Uzi recoiled violently up into the right. He lost control, and the rounds went over the wall, into our tent. We had to be living in the now because these events can happen at any time.

Always Ready

Our base camp was in the Upper Huallaga Valley in Peru. This area was controlled by the Sendero Luminoso communist terrorist organization. They would protect the narco-traffickers and did not like us gringos. Occasionally, they would attack our base camp. We always had to be ready.

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My Jungle Days

One night I was dead asleep when I was awoken by two explosions. Thinking it was another attack, we proceeded to our defensive positions. Later we found out it was just a Peruvian police officer. He’d gone a bit crazy and attacked others inside the base camp with grenades and rifles. Luckily no one was injured.

Situational Awareness

The other day as I was reminiscing about life in the jungle, I realized that most people are not aware of what is happening right now. They are too busy thinking about the past and the future. Learning to live in the now is important. Your thoughts are mostly comprised of your past and future. If something bad happened yesterday, you dwell on it for days. It can create anger which boils inside of you. If your thoughts are constantly about the future, are you wondering how things will turn out? Wondering can create anxiety and worry.

You can take control of your thoughts by focusing on what is happening right now. Look for all the good things going on around you. Concentrate on living in the now. I was lucky to learn this growing up, even though I didn’t know I was doing it. I didn’t realize how important it was, but I did it.

Thank You Dad

My father inadvertently taught me how to live in the now. He loved the outdoors, and we spent vacations camping, hiking, and enjoying nature. Dad always taught me to stop, look around, and observe everything. Observe the plants, animals, and sky. Everything that God had created. Many people go on a hike and never lookup. They don’t stop and enjoy the beauty.

In the jungle, outside of the base camp, we had to be living in the now. There was no time for the past or future. Many things can kill you including, snakes, insects, animals, and narco-traffickers.

I had to be aware of everything around me at that precise moment. Listening for unusual sounds and looking for any movements. I had to be able to tell if anything was out of place. I had to be aware of where I was stepping and where I would put my hands. Thinking about the past or future would get me killed. I was forced to focus only on living in the now.

Still Serving Me

The lessons from the jungle serve me well today. I still have thoughts about the past and the future, but today they are controlled. Because I control my thoughts, I am living in the now even when I am thinking. If I feel negative feelings creeping in, I stop and focus on what is happening now to cause those feelings. I use my five senses to immerse myself in the now.

If you are experiencing anxiety, stop, open your five senses, and begin living in the now. Think about what is causing these feelings and how you can stop them. Experience everything around you as it is happening. Let your worries float away and be happy to be alive.

Cites

https://unsplash.com/@mikeblank

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