Success - - Page 6

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).

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 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

Success Doesn’t Wear A Watch

Why do we do anything? Why did the colonists declare independence from Great Britain? Why do inventors invent things? Why did we want to send men to walk on the moon? If you are a follower of my blogs or follow me on social media then you know that the WHY is the most important thing to me when taking on any challenge. The WHY is what gets you out of bed in the morning, it gives you the courage to face even the greatest challenges, and it is the one thing that will keep you going when you want to quit. Everyone’s WHY is different. Your WHY has to be big, bigger than any reason you could think of to quit. Your WHY has to be emotional, it has to invoke a feeling deep inside of you. My WHY is that I want to help millions of people live better lives. I want to give them hope and spark a fire within them that anything is possible. It does not matter how long it will take, success doesn’t wear a watch.

My youngest daughter was helping me set up my social media pages yesterday and we were talking about why I wanted to start an online business. I told her that I will help millions of people. She then replied with that age-old saying, “if you help only one, then it will be a success.” I told her that was a saying that people tell themselves when they want to feel good about failure. If I only help one person, then for me that isn’t good enough. I will be happy for that one person but I will know I didn’t do enough to make my dream of helping millions come true. Helping one person is not emotional, it doesn’t require hard work, it is not a big enough mountain to climb. Helping one person is a start, the first step on my journey to help millions.

Photo by Andrea Piacquadio on Pexels.com

Is your reason, your WHY, big enough? Are you where you want to be in life? If not, are you at least heading in the right direction? Do you have dreams, goals, or plans? I can give you all the tools to get you everything you want out of life. The one thing I cannot give you is a WHY. Your WHY is personal. My WHY won’t get you out of bed in the morning or keep you going when things get hard. Your WHY will. I was having this discussion with my daughters the other day, and I told them that I could give them everything they needed to be successful in whatever they wanted to do. I just couldn’t or wouldn’t do it for them. They would have to do that for themselves, whether they succeeded or failed was up to them. When I’m on my deathbed, I will look at my family and know I have done everything possible for them to succeed. I will have no regrets because I will know I have done everything I could do during my time on earth to help as many people as I could.

Not Even One Letter

I was listening to a speech that Denzel Washington gave at a college graduation, which I provided a link to. In this speech, he talked about his life and his many failures. When you go from failure to failure to failure you can begin to think of yourself as a loser. He said, “you are not a loser, you just haven’t figured out how to win yet.” If things aren’t working out for you, it’s not you, because you have greatness inside. You just haven’t figured out how to pull that greatness out and win. Find somebody who has accomplished the same thing you want to accomplish and do what they do. Search through YouTube, take an online course, or hire someone with the knowledge to help you. Just don’t leave that greatness inside of you.

Like your greatness, 90% of the iceberg is not seen.

Success is like a radio dial and you have to tune it to the right frequency. Before cars were computerized and had a wide variety of entertainment options for us, all we had was the radio. You had to turn the dial on the radio to find the exact frequency of the station that played the music you wanted to listen to. In between the stations all you heard was static. To hear the station clear, you had to make very fine adjustments to dial it in. When we would drive across country, we could go hours without being able to dial into a station. It was only when we got close to a town with a radio tower that we could dial in the right frequency and listen. Sometimes you could only find one station and you had to listen to whatever genre of music they played. If you stopped turning the dial before you reached the right frequency, you never heard the music. If you stop what you’re doing right before you hit the right frequency for success, then you will never experience what it feels like to win. Take a good hard look at what you’re doing, if you’re not having success, you need to change something. It might be your mindset, your habits, or your plan. It might be that you’re almost on the right frequency and just need to tweak it a little. I heard a story once of a football coach who took over a losing team and he told the team that the reason they weren’t having success was because they didn’t know how to practice. Most players just go through the motions during practice and don’t give it their all. Players on championship teams practice like champions. Everything you do, do it like the champion you are. Don’t just go through the motions.

Dialing in Success
Photo by Will Francis on Unsplash

If you’ve read any of my past blogs you know that I’m not in my 20s, not particularly skilled at writing, and pretty much out of my comfort zone dealing with anything that has to do with computers or the Internet. This is new to me and I’ve taken it upon myself to educate myself. I read the blogs that I follow and they teach me something new every day. The terminology is different and I’m constantly having to look up words and phrases I’ve never used before. Computer code and analytics are foreign to me. I just keep hacking away until I get it right, it’s a slow process. Building any kind of business can take time and you can’t worry if things are not happening fast enough. As long as you don’t quit, eventually you will be successful. Just concentrate on your WHY and don’t worry about the time. Success does not wear a watch.

“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!”

Sharing

I believe in the power of sharing. If I read a good blog that really speaks to me and I believe it will provide value to others, I will share it. I have linked four books that I believe have value. In order to change you, you first have to change the way you think. Leaders Are Readers!

I still enjoy sitting by the pool or on my sofa with a good book. I read all kinds of books, fiction, history, biographies, and motivational. I enjoy the quiet time I get with just me and my book. But we live in a fast pace society today where sometimes we need to combine our tasks. Do you find yourself short on time? Are you constantly saying, where did the time go? You are not alone. I believe that we all feel like we don’t have enough time to get everything accomplished and what usually suffers is me time. A shortcut that I have found helpful is my Audible Membership and Kindle Unlimited Membership. I listen to books on audible while I’m doing other things. I can listen while getting dressed, while I’m working out, and even while I’m preparing dinner for my family. It is a great way to get my reading in even when I have a full to do list that I have received from the Mrs. She doesn’t take kindly to me ignoring her to do list while I catch up on my reading. With an Audible Membership it’s a win-win for both of us. I can download great books on this and listen to them with my AirPods. I use my AirPods every time I exercise. They don’t fall out and the sound is great. With Kindle I can download books, magazines, and my daughters can even download their college textbooks. This is so much easier than carrying a heavy backpack full of textbooks around campus. The books can be downloaded to any device and read with the Kindle app.

Both the Audible Membership and Kindle Unlimited Membership are currently offering a 30 day free trial. You can sign up by clicking on the links and give it a test drive for 30 days free. If you find it’s not for you, simply cancel your membership before your 30 days are up and you won’t be charged.

Forrest loves his AirPods and Audible Membership.

Do you know someone who is always in a hurry and can’t seem to take time for themselves? We all do. I would suggest checking out giving an Audible Membership as a gift. It is a great gift idea for someone who is always on the go.

The Secret by Rhonda Byrne. A book that will change your life. It answers the question, Why do some people have everything and others struggle? The answer is simple, they know the secret. It has changed my life and can change yours.

Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill. This is an oldie but goodie that is full of relevant life lessons. It is a book that you hear speaker after speaker refer to. Successful people all have the same mentality and know you have to change the way you think to be successful. Only one percent of people set goals.

Can’t Hurt Me: Master Your Mind And Defy The Oddsby David Goggins. I really enjoyed read this book and I found it very relatable. If you want to become more than you are today, read this book. After you finish there will be no excuses. David is just an ordinary guy who made the decision to be extraordinary and was determined.

The 7 Habits Of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey. A must read for anyone wanting to change their habits. A great book for managers and leaders. Covey teaches you how to transform your thoughts to not on help you but also to help others. These are 7 principles to definitely incorporate into your life.

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

May 14, 2020April 3, 2022

InspireChief7 Comments

Yesterday

Yesterday was just that, yesterday. It is gone, finito, kaput, never to come back. It is in the past and considered history. There’s nothing I can do about what happened yesterday. Yesterday was not one of my better days. For whatever reason I didn’t have energy, my mind was not as sharp as it usually is, and I couldn’t focus on things I wanted to accomplish. No matter what I tried, caffeine, energy foods, and supplements, I just felt like I wanted to go back to sleep and my brain was in a fog. As I crawled into bed at the end of the day, feeling like I had not made any progress towards my goals, I gave thanks. I was thankful that I was given that day, thankful that I got to spend time with my family, and thankful for everything I did have. There was nothing I could do about that day except give thanks for being given that day and for what I had in my life. When I woke up this morning, the first thing I did was give thanks for all the things I have, and all the things I will have in the future.

Everyday

I do the same things every morning which begins my day in a grateful mood. I get out of bed when my eyes open, which is somewhere between 3 AM and 5 AM. Once I’m awake, I swing my legs out of bed, sit up, and give thanks for everything that I have. I navigate my way in the dark to the kitchen, giving thanks as I walk. I drink 24 ounces of water and sit down in front of a writing pad and a pen. I then write down 10 things I am grateful for. After that, I send out love from my heart to three people whom, for whatever reason, I don’t particularly get along with. I then say a prayer to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. It is a prayer of thankfulness for my past, present, and future. I then meditate and visualize my future. Afterward, I go for a walk enjoying the coolness of the air, the darkness, and the beautiful bright stars and planets in the sky. While I’m walking I’m thinking about positive ideas and how happy I am. I return home and begin my exercise regimen for the day. During my walk and workout, while I’m breathing heavy and feeling the sweat rolling down my face, I have thoughts and ideas that flood into my brain. These are the inspirations that I sit down and write about. I then pour myself a cup of coffee and begin my day.

The 10 things that I’m grateful for are whatever comes into my mind when I sit down in front of the pen and paper. I Am Thankful For:

My relationship with God. My God provides me with everything from the past, present, and future.
My country. The US gives me the freedom to accomplish anything I dream about.
My relationship with my wife. She has provided happiness to our home for the last 28 years.
My relationship with my son and daughters. They inspire me every day.
My parents, brother, and sister. My parents, who are gone now, provided me with the solid foundation that I built my life on. My brother and sister show me the true meaning of family.
My friends. All the people that have been placed in my life that I can count on for anything.
My businesses. They challenge me every day and keep me learning.
My unlimited income from multiple sources that arrives on a daily basis.
My desire and ability to give. I have the desire to help as many people as I can financially, intellectually, and spiritually.
My life and health. I am so thankful for everything that is happened in my life, both good and bad, and that I have overcome every obstacle with my health.

I have written in my blog titled, Draft Day, about the ability to be gracious and how important that is. I refer back to my blog titled, The Journey, where I wrote about how easy it is to become successful at anything. Success is different for every person, for some it’s wealth, for some it’s love, for others it’s happiness. It’s difficult to measure success. For me, the easiest way to measure success is in gratitude. Be thankful for what you do have. This is why I begin every day by listing the things that I’m grateful for. It begins my day in the right frame of mind to be successful and to face every challenge and obstacle that’s placed in front of me.

Win

What is it that you are thankful for? I encourage everyone to sit down and list those things that you have in your life that make you feel grateful. If you have something in particular that you are thankful for and would like to share, please comment below. I would love to read them. Always remember that whatever happened yesterday you cannot change. Whether it was a good day, great day, bad day, or terrible day, it is gone, never to return. Today is a new day, be thankful for what you have.

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If you like this post, please click the little star below. Feel free to share it if you like it can help someone. My success comes from helping others to be successful and happy.

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

May 9, 2020April 3, 2022

InspireChief4 Comments

Is This It?

What if this is it? What if your life, right now, is as good as it’s going to get? How does that make you feel? For me, it would not make me feel particularly good. You see, I’m in my 60th year on this rock, retired, and what I would consider successful. So I could sit back and enjoy my remaining days in relative comfort. I could read some good books, fish more, and enjoy a glass of scotch every now and then. I can’t do that because I still have the drive. I love to be challenged, I love to be uncomfortable, and to push myself to be better. The song, Walk by the Foo Fighters sums it up for me. I’m always “learning to walk again.” When one chapter in my life closes, I have to open up another and start from scratch to learn something new. I have to learn how to live life over again. “I don’t ever want to die,” is a great line from the song. Life is about the journey and as long as you continue your journey, you’ll never die while you’re living.

Walk by the Foo Fighters

I have climbed many mountain peaks in my 60 years. I have listened to the crunch of the pebbles under my feet and felt the coolness of the rocks as I grabbed them to pull myself up. Every time I succeeded in something and reached that mountain peak, I have a tendency to sit back and enjoy the view for a while. There are times when I thought that I would never have to climb another mountain. I would think that this is it, that I don’t have to go through any more pain or hardships. That I had finally arrived. Then I would look up and there it was, another mountain peak calling my name. That drive would kick in and the pain and hardships would become a distant memory like the heartbreaks of youthful love. Off I would go to tackle another challenge. When I conquered that challenge, I would look up and there would be another mountain peak. Some people would say that I’m just a glutton for punishment, but I would say it’s just part of the journey of life. I was never happy sitting on the sideline, I always wanted to get into the game. I never wanted to look up at the mountain from the ground, but rather look down at the ground from the peak.

When I wrote my post titled, “The Journey,” the majority of my memories were about the process, not the completion. I have fond memories of going through different training and schools in the military and with DEA. Several of the schools involved a lot of physical hardships and painful experiences, but I wouldn’t trade them for anything. It makes me happy to relive those times in my mind. That was my journey and I enjoyed it. We are all on a different journey and I encourage you to enjoy every moment of it. Challenge yourself and become better than you are right now.

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When I began with the question, “What if this is it,” I hope it brought out a little fear in you. I want you to feel that tight, nauseous, nerve-racking feeling in the pit of your stomach. I want you to say, “NO! I want something better.” No matter where you are in life, you should always want something better. You should always be striving to achieve more. Put yourself in uncomfortable positions, positions that suck. Make those uncomfortable positions comfortable and then go out and find something else that is uncomfortable. There is so much out there for each and every one of you and you can have whatever you want as long as you’re willing to go through uncomfortable times.

Can you endure the pain?

There isn’t anything special about me, I can’t play a musical instrument or build a house. I can do just about anything as long as I have instructions. I can follow instructions or a good YouTube video that shows me how. I’m pretty much just like the majority of the people on the planet, and you probably would not look twice at me if I sat down at the table next to you in a coffee shop. I’m just me. It is said that God gives us our gifts at birth. One of the gifts that God gave me was patience. I don’t have to have something right away. I’ve sat on the runway in the middle of nowhere for three days waiting for a plane full of drugs to arrive. I could sit in my car on surveillance for 8 to 12 hours and it never bothered me, others would start complaining after an hour. My patience allows me to set a goal and work towards that goal without expecting results immediately. A lot of people give up on their goals because they don’t have the patience to let their goals grow and give their plan time to work. We have become a “Drive-Thru” society where people want to order something, pull up to the window, and have it already prepared for them. I would rather eat at a restaurant where the chef takes his time preparing the meal. It might take longer, but in the end, it tastes so much better. When I set a goal to accomplish something I always put an end date on the goal. If for whatever reason I don’t accomplish my goal by that end date, I just reset the date. I don’t change the goal.

Do you want more out of life or is this it for you? Are you satisfied with where you are today in life or do you want to make a change? Are you willing to take on something outside of your comfort zone? Is putting up with some physical or mental discomfort too much for you? When you see successful people, do you think that they are different than you and that’s why they are successful? They’re not. They’re just people like you and me. They had a dream, set a goal, made a plan, and worked on their plan. Whenever they would run into roadblocks, they just adjusted their plan, they didn’t change the dream. If you’re not happy with your life as it is today then, change it.

This Is Not It!!

Share your comments below. I would love to hear about some of the obstacles you have overcome to achieve your goals. If you liked this post then click on the little star.

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

May 7, 2020April 3, 2022

InspireChief6 Comments

Choices

We have choices to make every day. Do we get out of bed now or do we roll over and go back to sleep? Do we pick up our phone as soon as we wake up or look at it later? What are we going to wear? What are we going to have for breakfast? We are inundated with choices that we have to make every day. In my blog titled, Anxiety (COVID-19), I wrote about the current situation that we are facing today and how that has created choices. We have a choice between faith and fear. I will always choose faith over fear. I see and hear people every day that have chosen fear. I can understand given the information that we are being fed why they chose fear. A lot of choices that we make in life are based on the information that we have been fed. If you are being told that wealthy people are just lucky and if you are not wealthy, then it is because you are not lucky. You do not believe that you can change because you believe luck is something you either have or do not have.

Nope!!

The truth is that wealth has nothing to do with luck and has everything to do with a willingness to change as well as the choices that you make. The Internet has created incredible opportunities for people to make money. There are people that make a lot of money posting videos of themselves. They made a choice to make a business out of posting videos. They found a niche and they spend hours shooting, editing, and uploading their videos. The vast majority of people have chosen just to watch videos of other people and spend hours doing so. One of the things that I tell people is; that you can make money online or you can watch other people make money online. It’s simply a choice that you make, but it also requires you to change.

The first step to making a decision to change is simple, you have to look inside yourself. Write down everything that you do during a normal day. The next day, read what you have written down. These are the habits that have gotten you to where you are now in life. If that’s where you want to be and you are happy then continue doing these things. If you are not where you want to be in life and want more out of it, then you have to change these habits. My advice, if you’re looking for a place to start, is to read or listen to books about the habits of people you would consider successful. Stephen Covey’s The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People is a great book to start with. Successful people become successful not out of luck, but through their daily habits. If you want more out of life, ask yourself if you are willing to change. If the answer is yes, then there is no better time to start than now.

“The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”

Albert Einstein

Take your list of daily habits and review it to see which ones are holding you back. Compare them with the habits of your chosen successful people and write down your list of new habits that you are going to start developing today. Remember that it took you years to develop the habits that you have now and will take some time to develop new habits. If you stick to your new habits on a daily basis, before long, they will become your everyday life. Get ready for a new you. You might find that you are dressing better, eating better, sleeping better, and overall accomplishing everything you want to do.

I write about this in almost every one of my blogs and particularly in my last post titled The Power of Words, but for me, it’s so important that it needs to be said again and again. The number one thing I teach people is to always remember WHY you started something. WHY did you start that business, begin that relationship, want to lose weight, etc. Changing old habits is not easy. You might have been doing some of these habits for decades. We as humans tend to do things that are comfortable. Old habits are like a warm blanket, wonderfully comfortable. We are constantly pulled back to that warm blanket. New habits can be uncomfortable to tackle at first. When you feel yourself being pulled back to that warm blanket, you must think of WHY you wanted to make that change. By continually working on your new habits daily, they will then become your new warm blanket.

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The big question that you have to ask yourself is, “Am I willing to change in order to succeed?” Success just like faith and fear is a choice. If you choose to be successful and are willing to change your habits to do what successful people do, then you can live as successful people live. There is an unlimited amount of wealth but only a small percentage of people tap into it. The reason most people are not wealthy is that only a small percentage make the choice. They change their habits and are willing to do everything necessary to become wealthy. The universe will supply abundance for everyone. It’s not for just a select few, it’s for all of us, but you have to be willing to change in order to receive it.

What are your daily habits? Are you willing to change those habits? What is your WHY? Are you willing to take what life throws at you, shrug it off, and keep moving forward? Do you want to make money online or watch other people make money online? Don’t stand on the sidelines, put on the pads, buckle up your chinstrap, and get in the game. You are a winner, now go win.

Do you make good choices? I would love to hear your comments on habits that have made you successful. What are some habits that might be holding you back? If you like this post, click the little star below.

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

May 5, 2020April 3, 2022

InspireChief2 Comments

I Have Lied To My Kids

Yes, I have lied to my kids. I am blessed to have a son and two daughters. I don’t know if they would feel the same about having me as a father since I’ve lied to them their whole life. I didn’t do it maliciously or even consciously, just like my father never consciously lied to me. I just told my kids the same information that my father told me and his father told him. Our thoughts about wealth, success and even happiness are ingrained in us as we are growing up. These thoughts are based on what we are told by other people, including our parents. I now work very hard to replace everything I told them with what I now know is the truth.

I have lied to my kids and here are 10 lies that I told my kids:

You have to work hard.
Life is hard.
We can’t afford that.
You can’t have that.
Only a small percentage of people succeed in that business.
Your scores are too low to get into that college.
You have to pay your dues.
It takes five years on average for a business to succeed.
It takes years to build wealth.
If you keep frowning your face will stay that way permanently. Yes, I have lied to my kids.

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Now here are the truths:

You have to have a good work ethic but you do not have to work hard. A lot of people make seven-figure incomes without working really hard. The definition of hard work is different for different people. When I was in the jungle, I saw people who work very hard. They have to work from sunup to sundown just to have something to eat for that day. I make a lot of money and only work 2 to 3 hours a day. Those 2 to 3 hours are spent sitting down, researching, and writing. This is not hard work.
Life is only hard if you think it’s hard and allow it to be hard. Life is great. It’s a pleasure and a blessing to live life every day. Life is meant to be lived to the fullest. There’s nothing hard about that. In the military, we always had a saying, “It’s a great day to be alive.”
We can afford anything that our heart desires. If we change our mindset from someone who has limited income to someone who has unlimited income, then the price is no object. If you change your thinking to thoughts of creating wealth then the process of obtaining the money will come to you.
Everything can be obtained or achieved as long as you believe that you are worthy of it. Our limitations are placed on us by the programming we have gone through growing up. The words and the thoughts that we speak and think are the only things holding us back from achieving our goals and dreams.
If we look at statistics it will show us that a small percentage of people ever achieve fame or succeed in their chosen field. The entertainment industry, the sports industry, and business show that one percent or less of the people in that industry make it to the top. One percent of the population makes up 96 percent of the world’s wealth. The statistics look grim. Why would anybody want to attempt to make it in these industries? The reason is that the other 99 percent never made the decision to rise to the top. The competition is very small.
My children are very good students but when it came to taking comprehensive tests, their scores were average. We took them on college tours and my youngest daughter fell in love with the University of Alabama. During the tour, we were told that the average test scores needed to gain admission were a lot higher than my daughter’s scores. Several months later, she came to me and said she wanted to apply to the University of Alabama. I laughed and told her to go ahead and apply but there was no way she would get in due to her test scores. A month later, she came to me and said that she thought she got in because, in her account, her status had changed to admitted. Stupid me told her that she would know if she got in because she would receive an email saying, “Congratulations on your acceptance to the University of Alabama.” An hour later, guess what email she got? That’s right, her acceptance email. All it took was belief and not listening to her dad.
Back when I was growing up, you had to start at the lowest level and work your way up at any job or business. We called that, “Paying your dues.” That is not the case anymore. Today in this environment you can learn ways to make money in a short amount of time.
I think every person in business I ever talked to told me that it takes five years on average for a business to succeed. I don’t find that to be true anymore. There are countless examples of people who start a conventional or online business and turn it into a success in a few months.
It doesn’t take years to build wealth. All you have to do is go online and you can find individuals in their 20s who are making 6-7 figure incomes quickly. They just have the right mindset, desire, and work ethic. 30 years ago when you got on a plane, everyone in first class had gray hair. Nowadays there’s always a mixture of young and old. Young people are making a lot of money very quickly.
None of my children’s faces ever remained with a permanent frown. Today they smile a lot because of the lives they created for themselves. All it takes to turn a frown into a smile is laughter. Find a funny show, read a funny story, or listen to your favorite comedian, anything that makes you laugh. You should laugh every day. One of the great truths is, “Laughter is the best medicine.” If you’re not feeling well, laugh. It will remove the stress in your body and cure whatever ails you.

Yes, I have lied to my kids but I do appreciate every like, follow, comment and share. Keep’em coming.

April 30, 2020April 3, 2022

InspireChief3 Comments

Garbage Day

As I was on my morning walk this beautiful, wonderful day, I was reminded by the garbage cans on the street that today is garbage day. In my neighborhood, they pick up the garbage on Wednesday and Saturday mornings. I never put my cans out on Wednesday simply because we don’t accumulate enough garbage. This got me thinking that garbage day is a metaphor for our lives. We have so much negative garbage in our minds that we need to put it in a can, take it to the streets, and let somebody take it away. Most of my neighbors have so much garbage that they have to put out two cans twice a week. If you are having negative thoughts, you need to be taking them out to the street every day. Just like real garbage, I have very little negativity which is why I don’t have to take it out to the street very often.

I have replaced all my garbage with positive thoughts. If I have negative thoughts, or the Doubt Demons creep in, then I immediately throw them in the garbage and take them to the street. If I run into a negative person while I’m out and about, I immediately toss what they’re saying in the garbage and replace it with positive thoughts. You can play a little game with this and every time you have something negative in your life walk to the garbage can, lift up the lid, and toss the negative into the garbage can. Begin thinking positive thoughts and on garbage day, roll your can to the street and your negative will be taken away with your actual garbage.

Replacing negative with positive begins with you. You can change everything about you by replacing the way you’re thinking and what you’re saying. In my post “A Flying Rat’s Ass,” I talked about looking inward. When you look in the mirror, who do you see? When I look in the mirror I don’t see the physical me. I see what I looked like physically when I was 30, and yes I was one pretty man. Spiritually, I see the man that I will become. The words I speak and the thoughts I have are of the man that I will become before I see that man in the physical world. These are the words and the thoughts of a prosperous man who has been given everything he deserves. What words are you saying about yourself? Are you describing yourself as of today or the you that you will become?

Who do you see?

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You deserve everything in life. You are one-of-a-kind and can and will be whatever you desire to become. The reason you don’t believe that you have it right now is because of the words you’re saying and the thoughts that are in your mind. In order to change, you have to look inside you. You have to look at the person who’s looking back at you in the mirror and say I deserve everything I’m asking for. This can all be explained by the Law of Attraction. You have something to give to the world and if you’re not happy, then you can’t give out that gift. A great exercise is to write down the things you do on a daily basis. These are your habits and habits can be changed. Write down what time you get up in the morning and what you do all throughout the day. Write down the good and the bad, all the way up until you go to bed. The next day read your list. These are all the things that got you to the point you are at today. If you’re not happy with that person or where you are in life, then you have to change some or maybe all of your habits. If you’re doing the same things over and over and over, you cannot expect different results. To be the person you deserve to be, change the person you are.

You deserve it!

The words you’re saying and the thoughts that you are having are the determining factor in the life that you’re living. They are also determining the life you can be living in the future. Speak of what you want as if it’s already happened. See the person that you want to be as if that person already exists. What kind of car do they drive? What kind of house to they live in? The only way to take out the garbage in your mind is to replace it with positive words and thoughts. The more positive that you can put into your mind the less room there is for the negative.

The universe will give you whatever you ask for through your thoughts and your feelings. Ask for what you want, believe you have already received it, and the universe will provide it for you. Always ask for what you want, not for what you don’t want. Ask to weigh your perfect weight, not to lose weight. All your thoughts must be on the positive, not the negative. A thought such as, “I want to get out of debt,” sounds like it would be positive but you’re just reinforcing the fact that you have debt. Instead, just focus on the positive and think, “I have an unlimited income.” By repeating your positive words and thoughts constantly throughout the day you will be programming your mind to think of what you want instead of what you have.

What are you attracting?

Last week I wrote a blog called “Draft Day” in which I spoke about having gratitude. Nothing works if you don’t have gratitude and love in your heart. You can speak the most positive words and have the most positive thoughts thousands of times a day, but you won’t see results unless you can do that with feeling. You have to be thankful for everything that you have, positive and negative. If you want a better car, be thankful for the one that you have. If you want a better job, be thankful every day for the good and bad things about your current job. Before you begin repeating these positive words, take a moment to be thankful for what you have and think of something that makes you very happy. When you’re grateful and you can think these positive thoughts and really feel that they’re coming from your heart, everything that you’re asking for and speaking of will be given to you.

Give thanks for everything.

If you’ve read the book or watched the movie, The Secret (It’s on Netflix), then you will understand what I’m saying. If you haven’t read the book or watched the movie then I am encouraging you to do so. Everything that you read or see in the movie, I experience on a daily basis. I have unlimited income, from multiple sources that arrive daily. I have perfect health and wonderful, happy relationships with my family and friends. I could write a different post every day about receiving things that I have asked for from the universe. All you have to do is three things; Ask, Believe, and Receive. Ask for what you want. Believe that it is on its way and Receive it. If you feel that you deserve a better life or want more out of life then I encourage you to research this book. For your convenience, I have added the book, The Secret, to My Motivational Books List and you can click on the book or the hyperlinks to purchase them from Amazon.

So many negative thoughts he had to drag them

Don’t forget that today is garbage day and dump all your negative thoughts and feelings into the can, roll it out to the street, and let the garbage company haul it away.

If you have read The Secret or watched the movie, post a comment below and tell me what you think. I enjoy reading your comments.

If you enjoyed this post, click on the little star and like it. Share it with others who might take away something from it.

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

April 29, 2020April 3, 2022

InspireChief2 Comments

It’s About You

It’s not about me, it’s about you. I was asked the other day why I started writing a blog and didn’t really have an answer to that question. I’m not in my 20s and I’m not just starting out in life. I’m very comfortable and don’t need any extra income that can be generated from writing a blog. Heck, I have never really enjoyed writing in my entire life. I loved my career and enjoyed the majority of it. I loved to be out on the street and participating in operations, but I hated writing reports. We had five days to get our reports in after an operation and my bosses were constantly hounding me to do my reports. Just the thought of all the hours it would take to compile my notes and write a passable report would fill me with dread. One of the reasons I loved being in the jungle was because we didn’t have to do reports.

I started to think about the question and realized that it will really wasn’t my decision. The thought was placed into me by a higher power. I really didn’t have a choice or did I? I could’ve ignored the thoughts but throughout my life, I’ve realized that when you’re led to do something by a higher power, do it. There are terrific benefits to doing it and it’s something you’re supposed to do. I could estimate that throughout my life I have listened to a higher power 90 percent of the time and made good decisions. At the same time, 10 percent of the time I ignored what I was being told and made bad decisions.

It all started after I heard a speech where someone said that you could make money online. This got my attention because I like money, money is good and you can never have enough of it. I don’t ever want to stop earning money. There are so many great things I can do with money and so many people I can help. So after hearing that you can make money online, I began researching it and was told I needed to write a blog. At first, I hesitated because I’m not a writer and who would read my stuff? There was one thought in my mind that would not go away, It’s not about me, it’s about you. It’s about you, the 7.8 billion people in the world. If somebody can take away just one thing from one of my blog posts and it changes their life, then everything I do is justified.

You have so much to give the world. Each and every one of you was born with your gifts to the world. Everybody has something inside of them that can help someone else. I believe it’s your obligation to pass your gift to others. My gift is motivation and people have told me that I say the right things at the right time and have helped people. If anyone has ever told you that you are good at something, that is your gift. We must continue spreading our gifts and never quit. When things get tough and you’re going through a difficult time, you have to find a way to reach down and fight through because someone, somewhere needs your gift. It’s not about you, it’s about them.

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I will continue to talk to as many people as I can until my last breath. When things aren’t going well, I’ll keep going. When I’m talking and it seems like no one’s listening, I’ll keep talking. I’ll never quit, it’s just not in me. It’s not in you either. You might think so, but it’s not. When you think it is, get out of bed and go do it one more day. Do it the next day and the next until you’ve accomplished the mission. Everyone’s counting on you, so it’s your duty, your obligation to them to get it done. If you quit then you are letting down 7 .8 billion people. That’s a huge burden to have to live with for the rest of your life. Fight with all your being and when you feel you have nothing left in you, get up and take another swing. Whatever you do, never stop and keep moving forward.

Life is hard and it will hit you. It will take you to your knees. Anyone who has gone through life without any kind of struggles hasn’t lived. So when it hits you, hit back, keep hitting back, keep moving forward. As long as you’re moving forward you’re winning, it doesn’t matter what the score is. There are too many people counting on you. It might hurt and it might be hard but you gotta keep moving forward. It’s not about you, it’s about them.

The warrior mentality and the ability to fight are in us all. It is there at birth. We are all fighters and a fighter is going to fight. They won’t quit until they’ve won or died. Nothing can stop them. Nothing can stop you. Once you know what you want, go out and get it. Don’t ever let anyone or anything stop you. You and only you are in control and determine whether you win or lose. You will have successes and you will have failures but you will never quit. You will fight and fight and fight until you win. It’s not about you, it’s about them.

The 80/20 rule says that 20 percent of the people do 80 percent of the work. I was one of the 20 percent. It was ingrained in me in the military to accomplish the mission, that was the most important thing. Whenever one of my bosses needed something difficult done, they called on me because I always accomplished the mission, no matter how hard. I wouldn’t quit. You have to accomplish your mission and failure is not an option. You have been given a mission, whatever it may be and it is your duty to do what it takes to accomplish that mission and never quit. I won’t ever quit on you. When you win, then I win. I can’t succeed until you do. Keep fighting! It’s not about you, it’s about them.

Have you ever had to overcome adversity? Leave a comment and share your tips/techniques for fighting through when life is beating you down.

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April 28, 2020April 3, 2022

InspireChief5 Comments

Opportunities Abound

Do you feel like right now is a great time to be alive and opportunities abound? Because I do. I feel so blessed every day to be able to experience everything that life offers on a daily basis. We are living through an unprecedented event, maybe not in history, but in my lifetime. I used to watch movies such as The Andromeda Strain and The Omega Man in which an unknown virus began killing humans. COVID-19 has created vast changes in how we work and live. It has devastated small businesses and left millions unemployed. As each day passes we get closer to “flattening the curve” and it will be interesting to see what the world will look like once everything starts opening up.

Photo by Heorhii Heorhiichuk on Pexels.com

It is said that adversity creates opportunity. Many people took advantage of the opportunities created during the Great Depression and became millionaires. Michael J. Cullen changed the retail landscape by creating the modern supermarket. He struck out on his own in 1930 and two years later his stores, King Kullen Grocery, were taking in more than $6 million in revenue. Charles Darrow, after the crash of 1929 was unemployed. He spent a few years perfecting a little parlor game that eventually became known as Monopoly. In 1932, Howard Hughes formed the Hughes Aircraft Company and built that into a major defense supplier. He was worth billions when he died in 1976.

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While many people suffered, others took advantage of being unemployed and turned ideas into businesses. They saw the opportunity created by the Great Depression. Can you see the opportunity created by the current pandemic? It’s out there, opportunity is always out there, you just have to be able to see it. When you see it, you then have to act on it. In my post titled, The Wonderful, Awesome Power of Music, I wrote that the best time to act on something is right now. You need to take advantage of this great opportunity to decide what you want to do, why do you want to do it, and begin doing it right now.

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My oldest daughter is studying kinesiology and exercise science in college and is becoming a personal trainer who will one day open up her own gym. She was researching the various certification courses, prices, and the length of time it takes to complete the course. After she explained what she found, she asked me which one I would take. I told her my choice and her reply was, one takes six months to complete, won’t that interfere with my college classes? I told her that it might but that’s why time management is so important. I said that if you’re going to do something then start it right now, not tomorrow, not next week, not 6 months from now. Start it today, and you will figure out how to successfully juggle schoolwork, work, and your certification.

For all the youth out there, I just want to say that we are living in the greatest time in our history. You can carry it around the world at your fingertips. Everything has sped up exponentially, from communication with other people to become wealthy. I used to have a little box I would wear on my belt called a pager. If someone needed to talk to me they would dial a certain number and the little box would vibrate. I would see the number of the person that wanted to talk to me. My little box would almost always only vibrate when I was nowhere near a telephone. Most of the time it was when I was in my car driving somewhere. There was no way to return the phone call through the little box therefore I would have to find the nearest thing we used to call a payphone. These were telephones that were spread throughout the city and you had to insert coins in order to make a phone call. Once I found a payphone, I would then have to scrounge around looking for coins to call the number on the little box. All this, finding a payphone, parking my vehicle near the payphone, getting out of my vehicle, looking for coins, walking to the payphone, and dialing the number, just to be told a bit of information that was probably the most unimportant information in the history of the planet. Now we can walk around with a computer in our pocket, we can search for any question that we have and communicate with anyone throughout the world without having to look for coins.

All it takes is a little creativity and you can make money without ever having to spend a day working a job you probably hate. I never would’ve thought that you could make money by videotaping yourself doing something that you do for one day, but people do. I had never heard of ASMR until I saw people making money carving soap or tapping their fingernails and whispering. My favorite though is GRWM videos, this is something we all do every day and people are making money just by videotaping themselves and getting ready. Is this a great time to be alive or what?

The ease at which we can obtain information today presents the greatest opportunity for all of us. You can literally find a step-by-step process to do anything. If you want to learn how to write a blog, there are bloggers who write blogs on how to write a blog. The Art of Blogging has very insightful and excellent tips on blogging. The world is literally at your fingertips, all you have to do is go out and discover it. I’ve always heard people say, “I can’t wait till my ship comes in,” and you might want to write this down, “Your ship has arrived. It is anchored just offshore and all you have to do is swim out to it and get on board.”

If you enjoyed reading this, go ahead and click on that little star and like it. Share it on social media and definitely leave a comment. I enjoy hearing from everyone. If there is any subject into which you would like to delve into, let me know.

What opportunities have you seen created? Are you taking advantage of them? Let me know in the comment section.

Works Cited:

Sabin, Greg. “10 People Who Made a Fortune During the Depression.” Mental Floss, 12 Aug. 2009, http://www.mentalfloss.com/.

April 27, 2020April 3, 2022

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