Little Acorns

Have you taken a good hard look at an acorn? They actually quite small aren’t they? I mean it’s a good size meal for a squirrel I guess but even those furry guys can handle a couple at a time.

In fact, my dog likes to knock them around at the park as if they were some sort of naturally occurring super ball. Yup, they bounce pretty good, but they roll really fast so that’s exciting. It’s cute when he tosses them up in the air and catches them.

But take a closer look. They have a pretty hard, smooth brown shell that is really quite lovely with an almost cute little cap.

Now look up and around…you see that big tree they came from? Take a moment to really let it sink in that this little acorn has all the potential in the world to grow to those heights. Really kind of amazing isn’t it?

This is what your faith in yourself can be like.

For those of us who’ve been hurt, rejected and broken our faith in who we are can seem shattered and non-existent. But it’s not. It’s in every one of us; it might feel hidden or in hibernation but it’s there.

Kind of like the potential for amazing things is hidden inside that little acorn.  Nurture that acorn just a little and it will burst forth with all the determination you could imagine to grow and thrive into a giant, towering oak.  This little acorn doesn’t even recognize its final goal, it just knows the next step is to take the chance and break through the shell it’s been protected by for so long.

You can do that too.  Look, a little faith in your hidden acorns; your faith in your own gifts and potential, can go a long way to starting to allow yourself to grow and thrive.  To peek through that crack in your shell to see that the sun is shining.

But like acorns these little nuggets of faith need to be nurtured.  They need to be brought out into the light, allowed to feel the rain and grow some roots.  And just like the acorn, this is a fragile process at first.  One that need gentleness, care and time.    You need to stretch and reach for the sun.

We have all the potential to thrive and grow into something even more amazing than we are today.  And like the acorn it takes persistence!

Find your little acorn of faith.  What can you do today to nurture it?  What little ways can you begin to starting to grow your own potential?  Little steps, small goals can add up to be quite an amazing thing don’t you agree?

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How do you stay motivated for the long haul?

I get a lot of interesting questions these days because in my monthly newsletter I have a section called “Ask the Coach”.  You can email me your questions and I’ll answer them in the newsletter. 

One question I get over and over again is about motivation and how to GET and KEEP it.

There is a simple formula I use to explain how internal motivation works and I’m about to share with you this juicy not-so-secret secret.

Motivation starts with breaking into some strong feelings.  Sometimes it’s fear; which oddly can be a pretty good motivator to get you moving.  The problem with fear is that is won’t KEEP you motivated. Plus it’s kind of stressful to live that way and we all know that stress will give you wrinkles!

So what keeps people going strong and doing what it takes day after day; even when it’s really hard?

First, they are clear on what they want.

They tend to work not from the motivator fear, but from a deeper well.  One filled by passionate purpose.

But more – oh so much more – importantly…they know the why behind it.

People who are passionate with a purpose can move mountains and touch the stars. They are connected so deeply in their souls to their purpose that it becomes part of the truth of their lives.

How can that not wake you up in the morning ready to go out and do whatever it takes?

Hey, we all get pumped up and excited by things in the moment.  Marketers depend on that~ (hello time-share seminars? ) In order to keep that kind of pumped up, loving my life; seeing the endless possibilities sort of attitude, you NEED to ask your self why you want it.  Why, why WHY??  And then dig a little deeper into your soul to make sure you are being painfully honest about it.

THAT is where you find out your purpose and where you get your motivation.

But it ain’t easy, it takes real courage and perseverance to dig that deep and drag that purpose out into the light.

Are you ready to look deeper?

 

 

 

PS. You can grab access to my free monthly newsletter on the sidebar…with a bonus or simply click this link!

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Keep Your Eye on The Ball

As I was laying in bed early one morning this week, well before the alarm was to wake me, I simply let my thoughts flow and go where they wanted.

I tried to welcome the thoughts as friends and just observe them.  I say tried because I got rather caught up in on particular thought.

I realized that life is a lot like stepping up to bat in baseball.

I supposed that in this perfect (?) analogy Life would be the guy on the pitcher mound.  I don’t mean to imply that Life is trying to strike you out so much as Life is the one throwing you the curve balls; along with fast ball, gentle tosses, spit balls, lobs and occasionally nails you one in the arm. 

It works because when you step up to home plate, with that bat in hand for the first time; you suck…no offense, we all did.  We had no skills yet, no experience.  We were awkward and we all know that one guy, who forgot to run to first base when he finally connected to the ball!

There is a lot of layers of truth in that last statement.  Some people still can’t recognize what to do when they finally hit the ball!

The thing is some of us had fun anyway.  We lost, we fell down and occasionally we struck out.  We sometimes got called with a bad play or a foul ball.  Sometimes we hit a good one and got on base.  Once in a blue moon we may even have hit it out of the park…or far enough to get a home run anyway.  We all did. 

We also learned that having a team to support us makes a world of difference.  You can’t play a good game by yourself.  A coach, team mates…they all make the game happen.

However, there are many who shrugged and decided it was easier to just be part of the crowd on the bleachers.   Some didn’t see the possibilities that might come with practice; or perhaps they just didn’t see the value in the effort.  Some were told by others they could never make it to the ‘big leagues’ and believed it; so they stopped trying.

Then there are those who kept going.  They played for fun at first sure; but in doing so they built up an affinity for the game.  They learned to judge when to bunt, where the ball was going and when to steal third. 

Did they screw up?  You bet they did.  They got hurt, they were embarrassed and had slumps where I am certain they questioned everything.  But when you know your purpose, your goal you can persist through those times.  You have faith in what you are doing.

They kept their eye on the ball; literally and metaphorically.  Focus,drive, practice and more practice.  Sounds a lot like how life works doesn’t it?

In life you have to keep your eye on the ball and keep swinging.  In doing so you will eventually be able to predict with some accuracy (most days anyway) where the ball will go when you hit it. And you know what I love to say about that.  When you know where you’re going you know when you get there!

You can still get surprised by pitches but you will learn to better and faster adjust on the fly.  You also learn that life sometimes strikes you out and that’s okay. 

What do you think?  Let me know in the comments below or leave me a comment on my fan page.

 Am I right about players and the crowd? Are there more ways life is like heading to bat?

Keep Your Eye On the Ball

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Determined to Persist

Benjamin Franklin once said that “energy and persistence conquer all things.”

That guy knew a very big secret to success and to happiness. It isn’t just about talent or skill set.  It more often is about persistence.

This is true in every aspect of life.  Ever heard the saying that overnight success takes 10 years?  It’s really bang on. We can learn the skills needed if we continue putting the energy into it. There are so many examples of people who are successful who were not especially talented, educated or extra smart.  They found success through persistence and dogged determination.

I know this is going to hurt some people’s sensitivities but sometimes it needs to be said.  This is so often the point where I see people struggling when they come to me and say that they can’t figure out why success eludes them. 

What do I hear? Things like…

• it’s really hard
• I slipped off the wagon so now it’s over
• I don’t know how
• no one told me
• I made a plan and it didn’t work
• this wasn’t how it was supposed to be

It’s really hard to watch the disappointment and frustration on people’s faces when I feel the need to bluntly explain some life lessons.  Please take what I’m about to say with the love and care that is intended.  

Lesson:  Success rarely hits you on your first foray out.  You are foolish to think you can do everything in one shot simply because you made a plan.

Okay but here’s the good news.  You did find success…just perhaps not the one you were looking for.   Just because you planned for huge success in one area doesn’t mean it will work out.  Still, you gained valuable insights, skills and learned more of that which you needed to know.

This is where persistence comes into play.  You’ve got to keep going, adjusting the plan and perhaps even the goals. 

 This is true all over the place.  It’s true for business, career, relationships, healthy living, wellness…heck learning to ride a bike!  You name it, if you give up because the first try didn’t work you’d still be stuck crawling around on all fours. 

Nothing is as powerful as persistence.  If you have passion for something you will be determined to persist. 

One of my favorite metaphors for persistence comes from the story of how a small stream can, over time wear away solid stone.  Water would not seem at first to be able to change the way that the hard stone looks but through time, persistence and movement it most certainly can.  In fact the water’s movement shapes entire landscapes…all through persistence.

Have you ever noticed a flower or bit of grass growing in a strange place?  How about through rock?  How do you suppose a fragile flower manages to fragment rock? You know…persistance. 

Keep this in mind next time you are feeling frustrated that success did not show up for this round of effort. 

In the confrontation between the stream and the rock,the stream always wins – not through strength, but through persistence.”
~Buddha~

And may you find the pleasure that comes from the lessons learned by simply pushing forth and staying determined.  Every flower, every person will bloom when they are ready, but not before they do the work to find a way to feel the warmth of the sun.

 

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