One is Greater than Zero: Keep Moving Forward

Any contribution, no matter how small, has value.

Any progress toward your goal, no matter how slight, moves you farther from where you are and nearer to where you aspire to be.

“It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop.” – Confucius

You may feel that you are progressing slowly, but a snail’s pace is still a pace.

The key is to keep moving forward.  Do at least one thing — one action step on the path toward your goal — every day.

“No matter how slow you go, you’re still lapping everyone sitting on the couch.” – Unknown

Trust in the process.  Change takes time.

Believe in yourself and don’t quit.  Slow progress is better than no progress.

“You are always a student, never a master. You have to keep moving forward.” – Conrad Hall

1 > 0

Believe in the equation.

Get STRONGER, Get FASTER!

Your thoughts?

Always Have New Goals

“The greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short; but in setting our aim too low, and achieving our mark.” – Michelangelo

Goal-setting is a continuous process — a never-ending activity.

When you reach your goals and fail to set new goals, you stop growing.

And, when you stop growing, you are merely existing — not living.

When you achieve a goal, expand upon it or set another goal.

Make your goals large enough or expandable enough so you will not be limited when you reach them.

“Not having a goal is more to be feared than not reaching a goal.” – Robert Schuller

Aspire.  Aim high.  Reach.  Dream big.

Never stop dreaming.  Never stop growing.  Never stop pushing yourself.

“Set a goal so big that you can’t achieve it until you grow into the person who can.” – Unknown

Get STRONGER, Get FASTER!

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Accept Your Role (but keep working)

What’s your role on your team?

Are you a starter, or do you come off the bench?

Do you play lots of minutes, or just a few?

Now the important question, especially if your role is not aligned with your aspirations:  How do you handle it?

How is your attitude and body language?  What are you projecting to your teammates and coaches?

Your role on your team — and your contribution — may not be exactly what you’ve envisioned, but it’s important to accept your role.

That doesn’t mean you have to be happy about it or satisfied with it; nor does it mean you should resign yourself to believing there’s nothing you can do to change it.

It does mean, however, that you must do your best to avoid negativity — negative thoughts, words, and actions — that can disrupt and erode team chemistry.

That being said, if you have loftier goals than your current situation enables, don’t be complacent — keep working toward your dream.

Work hard at practice and push the teammate(s) playing in front of you.  Your efforts at practice can help make the whole team better, in addition to improving you.

Away from practice, continue to work hard — on your own — strengthening your individual skills.

Not everyone can (or will) be their team’s star player or MVP, but you do have the ability to be better tomorrow than you are today.

Get STRONGER, Get FASTER!

Your thoughts?

Don’t Let Lack of Effort Be the Reason You Don’t Succeed

Make It Happen

What’s your dream?  What to you want to do?  Where do you want to go?  Who do you want to be?

Now the really important question:  What are you willing to do to accomplish/achieve your goal?

First of all, in order to be successful, you’ve got to expect success.

You’ve got to work hard, work smart, and believe in yourself.

Try and succeed.  Try and fail.  Try again.  Just don’t let lack of effort be the reason you don’t succeed.

NO regrets — NO “could’ve,” NO “should’ve,” NO “would’ve.”

“Most people fail not because they lack ability, intelligence, or opportunity, but they fail because they don’t give it all they’ve got.” – Dr. Norman Vincent Peale

Invest your time, effort, and energy — chase your dream.  Extreme dedication almost always leads to success.

Don’t let worry, wonder, or doubt cloud your vision of success.

Don’t hold anything back.  Give it your best effort.  Whatever that looks like — on any given day — give it.

You may be pleasantly surprised at the results.

Get STRONGER, Get FASTER!

Your thoughts?

Success Requires Commitment

“Some people dream of success while others wake up and work hard at it.” – Winston Churchill

com·mit·ment

/kəˈmitmənt/

noun

the state or quality of being dedicated to a cause, activity, etc.

synonyms: dedication, devotion, allegiance, loyalty, faithfulness, fidelity

 

Everyone wants to be successful.  But not everyone wants to commit themselves to do what’s necessary to become successful.

Lots of people dream about and wish for success.  But you can’t be successful if all you do is think about it.  At some point, you have to convert those thoughts, wishes, and dreams to action.

You may be waiting for inspiration or motivation to commit yourself to your dreams and goals.  Don’t wait… just get moving and take a step in the direction of your aspirations.  It may seem counter-intuitive, but action precedes motivation.

It starts with your mindset.  You’ve got to make the decision that nothing will hold you back or stand in the way of your success.  Be determined and expect success.

Don’t be vague about what you want to achieve.  It’s hard to commit yourself to something if your vision is not clear and your goal is not specific.

Eliminate distractions and unimportant details, and focus on what’s important.

Be prepared for some challenges and setbacks along the way.  Learn from those experiences.  Focus on those areas you can control, and do your best to stay on track.

Hold yourself accountable by setting short-term (daily, weekly, etc.) goals; telling others (family, friends, etc.) about what you are doing; and surrounding yourself with like-minded, supportive people.  Keep a journal of your progress, and review it regularly.

At times, commitment requires some sacrifice.  If you believe in and are fully committed to your goal, you will be willing to sacrifice. Be willing to step out of your comfort zone.

Get STRONGER, Get FASTER!

Your thoughts?

3 Simple Rules in Life

Here’s a nice follow up to Wednesday’s blog post.

You can’t wish for things to happen, and you can’t wait for things to happen.

You’ve got to go after what you want and make things happen.

Pursuing your dreams and goals may not always result in getting exactly what you want, but not going after what you want will never help you accomplish or achieve anything worthwhile.

Get STRONGER, Get FASTER!

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Your Goals Won’t Achieve Themselves

Question 1: What do you want to do? Who do you want to be? Where do you want to go?

Question 2: What are you doing to make that happen?

You can’t wait and wish for something to happen.  If it’s important to you — something you really want — you’ve got to make it happen.

Don’t wait for inspiration or motivation, just get moving and take a step in the direction of your desired goal.  It may seem counter-intuitive, but action precedes motivation.

Sometimes, getting started (and staying on course) may seem a little scary, but you’ll be surprised by how much the fear and apprehension subside once you get going.  Once you take action — even the smallest step — toward your goal, you will feel empowered, energized, and motivated.

• Focus on your dreams and goals, and don’t allow yourself to be discouraged or distracted by short-term adversity and obstacles.
• Stay determined, even when things aren’t going as planned.
• Take calculated risks; understand that goal achievement will require change, in some way.
• Engage in positive self-talk, and surround yourself with positive and encouraging people.
• Be accountable for your daily actions.

Perhaps your goal requires some assistance along the way.  There are lots of willing and qualified people who can get you started and provide guidance on your journey.  No matter what your goal, identify and acquire the resources you need — equipment, education, assistance, or apparel — to achieve it.

Get STRONGER, Get FASTER!

Your thoughts?

One Day at a Time (Today is the Day)

What do you want to accomplish?  What are your dreams; your goals; your aspirations?

You can’t do anything with yesterday.  It’s gone.

You can’t do anything with tomorrow.  It’s not here yet. (although today’s choices can impact tomorrow)

Today’s the day.  Today, it is within your power to work toward your objectives.  Today, you can do something to move closer to your goals.  Today, you can take another step forward in pursuit of your dreams.

But you only have today…

Take it one day at a time.  Understand that you can’t “do” one week in a day.  Aim for incremental change.  Over time, the cumulative impact will be considerable.  Make today count.  Make today what it can be, to the best of your ability.

Be patient.  Today won’t be perfect.  You can’t control everything, but you must be committed to do your best to impact what is under your control.  Try not to allow outside influences to upset and distract you.

Be persistent.  Don’t give up.  Setbacks are inevitable — and often temporary, and can be used as valuable learning experiences.  Keep moving forward — over, around, and through.  Slow progress is better than no progress.

Be realistic.  We all have limitations.  Be honest with yourself and recognize the difference between “can’t” and “won’t.”

Challenge yourself.  If you’re doing something you already know you can do, you’re not really challenging yourself.  Push yourself.  Raise your personal “bar.”

Believe in yourself.  Have faith in the power of you.

What will you do with today?

Get STRONGER, Get FASTER!

Your thoughts?

The Power of Action

“Success seems to be connected with action. Successful men keep moving. They make mistakes, but they do not quit.” – Conrad Hilton

What do you want to accomplish?

Maybe it’s sport-related.  Perhaps you want to improve your strength, speed, agility, and/or athleticism.  Or, maybe it’s something even more sport-specific, like your shooting percentage or batting average.  Or, it could be that you aspire — quite simply — to make the team.

Maybe it’s school-related.  Your goal could be to improve your grade point average or perform better in a particular class or course, or the next time you take the ACT or SAT.

Work-related goals are important, too — promotions, increases in pay, and performance improvement, among others.

Ultimately, some of our goals involve interpersonal communication and relationships.  We seek to improve upon our relationships with family, relatives, and friends.

Regardless of what you want to accomplish, develop a plan of action and take the first step toward your goal today.  Make sure your action is purposeful — not random or arbitrary — and do something that moves you along the path toward your goal, right now.

Then, no matter how effective your first action step was in moving you toward your goal, keep moving.  If appropriate, repeat the first step.  If necessary, take the next step.  Just don’t stop.

You may surprise yourself by how much you can accomplish by just “inching” toward your goal, with steadiness and consistency.  It’s amazing what can be accomplished if you’re persistent and keep moving forward.

Action is empowering.  It’s invigorating.  It’s gratifying.

Get STRONGER, Get FASTER!

Your thoughts?

Slow Progress Is Better Than No Progress

We all have aspirations, dreams, and goals.  And sometimes it can be frustrating when our progress toward those goals moves more slowly than is consistent with our expectations.  How do you handle those situations?

As it relates to exercise, I occasionally have clients and friends tell me that they simply don’t have time to workout.  Given the choice between a short but effective workout and doing nothing, they would choose the latter.  If they can’t set aside 45-60 minutes for exercise, they’d rather not do it at all.  That kind of convoluted logic makes me crazy.

Ultimately, everything is a process — fitness, sports, school, work… life.  Slow and steady is the way to go.  In the long run, consistency wins the prize.

Quantum change usually does not reflect reality.  Incremental change, over time, can make winners of us all.

Early last year, I published a blog post titled, The One-Percent Rule.  The 1% rule is all about self-improvement.  It means you should try to be 1% better today than you were yesterday — in the gym, at practice, as a competitor, at work, at home, and in life.

Do something — anything — today that moves you closer toward one of your goals.  Don’t get caught up in how much or how little you are able to do.  If you’re willing to do something, you’re halfway there.

Keep moving forward.

Carpe diem!

Get STRONGER, Get FASTER!

Your thoughts?