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I have always been told that with patience and hard-work anything is achievable. I understand what they’re saying – that if you keep on the path with something and stay focused, like a race horse, then you will achieve the gold – or the Garland of Roses of the Kentucky Derby in the California Chrome’s case. What I have noticed, though, is that no matter how good the outcome may look, many people are just all talk. You know that saying, “all bark, no bite”? That’s the way I see many people and their “goals”.
I hate to be degrading in any way, but take a look around… achieving success does not come over night – and it surely won’t come by doing something just once. It does not come by giving up that cookie cake today when you’re only going to eat double the portion tomorrow. It does not come by going on a 7 mile run today to only watch Netflix all weekend. Success comes with persistence, courage, consistency, and that never-negative-attitude. “You can achieve anything if you put your mind to it” – but that does not mean you’ll achieve it by JUST putting your mind to it.
You have to be committed to that goal, no matter what you feel is goal worthy. Nick Saban once said,
“If a man is called to be a street sweeper, he should sweep streets even as a Michelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of Heaven and Earth will pause to say, ‘Here lived a great street sweeper who did his job well.’ ”
So no matter what you put your mind to – see it through and do everything possible to be the best YOU can be.
I see many people graduate or finish a year of school and immediately lose sight of their goals. Granted, graduating from college or high school is a very, very worthy day of celebrating, yet it can’t be overlooked that tomorrow life picks up right where you left off. Keep up on your routines and stay focused on what you really want. Trust me, there will be days where you’ll want to give up, but you have to stay focused on that ultimate goal.
If you ask people what my ultimate goal is, they’ll know what it is – mainly because of how much I ramble about how my mind visualizes it. But they’ll know what it is because of how ambitious I act too. It’s not a mansion in Venice or a garage full of Lamborghini’s somewhere all off the coast of Malibu – it’s a sail boat. A simple, yet well earned, catamaran sailboat. The reason behind that is because I enjoy being on the water, but that doesn’t matter. What matters is the path of EARNING the boat that I really want to achieve. I can’t afford the boat today. I know that I will not purchase the boat tomorrow. I know that Santa will not put a captain’s wheel and hat under the tree. I know that I have to work hard and stay focused, while giving my best all the time. Then, after surpassing many celebratory checkpoints, I will achieve success.
If you let up once on your routines and plans, it could all crumble down. That’s why I insist that you stay driven over the summer. You have to remember that at the end of the summer you will be hitting the books or putting on your shoes for work. A nice bronze tan and margarita story can only take you so far in a conversation. Don’t get me wrong, I’m all about the outdoor life and living to the fullest – the pool, hiking paths, sports – but, having your responsibilities and routines in place over the summer can take you to even further and places. Set up goals over the summer as stepping stones and plan to have them finished by the time you go back to whatever plan going back to. These stepping stones will not only help you grow as a person, but they will also get you closer to that ultimate goal.
My advice: set up 5 THINGS that you want to have done by the end of the summer and make sure that you seek to do everything possible to complete them. Get a calendar app and set reminder alarms to nag yourself to stay on track. Wake up early and go to bed earlier (something I have found that helps even though I’ve been making fun of my parents for doing the same thing the past 21 years of my life). Log progress along the way and make sure you share your success with people. Find out what works and what does not – and stay away from what does not. Stay fit. Stay healthy. Do whatever possible to keep you on track towards those goals. If you slip away from your routine, you may lose sight and ultimately give up. You don’t want that. Grow as a person and don’t waste your summer time:
Run. Sleep. Read. Learn. Love. Smell. Experience. Network. Taste. Listen. Help. Write. Document. Tally. EAT. Feel. Build. Track. Talk. Walk. Share. Teach. Wonder. Thank. Enjoy. Motivate. Appreciate. Think. Live. Explore.
Sure, a little r and r is great for the soul, but no progress over 3 months can do the exact opposite to the soul. Stay motivated. Stay on track. And most importantly, never lose sight of YOUR sailboat.
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