You Have The Power To Be Great-Do You Have The Guts?
Once there was a boy who had enough aspirations to fill two lives. While he was growing up, television was a big influence. He wanted to be Dr. Kildare (doctor), Perry Mason (lawyer), Columbo ( detective), and Mr. Novak (teacher) all rolled into one. Each character had amazing qualities. Each helped find solutions to intractable problems. Each served others. That’s what this little boy wanted to do- help other people.
Until one predictable day, when this little boy became a man, he was afraid to be anything. He did not understand the power of the mind- his mind. While he occasionally thought about being fulfilled, doing more and having it all, he also wondered whether any of that was possible.
Those indelible bad memories about being “the joke” in school; being made fun of and being an outcast created a sensitive and delicate mental shadow wherever he went. His future orientation about life was thrown off course.
Whenever he looked in the mirror, a stranger stared back. He let others tell him who he was. This continued throughout his early work-career. His private thoughts were no match for public ridicule and those cutting suggestions made in public that should have been made in private.
How does one make powerful meek, victim invoking, private thoughts powerless? The answer lies in exchanging a bad habit for a good habit. This means changing bad thinking into good thinking. Bad thinking= I can’t do that. Good thinking= Anything worth doing is worth doing poorly until you can learn to do it well. (Zig Ziglar)This is the power of incremental steps. And it takes all the pressure off a person to improve quickly, fast and now. When you tap into this power, the mind suddenly becomes your personal life preserver. You will improve at a pace that works for you. You can speed it up or slow it down. The pace of learning is entirely up to you.
These incremental steps become powerful when you commit to LEARNING MODE. You benefit from that learning opportunity before you. Being in active LEARNING MODE means that you will always improve. Never again will you play the victim and say, If only I…….. As long as you remain in LEARNING MODE, your new mental toughness and orientation will scream, Next time I will! You will rarely ever say, I wish I had. That thought goes flying out the window. You will always be glad that you did. Failure loses its power because the word failure and the concept failure no longer exists in LEARNING MODE. If you are not willing to learn, no one can help you. If you are determined to learn, no one can stop you. (Zig Ziglar)
When one arrives at the maternity ward nursery, one sees little babies. No one can point to a baby and say, “There’s a doctor” or “There’s a lawyer.“ Nor can anyone point to a baby and suggest that there’s a “success” or a “failure.” Life-long private thoughts become the harbinger of one’s success and failure.
A mistake, error, or struggle, becomes part of the learning experience. For example: You get a bad grade- when you take that and make it into a learning experience your grades will improve, along with new found wisdom. There is no longer a need to make excuses. Your boss reprimands you for poor performance- when you take that and make it into a learning experience your performance will improve, along with your reputation within the company. There is no longer a need to rationalize. You get into an argument with a friend, spouse or significant other- when you take that and make it into a learning experience your relationships will improve, along with the respect others will have for you. There is no longer a need to defend yourself.
LEARNING MODE enables you to interrogate reality, solve problems and improve relationships. Actually, it also allows you to dream again.
When you make something into a learning experience, your feedback loop informs you about the WHY (it happened), WHAT (now needs to be done) and HOW (the better way to proceed) of the event. VERY POWERFUL STUFF.
Here’s the thing- If today is just one day of all the days that are to be (for you), LEARNING MODE can rehabilitate a bad moment today and make the days that are still to come (your tomorrows) better. YOUR TOMORROWS BECOME BETTER BECAUSE YOU ARE BETTER.
Imagine how much better- If you lived hundreds, make that thousands, no, make that tens of thousands of days in LEARNING MODE-free from fear and self-doubt- How much better could you in your succeeding days become? There is only one answer. PHENOMENALLY BETTER.
A question for you: Once there was a child who grew up with so many hopes and dreams. This child accomplished enough to fill two lives. Who is this person?
The answer: When you live each day in LEARNING MODE, this person is YOU.
KEEP LEARNING!!!
