Two men in an ax cutting contest are furiously chopping at wood over six feet high. Both are extremely competitive and want nothing more than to beat the other. As both of them are chopping, chopping, chopping, one of them stops for a while. The other never looks up, starts thinking how the cardio he added to his training routine a few months ago is paying off! He is more confident now, feels stronger, proud. The man that stopped starts again. Both are ferociously chopping again. This happens three more times. As the contest comes to an end the man that never stopped stands up proud basking in the fact he must have won because he never stopped. But the man that stopped several times, WON!
The man that never stopped asked the other how the hell was that possible. The other man said, when you thought I was stopping, I was sharpening my ax.
During the pandemic, a lot of us had to stop trying. Listen to me closely. This is your conscious talking. While so many of us are "forced to stop", What are you doing in the meantime?
Notice how weeds need no encouragement to grow. They don’t need sunlight, water, or fertilizer. They will grow between the cracks of a blistering roadway! But plants like roses, orchids, other exotic plants need a SPECIAL PROCESS in order to grow.
Our minds are exactly the same way. It takes no encouragement to think negative, assume the worst case scenario, or give up. It’s automatic pilot for our minds to be negative. But to be positive, happy, or commited, requires a SPECIAL PROCESS like creating a plan, cultivating relationships with like-minded people, exercise, diet, utilizing professional services.
LIsten to me closely for this is your conscious speaking. There is an exotic plant inside of you that has been taken over by habits, routines, and that automatic pilot in our minds. You can do this. Let's get back working on you.
The shocking reality about success is MOST people will quit after 1 or 2 times trying. Most people assume it didnt work or is not working, because it is not meant to be. Once you understand that most people are quiters, then you will understand why truly successful people always say you can do it too. Truly successful people were not smarter, did not have more money to get started, did not know more people or had any of the things people THINK you need to be successful.
Truly successful people discovered, all they had to do was wait for everyone else to quit.
You might think it's not working. Or your timing is off. Or it's too late. None of those things are true. Even a broken clock is right two times a day! Just keep hanging in there. Your time was always right now. All you gotta do, is keep ticking.
A man needed to urgently move from the garage and realized it would not open. Trying to not panic, he tried to open it manually, but it was too heavy. He needed the power to work. At this point afraid of missing out on an important appointment, he called the garage support line. He yelled at the technician I NEED HELP. I gotta get moving but the garage door has no power.
The technician replied, before I come out to help you, do something first. Stand at the front of the garage. There are two sensors on the bottom at each end. Describe them to me. The man said one is pointing at the other, one is pointing up. The technician said, sir your problem is not power. Both sensors should face each other. You just need to make one minor adjustment to engage your power.
2 Timothy 1:7 says “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of POWER!!!” You have way more power than you think. You probably just need to make one minor adjustment. Is it associations with bad people, is it frustration at work, is it patience with family members or coworkers.
If you need to get somewhere and it's not working, ADJUST! And, never forget, you have Power.
Oscar Wilde once said, "most people exists, only a few are actually living." Sadly, he is correct. Most people are dwelling on the past or emulating someone else. It's no wonder we can't get things done. There is not enough time. But we can change that!
In the morning, get out of bed two hours earlier than you normally do.
That's an extra 730 hours a year. Another 4 weeks a year. An added month a year. You now have extra time you couldn't use before now, because, you were SLEEPING!!!
Right now is where you can continue making the "I dont have time" excuse or Start Making A Difference with your goals and dreams. I know you're tired, but this is your conscience speaking. Tomorrow morning, before the sun rises, don't hit the snooze button again. Listen to me closely......Get Your Ass Up!!
When you look at yourself for "Who You Are", you will always be that person or worse. If you look at yourself for "Who You Could Be", you will always be growing into that person or better.
But there are two haters making you look at yourself for who you are. One is a person you can't escape. It's the person punking you inside your head. His name is, "I Can't". The other hater is even worse. His presence is powerful, punking you into quitting. His name is, "I'm Comfortable".
Fighting these haters all day, everyday, is exhausting. But don't punk out on me now! I'm more than just a voice in your head. I'm a warrior. Let's fight them together.
Life was never intended to be tough work. Fighting traffic every day, sitting in a cube all week, pinching pennies all month. Are you still hoping for a miracle to come fix everything in an instant!
We're no bible scholars but Ecclesiastes 10:10 says, If the ax is dull, much strength is needed. But with skill, success comes quickly. Soooooo even the bible explains how to achieve success quicker. Being successful is no mystery. It evades most of us because we are looking for quick results without skill to help us achieve it.
There is no “life” button on the microwave. We gotta get our goals and dreams cooking a different way.
Absolutely everybody that did anything great overcame tremendous obstacles in order to do it.
Les Brown was an orphan with a learning disability before becoming a legislator and one of the greatest speakers of our time, Bill Gates slept in his parents garage before inventing the Personal Computer, Josiah Hinson was a slave and watched his mom raped and dad killed before becoming one of the most wealthy black men in American History. And yet you got problems. GTFOH!!!
Maybe you think you're too shy, too ugly, too broke, too dumb. Don't get me wrong, those are all valid reasons. Will we use them to continue wasting time watching reality tv or reasons to create a new reality for ourselves.
The corona virus pandemic is just another valid reason for doing nothing at all. Let's rip off the face mask for just one second, turn toward our excuses and yell, GTFOH!