Goal Setting

I found this post on Pinterest this morning and for some reason it jumped out at me. I think a lot of people struggle with failure. I know I have, but my greatest accomplishments have shown through in times of extreme uncertainty. I think our natural tendency is to shy away fro challenges or the uncomfortable, when we really should be embracing them. 

The best piece of advice I ever received was to stick to the course and trust your path. There are going to be hard times and there may be some lows, but that's when you are building yourself stronger. One small setback for a huge comeback, that's how I see it. Let's enjoy this week :)

Opportunities in Obstacles

I get asked often what it is that drives me to be successful. Is it my family or friends? Is it the competitive desire to beat others? Is it a battle with myself? A short answer would be yes, to all of these questions. I get the fuel to "grind" from many sources of my life, but I picked up one quality that has helped me more than all others. And that's perseverance. 

I have failed many times and through my failures is when I rebuilt and came back stronger. I try to rely on that Michael Jordan quote:

"I've failed many times in my life, and that is why I'm successful." Well put, MJ.

Failure is difficult to deal with, but more often than not, it's a second chance to take a different route that you weren't expecting to take. It provides an opportunity for growth and the outcome is far greater than what we expected. It's all about perception and perseverance. Here's a quote I found that I thought tied this concept together nicely...

Life is going to continually dish out failure and rejection, but that's okay. It's a rebuilding tactic that can be utilized to become a better human. Edison felt that he did not fail over a thousand times when designing the lightbulb, but he merely found a thousand ways to not do it. He persevered and he became successful.

Perception and perseverance are key. Never stop grinding. Don't shy away from opportunity because of the fear of failure. There are always greater things ahead.

Tuesday Morning Motivation

Hello all! I hope everyone had a grand weekend. It was sure filled with epic sports and upsets. For football, Mississippi State beat Texas A&M, Arizona State beat USC, and the Seahawks handled the Redskins to cap off another great weekend in sports. 

As I brewed my coffee this morning, I began thinking of the work ethic it takes to be a top level athlete. I then noticed some similarities that athletes and entrepreneurs both have. They both hate losing. Entrepreneurs like athletes, also want to be the best in their particular field. They both embrace competition and look at challenges as opportunities. Here's a great quote that can be applied to any line of work on this fine Tuesday!

I've never been the most talented or the smartest, but I continued to work hard each and every day. That's what set me apart. Work ethic and determination go a long way. 

Life Now

It's funny. As we grow older the world seems to change our perception of ourselves. We are constantly told that we can't do things. We are constantly told that we aren't smart enough for this or that. We aren't strong enough to handle X, Y, and Z. But in fact, we are. We are all capable of so much more than we give ourselves credit for. 

- Wise Words from John Lennon -

Ask a class of kindergartners who's an artist and the whole class raises their hand. Ask a group of 30 year olds the same question and maybe 1 raises their hand. Problem? We begin to believe what we are told when in reality, we control our destiny. Don't lose that inner child inside of you that wants to create and build something significant. Don't ignore that trait because everyone has it hidden deep inside of them, most of us are just too scared to set it free.