Keep Going

In this clip from Facing the Giants Coach Taylor challenges Brock to do his very best in a super challenging ‘death crawl’ exercise. He winds up realizing that he can do more than he thought he could and inspires the rest of the team with his perseverance.

Blindfolded and pressing on with the sometimes encouraging sometimes loud pushing of his coach, Brock simply pushes himself to keep going until the coach tells him he can stop. He made it all the way to the end zone; 5 times farther than he thought he was set out to go. Here are some of the take aways from this clip.

Do your best- Your best is so much more than you think it is. Really challenge yourself to do more than you think you are capable of.

Succeed with the help of others- Do you that there is a huge difference between what you can do by yourself verses what you can do with the help of others? Brock definitely did more because of that coach encouraging him.

Don’t give up- Brock was tired, his muscles were burning, that football player on his back was getting heavier and heavier. Do you face challenges daily that make you want to quit? Keep going, and persevere. That’s how to reach goals. There will always be challenges. It’s how you handle them that make you a success..

Encourage others- Brock thought that exercise was all about him. The entire team was affected by that experience. He was inspiring to others without even realizing it. People are watching how you handle your challenges, so make sure you handle them well.

Do you have a person to root you on like this coach? If not, get one. We all need dream partners to keep those big dreams alive. Keep going!

Do you Rescue or Empower?

Tissue alert for this clip from the movie Ray, about a young and newly blind Ray Charles and a mother that knew that he needed to work things out for himself. Tough love like hers is not easy, but it’s so much more empowering for the receiver than rescuing would have been.

Are you a rescuer? Do you step in sometimes and rescue your clients? Do you do things for them that they really should learn to do for themselves? It sure can be a difficult trap sometimes. Maybe it’s not your clients, but your subordinates for which you tend to do this.

I was in a meeting today and the topic of ‘people pleasing disorder’ popped up in conversation. You want the client to like you so you do things for them that they really should learn how to do for themselves. Or, maybe you are too impatient to teach the client what they need to do. After all, it’s so much easier for you to do it yourself, right?

When we create a dependence on us or our services, we really aren’t helping our clients, co-workers or subordinates. Ken Blanchard describes this phenomenon as the ‘monkey on your back’. When the client or co-worker or subordinate constantly asks you to handle things, fix things, or think through the problem because they know that you will solve it for them, Blanchard says that you willingly accept their monkey on your back.

Now, think about this behavior becoming a pattern in your life. Soon you are caring and feeding a zoo full of monkeys. And, then you will begin to resent others for ‘making’ you deal with their problems or jobs. Taking on other people’s monkeys is a choice.

When Ray’s mom chose to quietly and tearfully let Ray find his own way, she gave him the gift of self-confidence, empowerment and self care skills that were no doubt a defining moment in his remarkable life.

Do you have any monkeys on your back that need to be given back to their rightful owners? Choose empowerment if you really want to help people.

See What No One Else Sees

In this clip from Patch Adams, Arthur teaches Patch the secret to looking beyond the problem to see the solutions and possibilities by changing the way that he counted the fingers that he was holding up.

Being in touch with the problem is important. People need to be able to relate to the problem. But, unless you can see the solution or possibilities, you can’t leave people better than you found them. Arthur shared three important lessons in this clip:

1. See what no one else sees.
2. See what everyone else chooses not to see out of fear, conformity or laziness.
3. See the whole world anew each day.

Isn’t that the essence of ingenuity? “Ingenuity, plus courage, plus work, equals miracles.” ~ Bob Richards.

I love this math equation, don’t you? So, first you need to see the world differently, which in the ingenuity part, then you have to have the courage to share your ideas and solutions. If you know in your heart that your solutions can help people, then holding them in is actually the same as hurting people.

If you believe that you will leave people better than you found them, then you need to work hard to help people with those creative solutions. Keep at it every day.

Miracles! Having had the privilege of witnessing miracles as a result of my services to others, I will tell you that it is worth the work, the risk and the obstacles. See what no one else sees, step out in courage, work hard and reap miracles!

Never Give up on Your Dream

“Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan "press on" has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race” ~ Calvin Coolidge

When was the last time that you wanted something as much as Cody the penguin wants to be selected for a surfer’s contest in this Surf’s Up movie clip? His passion trumps the lack of support by his family, his circumstances and even the decision maker’s opinion. He knew that he had something to offer even if others around him couldn’t see it.

Persistence is when you determine to not let your energy or enthusiasm be dampened by the nay sayers, or your disappointments or failures. To be persistent is to keep your eye on the prize of your dream or goal no matter what. Every challenge and disappointment is there to teach you something that will help you succeed. So if you take those challenges as opportunities to learn how to grow from it and still move forward, you will get to your dream.

I recall a consulting opportunity that I applied for and didn’t get one year. The next year, I tried for it again, having learned more about the client and their needs, and that time I got it. It has lead to many more opportunities since too. If I had given up after not receiving the opportunity the first time, I would have missed many blessings. Have you ever forged ahead with a goal even in the face of discouragement? What did you learn or accomplish as a result of sticking it out?

Never give up on your dream!

Know that You're Good

In the movie, Get Low, Quinn and Buddy approach the mysterious hermit Felix Bush's house to sell him a funeral, and Quinn makes Buddy go alone.

Not only is this a scary situation for Buddy because it was his first sales call, but because his client is a notorious and unpredictable hermit. His boss Quinn challenges him to do this call alone because “If you don’t do this yourself you will never know if you’re good, and you will never be good unless you know that you are.”

Did you know that you grow stronger when you step out and face your fears? Doing something that you don’t think you can do helps you to stretch your boundaries. It helps you gain confidence. If Buddy can be successful in this situation, he can be successful in any situation. Felix Bush had a need. He made his need known. If you believe that your product or service is good and helpful for people, then do what you need to do to help people connect with it.

Practice makes you good at something. When you get good at something then you will be more confident about it. When you are more confident, you will do it more, which will make you do it better.

Remember, you will never be good at something unless you know you are!

Faith and your Dreams

In this clip from the movie ‘Rudy’, Rudy’s best friend, Pete, gives him an unforgettable gift for his birthday; Faith. Pete didn’t just say that he believed in Rudy’s dream of going to Notre Dame and playing football. He gives him a tangible reminder of this goal, and whenever Rudy puts that jacket on, he will remember that at least one person in his life believes in him and his dream.

Do you have a dream like Rudy that seems so far, but so real that you can taste it? Or maybe you can relate to Pete. Are you the friend that fans the flame of your buddy’s big dream?

We all need people to be on our dream team; someone who will tell us that we can do it and remind us why we have all that it takes to make it happen. If you don’t have a person in your life like that, find one. If you can be uplifting faith inspiring person for someone else; be that person.

One of the reasons that I love being a Dream Partner is that I can come along side the dreams of my clients. If I can help them see it clearly and help them believe that it can happen. It will happen.

Who do you know that needs encouragement today for their big dream? Send them a card today or give them a call. Let them know that you believe in them.

Who do you know that can be your encouragement today? Let them know that some days you may need them to do the same for you.

Remember what Pete’s dad always said: “Havin' dreams is what makes life tolerable.”

Make the World a Better Place

Maybe you can relate to Ana as she tells Harold the story of how she intended to make the world a better place with her law degree and wound up doing it with cookies. Sometimes we start out thinking that we will do or become one thing and then things turn out differently. If we are blessed, they will turn out much better than we imagined. Our gifts, life and circumstances can sometimes take us down roads that were unplanned or unintended.

Sometimes we are so close to the situation that we don’t even know what we truly bring to the table. Our gifts can be masked by our own image of what we think we should be or become that we can miss it entirely. Perhaps a parent set you on a path that they wanted you on as a kid and you just didn’t have the same passion for it as they did. Maybe it was their unfulfilled path, and you simply got stuck on it. Or maybe you had an interest in something for which you really didn’t have much talent.

Life can give us course correction opportunities if we are paying attention. Ana realized that she could make the world a better place with her passion, baking. Perhaps her study group friends encouraged her with their compliments, or just by their growing numbers. There are always clues about your gifts and ideal contribution, if you pay attention. Most life coaches that I encounter will tell me that they had been ‘coaching’ all of their lives before someone, or many people encouraged them to ‘become one’.

What do people say you bring to the table? What gifts and talents should you make sure you are contributing to the world? How would you like to be remembered as leaving the world better than you found it?

Whatever we do, we all can and should make it a goal to make the world a better place in whatever way we can.

Just Ask Already

Yikes, do you ever feel like this when you are face to face with a potential client? Gulliver brags about asking out a lady in his office, but when he is presented with the opportunity, and even gets some ‘interested’ clues from her, he chickens out.

Does that happen with you and your potential customers sometimes? The prospect sends you some buying sign clues that they may be interested and you just don’t take it to the next level. You know you want to move in for that ask, but your tongue sticks to the roof of your mouth. I know that I have been there. Heck, if we are honest, we have all been there. What stops you dead in your tracks even in the face of a seemingly willing potential client? Is it fear of success or failure? Or could it be that you have a lack of confidence in yourself or your product? It’s really about having the right amount of confidence.

“If you really put a small value upon yourself, rest assured that the world will not raise your price.” ~Author Unknown

Believe in your service or product and believe in yourself as one qualified to represent it. If what you are doing wasn’t worth your time and attention that it would be of no value to you. So, if you value it, there must be some benefit to others who also value the same thing. So keep reminding yourself of the value of what you are doing. It’s not really about you; it’s about helping your customers.

What can you do to overcome paralyzing fear when you are in a situation like this so you don’t kick yourself for the lost opportunity?

“Confidence is preparation. Everything else is beyond your control. ~Richard Kline. Separate the outcome from the action. Measure your success by your willingness to act on the buying sign clues. You can only control ‘you’ in a situation like that. You cannot control what the client will do.

Represent yourself or your product honestly. Don’t over promise something. The fear of success is tightly wound up with the fear of failure. You may be saying to yourself; ‘What if I am promising more than I can deliver’? Err on the side of under promising and let the service or product speak for itself.

Remember, if the client has already indicated interest, then you are half way there! All you have to do is meet them half way.

Live Rejoicing-Change your Story

You may feel like Penny Chenery Tweedy, the owner of Secretariat in this movie clip based upon the true story of Secretariat. The world is against you, the road feels so uphill. Looking back at history retrospectively, we know that Secretariat was the only horse in history to win the triple crown. Penny could have given up and a lot of people told her that she should. But, against what seems like impossible odds, she believed in that horse and never gave up.

Did you know that you could be one decision away from breaking your old story and facing success head on? That’s right, you could be one moment, one instant away from changing everything. It depends so much on the story you choose to tell. Is your story about the failed economy or the competition? Or how about your difficult childhood or how everyone else gets all the breaks? Penny didn’t tell the story of her obstacles, she told the story of her future success. She persevered until she reached her dream.

You were not put on this earth to fail. Yet, why do we write our life stories like we were? Don’t let the negative ‘what ifs’ be the headliners to your story. Consider your obstacles part of the amazing journey of victory and success. Penny saw her horse as a winner. Do you see yourself as a winner? That’s what it takes to become one!

Can your Genius Come out to Play?

When I was a kid I had to have a few ear operations. My parents always scheduled them in the summer so I wouldn't miss school. Not only did I miss some fun time being in the hospital, but, then there was the recovery time. I had a helmet of bandages and I wasn't allowed outside until they came off. I did miss playing outside with my friends. Those summers were the low point of my childhood.

Do you ever keep your genius cooped up like that? Stuck behind a window with all of the fun stuff happening outside? Every once in a while, you let it out, but for the most part, you keep it hidden inside when all the fun is happening outside. What is your genius? It's three things:

The stuff that you are really Good At; the stuff that you LOVE to do, and the stuff that people NEED you to do because it would HELP THEM.

When you are clear about those three things and begin to let them shine, you are letting your genius come out to play. Ask yourself about what those three things are for you and then ask the people that are closest to you to answer them for you too. See if what they say is the same as what you think. Sometimes people see our genius clearer than we do ourselves.

What opportunity is presenting itself for you TODAY to let your genius out to play?