"HUUP...ONE, HUUP...TWO, HUUP...THREE..."Those melodious orders sounded like the commands of a tough marine drill sergeant. However, in reality the man's name was Tom Williams and he was an executive with the Houston Oilers (of the National Football League) and a world class trainer of famous athletes -- Earl Campbell, Darrell Green, Mike Singletary, Hakeem Olajuwon -- to name but a few.
During the off season he operated a Kolache shop, baking cookies and meat filled delights.
Approximately 200 yards from this Kolache shop was his famous "Hill", a very steep embankment, which led to the bayou. Tom would have his athletes train on that hill, running up and down to build stamina or to help rebuild muscles or ligaments damaged after an injury or surgery.
As for me, I had always wanted to be a pro athlete, but early on I realized that I was not quick enough nor tall enough to become one, so I focused my dreams on becoming an Orthopedic Surgeon, helping my athletic idols to recover from devastating injuries.
That dream, however, was smashed during my sophomore year in college when I was seriously injured as an innocent victim of a convenience store robbery. I was shot in the back of the head, and very few thought I would even survive. However, many months later, after several surgeries and lengthy hospital rehabilitation programs, I met Tom, the eternal optimist.
The first day my family and I encountered Tom he was barking out orders for his athletes on the "Hill". He told my parents he could definitely help me, but I would have to discipline myself to work four straight hours every single day, including weekends.
At first, my parents would watch Tom work with me in the back of his Kolache shop. Tom would cover the tables he would normally use to knead his dough, and now would "knead" my muscles, massage my limp right arm, and struggle with me as I learned to walk again.
Then, one day, Tom barked, "Mike, let's go to the 'Hill'."
I was scared as I limped toward the bayou, and my parents were equally petrified. The "Hill" was so steep that I thought even a Billy goat would have difficulty trying to climb it.
Initially, Tom ordered two husky athletes to lift me under my arms and "drag" me down the hill. When we got to the bottom, one of the athletes screamed up to Tom, "What do you want us to do now?" Tom calmly replied, "Drag him back up."
At that point, my father, who by profession is a rabbi, told my mother that he thought Tom was going to kill me and they should get me away from him as soon as possible.
My father, wanting to be polite, thanked Tom and stated that we had to go home. But Tom replied, "It's only 2 o'clock, and Mike is to be here until 5, and by the way, bring him a little earlier tomorrow."
Even though my father was adamant about leaving, my mother truly felt that if Tom could help "million dollar athletes" recover, he could surely help her son.
My father went home, never returning to the Kolache store because he told my mother, "Tom is going to kill Mike," and my mother never volunteered any information to my father about my progress with Tom as the days wore on.
One day, a number of weeks later, Tom called my father at home and said, "Father, this is Tom Williams and you need to get here fast!" With that, Tom slammed the phone down.
My father thought I was dead or badly injured, the victim of a severe injury while tumbling down that "Hill." He quickly sped toward Tom's shop, jumped out of his car, and noticed many people huddled near the corner of the "Hill." With great trepidation my father peered over the "Hill" and saw me slowly climbing the "Hill" -- alive. When I reached the top of the "Hill" I quickly turned around as Tom instructed me and went back down to the bottom, to the bayou. Tears welled up in my father's eyes as Tom approached him and said, "Rabbi, you might give great sermons, but you don't practice what you preach. You tell everyone to have faith, but you did not have faith -- faith in me, faith in your son, and faith in God. You simply said, 'I give up,' and you went home."
My father pondered seriously as to what Tom had just said and watched as I slowly reached the edge of the "Hill" on my return trip. At that moment, with tears of great joy, my father and I fell into each other's arms and embraced one another.
That was just one of the many lessons I learned from Tom over the next few years. Even though I still have many physical disabilities as a result of the gunshot wound, the "Hill" taught me that even the impossible could become the possible.
Everyone in life has his own "Hill" to climb, some small, some large. On that day Tom taught me the most important lesson of my life: "Never give in; never give up."
-----------------------------------------------------
Even though Tom was a world class trainer of athletes, he learned that his true love was helping "ordinary" people, and soon after my success on the "Hill" Tom opened a Rehabilitation Center where he worked with spinal cord and head injured and stroke patients. In the "old days," Tom would use only a simple table in the back of his Kolache shop on which he prepared his pastries to help his clients. Now, he had a state of the art, modern Rehabilitation Center along with his own man-made "Hill" so Tom could encourage many more to defy the experts.
Tom received referrals from all over the country for he had a special ability to make patients want to excel. His patients improved and his Center was a huge success.
For the next few years I would regularly go to the Center, not only to exercise but more importantly to work out for the "Master," Tom.
I had developed a strong emotional connection with Tom. He had extended to me a lifeline to enjoy life once again which many physicians and therapists stated no longer existed.
However, later Tom became extremely ill with cancer and passed away. The funeral was huge. Many of his athletes were there to say their last "good byes" and "thank yous." I was an honorary pallbearer because his family thought that our relationship was a special and unique one.
After everyone left the cemetery I went up to Tom's grave to utter my final prayer and statement of thankfulness that such a wonderful man had been a part of my life. As I glanced at the inscription on the tombstone I read:
Forever Loved In The Hearts Of Those He Touched
Tom Williams
April 11, 1927 -- June 11, 1995
At that very moment I realized why we were so deeply connected: April 11 is also my birthday!
(c)2001 by Michael Jordan Segal, MSW
Michael Jordan Segal, who defied all odds after being shot in the head, is a husband, father, social worker, freelance author (including a CD/Download of 12 stories, read with light backgroud music, entitled POSSIBLE), and inspirational speaker, sharing his recipe for happiness, recovery and success before conferences and businesses. To contact Mike or to order his CD, please visit www.InspirationByMike.com and please take a moment to check out his youtube video at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hNeRqpaoNpQ you will be glad you did.
If you watched the swimming events at the [Olympics], you probably observed the incredible focus the medalists demonstrated. Sure, they're strong and fast. But when hundredths— maybe even thousandths—of a second are all that separate the winners from the losers, it's obvious that something besides strength and speed is at work.
A comment by Flip Darr, a former collegiate swimming coach who played a part in training eight Olympic medalists, sheds some light on what that critical ingredient might be. "I felt in my coaching career that if I would work on [the swimmers'] head[s], their bodies would come along," he said. "A lot of coaches work on their bodies and then at the last moment try to do their heads. The thing is, if they are working with their heads all the time, and working with their head over the body, mind over matter, they will have more confidence when they walk up to the block."
What a great illustration of the value of good thinking. Athletic ability is important, but preparing for the biggest race of one's life is as much mental as it is physical—if not more so. As Bill MacCartney, the former head football coach at the University of Colorado, once told me, "Mental is to physical what four is to one."
That's a powerful argument in the case for good thinking—on the football field, as well as in your office at work. The specific thoughts that increase your effectiveness as a leader might not be the same as those required for an Olympic medal, but the overall commitment to thinking is identical.
As we continue the discussion about thinking that we began in the last issue of Leadership Wired, here are five statements that further underscore the importance of solid contemplation.
1. Everything begins with a thought. Every great invention, every technique, every conversation, every leadership practice and every bit of personal growth starts in someone's head.
2. What we think determines who we are, and who we are determines what we do. What kind of person do you want to be? What do you want to accomplish in your life and career? Are your thoughts paving the way for you to achieve those goals, or are they getting in the way?
3. Our thoughts determine our destiny, and our destiny determines our legacy. That's pretty sobering, especially for those of us who have already passed life's halfway point. The good news is that, no matter how old you are, it's not too late for good thinking to influence your legacy in a positive way. This quote by James Allen says it well: "You are today where your thoughts have brought you, and you will be tomorrow where your thoughts take you."
4. People who go to the top think differently than others. There are many reasons for this, but it's absolutely true. As William Arthur Ward said, "Nothing limits achievement like small thinking, and nothing expands possibilities like unleashed thinking."
5. We can change the way we think. This is a comforting thought, especially in light of the previous statement. One of the best ways to change the way we think is to invest in resources that help us improve our leadership methods, our relationships, our technical competencies, our time-management skills, our ability to handle conflict, and so on. Over the years, I have been helped tremendously by books and tapes that cover such issues. They boost my thoughts and add great value to my life.
Before I close, I want to highlight the positive influence other people can have on our thought processes, and the critical impact we can have on theirs. For example, Flip Darr understood that one of his functions as a coach was to help his athletes develop the mental stamina necessary to win the big races. That's why he spent so much time "working with his swimmers' heads." As leaders, one of our jobs is to help our people learn how to think for themselves so they can perform successfully when we're not around.
At the same time, we also need to spend time with people who help us think better. I love interacting with good thinkers. They energize me. They stimulate my thoughts, challenge my ideas and stretch my mind like nothing else can. That's why I like to say that some of my best thinking has been done by others!
The bottom line is this: When it comes to success in life, the ability to think well isn't just an asset; it's a necessity. And when you make good thinking a priority today, you lay the groundwork for success tomorrow.
................................................
"This article is used by permission from Dr. John C. Maxwell's free monthly e-newsletter 'Leadership Wired' available at www.MaximumImpact.com."
I love the beach! How about you? For me it is wonderful to be in nature, to hear the ocean waves crashing and feel the hot sand under my feet and between my toes. I thrill to the icy water on my skin and the sparkling ocean air. It is rejuvenating on so many levels, both conscious and unconscious, and helps restore balance to my life.
Have you ever noticed how nature parallels the rhythms that move through our lives? The tide comes in, and it goes out, comes in and goes out. This is just like our breath cycle, we breathe in, we breathe out. We hardly give this a thought. However, life is cycling through us at multiple frequencies, from those that are very short, as in breathing, to those that are longer, as in the path from birth to death.
If we go a little deeper into the cycles of our lives we see that both expansion AND contraction are necessary and normal phases of being powerful, of being human.
Let me give you an example. In the past, under the false belief that I should operate like a machine and produce results 24/7, 365 days a year, I struggled desperately to maximize my output and productivity. In frustration one day, I tried to figure out what, exactly, increased my energy and what decreased it. So I created a spreadsheet. I listed out about 15 or 20 different factors that I suspected had an impact on my energy level, things like amount of sleep, types and amount of food, water intake, caffeine intake, exercise, work demands, amount of outdoor exposure including sunlight, the experience of stressful or inspiring events in my life, etc., etc. I had it all on there. Then I set up a 6-month timeline and captured what I did each day and what I experienced in these areas. I then rated my energy level for the day on a scale of 1 to 5. 1 represented super low, basically dragging my ass through the day, and 5 was outstanding and amazing energy, where I effortlessly and magically moved through my day. (Don't you love those days?)
You know what I discovered? No matter what I did, no matter how much demand there was on me, my energy CYCLED. There was a very pronounced weekly cycle, where on a pretty routine seven-day cycle I had two days of very high four or five-level energy, two days of very low, one or two-level energy, and about three days of average or three-level energy. I was blown away to see this cycle running through my life, REGARDLESS of how much caffeine I had, how good my diet was, how much sleep I was getting, or whether I exercised or not! No matter what was going on in my life and what I was doing, my energy levels were cycling in this sinusoidal-like fashion, from high through the middle ground, down to low, then back through middle ground, and up to high again.
Ever since then I've watched this- it is a feature of life itself! It's reflected in the seasons: winter is low-energy season; summer is high-energy; and fall and spring are the transitional, or average-energy months. Energy comes up in the spring months, and falls in the autumn.
You can see these cycles in the dynamic of a day, as well. Energy is at its lowest ebb at night, whereas dawn sees energy rising. At midday energy is the highest, and then at sunset energy is decreasing, on its way back to the low point of the nighttime.
And you can also witness the phenomenon in your breath cycle. Most people think of the breath as only a two-phase process, in and out, but it's actually a four-phase process when you include the two moments of transition between the in and out phases. So, when you've fully exhaled, that is the lowest energy point (equivalent to winter). Then there is the transitional moment when you stop exhaling and begin to inhale, where the energy turns and begins to go up (equivalent to spring). When you've inhaled and your lungs are full that's the moment of peak energy (or summer), and then when you stop inhaling and begin to exhale the energy turns and heads back down (or fall).
My point is: Energy cycles, in the Universe AND in you. It expands and it contracts. And this is NORMAL. To the extent you are aware of this, you can be fully present in both the expansion AND contraction stages, to partner with it.
The problem is we tend to resist the contraction phases. It feels like death to us, and we are afraid of death - we don't like to think of or experience things dying, so we try to be busy ALL THE TIME. However, by doing this we totally miss and disrespect the opportunity that the contraction cycle is: it is from the contraction that expansion can even take place. You cannot have one without the other, just as you cannot breathe in if you don't breathe out.
The key is to be wise and aware of this expansion and contraction; we must recognize it as a normal and natural part of the path and of life itself. Because of this, you can embrace the contraction, knowing expansion is sure to follow. In the darker times of your life you can take comfort in the knowledge that change will follow. The tide goes out, and the tide comes in, the breath goes out and the breath goes in. If you pay attention you'll see this pattern of expansion and contraction, of cycles, in YOUR life too. By consciously witnessing the process you can be more powerful through all phases, resisting nothing and allowing it all.
Try this: Reflect upon the nature of contraction in your life, or those times when the metaphorical tide is going out. Do you recognize and embrace these times in your life? Do you fear them? Do you cling to expansion, resisting the contraction and "trying to make things happen," trying to make the tide come in when it is naturally going out?
Can you improve your ability to "be with" the times of contraction in your life? It is indeed possible. Just like you can be with your exhale, knowing and trusting that the inhale is right behind it. It's a matter of awareness, trust, and allowing. You don't have to make the tides come back in, they will come back in on their own. Once you realize this you can relax! With conscious, trusting and allowing practice, they will come back in your life, as well.
Developing your ability to be strong during the contraction phases of your life is a major key to your mojo!
................................................
Roger Kenneth Marsh is a Spiritual Life Coach & creator of the Major Good Mojo System. He has an engineering degree, MBA, is a Certified Life Coach, HeartMath® Provider, and Passion Test® Facilitator. Get his book "NexGen Human" on Amazon.com, and FREE CD "3 Keys to Major Good Mojo" at http://www.majorgoodmojo.com/free-cd
The Motivated Mind: A Complete Guide to Personal Change
by Jason M. Gracia
A complete motivation program in one place. The Motivated Mind will guide you, step by step, through each stage of controlling your motivation and changing your life - automatically. When you know the secrets to motivating yourself to take action, nothing is out of reach. Digital Download, 19 Chapters, 352 Pages, Exercises and Illustrations.
[By Rhodri Jones]
Every experience that each of us has impacts us, either in a positive way or a negative way.
Negative experiences can leave us troubled and disillusioned, however positive experiences can greatly improve our optimism and daily motivation.
Daily motivation is the fuel that drives us to improve our lives, achieve our goals and become better people.
Here are some ways to increase your daily motivation so you achieve so much more in your life:
Setting Meaningful Goals
Having goals is vital. They are the key motivator that drives you to succeed. A life without goals is like a boat without a rudder... drifting aimlessly with no direction and no end destination.
Important, meaningful goals motivate you to take inspired action toward achieving what you desire. It also helps keep you focused and driven when you come across challenges and difficulties
When setting any goal, it is very important however, to take small progressive steps toward achieving it. Breaking a goal down into small, baby steps will prevent you from becoming overwhelmed and help maintain a positive attitude to keep you moving forward.
A Positive Attitude
As I've just mentioned above, a positive attitude will help keep you motivated to continually move forward toward your goal. If you believe that your goal is too difficult and that you won't achieve it, then I can say with one hundred percent certainty that you will be right.
A negative attitude will sabotage any chance of you achieving what you want. Your subconscious mind feeds on your inner chat, and if you constantly tell it that you can't and won't achieve a particular goal it will prove you right every single time.
Your mind is extremely powerful, and you'd be a fool to underestimate it. Feed it with positive thoughts and it will grant you whatever you want. GUARANTEED!!!!!!!
Religion
I accept that not everyone is religiously inclined, but for many (me included) religion helps greatly in improving their daily motivation. Religion, irrespective of what kind you follow can help harness a strong faith and internal motivation within an individual.
It can also ensure a mindfulness and inner peace, so you can better deal with and overcome the challenges that life regularly throws in front of you.
Desire To Live
We've all been given the greatest gift of all...and that's the gift of life! None of us will be on this planet forever, so is there a greater motivation than living life to the max and getting the very most out of every day? I think not!!!!!
Yes, life at times will be hard, but the thing to remember is that these hard times are temporary...they won't last forever. Good times are always just around the corner for you.
Having daily inspiration to live life to the full and achieve all we can is something none of us should pass up on. A desire and motivation to live life to the full is the least we can give in return.
If you want to accomplish more in life and become that person you've always wanted to be then you have to do whatever it takes to make it happen.
Your dreams and goals will never be realized unless you acquire an incessant drive and daily motivation to take inspired action that keeps you moving forward.
Your ability to motivate yourself is crucial to you realizing your goals. Motivation is the force that keeps driving you forward toward achievement and success. Go and discover the daily motivation and success formula that will fast track you toward a life that's rich, abundant and happy.
You are being redirected to this video's new home.
If it isn't happening quickly enough for you, click here >>>
by Daniel Pink
According to Pink (A Whole New Mind), everything we think we know about what motivates us is wrong. He pits the latest scientific discoveries about the mind against the outmoded wisdom that claims people can only be motivated by the hope of gain and the fear of loss. Pink cites a dizzying number of studies revealing that carrot and stick can actually significantly reduce the ability of workers to produce creative solutions to problems. What motivates us once our basic survival needs are met is the ability to grow and develop, to realize our fullest potential. Case studies of Google's 20 percent time (in which employees work on projects of their choosing one full day each week) and Best Buy's Results Only Work Environment (in which employees can work whenever and however they choose—as long as they meet specific goals) demonstrate growing endorsement for this approach. A series of appendixes include further reading and tips on applying this method to businesses, fitness and child-rearing. Drawing on research in psychology, economics and sociology, Pink's analysis—and new model—of motivation offers tremendous insight into our deepest nature.
If you want to be really good at something, it's going to involve relentlessly pushing past your comfort zone, as well as frustration, struggle, setbacks and failures. That's true as long as you want to continue to improve, or even maintain a high level of excellence. The reward is that being really good at something you've earned through your own hard work can be immensely satisfying.
Here, then, are the six keys to achieving excellence we've found are most effective for our clients:
“I can change. I can live out my imagination instead of my memory. I can tie myself to my limitless potential instead of my limiting past.”
-- Stephen Covey
