Wanted: 1969 Shelby- What Is Your Motivation? My dream became a reality directly due to my motivation and goals and I can tell you exactly how I made that happen.
Statistics show that people who write down their goals have over an 80% higher success rate of achieving them than those that don’t.
I have often told people that, regardless of what your overall plan is, step one should be to write down your goals, your motivations. However, people often write down a goal or two, stick the piece of paper in their pocket, and never see it again. Sometimes I even hear people say that they simply don’t have the time to write down their goals. If you don’t have enough time to write them down, how in the world will you have enough time to achieve them?
Write it down, and make it visible!
Ever since I was a teenager I wanted a Ford Mustang. Not just any mustang, but a 1969 fastback. I loved the sleek design, the rumble of the muscle, and the smell of gasoline when you revved it. This was the car that, when you mention it, people have that far away look and their eyes glaze over. I also loved the fact that it was a car of distinction, not one of money. It was a car with character, just like me.
Now that I am older, I still want to get one. My wife, the amazing woman that she is, bought me one. It was 40 years old and every time I started it I could feel how old it was. I ended up repairing a window latch here, and a fuel line there. A few more repairs in, and I realized that I did’t have the time to invest in this beauty like she deserved.
So, I set my sights on a different one. I wanted it all to be new, state of the art, something that looked nostalgic, but ran like a dream. I found a picture of it and posted it on my wall. I did not know how, or when, but this would be my car. I would look at that picture regularly.
Here is where it gets good.
Step 1
I shared my goals with others.
I shared it with others, I took action and shared my desires. It was posted in a place where anyone that is in my office could see it. It always struck up conversation where I could share what specifically I wanted to have. Meanwhile I saved.
Step 2
Take some action.
I saved for it. Seems odd, I did not even know it existed, but it was an idea I wanted. The best of both worlds I called it. Either way, I saved. It was not much, it started as $150 per month. Then it grew a little here, a little there, and I think it ended up being about $250 per month.
Step 3
When the opportunity came up, I took it.
A friend came to me one day and told me he found my car. I asked him what he meant, and he shared with me about a company that he knew of that builds exactly what I wanted. I took a trip, and sure enough, I got to build exactly what I wanted. Retrobuilt.com
There were still things I had to do to get it, so it took another few months, but If I did not share my goal with others I would not have found it. If I had not started saving, I would not have had any resources to get it.
Our dreams and goals may be huge, but if you fold it up and put in your pocket with no call to action, it does no good.
Wanted: 1969 Shelby- What Is Your Motivation? My dream to a reality.
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“Feel the fear, move through it, do it anyway.” Jillian Michaels told me that when I was going home from The Biggest Loser. She knew I was scared of the challenge of going home and walking my journey on my own. And she also knew that if I felt the fear but did it anyway that I would become The Biggest Loser.
Face Your Fears
There can be no courage without fear. And without fear courage isn’t necessary. You can be assured that this journey we call life will rarely be without scary things – relationships, challenges, responsibilities – usually around every corner! Abraham Lincoln said, “If I am killed, I can die only once; but to live in constant dread of it, is to die over and over again.” We weren’t meant to never be afraid, but we were created to face our fears.
What do you fear?Fear can look many different ways. It can be something as complicated as becoming a parent, getting married, climbing a tree or any number of things. Most of these fears can be tied to a few basic things – like the fear of being alone, the fear of death, the fear of failure or even the fear of success. Who would fear success? Well, with great success comes great responsibility. Getting a million dollars is tough enough, but keeping it is even tougher!
Feel the fear
The first instinct we have is to run from the fear. When fear hits, we want it to go away – sometimes so bad that we will sabotage what we really want for the feeling of security. Jillian knew this when she told me to feel the fear. Denying feelings is never the answer, and it only leads to problems later. If we feel fearful of something and we avoid it, we live that life Lincoln was talking about; dying many deaths. So the first step is to identify your fear and give yourself permission to be afraid. Many of the greatest success stories began with fear. Do you think Bill Gates took dropping out of college to follow his dream lightly? His father freaked out! Yet Bill didn’t let the fear stop him. Instead he identified it, he felt it, and in turn he owned it.
Move through It
Feeling fear is a natural occurrence,and after we own it, we then have to decide what to do with it. There are healthy fears, like not jumping off a skyscraper or not walking into a lion’s den. And then there are fears that are meant to be conquered – the ones that hold us back from what we truly want. Jillian knew this, and that’s why she told me to move through it. Allowing fear to make your decisions for you isn’t always a good thing. In fact, it can make you die that death over and over again!
Dread is a form of fear, and I’ve learned that what you are dreading hardly ever turns out to be as bad as you fear. My neighbor had a dog that bit me on the hand. It was a Pit Bull, and that didn’t help things either. I wanted to talk to her about her dog and ask her to tie it up. You see, it kept getting out and roaming the neighborhood. I was afraid my young children may get hurt if it felt threatened. I put off talking to her because I dread confrontations.
Do it anyway
Finally, when the dog bit me, I decided I had to do it regardless whether I dreaded it or not! She completely understood and told me she didn’t know what to do about it. I offered to help her build a pen for it and the conversation went rather well. All that fear was for nothing! I had lived almost two years dreading this confrontation – or rather conversation – for no good reason. That fear of confrontation kept me stuck for two years, and could have even put my family at risk!
Feel the fear, move through it, do it anyway. That isn’t bad advice! You see, it’s usually our fear that keeps us stuck and holds us back from what we truly want. If we identify our fear, own it and give ourselves permission to feel it without condemnation, and find the courage to move through it to get what we truly want we have faced our fears.
Reward always takes risk
In The Journey Training, I often hear people tell me their greatest fear is being alone. That very fear usually causes them to lose relationships over and over again, by either them holding on too tightly causing people to run or by them not being willing to step out and even have a relationship for fear that they will be left alone. They in turn create what they most fear.
I’ve seen people who fear failure try so hard not to make a mistake that they aren’t willing to risk failure – and most successes come after many failed attempts. In turn, they fail before they even begin, because they aren’t willing to take the chances that are necessary to succeed. They, too, create what they most fear.
Are you creating in your life what you most fear?Are you ready to face your fears and do what it takes to get what you really want? If so, I urge you to go to The Journey Training and sign up for the very next Threshold class. Month after month we see people identify their fears, and find courage they perhaps didn’t even know they had to face it – even just a little. Every journey begins with a single step. Won’t you take yours today to Face Your Fears?
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I’ve had some big moments since I attended The Journey Training weekend. Big wins, accomplishments – champion moments as I refer to them now.
Maybe they aren’t “big” in the literal since, but they are those moments when you are in the battle and you have that “ah-ha!” go off in your head. This is the “Ah-ha” that you didn’t know before and the realization that things are different now. You see the situation from a different perspective and are able to walk through it, and knowing the result is going to be good for everyone involved.
Say it out loud right now: “Ah-ha!”
“Ah-ha” is the realization that you have the answer you’ve been looking for!
Say it aloud again: “Ah-ha!” It feels good, doesn’t it? Because the feeling is right and things are aligned.
Rather than share some of the champion moments – my “Ah-ha’s” if you will – I have experienced since the beginning of my journey, I’d like to share my daily attitude and approach that has allowed me to say that beautiful expression.
I am calm because I know I am confident. I take the opportunity to listen to others and sincerely engage because they ARE important and they ARE as deserving of my time as I am theirs. I’m now more transparent because I have nothing to hide from others any longer. I know I do not walk alone anymore because my Journey people walk with me. I live knowing I have a loving group of people that know where I’ve been and what I’ve done – and they don’t judge me for it; they love me regardless and the love is reciprocated through truth.
I observe the people around me and think, “The strengths in you I see are……” as I look at them. I see their strengths as they should too – dedicated, free, passionate, loyal, fierce, honest, a fighter, an advocate and some are shiny pieces of soul candy (or spicy pieces of eye candy, however you take your medicine). When I am around others I don’t let the bad apple be my perception any longer. I love them regardless – because I just “Ah-ha’d” all over them!!
I know other’s time is precious, as is our own. Maybe we go into the bank and spend two minutes with the bank teller, or when we are standing in line at the grocery store we spend two minutes with the other person in line with us. As we carry ourselves through each day, each two minutes add up to a lot of moments; brief moments – maybe a missed champion moment as we now know it to be. Maybe that moment can influence or change the course of that person’s day – or even our own. I know that each champion moment is easy to obtain, whether it be a smile with a, “Hi, how are you doing today?” at the bank, or the gesture of fellowship with a stranger in line, those champion moments awaits us.
The “good” is there within all of us. I’m challenged to remind or show others that they have that “good” in them too. I am flowing with champion moments all day now! Kindness, love, compassion, caring, sincerity, empathy, rationality, confidence, freedom, joyfulness, understanding, thoughtfulness, interjecting, charismatic, empowered, supportive, humble, tenderness, and I’m alive and on fire because of the “Ah-ha!” and my realization that I have the answer! I am the answer, and I say loud and proud, “James lives!”
And with Him and through Him, all things are possible.
Imagine the two minutes as a sip of lemonade, a 20 ounce “Keith’s Ice Cold Beverages Premium Lemonade” preferably, and know that sip is really good, every time. There are a lot of sips in that bottle.
I ask you to stop for two minutes and offer someone a sip. They deserve it. Be sincere and spend those two minutes with that someone that you may or may not ever see again. You may change their life.
All of my Journey people changed mine.
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After the recent passing of Leonard Nimoy, I started reflecting on things he has done that have influenced me as well as my own personal experience meeting him a few years ago in true Arthur Greeno fashion.
The first thing that comes to mind is the Vulcan hand salute that we all are familiar with that usually is accompanied by, “Live long and prosper. “But do you know where that hand gesture came from? Here’s a short video of Mr. Nimoy telling the story.
Now on to my personal experience with the man best known as simply, “Mr. Spock”.
I was never a huge fan of the original Star Trek series and I connected with it long after all of the original movies had aired. Later I started watching the reruns and fell in love with Star Trek: The Next Generation and since then I’ve seen all of the Star Trek movies and nearly every episode of the various TV series from the Star Trek universe.
On April 20th 2009 Leonard Nimoy was scheduled to be one of the stars featured at the 20th annual Star Trek Expo here in Tulsa. I thought it would be cool to meet him, so I reached out to a connection I had who in turn introduced me to the owner of the event. Nearly everyone loves Chick-fil-A, so I offered to provide food for all of the actors and that opened a door for me to potentially meet Spock as well as many others.
Throughout the day of the event, I made many deliveries to the convention center, running back and forth from my store bringing fresh food for the special guests. On one of those trips, I was rolling two large delivery boxes on a dolly toward my vehicle and saw Leonard Nimoy coming in the door in front of me flanked by two large men who could only have been bodyguards. I guess that I was momentarily star struck because I didn’t see the pillar sticking out from the wall in front of me and promptly ran into it, boxes and all. “Are you all right?”, he asked. Embarrassed that I had been that clumsy – and in front of Mr. Spock, no less! – I sheepishly replied, “Yes. Thank you” and continued to my car.
Moments later as my face returned to it’s normal color I realized that I totally forgot the questions I wanted to ask him. I had been so intimidated by his star status (and my subsequent encounter with the pillar) that my mind went blank. Later I realized that if he was indeed the untouchable mega star that I had pictured him being, he likely wouldn’t have even asked if I was OK.
Looking back on that situation, there are a few key takeaways I want to share with you that I wish I had been preparing in my own life at the time:
1. My path toward my dreams won’t look like other people’s path. That’s not only OK, but it’s the way things are supposed to be.
2. The fears that we encounter are often not based in reality. We tell ourselves stories that are not true and then react to them in fear rather than in confidence because we fear what others might think or what may happen.
3. The more we practice, the better we will be when the opportunity arrives. This can be with smaller experiences or simply rehearsing mentally, but if we’ve already “been there”, we’ll be far more comfortable when the big moments arrive.
Oh, and one more thing: I heard from some of the servers in the green room at the event, Leonard Nimoy AKA Mr. Spock, chose aChick-fil-Asandwich for lunch that day.
#LLAP
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