How To Reach Your Goals: Pt 2

Teammates, to recap, the key question is how do you stay Fired UP to keep trying – to keep doing – to keep persevering – to keep from quitting – to keep from giving up – to keep persisting – to keep pressing on after you’ve had your failures or, as Dr Seuss would say, “your hang-ups and bang-ups.”? Here are my last two secrets!

2. The bigger your goal the longer it will take you to accomplish it – which means you need to have the stamina to maintain course and speed when things get bleak. I’ve always found and firmly believe in the concept of healthy body = healthy mind. Get yourself in shape! Your brain relies on your body for nourishment – to give yourself the best possible chances for success you need to keep your brain and body partnership thriving through exercise and great nutrition.

3. Assuming you have the stamina to press on through thick and thin, you’ll still need protection against the “quitter demons” – these are the little voices you’ll hear in your head or from those you love and trust or from repeated failures. To beat the little bastards back use the weapon of Perspective. Remind yourself of your position in life compared to those less fortunate – and dig deep here – example – you can read, remember how many can’t or perhaps once could, but no longer can – that no one is shooting at you – that food will be on your table tonight – that you have friends, loved ones, clothes, so on and so on. Unlike thousands struggling to rebuild in the aftermath of the earthquake in Haiti, you have a roof over your head. The key here is appreciating the perspective of your situation in comparison to other things in life. It’ll keep you grounded and on track when others might want you to join their misery…after all misery loves company!

As you attack your 2010 goals, I hope you’re able to use these to keep your persistence engine stoked, because at the end of day, persistence is the only thing that gets, and keeps, you going to achieve your goal. I’ll leave you with my favorite quotation of all-time:

Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men 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. J. Calvin Coolidge, 30th President of the United States.

CHARLIE MIKE – (Press On in military speak!) ALDEN

P.S. A huge goal for me was to climb Mt. Whitney before I turned 40 -- my picture is proof positive. Read all about it at my SEAL buddy Tim Grizzell's Fire in the Gut website! AMM