Believe in things that haven't happened yet

Self-actualized people, that is people that can make what they want happen, have ambition and use their imagination to see things that aren’t there yet, and believe in things that haven’t happened yet.

Then they take action, every day.

What do you see and believe in that is not there yet?

Handwritten letters can go a long way.

“A handwritten, personal letter has become a genuine modern-day luxury, like a child’s pony ride” – Shana Alexander

Want to express something and make a real impression on someone?  

Write a handwritten letter.

What do you believe is possible?

You will never outperform your own beliefs about yourself.

What do you REALLY believe is possible for you?

Money comes and goes. Time only goes.

Think about that.  

That’s it for today!

Kind people live in a kind world

What would happen if you raised your voice and got hostile with someone?  They do the same back pretty quickly, right? 

What about if you smile at that same person and ask if they need any help? 

People in the world are a fast feedback loop.  They respond quickly to what you are putting out there – whether it be an outward purposeful expression or just a vibe coming off you, they are very good at sensing what you are about and they feed it right back to you.

So rather than ask “Why is the world this way?”, ask “How can I put out what I want back?”

Food Rule #1

This idea comes to me through Brian Johnson.

“Food rule #1 – Eat food” (vs edible foodlike substances).

Good advice. 

In many convenience stores there is no food – only stuff wrapped in cellophane packaging. 

What edible food-like substances are you eating?

A healthy attitude towards failure

Yesterday I said that what you think of yourself is the most important thing when it comes to who you are and how you perform.  But when we fail, stumble, lose, or struggle, what do we let that do to our self-image?  

Do we say “I am not good at this” or “I am not good at this YET”?

Do we say “Don’t do that again, it’s embarrassing to look bad so play small” or “I need more practice and I will get better”?

Do we say “I’m not good at this so I am a loser”, or “I am not good at everything but some things I am great at and getting better!”?

Nobody is good at everything.  We’re not supposed to be.  And even things we will be good at, we start out as amateurs. 

Be sure that you separate what happens to you and the results you get, from you.  You are potential, and getting better all the time.

What is the number one quality for success?

If someone asked me “What is the number one quality for success?”, this is what I’d say – “A healthy, strong self-image”.

It’s what you think of yourself.  That’s it.  That’s the most important thing.

If you don’t think much of yourself, then you will behave consistent with your self-image, and get the results those behaviors bring.  

What do you think of yourself?

Believe you can do more

I’m sure we pick it up as kids, but the idea that we can do more and better than we currently are, is critical to us making continuous progress in our lives.

You have to believe that while you are doing ok, good or excellent, that you can be even better, and do greater things. 

This keeps you striving and reaching.  And when you try like that, you’ll find a way, and discover you really can.

What do you believe about yourself?

Do you expect to win?

People that do well, expect to do well.

You can never outperform your own expectations.

Do you expect to win?

I said "yes", and then it all happened…

I feel like I am an unlikely person to have done all this, but in my fifties a most extraordinary adventure of my life took place.  I was never an extraordinary athlete.  Ambition and perseverance were my superpowers, traits I passed onto my son Tanner.

One day I received a harmless little invitation, which I accepted.  I learned of a huge challenge, and I decided to participate.  Being successful in that initial adventure, I learned of and accepted a towering and near impossible challenge. 

It’s been 6 years now, and it’s hard to believe what has come of these simple decisions. The “Into the Dust” movie series chronicling these adventures has become a sensation worldwide.  Perhaps because the stories of the Baja 1000, and especially the Ironman class, had never been told to the world in such an intimate way.  Perhaps because the average person can connect with what was really going on.  

Now, “Into the Dust 4” is out on YouTube.  This is the final chapter in the series and is its long-time-coming dramatic conclusion.

I know that I could have missed out on such a meaningful chapter of my life by saying “no”, when there wasn;t much on the line and I didn’t know what it would mean either way.  There are such slender connections to new worlds in one’s life, that you wonder what you missed already.

I wonder what the future holds for me along these lines.  What will I say yes to that will open whole worlds to me…

What will you say yes to, that will do that for you? 

Ignorance is the parent of fear

This is a quote by Hermann Melville, the author of Moby Dick.  

Today, think about the things you fear, and how a lack of full information and understanding of the issue feeds your fear about it.  

The solution is to learn more about what we fear, and not just from the places that want to feed our fear about it.

What do you need to learn more about?

Youth is a marvelous garment

“Youth is a marvelous garment” – Iris Murdoch

Take care of yourself.  You’ll either wish you did or be glad you did!

What is causing your personal problems?

Recently my lower back has been hurting and I have not been sleeping well.  I could go to the chiropractor (as I will) and not change anything.  I am a side sleeper.  I roll from left to right many times a night.  Where my hips hit the mattress it makes a dent; a crater in the mattress.  When my hips rotate into it, it makes a kink in my lower back.  Sleep all night that way and you don’t sleep well and wake up needing to go to the chiropractor.  So I rotated the mattress and slept out of the crater, and had a MUCH better sleep and my back didn’t hurt.

We have to look at what is causing our problems.  Chances are it’s our habits – both physical and mental.

What are you eating?  How are you moving (exercising) or not?  Sleeping?  Watching?  Reading?  Actions repeated daily add up and cause both good and bad things to happen.

What have you been doing that is causing your current condition?

We are getting richer

In human history, there have been millennia when nothing changed.  We live at a subsistence level, scratching for food and resources, and we didn’t live long. 

Today, the average American is much richer and working fewer hours with a higher standard of living than even 20 years ago.  This includes people at the “bottom”.  It’s a more comfortable, interesting, safer, and easier world.

This is certainly good news.  Living in the new world, given how we are designed, creates perils and opportunities.

Thankfulness

“All our discontents about what we want appeared to me to spring from the lack of thankfulness for what we have.” – Daniel Defoe, 1719

What are you thankful for?  I am sure there is a lot.  Think about it some each day.  When you see my box below saying who or what I am grateful for, make it a reminder for you to think about who or what you are thankful for.

When you are thankful, you will wind up with more to be thankful for.

“Let the thankful heart sweep through the day and, as the magnet finds the iron, so it will find in every hour, some heavenly blessing. – Henry Ward Beecher

What are you doing with what you have?

We all have talents and we all have some assets.  These talents may not be the same as what others have, and they aren’t supposed to be.  Your combination of talents makes you unique.

The question is – are you using what you have to get better, to develop and hone specific skills, and to ultimately make a contribution to others that they value?

If you are doing something that you struggle to find meaning in, that you are not good at, and have little interest to get better at, then you are not in the right spot or activity that matches your talent.  When you are, time passes quickly, you like what you’re doing and are interested in getting better at it.

What are you doing with what you have?

Borrowing happiness from tomorrow

Drinking alcohol.

Produce more than you consume

If you produce more value for others than you consume yourself, you can save and invest.

If you consume more than you produce you become dependent and lose your freedom and happiness.

How are you doing?

Worthy – not because someone else says so

People who look for validation and permission from others that they are worthy and valuable are looking outside themselves.  This is risky and will result in an emotional rollercoaster of a life as people like you or do not like you for their own reasons that you cannot control.

I know – it’s not easy sometimes.  We all need love.  And it’s there for everyone if we are open and kind.

We need to see ourselves as worthy and valuable not because anyone else says so – we need to just know it regardless of what anyone else says. 

It’s in you, not out there. 

And when you see that, you will attract others who see it too.