“The only thing worse than being blind is having sight but no vision.” ~Helen Keller
If ever there was a phrase that captured the essence of what was the year 2020, I believe this might be it. As we look back, as we reflect on everything that happened since March of 2020, there is an underlying feeling that all of the things that were always in plain sight, people either simply ignored, or refused to pay attention to.
It’s not until something begins to affect the greater numbers of our society that people start to notice things, that people start to actually see. Prior to the pandemic, poverty was in plain sight. Prior to the pandemic, there existed an epidemic of underlying illiteracy in the richest country in the world.
How is it possible that in the year 2021 we still have schools across this country that don’t have the necessary resources they need to serve the students of their respective communities.
The children of this crisis are the ones who will be responsible for the future of the world. There is an incumbent responsibility amongst all adults to come together and make sure that these children have everything they need to make sure that in time, their children have a world to grow up in that’s better than it currently is.
We can continue to pretend that there are no major challenges facing our future or we can start asking better questions. What kinds of better questions could we ask? What if we started by asking the individuals in charge of all the schools across the country about what their number one unmet need is as it relates to providing inspirational education to the children?
Teaching children the basic fundamentals of reading, writing, science, and arithmetic, will only ever take us so far. How different would things be if we were also able to teach them lessons of compassion, understanding, curiosity, confidence, empathy, and so many other lessons that we currently are not taking the time to show them.
If thinking is what separates us from all the rest of the animal kingdom, then maybe we should spend some more time teaching children who are incredibly resilient and much brighter than we give them credit for, how their brains actually work. Operating from a place of fear or a predetermined curriculum about what we can and can’t teach kids is what’s keeping us from making any major advances with the very kids we claim we want to educate.
Education isn’t about facts and figures and taking tests and memorizing things. Education is about teaching problem solving. Education is about providing the tools children need to take on the challenges of the next century.
Clearly, we know that the level of thinking that led to the place that we currently are is not the level of thinking that will create a different place for the children to grow up in. With the population of the world rising at an alarming rate, children must be educated in the process of creative problem solving. As a matter of fact, maybe we should change the language around the word problem because when we label something we negate it.
“No problem can withstand the assault of sustained thinking.” ~Voltaire
What if we started calling what are perceived problems, opportunities instead? For example, if there’s not enough food to feed everybody, that simply means there’s an opportunity to find a better way. What if we empowered the children with the ability to create solutions where it seems none exist? And where do these solutions come from? We need only look to the great minds that have produced some of the major advancements in our world to know that it comes from creative capacity, from the ability to think outside the box, from the ability to imagine solutions for challenges that don’t yet exist.
The word imagine, in and of itself is a unique expression. The word translated in a literal sense simply means, to bring an image in. It’s an expression of how as human beings we think in pictures yet use words to describe what we see. And therein lies the conundrum. We can’t describe what we are unwilling to see…
Would there be anything wrong with teaching children that their world doesn’t have to be completely full every single moment of the day, that it’s OK for them to take a pause, to breathe, to reflect on the experience of their day. Are children educated in matters such as these? Is anyone talking to the children about the importance of self-care, of taking time to focus on or think about the things that most excite them? Or to just sit silently in a park and listen to the birds, watch the squirrels play, or to see the colors that emerge when winter turns to spring?
Mary Oliver once wrote a poem about a grasshopper. Most people know the most famous line from the poem, but I don’t believe the majority of people understand the nature of the poem, what the poem was really written about… Because of the profound nature of the final line, the message of the rest of the poem is often missed.
The quote everyone is familiar with is about what we will or won’t do with our one wild and precious life. The unknown part of the poem is a conversation with a grasshopper. Questions are asked. Questions that don’t necessarily have an answer, but we’re contemplated anyway for the purpose of contemplation, for the purpose of observation in a moment of presence free from distraction, focused only on the subject at hand, the grasshopper. Here are the other lines from a poem that was so richly written.
The Summer Day by Mary Oliver.
Who made the world?
Who made the swan, and the black bear?
Who made the grasshopper?
This grasshopper, I mean-
the one who has flung herself out of the grass,
the one who is eating sugar out of my hand,
who is moving her jaws back and forth instead of up and down-
who is gazing around with her enormous and complicated eyes.
Now she lifts her pale forearms and thoroughly washes her face.
Now she snaps her wings open, and floats away.
I don’t know exactly what a prayer is.
I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down
into the grass, how to kneel down in the grass,
how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields,
which is what I have been doing all day.
Tell me, what else should I have done?
Doesn’t everything die at last, and too soon?
Tell me, what is it you plan to do
with your one wild and precious life?
Let’s take the time to teach our children about what it means to put words together in a sentence written to evoke the senses instead of proper syntax and grammar, better yet, let’s do both.
Imagine a world where we teach children the importance of silence. The power of affirmations, of using language with purpose and intention to invite more of what we want into our lives. What if we could teach children to see what does not yet exist and because we taught them this skill, they created a future better and brighter than the one we currently live in. What if children understood the physiological reasons for exercise and that because we empowered them to understand this, we ended the current obesity crisis prevalent throughout America and many other parts of the world. What if we taught children not just how to read but how to tell a great story and why that’s important to the future of the world. And what if we taught them to write down the reflections from their day so they could have a written record of all the things they were able to experience. What if they were afforded an opportunity to also reflect on the impact of their decisions with the understanding that they never had to repeat an undesired action again if they chose not to, because being aware of it gave them another choice?
What if we taught them that every day is a blank canvas, an opportunity to write a fresh new script for how they choose to experience the day? What if we grounded them in the understanding that the one and only thing we have control over, is our thinking and how we choose to respond to the events unfolding around us?
And what if we taught them that choosing to see, or choosing not to see, sight or no sight, is a choice?
If we chose to do this, then I think we could end blindness and there’s no telling what kind of world our children might create.
Wouldn’t it be great if we taught our children how to both see and then say, I see you! And even better, wouldn’t it be great if they understood why that’s important…
Let’s end blindness. Let’s do it together!
Let’s empower our children to understand that they are the change agents of the future, the stewards of the Universe!
Written in honor of my grandchildren…
By the way, if you enjoyed this article, I believe you will thoroughly enjoy my next book, Advance Confidently. I look forward to sharing it with you on the 4th of July.
Keep Pedaling, Keep Going, Keep Growing!
Advance Confidently!
If you enjoyed and found value in this article, please share it.
In Gratitude,
Bobby Kountz, Author, Speaker, Sobriety Scholar, Inspirationalist!
PS. You can find out more about me here. You can find my book on Amazon.
“It isn’t the mountains ahead to climb that wears you out; it’s the Pebble in your shoe.” ~Muhammad Ali
Whether it’s the pebble in your shoe or the rocks in your backpack, both will wear you out. Everyone understands the pebble in your shoe analogy because at one point in time or another during our lifetimes, we have all experienced the pebble. The pebble left unattended begins as an irritant but eventually becomes a blister.
The question to ask metaphorically is, what’s the pebble in your shoe?
The pebble in our shoe represents the inner struggle, the annoyances, the challenges, the speedbumps, the negative chatter, the anxiety, the worry, the struggle, the pressure, the buzz and drone of modern life, the hustle and grind, the hamster wheel…
The way in which we respond to all these potential stressors has a lot to do with which voice we listen to.
Our inner critic is the part of our mind that seems way too familiar with ALL our perceived shortcomings. It sees our flaws, magnifies our mistakes, knows our weaknesses, preys on our uncertainty, casts shadows of doubt, and predicts negative outcomes with the certainty of Nostradamus!
It’s important to understand that the critical part of our mind is actually there to serve us and it’s only when it goes on an inner tangent that we need to become concerned.
Using our inner coach, we can enlist our critic to help us instead of attacking us. Instead of developing an adversarial relationship with your critic, put it to work doing the job it was intended to do. With the help of the inner coach, the critic can be coaxed into becoming a creative problem-solving machine. Think of the critic as the work force waiting for orders. It’s ready to take orders from whichever part of the mind is in control.
The crew that assembles to build a house is equally capable of tearing it down. The foreman will give the crew the direction required to either build or destroy. He or she will guide the actions of the workers and will also tell the crew which walls to build and which ones to remove.
When the critic and the coach work together, they get things done. When they don’t, things will invariably go awry because left to their own accord, the crew might simply take an extended break, have a two or three beer lunch, or fall asleep at the wheel while driving from one job to the other…
The inner coach keeps everything moving in the desired direction all while being mindful of the needs of him or herself.
After years of practice, the inner coach will often step up and take on the role of the inner champion. The inner champion is the still small voice that resides in all of us that is often overshadowed by the inner critic. The inner champion is the part of our brain capable of calling BS on the negative thoughts that creep in when the gatekeeper is caught napping.
The inner champion will call out the lies of the inner critic and expose him for the fraud that he is and when the inner champion gets really good at their primary job, they catch the thoughts before they ever have a chance to enter the garden. If one of these thoughts happens to somehow slip through, the inner champion will quickly pull the weed by its roots and toss it in the trash where it belongs.
The inner champion knows fact from fiction and rarely falls for the easy fix and is constantly vigilant for the shiny objects that show up as distractions designed to derail us from our intentions.
The inner champion is like the conductor of the train working in unison with the crew and with proper training will run our lives with the precision of a Japanese shinkansen bullet train, racing toward its destination with minimal disruptions, speed, accuracy, and safety.
Embrace your inner shinkansen. Become the conductor of your life. Put your inner champion to work! Your future destination is waiting for you…
This article was inspired by Eddie Pinero from Your World Within and my writing friend, Shasheen. I am #Grateful for both of them!
See Eddie’s YouTube video below and keep your eyes open for Shasheen’s forthcoming transformational book that provides an easy to follow 5 step process to create the life you’ve always known was available for YOU! I’ll be sure to let you know when it’s available for purchase. Stay tuned!
This entire video is awesome. The segment that inspired this article begins at about the 20:00 minute mark. Enjoy!
Keep Pedaling, Keep Going, Keep Growing!
Advance Confidently!
If you enjoyed and found value in this article, please share it.
In Gratitude,
Bobby Kountz, Author, Speaker, Sobriety Scholar, Inspirationalist!
PS. You can find out more about me here. You can find my book on Amazon.
Author’s Note: Day 21 of my Spring into 2021 writing challenge!
“Your biggest break can come from never quitting. Being at the right place at the right time can only happen when you keep moving toward the next opportunity.“ -Arthur Pine
A search of Arthur Pine revealed the following:
One Door Closes, Another Door Opens: Turning Your Setbacks Into Comebacks by Arthur Pine and Julie Houston
Using personal stories of failure and rejection from celebrities such as Michael Jordan, Robert Merrill, Elton John, Ed Asner, Carol Burnett, Katarina Witt, Walter Cronkite, and others, this encouraging book illustrates how painful experiences can change lives for the better — how setbacks can open the door to new opportunities.
Prior to discovering the quote above, I was not familiar with this author although I am quite familiar with this genre of work. One of the most well-known books in this genre is not just a book, but an entire series of books; The Chicken Soup for the Soul series by Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen gave rise to an entire “Chicken Soup for the Soul” Brand.
One of the interesting details that many people don’t know about the first book is the number of rejections it received from publishers. Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen saw every single “no” not as a no, but as an OPPORTUNITY for the next publisher to review their manuscript. They knew that eventually the right publisher would say “yes.”
What they didn’t know though, was that it would take 144 rejections before that “YES” finally came. And even when the YES finally came, the publisher had an extremely limited vision for the potential of the book and didn’t offer much in the way of support to the authors.
Jack Canfield said: “Chicken Soup for the Soul” was rejected by 144 publishers. If we had given up after 100 publishers, I likely would not be where I am now. I encourage you to reject rejection. If someone says no, just say NEXT! (Jack Canfield Facebook post dated November 18, 2015 at 11:27 PM).
The book was a runaway success story and held a spot on the New York Times Bestseller list from 1994–1998. The rest is history! The brand was eventually sold and now has over 250 publications and other product lines as well. Simon & Schuster is the current distributor of the Chicken Soup For The Soul LLC Brand.
Opportunity is often just on the other side of rejection or hiding behind an obstacle!
Keep Pedaling, Keep Going, Keep Growing!
Advance Confidently!
If you enjoyed and found value in this article, please share it.
In Gratitude,
Bobby Kountz, Author, Speaker, Sobriety Scholar, Inspirationalist!
PS. You can find out more about me here. You can find my book on Amazon.
“The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched — they must be felt with the heart.” -Helen Keller
What is Inspiration? Those who know me, also know I love questions and I am insatiably curious. Now you know too! But it’s not just questions that I love. The questions I love are empowering questions. In the process of seeking an answer to an empowering question, we will regularly also discover inspiration.
When we share inspiration it often becomes inspiring. Information or inspiration shared with enthusiasm produces an animating or exalting effect. In a word, it becomes inspiring.
A favorite quote of mine by Mark Twain states: “Forgiveness is the fragrance the violet sheds on the heel that has crushed it.” What can we learn from this quote? What kind of inspiration is available to us as human beings if we attempt to understand the words of the author?
What does the quote mean to you as a reader? What does it mean to you from the perspective of thinking?
Now, what does it mean to you from the perspective of feeling?
I would encourage you to pause here for just a moment and to really experience the power of this question. Take the time to both think about and feel what is coming up for you as you consider this…
What are you thinking?
What are you feeling?
Inspiration comes in many forms and it can be both given and received. I would encourage you to become both giver and receiver…
The reason why inspiration matters is because it propels us forward. When we become inspired, we are likely to take inspired action. Art, music, poetry, writing, and film, all have the potential to inspire us.
For me, it can be instrumental meditation music with nature, or The Eye of The Tiger.
It all depends, and that’s the best part.
The key is to act on whatever it is that inspires you. It’s what Author James Clear refers to as active inspiration. I will include an article link at the end of this one if you want to discover more.
The other day, I was inspired by the early morning sounds of birds chirping. To me, it sounded like happiness and in an instant, I was at one with the sound.
I was so inspired I decided to write about it. And now, I have become so inspired by writing again that I made a commitment to write one article every day in April. That’s inspired action. Inspired action is action that builds on itself.
What are you ready to take inspired action on today?
“You must either modify your dreams or magnify your skills.” ~Jim Rohn
The introduction had just been made, the thunderous applause that followed was a meager foreshadowing of what was about to unfold. As the silver haired gentleman in the fine suit took the stage, a hush came over the crowd. The buzz and drone of excited voices were silenced in an instant. His mere presence commanding complete authority and on the stage in front of me was the most confident man I had never met…
Thirty years ago, I attended my very first Personal Development Seminar. I had no idea who Jim Rohn was at the time. The one thing I did know was he had been instrumental in my mom’s life. Since I had just recently met her for the very first time, (we were reunited after 26 years), I was blown away when she told me he was going to be in Las Vegas, and she wanted me to attend his event. She said she would send my ticket in the mail and all I had to do was show up ready to learn and take lots of notes. As it turns out, her advice about being prepared to take lots of notes was really prudent.
There are days and times in our lives that we never forget. This was one of those days. Even though I felt like a fish out of water in a room full of business professionals, I filled my spiral bound college notebook with the words Mr. Rohn shared with his audience that day. The foundation for my future was laid out for me when I wrote down the following words. “The major key to your better future is you.” He also said, “If you will change, everything will change for you.”
The only personal development I had ever been exposed to came to me in the form of bootcamp from the United States Army. This was a lot different than bootcamp… What I learned that day was the importance of the mental game, the importance of mindset and a commitment to self-improvement not just for the sake of it but for what it makes of us in the process. What also happened that day was the lighting of an insatiable desire to know about everything. Book recommendations were given, philosophy was shared and taught, and I walked away a changed man.
Thirty years later, I am now the one sharing information and the lessons I’ve learned along the way. This article is the result of a seed planted thirty years ago by one of the foremost business philosophers of all time. I regularly credit Mr. Rohn as the catalyst for all the success I’ve accumulated over my lifetime, one day at a time.
The saying reads that when the student is ready the teacher will appear. Well, he appeared, and I became a lifelong student because of that infamous day.
I could go on and on about that day and what I’ve learned since then, but this article is about the other “Four Strategies” to overcome fear and self-doubt so let’s get to it. I’ve included the first three below as a review. They are the “COM” of the “COMMITS” pathway to progress.
Tip Four: Make Mistakes… And Friends Too
“If you’re not making mistakes , then you’re not doing anything. I’m positive that a doer makes mistakes.” ~John Wooden
When I went out for my first long ride in preparation for the PMC (Pan-Mass Challenge), I entertained an internal conversation with myself as I contemplated the idea of giving up. The pain was excruciating. I wasn’t just cramping; my legs were spasming. It wasn’t just my calves either, my whole legs were involved, both of them.
What I didn’t realize at the time was I was experiencing the gift of failure. As I dealt with the cramps and worked through them, a conversation developed even deeper in my mind and before I knew it the negative voice was battling with the positive voice, it was trying to cheer me on. Fortunately for me the positive voice won out and an experience earlier in life provided the inspiration needed to push through the pain. It was a lesson from the military 20 years prior.
I leveraged that experience to push through the pain, get back on my bike, and finish my ride. The mistake I had made was not being properly prepared for the heat and the amount of fluid I was losing through perspiration. I never went out on another training ride unprepared. That mistake was my teacher. After the event I talked to one of my colleagues who was really up on nutrition and supplements and she explained what happened to me and gave me the tools and information I needed to make sure it would never happen again. So, between the mistake and a friend I learned a valuable lesson.
Tip Five: Inspire Others And Seek Inspiration
“Without inspiration the best powers of the mind remain dormant, there’s a fuel in us which needs to be ignited with sparks. ~Johann Gottfried Von Herder
Inspiration is a form of expanded language. With inspiration the rare best of all we are capable of as human beings may be accessed . Our minds hold tremendous potential. We have within us the capacity for greatness inspiration is the spark, the thought promoting piece of the puzzle, allowing us to access a higher part of her consciousness. Ideas often come from inspiration. Ideas come to life when acted upon after receiving inspiration.
Inspiration is like a catalyst in the makeup of an experiment, it is a substance required for the experiment to proceed at an increased rate as it tends to speed up the reaction of the elements. Inspiration works the same way in our minds: it gives us the ability to see more clearly that which is yet to be produced. It helps us in the visioning process of creation.
When we share our experience like I’m doing now in this article, we give other people hope. This is how we inspire others. Making a commitment to always be curious and to reserve judgment is what gives us the ability to find inspiration in almost any experience.
Tip Six: Together We Accomplish More (A variation of TEAM)
“Together we are always able to accomplish what none of us could achieve alone.” ~Dan Zadra
This idea represents the true nature of the human spirit . The human collective is a force capable of accomplishing almost anything when combined with kindness, hope, and aspiration. This collective consciousness has led to the achievement of many great advances in the world.
The Pan-Mass challenge is a group event where a bunch of cyclists get together to ride for a cause they believe in. This collaborative effort wouldn’t be possible without the team of dedicated volunteers and the staff at. ( www.pmc.org ).
Tip Seven: Success Is The Natural Result Of Commitment
“The mind, once stretched by a new idea, never returns to its original dimensions.” ~Ralph Waldo Emerson
As I crossed the finish line, arms outstretched, head held high, I still had no idea what I had actually accomplished and what my experience would mean to me later. The journey had changed me. I’m not talking just about completing the distance of 192 miles or that it was done in only two days. I’m talking about the commitment, the event, all of the training that went into it, all of the work, the sacrifice, the agony, and the victory, all of it. All of it was life changing.
More importantly, I discovered, looking back, who I had become on the journey and what skills I had acquired in the process of preparing for an event I didn’t even know I could successfully complete. My success was a direct result of my commitment and preparation. It was the natural result of my commitment.
This COMMITS Pathway To Progress I have laid out for you hear on the pages is a tried-and-true method used by thousands of cyclists over several decades to achieve and accomplish what many of them thought was impossible. I hope you find value in the words I have shared here and if you’ve enjoyed this article, I assure you the book is well worth the price you will pay for either the paperback or an eBook depending on your personal preference.
See the first three tips or steps of the process from last week’s article below the segment break and description below:
My COMMITS method is not just a PATHWAY TO PROGRESS, it’s a proven process to take you from where you currently are, to exactly where you want to be, not overnight, but systematically and methodically, one day at a time! And to get started, all you must do is choose to begin. To achieve success, all you have to do is make a commitment to the process, because success is nothing more than a commitment to show up and do the work.
Tip One: Choose To Begin
“Choices are the hinges of destiny.” ~Pythagoras
All things are created twice, first in thought, then in action. Beginning is a choice. Make the choice to “CHOOSE” to begin. Starting is the hardest part. Most people hesitate. They believe they must know HOW before they begin. Stop asking how and start asking who and what instead. Ask first, who do I need to become? Next, ask, what skills will be required? Then, get busy acquiring the skills and becoming the kind of person you need to be to accomplish what you choose to do!
This is “HOW” you become UNSTOPPABLE!
Take massive imperfect action! Dare to suck! Dare to fail!
Tip Two: Take it “One Day At A Time.”
“Everybody is looking for instant success, but it doesn’t work that way. You build a successful life one day at a time.” ~Lou Holtz
We don’t go from 0 to 192 overnight. We don’t go from thinking about running a marathon to actually running one. There is a process, and that process develops day by day, week by week, month by month, “one day at a time.” Becoming UNSTOPPABLE is a cumulative process that develops over time, day by day with determination, commitment, persistence, and patience. Trust me, the work and the wait are worth it!
Tip Three: Manage Expectations
“My expectations were reduced to zero when I was 21. Everything since then has been a bonus.” ~Stephen Hawking
Managing expectations is all about expecting the unexpected. Obstacles are sure to materialize if you intend to do anything worthwhile. Things will invariably go wrong. The weather, believe it or not, is unpredictable! A sunny day can quickly turn into a torrential downpour. Where do you think the term “rain on your parade” came from anyway?
Keep Pedaling, Keep Going, Keep Growing!
Advance Confidently!
If you enjoyed and found value in this article, please share it.
In Gratitude,
Bobby Kountz, Author, Speaker, Sobriety Scholar, Inspirationalist!
PS. You can find out more about me here. You can find my book on Amazon.
