“Our character is basically a composite of our habits. Because they are consistent, often unconscious patterns, they constantly, daily, express our character.” -Stephen R. Covey
If our character is basically a composite of our habits, we can effectively completely change our lives by changing our habits. Our current habits only define who we are at this present moment in time. They are only a snapshot of our current knowledge and understanding in this moment. At any given time, we can make a conscious choice to embrace new habits.
As important as they are, they don’t define who we will eventually be, because we have the ability to change our habits if we commit to making the necessary changes. The paradigm shifts we experience will be in direct proportion to our efforts in the application of each habit.
What do you want to be? A teacher? A writer? A computer technician? A pilot? A social worker? A coach? A business owner? An entrepreneur? What kind of life do you want to live? Everything is possible, one day at a time… If you’re not living the life you’ve always imagined you could, the one you’ve dreamed of living, choose to do so, and take the first step toward it.
Delete one habit that no longer serves you, that’s not moving you toward your goal, and replace it with one habit that does. Then do that again… and again. Change your habits one by one, one day at a time, and you will also change your character and eventually, you will change your life as you become the person you choose to be.
Excellence is a choice. Commitment is a choice. The willingness to change is a choice. Learning is a choice. Reading is a choice. There is no shortage of material on the subject of habits. All that’s required to change a habit is an open mind and the commitment to do the work. Change is only hard if we frame it as hard. Our belief about a thing is what will determine the level of difficulty or ease. If we believe it to be hard, it will most assuredly be hard…
In his best seller, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen Covey lists being proactive as the first habit. Be Proactive! Take complete “response-ability” for your own life. When we take full responsibility for our life, we empower ourselves to make any and all changes necessary to achieve the results we desire. By changing the habits at the core of the results we experience, we also change our character and our life. We each have the ability to elevate our life through conscious endeavor.
“I know of no more encouraging fact than the unquestionable ability of man to elevate his life by conscious endeavor.” -Henry David Thoreau
Advance Confidently is still the title of my next book, but you will have to wait to celebrate its release as I celebrate my 60th birthday. I have concluded the world doesn’t need another self-help book from me right now, so I am listening to my muse and will write a sci fi personal growth story of self-discovery instead. I believe you will be INSPIRED with the story that chose me to write it! I never saw it coming but now that it’s here, I can’t wait to share it with all of YOU! I know it will be worth the wait because that’s my commitment to each of you, my readers.
Thanks in advance for your trust and patience!
In the meantime, I released a special audio short story on Twitter to commemorate my Independence Day and my 31st year of sobriety. You can watch the story here ( https://youtu.be/9zP4kk5OTlo ). You can find me on Twitter @bobby_kountz
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.
“Today is only one day in all the days that will ever be. But what will happen in all the other days that ever come can depend on what you do today.” ~Ernest Hemingway
The greatest gift you ever give yourself will probably come in the form of time…
Unstructured time is the gift many of us have forgotten to schedule into our busy lives. Sometimes, we must be reminded that almost everything works better if it is occasionally unplugged… Yes, that includes YOU!
I recently had an article delivered into my inbox by the prolific author Jeff Goins! You know you’re really on to something when you get an article in your inbox on a topic that you’re already writing about. His article was delivered into my inbox a week after my trip to Yosemite where I intentionally unplugged from my day-to-day activities so I could reconnect with both nature and my inner-being.
If we ever hope to accomplish what we’re truly capable of, it won’t be by working harder, hustling, grinding, or trying to find the 25th hour in the day. Trust me, it doesn’t exist, I’ve looked for it, I’ve searched for it, and I couldn’t find it anywhere.
The same way I searched for “someday” that fictitious place we create to park our dreams, I also was unable to discover the 25th hour because it doesn’t exist either. We each have 24 hours in any given day to accomplish whatever it is we choose and if we can’t manage our time within that 24-hours, we do make a mess of things! Resource on Time in the article link below:
We must, and I will emphasize the must, we MUST make time for ourselves. We need space between the space. We need time between the time. The only way to make sure you get this most precious time is to schedule unstructured time into your day. Avoid the temptation to fill up every single minute. It can be intoxicating to look at a schedule that is full, from top to bottom, front to back, side to side, and say to yourself look at all that I’m doing, look at all that I have accomplished, when in reality, what you’ve really done, is cheated yourself out of the most important gift you could ever give, to the most important creature on the planet, “you.”
No one will be impressed when you show them your schedule and there’s no time in it for you. And, the truth is, there’s no way you can be as effective as you possibly can without making sure that you’ve taken the time to fill up your cup first. If you’re attempting to fill the cups of others without making sure to fill your own first, there will be nothing to pour into the lives of others. You cannot fill the cups of others from a depleted cup.
If you wish to make a real difference in the world then you absolutely, positively, must make time for yourself. This is non-negotiable. Well, hopefully, after reading this article, it will NOW be non-negotiable for you.
The purpose of this article is to get you to slow down long enough to understand that the only way for you to be the absolute best version of yourself is to make sure that you’re taking time for yourself. Unstructured time is the time we create on our calendar to reconnect with our breath. There is a space between our breath. We breathe in, and we breathe out. Between the breathing in and breathing out there is a space, there is a natural pause. I’m asking you to extend that pause. I’m asking you to intentionally extend that pause. Then, after taking the pause, I invite you to take a deep breath… Breathe in, breathe out, now one more thing, embrace the silence of the space between the space.
Our minds need room just like we need room. One of the best places to find the extra room we need is in the great outdoors. If the outdoors is not your jam, then maybe it’s the spa. I don’t know what does it for you, but whatever it is, you need to schedule time for it. Schedule unstructured time to embrace the space between the space. Schedule time to reconnect with your breath, to reconnect with your inner-coach, to silence all the chatter, including your inner-critic.
This is one of the greatest gifts you will ever give to your mind, and your soul will thank you later… It is the greatest gift you will ever give to your soul. It’s the greatest gift you could ever possibly give to your TEAM, to your family, and to your friends.
The “you” that returns to whatever it is you do on a regular basis to earn what you earn to provide for those you provide for, will be a “YOU” that is 10 times better than “the you” that left, than “the you” that was in the trenches, on the hamster wheel, grinding out the daily grind. Take a moment right now to reconnect with your breath.
Breathe!
And if you’re wondering about how you’re going to get everything done, let me remind you of something shared with me by my coach and mentor. He reminds me on a regular basis that slow is smooth and smooth is fast. Let me say that one more time so it sinks in, so you don’t just read past the words.
Slow is smooth and smooth is fast!
When I slowed down to experience everything available to me in Yosemite National Park, I gained clarity about the direction of not only my next book but the future of my life. I saw in the space between the space a life that looks exactly as I choose, a life by design, a life designed by me, for me and those I intend to serve.
You will find my most recent article on Yosemite here: Bobby Kountz
I made a commitment to a life of service over 31 years ago and I’ve done my best to honor that commitment the best way I know how. However, until we’re ready to look in the mirror and truly see our own inner-awesomeness, or as Michael describes, our inner-awesome sauce, we will only ever be providing a sliver of what’s possible in the way that we can show up for others, because we must first learn to show up for ourselves.
I am done playing small. I am finished hiding in plain sight. I am ready, willing, and able to embrace my inner-awesome sauce and share it with the world in every avenue I can possibly think of so that I can create a ripple across the planet and make the world just a little bit better so that my grandkids can experience a world worth experiencing.
I can’t pretend the challenges that face our planet are so great that there’s nothing I can do. I may not be able to solve all the challenges that currently exist, but I can show up and do my part every single day. And one of the best ways I can show up is to make time for myself. If my cup is overflowing, then I will have more than enough to spread across the planet to create the ripple that I’m capable of creating to make the difference that only I can make by fearlessly sharing the story that is only mine to share and I invite each of you to do the same.
Find a way to share your story in a way that only you can share it, because no one else can share the story that is “you.” If you want to make a real difference in the world then embrace your inner awesomeness, stop hiding in plain sight, find your voice, and share your message!
Here is my promise; when you find your own authentic voice, when you discover who you really are and what you’re capable of, you will have more confidence than you could have ever possibly imagined. It will show up for you in everything you do. Your family will notice. Your friends will notice. Your team will notice. Your employer will notice. Everyone will notice and the most important person that will notice will be you when you go to the mirror when you see yourself for the very first time. I mean, to really see yourself, the REAL you, the you that you always knew was somewhere inside…
Most of us are barely scratching the surface of what we’re capable of.
If you want to take your life to the next level, then give yourself permission to get off the hamster wheel. Go out and connect with your breath, connect with nature, connect with the space between the space and when you do, you will find the “you” that’s been hiding in plain sight all along. When you return to the mirror and you take a long look, what you will see will be a vastly different you than you’ve ever seen. Because you will be seeing you, the real you, for perhaps the very first time.
PPAUSE • BREATHE • REFLECT…
Image from Author’s Collection
My dear friend, mentor, and coach, Michael O’Brien has created a movement to get people to reconnect with their breath. The movement is very simply titled as you see in the line above, pause, breathe, reflect. He has a meditation room on clubhouse where he offers 5-minute meditations throughout the day, typically three to four times a day, and I’m inviting you to step off your hamster wheel and join us in the PAUSE, BREATHE, REFLECT room where you can get your breath on!
Get your BREATH on! Get your PAUSE on! Come reflect with us as we step off the hamster wheel of life to PAUSE, BREATHE, REFLECT… Join our 5-minute guided meditations to re-connect with your breath. You’ve got nothing to lose and a brand-new appreciation for life to gain! See YOU soon!
Finally, here’s a link to an amazing challenge: It’s the 20 Ripple Challenge to commemorate my friend’s last bad day ever! There are only 2 days left in the official challenge but any ripple you create is sure to make a difference!
If my words somehow inspired you to pursue your gift, then I succeeded…
Advance Confidently is still the title of my next book, but you will have to wait to celebrate its release as I celebrate my 60th birthday. I have concluded the world doesn’t need another self-help book from me right now, so I am listening to my muse and will write a sci fi — personal growth, story of self-discovery instead. I believe you will be INSPIRED with the story that chose me to write it! I never saw it coming, but now that it’s here, I can’t wait to share it with all of YOU! I know it will be worth the wait because that’s my commitment to you, my readers.
Thanks in advance for your trust and patience!
In the meantime, I released a special audio short story on Twitter to commemorate my Independence Day and my 31st year of sobriety. You can watch the story here:
You can find me on Twitter @bobby_kountz
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.
“Don’t make a mountain out of a molehill there is a solution to every problem.” ~Anurag Prakash Ray
In life, over time, I have come to realize all events are neutral until we label them. Everything we experience or will ever experience, will be experienced, one day at a time. Life is perceived through the filter of what we bring to it. No two people see things exactly the same even when in full agreement on whatever it is they are seeing.
We are not machines and therefore, our emotions, our attitude, our confidence, our physical capabilities, our fitness, both physical and mental will all play their part in the way we perceive things. Our inherent nature, risk averse or risk prone, our ego, our pride, our fear, our humility, our concern for the well-being of others, selflessness or selfish, all will play their part in the decision-making process about what is and isn’t possible…
Mindset, belief, attitude, confidence, clarity, judgment, resilience, tenacity, grit, etc., these are the words used to describe the behaviors and actions of those who appear sure of themselves and their abilities.
Fear is not typically a word associated with the above list. The truth however is that most confident people feel the same fear as the individual lacking confidence. The difference is not in the fear they experience, but in their individual response to it. Confident people find a way to feel the fear and do it anyway. When they do it, whatever “it” is, they do it afraid!
For some, fear is paralyzing. For others it is exhilarating. For most of us, it is the common thread of the lived experience we each do our best to navigate. There is no all-inclusive instruction manual on how to manage fear. There are many theories, articles, and even books on how to manage fear, but the truth is, what works for one may not work for another.
If, however you are interested in one of the best manuals ever written, I highly recommend The End of Fear Itself by Steve Bivans which is available as a kindle read on Amazon for less than the cost of a gourmet cup of coffee. If you prefer a paperback you will have to separate yourself from $15, which is a bargain for a manual on unlearning everything you thought you knew about FEAR!
Some of us are defeated before we ever make the attempt. Some just know their natural limits and I have the utmost respect for them for they are bold enough to face the ridicule of those that might heckle them or call them a quitter, or even worse, make fun of them behind their back in private conversation.
It often takes more courage to say no than it does to say yes. I applaud those who consciously say no after weighing their options and measuring their choices against their abilities. Deep consideration for the safety of others, particularly strangers, is a rare quality indeed.
The climb from the bottom of the Half Dome trail departing out of Little Yosemite Valley to the top is approximately 2700 feet and about 3.5 miles of switchbacks, granite stairs, some of which are carved right into the rock, and standard steep ascent paths. It is a serious hike for serious hikers and a true test of patience and resilience.
Many casual hikers make the attempt as well. Some even succeed.
The casual hikers will be those starting as we did from Little Yosemite Valley because from the valley floor, Half Dome rises nearly 5,000 feet to a grand height of 8,839 feet!
Photo from Author’s Collection
For me, this hike was a test of my will. To begin with, it’s at altitude. It’s steep and requires a steadfast commitment to keep moving even when tired and short of breath. Determination and persistence are the words of the day…
When you finally make it to the top of the Half Dome approach, or what many refer to as the sub-dome, what you find waiting for your is a pair of cables suspended from poles that fit tightly into the drilled-out holes that await their replacement every year when the season reopens. (See picture below).
Photo from Author’s Collection
The final elevation gain on the cables is 400 feet of what sometimes feels like straight up, which translates to about a 50–60-degree slope! The poles are set about 8–10 feet apart with a 2×4 strapped to them to provide a little extra footing. The mantra was to go from board to board as you wait for the person in front of you to advance. Where it gets tricky is when you run into someone coming down at the same time as you are going up or vice versa. There is only so much room between the cables and cooperation from both ascenders and descenders is mandatory to navigate the journey safely!
As you can imagine, there is always one chucklehead in every crowd and for all of us it was Mr. Pink Shirt! He was overly impressed with his own ability to descend facing down the mountain rather than backwards and showed little concern for anyone who got in his way or was too slow to get out of his egoic charge down the cables… Fortunately, no one was hurt!
Where was I? oh yeah, the ascent…
When you finally reach the top, you are either exhilarated or terrified and I saw both this past Monday. The face of one of the ascenders I watched come off the final steps looked like one of those faces you see in a movie like Friday the 13th!
Fortunately, my friend Joe was at the top taking pictures and the one of me looks like someone who both felt and looked UNSTOPPABLE! (See Picture).
Photo from Author’s Collection
The view from the top is almost unimaginable… The meadow floor of Yosemite valley is thousands of feet below and everyone waits for their turn to get a picture taken on the promontory point! (Mine is Below).
Photo from Author’s Collection
After a leisurely break of about 20–30 minutes for hydration and a quick snack, the process of mustering the courage for the return trip down the cables begins.
Photo from Author’s Collection
It’s easy at first, facing forward, no problem, I got this and then the slope begins to change and the decision to begin the slow and methodical backward descent begins. As a descender, you must constantly be looking behind you which also means looking down to make sure you don’t run into anyone.
FEAR can be friend or foe and I found it best to embrace it as a friend. I said to fear; I AM Feeling Excited And Ready. I know I CAN Face Everything And Rise!
I did!
In the next article, I will give a little history of the area and discuss the Wawona Hotel and Restaurant where breakfast was thoroughly enjoyed the next day…
Did I mention the adventure was epic? Now I have! Until next time…
My name is Bobby. I am The Inspirationalist!
I inspire people to pursue their gifts!
If my words somehow inspired you to pursue your gift, then I succeeded…
Advance Confidently may still be the title of my next book, but it will not be coming out on the 4th of July as I originally anticipated. I have concluded the world doesn’t need another self-help book, at least not from me, so I am listening to my muse and will write a fable of self-discovery instead. I don’t know for sure when it will be ready, but what I do know is it will be worth the wait because that is my commitment to you, my readers. Thanks in advance for your patience!
In the meantime, I will be releasing a special audio short story on Twitter to commemorate my Independence Day and my 31st year of sobriety. You can watch for the story on the 4th. You can find me on Twitter @bobby_kountz
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.
“There is always a best way of doing everything.” -Ralph Waldo Emerson
If there is indeed always a best way of doing everything, how do we go about discovering the “best” way? We may not initially know the best way, but with so many resources available at our disposal today, we can evaluate several different options and then try our best to choose the best one available to us at that moment in time.
The Scientific Method is a procedure known to the natural sciences since at least the 17th century. It consists of a series of systematic observations, experiments, measurements, calculations, and the formulation, testing, and modification of hypotheses. It is viewed as an empirical method of acquiring information and knowledge through careful observation and rigorous skepticism. It takes into account the understanding for potential bias and therefore relies on objective observation balanced by a healthy dose of skepticism.
Trial and error is a less formal and much less rigorous process characterized by multiple repeated varied attempts to reach a desired outcome. Failure is a natural part of the process of both trial and error and the scientific method and failure is embraced as part of the natural process of moving in the direction of the desired result.
How was Thomas Edison able to discover the best way to create an incandescent light bulb? The simple answer is he found thousands of ways that were not the best way. If we are willing to try different approaches and keep our minds open to all available options, eventually we will discover the best way for the task at hand in those circumstances. The best way is ever evolving, constantly improving, making room for the next best way. We are still figuring out the best way, all these years later, to create the best lighting solution possible. Sometimes the best way is only slightly different than what the best way was the day before.
Writing is a lot like this. When I first started writing, many of my messages were rudimentary. As I practiced my craft, I learned different ways of expressing my ideas and gained a better command of language, expression, and description. I also developed my style. The more I practiced, the better I got. And the more I practice, the better I will get. Excellence eventually becomes a habit.
Excellence is the evolution of ideas and the understanding that our world is in perpetual motion, movement, and advancement, which allows us to individually do our best in any given situation or circumstance. Our willingness and openness to evaluate new information and ideas is what gives us the opportunity to do our best work. Collectively, we rely on one another and on the sharing of ideas and information to discover the next best way of doing things.
When we move from believing that we as individuals have the best opportunity of creating the best solutions to instead, crowdsourcing the collective wisdom of our communities and companies, we then gain access to the collective consciousness and collective wisdom of the group.
The best practices of today only provide a bridge to the best practices of tomorrow. The cycle repeats itself with each new day and once again gives us the opportunity to do our best because our individual best is the “best” way of doing everything. That is, unless we can come together in a group and work collectively to solve whatever challenges we are facing and then the “best” way will have been decided by each of the “best” minds working together to create an even better “collective best” mind or more simply, the crowdsourced “best of the best!”
My name is Bobby. I am The Inspirationalist!
I inspire people to pursue their gifts!
If my words somehow inspired you to pursue your gift, then I succeeded…
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.
“Never underestimate the power of dreams and the influence of the human spirit. We are all the same in this notion: The potential for greatness lives within each of us.” ~Wilma Rudolph
Is it really possible there could be 7 infinitely simple steps to greatness? In a world where everything is promised with almost no effort required, it’s easy to become suspicious. I know I have!
We live in an Instagram world where the pictures we see only represent the absolute best of everything that’s going on in everyone’s lives. For some unknown reason, it’s not glamorous to share the struggle, to share the challenges, to share the truth…
On any given day you will find a social media post with a link to a YouTube video where someone will tell you “how to” crush the day. The advice will come in one of two forms. It will either come in the form of how easy it is, or it will come in the form of how hard it is. There doesn’t really seem to be a lot of middle ground and the reason I decided to write this article was to cover the middle ground. I wanted to offer a different perspective, to present a different idea, a different way of looking at what we often call, the struggle.
What if by simply re-framing the language we use with what we face each day, what if by simply re-framing what we’re labeling something, we could completely change the way our mind thinks about whatever that thing is?
In some of the videos they will tell you it’s necessary to hustle and grind. They will tell you if you’re working 10-hour days and that’s not working , then double your efforts, work 20 instead, work harder, work longer, try harder, do MORE!
And they will tell you that if you do, success might even be easy. In my opinion, the thing that’s misunderstand about success, is many people are looking for the easiest way to get it. Everyone creating content has 5 easy steps for this… or 10 easy steps to greatness, or whatever…
The truth is that the steps to success, the steps for success, are infinite. Success is not a place of arrival. You won’t suddenly one day arrive and declare your success. It doesn’t work like that… At least not in my opinion anyway. Many of those who are on the hamster wheel in search of success can’t even tell you what success means to them, and the truth is that success absolutely, positively, must be identified individually, because what’s success to one person, might actually be failure to another…
A great place to begin, a great place to start, is with why. One of the great videos that does exist, that you can watch as it relates to this idea, is a TEDx from Simon Sinek, (the video is included at the bottom of this article). I also believe it’s important to play an infinite game as he suggests. I am not a fan of a finite game. Also, I believe it’s important to play a long game not a short game. Be in it to win it but be in it for the long haul and be in it to serve as many as you possibly can while in pursuit of whatever it is you hope to achieve or accomplish. If you do that, if your end goal is to help as many other people as you possibly can to get what they want, then you can, exactly as Zig Ziglar described, have everything you want.
I believe the most compelling way to share information is with examples. Here is an example of a simple re-frame around the conversation you may or may not be having in your mind as it relates to just how hard life is. Yes, I believe we can acknowledge the difficulty of life. However, I don’t believe we need to label it “HARD.” If that’s the truth, then how else might we refer to it? Here’s a possibility.
A re-frame for the statement: Life is HARD!
I once thought life was hard, then I learned that life isn’t necessarily hard, but it is a challenge. I have learned to access everything I need to not only meet, but also manage challenges as they arise and to create meaningful solutions to the challenges I encounter! I have everything I need to embrace every challenge with clarity, commitment, and confidence!
I hope you can see the clear difference between the two statements. And let’s make no mistake, they are both statements. One is a disempowering statement; the other is an empowering statement. Why do we consistently sell ourselves short on our ability to take on challenges, to do hard things?
If your life has been filled with failure because you didn’t have access to the information you needed to be able to take on the challenges that came your way, then the natural conclusion would be that life is hard. Let’s be honest, not everyone has access to the information that would allow us to re-frame what we otherwise might call “HARD.”
It is my intention to lay out a pathway to progress for you here that comes from my book, The Someday Solution! I didn’t intentionally set out to create this pathway, it presented itself to me after I completed an event that I originally didn’t even believe I was capable of accomplishing. It was revealed to me as I looked back on what I had achieved, when I looked back on what I had accomplished, and when I looked back at where I had come from.
I asked an empowering question. I asked, I wonder how I did that? I wonder how I went from the couch, out of shape and twenty pounds heavier than desired, to the completion of a 192-mile, two-day bike ride, when I didn’t have a bike, I wasn’t a cyclist, and I knew absolutely nothing about cycling.
It was in the asking of the question that the process was revealed to me, that the pathway was revealed to me… My COMMITS pathway to progress is a proven process to take you from wherever you are, to exactly where you want to be, and all you must do, is plug yourself into the process.
Yes, there are 7 infinitely simple steps in the process. If you plug yourself into the process and simply follow the pathway, you will make steady progress as you move in the direction of whatever it is you choose to do, be, or become.
First, before you can do anything, you must push your doubt aside. You must first, choose to begin. In choosing to begin, you will initiate the magical process that will move you from wherever you are, to exactly where you want to be, if you will simply commit to taking the necessary steps and actions that will move you in the direction of your dreams, if you will make a commitment to advance confidently, you will meet with a success unexpected in common hours as Henry David Thoreau described in his writings about his experiment in the wilderness.
“If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he is imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.” ~Henry David Thoreau
The COMMITS pathway has been used by literally thousands of cyclists for over 40 years, to turn non-riders into passionate riders and fundraisers and entire communities have come out to support their efforts. It wasn’t called the COMMITS pathway to progress until I labeled it, and most of the individuals who followed it never had a clue they were following a proven pathway. As a matter of fact, part of the magic of the pathway is that it’s not a “system” but more of a loose and lackadaisical philosophy for success.
The motto of the PMC is “Commit, you’ll figure it out.” ( PMC.org )
The magic is in the commitment! It all begins with commitment!
The PMC or Pan-Mass Challenge is not only a cancer fundraiser, but also a family of like-minded individuals working together to bring an end to cancer. What started out as an idea has morphed into an all-out MOVEMENT! It’s a movement to END cancer!
The commits pathway to progress revealed itself to me after I completed my first Pan-Mass Challenge during the 35th anniversary of the event. My inaugural ride took place in the worst conditions ever experienced in the 40+ year history of the event. Instead of trial by fire, it was trial by water. In 2014, it rained from the beginning of the morning throughout the entire 108 miles of my first day’s ride and what got me through was our TEAM and our commitment. I didn’t know at the time the pathway to progress even existed. It didn’t reveal itself to me until after, and it was only looking back at where I had come from that it revealed itself to me.
Each of the elements below represent a chapter in my book and I wrote about my experience with each of these elements not only with the Pan-Mass Challenge but with my life. I believe if you plug your life into this pathway you can do, be, become, or achieve, whatever you choose. Give it a try, make a commitment, you’ve got nothing to lose, and everything to gain.
Choose to begin! (Start)
One day at a time. (Just for today)
Manage expectations. (Set intentions)
Make mistakes and friends too. (Give yourself permission)
Inspire others and seek inspiration. (Inspired action creates energy)
Together we accomplish more. (TEAM)
Success is the natural result of commitment. (Success is a journey)
My name is Bobby. I am The Inspirationalist!
I inspire people to pursue their gifts!
If my words somehow inspired you to pursue your gift, then I succeeded…
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.
“The vision must be followed by the venture. It is not enough to stare up the steps — we must step up the stairs.” ~Vance Havner
As described in the quote that inspired this article, the word venture refers to the action one must take to bring their vision to life. The best way to bring a vision to life is to ask empowering questions. Let’s get started.
What’s your vision? What are your values? What’s your vibe?
Pause now and take a minute to at least consider the questions. Then, when you finish the article, take the time to really answer them!
We can use these three questions, all beginning with the letter V to create the foundation for everything we ever hope to achieve or accomplish. If we build a strong foundation, then it will support whatever it is we choose to bring into existence.
What do you want to create? Who do you want to create it with? Why do you want to create it? What do you want to ripple out into the world? Who do you wish to be? What kind of human being are you striving to become? What inspires you? Why does it inspire you?
Some deeper questions…
To achieve what you choose, who do you need to be or become and what skills will be required?
Stop asking how and start asking who and what instead. You can’t control the how, but you can control yourself and the way you choose to show up for both yourself and those you serve!
If you could learn to sort, sift, and separate the trash from the treasure, so that you have more time for what’s important to you, how much would that be worth?
If you could quickly determine, decide, and delegate all your non-essential tasks to a trusted aid or virtual assistant, marketing partner, or your IT team, how much more time would you have for your family, friends, and hobbies?
In the military, they have SOP’s (Standard Operating Procedures) for everything. Why do you suppose that is? In the special forces, they have contingency plans for all their tactical operations. Why do you suppose that is?
Tactics, techniques, and timelines exist so they can operate with the surgical precision of a Swiss watch. TEAM members can disassemble and reassemble their weapons in the dark and blindfolded. What do you think they do that?
When you prepare and plan, with precision, you can predict your outcomes with clarity, confidence, and conviction!
To produce an outcome, action is required. It is the application and implementation of ideas, plans, and procedures that creates results.
Many years ago, I learned that profits are better than wages. However, I never really internalized the lesson, I never applied what I learned. I’d like to prevent you from making that same mistake.
Here’s why profits are better than wages:
Corporations have a fiduciary responsibility to their shareholders. The reason people invest in companies and in the stock market is because they expect a return on their investment.
What expectations do you have of yourself or your business? What kind of returns do you expect from YOU, Inc?
Write this down!
We get what we expect! If we have clear expectations, we get clear results! If we have unclear expectations, we get unclear results!
In other words, if you expect to be successful, you will often, be successful. If you expect to win, you will often win.
The metaphor, lose the battle but win the war, exists for a reason. The phrase, live to fight another day, exists for a reason. The reason survival is so important is it is impossible for you to be who you need to be if you are not in business. And it doesn’t have to be a physical business either. If you don’t have your health, then you’re not in business.
Commitment and discipline teach us to mitigate unintended outcomes so we can instead, execute flawlessly on our intended or desired results.
Ready, fire, aim, might work in some scenarios, but not most…
Have you ever wondered why the military has so many different forms and procedures? And instead of jumping right to the answer of well it’s the government what would you expect, maybe we could ask another question. What do those forms procedures and processes solve?
SOP’s, AAR’s, PMCS, Forms, Nomenclatures, a 24-hour system of time, and on and on it goes. Before a fighter jet ever leaves the runway, a detailed pre-flight checklist is completed. Why? What can we learn from the military that we can apply in our own lives? Heck, the military even has a system for physical fitness.
What problems do you suppose they might be solving before they ever have a chance to materialize? Yes, it’s called prevention!
What problem are you solving?
What does your customer want and why?
If your customers want more time, help them turn decades into years, months, weeks, and yes, depending on the circumstances, maybe only days. What if the client you’re working with has three of the four numbers of their combination lock of success all figured out? What if the wisdom you have regarding what they need is that missing fourth number? What if because of your skill and experience you helped them identify what they needed? What kind of difference would that make?
There are countless success stories and testimonials of people experiencing complete transformations in a single weekend.
When someone goes from thinking they can’t to believing they can, that’s a radical transformation. Then, all that’s required is consistent action to create the desired intention.
Clarity and confidence create enthusiasm. Enthusiasm creates energy! Energy is everything!
My name is Bobby. I am The Inspirationalist!
I inspire people to pursue their gifts!
If my words somehow inspired you to pursue your gift, then I succeeded…
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.
