Why I Struggled With THIS Title…
ADVANCE CONFIDENTLY!
“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.
