How To Go From Unsure To UNSTOPPABLE
ADVANCE CONFIDENTLY!
“To achieve what you have not, you must become what you are not. You have to grow into your goals.” ~Darren Hardy
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 about just completing the distance of 192 miles or that it was done in only two days. I’m talking about the commitment, the event, all the training that went into it, all the work, the sacrifice, the agony, and the victory, all of it.
All of it was life changing!
Originally, when I first wrapped my mind around committing to and completing the ride, I anticipated there would be a sense of exhilaration at the end. There was… But what was really exhilarating was seeing the magnitude of the task and realizing I had achieved it. What I didn’t know, what I didn’t realize at the time, was how the event had already changed my life before I had ever crossed the finish line.
It wasn’t until after, and only looking back, that I was able to connect the dots. Steve Jobs gave a famous commencement address where he talked about this concept.
“You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So, you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something — your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. Because believing that the dots will connect down the road will give you the confidence to follow your heart even when it leads you off the well-worn path; and that will make all the difference.” ~Steve Jobs
What I realized after finishing the ride was my life was a literal tapestry of all the events I had experienced leading up to the completion of this epic feat. Each of the milestones I experienced throughout my entire lifetime had their instrumental place in my journey. The events of our lifetime are those that weave together the story of our life. The Pan-Mass Challenge, or the PMC (PMC.org) as we lovingly call it was just part of that story. This article is just part of that story. What lies in front of me is a future I can’t even possibly imagine just yet, but there is one thing for sure I now know:
I am UNSTOPPABLE!
And, by making a commitment to learn from everything, YOU can be UNSTOPPABLE too!
We never ever truly fail… unless we quit. Even if you do quit, that’s usually just an opportunity to begin again with new information. The real question is if you do quit for whatever reason, is it temporary or permanent? Will your quitting stop you from achieving your goal? Have there been people like me who have attempted to complete the Pan-Mass Challenge or to complete a marathon who were stopped in their tracks? Absolutely. But not all of them permanently quit. For many it was only for that moment or for that specific year. They learned from the process and took it with them to the next event and let it make them even stronger.
The one thing nobody else can do, is be a better you, than you.
You get to write the story of who you are and what you do with the life you’ve been given. You get to write the beginning, the middle, and the ending of that story by the choices you make.
I have come to acknowledge the following words as a guide for how I choose to live:
“When writing the story of your life, don’t let anyone else hold the pen.”
~Harley Davidson
Just because your life hasn’t gone the way you wanted it to go up until now doesn’t mean anything. Every day, the clock starts new. A fresh page is turned, a new chapter begins. Every day is a blank canvas. There is no aristocracy of time. We all get the exact same amount each day. You can have a script for what success looks like today, and you can tear it up and completely rewrite that script tomorrow based upon new plans, new information, a new idea, or a different direction you want your life to go.
Whatever you decide, it’s available to you.
We don’t give up on the hero in the middle of a story. The hero doesn’t get to claim victory until the end of the story. We don’t know the outcome until the end. As long as you are alive to continue working through the obstacles and problems you face, there is hope for you to change your outcome. And, If you’re in the middle of the story, don’t write yourself down as a failure. You’re still in the middle of the story.
Also, what happened in your past has no bearing on anything except to shape who you become by how you choose to handle it. That’s it.
Whether you’re a success, or a failure is up to you. You get to define success. No one else can define success for you. You must be the one. You must take control of the definition and it’s the one thing you must take ownership of if you choose to become a success.
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 have to 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?
For the rest of the “Tips” (I know I said three but there are actually seven) go here, grab a copy of my book on Amazon, or…
Practice some patience and wait until next week when I will cover the rest of my proven process for achieving unbelievable results, “One Day At A Time.”
Keep Pedaling, Keep Going, Keep Growing!
Advance Confidently!
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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.
