Many interesting and fun conversations have been popping up lately. Interesting conversations, books, music, documentaries.
(These thoughts may spill out at random but I think it will make sense before its over.)
A while back, I wrote about a Jim Rohn audio I listened to where he instructed how to make a list of goals.
1) Get out a notepad or journal. (Jim Rohn is huge on journal-ling and its something I need to be better at. The benefits could be a difference maker.)
2) In your journal or notepad, write 50 goals. It doesnt matter how big or small, how realistic they may seem or how simple or how large or small. The first 50 things that pop in your head, write them down.
3) Once you have your 50 goals, separate them on another page into 1 year goals, 5 year goals, 10 year goals and greater than 10 year goals.
4) On another sheet, pull the top 5 of each category and write them down.
You now have a very well defined list of goals. Its very exact and well thought out.
Now the magic... that list of goals will become a magnet. Your list, your action of writing them down will now attract them. Sounds crazy?
I did this a few months back, probably last summer. Want to see my top 5? I achieved them all already. The first 5 things that popped in my head, happened and they were not "gimmes," far from it. Do I think I'm special? Heck no. But I believe in the power of attraction. The power of your own thoughts, creating your world and reality.
Simple example we can all relate to: Have you ever thought of someone then within moments, they text/call/email or even show up? Its not a coincidence. I know to some people that can sound very crazy and someone reading this is probably thinking "oh boy, hes finally lost his mind!" But I do not believe in coincidences I believe we create situations with the power of our thoughts. Its something I often touch on in these blogs and circle around but never quite say/write.
Think about this: Have you ever seen a negative, pessimistic unorganized, mopey millionaire? I haven't, and I know a couple millionaires. Granted... they're happy because they're loaded! But A) money doesn't make people happy and B) people do not achieve success in life by moping around, kicking rocks and staring at the ground. They become successful by having goals and making their dreams become a reality.
I highly recommend starting your goal sheet right away. Find a nice piece of paper or even go out to a store and by a nice, attractive journal, something that you'll look fwd to writing in, and get it started.
Now, two paragraphs above I wrote "having goals and making their dreams become a reality." I once wrote something like - We all have goals. The difference between us is the length of the imaginary line between seeing our goals in front of us and how we decide to move towards them.
Think about that for a second. Imagine a goal out there on the horizon or however far you may see it, the goal that popped in your head may be sitting a few feet away. The difference between you and that goal is a plan and then executing that plan into action.
Executing the plan will take persistence, patience and perseverance and not sitting on your ass.
(Side story - years ago, after high school, I worked in a car dealership. And I talked A LOT. I was very annoying. Actually as I think about it... I'm still annoying, but now I have an audience that kinda likes it when I get annoying :) Back then I was some 19-20 year old big mouth trying to motivate a bunch of guys in a parts warehouse and mechanics! One day I was talking about something, I have no clue what and I wrote a huge P on the dry erase board and added the "ersistence, atience, erseverance," next to it and it stuck with me.)
Anyway, PERSEVERANCE. Have a plan, keep it moving, have unlimited effort, know your surroundings, try to see the pitfalls before you fall. And if you fall PERSIST! You cannot give up. Ask yourself "How bad do I want it?" If you only so-so want it... go home. If you want to succeed as bad as you want to breathe... hhhmmm. And as you move along on the path towards your goal, be patient but not slow. Be mindful, but not a full time "watcher." Learn as you move and grow, that's evolution (baby! - Pearl Jam fans get that reference.)
Personal note:
As time moves along, I'm always in awe when I find music or a documentary that references something else I'm into. An example, I read a book a long time ago about the ego and how the ego is not real but a mask we wear. And we can have different ego's depending on our environment Some egos/masks have beneficial factors and some have negative factors. All in all, understand they are not our true selves, and understanding and learning and accepting the difference between an ego and whats true, can take years and even longer and some people never learn the difference or are happy living in their ego. I was like that for a very very long time, but I didn't know it. I knew I had "moods," or situations that changed my behavior but i didn't really pay it any attention, it was just how it was. Once I learned this and began studying myself and my own behavior and asking "why?" to myself... things became more clear. Ask "why did I say that?" and "what made me feel that way?" Self analyzing is crucial, but do not beat yourself up. Just ask why, listen to the answer, accept it, let it go and move on.
My example is, I grew up listening to two bands. Pearl Jam and The Doors. There was always a strong attractive quality for me towards their lyrics (don't get me wrong, when Pearl Jam goes off... I just got goose bumps). In "Last Exit," he sings "Let the sun climb, oh burn away my mask... shed my skin at last." My interpretation looking back at it was that he was referring to his ego and there are several other references to this throughout the albums, mostly from Vitalogy on through.
Speaking of "through," and then ill wrap up this crazy long blog... Jim Morrison is extremely underrated. In my opinion, 75+% of his lyrics (and life) were referencing "unlearning," and erasing the bullshit from our minds. Ironically, "Break on Through (to the other side,)" actually came up in a conversation this week when I was speaking with Glen, the jump coach at Eastside. We were talking about training and athletes and eventually steered the conversation to yoga, of course, and our "breakthrough," moments we have on the mat, in life, on the field, at work, all over. We break on through. That same night, I actually had that song in my playlist along with some Neil Young, Bob Dylan, Hendrix and Zeppelin but changed at the last minute. Not a coincidence.
