Saturday, July 27, 2013

Honest, I Really Have To Go!


I can remember many times as a kid when I would be hanging out with my friends and it was time for a contest of some sort. It might have been a foot race or a hill climb or to see who could hit the most whiffle balls in thirty seconds. It may have even been something crazy like seeing who could hold their tongue on a set of 9-volt battery terminals the longest. Or maybe it was a bike race – my favorite!! We’d get all lined up like we were competing for an Olympic medal or something.

And it was always some guy’s job to get things started by saying: “On your marks … Get set … GO! And go we did, usually without hesitation and often with complete and utter reckless abandon.

But one thing was always for sure – we GO’ed!

Do you remember those days? You know, those days when you were daring and unafraid. That time in your life when daring to be amazing was the rule of the day rather than the exception?

And failure? No way! Who even thought about it? It was the attempt and the spoils of victory that was at the center of your focus. If you didn’t win, you made up another challenge and moved on. You with me?!

But something interesting happened on the way to adulthood. As life brought you more experiences and you matured, for some reason it started to become a bit harder to GO. Oh, it’s not because you didn’t and don’t want to. It is that something told us that being an absolute free spirit wasn’t prudent anymore.

Fear. Consequences. What if’s. Bad past experiences. All reasons why you might not GO.

Even with these limiting concerns, wouldn’t it still be amazing to achieve your goal?

It’s can be pretty easy to be on your mark. You do it every day with new thoughts. And still easy to get set. But GO – well, I gotta think about it. Maybe I will and maybe I won’t. Just gimme a minute. Umm, on second thought, I’ll get back to ya.

See, here’s the thing. Success at changing or improving your life, your job, your career, your financial position or your wellness is not the result of having good intentions. It takes action. Yep – action. Sorry to break it to you, but wishing yourself better isn’t going to make it happen. You’ve got to GO to make it real.

And as a leader, wouldn’t you rather have team members who have been courageous enough to try – to GO – and failed a few times than folks who stand on the sidelines. I would – doers trump talkers all day, every day. Don’t punish folks for failing – reward them for trying.

So, it is your decision. How bad do you want that goal? What would you make possible for yourself or your team if you decide to GO? I encourage you to:

Say GO instead of I Don’t Know
Be BOLD instead of Ice Cold
Be a TRIER as opposed to a Stand Byer

ON YOUR MARK … GET SET … GO!

Give amazing a chance. GO GO GO! I dare ya!

Your life is happening right here, right now. Make it amazing!
   
Thanks, and until next time, go ahead and Dare to be Amazing! What have you got to lose?