People always show the highlight reel, but hardly show their blooper reel. I talk about quitting on this blog, but we need to talk about starting. Part of that blooper reel is trying to start. I think starting is harder than quitting.
Day 1: You roll out of bed and try something new. I imagine...
Arnold Schwarzenegger started with his first rep on the bench press.
Stephen King wrote a story about a high school girl.
Michael Jordan started with a jump shot.
Simone Biles started with a cartwheel.
Fred wanted to be big.
Tom Brady started with a toss of the football.
Steffi Graf started with a racket.
Serena and Venus...damn they just badass...LOL
The point is they started. If you are reading this then don't think anymore, start your day one.
Day 2,042:
Arnold finished a grueling leg day.
Michael finished practice, pissed about a free throw.
Stephen gets rejection letter number 64.
Simone finished a rough day of practice; toes felt funny to the touch.
Tom Brady finished viewing tape of the last game.
Fred took a year off after not placing in his 6th show, full of frustration.
Steffi Graf cursed at a missed shot, just inches from the line.
Bill Gates threw a keyboard in frustration.
Zuckerberg deleted lines of code by mistake.
Megan feels a sharp pain in her knee while she passes the ball.
Venus and Serena...no pains or issues, just perfect! :)
Setbacks and failures are common among us. Are you still in the game or did you quit by now? Can't see what's ahead? Can't see the point? They didn't either, however they still practiced. They still persevered. You have a job, you have a family, and you have obligations. Some things we can't control but somethings we can. If you are reading this then know setbacks are waiting for you. They are the teachers.
Day 3,650
Arnold starred in a movie about a cyborgs who threaten humanity. What if he quit after he broke his leg on a platform?
Michael just won x number of championships with the Bulls. What if he quit after his dad was murdered?
Stephen King...what if he quit after he got hit by a car? Better question, what if he quit when he got rejection letter #84?
What if Simone quit when she broke her rib in 2016? What if she gave up after she hurt her shoulder in 2014?
There is a pattern of persistence with successful people. This is pointed out in the book Outliers, by Malcolm Gladwell. I haven't read that book in a few years and it's worthy of a pickup. I think successful people are what they do, and they do it without ceasing. If you can do something on your worse day, then you won. When I trained, my goal was to train 300 out of 365 days a year. Some years I beat that number because I was so hungry for success. Some years I didn't. It's okay. One year was twice a week for the whole year because I couldn't see the end. The only end I saw was a glass full of alcohol. One night I decided I didn't want to drink, I wanted to be big again, and I went after it. I had day one again, and again, and again.
What's your number? How many days will you commit out of a year to achieve success? Are you okay with starting again after you quit?
If you are trying something, don't just try it. Become it. Don't start day one thinking about the results. Just become what you are doing. Take your time. Instead of focusing on supermodel Jane, focus on learning exercises that target what you want to tone. Turn off Jane's IG and google a good diet plan. Don't worry about writer Bob's movie deal, worry about your character who is minutes from dying on your pages. We all have day one, and we all have day "I don't feel like it." It's okay. Push through.
