The Most Important Question You Can Ask Yourself

0

Inspired

Once upon a time, two thirteen-year-old boys were watching the track and field Summer Olympics events on television.  Neither of them had previously spent any time watching amateur athletes strive with their heart and soul to be their absolute best, so the boys were mesmerized by the passion, determination, and athletic grace displayed by the Olympic competitors.  In a moment of unadulterated inspiration, the two of them made a pact to become Olympic track and field competitors before their twenty-first birthdays.

That afternoon, over a glass of chocolate milk, they mapped out a rigorous training plan that involved frequent workouts both before and after school.  “If we stick to our training, we’ll be just as good the athletes on T.V.” one boy said to the other.  “I can’t wait to get started!” the other boy replied.

The next morning at 6AM the two boys woke-up, put their running shoes on, and met outside to begin their first official training session.  As they began running down the block, both of them had radiant smiles on their mugs.  “This is awesome!” one boy exclaimed as they trotted toward the sunrise.

Reality Raises One Question

About nine minutes later, a mile down the road, the harsh truth inevitably revealed itself.  Both of them were out of shape, slow, and completely out of breath.  They had no previous athletic training and no clue how difficult it would be.  All they could think about now were the aches, pains and exhaustion their bodies were experiencing.

Huffing and puffing, both boys stopped running and one fell to the ground on the side of the road.  “This is way harder than I thought,” the fallen boy said between breaths.

“Tell me about it,” the other boy agreed as he, too, fell to the ground gasping for air.  “Do you think it’s worth it?”
The other boy did not answer.  Instead, both of them rested on the cool morning grass in complete silence for several minutes, slowly regaining their breath, and thinking about the question.
Suddenly the first fallen boy forced himself to his feet.  “Yeah, I do think it’s worth it!  Do you?”
The other boy stood up slowly and nodded.  “Yeah, dude.  I think so too.”
And without further hesitation, both of them began running again.

The Journey

The following month, they joined their middle school track and field team.  With continued practice and guidance from their coach, both of them eventually placed in the top ten percentile for various middle school track competitions during their seventh and eighth grade school years.

In high school, they spent all four years on the track and field and cross country running teams.  Both of them consistently placed in the top five percentile for their grade and won various gold, silver, and bronze awards in the district competitions.  During their senior year, their track and field team made it to the state competition.  One boy walked away with a silver medal for the long jump and the other won a bronze medal for the 1500 meter run.

They both earned and accepted track and field scholarships to different state colleges.  Over the course of the next two years, even though they were apart, they trained passionately, competed head to head against one another on several occasions, and each won various collegiate events.  One time, they even placed first and second overall in the same exact event.

And although neither of them earned an Olympic medal, during their junior year of college, at the age of 20, they were reunited as teammates when they represented their country in the Summer Olympics.

Conclusion

When I was young, I was fortunate enough to have parents and mentors who taught me that the people who achieve their dreams and make the greatest impact in the world – whether athletically, musically, politically, technologically or otherwise – are rarely the most talented or gifted individuals.

They are instead the ones who work the hardest, and who are willing to overcome all obstacles to see their dreams through to fruition.

The moments when we feel uncertain about how to move forward, when we are inspired by our dreams but overwhelmed by the work required to achieve them, are the moments when we must ask ourselves one simple question:
Do you think it’s worth it?

What Is It?

0

If you want to

0

What do they love?

0

The Routine

0

How Much Sacrifice Does it Take to Start a Business

0
Like many people I know, back in 2007 my employer was badly affected by the banking crisis and subsequent economic climate. Given that I was working at a bank, you can imagine things got a little more precarious than usual.

Despite all that and a wobbly business climate, in 2008 I still decided to leave my job and start my own business. The allure of working for myself, in control of my day-to-day working environment was too strong. I’d been planning and plotting for probably 9 months (I’ll spare you the pregnancy metaphor), and to be honest, had initially planned to just freelance on the side, too risk adverse to take the plunge completely. Although I wasn’t in danger of losing my own job, even just a small taste of the freedom and possibilities of entrepreneurship was irresistible. And three years later, with a fairly successful business, I have no regrets. Zero.

Along my twisted journey, which has been a lot of fun and a lot of hard work, there’s been one common theme that I keep bumping into: sacrifice.

What is Sacrifice, Exactly?

The word sacrifice reminds me of an earlier discussion here on DLM, which comes first: Success or Happiness. But what does sacrifice mean, anyway? Google kindly suggests a number of religious and sports themed definitions, but for the moment, let’s choose this one:

to give up (something important or valued) for the sake of other considerations

Seems like a fair enough definition. But what does one give up when making the entrepreneurship leap? Well, everyone is different, but my list includes:
  • Time. I know zero business owners who work fewer hours than they did while in a corporate job. That can change later on in your business career, but the beginning is mostly just hard work.

  • Delegating Responsibility. If you work for someone else, if something goes wrong you can easily pass the buck. (Or in the classic corporate scenario, it’s more like a game of finger pointing.) When an entrepreneur, the buck always stops with you, whether you like it or not. Cashflow, sales, taxes: all your responsibility now.

  • Sanity. A lot of entrepreneurs will tell you it is, technically speaking, crazy to go into business. You constantly have to take risks, stick your neck out, take criticism on the chin, fail often. It’s a wonder your average business owner doesn’t run around town screaming like a manic.

  • Benefits. You know, benefits, those cushy things that employers give their staff to tempt them to stick around. The biggest one is health insurance, for those living in countries without public health care. Retirement funds and investments are also tempting treats that when you work for yourself, you have to take care of yourself.
But how much sacrifice does it take to start a business?
Ok, so enough with the examples of sacrifice – just remember that sacrifice is different for everybody. But how much sacrifice is required?

It depends.

I wish I could tell you how many of your children’s birthdays you’ll miss. I wish I could warn you about how much overconsumption of caffeine you’ll have, and how many nights you won’t sleep because you’re worried about paying your mortgage. I’d love to say that you’ll be breaking even within a year, or that in 6 years you’ll cash out as a millionaire.

But alas I can’t tell you these things. Every business is different, and each is a swirling mix of luck and hard work.

What I can tell you is that no matter how much sacrifice is required, I feel it is always worth it. Why? Because as the business owner, I am the one in control. I can decide what risks are worth taking, how much time to spend, and how hard to push.


నచ్చితే నలుగురికి చెప్పండి...నచ్చక పొతే వదిలి పడేయండి ....!



Prayer Vs Doing Something

0

9 Little Steps to an Awesome 5K Run

0
Five kilometers is a great distance for runners of all abilities. Its 3.106-mile length is perfect for the beginner looking to test their stamina. There’s a 5K race almost every weekend for those intermediate runners looking to set a personal record. For the advanced runner, it is a perfect length to tune-up before a longer distance race.

However, the best part may be that the 5K isn’t just for runners! If you would like to have a lot of fun, set an attainable fitness goal and feel fantastic about your accomplishment, you should find a local 5K run and give it a try. You can even run with your spouse or bring your entire family to share the experience together.

Whether you are a beginner, intermediate or advanced runner (or not a runner at all), these nine little steps will lead you to an awesome 5K. Let’s get started!
  1. Find Your Motivation
    The choice to change and improve your fitness level is resonating within you, but you may lack motivation, desire or self-control. If you find you start new fitness quests but never finish them, you likely don’t have a big enough “Why” or enough Whys to see you to the end.

    Your Whys are the specific emotional ties that help you get out of bed in the morning to workout and control yourself at meal time. Your reasons should be very personal, but they could include things like feeling confident when you enter a meeting, looking sexy for your spouse on an upcoming vacation, or even living to see your kids grow up and get married.

    Write down all of the emotional reasons that you have for completing your 5K run and don’t hold back.

  2. Pick a Plan that Fits You
    There are many plans out there, both free and paid, that will take you from a sedentary state to running a strong 5K within 6-10 weeks. Picking a plan that is right for you is of utmost importance since finding a plan that fits your particular fitness needs and available training time will increase your chances of staying on track to your 5K.

    At Fit Marriage, we have developed a free 6-week 5K training plan that is designed to get you running well while improving your overall fitness and shedding excess weight, and it requires less than 30 minutes for each training session. Feel free to pick it up and see if it suits you.

  3. Commit To The Plan
    The excitement that occurs when you begin a program is awesome! You launch out of the starting blocks with everything you have. Unfortunately for some of you, that excitement will fizzle out and it makes it difficult to continue on your 5K journey.

    Once you find a training plan that will accommodate your life, you simply need to commit to your plan and mentally make it your own. This would also be a great time to find a specific race that coincides with the completion of your training and get signed up!

  4. Set Measurable & Specific Goals
    Once you’re committed to a plan, you should set goals that will keep you motivated and excited about completing your 5K. This could be as simple as completing your first 5K, a specific time you want to complete the event in, running the entire course without walking or stopping, or it could be a combination of losing weight and toning your body over the course of your training program with the 5K race simply representing the final event.

  5. Track Your Progress by Writing it Down
    Print out your program and after each workout that you complete put a check mark by it or cross it out. Add comments that will help you during your next workout.

    This will be a visible reminder of what you have accomplished so far. Make it known to your family and friends that you are training for a 5K. Share your experiences, post about your runs on Facebook, or blog about it. If you have a GPS device, track your run/walks and upload them so you can monitor your time, distance, average speed, and calories burned as specific measures of your progress.

  6. Focus on Your “Personal Best”
    In today’s world, we are always looking at how well the other person did. It’s time for you to look at yourself in the mirror and become the best version of you that you can become.

    There are many ways that you can grow as an athlete. When it comes to running a 5K, it could be setting a time for yourself and beating it on race day, or you can compete in a race with hilly terrain. For your non-running workouts, you can add weights, bands or a medicine ball to each exercise to add an element of difficulty. Push yourself to do your best.

  7. Build Your Support Team
    Having a support group around you can make the difference when it comes to putting your very best effort into your 5K training. These are folks who will be there to pick you up when you are down, and you should be selective to choose individuals who will stick by you. Your spouse makes a great accountability partner!

    The social aspect of running is one reason many get into it. If you are not training with your spouse or a close friend, look for a local running club you can meet up with if your schedule permits.

  8. Find a Mantra
    Pick a short phrase that you say over and over in your head to keep you motivated. You can even yell it out if you have to, as long as it keeps you fired up and moving forward! Finding a mantra is as easy as finding a quote in a magazine, listening to your iPod and hearing something that resonates with you, or getting words of inspiration from your spouse.

  9. Prepare for Obstacles Along the Way
    Life happens. We are busy folks with jobs, families, other activities, and more. If we don’t prepare ourselves and how we will get our workouts in when obstacles happen, more times than not we simply won’t do our workouts.

    Instead of focusing on how you won’t be able to complete your workout, refocus your energy on how you can make it happen. Maybe you can’t do the entire workout because you’ve had a really long day at work or a meeting came up. Instead of spending 30 minutes on the workout, just do 15 minutes worth. If you can’t be outside, use your stairs or run in place if that’s what it takes. Just get something in on the workout days so that you keep moving forward.
Just follow these nine little steps to get ready for your first (or best) 5K run. You’ll feel fantastic when you cross the finish line, and you may even start calling yourself a runner!

నచ్చితే నలుగురికి చెప్పండి...నచ్చక పొతే వదిలి పడేయండి ....!



Parking Violation

0

This is what I think of your sign

0

Taste The Rainbow, I Dare You

0

Turn Clothing Into New Kids

0

Music For Babies

0

Your Best Feed Back

Search-Results

Google Website Translator

 

Subscribe Now: Feed Icon

Search This Blog