Welcome to our seventh session together. Our time grows short; only one more session after this one.
Up until now, we've been focusing on the essential elements of success. We've discussed and considered what success means. We've exposed the secret of success. We've examined the one obstacle that stands in the way of achieving ultimate success – ego – and focused on the most important thing: determining the direction of your life. And we've discussed how life works.
You might be wondering: that's all well and good, but cut to the chase. What specifically can I do now, to change my mind, my choices, and my life?
Before we get into specific action steps, I want to tell you about a remarkable person.
Born the twentieth of twenty-two siblings at the tail end of the Great Depression, this baby girl came prematurely into this world to let her light shine brightly. By the age of four, after having suffered every childhood malady, her left leg and foot were growing weak and deformed. She was diagnosed with polio.
The doctor told her mom she would never walk. Her mom, a woman of faith, told her she would walk, and she believed her mom.
The entire family got involved in the young girl's therapy. That family didn't have much money, but they did love and support each other. The young girl was tutored at home by mom and siblings. But watching her brothers and sisters, she always wanted to go to school.
Progressing, literally one step at a time, soon she was able to walk with the aid of a metal brace, and after years of hard work and family help, she was able to graduate to a special shoe and attend school.
Now that she could join her brothers and sisters, she was determined to do what they did.
The kids played basketball and tag and raced each other. In the beginning, this young girl always came in last, but that didn't discourage her, it just made her work harder. She ran and ran and ran every day, acquiring a sense of determination, a sense of spirit to never ever give up, no matter what else happened. By the time she was twelve, she was racing the boys; by thirteen, she was beating everyone.
Her game of choice was basketball. She approached basketball like she did running; she was determined to get better. In middle school and junior high, she was a benchwarmer, but by her sophomore year in high school, she became a starting guard. She went on to become an all-state player and lead her team to a state championship.
Recognized for her speed, before graduating from high school, she was invited to join the Tennessee State University Tigerbelles track team.
Having come from humble beginnings and overcoming what many would consider to be insurmountable obstacles, she went on to set world records in the one hundred and two hundred meter sprints in the 1960 Olympics in Rome and brought home a third gold medal, leading the US women's team to victory in the four by one-hundred relay.
Wilma Rudolph, the young girl, told by doctors she would never walk, earned, earned the title of the "World's Fastest Women."
Now Wilma didn't set out with the goal of becoming the fastest woman in the world. She just kept moving forward; she kept heading in the right direction. And she achieved amazing things.
Wilma is an extraordinary example; and you may not intend to be a gold-medal Olympian, but that's not why I brought up Wilma. Wilma progressed from no-where to end up somewhere extraordinary by means of a simple path; a path you and I can follow. Just follow the path...
Determine where you want to go. Move in that direction.
Don't let the arrogance or fear of ego derail you; keep moving forward. And obey the law: Remember, life intends to grow. Don't resist – keep growing. Thoughts become things. Think. Use your most powerful asset to set yourself up for success. And remember, give, give first; only then will you receive.
Simple enough – right?
Well, if you don't think that's enough of a prescription, a formula, or a plan, then I have a dozen essentials for you to consider to help you move forward.
Whoa, whoa, whoa – you're probably thinking – a dozen things; what happened to ‘keep it simple'?
I'm not giving you this list to slow you down. I'm providing these essentials because if you are, like me, one of those analytical types; simple stuff is simply too easy to resist.
Consider these to start building momentum.
First: You are not alone; don't try to go it alone.
Enlist some help. Find some allies. Build a mastermind group. Surround yourself with positive, growth-oriented, supportive people. Support others, and they will support you.
Second: Think; pray, meditate – call it what you'd like; think and discover the still, small voice within, guiding you, prompting you, and supporting you. Find your power within.
Three: Count your blessings. You have everything you need; if you didn't, you wouldn't be alive. Build and attitude of gratitude and count your blessings every day.
Four: Confront the brutal facts. Look, if you're not where you want to be; and you're not who you want to be, realize you have made some wrong choices. Don't be looking to place blame, just honestly assess where you are and what choices have led you here. Make new choices and start heading in a better direction.
Refer back to our first essential: you are not alone. Find the right kind of help.
Five: Knowing what you know now, and with the support, you've enlisted, define that goal or end-state you're aiming for. Define it vividly with emotion to make it exciting and real.
Six: Desire is your motivation. Deliberately cultivate your "WHY," your purpose for achieving your end-state. Your "WHY" fuels your advance and makes all the difference.
Seven: Anticipate obstacles and eliminate excuses. If going somewhere extraordinary was easy, everyone would be there now. The exhilaration of achievement is reserved for those willing to pay the price to get there. Obstacles are growth opportunities, and excuses foster resistance – eliminate them.
Eight: Assume full and total responsibility for your life and your advance. When you do, you claim your power.
Nine: Have faith and believe. What you seek, seeks you. What you think about you become. I can't guarantee what's going to come next; but I can guarantee that you are going to experience change. Have faith in and believe whatever's next; whatever you've chosen is going to help you grow and become; is going to help you advance – and it will.
Ten: Cultivate a habit of action. Habits are things we do automatically, without thinking. Adopt and nurture habits to keep you moving in that positive direction, even when doubt rears its ugly head. And know this: if you are going anywhere worthwhile, doubt is going to rear its ugly head.
Eleven: Define baby steps. You don't need to have the entire path laid out. Just orient yourself in the direction of that next right baby step.
And finally, twelve: Take that next step. Take that baby step to move in the right direction toward your greatest success.
Wilma used all of these essentials to do extraordinary things. You can too. Cutting to the chase, requires action. Keep moving – keep advancing – keep laughing – keep loving.
Unfortunately, our journey together is nearing its end. We have one final session where we will discuss the next step. Catch you in lesson eight.
