Never Settle For Less

It seems that 99% of things change at a rapid pace.  Just as we’ve finally adjusted to the way things are something new comes along and blows us away.  Before I continue I’d like you to perform an exercise with me.

Think about yourself 5 years ago.  Remember the things you used to own or care about?  The TV, clothes, shoes, car, video games, toys for the kids, relationships, and whatever else you owned or where involved with.  Now fast forward to today.  Of those things you listed.  How many of them are still a regular part of your daily life?  I’m willing to bet about $1,000 (my whole life’s savings) that the number is between 1 and 1.5 .

Follow me as I illustrate more points.
Technology

For the past 3 weeks I’ve been personally struggling with a technology change.  As you may or may not now I plan to go into the business of professional speaking in the future.  My speaking coach Phil Parker ( www.philparker.com ) has one  speaker that he considers to be the pinnacle.  In his opinion Nido Qubein is the best on the planet.   Naturally, I wanted to see the best on the planet and form some opinions of my own.
Unfortunately, the only videos Phil had were in VHS format.  I hadn’t thought about a VCR in 8 years before he brought it up.  I was determined to watch the videos one way or another.

Target was my first stop on the VCR tour.  Their best offering was a VCR/DVD combo for $55.  I refuse to pay $55 for a VCR.  Next on the tour was Wal-Mart.  Same results as Target.  Let me repeat…I’m not paying $55 for outdated technology.  Finally, I went down to Goodwill.  Guess what?  THEY DIDN’T HAVE ANY.

I began to grow more and more annoyed by the moment and then a light bulb went off in my head.  DEAR OLD GRANDMA has plenty of VCRs!  Bear in mind that grandma is over 60 years old.  When I asked her to borrow a VCR the first thing she did was laugh.  The person who uses the out of date tape chewers was laughing at me for using one.  Once she got done making fun of me she agreed to send it. Once she got done with her jokes she sent me the VCR.  Must love the family right?

Say it with me…The Only Constant is Change

Career Options

Remember when they were 2 ways to make money?

1. Work for a Gigantic Company
2. Own a Gigantic Company

These days people are making money a million different ways. A friend of mine makes junior executive level pay playing online poker.  For about 6 months I was getting approached by a network marketer everywhere except the gym shower.  YouTube, MySpace, Facebook, Fark, and countless other websites have sprung up to provide their owners with vibrant and lucrative income streams.  Last week I went to an out of the box dating event here in Atlanta.  Without going into too much detail I’ll just say it’s easy to meet women if you let them beat you in a few innocent board games (for more information visit www.playdateatl.com).

Having said that I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that plenty of people still have great experiences working within a small, medium, or large company as well.   See how the world has expanded and stretched to accommodate a variety of career choices instead of just 2?
Say it with me again…The Only Constant is Change

Marriage

When I was younger marriage was a REALLY big deal.  People took the words “till death do us part” SERIOUSLY.  Today that seems to be less and less the case.

Case and point.  Yesterday I saw an article on MSN weighing the pros and cons of a “starter” marriage.  The idea is laid out in all its glory with supporting stories and discussion.  While I personally think the idea of marrying someone for practice is disgusting it’s not something that I can control.  I couldn’t imagine how I’d feel if I were the practice target.  Could you?
Say it with me for the last time…The Only Constant is Change

Here’s the link to that article:

http://lifestyle.msn.com/relationships/couplesandmarriage/articlemc.aspx?cp-documentid=5352156&pag
e=3

Charge is a major part of life.  This blog has only scratched the surface of how things change so rapidly in our lives.  With that being said try not to become too attached the way things are.  You may wake up in a year or 2 and be totally out of touch.  You wouldn’t want that would you?

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In the spirit of the football season I’ve decided to write a blog about one of the most challenging positions in the game.  Coaches and players call it the “island” because you’re basically out there alone.  On top of that its a very thankless position.

When you’re doing good people barely even notice.  You may get a comment here or there but not too much fuss is made about it.  All is right in the world.  The clouds are blue and the sun is shining.  The birds are singing.

Slip up and make one mistake and things go downhill in a hurry.  Every mistake the cornerback makes is magnified.  He’s one of the few players on the field who isn’t allowed to be human!   All of a sudden people are paying attention.  Screams of   “Get that guy out of there”, “you suck”, and “get that chump out of the game” start to ring out.    On top of that you get to watch the other team celebrate your failure.  I’ve yet to mention something…

All this happens in the span of about 4 seconds.  In 4 seconds you go from happy and in good spirits to dejected in terrible spirits.  Even worse is that you have a few hundred (or even a few thousand) people reminding you about it.  You then have about 60 seconds pull your face off the ground, recompose yourself, and return to form for the next play.

If you don’t have control of yourself you ride that roller coaster of emotions the whole game and your performance suffers. Every 60 seconds you’re wiping the slate clean (unless you’re playing VERY well).  You have no time to worry about what happened on the play where you gave up 3 yds, 15 yds, or 60 yds.  If you do then you’re already done.  You’re letting your team and fans down.  Bad cornerbacks stay on the roller coaster.  Good cornerbacks never get on it to begin with.

A few years ago I was discussing what goes through your head when you give up a big play with a friend of mine who used to play the position.  He said, “It feels like the weight of the world is on your shoulders.  Everyone is disappointed in you, you’re disappointed in yourself, you feel almost worthless, and the guy who just roasted you is dancing in your face letting you know he’s the best thing with 2 legs to touch the field”.  That’s a heavy load to carry especially in a position where you’re isolated and must rely on yourself and yourself only.

In a position like that you’re forced to possess a SELECTIVE and SHORT memory.  The best cornerbacks truly have it mastered.  When they give up a big play they get up and brush themselves off in a manner that’s almost inhuman.  They have to or else they can’t be their best.  That island is a lonely place and I commend anyone who step’s out there to command it.

Here is the point that I want to drive home.  Life is just like that island.  Many things come our way on a daily basis ranging from great to ridiculously awful.  We do 1 of 2 things when this happens.  Either learn to handle the situation or be destroyed by it.  I’ve learned that living like a cornerback is extremely helpful.  From time to time I’ll 100% drop the ball on something.  When I do either someone will let me know it or I know it myself.  Worrying over it and dwelling on it is a big waste of time and productivity so I don’t sweat it.  I look at the situation and learn what I need to learn.  Never do I weigh myself down thinking about what I’ve done wrong.  Life is too short.

Learn to brush the little things off so that you can keep your eyes on the big picture and ultimate goal.  If you get too caught up in what you’ve done wrong you’ll have a really difficult time doing things better.  Live like a cornerback by taking the wins as they come and learning but dwelling on the losses.

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