Kobayashi Maru and Little League

For Star Trek fans, the Kobayashi Maru test is a great example of losing even when committing no errors. Sometimes in life, there are no win situations that we must endure. Life is full of twists and turns that cannot be anticipated. It's about how you handle the situation of losing that you can learn from.

I remember a time when I was in grade school and playing little league baseball, we played for the division championship. Our team of grade school kids were really good and we had one of the best seasons that year. During the playoffs, we lost by 1 run to the eventual champions in a heated game. Our team didn't commit any errors and we played our hearts out, but lost the game. That feeling of losing a big game was hard on all of us at the time, but we eventually took that experience to heart and had a better season the next year. We felt that we should have won that game, but learned a bigger lesson in losing. Life is funny that way.

Even President Obama has bad days

Even President Obama has had his credit card rejected from Nasir Shakouri

We all have good days and bad days. You can't let the good days get to your head and you can't let the bad days get to your heart. This segment always gets a chuckle out of me every time I watch it. Keep fighting and remember that even President Obama has bad days too. Happy Thursday everyone!

Sometimes the thing holding you back is all in your head

Lots of people don't achieve their dreams because they are too afraid to try. They feel that they aren't smart enough or strong enough or experienced enough to make their dreams come true. The fact is, most people hold themselves back because they convince themselves that they cannot do it. Life is too short to worry about the what ifs and coulda woulda's. Don't be like this horse tied up to a plastic chair and kick your plastic chair down.

One of my favorite cartoons

 

I really love this comic. It sends such a positive message about trying whatever it takes to overcome an obstacle, even when the odds are stacked against you. You may fail 999 out 1000 times, but not trying is the biggest failure.

Discipline over Motivation

I just saw this message and it really got me thinking. There are a lot of books and seminars about getting motivated or motivating yourself to be better, but motivation is temporary. Everyday discipline may be a lot harder to achieve, but it is much more sustainable if you practice it consistently. When you are disciplined, you will be able to be more productive even when you don't feel like being productive.

Steps to being more disciplined:

1. Start small - Do the little things and try to be consistent. If you don't usually make your bed in the morning, start with that.

2. Stay consistent - Do it everyday and try not to miss a day. Remember, it only takes 2 minutes in the morning.

3. Expand - Now start cleaning your desk, your room, your kitchen, etc. Remember to stay consistent. You will realize that you start doing these things even when you don't feel like it.

4. Let it flow - Keep it up and let it flow to different aspects of your life. Keeping a routine definitely helps.

The key to being disciplined is staying the course and doing things even when you really don't feel like doing it. Challenge yourself and stay with it. You can do it!

#Discipline  > #Motivation.

Get the hell out of Hell

There are times in every entrepreneur's career when they feel like they can't do it anymore and they can't handle the hell they are going through. Winston Churchill said it best that "if you're going through hell, keep going." The only way to get out of the rutt you are stuck in, is to keep on trucking and moving past the point of pain. There are many successful entrepreneurs that have contemplated giving up right before making their breakthrough. If they did give up and stopped what they were doing, we probably would have never heard of them. Remember that the hell you are going through is not permanent and it is in your control to maneuver out of it.

Success is an iceberg, people only see the tip

 

I've talked to famous athletes and a lot of them have said the same thing to me about their success. People and fans only see what they do on the field, court, etc. and do not know that getting to that platform took countless hours. Success takes a huge amount commitment and sacrifice that only shows up when the work has been done. Next time you see your favorite athlete on TV or see a successful colleague, remember that what you are seeing is the pay off for all the hours of hard work that has gone unnoticed. People usually see the tip of the iceberg, but rarely see what makes the tip.