For all the marbles

What moves you? What keeps you up at night thinking? What gives you the faith to know that you will actually succeed? What are you playing for?

You may not think like me…but I hope you ask yourself these types of questions too. Questions like this inspire me. Even as I write this I feel the adrenaline pumping through my body. I believe we have unlimited potential and that we can achieve anything we set out to do. Don’t get me wrong…it’s extremely difficult to achieve any level of success in any area of our life. But I believe it is possible and that it enough for me to play the game. Often I think about all the overnight success stories out there and laugh. There are very few “overnight successes” but the world would have us think that this may be the case. When people set out to try and achieve their goals, very often they find how difficult it is and they quit. Most times we fail to realize the amount of work that went into building the success of the individuals we think are overnight successes.

I believe we knew how difficult it was going to be to live on this earth before we decided to come here….but we chose to come anyway. I admit there are days that this is difficult to comprehend for me….but there are days that this knowledge inspires me to do more and to be more. You don’t have to agree with my beliefs to be my friend…but know that this is what I believe.

So let me ask you again… What moves you? What keeps you up at night thinking? What gives you the faith to know that you will actually succeed? What are you playing for?

As for me?…. I know what moves me...and I am playing for all the marbles.

Chalk it up to experience

I was reflecting on lessons learned the other day and realized something. There is much more value in the phrase "chalk it up to experience", than we realize. I have always heard people say that almost as if it was an everyday saying. But as I thought about it, I realized how incredible this phrase really is. As we stumble through life, hopefully we are learning and growing from each experience. I know this last year for me has been the greatest learning experience of my life. Learning how to deal with life's unexpected changes. Learning how to deal with life's ups and downs. Learning how to take care of a family of four children. Learning how to not dwell on the past. These are all things that shape us. All these things strengthen us for what is next in life.

I once heard someone say "everything you have done up until this point has prepared you for this moment right now". I believe that. I also believe the more times we fail forward...the more successful we can become. This pertains to all areas of our life (spiritual, mental, physical, economic, family). The more experiences we have and the more lessons we learn, the closer we are to finding the right "groove" for our lives.

So remember...with each difficult learning moment comes wisdom and growth. Be proud to say "chalk it up to experience", because that means you are closer to achieving greatness.