| My experience is that most people quit on | | | | bicycle, how do you fare? Were you able to just |
| themselves. We get all excited about a project or | | | | jump on that bicycle and RIDE? Probably not. |
| task, get to the difficult or tedious part and quit. | | | | However because we decided that we were going |
| When you quit on yourself, it isn't just you that is | | | | to learn and enjoy the benefits of riding the bicycle |
| affected. I now realize that the times in the past | | | | we practiced, practiced and practiced some more. |
| that I quit on myself have negatively that has | | | | Once we mastered the basics we continued on and |
| impacted my life and the lives of my family and | | | | learned how to do some tricks, like riding with our |
| friends. | | | | hands off the handle bars. Personally I never |
| Do you run away from the challenges in your life or | | | | mastered that one because after I fell and hurt |
| do you face them head on and say "bring it on". | | | | myself a couple of times I quit. I told myself that I |
| Unfortunately many people have been taught to | | | | didn't need to learn that anyway! To the best of my |
| make decisions based on fear, it is their default. What | | | | recollection that was the beginning of my quitting |
| is your default? I have had the privilege of entering a | | | | habit. I conquered the basics and never developed |
| totally new environment in my mid 30's, I learned | | | | the expert level skill. It took me many years to |
| how to scuba dive. Very shortly after I was certified | | | | recognize what I was doing. Now I keep "taking my |
| I took a diving holiday to the Caribbean. Before my | | | | hands off the handle bars" and develop skills to the |
| first dive I was informed that barracuda run/swim | | | | expert level in the areas where I have a passion to |
| away from scuba divers, they are more afraid of us | | | | do so. Can you pinpoint where you began to develop |
| than we are of them. On my first dive I was able to | | | | the habit of quitting? Send me an email, tell me the |
| put that to the test. There was the barracuda... I | | | | story, you will find my email address below. Sharing |
| hesitated for a moment...decided to listen to what | | | | the story assists in changing the habit, plus it will also |
| the dive master told me...swam toward the barracuda | | | | assist in recognizing where you quit in other areas of |
| and sure enough he turned around and swam away. | | | | your life. |
| It was an awesome experience and I was able to | | | | "People of mediocre ability sometimes achieve |
| prove to myself that sometimes my fear is all in my | | | | outstanding success because they don't know when |
| head. Challenging my fear was very powerful and | | | | to quit. Most people succeed because they are |
| eye opening. | | | | determined to." George E Allen |
| An example where most of us would never quit; | | | | 3. Look at who you hang out with - do they quit? |
| have you ever lost your car keys? If you have, did | | | | One of the ways you can predict your own future is |
| you ever give up looking for them? My belief would | | | | by looking at who you associate with. If you are |
| be probably not! We may get a little frantic and | | | | "hangin" with people who are going nowhere then |
| involve everyone we can in the search, but we keep | | | | you will go nowhere too. I used to smoke, drink |
| looking until we find them. | | | | excessively and party right along with all my friends. |
| Three actions have assisted me in becoming more of | | | | My life was not what I wanted it to be, not what I |
| a winner than a quitter. | | | | had dreamed of when I was growing up. With that |
| 1) Look and act like a winner | | | | lifestyle comes a limited ability to achieve results as I |
| 2) Practice, practice, practice | | | | was not feeding myself physically or mentally with |
| 3) Look at who you hang out with - do they quit? | | | | the right kind of "food" in order to prosper in any |
| 1. Look and Act Like a Winner | | | | area of my life. I realized I was fitting perfectly into |
| Do - Be - Have... If we desire to change our results | | | | Einstein's definition of insanity which is "to continue |
| we must change what we do. For me the first step | | | | doing the same thing, and expect different results". I |
| was to "do" as much as I could toward the results | | | | started to make some tough decisions. I changed |
| that I wanted. One change that I made quite quickly | | | | who I associated with, through various means, |
| was "looking like a winner". For me this involved how | | | | because it was not always my decision. When i quit |
| I "wrapped the package" to quote Joel Bauer. I | | | | smoking and going to parties all the time my friends |
| became aware of my posture, how I stood, the way | | | | of the time quit calling, I was no longer "fun to be |
| I walked and the look on my face. I started by | | | | with". When I started thinking differently and creating |
| standing up straighter, walking with purpose and | | | | the habit of personal development, other friends |
| confidence (even if I didn't feel like it), and smiling | | | | wanted to know why I was wasting my time on |
| more often. After a while all of these actions became | | | | "that stuff". I found that we no longer had the same |
| habits. I had realized that if I wanted to be a winner | | | | desires. My desires for my life had changed to the |
| that no one else would do it for me. I decided to | | | | point where I had to move on. Today I hang out |
| "just do it" for myself. | | | | with very different people and my life reflects that, a |
| "Quitters never win and winners never quit." Vincent | | | | change I am very happy that I made. |
| Thomas "Vince" Lombardi | | | | "The real winners in life are the people who look at |
| 2. Practice, practice, practice | | | | every situation with an expectation that they can |
| My strategic business coach John Di Lemme tells me | | | | make it work or make it better." Barbara Pletcher |
| that "Perfect practice makes perfect". Many people | | | | Are you ready to become a winner in your life? Are |
| have the belief that they are going to be able to do | | | | you ready to make the decision to "feed" yourself |
| something perfect on the first attempt. I used to be | | | | with the actions and behaviors you know you need |
| one of them! Occasionally this will happen but it is | | | | to do? |
| rare. A great example is learning how to ride a | | | | |