Thursday, January 9, 2014

Show Up : An Underrated Key To Achievement.

Showing Up: One of the most underrated keys to achieving what You deserve & desire.

When I first got to college I remember a Professor telling our class that they took attendance even thought coming to class wasn't mandatory. They also shared that showing up would earn us 10% of our final grade. Another 10% would be earned by participating lightly in class discussions. So 20% of our total grade was directly related to just showing up. That meant that even getting 50% on the rest of the course breakdown (exams, assignments and tests) would result in an overall passing grade.
What?!

At first this didn't seem fair. Why should everyone receive 'easy' marks for simply showing up?!
I learned later why. I learned later the importance of simply showing up.

You see it is hard for us to achieve anything in any arena if we don't, first, show up. In no way am I saying that only showing up is going to get the work done but very few people who build a habit of showing up can do so without giving, at the very least, a small effort. And when we habitually show up and habitually put in, again at the very least, a little effort we get results that we desire. Results tend to mirror our effort and constancy. That's to say a little effort over a little time will yield a little of what You desire and deserve. The formula works even more fruitfully in our favour when our effort increases along with our commitment over time:

Amount of Effort x Amount Of Time = Amount Of Desired Results

It's hard to put in an effort when we don't even show up. How many great workouts have You had that didn't have a start? Or what work have You ever done well that You've not first started just to do?

Showing up is essential to learning to be better at whatever craft we are looking to be better at. Who's heard of a basketball player who gets better without going to practice and going through hundreds of repetitions (sorry Mr. Iverson).

The amount of effort we put in to something multiplied by the amount of time we commit to that same thing will give us the amount of our desired results. On the path towards getting what we most desire & deserve we will undoubtedly come up against many challenges and obstacles but if we don't come to them we never get through them and that means we never get to where we need in our souls to go. In order to make it through the toughest times we need practice, we need repetitions in dealing with, learning from and triumphing over challenges. And we cannot get our reps in if we don't show up.

Prayers for an amazing journey as You habitually show up in Your life to shine brightly and grow faithfully.

Bless,
M.


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Monday, January 6, 2014

Vision is like sight - where We focus is what We see.


Vision is like sight - where You focus is what You'll see.

Everyday our eyes take in millions of pieces of information - a ridiculous number of colours and their various shades as well as objects of all sorts of sizes and shapes. Through an incredible process we filter out all the things that don't currently matter to us and see what we need to see. Think about it - when driving how many things do we pass that we don't take in or even notice. Or on a route that we regularly walk think about all the small details (or sometimes huge details) that we disregard. I guess it's how we've evolved in order to survive - notice what we must and forget the rest.

In our daily lives our minds are also flooded with thousands of messages - ads from marketers, messages on social networks, texts, emails, phone calls, people and the constant stream of thoughts from within our own heads. 
It is a wonder that we are able to accomplish anything in our daily lives!

Just like our eyes, our minds (and spirits) learn to filter out the stuff that doesn't matter based on a filtering system that we are in control of, that is to say we choose what we 'need' to see. The problem comes when we stop consciously monitoring that filtering system that's when the things that shouldn't matter start to take the place of the things that should matter and we end up caring more about (and being stressed more about) things that don't really matter.

When I got into downhill biking I was taught to look where I wanted to go. This was a useful tip when navigating myself between trees and cliff edges that were inches to my left and right. I learned the same thing when learning to drive a car and again when learning to ride a motorcycle. Intuitively what we do when we see danger in our path is to look at it, stare at it and this paralyzes our ability to steer away from it. In fact it magnetizes us right to it. My first crash was a result of a very big tree being in a place where I didn't expect a very big tree. As I leaned a corner roaring down a mountain at speeds which made the "no fear" sticker on my helmet a lie, a tree 'popped out of nowhere'. Once I saw it I couldn't take my eyes of it (well I wouldn't, I could have easily looked to the right of the tree and made the needed manoeuvre to continue on my desired path). As I stared at the tree I remember very little except feeling like it was drawing me into it. After impact and once I was airborne I remember thinking that it was taking a mighty long time to hit the ground. That thought ended as I smashed into and rolled along the mountain floor. Several rolls later I stopped as my body slammed into some rocks and my bike hurled itself down the hill towards me. Bad crash, long recovery and lesson learned. Pain brought growth. Sweet.

Focus is our Creator given ability to filter what it is we see. Focus allows us to shape our experiences and to get what we desire in life. Vision allows us to plan, to see that which doesn't yet exist. Vision is where our faith gains strength. And that strength grows with focus.

Vision is like sight - where we focus is what we see.

I pray that You, continually monitor Your focus, Your filters and find Your way towards Your vision.
I pray that I continually do the same.
Bless,
M.



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Thursday, January 2, 2014

2014 I will be more vulnerable. My January 2nd Diary Post "I will not let the excitement of a pending change distract me from executing the plan to make the desired change MY reality."

I will be more vulnerable in 2014. One of the things I planned to do was share a piece of what I write to myself & my Creator with You...

 January 2nd. 
 Dear Diary, 
                 Today's message: 
I will not let the excitement of a pending change distract me from executing the plan to make the desired change MY reality. 
It will take passion, perseverance and patience but it is so worth it. I remember when the doctors told me that the 6 fractures in my leg would limit me from many of the athletic activities I love. Or when doctors told me that vocal chord damage would limit my ability to speak and that church choir wasn't an option. Or before that when as a premature baby they thought my under developed heart wouldn't let me survive the rigors of the stress my little body would undergo in hopes of being, at best, 'almost normal'. Haha, six feet & four inches, two hundred and fifteen pounds and thirty three years later to God be the glory I've made it this far. With a spectacular year gone, one in which I endured some of my greatest pain and two of my greatest losses I've learned more about myself, my creator, my resilience and my ability to make my dreams come true. I've worked with mentors and people in my industry I look up to, I've traveled to places that growing up in the neighborhood I started in weren't even seen on television. I've turned some of my worst moments into learning how to truly appreciate the best ones that are en route - and the fact that they are better than what I've experienced in the last 6 months got me beyond excited and so very, very grateful. I pray for the people I've hurt & I pray that I will be able to rectify those wrongs. I pray for those around me that are hurting, I pray that I can share something that helps them see their own greatness, to see You Creator. 
Man, Mark do not stop. Do not get comfortable. I will not let the excitement of a pending change distract me from executing the plan to make the desired change MY reality... I will not let the excitement of a pending change distract me from executing the plan to make the desired change MY reality... I will not let the excitement of a pending change distract me from executing the plan to make the desired change MY reality. 

Mark I love You. 
Creator I am grateful to You. 
Universe I thank You for the timely and abundant deliveries.


Thank You for allowing me to continue to share, continue to learn to be open.
Bless,
M.




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