Only The Strong Shall Survive?

On this Wednesday as you step up to the starting line that is your life recognize that no matter what people think or say about you, when the day begins all bets are off and your passion and drive will outlast any talent you come up against.

Life is a challenge… one where passion has a way of trumping logic.

(Chad)

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Rudy!

Has anyone ever told you that you can’t do something?  Maybe they told you: you are too young.  Too old.  Not smart enough.  Not fast enough.  Not big enough.  Not strong enough.  Not tall enough.  Simply just not good enough.

Daniel “Rudy” Ruettiger was told more times than you can count that he wasn’t good enough and just wasn’t meant to play football at Notre Dame.  But he realized that sometimes a winner is a dreamer who just won’t quit.

Often times in our lives things become difficult and the easiest thing to do is just give up and move on to the next thing.  Sometimes that’s a good thing because we realize that maybe we didn’t want something as bad as we thought, but other times giving up stops you from achieving something great.  At the end of the day it’s not always about who is the smartest, fastest, sexiest, most experienced it’s about who is willing to work the hardest.  Who is willing to take the extra step that no one else is willing to take.  Maybe that means staying around after practice to work on your jump shot.  Maybe that means going into work on the weekend to get things done.  Maybe that means shutting off the TV so you can read a book.

It may not always be what you want to do but it’s what you have to do.  It’s a small sacrifice made in the name of a larger goal.  Your goal.

There are many ways to become a winner in your own life but the only way I know that will work every time is to work hard and work right.  Refuse to settle on these two categories and you will soon realize that very few will be willing to follow.

And if you’ve never seen the movie Rudy I would recommend getting your hands on a copy and watching it.  You can catch a sneak peak below.

(Chad)

Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.

Do you remember your college graduation?  I don’t remember much of mine except for being really hungover during it.  But I would venture to say if Steve Jobs spoke at my commencement I might have been a little more alert.  So God bless the internet for letting us experience commencements that are actually useful.

Amidst the three stories he tells in his speech there are some great things to take away.  Watch his speech below then you can read some of the key points I took from it highlighted below.

Story 1
There’s no “right” path.  You cannot connect the dots forward.  So what matters most is that you believe that the dots of your life will connect down the road.  This will give you the confidence to follow your heart even when it leads you off the beaten path.  In the end this will be what makes all the difference.

Story 2
Do something you love.  Realize that even if something devastating happens to you (like losing your job) it just might be the best thing to every happen to you… it just might take time to see it.  Be sure to keep your eyes peeled so you don’t miss it.

“Sometimes life’s gonna hit you in the head with a brick.  Don’t lose faith.  I’m convinced that the only thing that kept me going was that I loved what I did.  You’ve got to find what you love.  And that is as true for work as it is for your lovers.  Your work is going to fill a large part of your life.  And the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work.  And the only way to do great work is to love what you do.  If you haven’t found it yet keep looking and don’t settle.  As with all matters of the heart you’ll know when you find it.  And like any great relationship it just gets better and better as the years roll on.”

Story 3
If today was the last day of your life would you want to do what you’re about to do today?  If that answer is “No” too many days in a row it is time to change.  There is no reason to not follow your heart.

Stay hungry.  Stay foolish.

(Chad)

Making Change Fun

There is an initiative started by Volkswagen called The Fun Theory. The idea is to find creative ways to change people’s behavior for the better by making it fun. Three of the videos are below.

So this got me to thinking that maybe we should use this theory for all types of change in our lives. Is there something in your life that you want to change?  Maybe it’s something you tried to change in the past but haven’t been successful at doing so.  Now might be a good time to stop and ask yourself, “how can I make this change fun?”.  I mean, hell, who doesn’t want to have fun? (if you don’t you might want to check your pulse).  And if you’re having fun change is going to be much easier to put into action.

You’ve probably come to realize that change is inevitable (and sometimes scary) so why not take something that tends to carry a negative stigma and make it positive AND fun?!

Can’t think of a good argument against it…

So next time you are confronted with change be creative and think of ways to make that change FUN!  And think outside the box… you can start getting the creative juices flowing by watching the three videos below  :- )

(Chad)

Piano Stairs

Deepest Trash Can

Bottle Bank Arcade