When you really think about it . . . if you step on a nipsey, you'll at least be able to console yourself with the fact that its death was quick and . . . hopefully . . . painless. Now, before you jump to conclusions--I was not the one to step on the little fellow. But I am certainly feeling the repercussions of it.
Hello--my name is Tracy. No! I am not a girl. I am a full-grown man who has been cursed with the name Tracy. It was my dad's fault. He had always been a fan of pirate stories and books about tall wooden ships. So when I, his firstborn son, popped out, he insisted that I be named Tracy after a fictional character of his own creation. . . . Captain Tracy! Swashbuckling rogue with thick, silky black hair that hung down past his broad and sturdy shoulders. His weather-beaten scowl and grey, storm-driven eyes made every maiden in every port swoon and fawn over him relentlessly. His sea-tanned skin and infamous tattoo on his hairy and well-defined chest were enough to cause even the most hardened men to give him some extra room in the taverns and streets. That was Captain Tracy! A worthy character to aspire to. I am not like that in the least bit! I am Tracy Jacobs. A five-foot, eight-inch sixth-grade teacher who's down on his luck and desperate to make a new start. Women don't swoon over me. In fact, my fiance happened to leave me at the altar. Literally, at the altar! She was the one and only love I ever had. Seriously . . . I never even had a girlfriend before her. Maybe a crush or two, but nothing ever more than a friendship. My main claim to fame in regards to any type of physical prowess . . . I play ultimate frisbee. So rather than being a great and terrible pirate of the seven seas, my dad ended up with a nerdy, reclusive introvert for a son. Sorry, dad! At least I still have a full head of hair, though that might not last much longer either. Still, it's lasted far longer than any other guy in my family. But back to the nipsies. What are nipsies, you ask? Well, it's simple. They're of the fairy-folk. The tallest among them reach no more than a quarter of an inch in height. They've actually only been recently discovered by the main mortal community. At least, those who still believe/know that the magical world is real and not fake. I, myself, didn't think that there was anything beyond what I could see, hear, smell, touch, or taste. So you could imagine my surprise when the so-called magical world literally burst upon me. But I digress again. Nipsies! Nipsies were first introduced to the main mortal world in 2008. And while many in the human world who believe in the magical world have most likely heard of them, if you were to stop one on the street and ask them, "Hey, what's a nipsey?" They probably wouldn't be able to answer you. They might need a refresher course. In which case, I'd refer them to Brandon Mull. But I'm sure you're not here to listen to me talk about "random" things here and there. Gosh! You sound like my students who are either amused or annoyed when I go off on tangents. So let's go back to the bit of where my life got flipped upside down and led me to this point. Oh . . . by the way . . . the whole stepping on the nipsey thing got me cursed. But we'll get to that later. This all started three years ago when I began my career as a teacher. I won't get into the nitty-gritty details, but for the sake of time, I'll just say that that first day on the job I thought would change my life forever. That was the day I met Sophronia. A fellow teacher who I fell for almost instantly. We spent the first school year getting to know each other as colleagues. Then, on the last day of school, I took a leap of faith and asked her out. She said, yes! Now, remember what I said before . . . I had never had a girlfriend before. I had gone on a few dates throughout high school and college, but nothing ever serious developed. Dating Sophronia, though, it was simply magical every time. That led to another glorious year of falling madly in love . . . at least I was hopelessly, madly in love with her. You can judge for yourself if she was in love with me. By the winter break of my second year, we decided to get married. It would be right at the end of the school year, and practically the entire school was invited. That early June day was perfect! Can you see how all of this was ironic? Everything seemed to be so perfect something was bound to go wrong. I'll admit that Murphy did bounce around in my brain more frequently than I'd like. But I took the fact that everything was falling so neatly into place as a sign that nothing horrible would happen. I'd like to say that when I saw Sophronia enter the chapel that Murphy high-tailed it out of there. But, like a nagging booer at a . . . well . . . at a wedding, he only began to dance and flail about in my brain even louder. I did my best to ignore him. Sophronia looked dazzling perfect. Her golden hair, her deep brown eyes, her sparkling smile, and lush red lip . . . she must have had Aphrodite help her get ready for this special moment. I'll admit, it was extremely difficult for me to stand still and serene as a groom should. I felt like a whole school of mini-frogs woke up in my stomach and were leaping about within me . . . even as high as my throat. It also felt like Murphy was still there to stamp on any frog that got close to him. I'll tell ya . . . the dissonance between elation and premonition is not pleasant. It's actually kind of nauseating. But looking at my bride-to-be made everything better. I was able to quell my nerves and quiet Mr. Murphy to some degree. Sophronia had made it all the way to the dais when suddenly she stopped. Up to that point, we had not broken eye contact the entire time. She didn't look 'away' from me. But in her pause, her gaze sort of drifted. It reminded me of movies when a character gets shot with a dart, and they slowly begin to slip away. Her eyes suddenly became distant and . . . it drifted away . . . even though she was still staring right at me. It was then that Murphy began laughing hysterically in my head. "Sophronia?" I gently attempted to get her attention while fighting to ignore the crazy imp laughing in my brain. I even took a step--one single step--off of the dais to offer her my hand and guide her up to the altar. Shockingly, she took an involuntary step backward when I did so. At least I hope it was involuntary. I'm not so sure now that I think about it. A ripple of gasps and whispers pulsed through the crowd. I hate to admit it, but I felt myself get very hot all of a sudden when I heard it. I didn't know what to do. Should I have gone and finished helping her? I mean, she was obviously not herself. Should I have stepped back up and wait for her as a patient husband should? I was frozen and didn't know what to do! Sophronia continued to stare at me but at a distance. "She's not even really looking at you," Murphy shouted at me from inside my head. The words reverberated off of my skull. I began to feel a headache forming behind my ears that extended up to the back of my eyeballs. I knew what he was talking about. Even though her gaze was right on me, my beloved fiance was not looking at me. Three seconds! From the moment that I stepped down and she jumped back, three painfully, agonizing second passed that felt like three lifetimes. On the fourth second, Sophronia finally snapped back to reality, and I knew she was looking at me. The connection for that brief, fourth second, sent a torrent of communications. I saw within her eyes love for me, pity and sorrow for us, and a deep . . . regret? Why was she regretting this . . . us? It's hard to explain, but all of this and more passed within that one second, and it was all crystal clear and understandable. On the fifth second, the woman I had fallen hopelessly, madly, and deeply in love with, spun around and sprinted out of the chapel. By the eighth second, she was gone. I'm confident that those frogs in my stomach were actually those crazy poisonous frogs from the Amazon and that a few of them found my heart. In those three seconds of watching Sophronia sprinting away, I found myself wanting to vomit. Darn poisonous frogs! The scandalous whispers of the crowd felt like roaring waves within my ears. Adding it to Murphy's maniacal laughter; the headache that was beginning to turn into a volcanic eruption inside my skull; and the poisonous frogs brooding in my heart--I did what any nerdy introvert would do. I fainted.
0 Comments
Leaders. It’s almost impossible to experience life without having at some point a leader or mentor. Their knowledge and life experiences are major contributors to how our worlds are shaped. Each and every one of us views life differently, but those views are all echoes of the views and beliefs of those who have at one point or another been in positions of influence. The obvious first and major influences are our parents. Don’t believe me, just watch the first minute of this clip from the movie 42. It’s both wonderful and heartbreaking how powerful of an influence our parents are in our lives. Now, I don’t know the secrets to a good leader. I can’t write a book or blog post about what qualities make a great leader. What I can do is share with you four of the greatest leaders in my life - outside of my parents - who have made incredible impacts on me and helped make the person I am today. Zane Withers This amazing man has always been in my life. He’s the father of my best friend, Brandon, who was always like a brother to me. The Withers family have built their lives around the principles of honesty, hard work, integrity, and down-to-earth simplicity. Zane was my first Boy Scout Master. He’s a legend in the scouting community where I grew up. It was through Zane that I learned the value of the Boy Scouts Program. He showed how it was more than just a troop of boys getting together to do projects or activities. He embedded the fundamental principles of what it means to be a Boy Scout in my life so thoroughly, it’s still a part of me today. Many of the lessons he taught me when I was 11 to 13 years old I still hold dear. Ryan Nielsen Ryan was also a youth leader and companion to Zane when I was around 12 years old. He taught me that it’s okay to still have fun … even as an adult. I guess I had a notion like most young boys that when you get older you don’t goof around. Ryan, with his quirky sense of humor and over-the-top imagination, proved otherwise. It’s always okay to have fun, be a kid again, let imagination run wild, and be goofy. Geoffrey Dean Geoffrey Dean was a rock in my life as a religious leader. He too was one of my youth/scout leaders and helped me greatly in progressing and even achieving my Eagle Scout Award. He also helped me achieve my Duty to God award in the church’s youth program at the time. But even more than that, at a time in my young life when I struggled and needed not just a friend but a spiritual rock in my life, Geoffrey was there. He guided me and helped me learn and grow spiritually which helped lay the foundation of my conviction to my God and my religion. Mike Walker Finally, Mike Walker. Mike’s influence in my life is very different than Zane’s, Ryan’s, and Geoffrey’s. He was never my youth leader … he was just a friend. I remember one time tossing a football around with my buddy, Brandon, and Mike showed up. He was a counselor in the bishopric at the time so he was wearing a suit and tie. He took the ball, lined us up, and would have us run passing routes and throw us the ball. I remember thinking he was a horrible quarterback because we couldn’t catch any of his passes. They were always too far. But Brandon and I didn’t complain, we simply took it as a challenge to run harder and faster to get his passes. Later on, I learned that he was a great quarterback and was purposefully throwing them out of reach. He saw our potential and pushed us to achieve it. Mike often would tell my parents after something like this that if I continued with that mindset I would be able to achieve anything. So, what makes a great leader? I’ll let you glean from these stories what you think a great leader is. I only know this … if the leader, in whatever capacity he or she is in, does nothing more than elevate the lives of those they lead and inspire them to continue on and be better, then they are a great leader indeed. Why would anyone want to write? That’s a question that I got asked a lot during my first year of teaching. I taught freshmen in a rough part of town. I mean...really rough. I heard worse language in the hallways of that school than I ever did on a construction site. It was crazy! So many of them—and I feel so many teenagers today...even the good ones—don’t really understand the significance of writing and the ability to write. It truly is ironic that our generation today complains about writing when we probably write more than any other generation before us. How many words are written in text messages, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and all the other social media networks? To say that they’d never use the stuff they learn in school about writing only shows that they are truly ignorant...dare I say...lazy. It’s even more so when these people leave comments on articles and YouTube videos. I get a kick out of reading comments almost more so than watching the video. The lack of education shows in their inability to write clearly. When I first told my uncle that I was an English teacher, the very first thing he told me was that he wished he could go back and pay more attention in his Middle School English class. This was a retired medical practitioner who had an extremely successful medical career—and he wanted to learn how to communicate better! That’s why I tell my students that anyone can, and should, learn to write. Writing is not a talent—it’s a skill. It’s something that can be practiced and improved just like riding a bike, playing a sport or an instrument, or creating an artistic masterpiece. But even more than just the practicality of effective writing, why do I choose to write? I write because I want to make people smile. People are drawn to good stories of intrigue and adventure. There is also a deep human desire to connect and express themselves verbally. My favorite movie quote in regards to writing or reading comes from the movie Shadowland starring Anthony Hopkins, “We read to know we’re not alone.” Reading allows us the chance to discover the words we so long to say. Often we think, 'no one can truly understand what I’m going through'. Then we read a book where the character goes through exactly what we’re going through. The words resonate with us. The character understands—the author understands. We find comfort in knowing that we’re not alone...and we also grow in our ability to find the words to express what we feel. How could that not make any writer happy? Knowing that they have now enriched the life of someone. If I could achieve that as a writer, I would consider myself successful. However, that is not the real purpose of why I write. I write because I have discovered for myself an incredible realm of endless possibilities and adventure. These stories of far off tales and ancient, magical lands have filled and occupied my mind since I was a boy—and only I know how to get there. I want others to enjoy these far off kingdoms as much as I have. Several of my students have had glimpses into these lands. Seeing them enjoy the stories, connect to the characters, and long for more light in these undiscovered territories is what motivates me to continue to write. Recently I was thinking about relationships and how to improve my relationship with everyone in my life - particularly with my family. While contemplating this, my mind went to the timeless advice given my many, many family members, friends, and famous individuals … the key to happy relationships is "sacrificing in love." Okay … I believe that to be true. But like many things that I’m learning recently, I believe our interpretation of it may be slightly off. Don’t get me wrong, sacrificing is noble, good, and right; but improperly applied, it has the potential to cause more damage than good. So how do we properly apply or enact sacrificing? Well, we need to understand its root meaning. The word "sacrifice" has its roots in Latin which ultimately means, "to make sacred." So does you giving up your night out with friends, or your time playing your favorite game a "sacrifice"? It can be. But there’s the rub. I see it frequently in myself as well as others, this notion that, “if I give up (sacrifice) something I love for her (or him), then they should do the same for me.” That is wrong! That attitude does not make your sacrifice "sacred." It just makes you miserable. Why is that? Well, Dr. Alexander Loyd in his book, The Love Code, explains it is because we are motivated by the wrong type of love. Yes … there are different types of love and we all too often base our actions off of the wrong type. This type is a selfish motivation; a prideful, narcissistic type. It’s the, "I’ll give up something for you so you should give up something for me," attitude. The problem with that is our relationships then become a scorecard. We instinctively keep track of all of the things we’ve done for him or her, and get easily annoyed when we’re asked to do more, or help beyond what we think is our responsibility … or even if they throw the score back at us (yes … that will inevitably happen)! So, what’s the remedy? It’s simple, really (and at the same time very difficult). Change your way of thinking - your paradigm - to simply give to your loved ones. Notice the subtle difference? It’s a simple, two-letter word that just needs to be removed from the sentence … up. Now, this isn’t mind-blowing or ground-breaking information. It’s just a simple step in the right direction to heal relationships. Stop viewing your actions towards your loved ones and things you have “given up”, and start looking at them as things you have given. There is a difference. When we give a gift at a birthday celebration or Christmas, do we expect anything in return? We shouldn’t. And when we don’t have that expectation, seeing the joy on the recipient's face when they open the gift is always the best experience. So why don’t we do this with our loved ones? Give it a try. Stop thinking in terms of 50/50. Stop keeping a mental score-card of all the things you’ve given up for your loved one. That’ll only create unrealistic expectations for them and drive a wedge between them and yourself. Instead, start thinking of the things you are doing as giving - and give 100% unconditionally. As you do so, focus on that giving being love-based. True, honest, unconditional love. By doing this, you’ll create a loving bond that will supersede anything this world could provide. By doing this, you’ll find more joy, love, peace, and even success than you could ever have imagined. This is true sacrifice. By giving in love, you have now made your actions and your relationship sacred. And look at what you have gained by doing so. It makes you realize that true sacrifice is not denoting a sense of lack, but true abundance. The abundance of love, joy, and peace. One day at work I was enjoying my lunch break with my colleagues and talking about … well, I’m not sure what we were talking about … but the discussion did bring up things we had done in our pasts. Things like sports we played or talents we tried to develop, activities we participated in, etc. After I shared some of the many diverse experiences I had in my past, one coworker asked, “is there anything you can’t do?” To which another coworker quickly added, “No. Name something to be done and chances of Michael having done it are high.” Now, I won’t lie in that I have tried many things in my life. Just ask my parents. I have probably tried more things in my childhood than any two of my siblings put together. I have often been referred to as a Jack of all trades. Which is a title I’m quite pleased with. But the initial question got me thinking ... is there anything I can’t do? It wasn’t the intent of the question that got me thinking, but the wording of it. Lately, I’ve been really—really—getting a lot into semantics. I have been discovering a lot about the words we use and I’ve really been enjoying this. So, with this New Year on us, and the resolutions buzzing in the air, I want to pose a challenge to you. I don’t know what the outcome—if any—would be. But I am going to give it a try and would like to invite all of you to try as well. When you think about it, the word ‘can’t’ is not only extremely limiting but very much overused in our vernacular. For example, when I replayed the lunch in my mind, I also replayed it with me employing multiple responses. Such as… “Is there anything you can’t do?” “Well, I can’t play the banjo.” But…actually…I CAN! I have the ability to play the banjo. It’s not that I can’t—I don’t know how. I could learn to play if I really wanted to. Do you see where I’m going with this? We use the word ‘can’t’ too often. I don’t know why we do so. It’s most likely a cultural thing or something that was taught to us. I think that it’s a misuse of the word that has now become normal (like the word funner…ugh!) So, this new year, let’s try something new. Let’s use the word ‘can’t’ in its proper context. There are things that we simply can’t do because of our gender, or maybe we have a disability of some sort … that’s okay and there’s nothing wrong with that. But if there is something that I can do … even if it’s something that would take a long time and practice … I’m going to switch out the word ‘can’t’ for simply, “I don’t know how.” Let’s give it a try. What will the results be? I don’t know. But maybe … just maybe … in some small way, we’ll stop putting limitations on ourselves and begin to live just a little better. Maybe we’ll start to realize that we can do anything we want. Hey everyone!
I’m beginning to see a recurring pattern here . . . I’ll say I’m going to start writing more again, then don’t. Then nearly a year later, I poke my head out of the proverbial writer’s hole and say I’m back and will be writing again. But this time, for sure, I’ll be writing regularly. Truth be told, I have been writing more regularly . . . I just haven’t been posting—there’s a difference. Let me share with you what I’ve been doing over the last year. The journey I embarked on when I left teaching has been eventful, to say the least. I have done a myriad of unexpected endeavors and did a lot of soul-searching into what it is I really want to do with my life (it practically comes down to three things; writing, teaching, and playing ultimate frisbee). I have worked in a warehouse, planned business roadshows, traveled on sales trips, taught P.E., coached a varsity team, traveled all the way to the East Coast for a writing gig (that’s legit! I was hired as a freelance, professional ghostwriter and got to travel for it!!!), got hired as an Education Specialist helping young adults with neuro-diversities, have launched a side-hustle business through Patreon (that’s what this blog post is all about), and I am in the process of starting a business-business. It’s been an eventful year! But in the course of that year and all of those goings-on, I’ve been doing a lot of studying, note-taking, and . . . of course . . . writing! And that’s what I’m excited to share with you today. I have finished the rewrite of book #1 of my series, Aragoria. I am so excited about this! But I’m also going to do things differently. Traditionally, a writer who wants to take their stories to the next level will “publish” their book(s). Nowadays that would be either through a publishing company or self-publishing. I have tried both . . . or at least tried to get a publisher to publish my book. It’s a super competitive business. I also tried self-publishing which was a ton of fun—absolutely no regrets about that. But now I want to try a different route. With all of my studies, I have come to learn a great truth. That is, while I would thoroughly enjoy the idea of writing full-time and having it support me and my family (layman’s terms . . . I want to make money off of my writing), I have found for myself what many authors have talked about when they said they would write their stories even if they didn’t make a penny off of it. I found that! And let me tell you . . . it is SO liberating! For the first time in nearly twelve years since I started on the path to becoming a writer, I found myself wrapped up in the thrill of writing and the joy of creating. I became so enthralled in my own story . . . It was incredible! And now, I want to share it with you all. That’s why I’m announcing that on my blog, I will be releasing a chapter every weekend of my book(s) purely for your enjoyment every Saturday starting in December! Now, I would like to continue writing and do still hold onto the hope that it will one day be the main source of income for my family. That is why I have created and launched a profile on Patreon for anyone who would like a little more with my stories, and/or wish to help monetarily. What is Patreon? Patreon is a crowdfunding platform much like Kickstarter or Indiegogo. Except, unlike those platforms where you run a campaign for a certain amount of time, Patreon is ongoing. By becoming a patron, and supporting me for as little as $1.00 per creation, you would get more content and benefits to more thoroughly enjoy my stories. I’m starting small. For the general public, I’ll post a chapter every Saturday here on my blog. For my patrons, you will receive three chapters every 2nd and 4th Saturday. There are two reward tiers if you want to contribute. The first tier is $1.00 for every release, and you’ll receive public recognition along with a digital copy of the book once all the chapters have been released with copyright permission to share that digital copy with whomever you want! The second tier will be $2.00 for every release. Not only will you get everything in tier #1, but you’ll get a signed paperback, pocketbook-size, hard-copy for yourself! As the community of patrons grows I’ll open up more reward tiers! So, if you like the stories, please support it! If you’re a teenager who wants a good, fun read, you could pitch this to your parents for a Christmas gift. If you just want to enjoy the stories as they come out one chapter at a time . . . enjoy the adventure!!! I truly cannot tell you all how excited I am to share all of this with you! Keep tabs on my Facebook page or Twitter account for releases and updates. Chapter 1 - The Boy at the Funeral will be released on December 7th. See y’all then!!! Book #1 – Aragoria James is next in line to be the mortal Guardian of the fairy-clan Aragor when a surprise announcement from his grandfather lands him back in high school. However, despite being “retired” early, he still sees some strange goings-on in the magical world. Together with his long-time childhood friend, Bailey, and fairy companions, they discover the return of a vengeful sorcerer who is determined to see the downfall of Aragoria. To my readers, let me begin by saying, I’m sorry. I’m sorry I haven’t been keeping up on writing even though I committed last fall to write regularly. I especially felt bad when a player of mine mentioned that his younger sibling, who was a former student of mine, still checks regularly to see if I’ve posted anything new. To my former students, I’ll recommit to doing better in writing at least once a week for you guys. As I was thinking about what to write about today (believe me, I’ve been compiling a list of some great topics that I’m excited to talk about), I thought about a job interview that I had earlier this year and one of the questions that was posed to me. The question was, “What are your thoughts on the phrase failure is not an option?” Initially, I cringed at it. Here’s why. I have made it a point to be a student of life ever since I returned from the Philippines back in 2009. Even after I graduated from college...I’m not done with learning just because I have a degree. If you’re not continually learning every day, you’re coasting through life and the only way to coast is downwards towards failure and misery. But in my studies of life, I’ve learned from some incredible mentors and successful people that failure IS an option. Not only is it an option, but it’s necessary. So why do we say that failure is not an option? Well, let’s look at what ends up happening when someone takes on a project with the mentality of “failure is not an option.” What happens to them psychologically when they do fail? If they’re anything like me, it’ll be a long ordeal of beating themselves up for getting it wrong. I’ve seen too many people mentally and emotionally damaged because they beat themselves up because they failed. That’s good! ...The failing part...not the damaged emotionally and mentally part. If we can look at life as a learning opportunity, we’ll truly see that failing is one of the greatest teachers out there. So, does that mean go and make mistakes intentionally? Absolutely not. But if and when a mistake happens or you fall short of what is expected, don’t beat yourself up. You’ll survive the day, the week, the month, and the years to come. Pick yourself up, LEARN from the experience, and move on. So what would the proper phrase be? Well, when I was asked the question in the job interview I answered that I hate that phrase. I think it should be reworded to “Quitting is not an option.” Really, when you think about it, quitting is the only true failure in life. So don’t quit. If you didn’t reach that dream, that goal, that hope, and desire, what’s stopping you from still reaching or working towards it? It reminds me of the saying my mother used to say to me all the time growing up. “Quitters never win, and winners never quit.” Let me tell you the experience that I had when I was still in grade school that really solidified this concept to me. I love football. I played it all four years in high school (okay, I practiced all four years in high school then kept the bench warm on Friday nights...wait...we didn’t have benches), and during elementary and jr. high school I played flag football. Early on in my flag-football career my dad, who is an even bigger sports fan than me, told me that the only thing he cared about was that his son never quit in a game. So, I wanted to make sure I made my parents proud. I would, as the sports term goes, play till the whistle blows. This one particular game my fifth-grade year was really tough. We had a great team. I don’t think we ever had a losing season with this group of kids. But this one game was really, really hard. I don’t remember much of the game except this one run. We were working the ball down the field. We got probably within twenty yards of scoring a touchdown. Then, on one of the plays we ran a defender got to our quarterback. However, instead of going for the flags, the opposing player reached in, grabbed the ball, and ripped it out of our quarterback’s hands. The sideline erupted. Turnover! The kid took off down the field, unopposed, to score a touchdown. Again, I don’t remember much of this game except this one moment. I could see everyone on my team and how demoralized they felt. So much so that these ten to eleven-year-old boys didn’t even seem to bother to try and chase down the faster, adrenaline-rushed opponent. I was sure that I couldn’t catch him either. But I remembered what my parents taught me. “Quitters never win, and winners never quit.” I knew I may not catch him, but I wasn’t going to let everyone know that I gave him the touchdown. I chased him. I don’t remember much between the time I started to chase him and what happened next. I don’t know if I got a surge of energy and adrenaline or if he thought that he was in the clear and began to slow down. All I remember is that just a few yards away from the goal line...I dove. Grabbing flags in flag football is difficult enough. Try doing it while flying horizontally through the air. I landed, slid, and rolled...and stood with the kid’s flags in my hand just a few feet from the goal line. In the end, we held them up until fourth down when they finally scored. But I remember the excitement of not giving up, and the pride I felt when I heard parents on the sideline saying things like, “that was impressive how he never gave up.” That one experience was enough for me to understand that is meant by “Quitting is not an option.” There were times when I didn’t catch the other guy. There are constantly times in my life when I didn’t reach the final goal. But that lesson learned when I was ten years old has helped me to pick myself up and try again. I try it differently. I try it with more discipline. I try it at a different time. I change things up until I find the right way for me to accomplish the goal. What are your goals, dreams, desires? Have you failed? Did you give up after you failed? If you answered “no” to the giving up, then you haven’t failed. There’s just another lesson for you to learn before you reach that goal of success. Remember, the real winners in this life are not necessarily those who have the most success, wealth, or fame. The real winners are those who NEVER QUIT What are the battles that you fight every day? How often do you come off conqueror of those battles? What type of battles are they; health, finances, school, work, family, self? Each and every one of us have battles to face in our lives. Some are massive with the weight of supporting a family; a tragedy in the family; dealing with toxic relationships; or coping with physical or mental disabilities. But more often than not, it’s our smallest battles that seem insignificant at the time that will have the greatest impact on our lives. I’m talking about the battles when reaching for our goals. Take a moment to reflect on what your goals in life are. Is it to improve health and fitness? Is it to start a business? To entertain people? To go on a trip? To show up on America’s Got Talent? What is it that you want to do? Now… What’s holding you back from that dream? Do you realize that you could be achieving your dreams right now? Do you fully realize or understand your ultimate potential? It’s limitless!!! So what’s holding you back? Today’s blog post is pretty short, but I want to explain what I do to achieve my dreams and then challenge you to spend the next seven weeks (that’s the remaining weeks of the year) to change somethings up in your own life to conquer your battles and win your dreams. Napoleon Hill says in effect, that success or failure is determined by your habits. I would add to that that the best time to implement good habits is in the morning. Start your day off right and the rest will follow. So, how do I start my day off right? Well, some people think I’m crazy, but I wake up at about 3:00 AM. Yes...3:00 AM. That is when I face my first battle (a battle we all face--especially when we’re wanting to start new goals) and my adversary is my bed; his weapon is my pillow. But I quickly force myself up and into the bathroom before my mind can be seduced by the bed’s deceitful beckoning call. Dwayne (The Rock) Johnson calls it “beating up the sun.” After a good 15-20 minutes of spiritual study, I begin my first workout in my garage. From the vantage point of my garage, I can see practically all of Utah Valley. I smile often when I think that before the valley is even considering waking up I’m already well into my first workout. I then eat breakfast, meditate, and do some writing if time permits. After that first portion, I head off to the gym to get a second workout in. My workouts are short but intense. So by the time 7:00 AM rolls around...the time when most people are waking up to start their day (I can just picture them rolling out of bed, groggy, cranky, not really excited about the day and upcoming week) I have completed two workouts, spiritual and personal development, a healthy breakfast, and accomplished some writing. I have discovered a number of things this morning routine. One: I want to be different from the world. I want to be successful, call my own shots, have the financial freedom to do so, and be a powerful, positive influence. I don’t want to work a 9-5 all my life doing things for other people’s success. If I want that, then I’ve got to be different and better. This helps me get in that mindset of not just reaching success, but seizing it with authority. Second: This morning routine, when I follow it faithfully, ALWAYS starts my days off right which helps me to reach those goals that day. I have dreams of great success. But that doesn’t mean that I don’t have my share of stress and worry. Even this morning I was freaking out because of our financial situation. But after conquering the morning I now have the confidence that we’ll be more than just okay...we will blow past this trial like it was nothing. Conquer your bed and you will conquer your morning. Conquer your morning and you will conquer your day. Conquer your days and you will conquer your life. I challenge you to find that balanced morning routine. Try something new. Shake things up. If you want to be successful you’ve got to be willing to do the things that others won’t. What is that for you and your dreams? Okay, so for those of you who have been with me for several years now know that I've been working on an idea forever. I've changed it up so many times I've lost count. I've decided to try it again; again, rewriting it from scratch.
Sorry if it's annoying anyone. So, today I'm releasing Chapter 1 as a promise that I really am working on it. However, after writing Chapter 1, I got a brand new idea. So, I started the same story … again … but a completely different approach. I'm only about a half-way through that chapter, but I wanted to share both with you so see which one you like better. So enjoy the two Chapter 1's and leave a comment or vote on my Facebook page which one you like better. Enjoy P.S. Keep in mind that these are just rough drafts. Please focus more on the content of the story rather than grammatical mistakes. I’ve been contemplating many things over the last few weeks.
|
Michael N. WoolleyThank for joining me! Here I simply share my thoughts and ideas about life. Most of it is just my personal opinion so take it as you will. If you'd like to read fun adventures, then check out my YA FANTASY/ADVENTURE tab. You can also support me on Patreon where you'll then get more creative writing content. Archives
January 2020
Categories |