Archives for October 2013

Don’t Throw in the Towel

Don't Throw in the TowelOne of my relatives recently posted on Facebook that she felt like throwing in the towel and asked if other people ever felt that way. Heck, yeah, I have for sure. I would get so focused on an end result that any setback seemed like the goal was getting further and further away. But, that’s not true at all. And, more importantly, it takes away from enjoying the process to get there.
 The way I keep going, when I feel like throwing in the towel, is to look at the big picture. I look at where I want to go, the person I want to become, and I look at the next step I need to take to get there. And maybe I have to take a different path than what I thought I needed. What is this bump in the road trying to tell me? I think it through, but I don’t over analyze it. I tend to over-think things and that just prevents me from moving forward. When I need to make a decision I try to go with my gut on what to do as often as I can. It’s generally right. It’s something I’m still working on. The beauty of going with my gut is that it is such an amazing time saver! It knows what to do before my brain does.
And perhaps the biggest thing I do, or don’t do anymore, is compare myself to others and what they have achieved, or what it looks like they have achieved. I’ll never be that other person. I can only be me. I try to be the Greggest me possible. As long as I’m being true to who I am and I can be happy with that, then I know I’m doing the right thing. I’ve made the worst decisions, and been my most unhappy, when I’ve compared myself to other people. It’s a no-win situation and I don’t do that anymore.
I am definitely not throwing in the towel. I figure I’m going to need that towel to wipe the sweat off my brow from the hard work I’m going to put in to get what I want. Ah, nice fluffy towel. How do you keep going when the journey seems long or a you hit a bump in the road? How do you regain your focus?

Watch This!

Watch This

Watch This

A number of summers ago my wife and I went to Minooka Park, in the suburbs of Milwaukee, so we could cool off in the pond. That day we met a boy who made an impression on us that will last a lifetime.

When we made our way into the water a young boy around nine years old latched on to us. Wherever we went in the water, he wasn’t far behind. He would look at us and say, “Watch this.” then he’d dive in and get into a handstand so you could only see his feet. He’d hold it for a few seconds, then pop back up from the water and ask, “Did you see that?” He must have repeated that feat at least two dozen times that day.
“Watch this” became one of our catchphrases. If my wife and I were about to do something, anything, we would tell the other, “Watch this.” At first it was just funny, but as time has gone on it’s made me think deeper about the meaning behind it. It’s grown into a valuable life lesson.
For years I was like that boy, eager to demonstrate my talent, knowledge, or skills. I was proud of what I could do. After college though it seemed like doing that was bragging, so I moved away from it. I also fell into the trap that you couldn’t show anything off unless it was perfect, but that’s another lesson entirely. I don’t know where along the line I went from being confident, to being scared.
I think the phrase sets me up for success. It lets me relax and have the confidence to know that I have nothing to fear. I run the phrase over in my head before I’m about to do something in front of people. It works for me on the golf course too. Before I putt or take a swing off of the tee box I say it to myself, a few times I’ve even said it out loud. The putts went in and the drives went right down the middle of the fairway.
What do you say to yourself that works? I’d love to hear about it.
Starting this blog is one of those things I wanted to do for a while, but never took the time to start. That boy from the park has been on my mind as I put this site together. And as I start this journey all I can say is, “Watch this!”