The Wheelbarrow

"Don't be like a wheelbarrow-- only moving as far as someone will push you!"- author unknown



I am thankful to have grown up in a home where working hard was not an option.  My father is the "John Wayne" in my life.  He taught me to be prepared for every situation, to arrive early wherever I was going (on time was late according to dad), treat people with respect and always look them in the eye, and never ever forget who I was and the very strong people I came from.  This recipe for success has been a part of me through every aspect of my life.  It's what I hope to pass on to my son as he is on the cusp of adulthood.

I love the thirst and hunger as I come upon new challenges whether in my real estate business, working on my fitness goals, or striving to be a better person than I was the day before.  We HAVE to want it!  We HAVE to go after it!  I'm sorry to burst the bubble of ignorance that some people have but success in any form will not be delivered to you in a pretty little package.  You must pursue it! 

Some people don't know where to start.  Start with what you want, write it down, tell someone, make it  real!  Then and only then will you have to put your words into actions.  Get an accountability partner or mentor and allow them to keep you on track.  Your dreams and goals will become rungs on the ladder and you will climb higher than you ever believed possible.

So, don't wait for things to happen or for someone to push you along, GET MOVING!  One of my favorite verses in the Bible is from the book of John "In this world you will have trouble, but take heart for I have overcome the world!"  Jesus almost promises life will be hard but He has already overcome so dig deep, take heart, and make it happen!

People Pursuing Passion

Don't ask yourself what the world needs; ask yourself what makes you come alive. And then go and do that. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.
-- Harold Whitman

How many of you out there live out your passion daily?  Whether its a passion for fitness, a passion for a political cause, a passion for food, whatever it may be do you allow yourself the chance to enjoy it?  I believe there are a number of people who have known from a young age what their passion is and yet far more that have no idea.  These people live the status quo of life.  They have become or behave as others have labeled them to be.  They have chosen the safe route because to get to know themselves is well...scary.  It's scary since they've never really gotten to know who they are and have morphed into conformists without a clue as to what their passion is.  Finding and pursuing your passion takes risk and risk for the "safe" is truly uncomfortable.

I've had the pleasure of surrounding myself with people of passion through my son who is a nationally ranked tennis player.  He surrounds himself daily with others who share the same disciplines, the same sacrifices, the same passion.  Since Jake was 2 years old and learned to walk, we could not keep him off the tennis court.  He loved it and still does.  It is what drives him, it is what gets him out of bed at 6am to train, it is his passion.  Alison is another young adult who inspires me!  She can run like a gazelle for hours on end, she trains daily to improve her basketball skills and she has since she was 5.  Alison is a mature young woman.  She knows who she is, her values unwavering, and she certainly has passion.

But what about those who truly don't know?  How sad that their lives have passed them by like empty boxes that can be filled up with whatever people  tell them to fill up with.  Why havent they found "it"?  How do you know what "it" is?  I suppose it redirects us back to our quote, ask yourself what makes you come alive and as the great Nike adage says "just do it".