Determination

The Race Of Creating Value

Garth Beyer

A person just following orders, just trying to reach the finish line, just trying to complete something, with no intention of creating inexorable value, does a two-step forward, one step back process.

They make progress, with some setbacks and eventually reach the destination but there’s not much value in that.

Every person running a five-mile race gets to the finish line but only a few significant people are the first to reach that destination with even more passion and vigor than when they started. They are the ones to get the audience standing, whistling and applauding until their hands sting. That is value.

 To make anything remarkable, creative and irreplaceable, it’s still a two-step forward, one step back process, there is nothing special to it, there is no natural born talent, they merely have more passion. That’s it. That’s how to create value.

Notice, those who finish last in the race get the same type of applause as the winner because the audience can see the passion burning, the determination to complete the race, the relentless effort that the last place person is putting in. That is value.

Also notice that the audience is going just as crazy over a few runners that are in the middle. The ones clapping for them know how passionate they are about running the five miles. The runners made sure to express their passion, whether they win or lose. That is value.

See, whether you finish first, fiftieth or last, you have the ability to create value. All you need is to declare, bespeak and manifest your passion.

 

Stay Positive & Just Race Passionately

Garth E. Beyer

Lessons From The Cat In The Box

Garth Beyer

Clover is my cat. Although, I feel it may be more accurate to call her a little kitty despite the fact she is nearly 4 years old and after being with me, has only 3 out of 9 of her lives left. She’s small, cute, has half a tail (rescue kitty), and if you don’t remember, she has a big impact on my writing:( A Writer’s Crashing “Train of Thought” and Why It’s Excellent )

I have a cat story for you.

If your a cat owner, you have put a cat in a box. If you’re not, you now share the same curiosity as those who have as to what will the cat do if put it in a box? Let’s make the box a tall box, and the cat Clover.

Clover got put into a tall box and wouldn’t jump out. Contrary to belief, cats do have fear and it is this fear of the unknown and inability to prepare for the landing that Clover wouldn’t jump out. Cat’s, being very smart, choose not to take the risk. Admiringly, nor do they choose to just stay in the box. They will, just as Clover, put their paws on the rim of the box to try and peer over it to calculate the jump out of the box. It just so happened, as Clover had her paws on the edge, the box began to tip and it is almost as if the box was trying to push her out. Clover chose to try and prepare for the jump, only to find in that preparation that everything fell into place. (Pardon the pun)

See, we can learn many things from life, from each other and even from animals if we only observe.

Lessons Learned:

  • It’s okay to fear, just don’t let it immobilize you.
  • The unknown is not something to jump into, but to fall forward into.
  • If you prepare to try, you gain a forward leaning posture that tips the box, coincidentally pushing you forward.
  • Nothing is impossible, it’s just the angle at which you look at things.
  • Determination is unstoppable.
  • Fear of remaining in the box is worse than the fear of what’s out of it.
  • Freedom of any kind is worth losing 1 of 9 lives for.

Stay Positive & Luck Will Always Be On Your Side, As Long As You Try

Garth E. Beyer

Other posts about preparation (non-cat related): Prep To Destroy, Preparation and Expectation Reversed, Safety First: The Art Of Preparation

Two Types Of Public Speaking Confidence

Garth Beyer

Confidence in public speaking goes much deeper than simply being prepared and excited to give a speech. Those who strike the audience with an unexpected amount of determination are those that create a balance of the two types of public speaking confidence.

Type 1: Confidence In What You Are Saying

To have confidence in what you are saying you have to do your research. You need to know the topic you’re speaking on inside and out. Depending on the topic of choice, you may even have to know ideas and concepts that do not support the outlook you are taking on a topic. For more a more simple term, you can label this Analytical Confidence. To acquire this confidence, which is vigorously sought after in all professional positions, you have to be able to analyze every aspect of your topic. For example, you know how most people only know how to sing the alphabet? Well, to have analytical confidence, you have to know how to say it backwards, say it in German, French and Gibberish, create it in Morse Code, have a hieroglyphic example and be able to sing the alphabet to rhythm of the Canadian national anthem. Those who have this type of confidence, are considered Mavens on the subject and are the most respected people and speakers in the world.

Type 2: Confidence In How You Say It

Knowledge is power when you are public speaking, but remaining shy and quiet renders your intellectual stature meaningless. You may know what you have to say, but are you saying it right? The one technique for putting the most confidence in how you speak is to fuel it with passion. When you deliver a speech on a topic you are passionate about, you somehow create just the right balance between remaining humble and being assertive. For example, a person can know everything they need to get the job they want, but they won’t get it unless they show their knowledge, passion and the combination of the two which is confidence.

Confidence in what you say is gained from preparation and research. Confidence in how you say it is accredited to the level of motivation and  passion you have with the idea. Combine the two and you have the everything it takes to be a world class public speaker.

Stay Positive & Take Control Of Your Confidence

Garth E. Beyer

Rome Was Not Built In A Day, But…

Garth Beyer

Rome was not built in a day,

but the New York Empire State Building was built in 13 months.

I don’t know of a single goal  (in this case, of building something) that does not have a setback – some type of challenge that you have to overcome in order to accomplish it. After all, if there wasn’t a challenge to it, then it wouldn’t be a goal, it would be done.

Nor do I know of a single goal that you haven’t had to work hard for. It could be a small daily goal or a life goal, either way you have to work hard and keep working consistently, day after day, if you want to make something of your goal, yourself and your life.

Another key: The workers who were building Rome had persistence. They never lost faith in their vision even though it took them hundreds of years to “finish”. If anything, each day, each small improvement, gave them more faith despite the fact there was no immediate noticeable and worthy advancement. People lived to work on building Rome and died before it was completed. But,

Living the sutra “Rome was not built in a day” is a trap.

If you know it’s going to take a while to accomplish a certain goal, don’t step in the roman trap. The trap makes it seem okay to post-pone work, to do a little, and to take breaks. To use the excuse that “Rome was not built in a day” to express that you have not yet completed your goal is connerie. It’s the same as saying that you haven’t gotten around to it yet, but when you do, it will be incredible, it will go down in history, and be a milestone to your life. *spits*

To that mindset, I have to say that the New York Empire State Building was built in 13 months because they worked every day possible and always did extra to stay ahead of the weeks quota. They didn’t let time, a budget or mindset kill their goal from completing it that quickly. In fact, the concept of time, budget and mindset is exactly the killer of all goals and the reason the saying “Rome was not built in a day” began. Sorry John Bartlett, Ceaser, John Heywood, or whoever deserves the actual credit for coining the phrase, but you were lazy and did not understand the power of motivation, determination, and leadership. Rome is incredible, but imagine what it would be if the Vatican City was built with the vigor, effort, dedication and willpower that was put into creating the Empire State Building in record time.

Stay Positive & Do As The Romans New Yorkers Do

Garth E. Beyer

 

Football Receiver

Football Receiver

Garth Beyer

I did not watch Monday night football, but I can guarantee that at least one player fell short of catching the football during a deep pass. Do you think it was the quarterback’s fault? After all, he runs the plays and it is his job to pass the ball perfectly to the receiver. Or is it?

Far too many times in life, we cut ourselves short from catching the touch-down pass because it was thrown a few feet too far and we do not push ourselves. We  half-ass a project instead of full-assing it and then some, we stick with light work instead of taking on a heavy load and initiating beast-mode. Simply, we don’t work to our fullest potential.

The little train that could was wrong when he said “I think I can, I think I can, I think I can.” That is weak, that is for four-year olds to say to themselves when they are reaching for the cookies on the top shelf.

You however, are Mighty, Powerful, Incredible and capable of achieving what you want.

Well, it is your choice now…

Why are you going to push yourself to reach that goal? Why are you going to push yourself to finish that project? Why are you going to push yourself to take those extra few steps?

“Because You Can. Because You Can. Because You Can!”

Be the football player that pushes himself to catch the ball that was thrown a bit too far. Don’t let the depth of the task prevent you from accomplishing it.

After all, the quarterback might throw you a farther pass because he knows you can push yourself to get it. The universe will never give you anything you cannot handle.

Stay Positive, Because you can.

–          Garth E. Beyer