Resolution Talk 2010!!

Let’s talk about resolutions. If you read this blog, then you know we are here, not only to get rich but to be the best "us" we can be.

Getting rich is not about the money you make, but about what it makes of you. It's about the person that you evolve into as a result of the journey to becoming rich. Society is our worse enemy for self improving and becoming this person, becoming the best “us”. We are cuddled and coddled into thinking that average is OK. Below average is something society laughs at and doesn't accept, but average is OK for some reason.


I have given this many hours of thought. Why is average OK. Why? Why don't your friends push you to excel, why after a certain age your parents, who pushed you everyday as a kid, all of a sudden become satisfied with you being average. This is a very complex issue, here is my take on the subject:

JEALOUSY
Part of it is jealousy. We all feel it at times. We all feel a certain pang when someone hits the number and you don't, when someone wins at the Casino and you lose, when someone gets a promotion, or a new car and it appears your life is standing still. I use that pang as fuel for me to work harder and become more focused. Others use it for hate & envy resulting in jealousy. If you are on your way to being great, and you know it.....I mean really really know it, then you have no problem with pushing other people to be great. These are the people that you should be surrounding yourself with. Imagine if you were surrounded by people who were over achievers and pushed you to over achieve. How great could you become? Freshman year in Engineering, when I was surrounded by people getting D’s and F’s, my C+ was great. Junior year all of the underachievers dropped out of Engineering and now my C+ was surrounded by B+ and A’s. Time to step up my game.

TOO SENSITIVE
The second reason is that generally we are a society of over sensitive wimps. It's apparent in my generation and the generations that follow. When we're being raised as kids, we are taught that it's not if you win or lose, it's how you play the game. Why play if you are not playing to win? We learn that getting a participation trophy is a reason to celebrate. I think that needs to be taught to small children, but as we get older we should learn to try and fail. We should learn that failure is real, it’s tastes terrible and you can work hard and still fail, but the harder we work, the less likely we are to fail. When we enter high school we don't want to do anything that we might fail at, so we don't try.

A great example of this is "The Biggest Loser". This show is remarkable for a few different reasons. First of all, these people lose a ridiculous amount of weight in a short period of time. Some people actually lose over 40% of their weight. The physical transformation that they go through is incredible. If you would have talked to these people before they went on show, they would have told you that they CAN'T LOSE THE WEIGHT. You might even be convinced yourself that they can't lose the weight. They are big boned, or predisposed to genetically being fat are excuses that would seem to be very real; but they actually lose it. They get muscle tone and almost turn into different people.

At the end of the show they go from being morbidly obese, to average. That is no small accomplishment, but after the show, very few people improve. A matter of fact, most of them get worse. Here is my point......When these people get home, I bet there is no one pushing them to be RIPPED. Pushing them to be able to get into a bikini and be hot. Who would dare do that? That would be mean, Come’ on they just lost 100 lbs last year. Instead we look at them and say, "Congratulations, for being slightly chunky". “Congratulations for being too chunky to wear a bikini on the beach”. “Congratulations dude, for not being able to take your shirt off in front of women and feel good about yourself” Yeah, you are not going to die, but you are still not at your best. You are king at fat camp, but when you are in the real world, you still can’t take your shirt off. Just because you came a long way doesn't mean you are at your best and you don’t have the right to stop trying and pushing yourself.

Neither of my parents graduated high school so by me graduating college appears to be a great accomplishment; but guess what? That's just average. My sister could have stopped at graduating college because after that, no one pushed her. Instead she decided to get her J.D. and practice law; and I guarantee she won't stop there.
As this applies to resolutions; you will hear all this babble about not setting yourself up for failure. Make resolutions that you can accomplish so you can feel good. @#$ that! Make resolutions that are going to force you to work your a$$ off to accomplish your goal. Make resolutions that are in line with your vision of success, resolutions that will make you great. Not average, but great.

Weak Resolution: To lose 15 lbs,
Strong resolution: To lose 25 lbs and be ripped. To wear a bikini and look extra hot on the beach. To look hotter then my friend Sarah this summer on the beach.

Weak Resolution: To do more at work
Strong Resolution: To work the hardest at work. To work harder then anyone who's ever hired in at that job. To answer and read every email before I go home everyday. To get in an hour earlier every day.

Weak Resolution: To spend more time with the family,
Strong Resolution: To be home in time for dinner every night even if it means going back to the office after dinner. To Plan vacations where the kids can learn; coach my kids soccer team, take ball room dancing classes with my wife.

Don't be average man, or average girl be SUPERMAN and SUPERGIRL!!
2010 - All in. Game on!
Get inspired.
-MJL