I know you may be experiencing fear right now. I wrote this for you to help.
Because today’s theme has to do with change, I wanted to begin with something different. The following poem began as my usual 1000 word piece and then I challenged myself to reduce to its pure essence.
I had fun “pruning” this 110 word gift for you. The change was difficult at first by actually became enjoyable with practice. I cut until I could cut no more yet still leaving the truth to remain.
This act of change not only forced me to discard what to leave out, but also to better understand and value what was left in.
WINDS OF CHANGE
You’re out of control.
Your direction is unsure.
Your future is unknown.
You feel alone.
Welcome to change.
Change is hard.
Change creates fear.
Change is the inevitable constant.
Wishing life could stay the same?
That’s not how it works.
You can’t go back and can’t stay here.
Not now. Not ever.
You can’t run.
Anger and blame don’t help.
Face fear and it shrinks.
Stand tall and hope grows.
The pathfinder’s strategy?
Change with change.
Adopt fresh action.
Do something new to be someone more.
Release the past; embrace the new.
Change is a strange paradox.
You have to LET GO.
Only then to HANG ON.
CHANGE ALL YOUR CHOICE
If there one overarching lessons the last few weeks have taught, it is surely when you get knocked down, you have two choices: STAY DOWN or PUSH YOURSELF BACK UP.
At first, staying down may seem safer and easier. Yes, resisting change requires less energy, but it also means you have given up hope for using the experience to come back stronger.
The more time you have after a knock down, the longer you have to assess the situation. When you make your assessment, you have two choices again: you can either look for OBSTACLES or OPPORTUNITIES.
At first, the obstacles may be easier to imagine. Yes, obstacles can be seen as something to stop you from changing, but they also are put there to see how bad you really want to overcome them. Obstacles can force new strength to emerge if you choose to view them instead as an opportunity to change.
When you start to look for opportunities after a knock down, you will become empowered. When your desire to rise from the ashes grows, so will your ability to make the correct change all great people have made throughout history:
In order to get back up, the greatest people of the world have chosen to:
Make their greatest WEAKNESS into their greatest STRENGTH.
Make their greatest PROBLEM into their greatest POSSIBILITY.
Make their greatest BREAKDOWN into their greatest BREAKTHROUGH.
Make their greatest SETBACK into their greatest COMEBACK.
But none of this will happen for you until you choose it to be so. Changing your attitude and your response right now is your greatest super power.
Will you stay knocked down or are you going to get back up?
Time to make your choice and remember there are consequences to both. And which choice you make right now will ultimately determine the “role model” you become.
YOU ARE ROLE MODEL
Right now, even though you are not on the sports field or at the workplace, you have probably found yourself coaching more than ever. And as I have talked about for years, you have learned a big challenge for a coach is to take someone from KNOWING TO DOING!
A Coach isn’t there just to get people to know what to do. The job of a coach is often just to get them to do what they know.And the best form of teaching for a coach is BY EXAMPLE.
Over the last 4 weeks, I haven’t just written about how to set and stick to a schedule, make some of your weaknesses your strengths and to LEAN IN to the current challenge, I have lived it. In fact, as you may have heard from other people lately, I am more disciplined and working harder than ever. Why? Because a coach is a ROLE MODEL. And right now the people you need to inspire most are with you 24/7.
Here are 5 suggestions to be a better Role Model right now:
Be BETTER instead of BITTER.
Be WORKING instead of WISHING.
Be TEACHING instead of TELLING.
Be INSTRUCTING instead of DESTRUCTING.
Be a VICTOR instead of a VICTIM.
Your victory over this challenge will be internal as much as it is external. That victory will not be a result of hope or luck. It will only happen after you put in the hard work a role model must endure: hard work on YOURSELF.
1. Before you get someone to BELIEVE in you, you must first BELIEVE in yourself.
2. Before you get someone to WORK for you, you must first WORK for yourself.
3. Before you get someone to be ACCOUNTABLE, you must first be ACCOUNTABLE to yourself.
4. Before you get someone to CARE, you must first CARE for yourself.
5. Before you get someone EXCITED, you must first be EXCITED yourself.
Another week is about to end. Are you excited about the next one? What are you going to do with it? How or where are you going to improve? Will it be your diet, training, work skills or relationships? Will you improve in your fitness, family, or faith?
I challenge you to get your plan for change together for this weekend.
In the time it has taken you to read this you have changed.
Although change is often difficult at first, I promise if you do the work, you will be happy with who it forces you to become.
Yours in Strength,
Martin
P.S. Maybe one helpful thing to change is your reading habits. Have you read a book in a while? Are you intimidated by reading? Well over the last few weeks I have had dozens of people tell me Coach to Coach was the first book they have read in a long time…and loved it!
Coach to Coach is an easy read with powerful messages you need right now.
GET YOUR COPY OF COACH TO COACH HERE
