William “Bud” Hart, of Haverhill, shares “Success Principles”—ideas for living a greater, better and more accomplished life, and building habits that stick. He also coaches clients to incorporate strategies for boosting their mental and physical performance during everyday living.
I always tell the clients I coach that it’s all about commitment. Sadly it is easy to stroll passively through life intrigued and confused by a whole bunch of possibilities. So much so that many people never get around to committing to doing the things it takes to make any of them a reality.
I think we all have to face a decision that requires something deep down inside of us if we are ever to get anything great in return. But it is the nature for most of us to hold back, we want to minimize our potential losses. We try to play it safe, when the right approach is simply to “go all out” for what we want. Let me give you an example of what I mean, once again drawing from an experience of mine as an assistant cross country coach.
During races I can be found at various points on the race route loudly encouraging our runners to leave everything they have to give out there on the course. At our last meet I noticed that one of our runners in particular had been running a step or two ahead of the same competitor for the entire race. As they were approaching the finish they were neck and neck. I yelled out to our runner that this race was yours since the start don’t give in now. They didn’t and in a furious sprint to the finish our racer won.
In handing out my team congratulations moments later I was told by this person that from the beginning neither runner could break the other, but I made the decision that I was not going to beat to the finish line. After leading the whole race I was going to do whatever it took to win.
Thinking about this later it occurred to me just how important this race may be in the life of this runner. Not because they won the race (not even close), not because it was a personal record (it wasn’t), but simply because they made a decision and didn’t hold anything back. Someday this individual may remember and draw from the experience of this race and their resolve from deep down at a core level to “go all out.” This kind of inner determination is extremely powerful. Trust me
The lesson, success in any and all aspect of life starts with your mindset. If you want it bad enough, if you’re committed, you’ll find a way to make it happen. In the words of Ralph Waldo Emerson, “Once you make a decision, the universe conspires to make it happen.”
William “Bud” Hart is a certified “Mindset” Coach, Accountability Partner and Business Consultant. Visit Hart Group, www.hartgroupma.com for more on coaching.