Where Are You Now?
By Mario A. Mancini, O.M.D.

This month’s article was inspired by two people who have influenced my life. The first is Walt Disney for his commitment to a vision; his ability to bounce back after most would have given up; and his ability to ignore the people who told him that something can’t be done. The other individual has had an even stronger and more direct influence on my life, and has unknowingly provided me with a message that I think every person who sets an outcome to achieve should pay close attention.

It was January 24, 2010 at approximately 5:30 a.m. I was coming back from a refreshing morning run with my dogs. As usual I run through my backyard to finish up my training. That morning was a little different. As I ran past my living room window I heard shouts of joy and I saw my wife smiling with her hands up in total excitement as if we just won the lottery. She was hugging my son Roman. Well it wasn’t the lottery, but something just as good for a parent. It was the first time my son had successfully used the potty (that is bathroom talk for all you non-parents). My son, not realizing that he performed the greatest feat any 2-year-old can achieve, was so excited. A moment later I ran in and amplified the experience by hugging him and cheering him on even more. My son learned that going to the potty was the cause of all this fun and excitement, so all he has to do to spark another congratulatory riot is repeat the act.

This reminded me of a principle that I was just talking about in my Peak Performance workshop last week. Celebrating the small victories is so critical if we want to reinforce a certain outcome – at any age. Trust me; my son is now developing a neuro-association which equals pleasure whenever he sits on the potty. You don’t need to high five everyone when you go to the bathroom but there are small victories to be had each and every day if you take a moment to look at your day and appreciate your own efforts.

Here is the other lesson we should take from my son. Chances are we will not always succeed on getting him to the potty in time. In fact we will probably not succeed most of the time for a while. Does that mean we give up? If my wife and I had a new year’s resolution that starting January 24 my son would be totally trained in using the potty, we would have set ourselves up for failure. This is the reason why most resolutions fail. Most people make their goal highly unattainable. This doesn’t mean the goal is unreachable. It simply means that you didn’t set it up in a way that can be achieved. Like any parent knows, potty training will have many misses (ha ha) but we never give up. If we did, most of us would be walking around with Elmo potties everywhere we go.

So, stop for a moment and look at what you want to achieve in 2010. Is it something that contains achievable steps? If so, great! Does it consider that you may get off track, maybe more than once? If not, change your strategy! I’ve got news for you. The greatest successes in the world have had the most failures. When most people stop three feet from the gold, the one who says, “I will never give up; never surrender,” will be the one standing at the end. All I ask you is to see and feel the small victories daily. Set your game up to win. Create rules that will keep you moving forward even when you get hit and knocked down. I know you have it in you! Re-ignite your dream, refocus your commitment, and create that fire. See your outcome within your reach but don’t get stuck on the end result only.

One last thought. Consider moving through this year with a slight shift in your philosophy. Welcome discomfort and uncertainty. Don’t just sit in it or turn and run the other way. Be the 1% that pushes through discomfort. Cross that threshold to a new you. The temporary fear and pain you experience is only your old conditioned self resisting change. Focus, dream big, take the hits that WILL come and keep moving forward. That is your formula for success. I’ll meet you there!

REAL WINNERS DON'T GIVE UP!

Brett Favre - one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL - has fumbled the football more than 150 times and been sacked more than 500 times in his career. However, he has 285 consecutive starts (one of only five quarterbacks in NFL history to have started over 100 consecutive games) and has endured for 19 years and counting to become one of the most famous and admired players.

You don't have to be an NFL quarterback to achieve success. You only need to practice peak performance. Start by celebrating your positive "stats" and NEVER GIVE UP!