End of the 3rd

I'm assuming that the scoreboard in the graphic above is from a basketball game and, I also assume that it is a game between teams made up of very young children OR two very, very bad teams!

 

Why? Because the score shows that each team has scored only 2 points and it is very near the end of the 3rd quarter.

 

This blog is being published on Wednesday, September 10, 2014 and, whether you realize it or not, it's near the end of the 3rd quarter of the calendar year 2014!

 

That's right, the 4th quarter of the calendar year 2014 begins October 1st.

 

WHERE DID THE TIME GO? The same place it always goes...it goes "away" a day at a time, an hour at a time, a minute at a time and a second at a time. Day in and day out, one day after another passes each of us by.

 

I'm not sure what you had planned for 2014 when it began back in January. I'm not sure if you called your plans part of your "New Year's Resolution" or not (many do) but, if you did, like many, you likely have fallen short of what you set out to accomplish.

 

That's when you wake up and realize that 2014 is quickly drawing to a close. Oh, I understand that we still have the majority of September left and then we have October, November AND December (the 4th quarter of the year) but, friend, just like what has already passed us by, this time period will ALSO pass by very quickly.

 

If - and you may not be thinking this way - you're thinking and approaching this with an "I still have plenty of time" mentality then, friend, you are doomed to fall short of what you have set out to accomplish.

 

THAT'S A FACT!

 

I'm not saying that you should panic. I AM saying that you and I need to be very AWARE of where we are "on the clock" for 2014.

 

Yesterday, about an hour before I recorded the podcast for today, I watched a video interview of a guy that began a new business venture in January. I have no idea if this was part of his plan for the New Year or not but I do know it was the result of an online course that he took in January. Fast forward to our current time - the first part of the 9th month of 2014 - and, even if I told you what his figures are with his income, you wouldn't believe me. So, instead of telling you the actual amount, I will share with you his amount minus one of his businesses that has exploded that he already had in place before January. Make sense? The "explosion" is due to what he learned during this course but, since it was an "already existing" business and since it's a "high dollar" part of his business, we'll just leave that out. As a matter of fact, the person doing the interviewing is the one that asked that we just leave that part out to see where he is with his monthly income at this point of the year.

 

Now, let me say that I fully believe this to be true. There was no "proof" given but I do trust the person doing the interview to the point that I believe this to be true. So, are you ready? The guy that took this online course and redirected his focus and application on what he had been TRYING to accomplish for the previous 4 years or so (in which he was making about $400/month) is now doing about $300,000.

 

I don't know about you but, $300,000 a year is INCREDIBLE! But here's the kicker. He's not making that over the course of a year. He's doing that in a month.

 

Yeah, I know...me too! I couldn't believe that this was even possible. I mean I've heard of people doing such things and I know that it IS possible to achieve such but, here I was looking at the guy and listening to how this was being done.

 

Now, don't get all hyped up about "what is it that he is doing" and "how do I sign up" and all of that stuff. It IS an amazing story and I'll keep you informed on my own progress with this program as I move through it and get things going.

 

Here's my point:

   WHAT IF he had begun this program back in January and, like so many others with their "New Year's Resolutions" or plans for a better year, had attempted to work at it for only a month or two and then quit?

   WHAT IF he had decided against taking this action and didn't do anything?

   WHAT IF he had been afraid to step out and take this action because he was afraid of failure?

 

I can answer all three of those questions for you with the following: If any of the three scenarios listed above had taken place, this gentleman would still be getting what he had been getting for the past four years.

 

In other words, NOTHING WOULD HAVE CHANGED!

 

That is our challenge for today, friend.

 

WHAT IF you and I keep plodding along the way we have done over the past 8 months and we don't change a few things?

 

WHAT IF we look at our lack of progress over the last 8 months and we just "give up" on the rest of 2014?

 

WHAT IF you HAVE had success during this year and you realize that you are this close to the end of the year and you decide to just sit back, take a break and admire what you have accomplished?

 

I think you know the answers to all three of these scenarios as well, don't you?

 

I want to CHALLENGE you and ENCOURAGE you to "rise up" to the sound of "that song" (you know, the one that is played to get the fans and the team "fired up" for victory?) and go after it!

 

It's time! It's actually PAST time but, nonetheless, NOW IS THE TIME to end this year STRONG and with SUCCESS!

 

What do YOU say?

 

Let's GET UP and let's GET AFTER IT and let's GET GOING!

 

And, as you do so, whatever you do, always be sure to...

 

"Make it an AWESOME day! (Who else is going to do it for you?)"

 

Mike

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Your Personal Draft...Mid-Round Pick

Mid-Round...Is THAT Where YOU Belong?

That guy in the picture there is Ryan Mallett, former Arkansas Razorback football quarterback.

Why do I have him as the picture for today's topic? Because in the recent NFL Draft he wasn't drafted until the 3rd round which was unexpected.

Now, even though there are 7 rounds you could technically say that Mr. Mallet was not a "mid-round" pick. And, you'd be right.

However, his talent and ability is definitely worth more than a 3rd round pick. Why, then, did he not get selected until the 3rd round? "Off the field issues" is what they are called and a lot of NFL team owners and coaches want to stay as far away as possible from someone that might have problems with these AMPLIFIED "off the field issues" once getting into the NFL.

Am I picking on Ryan Mallett? Absolutely not! He now has something to prove (and he has said that himself) to a lot of people out there that overlooked him as an addition to his team. Will he? Only time will tell.

But, here's the deal...he'll have the OPPORTUNITY!

You see, for all of us, that's all we can really expect or ask for. An opportunity!

No matter who you are or what you do, YOU have an opportunity each and every day to better yourself and your position at whatever it is that you are doing.

EVERY DAY. OPPORTUNITY!

You may be one (like Mr. Mallett) that belongs in a higher position than where your currently find yourself. Maybe you are one that WAS in a higher position but, like we discussed yesterday, got distracted and lost some valuable ground. What are you doing about that TODAY?

Or maybe you are one that has always been considered "average". Your parents never pushed you much or expected you to do more than "average". And, because of that, you never really pushed yourself or expected much out of yourself other than "average".

WAKE UP!

Now, yes, I understand that you may be doing 100% where you are right now. And, if that is so, my hat is off to you and I also say, "keep up the good work!".

But, for many of you/us...we're NOT doing 100% where we find ourselves right now.

Hey, raise the bar of expectation a little bit and see what happens not only in YOUR life but also in the lives of everyone around you.

Yeah, really. Go ahead. Give it a try and see what happens.

Be DETERMINED that you are going to prove anyone that ever said you were average WRONG!

PROVE IT TO YOURSELF!

Separate yourself from the crowd and rise above the rest.

(Hey, where's my trumpet? I feel like I need to do the "charge" thing!)

But seriously. Whoever told you that you were average and that you never should expect more were likely average themselves and didn't want you to excel above and beyond them.

And, by the way....who told you that you had to listen to and believe them in the first place?

Think about all of this and share some of your thoughts on this and how it relates to your life or the lives of those around you. I'd love to hear from you.

But, until next time...

"Make it an AWESOME day! (Who else is going to do it for you?)"

Mike

www.MichaelSpillman.com

Dance in the End Zone!

The topic for this blog comes from my Wednesday podcast - and we call Wednesday, "WIDE OPEN Wednesday".

This phrase has a great connection to the topic for today as well. Here's the bottom line to be thinking about when you hear or read the phrase, "WIDE OPEN"...your day is WIDE OPEN before you and it's WIDE OPEN for you to do with it as you will!

It's true! Yes, I do know that there are many thngs that can happen during our day that are out of our control. But, again, we DO have control over how we react to those things and also the impact that it may have on our day, week and life. The day is, indeed, WIDE OPEN before you.

It's not always to remember that, is it? It's not always easy to act in a way that demonstrates belief in that principle. It does take effort!

When I was in High School playing basketball, I can remember many times in practice or even in a game how the coach would fuss at us if we didn't play very good defense. I especially remember how it applied to me when someone on the opposing team would drive down the lane for a lay up! Why? Because I played in the middle and, usually, was responsible for stopping them. When this would happen the coach would say something like, "My goodness guys! I could drive a Mac truck down that lane!"

Now obviously, he was exaggerating just a little, but he was pointing out that the lane was "WIDE OPEN" for the opposing team and it allowed them to have success.

As I watched Monday Night Football the other night I enjoyed seeing Felix Jones (yes, a former Arkansas Razorback! - Go Hogs!) have success running the ball. However, even though Felix is very talented and very fast, he couldn't have success without others BLOCKING for him, MOVING people for him and CREATING a WIDE OPEN lane or "hole" for him to run through.

We must do what is necessary to give us that "wide open" situation in our own lives. I believe that listening to positive podcasts (yes, like mine)and reading positive things like you are doing with this blog are the things that "BLOCK" for us and create the holes for us and present the principle of "WIDE OPEN" in our day.

Here's something else though. Sometimes an offensive line can open up a hole for a running back and the running back doesn't take advantage of it. Why? He doesn't "see" the hole! This is especially true of those times when the hole that is opened up is only there for a split second and not very big. You will hear commentators talk about a player that has the ability to "see the hole" and to "hit the hole". That's what they are talking about - those players that have the ability to SEE the OPPORTUNITY to make FORWARD PROGRESS due to that opening.

"PROGRESS IS NOT CREATED BY CONTENTED PEOPLE" - Frank Tyger

I appreciate my friend, Jim Ferguson (by the way, Happy Anniversary to Jim and his wife!) for sending this quote to me. It's powerful and it's true!

Yes, we need to appreciate what we have. Yes, we need to be thankful for our families, our homes, etc. Being happy and peaceful does not necessarily mean that we have to be content to the point that we cease to look for the "WIDE OPEN" opportunities in our lives!

We can again see this idea played out in the sporting world. Many times - and this is true in just about ANY sport - a team will have the lead as they near the end of the game and they will become very conservative in their approach to the game. They cease playing to win and begin to play to "not lose". And, many times, the very thing that they try to avoid (losing) is exactly what happens!

They became content with a lead instead of pushing forward for what was available to them. How sad that is to see for a true fan but it is even sadder to see that played out in life.

Successful running backs - for example - are those that are not content for a gain of five yards but work and struggle and fight for an additional two, three or more yards.

Now, in case you think I'm talking about living a life of "it's never enough" - that's not what I'm talking about. Let's make this real simple. Let's say you decide that you are content with what you have right now. That's great, right? Sure it is! However, the fact is that, for most people, in order to even maintain our present lifestyle we must STILL go back to work tomorrow and do our best. Why go back? Why try to do your best? Why try to gain a promotion?

You see, all of these things point to the fact that we must ALL continue to work toward this level of peace and joy in our lives.

This has really turned out to be a blog full of sports analogies - and yes, here comes another one!

I love games played on real grass! I love it when, due to rain or snow, the field gets messed up and muddy and the players uniforms actually LOOK like they are playing football! When this happens, due to the fact that most of the action takes place in the middle of the field (the "trenches") the field becomes a mess there! It becomes hard for the players to keep their footing which makes it especially hard for any running back that tries to run in that mess!

So, what does a smart coach do? He tries to organize plays that will get that running back to the outside - away from the muddy mess in the middle of the filed - where the footing is more solid and where he can get to the "WIDE OPEN" area of the field!

You will even see this played out when the filed is NOT a mess. Perhaps the play was designed for the running back to go right up the middle. You will see the talented running backs (the ones that "see the hole") many times hit the wall of players there, realize that the hole is not there and then "bounce out" away from that mass of players and then get to the "outside" to the "WIDE OPEN" part of the field and many times get a lot of yardage or even score a touchdown.

WE MUST DO THIS IN OUR OWN LIVES many times! Hey, listen friend - we need to open our eyes and realize that sometimes we have to get out of the rut and out of the "muddy mess" that we keep stomping around in and CHANGE DIRECTION! We need to open our eyes and see that, sometimes, we must do something different and try to get to that "WIDE OPEN" part in our lives.

Wanna' know a secret? It's there every single day! But, you have to see it. You have to want it. You have to seek it and you have to desire it!

Last night as I was listening to a CD I heard a guy say, "Champions play in the end zone."

I like that! The champions are the ones that have found a way to "see" and then "hit the hole" in order to get to the "WIDE OPEN" area of their lives!

And, my friend, that champion lies within YOU!

Oh, and when you get to that end zone? DANCE, my friend, DANCE!

What a celebration!

Remember - today is WIDE OPEN for you so, with that in mind...

"Make it an AWESOME day! (Who else is going to do it for you?)"

Mike