Friday Review: Ambition
How well-defined are your ambitions? Here are a few ambition-related posts you may have missed. Click on the Quote to read the full message.
“If there is something to gain and nothing to lose by asking, by all means ask.”
Tag Archives: ambition
Fresh Ambition
“I love the smell of fresh ambition in the morning.”
-Author Unknown
image from aspiringmormonwomen.org
In the late 90s I was lucky to meet Dr. Wayne Dyer, who was the keynote speaker at a coaching conference. Following his presentation, many of us stood in line to purchase Manifest Your Destiny, which was his new book at the time. I also purchased the optional CD titled Meditations to Manifest. I had always wanted to learn to meditate, and felt this was a good time to start.
The CD contained two meditations: one to kick start your morning, and the other to slow down your pace and quiet your mind in the evening, so you could recharge for another day as you slept.
I particularly liked the premise that each of us is endowed with a god-like quality to manifest our days as we choose.
EXERCISE:
What new or augmented morning habit or ritual could you engage in to help you inhale and pursue your highest ambitions each and every day?
“The will to win, the desire…”
“The will to win, the desire to succeed, the urge to reach your full potential… these are the keys that will unlock the door to personal excellence.”
—Author Unknown
Image from blog.builddirect.com
Every two years the athletes of the world come together to participate in either the summer or winter Olympic Games. There is perhaps no other global spectacle that demonstrates the will to win, the desire to succeed, and the urge for these special athletes to realize their potential.
Few of us have ever competed on a profession or Olympic level in sports. Each of us, however, plays and competes each and every day in the game of life, in which professional and/or personal success is the goal.
EXERCISE:
What would a “Gold Medal Life” look like to you? How would establishing this goal in your heart and mind foster greater will and desire to more fully unlock your doors to personal excellence?
What becomes fragile when we age
“What becomes fragile when we age is not our bodies as much as our egos. The best time to take some daring steps is when we get older.”
– Helen Hayes, actress
Prospective clients often ask me: Who are your coaches? Who supports you in living your best life?
Over the years, a number of key people who have supported me. The best and most enduring has been my 86-year-old father, Marvin. For over 56 years, he has been a steadfast supporter.
This past year, following the passing of my mom, my dad and I, along with my wonderful wife Wendy, engaged in what was, for us, some adventures:
- A ride in a hot air balloon.
- A safari in Disney World’s Animal Kingdom.
- A high-speed adventure on the Test Track ride at Disney World.
- A trip to the top of Mount Washington, the highest peak on the East Coast, on the famous Cog Railroad.
- A canoe ride down the Delaware River.
Exercise:
Regardless of your age, how can you find a bit more daring and adventure to spice up your life, and engage others you care about in the journey?
Feel free to reply to this message with some of your own efforts to step out of your aging ego.
“We are capable of greater things than we realize.”
“We are capable of greater things than we realize.”
–Norman Vincent Peale, 20th Century author of The Power of Positive Thinking
Image from Unsplash by
Paola Aguilar
Sure, we have all heard similar thoughts from our teachers, parents, colleagues and friends. We even believe them to some extent. The question to consider here is “How much more are we actually capable of that is beyond our ability to truly believe?”
If thoughts become things, what must we do with our own thoughts, opinions, judgments, mental models and yes, personal paradigms, to free us from our own limiting beliefs?
Exercise:
As you think about and create plans for the coming year, ask the following questions of yourself and of those who know you best:
- What am I capable of through the use of my mind in the coming year?
- What am I capable of through the development and use of my body in the coming year?
- What new spiritual developmental opportunities will I take in the coming year?
Extra Credit:
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#77: “Ah, but a man’s reach should exceed his grasp – or what’s a heaven for?”
– Robert Browning
In the early 1990s, Robert Fritz wrote a book called The Path of Least Resistance. A key concept from this book is “Creative Tension.” Fritz describes this special form of tension as an attractive force that pulls and draws us from our “current reality” to our “committed vision.”
The phrase “I’m looking forward to the weekend” is a good example of positive creative tension. Many people, however, do not look forward to Mondays, due to their undesirable jobs or unfulfilling careers.
With this simple concept in mind, maybe all we need to do each day is to formulate something worth reaching for, beyond our current grasp.
Exercise:
What will you reach for today, tomorrow, and in the future?
Perhaps you will even experience a bit more heaven, here on earth.
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