Every Monday morning I write down 3 random thoughts and reflect on them. This is something I've been doing since my prison days. This little ritual helps me step back and reflect on things before I start my week. Let's see if it does the same for you. So with that said... Let's jump into the first thought on my mind this morning... 1. There's a difference between wanting something and knowing you'll get it. As you know, I'm a big boxing fan. And two weekends ago, Caleb "Sweet Hands" Plant fought David "The Mexican Monster" Benavidez. Plant's style is slick and defensive. He dodges oncoming punches and counter punches. Benavidez does the exact opposite. He walks you down, throwing hard shots that do a lot of damage. Plant is the better fighter. By a longshot. But Benavidez won. Why? Because Plant wanted to win... But didn't KNOW he'd win. Compare this to how Benavidez fought. Benavidez stepped in the ring KNOWING he was going to win. He pressured Plant with confidence... With Plant's punches bouncing off of him like feathers against a brick wall. Plant's problem? He fought to survive. Instead of fighting to win. Plant simply didn't have the confidence to win. He was scared of Benavidez landing "that big shot." And in life, if you really want something... You need to believe it's going to happen. And even if it hasn't happened yet... You can feel "it." You can smell "it." You've even already lived "it." In your own mind. And you're just waiting for "it" to happen in real life. There's no such thing as hope. You need to attack your goals and dreams knowing they're going to happen. Now, the final minutes of the Plant vs. Benavidez fight revealed something else. Which brings me to my second thought this morning. And that is... 2. You perform better when you have nothing to lose. As the clock hit the 1 minute mark, in the 12th round of the fight... Plant stood toe to toe in the middle of the ring with the Mexican Monster. Everyone thought he was crazy. Benavidez was the stronger, more powerful fighter. But Plant stood there... Trading shot for shot. The result? Plant won the exchange. You see, Plant had nothing to lose. And he fought like it. All of his fears of losing vanished. Instead of fighting to survive, he fought to punish Benavidez. The sad part? It took Plant the entire fight to figure this out. Now, I'm the same way. And when the pressure is on... And I have nothing to lose... I find myself performing at my best. There's been times where I haven't had the money to cover my employee's payroll. But somehow, some way... I figured out a way to get my employees paid. The pressure was on. And I performed. So what's the point? If you're the type of person that performs best when your back is against the wall... Put your back against the wall on purpose. Create situations where you have to perform. Like Hernan Cortes did. Who's Hernan Cortes? I'll explain in my 3rd thought of the day, which is... 3. Commitment is everything. So, the question is... Why does pressure make you perform? Simple. Pressure makes you commit. At the end of that fight, the pressure forced Plant to commit to his punches. The same way Hernan Cortes used pressure to make his army commit to a battle. You see, Hernan Cortes was a Spanish conquistador. He's the man responsible for the fall of the Aztec empire. And upon arriving in Mexico, he ordered his men to burn their ships. Why? To force commitment from his men. With no escape routes, what other options did they have? Obviously, his plan worked. My point? You need to approach things with confidence... Knowing you're going to achieve whatever it is you want. And to do this? You need to apply the pressure and commit. A simple formula for success, right? Anyway... You know what day it is. And you know what I do on these days. That's right, work. I'll talk to you tomorrow. Have a blessed day... -John Carlisle |
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