Sunday Story…Success isn’t Permanent

And Failure isn’t Fatal. Yet both things feel as if they might be.

We get uncomfortable and, as a small child, think it is the “new normal.” That this discomfort is going to last forever. It isn’t. It will last for some period of time and then it will be over. The question is whether or not you will quit. Whether or not you will accept the fact that this uncomfortableness will end soon.

Sometimes when everything is going along swimmingly we get complacent and think this is the “new normal.” That everything will always be coming up roses and we can get a little lazy with our resources, our squander our goodwill because there is always more. Success isn’t permanent and if you think it is you will be quickly disabused of that notion.

Other times it looks like nothing is going to work and you will be forever stuck in the rut you are currently in. All of your present difficulties will be forever yours. Failure isn’t fatal and you are never stuck in one place.

Like most things, if you believe it, it will most probably come to pass. If you believe one of those things then you don’t have to stay engaged, you don’t have to fight through the failure or the discomfort or keep improving your success.

It might be hard (or easy) but it isn’t forever.

John Mariotti
www.crossfitodyssey.com
www.sunday-stories.blogspot.com
775-338-2412

Sunday Story…Avoidance is not

The answer.

I am not great at everything. Actually, I am not great at a lot of things. You could even say I am great at very few things. My level of competence is what it is…until I decide to do something about it.

That is the question: What will I do about those places where I am not great? What will I do about the places where I don’t have the will, desire, or commitment to become great?

I suppose I could utilize the head in the sand ploy. You know the one…you ignore your incompetence. Do whatever it is poorly, hope no one notices, and pretend you didn’t do it so badly.

Or you could go head to head. Face your incompetence with zeal and enthusiasm. Talk about it. Look for resources that will increase your competence. Find someone or a band of someones who will support and challenge you to get better. Look for new and better ways to get where you want to be.

The first choice…avoidance…is never going to increase your competence. At least in the second, you are pretending to be more grown up.

Want competence? Face the facts, look for answers, do the work. Simple, not easy.

John Mariotti
www.crossfitodyssey.com
www.sunday-stories.blogspot.com
775-338-2412

Sunday Story…The Snooze Button

Is not your friend. It is a trap, a flawed strategy to attempt to re-use time. In other words you have decided to decide later which is a decision in and of itself. And that decision cost you time and energy only to decide later.

Your alarm has a snooze button. Rather than arise you hit the button, thus putting off the inevitable…after all you are going to get up sooner or later. Your decision to decide later has consequences. Maybe you will oversleep and be late, maybe you will have to skip your shower or your breakfast. That decision creates a cascade of other choices that may no longer be available because of that first, seemingly minor decision, to hit the snooze.

It isn’t as if you need more information…you need to get out of bed. Sometimes putting off the decision makes sense when you need or are going to get more data to help with that decision.

Decide once and move on. Open the email, respond, and discard…let it go from your consciousness. Otherwise it ends up on an ever-growing pile of decisions you decided to make later.

Later is now. In or out, yes or no, move on…it is a habit. Snooze is not your friend. Jettison it!

John Mariotti
www.crossfitodyssey.com
www.sunday-stories.blogspot.com
775-338-2412

Sunday Story…to GPS or Not to GPS

That is the question.

Most of us have come to rely on our devices for information…maps tells me how to get to my destination, contacts remembers phone numbers, and Google, well Google, knows everything. But what if you are on your way home and your device fails? Will you be up a creek with no paddle? How will you get home? You can’t call anyone (device failed!). The guy at the gas station has no clue, maybe, if you are lucky, someone will look it up for you and show you how to get home.

Or you can follow your compass. A compass is that little handheld ancient instrument that shows you what direction you are going. Most of us haven’t seen one in years but I bet your device has an app you can get! While your compass won’t tell you to turn left at the next intersection it will make sure you are headed in the right direction.

So…what is your compass telling you about the direction of your life? My device doesn’t have a cute little map telling me when to switch careers, get married, have kids, go back to school, or open a business. But you have an internal compass…it tells you when things are right or wrong or need an adjustment. Unfortunately, too many of us have lost our bearings, we are forgetting to check in with our compass and make sure life is heading in the direction we want it to head.

I guarantee you will get somewhere if you keep going but it may not be where you want to end up. Check-in, set your course and correct it along the way…you never know when your device will fail!

John Mariotti
www.crossfitodyssey.com
www.sunday-stories.blogspot.com
775-338-2412

Sunday Story…More isn’t better

Better is better.

I am often asked how many more people we would like to have in our little business here. The answer is, generally, more. But that is an incomplete answer. I don’t want just more breathing bodies.

I want better. People who expect better. People who will give better. People who will show up to be better. People who are willing to help everyone else to be better. People who want better from themselves and the world around them. People who enjoy watching others get better.

Out digital world is trying to teach us that more is better but it really isn’t. More followers, more likes, more friends, more, more, more, but more isn’t the answer. I can only handle so much more. Better is better.

So give me people who want more respect, more exclusivity, more trust, more interest, and more attention. That’s the more I want.

Give me more better.

John Mariotti
www.crossfitodyssey.com
www.sunday-stories.blogspot.com
775-338-2412

Sunday Story…Letting Go

One of the toughest lessons to learn is to let go.

Let go of ideas that will never bear fruit in favor of ideas that are going to mature and yield results. Let go of preconceptions in order to see what actually is there. Let go of who you think you are in order to become who you really are. Let go of the lost cause to find the one that isn’t lost yet.

We become fixated and invested in certain things that look like great ideas but because of our tunnel vision, we can’t see that they have become inviable. Think of the inventor who has a new buggy idea just when the horse and buggy is dying. He misses the opportunity he could have exploited in the nascent automobile industry. He is holding on when he should let go.

Holding on to a lost cause, idea, or thought process is a lot like holding on to anger, jealousy, or envy…It might feel good for a while but eventually, you will become exhausted carrying a load that serves no purpose.

Put it down and pick up something that will move you forward…whether it’s a new goal, lifestyle choice, or thought process. You’ll be glad you did!

John Mariotti
www.crossfitodyssey.com
www.sunday-stories.blogspot.com
775-338-2412

Sunday Story…The Best Time

To plant a tree is 20 years ago. The second best time is now.

If you really want shade from a tree you need to have planted it a while ago. If you wait to plant it now you are going to pay a very large sum of money to get a tree planted that is big enough to provide shade. On the other hand, if you try to sit in the shade of the sapling you can afford today you will find that shade very elusive.

This is a basic principle…do the things you need to do to get ahead of the curve and then keep doing them so you stay ahead. It’s way cheaper, much more satisfactory and, if you do it right, you will have enough to share with lots of other people.

Thus if you get ahead of the curve and stay ahead of the curve you will always have enough shade. But if you don’t you won’t ever have enough shade.

Plant your tree before you want the shade and then nurture it to keep the shade coming.

It really is simple when you think about it. It just isn’t easy (as usual!)

John Mariotti
www.crossfitodyssey.com
www.sunday-stories.blogspot.com
775-338-2412