Memorial Day

Yes it is about the start of the summer, with beer, BBQ and upcoming coming trips to the beach.  There is baseball, watermelon and the kids being out of school, but don’t forget the true meaning of the holiday.  People have died serving our country and defending the freedoms we enjoy and this day is set aside to remember and honor those sacrifices.  Take a minute to think about that.  Make sure your children or grandchildren understand the price of freedom and the reason for the holiday.

 

Have a blessed and happy Memorial Day!

Ironman

Four years ago I witnessed and volunteered at the inaugural Ironman Texas that is held in The Woodlands. Just this last Saturday was the 5^th Ironman Texas. For those of you not familiar with an Ironman event, it is an endurance race where participants do a 2.4 mile swim, then 112 miles on a bike, followed by a full marathon (26.2 miles).  It is a total of 140.6 miles that has to be completed in 17 hours.  This accomplishment is absolute proof that your body can be pushed to limits beyond what you know.  The pros do it in just over 8 hours.  The bulk of finishers are in the 11 to 14 hour range and there are people crossing the finish line until the end.  Participants come in all ages, sizes, weights and nationalities; they all have a personal goal and their own reason for taking on the challenge.  It is inspiring to watch and even better to be actively involved.  Each year we have a volunteer group that mans a run aid station for over 14 hours.

 I think there are a couple of lessons here…  First and foremost, you can do things physically and mentally that you never dreamed possible.  Never underestimate the power of determination and training.  Secondly, the power of inspiration is a very real thing.  Very few things in life feel as good as personal accomplishment.  It does not have to be an Ironman, in fact most of us regular folks will never do one of those, but we have our own opportunities to set goals.  We can do something that we have never done before.  We can push ourselves mentally and physically farther than we ever imagine…

 Is it time for you to set some new goals?  Based on what I witnessed this weekend, there is no doubt you can do it if you set your mind to it!

 

Change

Jerry Jeff Walker sings a song entitled Too Old to Change.  I recall being in my mid to late twenties and thinking that song applied to me.  I had this notion that I was who I was and not likely to change much, people around me just needed to accept that.  At that point my song title should have been Too Stupid to Change.  Maybe it still should be!  We are never too old to change, we are however, often too hard headed to change.  In fact we do not grow as people if we do not change.  We must change to develop and improve ourselves.  I know this better now, even if I am still not very good at it.  Life is all about change and how we accept, embrace and adapt to it. 

 

Don't be too old (stupid) to change!

 

Patience and Preparation

We have become a very impatient people.  I should know because patience is a serious weakness of mine.  We are impatient in lines at the grocery store and in traffic.  We are impatient with doctors healing our illnesses and lawyers solving our problems.  Most importantly, we are impatient to achieve, in both our goals and our definitions of success.  Consider this quote…

“Spectacular achievement is always preceded by unspectacular preparation”

-       Robert H. Schuller

We do not want to spend the time it takes in preparation to achieve.  It does not matter what you want to achieve, it will require preparation.  Whether it is financial success, good grades or athletic prowess, you have to be willing to devote hours and hours of not so glamorous preparation.  It may not be fun, and it will be hard work, but the rewards of achievement can be spectacular!  But we cannot be impatient about it.