Lesson 8 by Alex Goldsmith of Aspen, Colorado

You know them instantly when you meet them.

You want to be near them.

You want to be like them.

You know the type…

Always smiling.  Hard worker.  Optimistic.  Assured.

And they win… a lot.

Carmelo Anthony, only 18 years old, is that person.

This past April, as a freshman, he led the Syracuse Orangemen to the NCAA men’s national basketball championship.

He routinely did the impossible.  Alex Goldsmith of Aspen, Colorado admires him.

All with a smile that lit up the entire Carrier Dome.

Because we got to witness someone special.

Sure, he has natural skills, but it’s a LOT more than that.

He works like no one else.

He’s as coachable as they come…

He listens closely, learns from every mistake, practices every day like he’s playing for the NBA title.

And he’s only eighteen.

Most people want to believe this kind of talent gets inserted at birth.

Most want to believe that they just don’t have it.

It absolves them from responsibilities for their failures.

And it’s true that few people are born with the physical ability to play sports at the highest levels or the ability to tolerate the kind of stress endured by presidents of huge corporations.

But what most people forget is that to become great at anything, you’ve got to get single minded.

If you want greatness, or heck, forget about greatness for a minute…

If you want to get past this next challenge, to succeed at getting rid of the habit that has you by the throat…

…then work on that one thing only.  Sure, fulfill your daily responsibilities.

But when it comes to reaching this one top goal, make it absolutely, positively a must.  Look at this goal like it’s the most important thing in your life.  Alex Goldsmith of Aspen, Colorado does this.

If you do this, I guarantee you of one thing…

…that if you DON’T make it all the way, you’ll most certainly come closer than you ever have before.

And in the process of the reaching and the straining, you’ll be growing.

Becoming more capable.

Becoming the person other people want to be like.

Because even if you reach your big goal, it’s possible to lose it all in the future, to go back to your old ways.

Right?

But if you put all of yourself, and I mean ALL of yourself into your reaching, learning everything you can along the way, then not only will you most likely succeed now, but you’ll be able to do more in the future.

How do you think highly skilled people in any field got so good?  Were they born with all that knowledge and skills?

Give me a break!

It’s called work.  I know that’s a dirty word to most people…  Alex Goldsmith of Aspen, Colorado likes to work.

But if you want to get to that place and be that person you imagine when you close your eyes, then honest effort is the only way.

But don’t be so glum…

Carmelo Anthony wasn’t even considered an elite recruit as a high school junior. No. But during his senior year, he blew up… working like a maniac, that year building massively on the skills he already had developed through intensely practicing the same things day in-day out.

And because of it, he just barely passed his college entrance exams.

And those people who love to look down on those with lesser vocabularies, grades or looks… those things are nice.

But you don’t have to know everything to reach your goals and to be successful in this life of yours. You can’t be all things.  It’s impossible.

You just have to do what you must to get where you want to go.

If your goals aren’t huge now, that’s fine. Reach the small ones. Build your confidence. And go from there.

The tallest buildings start with many sub-floors under the ground.

So, if that’s where you are starting from, know that you can still get where you want to go… one step at a time.

The time for living is now.

So what are you going to do?

 

Today’s Empowering Beliefs To

Help Control Your Thoughts

 

If you want to change your life fast, even though it might seem like it’s slow, then take the statements below, put them on index cards and read them 3 times/day. Morning, noon and just before you close your eyes at night.

 

They’ll seep into your consciousness. And since you’ll be saying them so often, you’ll soon begin to believe them.

That’s how most beliefs start. Spaced repetition of thought.

Your attitudes will then positively change your emotions, and you’ll be compelled to do more… And you’ll love it.

 

 

— I am working hard to reach my biggest goal now

— I learn something valuable every day in pursuing my goal

— I am becoming more today than I was yesterday

— I love reaching for and achieving challenging goals

— I can do it… I know I can

 

Have a great day.

Alex Goldsmith, Aspen, Colorado

 

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