3 Reasons To Finish the Year Strongly

At the time of writing this post, it is late November and the end of the year is coming quickly.

Many people that I talk to are starting to talk about their Christmas holiday plans and how they’re planning to wind down between now and the end of the year.

However, with more than a month to go, I can’t help but feel that it would be a waste of valuable time to just do the bare minimum over the next few weeks.

In fact, here are three things that you can build for yourself if you commit to finish the year strongly:

A Great Way to Test Your Mental Strength

I came across this great technique for testing your mental strength a few weeks ago.  It comes from Dr. Rob Bell (the sports psychologist, not the well-known pastor).

The challenge is simply to stand under a cold shower for 30 seconds.

Sounds easy doesn’t it?

We’re reaching the end of winter here in Melbourne, but I thought that I would give it a try anyway.

Every Single Day

 

English: Los Angeles Lakers Magic Johnson (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

 

When NBA Hall-of-Famer Magic Johnson first came onto the public scene as a college player for Michigan State, his enthusiastic celebrations and gleeful high-fives after every big play had him labeled a show-off who was disrespectful to his opponents.

But his coach, Jud Heathcote defended his star player stoutly, “He’s like that every day in practice – every day.”

Magic wasn’t putting down his opponents, he just loved playing basketball and he expressed his enthusiasm every single day.

What about you?  Is there something that you should be doing every single day?

Why the Easy Option Isn’t Always the Best

Sometimes, it’s easier to call in sick than it is to push through and get yourself to work.

It’s easier to stand against everything than it is to make a constructive contribution through well thought-out alternatives.

It’s easier to let your kids run amok than it is to provide consistent discipline and boundaries.

It’s easier to read blogs and books you know beforehand you will agree with than to challenge your beliefs with an alternative view.

Why You Can Never Prepare Too Much

Yesterday, I shared a great story that Olympic Gold Medallist Duncan Armstrong shared on Sunday at CityLife Church.  You can read that post here.

Here’s one more that I really enjoyed and wanted to share with you all.

In the lead up to the 1988 Seoul Olympics, the Australian swim team was unable to travel to South Korea in advance to familiarise themselves with the Olympic village and site of the swimming events.

However, Duncan’s ever-resourceful coach, Laurie Lawrence organised a trip for his squad to the World Expo in Brisbane, where they could check out a model scale of the Olympic city.

Overcoming Obstacles – A Story About Making the Leap to Greatness

Two students were asked to meet their teacher at the start of a track through the forest.

He gave them instructions to follow the path to its conclusion, in preparation for a test later in the week. 

The path had two sides, one side was clear and smooth, the other side had fallen logs and other obstacles in the way.

One student chose to avoid the obstacles, running around them and taking the easiest path to the end.  He felt clever as he dodged through without hindrance.

The second student chose to tackle the obstacles, battling through every challenge in his path.

Snow White Syndrome

We all know the story of Snow White. 

A young lady lying in a comatose state waiting for Prince Charming to come along and save her.  When he kisses her, she is reanimated and comes to life, saved by her hero.

My suspicion is that many people hope that their lives will turn out like that.

6 Tips to Sharpen Your Mind

In this Knowledge Age that we live in, our ideas and intellect are worth much more than they were 10-20 years ago. 

As such, it is crucial that we try to maintain a sharp mind so that we can effectively solve complex problems, maintain optimism in the midst of challenging circumstances and communicate messages that are clear and insightful.

In considering this challenge, I have come up with 6 tips that I try to use to keep my mind focused and my thinking clear. 

Build It Before You Need It!

In the days of the Cold War, it seems that people were obsessed with the prospect of a nuclear Armageddon.

As a result, there was a thriving niche business in the construction of backyard bunkers as people sought to protect themselves from what they was as the inevitable result of the ongoing tension between the two main superpowers.

Thankfully, they weren’t needed, but the concept of building something before you need it is still relevant today, if in a very different context.

There are a lot of things in life that we don’t necessarily need now, but we may do one day.

Here are a few things that I think you should consider building before you need them.

What Can We Learn From Marathon Runners?

Image via Wikipedia

It seems that many of my peers in the coaching industry and blogging world are into long-distance running.

I’m not.

It’s just not for me.  I can relate to David Letterman when he says, “I pulled a hamstring during the New York marathon.  An hour into the race I jumped up from the couch.”

Having said that, I have great admiration for those who are able to run long distances, especially those who are able to put themselves through the arduous journey of a marathon.

After the recent Boston Marathon bombing, here are some of the principles that we can learn from marathon runners.