Lucky is an interesting word. It’s often used to describe successful people. Famous actors, professional athletes and entrepreneurs are all called lucky. They are viewed for where they are, at their high point, and not much thought goes into what those people went through to achieve their accomplishments. It’s assumed that they just got there… that they’re lucky.

I have this poster hanging in my office. I look at it regularly to remind myself that I can achieve anything that I want, if I am willing to put the effort in.

I try to remember this concept when I think of successful people. I don’t want to discredit anyone’s success. I don’t want to assume that they were just given the opportunities to get them to the top, to be the best.

Rory McIlroy is one of the top golfers in the world. He fits into the category of someone people think is lucky. Golfing on the PGA tour is a dream for many, especially being among the elite. This ad was released recently and the point is made – he is not lucky – he made this happen. He is up when most are still sleeping, he pushes himself physically when most would prefer not to be that uncomfortable and he fuels his body with healthy options when most would prefer not to restrict their diets.  When you see this video it becomes apparent that he’s not lucky, he’s doing what most aren’t willing to. It’s one thing to want something, it something much different to do what’s necessary to get it.

Watch this – Enjoy the Chase!

Pitcher Roy Halladay routinely puts in a 90 minute workout before his teammates arrive on the field.

Pepsi CEO Indra Nooyi worked as a receptionist on the midnight shift to earn money while she was completing her Masters degree at Yale.

Henry Ford, H.J. Heinz and Walt Disney all filed for bankruptcy but didn’t allow their failures to stop them from working hard and eventually creating incredibly successful companies.

In the book Talent is Overrated by Geoff Colvin he talks about Jerry Rice, who some consider to be the greatest wide receiver in the history of the NFL:

In team workouts he was famous for his hustle; while many receivers would trot back to the quarterback after catching a pass, Rice would sprint to the end zone after each reception. He would typically continue practicing long after the rest of the team had gone home. Most remarkable were his six-days-a-week off-season workouts, which he conducted entirely on his own. Mornings were devoted to cardiovascular work, running a hilly five-mile trail; he would reportedly run ten forty-meter wind sprints up the steepest part. In the afternoons he did equally strenuous weight training. These workouts became legendary as the most demanding in the league, and other players would sometimes join Rice just to see what it was like. Some of them got sick before the day was over.

Now, I know you are probably reading this and thinking that these people are intense and focused and doing things beyond what you are willing to do. And that’s ok. But just know that they aren’t lucky. They are doing things that most won’t. They are doing things that maybe they don’t always want to do, but know that it’s required to be the best. They deserve their success.

What are you willing to do, to give up, to suffer through to reach your dreams?

At first they will ask why you’re doing it. Later they’ll ask how you did it.

Previously I mentioned that I signed up for a travel writing course. I am three quarters of the way through and it’s been an encouraging experience. I really had no expectations going in. I thought it would be something interesting to try, combining two things that I enjoy.

When I received marks in the 80’s on my first two assignments, I was shocked, and then excited. And then the third assignment came along…. This one was a literary article. The first two had been consumer type pieces. Writing about a place or an experience. I am much more factual than I am creative so the literary piece scared me! In fact, I thought well this was good while it lasted!

I wrote the literary article and honestly didn’t expect much. I was pleasantly surprised when I received my instructor’s comments which included “nice sense of storytelling” and “this kind of quirky little travel anecdote is something you will find is often sellable – publications often look for short, interesting pieces like this”. Well those certainly weren’t responses I was expecting.

Don’t be afraid to try something new, you never know how it may change your life.

So in keeping with my own advice, I am stepping out of my comfort zone once again and sharing my literary article with you…

Elephants, Buffalo and a Mammoth Waterfall

I arrived at the lodge and was greeted by the South African innkeepers. “Is this your first time in Zimbabwe?” the husband asked. “Yes” I replied. “Great, welcome. There are a few rules which we should go over”. Interesting, I’ve never been given rules upon check-in. He started to brief me on the lodge and then started discussing the rules. I was only half listening. I assumed it would be standard information. I’m not really a rule breaker so I didn’t think there would be anything that applied to me.

The first rule – absolutely no walking to town at night alone. It struck me as odd. Maybe because I was a bit nervous being in Africa for the first time and traveling solo, but I had no intention of going to town by myself, particularly at night. I joked, “Yes, that would be dangerous”. He looked at me with a very serious face. “It’s the elephants”. Seeing the confusion on my face he continued, “The elephants walk through town at night, you could be trampled”. I didn’t know how to respond, “Uh, ok” I mumbled.

After hearing about the elephants I will admit I was concerned about going outside at any time of the day. I set out to make the trek to town, but following the directions of a fellow traveler, I got lost. I was unsure where I was, unable to speak the local language and in a country with it’s share of political issues. My heart starting racing. I approached a woman. She was kind, she provided directions to town and followed them with, “Be safe”. That certainly didn’t increase my confidence of the situation. I made it to town and started to feel drops. As I walked further it started “raining” harder. Only it wasn’t rain at all, the spray from Victoria Falls could be felt kilometres from the edge.

The spectacular rush of “The Smoke that Thunders” made the trip worthwhile, despite the apparent dangers. The awe-inspiring view is captivating. A massive volume of water flowing into the Zambezi river provides a breathtaking view, dividing Zimbabwe and Zambia. I was enticed by the magnitude of both the unfathomable quantity of water and the immense beauty of this natural attraction.

After staring at the grandness of the descent for hours I made my way back to the lodge. It was dusk as I walked to the edge of town. A taxi driver approached me and asked if I would like a ride. “No, it’s ok I will walk” I replied. “No, you shouldn’t walk, the buffalo will be out soon. It’s not safe”. I got into the taxi with visions of a parade of animals marching down the road after dark.

The other day I read a line in a book that said “personal growth is an organic process”. This really hit me.

I have many goals, probably too many, and when I don’t achieve them quickly I become discouraged. There are things that I want to do that I’m not yet doing and this bothers me. At the beginning of the year I decided that I wanted to include strength training in my workout schedule. I really don’t like it, so January went by and I didn’t hire a personal trainer, and then February still nothing. It makes me feel like I’m failing when I don’t make a change immediately. I think what I need to be aware of is, that if I don’t reach a goal in the time that I had planned I just need to keep trying, I can’t lose sight of it. I can’t give up on it just because it didn’t happen when I thought it would. For this goal I’m happy to report that I have hired a trainer and I started with her yesterday. It was a great session, even though I still don’t like it… and I can’t go from standing to sitting in less than 2 minutes… ouch!

Reading the line that growth is organic was an AHA moment for me. I am making progress on all of my goals but some things are taking longer to change than others. And as my Aunt Janet used to say “And that’s ok”. So I am going to stop being so hard on myself that all of my goals are not achieved, that I don’t get up at 5am every morning, that all of my house renovations aren’t yet complete. I know that I will get there. I know that my goals will be achieved. Maybe I just haven’t grown enough yet to make them happen when I had originally planned.

The funny thing is, I track my accomplishments every week. I write down 5-10 things that I have done that week that I am proud of. Finally hiring the personal trainer, pushing myself to get out of bed this morning to go to the pool – despite the loud voice in my head telling me to turn the alarm off, making the appointment with the kitchen designer. Every week I track the small steps that I take. The intention of this is to see the progress that I’ve made, yet I still give myself a hard time that the change is not happening quickly. But that’s not how it works. This sentence is so true. It is an organic process and the change, the growth, will happen in due time.

Now, here’s the tricky part… the organic process can’t be confused with just sitting around and hoping things will happen one day. It’s not an excuse. I still need to work at achieving my goals, at making changes. The point is, all action is good and while it may not seem as though I am where I think I should be, I am getting there!

Action is the foundational key to all success ~ Pablo Picasso

I have friends in town who are here on an exchange from Australia. It is so inspiring to watch them take full advantage of the year that they have here in Canada. Additionally my friends who are on the opposite end of the exchange – Canadians in Australia for a year – are doing much the same.

They know that they are in a country, far from their own, one they may not get back to anytime soon. They are doing and seeing everything North American! They landed in Toronto, drove to Cobourg and within days were off exploring. We joke that they do things that we haven’t even done… although it’s not really a joke, it’s true… I’ve yet to visit Washington or Sandbanks, curl in a bonspiel or skate on the Rideau Canal.

It made me realize that this is such an amazing way to live life. To have deadlines to get things done. Their deadline is a little more concrete as it involves a flight back home. I’m not suggesting that we all try to get everything done in a year. There are cost restraints, it’s probably not sustainable to do something as regularly as they are, however it is a good model, to take advantage of the time that we have.

I love Tim McGraw’s song – Live like you were dying. I mean, it makes me cry, but I’ve always loved the message:

I went sky diving, I went rocky mountain climbing,
I went two point seven seconds on a bull named Fu Man Chu.
And I loved deeper and I spoke sweeter,
And I gave forgiveness I’d been denying.
And he said: Some day, I hope you get the chance,
To live like you were dying

Like tomorrow was a gift,
And you got eternity,
To think about what you’d do with it.
And what did you do with it?
And what can I do with it?
And what would I do with it? 

Don’t let years go by without seeing the places of your dreams or trying new activities. Plan it out. What EPIC adventures can you schedule this year? Next year? We may not have a flight home booked, but we also don’t have unlimited time. If you truly want to do things, make a plan and do them!

Don’t live the same year 75 times and call it a life ~ Robin Sharma

Yesterday I was sitting on the patio at a restaurant in Florida. The sun was shining and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. It wasn’t hot but the sun felt so nice. It was Friday afternoon and I was there discussing business. I was in the moment and appreciated how happy I was to be there. I realized that this is my life, this is my business and years ago this was only a dream.

Since I started working 19 years ago, I never liked the idea of sitting at a desk all day. It’s not that I didn’t want to do the work, it’s that I wanted to do it my way. I would get the work done but I wanted to have flexibility in my schedule. I wanted to be able to take a Friday off and I would stay late another day or work on the weekend. I wanted to travel. I knew what I wanted. It took me many years to get it. But I have it now. I am truly living the dream, my dream.

There are people who question whether or not I actually work. I assure you I work! There are days when I work 14 hours. I am often in the office on Sundays. Most of what I do I can do from anywhere if I have my computer, wifi and my phone. And so, I often work remotely.

People have dreams about how they want to live their life. They probably have different dreams than me, not everyone wants to be away as much as I do. But everyone has dreams, even if they are deep inside and they don’t necessarily realize what they are yet. I encourage you to think about what you truly want your life to be like. What is your definition of “living the dream”? It might seem overwhelming to you right now. It probably seems impossible. But you CAN make it happen. I did.

For a long time I didn’t believe that it would ever be real, but here we are.

I extend trips and enjoy a couple of extra days seeing sights or having a relaxing day at the beach or the pool (my two favourite places). I work all morning from a hotel lobby and visit friends in the afternoon. I go to visit clients and spend the evening exploring a new town. I make opportunities out of the work that I do.

I think the idea that these dreams could become reality, first occurred to me 12 years ago when I wanted to travel around the world. It seemed like a lofty idea. I had a job. How was I going to travel around the world for 4 months? Many people told me it wasn’t possible. Well, I asked! I asked my employer if I could take a four month leave of absence… and they said yes. I got to travel around the world, see interesting places, have amazing experiences and when I returned home I had a job to go back to. Now, I shouldn’t say it was as simple as just asking. I did some prep work. I chose a time that would be beneficial for the company. I determined how all of the work would be covered. I had the answers to their questions before I proposed the idea. Being able to take this adventure made me realize that dreaming big is awesome and living your dream is not impossible.

Don’t dream your life, live your dream!

Realize deeply that the present moment is all you ever have ~ Eckhart Tolle