Great Endings Make For Great Beginnings

With the closing of 2012, I took an opportunity to reflect on all the success throughout the year.  It was a successful year well beyond what I hoped for.

*The best thing of 2012 was the arrival of my niece, Baby P.!

I can’t help but think how lucky I am for the endless possibilities for success in 2013.  I have so many gifts to utilize and the support of my family and friends.  I have everything I need to achieve my dreams. The ability to make my dreams come true rests right at my own fingertips.  That has come as a result of years of hard work and support of many important people.  There are no guarantees of anything, however, lots of hard work still separates the possibility from actual achievement. 

I’ve heard that everyone has the will to win, but only a few have the will to prepare and do what it takes to win.  I feel that is very true in both life and sport.  I have said many times that it isn't about winning, it’s about doing the things to test, measure, and develop your body and mind.  This sacrifice and focus puts you in a position to win and a position to be your best, the latter is ultimate success.

I have a lot of 2013 goals encompassing all aspects of sport, life, friends, and love.  I don’t usually share my goals publicly until after I have achieved them, because until I do the things that I have to do to achieve them (usually the things that others don’t want to do) it is only talk, wishful thinking, and words typed out…meaningless.  

There are a million little things that must go into the achievement of one major thing, and that is what I love about goals.  So many times people get overwhelmed when just focusing on the end result and achievement of the goal.  Often times it comes down to simply taking that first step. I read an Asian Proverb that said, “A journey of a million miles starts with one step.”  That is a perfect statement when thinking about goals and resolutions.

The first step, the start, can sometimes be the toughest.  Just get out of your head about it and make that step.  Sometimes you have to just put your head down and trust your gut that continuing when times get tough, and continuing to do the things that it takes to be successful, even when facing doubters, is what you should be doing.  

I try to do my best to convey my message across to the readers here, and that usually involves personal things.  My hope is that people will read this and it will benefit them in their life.  I am not ashamed to say that I had some tough days in the past month or so.  That’s life.  It took a lot to just continue pressing through despite setbacks, stress, and apprehensions. Everyone knows how it feels when life temporarily gets in the way of stuff. I knew what I needed to do and where I wanted to be with the end of 2012, and that wasn't easy.  The reason why it was so important to not avoid, but to face these challenges head on, and choose not to run from fear, was because just like in a race, it’s not how you start, it is how you finish. Also true is it isn't always the end result that matters, it is often times how you handle the challenges in the process that define success.

It is so true in both life and sport that good endings make for great beginnings.  Sometimes the endings are effortless, sometimes they are tough, but always remember, that your ending of one goal or aspect of life is paramount to the success in the achievement of the next.  Failing to see one goal through to the end before beginning the next is robbing you of your achievement.

Okay so I said I don’t share my goals before they are achieved, but a recent outing inspired one of my goals, I will share it, I want to bowl a 200-point game in bowling (300 is a perfect game, btw).  

*I want 200!

The second thing I will share is my main goal of 2013. As it was of previous years, my main goal is to be a good example of a “man being a man.”  There is a concerning lack of role models, and an overwhelming amount of carbon copy men who fail to fulfill their obligation of being a “man.”  I am lucky because I have had some tremendous role models in my life and it is my goal to further that to as many people as I can.  Okay, that's all the shares for 2013 goals, the rest remain with me only for the time being.

If you what you want in life to is to be "average," then the best advice I can give you is to do what everyone else is doing.  However, if you want to be great in your own right, be your own hero, and be the best version of yourself, then you are going to have to find that inside of yourself and be willing to get it out.  No one else in this world, but you can bring that potential and passion out.

I am so excited about 2013 because I feel more motivated to find those special things inside me that make me unique and make me feel good about being me. As I said previously, those things are the things that make you the best person you can be, and those are hard things to find within yourself because they take a lot of work and effort.  I know it won't be perfect, and I always have my fair share of short-comings, but I know I can achieve my goals and it will be worth it.  It’s always worth it in the end and I (and you) can do it.  J 

Great endings make for great beginnings, as a result, I feel the best I have ever felt going into a new year. There is only one thing left...The winter training montage. :)