“I’d tell men and women in their mid-twenties not to settle for a job or a profession or even a career.  Seek a calling.  Even if you don’t know what that means, seek it.  If you’re following your calling, the fatigue will be easier to bear, the disappointments will be fuel, the highs will be like nothing you’ve ever felt.” 

― Phil Knight, Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of NIKE

I enjoyed listening to this Audible book.  What a struggle Phil Knight went through before he made it.  The ups and down to build NIKE!!  But he never gave up.  He never gave in.  Since he knew his calling the fatigue was easier to bear for him, the disappointments only fueled him, and the highs have been like nothing else for him.

I have always struggled with the idea of basically forcing young people out of high school to choose a MAJOR or a profession.  I had NO IDEA what I wanted to do.  I knew a few things though.  I knew I liked sports/athletics.  I knew I liked teaching/coaching.  I knew I liked sociology/psychology.  But I had NO IDEA what job that meant or what career/major to choose.  According to Phil Knight, I should have simply chased my calling.  I felt pressure and felt that I needed to know or I was a failure.  7 years after I quit College I found CrossFit.  A year later, I was hooked and now 10 years later I am still following my calling.  And I think he was absolutely right!  Chasing your calling makes it all worth it.

“If parents want to give their children a gift, the best thing they can do is to teach their children to love challenges, be intrigued by mistakes, enjoy effort, and keep on learning. That way, their children don’t have to be slaves of praise. They will have a lifelong way to build and repair their own confidence.” 

― Carol S. Dweck

Parents this is our duty, our job, and we are obliged to pass this on to our children.  Give your children this gift.  Teach them to LOVE challenges, to be intrigued by mistakes, enjoy effort, and keep on learning.  She says if we teach our kids to live for praise they will be slaves to it.  This will create a FIXED mindset in them and they will think they are either smart or they aren’t and there is no changing that.  We need to teach them that they can accomplish and learn anything by enjoying challenges and struggling.  Since listening to this book on Audible I have made sure I am teaching my boys these lessons.  So whenever they struggle with something and get frustrated or upset.  I ask them, “If you want to get better at that what do you have to do?”  They respond with, “We know, Dad, we have to practice and keep working at it.”

“Hesitation is the kiss of death. You might hesitate for just a nanosecond, but that’s all it takes. That one small hesitation triggers a mental system that’s designed to stop you. And it happens in less than—you guessed it—five seconds.” 

― Mel Robbins, The 5 Second Rule: Transform Your Life, Work, and Confidence with Everyday Courage

This is a quote from an incredible book that I recently listened to on Audible.  A big part of why I love this quote is because its REAL.  I really enjoy listening to Mel Robbins.  Check out the 5 second rule.  She has a ton of great videos out on Youtube and is helping so many people take action and move.

Something that I really connect with regarding this 5 second rule is JUST GO!  Thats what I do.  I just start.  I don’t wait until I feel ready.  I don’t wait until everything is perfect or until I have everything planned out.  Your feelings lie.  Don’t listen to them.  When you get the urge take action.  JUST FREAKING START.  Thats the hardest part.  Don’t hesitate.  Count it down and GO!

“Yes, but the main thing is that greatness is doable. Greatness is many, many individual feats, and each of them is doable.” 

― Angela Duckworth, Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance

This realization, that greatness is doable, that greatness is individual feats repeated over and over and over again.  This gives us hope.  It gives anyone who believes this statement hope that they can accomplish something great by simply working at it.  Often times we think the great ones are GREAT because of something magical.  When really its a repeatable process.  So then the challenging part is having the endurance to continue and PERSEVERE.

GRIT is an incredible book.  Check out Angela Duckworth’s TEDTALK on GRIT.

“Why waste time proving over and over how great you are, when you could be getting better? Why hide deficiencies instead of overcoming them? Why look for friends or partners who will just shore up your self-esteem instead of ones who will also challenge you to grow? And why seek out the tried and true, instead of experiences that will stretch you? The passion for stretching yourself and sticking to it, even (or especially) when it’s not going well, is the hallmark of the growth mindset. This is the mindset that allows people to thrive during some of the most challenging times in their lives.” 

― Carol S. Dweck, Mindset: The New Psychology Of Success

The Growth Mindset vs The Fixed Mindset.  Which do you have?  I love this book and this quote is great.  Like Carol Dweck says, “This is the mindset that allows people to thrive during some of the most challenging times in their lives.”

Who are we kidding, right?  Every situation in life is an opportunity to learn and grow.  Don’t be ashamed or afraid of failing.  Embrace those lessons and become better from them.

This picture is from the 2014 Southern California Regional.  We were so close to punching our ticket to the CrossFit Games.  We finished in 4th place overall.  We murdered some workouts and learned some valuable lessons from the ones we failed on.  But thats exactly what it was.  The following year, at the 2015 California Super Regional, Team Kinnick qualified for the Crossfit Games!  We came in 3rd place behind Team Norcal & Team 808.  We learned and grew from those mistakes and it paid off.

How have you failed in the past and used it to learn a valuable lesson?