ARE YOU LIVING THE DREAM? WHY NOT?

NOTE: The introduction to this blog post is going to sound like I’m fishing for a compliment or even some validation – please, please, please don’t think that. I was simply searching for a solid “starter,” and this one kicked the most butt.

I LOVE receiving written comments about my blog posts.

They are pretty scattered over several posts – some here and a few more there – but they all speak to me in a unique way.

Here are some examples that I have received, and how they have impacted my state of mind or called me to action:

BLOG POST: “Back in the Blogging Saddle”

SUBJECT: Nothing more than some random nuggets

(e-Partners, Obama, and being “wonderfully great”)

COMMENT FROM: My mom

MESSAGE: “ILY” (which is her little code for I Love You)

IMPACT: I think the Beatles said it best, “All you need is love…love is all you need.”

BLOG POST: “Worth Repeating: Time to Give Back”

SUBJECT: My volunteer efforts and another company’s willingness to give back (Convergint Technologies and its “Social Responsibility Day”)

COMMENT FROM: Greg Lernihan, the president

and co-founder of Convergint.

MESSAGE (excerpts): “I read your blog and appreciate your comments on our company;” “I appreciate what you are trying to do - very inspiring.”

IMPACT: He posted this one month after I wrote the blog…I was floored. (I really hope Mr. Lernihan had some medical training, because he gave me shot of adrenaline that revved me up for several weeks.)

BLOG POST: “A No-Win Argument? I Disagree”

SUBJECT: Focusing on being successful rather than focusing on failing

COMMENT FROM: Anonymous

MESSAGE: Quote from Eleanor Roosevelt… "The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams."

IMPACT: Inspired me to write this particular blog post.

Now….the clichéd segue (Oh yeah…I thought it was “segway,” too….NOPE….FYI: Smooth transition.)

I’ve always been a firm believer of this thought process: You can accomplish anything you put your mind to.

If you can dream it, you can live it.

I dare ANYONE to say those two statements are not accurate.

I’m not trying to be Johnny Rosecolorglasses or

Eddie Overoptimistic – I realize doubt, negativity, and/or fear can rear its ugly head. There have been plenty of times in my life where one of the following statements crept into my head…

• “I CAN'T do that.”

• “That’s TOO difficult!”

• “I only WISH I could accomplish something like that.”

I refuse to let those thoughts consume me, though.

I refuse to let them linger and destroy me from the inside out. As soon as I think it (or even whisper it to myself), I push it out as quickly as I can.

I replace them with thoughts and rhetorical questions, like:

• “I’ve done it before…and I can do it again.”

• “What is there to be scared of?”

• “If I fail, I will simply get back up and attack it again.”

• “God won’t put me in a situation that I can’t handle.”

I had one of these personal pep talks as drove home from Oregon.

I had another one when I quit my job to become a football coach.

With my new business venture, I have a pep talk about once every six weeks.

“If I want something bad enough….I’m going to take it!”

“There is NOTHING I can’t accomplish!”

Sometimes I need little help driving this home, though, and all of this verbiage has led up to this video. If you EVER feel like you can’t accomplish something or you're scared of failing…WATCH THIS!

First...a little background:

• Dick and Rick Hoyt are a father-and-son team that have completed 984 athletic/endurance events (marathons, triathlons, etc.) since 1979.

• On their web site it says, "It’s a remarkable record of exertion — all the more so when you consider that Rick can't walk or talk."

• At Rick’s birth in 1962 the umbilical cord coiled around his neck and cut off oxygen to his brain. Dick and his wife, Judy, were told that there would be no hope for their child’s development.

• With the help of a specially designed computer, Rick told his dad that he wanted to compete in a community 5K event in 1977. After the race, "Rick told us he just didn’t feel handicapped when we were competing."

• Both of their lives were changed forever.

• Now they have completed nine Ironman Triathlons (26.2 miles of running, 112 miles of bicycling, and 2.4 miles of swimming)

• They have trekked 3,735 miles across America.

They are a true inspiration and a reminder that no mountain is too daunting to climb.