Armchair quarterbacks never throw interceptions

Have you ever noticed when you get in trouble for taking action it’s usually with those who take none?

I’ve had the opportunity to work with teens in various settings for over two decades. One sad observation I’ve made over that time is that teens abound in energy and ideas and they are constantly being pressed into a box of conformity by “concerned” (read fearful) adults around them. Now our children are being taught that things like competition and striving for victory are somehow bad qualities. This blog is dedicated to all those who rejected that pressure to conform and sought to be their own person. Here are some tips on getting on the field rather than sitting in the armchair.

1) Plan simple – “Confusion lies in the sophistication, success lies in the simplicity.” Kevin Eastman, assistant coach of the Boston Celtics. Armchair quarterbacks spend their lives preparing, planning, and consulting. Of course they’re far too busy to actually do something constructive.

2) Take immediate action on you plan – In the words of Tony Robbins, when you set a goal, take immediate massive action toward the accomplishment of that goal. Procrastination is the killer of dreams.

3) Beware the barking dogs – I once heard it said that a firefighter driving to a three alarm fire doesn’t stop their truck to address a barking dog. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying you should see people as dogs. Just be careful the weight you give their input. People of action make armchair quarterbacks very nervous. As long as no one is doing anything of significance they won’t look bad. As soon as a doer enters the picture the planners are shown to be unimportant.

4) Fail big – Small risk, small chance of success. Big risk, big chance of success. When the timid fail no one really notices. After all they weren’t really doing much of anything anyway. When the bold fail everyone notices. They may fail big but eventually the succeed big. A word of warning here. When you set yourself on fire with a vision the bucket brigade will quickly form.

5) Fail big again – Napoleon Hill, when interviewing some of the most successful people of his time noted that the one quality that ran through all great achievers is persistence. You can’t beat someone who won’t quit.

6) Build your team carefully – No one “makes it” alone. Even if you are a company of one your success depends on how well you are willing to serve others. Surround yourself with those who are likeminded and have a vision. The world is full of attitude vampires. If you find one on your team don’t be afraid to repalce them.

7) When everything falls apart, go back to step one. IMMEDIATELY!

Scare yourself: An engineered lifestyle

Besides my career as a real estate agent I am also a huge fan of experiential education. Specifically, I am a ropes course facilitator..

So why do I sometimes like to take my tie off and put on a harness? Because personal growth has been a passionate study of mine for many years. I love seeing people push through their fears and conquer them. Sometimes that comes from jumping off a pole and sometimes it comes from writing an offer on a house. Fear is fear and success is success.

What does this have to do with my title?

On the ropes course I try to create an environment where it's safe to challenge things that terrify you. Hmmm, kind of like selling houses isn't it? But more important, I work with groups to provide situations where the encouragement from the team can influence people to do things they would never dream of doing alone.

Likewise I see that kind of encouraging atmosphere in my fellow Realtors on Activerain. In fact I was inspired to write this post by a post from my Activerain friend Loreena Yeo. As much as we may try to control our destiny there are things that happen that are out of that realm of control. What defines us is how we interpret and react to those little surprises.

What determines our interpretation and reaction is our conditioning. So do we choose our conditioning or are we conditioned by circumstance? If we carefully guard and craft what we put in our minds, and if we carefully guard who we allow to influence us, then we will be in control of our destiny. Allowing life to happen to us just doesn't produce the desired results.

Think of it this way, if you dump random airplane parts into a huge pile they won't assemble themselves into a 747. If you dump random information into your head you won't come up with a successful life either. Like the 747, a successful life is carefully engineered.

Are you building your life according to a plan or just dumping random information in? I'm going to suggest you take inventory of what you are currently doing in your life. What do you read, watch, listen to? Who do you spend time with? Do you have a mentor or mentors? Most importantly, when was the last time you did something that really scared you?