GET GOOD AT IT!

The other day my wife and I were waiting on some team members to come to the house for training. We were both playing games on our respective cell phones when I heard her say, “I suck at this.” My first response was to say, “Self-fulfilling prophecy.” However there was this nagging voice in my head that kept repeating the same phrase over and over again. Finally, I couldn’t take it anymore and I blurted out, “Get Good At It…if you want to.”

GET GOOD AT IT! Wow! As soon as those words left my mouth I realized the power behind them. GET GOOD AT IT! You see, it boils down to a simple choice. One can sit there and complain or bemoan ones circumstances or perceived, yes perceived, lack of talent in a specific area, or one can make a choice and simply go about the process of getting good at it! No one was born a great football player, a virtuoso pianist, a moving and inspiring orator, or a physicist. Lance Armstrong did not come out of the womb on a bicycle, Tiger Woods did not hit a hole-in-one at the age of two months, nor did Michael Jordan dunk a basketball at the age of one. As a matter of fact, Jordan, arguably the best basketball player ever, was cut from his high school team. They chose to Get Good At It!

Some of you would say, “They were born with these talents, and I wasn’t.” Let’s examine that, yes we are all born with different gifts, things we are innately good at or that come easier to us than to most. However, how good we get at them will depend on the choices we make and how much effort we are willing to put into it. Lance Armstrong “Got Good” at his sport, then was diagnosed with cancer. After beating his disease, Lance was still Lance, but he no longer was a premier cyclist. He had to choose to “Get Good At It” again! So he worked and sacrificed and put in extraordinary effort and eventually he accomplished feats in his sport no one had ever done before. It was just a simple choice! Please don’t confuse simplicity with ease, for simplicity and ease are usually diametrically opposed.

I will never be compared to Pavarotti; friends and family usually ask that I don’t sing. Nevertheless, if I chose to “Get Good At It” and I invested in voice lessons, and I practiced and kept “working at it,” eventually, I would become much, much better than I am today. I may not excel at it, but I could “Get Good At It.”

You see, after the decision is made, it is just a process, as are all endeavors. How you speak to yourself will go a long way towards your desire to continue the process, or do as most do, and quit! Substitute negative language for positive language. Have you ever stopped to actually listen to the harshness with which you communicate with the most important person in your life, yourself? I suck at this, I can’t ever get that right, I’m so stupid, that was smart (in a sarcastic tone), brilliant (in a sarcastic tone), I’ll never get this, who was I trying to fool. At times, instead of attacking ourselves we attack the very thing we were working on. Who needs this stupid…? That game sucks, this business doesn’t work, who in their right mind would do this any way? Any of this sounds familiar?

In any enterprise, whether it is sports, academia, personal development, or business, those that rise to the top are not necessarily those who are the most talented. No, they are usually the ones who understand that it is a process and that they will get better with time and effort. Therefore, (when you get frustrated--as you will, or when things don’t go as you wished--which they won’t,) instead of berating yourself, speak to yourself in positive reassuring language. With the knowledge that indeed it is a process, try “I’m getting good at it” because with every attempt, whether it is a failure or a minor success you are in the process of getting good at it. If you spoke to a prospect and he told you to take a long walk off a short pier, say to yourself, “I’m getting good at it.” If you only made two out of ten free throw attempts, try “I’m getting good at it.” When you truly are putting effort into that which you desire, then the phrase “I’m getting good at it” will resonate with your subconscious, you will feel more empowered and accomplished as well as motivated to “GET GOOD AT IT.”

Carlos A. Bauta
I know that “I am getting good at it!”

If you don't like the weather, wait it will change.

Life only gives us two certainties, death and change! If you don't like the weather, wait it will change.

It is ironic that we spend so much of our time afraid of the only things that are a sure thing. Learn to embrace them both! Yes I said embrace them, cherish them, learn to love them! "What, what are you saying? I want consistency and the security that it entails. I also love life, and you want me to love death? Are you nuts?"

Although some may, indeed, question my sanity, I am quite in control of my faculties. Let's look at these one at a time. Change - too much angst is spent trying to combat it. If you were to accept it then you could plan for it, not only plan for it but be a force behind it, maybe even initiate it. In other words find the consistency your looking for in the very change you hate.

Death - no it is not a morbid thought to say love death. You see it is only by understanding and accepting that our time here is finite, that we can learn how important it is to LIVE each and every moment. Learn to live the NOW! Imbibe in the euphoria that is LIFE!

Life can only be experienced one moment at a time!

Carlos A. Bauta

When deep in "Stuff," look up!

When deep in "Stuff," look up! Looking down is not a pretty sight, and it does not let you see any other options.

Wallowing in self pity and focusing on your problems does not resolve them. Indeed, it increases them! The law of attraction tells us that we attract that which we think about most. Therefore, if we spend our time contemplating our woes, then we will get more woes.

However, some of you may not believe in the law of attraction, so let's look at Solrac's law of logic. If we are spending all or most of our time thinking about our "Stuff," then we are not using that time to plan and take action towards the solution to our needs!

In other words, take your head out of the "Stuff" and focus on your dreams and the actions it will take to accomplish them. Keep the blinders on; don't look down nor to the sides. Always look forward, and even if it is inch by inch, you will eventually get out of the "Stuff"

Carlos A. Bauta

Thank God, I am out of my MIND!

Some say "A mind is a terrible thing to waste". I, on the other hand, say that a mind can be a terrible thing to have!

Our MIND, the Maddening Involuntary Neurosis Designer, is like an early warning system. What if..., then what, and if..., oh my GOD, look out, be careful, oh no...

We humans have an incredible capacity for creating self misery. Usually it starts with our mind, the 24 / 7 story creator, we take small bits of information, some real, some perceived, and we proceed to weave an intricate tapestry of tall tales. What is worse, we then buy our own story and declare it to be the God given truth. To add insult to injury, we then react to our own concoction.

This reminds me of the one about a man who was traveling down a rural road when all of a sudden he has a flat tire. He gets out of his car to change the tire only to find that he doesn’t have a jack. Just as panic is about to set in, he remembers that he saw a house some two miles back, and he decides to walk back and borrow a jack. As he walks he starts to think (Oh! Oh!), “what if I walk all this way and no one is home?” “What if I walk all this way and someone is home, but they don’t have a jack?” “What if I walk all this way, they are home, they do have a jack, but they won’t lend it to me?” “What if I walk all this way, they are home, they have a jack, they won’t lend it to me, and to top things off, they’re rude?” Just then he reaches the door, knocks on it, and the man of the house answers the door. “Hello! And our stranded traveller replies “You can take your jack and…” I’ll leave the rest to your imagination. The poor home owner never knew what hit him!

Indeed it is hell reacting to our every thought, feeling almost paranoid. Is this real, or we making it up? Reality is a funny thing, and one of the reasons that psychotherapy is in such demand. Our reality may be nothing more than a story and our truth just an unmitigated lie. One’s reality is made up mostly of perceptions. Consequently, letting your mind run amuck is a sure way of creating anxiety and excessive stress.

How many sleepless nights do you spend dreading the apocalypse of the next day? How much time do you waste worrying about what is to come? How many different permutations of what is to happen did you react to? Countless! Each of these senseless concoctions erode your self-image, sanity and health thought by thought.

Yesterday’s tomorrow looks nothing like today. In reality our worst fears never materialized. Indeed things may not be good, but they are never as bad as we make them out to be. We put ourselves on an emotional mega roller coaster. How many times have you done this?

It's time to stop this madness! Take control of your emotions and consequently your life! Learn to discern the difference between valid concerns of the mind and the irrational ones. Don't get caught up in your own stories, STAY OUT OF YOUR MIND!

Carlos A. Bauta

this Blog is not Spam

Wow! My blog was marked as spam, of course I don't think it is but the automatic "robots" thought so. Now an actual human, hopefully living, has to check. Anyhow we should be up and running again in a couple of days.

If you get to see this, thanks for your patience, if you can't, you will in a couple of days and have a good laugh on me. Such is the price of progress.

Carlos A. Bauta

Breathe in, Breathe out

Breathe in, breathe out, breathe in, breathe out - a simple yet life sustaining exercise. When was the last time you deliberately took notice of your breathing pattern? We live our lives on automatic pilot, so much so that we don't even notice our body's most essential function.

I challenge you, stop for a moment and tune into your breathing, notice the rhythmic harmony of each breath, follow the air as it enters your body, feel you chest cavity expand then relax with your exhale. Breathe in, breath out. Now tune into your surroundings, listen intently. What do you hear? Look around. What do you see? Breathe in,breath out. Tune into your inner dialog. What are you saying to yourself. Can you be still? Will your mind allow you this moment of peace?

Stay attentive to each breath. Let every nerve ending come alive with the realization that everything around you is pulsating to a universal rhythm. Can you sense it? Listen carefully to the cacophony of sounds found in silence. This is where to find the answers to your most troubling questions.

Breathe in, breathe out - tune into the harmony of the universe.

Carlos A. Bauta

From the 8th grade to the Penthouse!

As a good friend, Dwayne Johnson, points out, "Our parents all teach us the same thing: get good grades in school so that you can get into a good college. Do well in college so that you can get a good job with good benefits."

Dwayne is correct; that is indeed what our parents teach us. It's their formula for success. However, most of us are never taught the most important ingredients for the proper formula for success. These include responsibility, self reliance, discipline, courage, commitment, integrity, and good old fashioned work ethic.

Yesterday I met a man that embodies all of these characteristics. Derrick Taylor is 41 years old, and he has an 8th grade education. According to our parents' formula, Derrick must be a miserable failure. A man barely able to speak a complete sentence, much less make anything of himself. WOW, how completely wrong that assessment would be!

Indeed I saw Derrick speak articulately, and motivate a group of 150 small business owners. You see, Derrick is in the top 1% of money earners in the country. He would be as comfortable sitting at the table with kings as he is sitting at the table with anyone of us. He is an engaging, knowledgeable, successful business and family man. How can this possibly be?

The answer is simple. Character! Derrick took responsibility for his life. He started work as a bus boy for a large restaurant chain and worked his way up to regional management. He embarked on a program of self development. Of course, as is the case for all of us, along the way he ran into road blocks and a couple of years ago found himself heavily in debt. Did he wallow in self pity? NO! Did he look for a hand out, or blame the government? NO! He accepted responsibility, learned from his circumstances, looked for an opportunity, showed courage, had commitment, and employed his good old fashioned work ethic.

Today, Derrick earns more in one month than he did in a year as management at the restaurant chain. Some would say he was an overnight success. I say that his character and experience allowed him to take advantage of a fabulous opportunity (in future blogs I will tell you about it).

Life is a journey fraught with obstacles, pitfalls and other assorted challenges and dangers. However, if we have the courage to face them, the foresight to learn from them, the discipline to persistently take action in spite of them, the wisdom to take responsibility, have an unyielding commitment to our hopes dreams and aspirations, and unflailing integrity, then we will live abundant and successful lives.

Abundance

by Carlos Bauta

On a long and painful journey
Life took me for a ride.
Through the grief and misery
You stood calmly by my side.

With fear and trepidation
We started down that road
Over peaks and valleys
You helped and lighten the load.

I am blessed to have been taken
On such a perilous travail.
My mind and soul have strengthened
My spirit freely sails.

.

Are you taking responsibility for your life? Are you on a path of self development? Do you have the courage and commitment to change your life? Could you have gone from the 8th grade to the penthouse?

Carlos A. Bauta