I shall not want...

While I'm very open about my religious faith as a Christian, I try to keep my posts religiously neutral. However, just as a warning, a Christian Biblical verse somewhat inspired this post.

I was driving home from the gym this afternoon, and as I passed a church here in Chesterfield, the first part of the popular Psalm 23 was on the light up sign out front.

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.

I remember going to Bible schools every summer growing up, and at one such place the entire focus was on Psalm 23, and learning it.

But this post is not about Christianity, Psalm 23, or anything else. It's about me, it's about you, it's about living in your own reality, and it's about finding ways to get better. I want to focus on the last four words, I shall not want.

Obviously, I love to coach, and one of the things I tell my kids is to eliminate certain four letter words from their vocabulary, particularly can't, won't, don't. Well it's time to add one to the list...want.

Subliminally, we use the word want dozens of times a day. My new piece of advice for myself, and for you, is to stop wanting, and start getting. You want to win? Well, who doesn't want to win, the other team does too. Go out and make a win happen. You want to go to the park for a run? Then get up and go do it.

I get it, sometimes it's not that easy. There's nothing to stop us from wanting, but there are obstacles sometimes in the way of getting. But I hypothesize that if you leave behind a "want" attitude and adopt a positive, confident "get" attitude, then you will succeed more often.

There's a popular song, "you can't always get what you want, but if you try sometimes, you just might find you get what you need." That statement is largely true, but I'm here to tell you, don't just stop at "what you need". Be hungry, work harder, get more. And then use that to do some good for others.

I'm guilty. I've been a "wanter" for a long time. I mean, I've said out loud too many times stuff like, "I want to get this job" or "I want to coach at the next level" and even "I want to be successful." Maybe that's why I haven't gotten there. I vow, from this day forward to stop cheating myself, and start approaching everything with an "I am" attitude.

Stop wanting. Start doing. Start getting. Start making things happen. You might not always get the result you want, but if you live in your own reality, the odds will be in your favor.

I am my own mechanism for success.

I will work harder tomorrow than I did today.

I shall not want.

-Travis Ponton

twitter: @travisponton

Comparisons last forever

Flashback... It's March of 1998. The Indianapolis Colts are staring the number 1 draft pick in the face in next month's NFL Draft. Little do they know that the choice they make would go down, not only in history, but in infamy. The choice ultimately comes down to two quarterbacks, who will be forever linked in sports lore.

Ryan Leaf will always be compared to Peyton Manning. Imagine draft analysts and Colts scouts debating for hours and hours on which QB to take to lead the franchise. Luckily for the Colts, they took the right player, drafting a future MVP, Super Bowl Champion, and Hall of Famer in Manning, and "Leafing" Ryan to the San Diego Chargers and, well, you know the rest.

The point of this is to serve as a reminder to us, that everyday, we our compared. Your work is compared to the work of someone else, as is what kind of car you drive, where you live, and even how tall you are. As human beings, I think we subliminally compare, as in we do it without noticing.

This doesn't worry me, nor should it worry you. Let it serve as motivation. In the eyes of the beholder, you're put up side by side against your competition, and you await judgement. I say never fear. Let this serve as motivation to turn out better than the other guy.

Look, you can either live your life infatuated with being the best, or live your life working to be better. Think about it. If you're only judged by how many times you win and how many times you lose, you'll worry yourself to death. But, if your main focus everyday is on getting better and you work to be the best, the results take care of themselves.

I'm not immune to this. I've been the Ryan Leaf. I feel like I'm there right now. And I'll always be compared to the person who got the job over me, or won the game, or beat me in the race, or got a little luckier. But don't think for one second I' going to be another Ryan Leaf. When you're in his shoes, make the decision that when the Colts look back on their pick, they're kicking themselves for not choosing you.

So remember, you are compared to someone or something every single day. You're not always going to win those comparisons, but when you find yourself the runner up, make sure you make someone regret that decision. Don't be another Ryan Leaf. Build your own success story. Be ready for your next opportunity. Live in your own reality.

God Bless,
TP

Twitter: @travisponton

Don't even think about it...

You know you want to do it, but stop.

Think about this for a second.

Seriously.

Here on this blog, I preach one basic principle, to live in your own reality.

So, you didn't get something you probably deserved, huh? Well I have news for you, chances are, it's not your fault, it's someone else's. And I'll be honest with you, it's ok to be mad. I am. But this blog is written in a positive energy, so we won't revert to anger.

Everyday, decisions are made over your head that affect you. This is about as true as it gets. I mean, our government and elected officials at the Federal, state, and local levels make decisions and laws that we live by everyday. That's just one example, but point proven.

Unfortunately, not every decision favors us. We stay away from opinions on here as well, but I think we all know someone who is "in charge" or some kind of "authority figure" who is unfit or shouldn't be there. That's not your fault either.

Did you know, I applied for a coaching position at a college, and not only was I not interviewed, but the person that got the job, went 0-28 last year at a school at the similar level. Think about that one. Not every coach can be judged by their record, I know that firsthand, but seriously. Again, I'm just throwing an example out there, though.

And in these decisions, that we usually have very little say over, the individuals making them don't understand how much it affects us. I'll tell you, I've been so close but still lost, and the closest losses hurt the most. For me, lately, one or two losses have amounted to larger impacts. Simply put, I didn't get the job, so I can't afford to live in my apartment with my best friend. That's tough.

Now for the turn....

We don't let this affect us. You're great. You're great because there's a direct proportion to your performance and the amount of effort you put in. There are other factors, but there's no substitute for hard work. Don't forget that. You don't work less when you're at the bottom, you work more. A lot of people slow down when they achieve their goals, I say you always keep making new ones. ALWAYS.

I read in a recent post by Alan Stein that everyone wants it, but not everyone deserves it. Wow, what a great concept. I agree with that, but there's also an asterisk there, because you can deserve something and not get it.

So I turned 25 last week, yes that means I'm getting old. But seriously, I realized a few things. I need to go back to being my own biggest critic. I need to get back to 6am workouts everyday, and I need to be harder on myself. If I focus on me, good things happen.

The moral of this post is simple. Success speaks for itself. Sometimes you don't get what you want, but ask yourself if you deserved it. Even if you did deserve it, you still might not get it. Live in your own reality. Be a positive, energetic, motivated, driven person. Refocus on yourself. Pray about it. Don't take no for an answer. You have nothing to lose.

And, as always, live in your own reality.

Until next time, keep searching, keep working.

-Travis
Twitter: @travisponton