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