We all know that success takes time.
We all know that success isn't easy.
But if that is true, then why do so many people give up before they've even begun? Why do so many people look at a challenge, begin to feel overwhelmed, and immediately say that the challenge is too hard? Perhaps, people have forgotten these principles of process.
_____1.
Skill requires process, desire and practice.
Process without desire is a waste of time, like trying to teach people to read when they've already decided that they hate books.
Desire without process is a waste of life, like a bad poet who dreams of being great, yet never takes a single step towards greatness.
However, once you bring desire, process, and repetition together through practice, skill becomes inevitable.
Think about babies trying to walk and talk.
As soon as babies discover that they have legs and voices, they start practicing.
People never have to tell their babies, "You need to practice your walking and talking now.
" Babies want to walk and talk so desperately that they never stop practicing.
And within a year, you can't shut them up, or slow them down.
If you want to develop a skill, you need to combine desire, process and practice.
_____2.
We do our most innovative work while playing.
We learn more between the ages of birth and ten than at any other time in our lives.
Why? Our brains don't change that much, but our attitudes do.
We learn to fear, and we forget to play.
_____3.
You can win by a nose.
In the Olympics, people win events by thousandths-of-a-second.
Do you realize how small that is? Try dividing one second into a thousand pieces.
That tiny amount of time is all it takes to develop a winning edge.
Luckily, you don't have to be perfect in order to win.
You just have to be a thousandth-of-a-second better than most.
William Matthews once said, "The smallest thing, well done, becomes artistic.
" _____4.
You can't begin without choosing a place to begin.
Start with cause and effect.
Look at a situation that you want to change and try to determine where your actions influence that change.
Next, implement a few causes and see if they have your desired effect.
But never wait for a perfect option.
If you can't chose between a few good options, just pick the easiest one and start.
Whenever you wait for the perfect option, you tend to wait forever.
_____5.
Moving is easier than starting.
Have you ever pushed a stalled car? Do you remember how much effort it took to get the car moving? Do you remember how little effort it took to keep the car rolling? You need to remember that starting is always is the hardest part of a process.
Once you disengage the parking brake and start, momentum will be on your side.
_____6.
Momentum can overwhelm you.
Once things begin to move, they tend to move fast.
After you have started moving, you might have to make a conscience effort to slow down, so that you can monitor your progress and purposefully direct your course.
_____7.
Small steps are the easiest steps, and the only ones worth taking.
Have you ever tried to keep pace with someone who has longer legs than yours? It's impossible.
You need to work at your own speed.
You need to take up a stride that you can maintain your whole life.
Remember that even the smallest step can eventually cover miles.
_____8.
You can't save time.
You only get 24 hours a day.
If you've been telling yourself that you'll have more time tomorrow, you've been deluding yourself.
Budget the time you have today, and keep the promise that you make to yourself.
Otherwise, you'll be putting off success forever.
_____9.
You are never alone.
Wherever you go, you are connected to the river.
You carry inside yourself all the lessons of your forefathers, all the voices of your childhood and all the faces of your future.
Your life is affected by every choice made-even the choices of strangers living on the other side of the world.
You can't break those connections, so you had better learn to honor them.
You had better learn to make your connections worthwhile.
_____10.
Change is inevitable.
When you try to stop change, you risk falling overboard.
Stop struggling against life's currents and learn to notice the flow.
_____11.
The more difficult something is, the more likely you'll mess it up at first.
So forgive your mistakes and remember why you have a sense of humor.
_____12.
Stop waiting for opportunity to knock.
Opportunity can only find you when you're outside looking for her.
_____13.
You are what you are now because of the choices you made yesterday.
Make today's choices with tomorrows' in mind.
_____14.
He who saves one man saves the world.
And anyone who creates a worthwhile life, adds his worth to the life of the river.
What's the bottom line on process? Your life is built of nothing but moments.
Millions of moments, exactly like the moment you're experiencing now.
You can use those moments to move mountains.
You just need the courage to begin.
So don't give up before you start.
Learn to honor the power of process...