Sounds like a strange question, I know, but is your axe sharpened? Abraham Lincoln is historically an man whose legacy has lived long beyond his life on this earth. His wisdom is as relevant today as it was when he was alive.
What are you doing to prepare your life? What foundational pieces are you putting into place so that in the coming weeks, months and years, what you do today will have a profound impact on your future success and happiness? So asking you, “is your axe sharpened,” is clearly relevant to being prepared, practicing, fine-tuning your skills, confidence and abilities.
Even Benjamin Franklin knew the significance, “by failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.” The exciting thing about preparation is, it represents a beginning! It’s a fresh start to create an amazing result. How amazing the result is, weighs heavily on how prepared you are.
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- Please click the link and feel free to donate to The Children’s Society. Even $5 makes a big difference in the lives of these children. This is the charity I’m raising money for the London Marathon.
Now, let’s speak a little truth, shall we? “Axe sharpening” is tedious, maybe even boring to some people, there’s little glitz and glamour in the beginning stage, BUT when you live excellence daily, you focusing on the opportunity – the possibilities, the beginning of something new!
Preparing for a marathon has some days that are truly inspiring, but truth be told, the mental and physical discipline that is required is NOT the fun part. You start our with a 16-week plan (hopefully, some I’ve done with less and paid for it, but I finished) and you look at that plan and you’re like “HOLY $#^#!” It seems so overwhelming, but you start with the plan. You start with buying the proper gear. You start with mapping your route. You start with eating right and buying the “fuel” you’ll need for when you do run. Hello?!? – you have to pick the location and date of the race you want to run. You have to reserve hotel and airfare. There’s so much more to running a marathon,besides the training. And that’s for just a mere 26.2 miles.
Life is much bigger than a marathon, while it is similar in understanding that it is the journey that brings the joy and the finish line is simply a mark of the end of one and the beginning of another. The last quarter of 2015 is upon us! It’s NOT over, so don’t give up – you’ve got plenty of time to readjust goals and even start new ones!!
Take time to sharpen your axe, the pay off will create miracles in your life? After all, you’ve heard the adage “Success is 90% preparation and only 10% perspiration”. Even the great scientist Louis Pasteur once said, “Chance favors the prepared mind”. So, whether you’re in sales, a CEO, a mother, a college student, etc.; whatever you do in life, it’s the amount of practice and preparation that create our success.
I’ll leave you with one last quote, from the amazing Zig Ziglar –
You were born to win, but to be a winner, you must plan to win, prepare to win, and expect to win.
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