You don’t have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great
There are four personal mentors I read everyday. Each morning as I step onto the treadmill or sit down on the exercise bike, I hang out for 60 minutes with my personal mentors. This month my personal mentors are the apostle Paul (who besides Jesus, is my favorite mentor in the bible), Og Mandino (I have been spending 5 minutes every morning with Og for about 15 years), Jim Rohn (he is still mentoring me from the grave) and John Maxwell (my absolute favorite mentor, among many, on leadership).
The mentors ensure that I get my day off on the right foot. They teach me something every day. Sometimes they have to teach me the same thing over and over before I actually own it. Maybe it’s just me, but I find that there is a big difference between knowing about something, understanding something, and owning it. I believe it corresponds with the way I learn, and maybe it is the same for you to. There are a lot of things I know, but unfortunately don’t readily do. However, if I keep drilling it in, over time I fully grasp it and I start to do it as long as I am conscious about doing it. Then there are the things that I get to the point where I simply own the concept. I do it without thinking about it and the fruits it provides become part of my life. I am not afraid to admit that I am a slow starter, but after many repetitions, I get it and do it…then look out!
Anyway, here are a few nuggets about taking action from a little book by John Maxwell called “Dare to Dream.” I certainly hope you dream…and I even more hope you dare!
1. You don’t have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great.
2. The first two letters in the word goal are g-o.
3. Some people dream of worthy accomplishments while others wake up and do them.
4. Anybody who brags about what he is going to do tomorrow probably did the same thing yesterday.
5. People will never be what they ought to be until they are doing what they ought to be doing.
I love this kind of stuff and I have been filling my mind with it for years. And you know what? It has helped me to be a doer. I hope it helps you.
