[at-l] Dr. Zimmermand Tip 2

[wolferrae@xxxxxxxxxxxxx (Rogene Beers)]

How true it does behove one to recognize the dead end alleys
and change course to the open road.
Rogene

----- Original Message -----
From: "Clark Wright" <icw@esisnet.com>
To: "Datto" <datto_atl2@yahoo.com>
Cc: <at-l@backcountry.net>
Sent: Thursday, January 09, 2003 10:18 PM
Subject: Re: [at-l] Dr. Zimmermand Tip 2


Great post, Datto - but I would add one philosophical bit of
ambivalence, which I have struggled with for over 20 years now:  if you
are taught to never quit, and get started down a path that you later
learn is not true to your heart or your self, is it the better part of
valor to QUIT that path and try to return or begin walking on a
different path that you at that point believe is truer to who you are,
or is it important to keep getting up and never quitting in a career,
marriage, religion, mission, etc. that you are no longer satisfied with
on some level?  I hope this makes some sense - I guess one way I would
put it is that in order for Fritz Kreisler to finally come back to his
truest self-expression, he also had to QUIT a bunch of interim careers
too!  I presently am struggling with just that issue in terms of my
career - I've always been a victim of my success, and my training to
never QUIT - it took almost a nervous breakdown from stress and burnout
for me to finally "quit" my high-powered law firm job, but a tiny part
of me says "you were a quitter to do that."  And, in a marriage or
career, there are always challenges and potential moments of self-doubt
. . . so the REAL key to life is two-fold:  Number one, as Datto's post
illustrates, you have to have real perserverance and staying power; and
- number two- you have to find a way to not let a one-track mindedness
on never quitting blind you or prevent you from occasionally QUITTING in
order to come closer to finding your true self/passions . . . hope that
makes some sense!

thru-thinker [doing a lot of thinking tonight!]

Datto wrote:

>Here's the follow-up tip.
>
>Datto
>
>Reprint permission is granted when the following credit
>appears:  "=A9 Dr. Alan R. Zimmerman, CSP, 2002.  Reprinted
>with permission from 'Dr. Zimmerman's Tuesday Tip,' a
>weekly internet newsletter.  For your own personal
>subscription, go to www.DrZimmerman.com"
>
>*******************************************************
>***********Tuesday's Tip with Dr. Zimmerman************
>
>#134
>
>January 7, 2003
>
>Tip:
>
>The only place success comes before sweat is in the
>dictionary.
>
>Dr. Alan Zimmerman's Comment:
>
>Last week I stated that success can often be boiled down
>to two elements--getting started and never quitting.  I
>gave you three strategies for getting started.  For some
>people, that's their biggest problem.  They never get
>started.
>
>Other people get started, but they don't finish.  They
>don't have the staying power.  Or as coach John Gagliardi,
>from St. John's University at Collegeville, Minnesota,
>would say, "They lose because LOSE MEANS LACK OF SUSTAINED
>EFFORT."
>
>That was the case with Fritz Kreisler for a long time.
>As a young boy he wanted to play the violin, and later he
>wanted a musical career.  But it didn't work out the
>way he wanted, so he quit.
>
>Kreisler decided to study medicine.  He failed miserably
>at that.  So he quit.  He joined the army but never made
>it beyond a low ranking private.  He quit again.  He
>continued his pattern of trying different things and
>quitting each one of them.
>
>Finally Kreisler went back to his former music teacher.
>He was told, "What you must have is the invincible,
>undefeatable determination that you will never give up."
>Kreisler took the advice to heart.  He persevered until
>he finally succeeded.  In fact, he became a world famous
>violinist who would pack Carnegie Hall to capacity and
>keep his audiences spellbound.
>
>Kreisler learned, as we all must learn, that IN ALL
>WORTHWHILE ENDEAVOURS WE MUST BE PREPARED TO ENDURE
>BEFORE WE CAN PREVAIL.
>
>There are three things you can do, indeed you must do,
>so you never give up.  You must be willing to work hard,
>you must be unwilling to let up, and you must get up.
>
>The first element of hard work is seldom popular.  We all
>want easy wins and instant successes.  That's natural.
>That's why IF YOU'RE WILLING TO WORK HARD, YOU'VE ALREADY
>BEAT 50% OF THE COMPETITION.
>
>As a young boy Joe Frazier dreamed of becoming a
>boxer.  He got an old sack and filled it with sand.  That
>was his punching bag.  And that was the beginning of his
>disciplined plan to reach the success he wanted.
>Eventually he won the gold medal for boxing at the 1964
>Olympic games.
>
>When asked about his "secret," he said that success
>depends on your road work.  You must be willing to do
>your road work, week after week, month after month,
>and hurdle after hurdle.  You can get anywhere you want
>to go if you are willing to take enough small steps.
>
>Then, YOU MUST BE UNWILLING TO LET UP.  There will be
>times when you do not feel like doing your road work.
>As I've said many times before, be a little wary of
>your feelings.  They can be a useful guide in decision
>making, but they should never have the final say in
>doing what needs to be done.
>
>The way I keep myself from giving up is to give myself
>an affirmation.  I just repeat the following sentences
>over and over:  "Never let up when you're ahead; never
>give up when you're behind."  Try it.  It works.
>
>Tom Dempsey was one person who refused to let up.  Tom
>was born with only half a right foot and with a
>deformed right arm and hand.  And even though he played
>football in high school and college quite successfully,
>he was turned down by the professional teams.  They looked
>at his disabilities and concluded he wasn't professional
>material.
>
>Tom refused to accept their verdict.  He said, "I have
>learned never to give up.  So many times in life and in
>sports, I have seen things turn around because someone
>persevered and kept the faith."  And so he did.
>
>In 1970, in a game between the Detroit Lions and the New
>Orleans Saints, the Saints were about to upset the Lions.
>With only 11 seconds left, Detroit took the lead by one
>point.  It looked like the game was over.  The Saints had
>2 seconds left and were on the 45-yard line.  In came
>Tom Dempsey to kick a field goal.
>
>Up to that time, the longest field goal had been 56 yards.
>This one would be 63 yards.  The goal posts were so far
>away that Tom didn't even know he had made it until the
>official raised his arms.  The Saints won because Tom
>Dempsey had refused to let up in life.
>
>Finally, YOU MUST BE WILLING TO GET UP WHEN YOU FALL
>DOWN.  You see, you're not a failure if you fall down,
>but you are if you stay down.
>
>It's like the coach who was talking to his football team.
>He was talking about the kind of players he wanted to
>recruit.  He asked them, "Men, do we want the kind of
>player
>who gets knocked down and stays down?"  They all shouted,
>"No!"
>
>The coach asked, "Do we want the player who gets knocked
>down, gets up once, gets knocked down again, and stays
>down?"  Again the men shouted, "No!"
>
>So the coach continued, "Do we want the player who keeps
>getting knocked down and keeps getting up?"  The players
>said, "Yes!"
>
>Of course that's not too bad.  But the coach said, "No.
>I want the player who keeps knocking him down."
>
>The same is true for you and me.  We need to keep getting
>up, but eventually, with enough learning and practice,
>we won't get knocked down quite so often.
>
>Follow the three things I've outlined today, and you'll
>keep on keeping on.  You'll never give up.
>
>Action:
>
>Memorize the affirmation I gave you in today's Tip:
>"Never let up when you're ahead; never give up when
>you're behind."  Repeat the affirmation at least ten
>times a day for the next twenty-one days.  It will
>solidify your staying power.
>
>Have a fantastic week!
>Dr. Alan Zimmerman
>
>
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