Urgency: When life catch you by surprise

Damages caused to a passing car on Woodhaven blvd during the September 17 Tornado in NY

I see people living life with no sense of urgency. I can count myself among them I'm not perfect, we are not perfect we all make mistakes. I have been involved in an awesome opportunity for over two years where I could become my own boss, I could lead others to be even better than me, I could go and help a bunch of people but you know what? I haven't, you sitting there reading this might ask yourself why? why this guy hasn't done that when sounds he is in an awesome position I wish I had his opportunity. Now I'm gonna ask you, why? why haven't you done better? why if in your field you can go out and help a thousand people you only help 500? why you do everything half-way? The reason is lack of urgency,the reason is comfortableness, maybe you are afraid of going big time. Maybe you are comfortable being a bench player and you don't want to go to play starter, you are obviously better than the starting player but you don't want to do the extra work that would make you a starter.
Ironically on the same moment the tornado struck my neighborhood I was reading a phrase from the book "live your dreams" from Les Brown where he says something about living your life and not let your life live you. Like he would say WOw Wow that was a direct shot to those who live without urgency like if life is not nearing an end everyday. In the moment the tornado struck that was a surprise to all of us, we were not expecting that. Well, one day your life could get repossessed with no warning. Then you will feel the sense of urgency, then the self talk start to come to your head "I wish I had more time will come to your head" Then the news come in of people's cars being struck by trees, people caught inside cars. I sat down to think of my unfulfilled dreams, that could have been me the guy of the white car menaced by death and with my dreams unfulfilled, that could be me, just bough a car with the little money I had and just took it out for a first ride and I lost it.
See, the more I let things happen to me I could go two ways I could get weak and just don't fight for my dreams no more, the more I get that phrase in me "Hey this is supposed to happen to me" "this is not for me" "I don't have skills" Or I can go the other way I could get fired up, I could get so immune to hits that I don't feel them I just go for what I want, I can get sick and tired of being sick and tired and get better at my craft, search opportunities and make things happen for me, make things run in your favor. See, that is actually the most likely way to go because the more you complaint to yourself the weaker you get the more you don't want to wake up and get things going. The more you become part of the bottom 95% that doesn't have any kind of business and work for the top 5% is not that bad, how about becoming part of the bottom 5%? Have you seen the beggars? Homeless? they gave up long time ago despite having so much to give. You think you are poor? look around you look at your abundance smile you are not the low 5% you have four walls to house you, access to the internet (somehow) thank heavens you can read me hahahaha. Compared to the low 5% aren't you in better position? Les Brown said (I love that guy) "If I can look up, I can get up" SO GET UP!!!!

After the tornado. A broken tree in a neighborhood of Brooklyn. Photo Jennifer Mendez

You keep complaining about defeats, you keep holding back because of fear of being defeated afraid that things can come wrong again. Ray S S a drama student at Queens College and friend of the family me and him were talking I was telling him that I admire anybody standing up to act in front of people because I get nervous talking in public. He explained to me how he does it, plus I added that (it just came off) what can go wrong will go wrong specially when you call for it, and when you focus only on that not to come wrong will go wrong. I was surprised with my own discovery. Now you will ask me what the tree has to do with that you? I will answer why are you asking when you are supposed to read and absorb what is positive? I'm just joking with you. Ok let me tell you. This picture was taken the day after the tornado. Notice the broken tree, and the blue sky. Just before the tornado that same day we had blue skies no wind and temperatures hitting the low to mid 80's two similar days and you could tell a tragic moment in between. This tree was you can tell happily enjoying like everyday, the next day, the day continue without the tree. This is when you come into play. Your family and friends enjoy having you around, you actually might stop your life for them, you don't go after goals putting your family as an excuse. In this process you leave your life un-lived. Just like the day went on without the tree, your family and friend's life would go on without you, they will adapt to live without you. With or without you the show will go on.
See is up to you if you will run your show, is up to you to live your life and leave your mark in life, is up to you to make things happen. You was given a life, but you should not tie yourself up with unnecessary excuses. Everybody has responsibilities to take care of, you have yours, you have your dreams, you have goals (I hope otherwise there's not destination to arrive to) is up to you if you are going to run in the marathon, is up to you if you would be the winner, the one who at least completed the marathon, or worse the one who gave up just about to finish but didn't know the goal was two blocks away, the one giving up half-way or the one who didn't even start the marathon. Stood there thinking "26 miles would I complete the 26 miles" not knowing that had the abilities to beat the world record.
Now let me ask you something which one of all these was the biggest loser? I would pick the one who gave up just about to finish the race. It doesn't matter where it finished as long as you finish what you start. YES everybody started ahead of you, but you don't know the outcome yet. I remember when I was learning English back in level one. I was read a story about a tortoise running with a rabbit. If you don't know the story yet you would quickly bet all your money on the rabbit is a wise bet (apparently) well the tortoise would be almost sure she would lose but still entered the race. The rabbit relaxed too much, took it easy, slept and when he decided to wake up and run the tortoise was crossing the goal line. You don't know if in those two blocks the racers decided to take a beer, rest or something just go and finish strong. It doesn't matter how you start but how you finish. After you put so much work into it you quit, that's so brilliant my friend. So if you was Thomas A. Edison you would stay bankrupt. Edison paid his dues he lost his fortune in inventions that failed, YET he's regarded one of the greatest inventors EVER, he gained his fortune and more. In a business meeting the night of the tornado I went to my meeting. I will speak about that next paragraph. I heard that Donald Thrump was so deep in debt that he once passed by a homeless man asking for money in the street and he told a friend "man I'm so in debt that this guy we just passed has more money than me." However he continued to pursue his dreams and today Donald Thrump is the world's biggest name in real estates.
Oh wait, there was another racer that didn't even compete. I change my opinion, that's the biggest loser, the so skilled racer that could have won have to see other taking what could be his/her trophy without even giving a fight only if he/she would have stop thinking and start competing. We are often faced with this situation. People who could do great things in life, have the skills to do great things just that they don't know they possess such skills and don't even start. I just read my Facebook a friend from Puerto Rico Magaly L ask God to give her the power (something like that I don't have Facebook open right now) to continue to discover the tools he gave her to build the bridge to the road he traced for her. She has an idea where she's going. she tell God "I'm not afraid, I want to accomplish my goals help me to continue to discover my skills because I want to live my dreams" That should be your attitude people have the skills but don't even start to discover them and so they don't even start this marathon called life, instead they stay do mediocre in other fields, then they see people with no skills doing great in the field they passed on. According to Mr. Les Brown accounts on "Live Your Dreams" Whoever saw Les growing up nobody would believe that young man would become the public speaking sensation he is right now. He next to John C Maxwell, Sig Ziglar, and some speakers from my field are among my favorite. Others even study the field at the end of the day they go for a totally different field. How about college? some students I could myself in spend two years or more looking for a field to study. Well I went in for computers. I'm the guy who can piece a computer together, can in most cases diagnose a problem. But I have a problem, I'm not that strong in Math. I still went for computer sciences, I failed two semesters, the next semester I started to think. My entire childhood I would play tv and radio show with my brothers, I would present them to ourselves, and they would sing, I remember playing news with the news from the neighborhood who fought with who, who visited the house. I went for communications. I remember when I was between fifth and eight grade I met my first followers, they were very smart kids a few of them were older than me, very smart but lacking technique and focus. Next to them were two cousins Josefina who was just a year older and Juana E same age as me. The rest well they were at least 4 years older. They knew me, but they never took classes with me until I reached them couple of grades up. They saw me in action in the classroom and decided this is gonna be my leader. They would come to me for advices, I showed them how I study, we went through all the other grades un-breakable. Josefina was very smart I had my rival for the highest grades in my own group but was a family friendly rivalry. That's the first time I ever felt like a leader and they re-elected my group and me as the leader in the following grades. Why me? Wasn't Josefina considered? yes she was but they knew I would pick her as my right hand so there was no loss.
I'm currently doing something with communications but with a vast array of leadership, great opportunity given to me. People find excuses to don't do their things, people find excuses for their failures. On the night of Thursday September 17, 2010 with traffic slow like 5 miles per hour, 2 train routes out, more rain in the way. I tweeted something like "despite the rain I'm here, I want this bad and I better don't find excuses" I went out for my training not knowing if the training got canceled, not knowing if the place got affected, in fact some people lost power I didn't know if the place got affected. But I showed up, Why? because in critical moments this is when true leaders show up. I just got the book "21 irrefutable laws of leadership" from John C. Maxwell I haven't read it yet. But I believe that in order to become a leader, you should convince yourself you are one, act like one even if you have no idea what's leadership people will follow and when people follow you, you are a leader.
I'm running a marathon to succeed, I mentioned a marathon before. In the category of losing, but still a winner since you finish what you start. I can count myself in this category. The very skilled racer who didn't run hard enough, finished the race without getting too tired, took the place #246 when people forgot there was a marathon my apologies and admiration to those who run the actual marathon taking those places. Hey at least you finish what you start give yourself a hand. I'm not talking to you I'm talking to the skilled super fast who could be at least top 100 the one who didn't run hard enough when this person had the skills to beat the world record. Didn't have the urgency to run. This is also painful seeing someone else perhaps with the same or lower skill getting crowned the winner, specially when you know in your heart you didn't run at 100% perhaps you could give that person a good fight for the closing of the marathon and still win or get second maybe fourth sill better than 246. I invite you guys to use up your skills and race hard for the end, go and take all the first places, go and be somebody, show that you can. I invite you to use up your life because life reposessor don't give warnings, and when that happen, you better be prepared, you better has something to show that your life wasn't given to you in vain. If you are 125 years old that go to you too. YOU STILL HERE FOR A REASON, so don't let yourself go without leaving your idea of a better world. Les Brown also say in "Live Your Dream" (which I still reading) find this around page 100 he recall a minister telling him that the graveyard not a diamond mine is the largest treasure in the world, there you will find inventions that never happened, books that never got written. Don't let that happen to your dreams.

Give up or Try again? Quit or continue?

I think many of us are faced with this question everyday of our life. The question is what would you do? What do you do when every odd seems to be against you, when the universe seem to confabulate against you?
I am a strong believer that all of us have a purpose in life and all of us have the opportunity to either find that purpose or give up and end up a loser. See I also believe that there's enough riches in the country, there's enough riches in the world for each of us to live good. But haven't you ask yourself why do we have guys like Donald Thrump, Bill Gates, Steve Jobs. Three extremely rich guys who obviously have a system to put people to work for them. Then we have Art Williams compared to these guys why is this guy special? Well just a football coach, who saw the need to create a company to help people who were overlooked by those big financial institutions, he is not as rich as those mentioned before but definitely a big name. He gave away his football for a new passion.
However these guys all have something in common, something that not many of us have; and that, is attitude I'm not talking about the attitude of being rude to people no, is the thirst to do something great, is the attitude of saying this is my ground I'm doing my thing I don't care how many times I fail, is the faith of doing what you believe in despite all difficulties remaining grounded to what you believe in.
I had the opportunity of reading the book "Thrump 101" where Donald Thrump talks about how much in debt he got I believe was several billions while you worry about couple of thousands. He believed he could make profits from his business, and he did he is one of the greatest name when it comes to real state. Steve Jobs started a great company Apples computers, however he got fired from his own company. How in heaven can you get fired from your own company? See, he had two choices try again hopefully he gets fired from the new company he creates next or sit down and be a loser tell everyone how close he was from making it to the big leagues and got bumped. What did he do? According to an article published in success magazine couple of months ago he created a new company, then created Pixar, pixar was so huge that bough apple computers when it was about to crash down. Well after the first Ipod you guys know how big apple became. I had no idea what apple computers was until I saw an Ipod. Now I believe they do everything with I including Igo, Idid nah just joking. But are you seeing the trend? These people don't give up they just come back stronger every time they fall. Gates? well if you are a windows user like me, you already know he left college to start Microsoft computers. Why? well maybe he though now was his time he couldn't wait, he had faith in what he wanted to accomplish.
Williams he saw himself in a tough spot when his father died leaving his mother with little life insurance benefits, he found out his family could have done better if they knew a little secret shared only by those with money. He found a company that did exactly that and since he couldn't do it for his family, he did say it to other families. He though of a system he developed that system on that company but the company failed, moved to another one but he found out his system wasn't a fit there and others were making money based on his and his people's efforts. Learning he had a strong passion powered by what happened to his family about 12 years before and noticing his passion didn't diminished a bit after going through so much in other companies he started his own company with his own system, his ideas, his people his personal experiences and very importantly his drive, determination and passion. Obviously he had faith in what he was doing, he though he was doing the best for others, but the other companies were pissed because their clients were running to Mr. Williams. He got a bunch of lawsuits from these others but guess what? He kept on going, his purpose was stronger than what was going on around.
John C. Maxwell in a recent issue of Success Magazine talks about two kinds of people the splatters and the bouncers which one are you. The splatter that when something wrong happen you stay down afraid of going back up, afraid of doing it again. Or the bouncer that no matter what happens you will always always look for a way to go back on top, have a burning desire to try it again.

And by the way if you are worrying about failing, Check what one of the most outstanding athletes had to say.

“I’ve missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.”

Many of you know Michael Jordan for his sneakers, but for those old enough to remember him playing the guy was an ace, some kind like Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony well you get the idea. Yet he knows that missing shots is part of the game. Ted Williams hit over 400 3 of his 19 seasons 344 for his career. He's is considered one of the best hitters in baseball. Yet he failed more than what he succeeded. If he took a thousand turns at bat he only hit 344 of them which mean he failed 656 times. Coloner Sanders was turned down by 1009 restaurants before one last restaurant accepted and became the KFC we know, We might not know of the light bulb if Thomas Edison gave up after losing most of his fortune in a bunch of inventions that failed. I can tell you of so many almost defeat then super success that I read about I can write a whole 10 pages on that.
What I'm saying is, if there's possibility of success after near failure, what is stopping you? Why don't you give yourself a chance to something great?