Enjoy the little things.

"Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were really the big things."

-Unknown

 

This morning, an amazing friend of mine taught me a great lesson.  There is a great deal of importance to keep a log, of just life!  When we can look back and see what we have been through, what made us smile, how much we have grown, it can, and will, lead to amazing feelings.  To see progress is always an amazing feeling, but to look back and realize what was going on in life when progress was being made is so important.  I have always been told: if things are not going how you would like them to, look back and see what you were doing before.  Once you find the answer, start doing it again and things will get better!

Acknowledge the problem.

"You cannot change what you refuse to confront."

-Unknown

 

I love this saying; short, sweet, and to the point.  So I will keep this post the same way.  You cannot fix the problem until you are willing to acknowledge the problem.  Stop pretending it's not there and do something about it.  Don't let it get in the way of your dream.

Fear vs. Desire

"In order to succeed, your desire for success should be greater than your fear of failure."

-Bill Cosby

 

So many of us will not reach our dream because fear outweighed our desire to get there.  So many of us, myself included, want to have some sort of "backup plan" in case things don't work out.  We cannot be thinking that way!  Right there, what that tells us is that we are planning on failure.  We begin to respect and then accommodate for our fears.  The end result will soon enough be failure.  All because our fear outweighed our desire.

Are we crazy?

"The ones who are crazy enough to think they can change the world... are the ones who do."

-Unknown

 

Whatever it is you are striving for, you're not crazy.  If people think you are, then let them think that.  If you give in and believe them, then I guess you were just crazy.  We are not crazy... we have a dream... and we will do whatever it takes to achieve it.

One bad day.

"Don't be afraid to fail. Don't waste energy trying to cover up failure. Learn from your failures and go on to the next challenge. It's okay to fail. If you're not failing, you're not growing."

-H. Stanley Judd

 

We may have a bad game, practice, debate, study session, run, or even a bad day.  We have to move on.  I have learned that dwelling on your failures will only waste your time and energy.  It will instantly suck all of your motivation right out of you.  We have to temporarily acknowledge our failures so we can learn from them.  From that point on, we take what we learned from it, and drop it.  Do not get caught up in your failures.  Learn from them, and then grow from them. 

What will we do today?

"The price of success is hard work, dedication to the job at hand, and the determination that whether we win or lose, we have applied the best of ourselves to the task at hand."

-Vince Lombardi

 

And now I ask all of you, as well as myself: what are we going to do today to bring us one step closer to our dream?

Placing your marbles.

Today I had a thought come across my mind that I would like to share.  When I talk about discussing our dreams, I want to add a word of caution.  It is so important that we discuss our dreams with others, as well as share our progress.  In a way it hold us responsible and an added pressure is placed upon us to help push us along.  Now here is the word of caution I would like to add: do not place all your marbles in one bunch.  If you get to the point where you are completely relying on someone else to make your dream come true, we have a problem.  I talk a lot about how we can eliminate putting ourselves in a position where we can make excuses.  This is a great example.

Be thankful for the progress made.

Alright, last post about the mental recovery process.  In the first post about mental recovery I gave you three steps.  Today I would like to focus a little more on the first step: find something that you can be happy with.

"Be thankful for what you have; you'll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don't have, you will never, ever have enough."

-Oprah Winfrey

 

Today I challenge you to take two minutes out of your day and look back.  Look back to who you were and where you were when you first decided what you wanted to strive for.  Now look how much you have grown.  Maybe on a physical level you are stronger, faster, or lost weight.  Maybe on a mental/emotional/spiritual level you have developed a determination like never before.  Just look how much you have grown, and try to imagine how much more you will grow as you go through this journey.  I think you just may find a smile on your face at the end of this challenge.

Refocusing the dream.

Today will go right along with yesterdays post.  When we are evaluating our dream and the journey we are taking to get there, things may change over time.  We may lose or redirect our interest.  Life happens and we get busy, putting it on the side burner.  So many different things can happen, but today I want to focus on the aspect of losing interest.

In life we will experience so many different things and meet so many different people.  While going through these experiences and while meeting these people, we will gain new interests.  Some of these new interests may even get in the way or distract us from the goals and dreams we were already working on.  This is okay.  Dreams cannot be forced, they are something that grow inside us.  We just have to do a self evaluation and find what they are.  We all have them.

If your interest shifts, and you develop a new dream that you want to strive for, great!  Deciding to stop on a previous dream is okay, as long as we are still striving for something.  Don't let the world get to you and make you think you are a quitter.  It is going to be so much harder fighting for a dream that you lose interest in.  Do what makes you happy, not the world.

"The greatest mistake a man can make is to be afraid of making one."

-Elbert Hubbard

Mental recovery.

In one of my last posts I mentioned the importance of stepping stone goals to help keep you on track for the big picture dream.  Along the way we have tests, trials, and all sorts of challenges or obstacles to get around; at times this may even seem like a cycle.  After accomplishing a stepping stone goal, or maybe even coming up a little short in some sort of challenge, we have to recover and get ready for what is yet to come.

In sports we know how important it is to recover after a race, game, or even an intense workout.  The recovery I want to talk about today is a mental recovery.  After any test, trial, or challenge, it is critical that we stop and evaluate a few things...

First, what went well? Always focus on the positive first.  If you cannot find a positive, dig and dig some more until you find something that you can be happy with.  Do not skip this step!  Second, pick one aspect that needs the most improvement.  The last thing you want to do here is make a giant list that will only disappoint you and destroy your motivation.  We take one thing at a time, and in turn, we are going to generate all of our upcoming focus on that one thing to improve on.  Last, make a game plan on how you plan to work on that one weakness.  Keep realistic expectations and stick to the plan.

"Win or lose, fast or slow, good or bad... it doesn't matter. This one is for me and my journey towards my dream. The results of today do not, and will not, represent my capability to accomplish what I have set my heart on. The results of today will merely update me on what areas I need to put more focus on."

-Tyler Nelson  

The Unexpected.

"When the unexpected comes, welcome it with open arms."

-Tyler Nelson

 

All of you who ran the Ogden Marathon (either the full, half, relay, or 5k), this was the case for today.  I don't know about all of you, but I did not expect the rain and cold to be as bad as it was.  Didn't quite hit the time I wanted, but due to the circumstance, I can't complain.  I think all of you who ran today can relate: we had to really dig deep to make it to that finish line. 

 

In life there are very few things that we have control of.  When these unexpected stumbling blocks come up, sometimes there is nothing we can do about it.  The only thing we can do is except the challenge with open arms.

 

Lastly, I want to extend a huge congratulations to all of you runners today, as well as all runners around the world.  You dug deep today, and you should all be extremely proud!!

You can't finish unless you start.

"The miracle isn't that I finished. The miracle is that I had the courage to start."

-John Bingham

 

What is holding you back from starting?  Fear you won't be able to finish?  Fear of what others will say or think?  You think you don't have enough time?  We can come up with all the excuses in the world.  All I have to say is who cares what others think?  This is between you and you, no one else.  You don't have time?  Well go make time.  If you really want to achieve that dream, stop trying to find more excuses.

Where are you looking?

"Two-thirds of what we see is behind our eyes."

-Chinese Proverb

 

This is such a good saying when thinking about our approach to life or to our dreams.  First off, we get to choose the one-third of what we do see.  So what are you focusing on?  Where are you putting your attention and efforts?  Second off, just because we are not seeing something right off, doesn't mean it's not there.  The best example of this would be results.  Maybe someone is trying to lose weight.  When looking at the scale, maybe they are not getting the numbers they want to see, but what about how they are feeling?  We might start to believe that our health level is directly related to our weight and we get so narrow focused and narrow minded that we miss the whole picture.  Whatever you are striving for, remember that you can only see a small portion at one time.  So when you choose that portion, be careful and stay focused.  Also, remember that just because you don't see what you want to right off, doesn't mean it's not there.

Limits and fears?

"Never say never... because limits, like fears, are often just an illusion."

-Michael Jordan

 

All sorts of distractions are going to come our way while on this quest to achieve our dream.  So much of it comes from how we are going to respond to those distractions.  A lot of times we let them get the best of us, we go into panic mode and don't know what to do.  If we can sit back, breathe, and take one challenge at a time, we can conquer anything that tries to stop us.  Now at the same time, it is wise to understand that some of these distractions will be easier to conquer than others, nevertheless, we can and will do it.

Look at every aspect of life.

"We make our surroundings, and then they make us."

-Winston Churchill

 

Again, today I would like to challenge all of us to take a minute and examine our own life.  We have to understand that every aspect of life can and will affect other aspects.  So when we are looking at what might affect our journey and attitude towards our dreams, we have to take a look at several things: who we associate with on a daily basis, the music we listen to, the books we read, or anything that might affect our attitude, motivation levels, and daily actions.  In my own life, if I can find the things that may cause stumbling blocks along the way and eliminate them as early as possible, then things tend to go much smoother and I can stay motivated to keep fighting for my dream.



No regrets

"If only... those must be the two saddest words in the world."

-Mercedes Lackey

 

When everything else is in place and we are driving forward, do not cut any corners.  We have to fight for every inch, and when all is said and done, if you do that, you will be successful.  True success comes when you can look yourself in the eye and know that you did everything you possibly could to prepare.  Do not put yourself in a position where you will look back and wonder what would have happened if you had done more.  

Goal setting

Now as we begin to realize how powerful a dream can really become, hopefully we are beginning to set goals to help us achieve that dream.  Better yet, hopefully we are beginning to act on those stepping stone goals and getting that much closer to the big picture.

Today I would like to talk about the process of setting those stepping stone goals to help you achieve your dream.  The most important thing I can say about this process is to be specific.  What I mean by that is make these stepping stone goals, as well as the big picture dream, measureable.  For those sports lovers out there, this can become a lot easier.  You can go off times, distances, scores, and so on.  But for someone who wants to get "healthy" or become more "happy" we will have a hard time recording progress.  Now these are amazing things to strive for, don't get me wrong.  There is just so much gray area that it can become easy to get discouraged and quit.

When reaching a stepping stone goal, the motivation that follows can be so powerful.  If we keep the big picture goal at "becoming healthier," we have to make sure to keep the stepping stone goals more specific.  This may include: lowering your cholesterol a certain number of points, striving to get your blood pressure two marks closer to what it should be at, or even losing an inch off the waist. This will help us keep track of our progress as well as keep our motivation up for when we hit those goals.

If we are not hitting our stepping stone goals, this will give us a wake up call to make some changes to get back on track.  This is so important to remember.  Sometimes we set a time on when we would like to reach one of our stepping stone goals.  I know with my running this is something I do all the time.  We have to focus on not getting discouraged if those goals are not met.  We have to keep our determination strong, make changes to stay disciplined, and just continue to drive forward. 

"If you don't know where you are going, you'll end up someplace else."

-Yogi Berra

Lay everything on the line!

"When you take that field today, you've got to lay that heart on the line, men. From the souls of your feet, with every ounce of blood you've got in your body, lay it on the line until the final whistle blows. And if you do that... if you do that, we cannot lose. We may be behind on the scoreboard at the end of the game, but if you play like that we cannot be defeated."

-We Are Marshall

 

Someone asked me the other day, "Ty, will you explain the 'Drive' to me? That is the only one I don't really understand."  When explaining to her what I meant by The Drive, it really hit me how this step is by far the hardest step.  You see, when we have a dream, we have to create mini goals along the way.  We go through this process to reach that stepping stone goal, and then set the next goal and do it again.  You could almost compare it to shampooing your hair: Wet hair, wash, rinse, repeat.  But in this case, it is a cycle that can physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually drain you.  If you let it.  Stay positive and push on.  A good friend of mine sent me a quote that fits perfectly with this.  So a big thank you to her!

 

"Doubt kills more dreams than failure ever will."

-Unknown



 

What we do on a daily basis!

"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act, but a habit."

-Aristotle

 

I would really like to touch on one of my favorite "D's" today: Daily (Ok, that is an invalid statement, I don't know if I could choose a favorite!)  I love this quote, because it really summarizes it up nicely.  If our dream is really that important to us, then not a day should go by that we do not think about it, let alone act on it.  Not a day should go by that we do not attempt to move that much closer to our dream! 

 

One of my favorite things to do to help me with the daily concept is to have a daily reminder.  It may be a sticky note that I read on the way out of my room every morning.  It may be a bracelet that I wear to constantly remind me.  It may be a reminder that will pop up on my phone.  I love these little reminders, because they always seem to pop up when I need them most.  I challenge you to find what works for you and stick to it.  There will be a day, probably several days, when you will really need it, and you will be thankful that you have it!

Do you want it bad enough?

After rereading the last few posts, I decided I had to follow up with one of my favorite stories.  Lately I have really enjoyed listening to Eric Thomas.  If you haven't heard of him, look him up.  As far as I know this story comes from him, so that is where I will give credit.  So a big thank you to him for everything he does for so many people!

There was a Young Man who wanted to make a lot of money and so he went to an Old Guru and said, "I want to be on the same level you are."

So the Guru says, "If you want to be on the same level I am, I'll meet you at the beach tomorrow morning. 4 AM."

The Young Man looking confused says, "The beach?? I don't wanna swim, I wanna make money!"

"4 AM."

 The Young Man gets to the beach at 4 AM, all ready to rock and roll, wearing a suit - should have wore shorts -  and the Old Guru walks up to great him and grabs his hand. He asks, "How bad do you want to be successful?"

The Young Man excited states, "Real bad!"

"Then walk out into the water."

So the Young Mann starts walking out into the water. About waist deep he starts thinking to himself 'This man must be crazy!', but he continues to walks out. "Hey I wanna make money and you got me out here swimming. I didn't ask to be a lifeguard. I wanna make money!"

The Guru looks at him and says, "Come out a little farther."

The Young Man walks out a little farther. The water is up to his throat. Now he's thinking 'This man is crazy, I mean -  he's makin' money, but he's crazy!', but he keeps walking out. The water is up to his mouth now and his mind is racing 'I'm about to go back in, this guy is out of his mind!', and he turns around.

The Old Guru yells to him and says, "I thought you wanted to be successful?"

"I do," says the Young Man.

"Then walk a little further."

So the Young Man starts to walk out a little farther and the Old Guru grabs his head and puts it under the water. He holds him down and I mean he has him held down. The Young Man is scratching and clawing at him. The Old Guru keeps holding him down. Holding him down. Then right as the Young Man is about to pass out, gently the Old Guru raises him up. The Guru looks at him and says, "I got a question for you... when you were under water, what did you want?"

"I wanted to breathe."

"Now when you want to succeed as bad as you want to breathe, then you will be successful." And with that the Old Guru released the Young Man and began walking to shore.

 

Such a simple concept but so powerful.  So many times in my life, I thought I wanted something... but I didn't really want it, I just thought I did.  Looking back I can understand that because things would come up: friends would call, I would get tired, I would get lazy.  When things came up, the thing that I thought I wanted most now became second.  We have to evaluate ourselves and ask ourselves how bad we really want it!  Then after verbally answering the question, go prove it to yourself!

The ultimate quote!

What a beautiful morning!!  Today I would like to share one of my favorite quotes with you:

"Let me tell you something you already know. The world ain't all sunshine and rainbows. It's a very mean and nasty place and I don't care how tough you are, it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently, if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain't about how hard you hit, it's about how hard you can get hit, and keep moving forward, how much you can take and keep moving forward. That's how winning is done! Now, if you know what you're worth, go out and get what you're worth. But you gotta be willing to take the hits. And not point fingers saying: You ain't what you wanna be because of him, or her, or anybody. Cowards do that, and that ain't you! You're better than that!" -Rocky Balboa

 

I absolutely love this statement.  I want you to notice towards the beginning when it says "if you let it."  Now I want you to read this again keeping the thought it the back of your mind that you have a choice.  That when you go through life, no matter what is thrown your way, you can choose how to react to it.  What I love so much about this statement is you can apply it to any aspect of life.  I am a runner and am always applying it to my workouts.  I strive to build a religious base, and when temptations and challenges enter my life, I strive to remember this statement.  I am a child of God, a son, a brother, a friend, and a student.  One day I will be a husband and a father.  No matter what is going on in life, you can find a way to apply this!

Try again!

"When it is obvious that the goals cannot be reached, don't adjust the goals, adjust the actions steps,"

-Confucius

 

Ladies and gentlemen, we live in a day where giving up is becoming far too common, especially for the youth and the rising generation.  A lot of us are very blessed to live where we live, to have what we have, and so on.  Due to this, giving up on something has had smaller consequences.  Our children, as well as ourselves, have to overcome this problem before we are put into a position where we have no other choice. 

 

Now when looking at a dream, something that in some cases may not be demanding but instead merely a desire, it can be so easy to quit.  This is largely due to the fact that the only consequence may be self-disappointment.  We start getting thoughts in our heads thinking that it is okay to give up because it is only going to hurt ourselves and no one else.  Now although this may be true, it could easily be argued that emotional self-inflicted pain is by far more destructive.  Why don't we look around in our own communities and listen to the suicide rates continue to rise.  We, as a world, have enough diversity and peer pressure that this problem is already rising.  The last thing we need is to lose characteristics in life such a self-determination and self-discipline.

 

How can we do this?  Lets be the example, for our children and our peers.  When things don't go right, let us step back and take a new approach instead of just quitting.  I hope that I myself can become a better example for those who may be watching, and it is my prayer that you will strive to do the same. 

 

"I can't change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination."

-Jimmy Dean

Find that friend!

It is so important to find that friend that you can talk to, who will take you serious and understands your passion.  Keep in touch with them and let them know how you are doing.  In return, try to be that person for someone else.  I am so grateful to have so many good friends in my life who understand what I am striving for.  I just want to share a quote I got the other day from a good friend.  Thanks!!

 

"You have to decide what your highest priorities are and have the courage - pleasantly, smilingly, nonapologetically - to say 'no' to other things. And the way to do that is by having a bigger 'yes' burning inside." -Stephen Covey

What if my dream isn't plausible?

To that question, all I can say is "yeah, so what??"  From the movie The Pursuit of Happyness Will Smith has a great quote:

"You got a dream... You gotta protect it. People can't do somethin' themselves, they wanna tell you you can't do it. If you want somethin', go get it. Period."

 

Growing up I can always remember hearing the statistic that the chances of playing a professional sport are 0.03 percent.  So I did a little research this morning and this is what I found:

 

There are 450 players in the NBA

There are 1,696 players in the NFL

There are 1,280 players in the MLB

 

That is a total of 3,426 players in only three sports!  That isn't even counting the minor leagues or the countless other sports.  That right there is 3,426 people who decided to ignore that statistic and say "yeah, so what??"

 

The power of a dream comes from that fact that even if you do not reach that final end goal, you will still gain something from the journey.  How else do you plan on learning the concept of determination, discipline, and standing up for what you believe in??

Welcome!

Thank you so much for checking out my blog!  I am new to this so bear with me while I try to figure it out! 

My name is Tyler Nelson and I believe a dream can be one of the most powerful aspects of life.  What do I mean by that?  I consider life to be like a hill... If we are not moving forward, or up the hill, we are rolling back down.  I believe that when someone holds tight to their dreams, no matter how crazy they may sound to someone else, they will continue to move up that "hill." 

As I continue to write my book and work towards my own dreams, I hope to post daily and maybe help motivate someone out there to move one step closer to theirs.  From quotes I find to my own personal experiences, I hope you will find this blog to be beneficial.  I would love to hear from you and get feedback so please keep in touch.  Have a great night and we'll see you tomorrow!