Who Will Survive The Race, The Gazelle or The Lion?

Imagine you are standing on a mountain watching dawn break over the sweeping Serengeti Plains in East Africa. In the distance, a gazelle awakens, shivers, stretches, and warily looks around. The gazelle knows that it must run faster than the fastest lion if it wants to survive that day. At the same time a lion awakens, yawns, stretches, and eagerly looks around, it knows that it must run faster than the slowest gazelle if it wants to eat that day. Who will win the race for life the gazelle or the lion? This story acts as a metaphor for life in this ever more complex and competitive world in which we live. And bye the way, as you awaken, what are your thoughts about the new day that awaits you? To stay competitive in the game of life we must embrace life-long learning, and continue to develop our skills. However, if we over-focus on the pursuit of more and ever more knowledge, it can become a deterrent to action. At worst it can paralyze us or at best it can slow us down. So instead of enabling us to run more swiftly the pursuit of knowledge can act as an anchor. When is enough learning enough? Because winning in life isn't about more learning; ultimately it's about more action, more doing. However we hold the persistent hope, the stubborn wish, that we will discover some shortcut, an easier way. We'd rather work on our 'inner' world for a few days or weeks or months. Until we finally understand that we control this life we live. So, how do we turn what we know into what we actually do? All high performers agree: whenever you decide on a new goal or direction, take immediate and massive action, and just do it! Ultimately, we don't have to, 'reclaim our will' or 'find our confidence' or 'develop our discipline.' We don't even have to believe that we can do it. We just have to do it. Doing what needs to be done doesn't require a change to our internal state. We must just; do it or not! So what stops us from acting swiftly to secure our dreams and goals? What enables us? What blocks us? Self-limiting beliefs are the major cause of inaction. Many people live their life with their brakes on. They see their glass as half empty rather than half full. They dwell on their past rather than their future. They do that in spite of knowing that you can't land on the runway behind you. One way to break free of self-limiting beliefs is to understand and buy into one simple thought. Your history is not your destiny! We are designed and pre-destined for greatness; all we need to do is embrace and expand that thought. Many people learn to 'just do it', after exhausting all the other short-cuts and psychological tricks and motivational techniques. After they have explored subliminal conditioning, affirmations, astrology, visualization, clairvoyants and fortune tellers, inspirational speakers, and positive self-talk. Then we must still answer the question. Will I do it, or not do it? And with that question we confront reality. We can't wait for things to be perfect before we act or we'll never make progress. We must release our brakes. Act, get out of our comfort zone and 'just do it' expecting to be successful. It's better to be eighty percent sure and make things happen than to wait until we are one hundred percent sure, because by then the opportunity may well have passed us by, the prize may be claimed by another. So remember the gazelle and the lion and when you wake tomorrow start running like your life depends on it. It does! And in the words of the great writer George Bernard Shaw: "Never mind likes and dislikes; they are of no consequence. Just do what must be done; this may not be happiness, but it is greatness."

Have a beautiful day and to your success, Lloyd Dobson