Challenge.Me

I never liked it when people called me a perfectionist. There's nothing wrong with setting high goals, working hard, and wanting things to be the best they can be. But there's another side. If it hurts you, then it takes away your happiness and eats away at your confidence and self-esteem. Don't let name calling like perfectionist and overachiever keep you from reaching for the stars. But at the same time, don't be blind if you are only hurting yourself in the process. Learn how to find that balance.

Steve Austin and I have something in common. We are both looking for the toughest badasses in the World. His challenge is physical (and mental to some extent), and mine is mostly mental. But what it takes to be successful in either challenge is essentially the same. In this episode, discover what I believe is the most important lesson that I learned from all 5 seasons and how you can use that to your advantage.

When we are young, we look at our future. When we are older, we look at your past. Sometimes it's fond memories. Sometimes it's regretful memories. Being a successful student is not just measured in grades. It's measured in life experiences. Find life balance and prevent regret.

Have you heard the story about the dad who let his 9-year-old daughter struggle for 6 hours to open a can with a can opener? He wouldn't let her eat until she figured it out on her own. This dad's philosophy resembles the results of a 2013 survey, where 82% of teachers endorsed the statement that “Students learn best by finding solutions to problems on their own.” That sounds plausible, but the reality is that the best solution is a healthy balance of detailed instruction with as much help as possible followed by implementing that instruction with practice and repeating what your teacher taught you. The idea that we need to figure things out on our own with little to no instruction is out of touch with best practices and reality.

What would you do if 100 movie studios turned down your movie script? Would you keep going? And imagine for a second that there was no Internet, no email, and no texting where you could blast your movie script to those 100 studios. Instead, you would have to see them in person or talk to them on the phone.

What if it was 300, 500, 700, or 800 rejections? Would you keep going? Learn why one person kept going after being rejected over 1,500 times before the Internet, email, or mobile phones. He turned his script into a billion dollar franchise. What made it work? Was it luck? Or was it grit? More importantly how do you develop grit so that you can ensure your success?

Reaching for the moon with your goals is great. But what's not great is when you fall short of your goals and allow perfectionism to destroy you. I wish I had this podcast when I fell short of a 4.0 grade point average in high school. Learn from my mistakes. Learn that your setback is not a setback. It's a setup to make you stronger and take you to new heights where you've never been before.

Go watch the Rocky Balboa (2006) inspirational speech on YouTube. In life, school, and work, you will get knocked down, again, and again, and again. The knock downs do not define who you are. But how you respond to those knock downs will define you. Will you make excuses and stay down? Or will you rise and keep moving forward? Learn what it really takes to win. Remember my reference to Dan from 'Peaceful Warrior' in a prior episode: You Are This Moment. Be a winner and respond to the Challenge.

When people call you names and have low expectations of you, it hurts. But as author Terry Cole Whittaker says, it's none of your business what people negatively say or think about you. (See, "What You Think of Me Is None of My Business" (1988).)

As you succeed, you will prove yourself right. You will gain real confidence that will give you immunity to those that try to hurt you. Today, I share multiple stories from childhood to adulthood where I experienced name calling and hurtful expectations. Learn how I overcame those experiences and how you can too.

I had to pause twice during the podcast because I got choked up and teary eyed.

The movie Peaceful Warrior is the only movie where I have cried. Ever. As I share with you the scene in the movie that got me, I was surprised that I teared up during the podcast. I had to pause to gain my composure.

Simply put, we go through high school, college, grad school, and our profession to excel; a relentless pursuit of excellence. But what is it all for? And what do we sacrifice in the process? As I challenge you to be your best, this episode explains the trap that you must avoid.

Mark Twain once said that he never had time to write a short letter. Well, here's my short letter in the form of a podcast. I did it REALLY fast. It's my shortest one ever at just under 3 minutes. In honor of my child hero Speed Racer, this is my SPEED PODCAST. If you didn't already know, when I was a kid, I was obsessed with speed. I was the fastest runner on the block. I was the fastest on my bike. When I ran, I imagined I was the Six Million Dollar Man (go look him up if you are too young to know who he is), running at 120 MPH. I became a lawyer because I was mesmerized by a Porsche that whizzed by at 130 MPH in the fast lane, while my dad and I were in the slow lane going 55. So, I love, fast, fast, fast! Faster is better, right?

Wrong.

Find out why I'm NOT a fan of speed reading.