“There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self.”
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Ernest Hemingway

We have all read articles about self-improvement. Forget about what you have read and quiet your mind. We are constantly getting bombarded with information on how to act, what to say and what to do to achieve self-improvement.

Everyone is different. In my last article, I wrote about how negative thoughts are pervasive in us and how to stop them. We must fix our minds first, then we can proceed to self-improvement. Just like we can’t listen to a multitude of people at the same time, the old adage of we can all sing together but we can’t all talk together at the same time also applies here.

A few weeks ago, I was on a trip to a village located on an island called Ocean Beach, off the coast of Long Island, New York. I sat on the beach at 3 am looking at the Atlantic Ocean and attempting to think clearly and slow things down a bit in my life. I quieted my mind as the waves came in and crashed at my feet. As I sat there thinking about my goals, I was wondering what’s next for me? I ruminated on some things I would like to accomplish.

When I think, I often think of football analogies. Woody Hayes (football coach at Ohio State) was not a big fan of the forward pass. So, he said ”three yards and a cloud of dust on every play”. What he meant was “stay steady, stay on point and you will achieve your goals.” It is a very aggressive move. I have another football analogy ( I like football)… if I am a quarterback, I either choose to pass or run the ball, but either way, I still intend to get a touchdown. See my point?

In other words, we are in a constant state of personal evolution. Sometimes in life, it seems we are not getting anywhere. It may seem we are staying in place, existing in space, and not living or moving forward. It’s okay if we feel this way as long as we keep our long-term goals in mind and focus forward. Make sure you keep evolving in some way.

On your journey, be sure to value your experiences. You may have to play safe or secure for the time being, but be sure on that same journey, you find some way to acquire knowledge that informs your outlook and what you need to go forward, because your chance is out there. We are all ordinary people doing (or will be doing) extraordinary things. PLEASE KEEP THIS IN MIND!!! We need to savor and remember our experiences because they will come into play later with our goals.

Included in Navy Seal training is a bootcamp called BUDS (Basic Underwater Demolition Seals). In BUDS, the word evolution is used a lot for each exercise phase. The idea is to train your mind to keep changing or evolving. Repetition is the mother of all skill. We have to do this in our everyday lives as well. So, we must take stock of where we are and push through or evolve. Sometimes we are “accidentally” on a path that ends up helping us to achieve our goals…why is this? We go through life possessing an internally driven behavior (Reticular Activation System) in which we inevitably invite opportunity, which brings about our transformation. I’ve lived this.

When we are aligned to our talents and skills and motivated by passion, there’s an energy we emit and steps we take to either consciously or unconsciously get in line with the right opportunity. BAM! It comes!

So, as you live your life, focus on your experiences and the challenge of believing in yourself. Read your affirmations and make a vision board, properly talk to yourself in the most positive way possible and show people your love and respect by listening to them. I mean really listening before responding!

Take a deep breath, clear and quiet your mind… and then give them a cloud of dust and three yards on every play.

This article originally appeared in the Autumn 2019 issue of CHOICES Magazine