Success Is Up To You!
The September All About Frisco article by Ron Lyons
Throughout history, there have been those who have
succeeded in tremendous ways. Some have made
discoveries that have revolutionized the world.
Electricity for instance, where would we be without
it? Medicine is another. Can you imagine having to
fight off the flu without all of the medicines that we
now have available?
Of course, there have been many other successful
people too. Take, for instance, Winston Churchill. He
was an incredible leader in a time that required it.
Without his leadership, the ultimate victory for Britain
would have been much less likely. The world as a
whole would be different in so many ways.
Nevertheless, even Churchill had his difficulties. He
was not able to simply take the helm of Prime Minister
and successfully lead the British people to victory. In
fact, he had many set backs during his lifetime of
public service from being essentially demoted at one
point, and run completely out of the government at
yet another.
However, we all know how history eventually
unfolded. Through continued efforts by Churchill, he
achieved ultimate success and the world has never
been the same. Now, close your eyes and look at
yourself in your mind's eyes. What do you see? A
person who has made the decision to take control of
their destiny or a person who has lets life dictate
how they live, look and feel.
Many people fall into the second group. This group is
the one that tends to follow fad diets and eat
uncontrollably when emotions are out of order.
Exercise is usually the exception for these people
rather than the norm and when they do exercise, it is
without real passion. These people feel that they
have too much to accomplish. For them, success is a
distant dream and failure has become much too likely.
These people look back at their failures and say, "life
got in the way."
Now think back to Churchill again. On the very day he
was appointed Prime Minister, the Germans invaded
Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg. Things
probably seemed even more impossible when just two
days later the German forces entered France. The
future must not have appeared very bright for him or
his compatriots. At this time, Churchill certainly had
enough stress to last a lifetime and every reason to
expect failure and defeat.
Thinking back to what Churchill faced in his first days
as Prime Minister reminds me of those of us who also
have an unsure future. Maybe you just started a new
job or maybe you lost a job. Perhaps your marriage is
on rough waters. Maybe it is a recent divorce or a
child that is out of control in school that you now
face.
You may not be directly dealing with a growing threat
from another country, but the parallels between
major stress in Churchill's day and yours are not that
far removed.
Unfortunately, the German offensive against the
British people became even more devastating. In July
1940, the Germans began mass bombings on airplane
manufacturing plants and eventually on London itself.
More than 60,000 civilians died in these mass
bombings and more than two million houses were
destroyed. Churchill had even more reason to accept
defeat and to believe that British victory was
impossible.
Interestingly, Churchill did not accept the world as it
was delivered to him. In fact, he did quite the
opposite. You see, when Churchill was dealt every
conceivable roadblock and problem on the road to
victory, he overcame each one of them. He
withstood demotions, losing office, being defeated in
an election and even a motion of no confidence in
Parliament. Remember, these events all happened
before he faced the direct threat of Germany and
soon the months of intense bombing on London.
In fact, Churchill shined brightest during these
bombings. At a time when many would have decided
that the situation was completely impossible,
Churchill took control of his and his country's destiny.
On many occasions, Churchill reached out by
broadcasts to the ravaged citizens of London. Using
his incredible oratory skills, he was able to bond the
people together and help them believe in their own
ability for success, even under seemingly impossible
circumstances.
You too have the ability to change the world, at
least your own world. By taking a position of
leadership and accountability with your own destiny,
you can change it. This is especially true concerning
your own personal health and fitness. There is no
other person in the world that has more control over
your own personal health and fitness than you do.
