John S. Gordon - Business and Personal Coach

"You have the greatness and the power.  I just help you turn on the switch."

Welcome to Issue 186.  If you did not receive a previous issue, you may use the archive link below to view it now.  The mission of "Marvelous Mondays" is to offer an inspirational thought, a practical exercise, some humor, or a simple tip to jump-start your week and to enhance your life, business, outlook or relationships. 

Please feel free to forward "Marvelous Mondays" to others who will enjoy it.

AUSTRALIA 1983

The 2012 Summer Olympics gave us many inspiring stories. Today I take you back to 1983, not to the Olympics, but to Australia, where the annual Sydney to Melbourne ultra marathon of 543 miles is about to begin. This race takes 5 days and is recognized as one of the most grueling athletic events in the world. The participants are professional and world class athletes sponsored by such corporate giants as Reebok and Nike, promoting athletic gear.

A 61 YEAR OLD SURPRISE-CLIFF YOUNG

As the elite athletes are lining up to start they spot a sheep farmer, named Cliff Young wearing tall work boots (gum boots) and overalls, approaching them. Surely this man (3 times their age) must be a lost spectator. When he tells them he is going to race, the athletes and the press begin laughing and tell him he's crazy and can't finish this race. But he replies, "Yes I can. See, I grew up on a farm where we couldn't afford horses or tractors and the whole time I was growing up, whenever the storms rolled in, I'd have to go out and round up the sheep. We had 2,000 sheep on 2,000 acres. Sometimes I would have to run those sheep for two or three days. It took a long time but I'd always catch them. I believe I can run this race."

THE RACE BEGINS

As the young athletes start the race, Cliff is left in their dust. He seems to be barely moving. In fact it's more of a SHUFFLE than a run. While this was very entertaining to the crowd, some people were very concerned that Cliff could injure himself and be at risk in attempting this ultra marathon.

Most of the athletes have their own private trainers and have devoted their lives to running. They all subscribe to "Runner's World" magazine. They know this race takes five days and requires them to run for 18 straight hours and then sleep for 6 hours. On the morning of the second day of the race, people are surprised that Cliff is still in the race. They are shocked to learn that he didn't sleep that first night, but instead shuffled the whole night. After all, Cliff didn't read any running books, and had no trainer. He didn't know you were supposed to sleep.

The pattern continued as he would shuffle all night. People thought he would surely collapse and be forced out of the race. But that didn't happen. He was still behind the others until the final night, when he shuffled past all of them and finished first. When told that he had won $10,000, he seemed upset because he was running out of determination not for money. So he gave away all of his winnings to the other contestants.

DETERMINATION AND OTHER LESSONS FROM CLIFF

• TRUST in your own EXPERIENCE (he had chased sheep all night long for many years)
• Don't be DISTRACTED by the styles of others, whether it be their wardrobe or anything else
• TRUST your own cadence, your own rhythm, your own STYLE
• TRUST your own wisdom
• Be DETERMINED

I invite you to do the following exercise:

1. Discover and acknowledge your own style and your own determination.

2. Write down three areas/ways that your determination can get you where you want to be.

3. Ask yourself if in fact you have reached where you want to be.

In my coaching practice, I do the following:

1. Assist you in formulating your GOALS and strategies.

2. Help you identify your own individual style and STRENGTHS through a unique coaching assessment tool of mine.

3. Hold you ACCOUNTABLE to your own commitments and DETERMINATION.

My coaching process works. I am available, so just pick up the phone and invest in yourself. You're worth it!

Click here to watch an inspiring 2 minute video of Cliff Young.

   

  "I like to finish what I start doing. I like to see it through to the end, to the best of my ability."

-Cliff Young

                   **John is currently accepting a few new coaching clients.**

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