[The following is an excerpt from the motivational book, Believe. Do. And Follow Through!, that I co-wrote with Isaiah Whittaker]
Chapter 10
Sometimes, you have to start something by looking at the end of it in order to wind up where you want to go – because if you know where you want to go, you’ll head in the right direction. Then, by keeping that route in focus, year after year, the way to get there will become clearer and easier.
When you are dropped into the moment,
you are placed where you are meant to be.
When things don’t go the way you planned, ask yourself, “How in the world did I wind up in this spot? Did I come down this road on purpose, or did I just wind up here by default?”
“In general, how are you living…by design or by default? Purposed-living is the only way to go. All the rest is just bunk. Are you ready to move ahead, to leave your comfort zone, and to become the amazing creation you are destined to be? I hope so, because I’m ready for you to overcome and live out loud, too. As you succeed in life, you remind others that living the status quo is not worth it.
To the right of my desk, on the wall in my office at home, I have a quote hanging. It’s there as a constant reminder that there is a time to act, be decisive, and do something about the current situation – whatever that situation may be. Here’s the quote that kicks me in the rear when I need it:
There is a tide in the affairs of men
Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune;
Omitted, all the voyage of their life
Is bound in shallows and in miseries.
On such a full sea are we now afloat,
And we must take the current when it serves,
Or lose our ventures.
‘Julius Caesar’ (Act IV, Scene iii)
If that doesn’t speak “DO SOMETHING!” then I don’t know what will. That quote has spurred me on to accomplish things and to keep going when I have wanted to quit, not finish writing a book, or do something else besides what I knew I needed to be doing.
It has also reminded me that success is possible, real, and ever-present in every endeavor we so choose to put our hands to. These are not light words that I am sharing. I know that they are true, because I have experienced them. They’re real – that’s for sure. Just as Shakespeare knew something profound about the human psyche and spirit hundreds of years ago, I know that those same principles and ideas hold true, today. I encourage you to go out and live them yourself, too! You can, if you will.” – Marty
Focus on your end goal.
Marty Reep 