88.
On Mountains
And Mastering Change
Just met a reader at a book signing. He was a cynic – even after he read one of my books. No worries –
not everyone is open to my words. And I have no need to be right. I just share the philosophy that feels
truthful to me. if someone doesn’t agree with it – well, not everyone likes coffee either. Diversity of opinion
is what makes life so interesting. This reader was kind though. Said he actually loved the book; he just
didn’t believe it would help him. Hmmmmmm.
Faith and belief do move mountains. And if you don’t believe that an idea will work, then there’s no
chance you’ll act on it (and if you don’t act, how can you get results?). Thought is the mother of action and
your beliefs really do become self - fulfilling prophecies.
I thought a lot about the reader’s comments after the book signing. If I had the chance to meet him
again, I’d use the metaphor of mountain – climbing to help him understand that people truly can make
changes that last. I’ll offer my thinking on this point to you. I have three thoughts, in particular, to help you
take the ideas I’ve shared so far in The Greatness Guide and integrate them into your life so that you see
real and lasting results:
Define what the mountaintop looks like: I suggest you articulate, in writing, what success looks like to
you. Note what needs to change in your life for you to feel spectacularly successful and what will happen if
you don’t improve. Then record your goals for all the key areas of your life. Write out what you want your
reality to appear as five years from now. List the values you want to stand for. Clarity precedes success –
and awareness precedes transformation.
Start Climbing: There’s great power in starting (I call it the Power of a Start). A single act – done now –
sets forces into play. It generates momentum. And with the action you begin to experience positive results.
That begins a positive feedback loop: more action, more results. And that, in turn, promotes confidence.
You can’t get to the top of Everest
By jumping up the mountain. You get to the
Mountaintop by taking incremental steps.
Step by step you get to the goal.
Take Small Steps: You can’t get to the top of Everest by jumping up the mountain. You get to the
mountaintop by taking incremental steps. Step by step you get to the goal. Every step gets you closer to
the dreams. Life’s like that too. Small steps each day get you to greatness over time. Why? Because the
days really do become weeks and weeks become months and months become years. You’ll get to the end
of your life anyway – why not reach that place as an extraordinary human being?