Successful people are not necessarily...

[Liqwid]

Quote:
Successful people are not necessarily more knowledgeable than unsuccessful
people they simply are more committed to taking action on their knowledge"

Action Point:
Aron Ralston made the mistake of going hiking in an area that was remote and he did not let anyone know where he was or when he would be back. Here is a brief excerpt on his experience

"Deep within an isolated Utah slot canyon, Aron Ralston faced a difficult
decision. His right arm had been pinned for five days under an 800-pound boulder and he was out of water and nearly dehydrated. Ralston's only escape, he reasoned, was to cut off part of his arm and hike 8 miles to safety."

Ralston not only used a 1.5" knife to cut his arm off...he had to break his arm
first as he knew he would not be able to cut through his bone. To read more
please click on the link:
http://edition.cnn.com/2003/US/Centr...er.amputation/

People react to situations in a heartbeat...reaction to a situation that has
caught you off guard often brings out actions that we would not have otherwise been able to do. Aron's situation I do not consider reactionary, he had 5 days to contemplate his situation and then had the mental strength and resolve to follow through with the last resort, cutting off his arm. I have read several articles and viewpoints on this amazing story. One rescue worker states in a Q & A session the following: (see complete article at:
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/ad...q_n_a_rex.html )


Q: Ralston was trapped for five days in the canyon and managed to self-rescue. How does that compare to other incidents?

A: Well, I think that he fared a lot better than most people would have. To
realize that you're going to have to make a large sacrifice to survive, and
acting on it—I have to hand it to him. I mean, there are a lot of people that
would not have been as strong-minded to be able to pull that off.


So, what would you do? Myself, I am not sure I would be able to do what Ralston did. I hope that I am never physically in the position to find out if I could do it. The amazing thing is the similarity to Ralston's experience and anchors that keep you from being successful today.

BAD HABITS

Most people in Ralston's situation would have come to the realization that the
arm had to go, it was the only thing keeping him from walking out of that
canyon. No hand pinned by the rock...and he would be able to walk out. Ralston is a winner because he had the strength to act on what he knew. That boulder that pinned Ralston and ultimately threatened his life is no different than bad habits that pin us in a "canyon of mediocrity". Your bad habits are like the 800lb boulder. Some habits are recent and some are have been ingrained in us for years.

Examples of bad habits that are equal to an 800lb boulder could be:

1) Allowing negative self-defeating thoughts into your mind

2) Associating with people that do not have your best interests at heart.

3) Garbage in, garbage out. What kind of reading do you do? What kind of TV do
you watch? Allowing your mind to ingest garbage can be a bad habit.

4) Procrastination

Ralston's goal was to live. His arm was in the way of accomplishing this goal.
He cut off his arm. What are you willing to do? Success does have a price.
Your bad habits are like the boulders pinning down certain parts of your
life...and this means that in order to move on you need to eliminate these
aspects in your life. They could be poor relationships, lifestyles
etc...Anything in your life that holds you back from being all that you can be
is the equivalent of Ralston's boulder. Bad habits are not easy to break either. Be realistic, some people are guilty of seeking goals that require them to shirk responsibilities, so choose your goals carefully.

Aron Ralston's experience helps me put things in perspective and I realized soon after reading his story that I have my own "boulders" (bad habits) that are attached to certain parts of my life and that in order to move ahead I need to "cut them off".

What are you willing to live without in order to be successful? You know what limits you but are you prepared to take action?