I just finished listening to the audio of ‘Born to Run’, a fascinating book about the Taraumara Indians in Mexico’s Copper Canyons. A people living in brutal conditions, eating incredible food, running everywhere (up to 300 miles at a go) and loving their life. The book is a fascinating tale of ultrarunners, competition, perseverance, adaptation, listening to the world around you and inside you, and so much more.
I’ve run 100-milers and 48-hour events, ridden an 1100 km bike race, etc., so I have a natural bent for this kind of story, but there are such incredible lessons for all in this book. Viva la Chia!
My next listen is Zig Ziglar’s latest book, ‘Embrace The Struggle’, which I’m about an hour into now.
In case you were not aware, on March 7th, 2007, Zig took a tumble down 16 stairs at his home and suffered a serious brain injury. Thanks to the fast actions of ‘Sugar-Baby’, aka ‘The Redhead’, aka his wife Jean, he survived and is up and about doing the things he loves to do and we are so deeply indebted to him for.
There are two lingering effects from his injury though – a bad case of vertigo and the almost complete loss of short term memory. If you’ve ever seen Zig speak, you’ll know that he is one of the most energetic, active speakers there has ever been. Obviously, that’s changed.
So, now, the format for Zig’s speaking engagements is more like that wonderful show ‘Inside the Actor’s Studio’, where James Lipton interviews stage & screen stars. Zig’s daughter, Julie, does the introduction and then asks Zig a series of questions, which he answers using the information that is safely stored in his non-short-term memory. I hope I have the opportunity to see Zig in this format.
So, in this book, Zig talks about being grateful for what we have; sure, we pay homage to what we no longer have, but we do that by acknowledging it quickly and then investing our time in the blessings that we do have. Some examples from the book are:
- Zig decided to do a ‘Farewell Tour’ kind of 3-day event. Doing this brought into his life all of the closest followers, people who had been going to his events for as long as 27 consecutive years, 4 or 5 times a year. He got to reconnect in a way that a sudden death would not have allowed.
- Zig, as you know, is an avid golfer. He is now able to play golf infrequently, and hit the ball 125 yards. Yeah, he says, I could lament that 3 years ago I was hitting it 300 yards on the same fairway, but hey, I can still hit it!
- He is 82 years old and he still gets to live his life’s passion, the thing he was put on this earth to do, every day.
- He and his beautiful bride of 61 years, the only woman he has ever loved, have grown stronger and closer through out this whole experience as she has supported him and loved him even more.
As 2009 winds down and my thoughts turn to the coming year, I find myself stopping and thinking about some things in MY life, some things that have really come out of the blue, and some things that have been making their way through the cosmos to me for decades now.
- I’ve ‘lost’ some friends.
Except I haven’t, not really. People who I really thought were friends have been certain ways toward me that have revealed their true way of being, which is totally out of sync with who and what I am. So, I haven’t lost them as friends, because they never really were friends; they were ships passing slowly in the night, a few taking a decade to pass by.
- I’ve gained incredible insight into my passion.
I know my passion. I know what I’ve been put on this planet to do and to be. Some absolutely awesome people who I love and respect with all my being have helped me see that I am ready to go forwards with my passion. And so I am going.
- I’ve seen what real spousal love is.
Not much to say on that one except Thank You for showing me, for loving me. When we were in Chicago and I got on my knee is that jewelery store and proposed (as your mother held that psychic shotgun to my temple), and I said these letters: YPMO, YPUWM, BMOA YCM, well, never until these last few months have I really seen that in action.
- It’s time for one really big change.
No more details here, ‘scept to say it’s the biggest, most right change I can imagine.
So, my life is pretty darned good. I was sitting in our Frog Eaters group yesterday watching one of our members, Lucilla, lead the discussion, holding us accountable and making us deliver a promise each, and I felt this slow flow of satisfaction at seeing these people self-discovering the rest of their journey down the paths that I started some of them on. Wow, how cool is that!
I teach. I coach. I lead. This year, I have learned the biggest lesson I needed to learn so far in my evolution in these areas of my life. I’ve learned SWSWSWSW applies in so many areas and I can only do so much and want so much and impact so much. No matter what, the ‘student’ has to be ready for the ‘teacher’s’ arrival.
But I also learned about Engaged Leadership. And I had my eyes opened so widely when I was able to relate the way some people ‘be’ and understand it.
Read that book!
I’m adding something else to what I am. I am a Dream Manager. If you know me, and you know the book, you know what I mean. If you don’t know the book, go get it. NOW. Study it. Live it. See your life change incredibly.
