Who will read to you/or mentor you?

January 24, 2013 — Leave a comment

Maya Angelou, Poet and Author,
on Her Own Mentoring

Excerpted From Fire Your Excuses

“Mrs. Flowers took me to the library in the black school. The library was probably as large as a telephone booth. It may have had 110 books in it, maybe. She said. ‘I want you to read every book in this room.’ And I found poetry. And I loved it, I just loved it. I had no idea what it would sound like since I had never heard any recited, but I loved it. And I was able to translate it at eight, at nine, at 10. I consider that a lifeline, because finally, when I was about 12-and-a-half, almost 13, Mrs. Flowers—who would allow me to come to her house and she would read to me—when I was almost 13, she said, you will never really love poetry until you speak it, feel it come across your tongue, over your lips.”37

As we move forward in the new year, it is critical to your success that you have a mentor. In our book, we mention the late Lawson Sanders, the senior custodian at our alma mater and affectionally known as “The Colonel.” He was one that especially impacted our lives by his gracious and informal mentorship and embodied one that offered wise counsel and a listening ear—core attributes of a great mentor. Like “The Colonel,” there are potential mentors all around us. Who is yours?

Dr Marcus & Bill

 

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Will This Be Your “Iron” Year?

January 7, 2013

Former Baltimore Orioles shortstop Cal Ripken, Jr., is known to baseball fans everywhere as “The Iron Man.” He will always be remembered for his consistency and longevity in a baseball career that spanned nineteen years.

On September 20, 1998, at age thirty-eight, he played in his 2,632th consecutive game before taking a well-deserved “day off.” He had not missed a game since May 30, 1982! Three years earlier, on September 6, 1995, he had shattered the long-standing record set by Lou Gehrig of 2,130 consecutive outings. Cal finished his career at the end of the 2000-2001 season, after appearing in his last All-Star game in July of that year and winning the MVP award. He has not only played more consecutive games than any other major leaguer in history, he also holds the record for ninety-five errorless games as a short- stop, and a number of Orioles records, including the most doubles, homers, and runs batted in (RBIs).

Excerpted from Fire Your Excuses

How persevering are you willing to be to achieve excellence in your career or calling? What are you willing to start doing, stop doing and continue doing? Write them down, then tell a friend or colleague.

In a study at the University of Scranton, those who wrote down formal New Years resolutions were five times more likely to have achieved and incorporated them into their lives when assessed two years later.  How much do your goals matter?

Best Wishes from Dr. Marcus and Dr. Bill!

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What is Your “Four-Minute Barrier?”

December 10, 2012

Watch History As Hicham El Guerrouj Sets The Current Mile Record

Excerpted from Fire Your Excuses

A Barrier to Be Broken

On May 6, 1954, Roger Bannister became the first to break the four-minute mile at Oxford University’s Iffley Road Track by running the race at 3:59.4. Years later, Forbes magazine would declare Bannister’s four-minute mile “the greatest athletic achievement of all time.”

Prior to that historic day, it had been thought that running a four-minute mile might be physically impossible. For the nine years leading up to 1954, the mile record had been stuck at 4:01.3. Once Bannister broke the record, four other runners joined him over the next decade. The fastest mile is now 3:43.13, sixteen seconds faster than Bannister’s record, set in Rome by Hicham El Guerrouj of Morocco in 1999.

Many of the highest barriers you will face on your way to an excuse-less life will appear insurmountable. What life goal feels like your four-minute barrier? What “impossible” barrier looms between you and your own breakthrough?

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Are You Willing To “Walk the Last Mile of Denial?”

December 5, 2012

12.12.01 last mile 2Excerpted from Fire Your Excuses

Walking the “Last Mile of Denial”

After decades of weight-loss research, the results are in: We lose weight when we consume fewer calories than our body needs each day! If you consume a few calories less than you need, you will lose weight. The key is determining your unique calorie needs, given your activity level and metabolism, and sticking to it.

Many of the so-called revolutionary (in other words, fad) diets are little more than a glitzy repackaging of this simple principle—eat fewer calories than your body needs. One popular commercial, for example, pushes a “special clinically proven weight loss pill,” but in the finest of small print it also mentions that subjects lost 3.8 pounds over eight weeks while taking their “secret formula,” eating a sensible diet and exercising. Incredible! Nearly anyone could lose 3.8 pounds if he or she exercised frequently and ate healthy for two straight months!

But if weight loss is so simple, where do we all go wrong? It is in execution and discipline, of course. We find it difficult to accept and even more difficult to follow the math of calorie intake. We tend to get part of the formula right—maybe exercise or nutrition—but ignore the other part, usually our calorie count.

Think for a moment about the effect of doing several important things right but ignoring a critical action needed for success. The results, especially if you have put in a lot of effort to get things right, might be very disappointing and costly.

Imagine going on a long awaited summer vacation, and 1) locking the front door, 2) locking the back door, but 3) leaving a basement entrance unlocked. Despite your efforts, you could still be robbed blind. We call these “number three” actions—whether locking that final door or window, or taking that final step toward living within a written budget or diet—walking the last mile of denial. It is only when we are willing to ‘walk the last mile of denial’ and face up to our remaining ‘hold-out’ actions and oversights that we can hope to achieve lasting, permanent change.

Walking the Last Mile in Real Life

Here are just a few examples of walking the last mile of denial…

Click here to continue reading

 

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How Is Your Attitude? Remembering Zig Ziglar, 1926-2012.

November 29, 2012 — Leave a comment

This week, the world lost Zig ZIglar, internationally acclaimed speaker and author. His positive message touched us all and he will be greatly missed. Zig often stated that “our attitude will determine our altitude in life.” He would always end his seminars with his signature statement “I will see you at the top!” In short, he was saying your attitude will determine how far you’ll go and successful you will be.

Infuse Others with Optimism, Hope and Enthusiasm

“What happens to the temperature of the room when you walk in? Whether you are currently employed or interviewing for a job, does the energy take a noticeable dip or does your presence spark a heightened sense of excitement and fun? Research has shown that the most influen- tial person in the room is the one with the best attitude—in other words, the most hopeful and optimistic. If ever there was a time for optimism, it is today! What can you bring to your new setting? Do others see this or something else?

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Are Your Blind Spots Preventing You From Reaching Your “Peak?”

October 5, 2012
climber

The Erik Weihenmayer Story

On May 25, 2001, Erik Weihenmayer became the first blind man in history to reach the summit of Mount Everest. Seven years later, on August 20, 2008, Erik joined the elite ranks of those who have climbed the Seven Summits—the highest mountains on each of the seven continents. Fewer than 100 mountaineers, sighted or blind, can claim this honor.

 Click here to continue reading.

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What Simple Idea Are You “Sitting On” That Could Change the World?

October 5, 2012

Consider the words of Don Schoendorfer, President and CEO of the Free Wheelchair Mission: “I used to think that I would make sure my family was all settled then I would give back in a big way, now I know that thinking is wrong.” Who is Don you might ask? This is his story:

Don Schoendorfer is an unassuming suburban engineer from Irvine, California, who had an idea for a low-cost wheelchair and built one in his garage. He had been shaken by what he had seen on a trip to Morocco with his wife in the 1970s, where they encountered a disabled woman who was unable to walk, literally crawling across the street on all fours. She would be the first of thousands Don would notice around the world who had no hope of a standard wheelchair, which in the U.S. can cost up to $1,000. His idea was to build a cheap, easy-to-repair wheelchair out of Huffy bicycle tires and the standard-issue white plastic lawn chair. As of this writing, his experiment has lifted over 636,405 of the world’s poorest people from a life in the dirt to one of dignity.

Click here to continue reading.

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12.09.27-look-intro-page

Posted on September 27, 2012 In Blog Post
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md-3b“There is no excuse in the world that can stop a will to succeed.” 

– Dr Marcus Dayhoff

 

“The purpose of life is not to be comfortable or safe. Quietly, respectfully, leave these pursuits to others. You were born to burn brighter and more dangerously.”

-Dr Bill Dyment12.07.31-promo-photo-Dr.-Bill-Dyment

Posted on July 12, 2012 In Blog Post
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“There is nothing wrong with dedication and goals, but if you focus on yourself, all the lights fade away and you become a fleeting moment in life.” –Pete Maravich

Posted on July 10, 2012 In Blog Post
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