motivation

This is an oldie but goodie entitled The Perfect Human, courtesy of Wired.

Dean Karnazes ran 50 marathons in 50 days. He does 200 miles just for fun. He’ll race in 120-degree heat. Here are 12 secrets to his success.

Reading this article back in January 2007 was  one of the reasons I took an interest in running.

Despite its problems, the United States is still the most opportune place to go from rags to riches.

I refamiliarized myself with this concept two weeks ago after stumbling upon a program on CNBC that examined the storied (and controversial) history of the McDonald’s burger empire.

The report profiled one man who was raised in the slums without an education. Fifteen years ago he started in fries at the Golden Arches. Now he’s about to become a franchisee. The move will make him a millionaire given all the business McDonald’s generates but predicated on the man’s dedication.

Stories like this inspire and remind me that monetary riches are made by perseverance, not by industry.

October 2007 (Connect) — Steve Jobs told a class of Stanford undergraduates in 2005: “Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life,” meaning don’t let external factors such as other people’s thinking dictate how you make a livelihood. In short, do what you love.

But doing what you love is just some overused romantic expression that doesn’t really apply outside of über geeks like Jobs, right? Wrong. Despite its being cliché and having been hijacked by get-rich-quick schemes, doing what you love can be achieved by anyone assuming you have the patience to seek it out, have the guts to act on your instincts, and are not easily persuaded by societal pressures when determining your career path.

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My wife Lindsey is learning the piano taking formal weekly lessons. She used play when she was younger, but has since forgotten some of her chops. So for the last 6-7 months, she has been practicing often after she puts the baby down to sleep. The sweet sound fills our house. Though she doesn’t yet sound like Mozart, Liszt, or Beethoven, the aural harmony of progress, practice, effort, hard work, and dedication is music to my ears.

It’s very motivating for me to hear this change in action. My line of work is either visual, experiential, or cognitive so my ears don’t get to participate in gauging my development (if any). So outside of practicing musical instruments, I can’t think of many skills where you can hear actual progress aloud. Keep up the good work, Lindz!