Life Lessons from The Olympian

Olympian Usain Bolt

On Sundays we generally do a post to set the tone for the coming week. Today’s post, on the surface, might appear to be about an Olympic athlete. But if you look deeper, it’s a lesson for every person. Each of us has goals, dreams and ideals that we seek. For many of us, we struggle for years before we get that breakthrough that we’ve yearned for. We make sacrifices. We work morning, noon and night to reach the goals that we aim for.

My poem, The Olympian, was published in 2006 in my book Poems of Inspriation: A Daily Dose of Self-Motivation. Interestingly, two years later, at the 2008 summer Olympic games in Beijing, Usain Bolt of Jamaica became the literal manifestation of the poem. Prior to then, relatively few people had heard his name. Earlier that year, many persons heard his name for the first time as he set the new world record in the 100 meter dash. Still, that occurred at a relatively unknown event that few outside of the sports world even watched.

But Bolt “bolted” to the headlines of the summer games in Beijing, setting world records in the 100 meter and 200 meter dash in the process. Someone who grew up in relative obscurity in a small country, almost overnight, became a household name on the biggest stage possible as an athlete. His lifetime quest was reached in a matter of seconds. That’s powerful, isn’t it?

How does this relate to us? The goals that we pursue might be career oriented; or perhaps family or even personal. Whatever the case, we have the ideals that we aim for. And every so often, an opportunity to shine becomes available to us. We have the chance to seize the moment, and in so doing, we can live the life of our dreams.

As we get started on this new week, let the story of the Olympian inspire you. Picture yourself in the starting blocks as you prepare to run the race of your life. Great possibilities lie ahead for you and your family as you seize the opportunities that life presents to you.

Enjoy reading:

The Olympian

By Rodrick Walters

I've waited all my life for these next ten seconds.
Getting up early in the morning to train this body of mine.
Preparing it like a well-oiled machine. Denying myself
the pleasures of life all for this moment.
This is my personal mission.
These beads of sweat dripping down my face
might as well be blood. Because I have given everything
for this moment. I don't even see the people
in the lanes next to me all I see is that finish line.
I must be the first to reach it.
I refuse to be denied.
Ten seconds is all it will take.
And my life will never be the same.

Let’s go out and make it a great week – one that we’ll never forget. And like the Olympian, our lives will never be the same!

The Upbeat Dad

Is the Work That You Do What You Were Born To Do?

Just last week I had a conversation with a new friend. We met in the Twitter world and correspond quite a bit that way but I’m so glad I decided to give a quick call to say hi. That conversation reminded me that life is really beautiful and the connections that we make along the way make the journey even more beautiful.

We spoke for a bit about our respective vocations and interestingly, like me, she isn’t formally trained in the area about which she is most passionate. Yet still, she has found a way to feed her passion to the extent that it’s now feeding her. So she can spend more time on it. That gave me the idea to write a blog post about this general subject.

Periodically, I check the statistics on who’s reading The Upbeat Dad blog. And consistently two things stand out – 60% of our readers are female and most of our readers (male and female) are between ages 35 and 44. I’d like to focus on the age range for a bit. This range tells me that most of you are in the prime of your careers. Which is great on the one hand; on the other hand, I wonder if each of you is fulfilled in your work.

Way back in the early 90s, when I just started my professional career in the accounting profession, I remember something quite significant that occurred on a work assignment. There were about 8 of us working on an audit at a client’s office. We ranged in experience level from a newly hired person like me to a partner in the firm with over 30 years experience.

I was quite excited to be in the profession. Any accounting student in school today dreams of graduating and going to work with one of the Big 4 firms. And there I was, just out of school with this dream job at one of these firms. I was on cloud 9. I thought that everyone else in the firm had my same mindset – that this was as good as it gets.

Well, this next statement I’m about to make has remained with me since then: none of them really wanted to be there – they were only there for the money. Wonder why I say that? Here’s why. One day, I asked them the question, “What would you do if you won the lottery?” Every one of them – every single one of them – said that they’d quit their job immediately. One of them even stated that he’d just not show up to work for a few days and then mail in a postcard from Tahiti that quotes the country song, “Take this job and shove it; I ain’t working here no more.”

We went on to discuss the topic a bit more and I was quite surprised with what I heard. They’re all really intelligent and were very good at the work that they did. But still, they didn’t find the level of fulfillment that would keep them working if they knew that their financial needs were met. That whole thing bothered me greatly. As I figured then, if you really like the work that you do, getting lots of money shouldn’t influence you one way or the other. Your work should be fulfilling. The money should really be a bonus - a byproduct, if you will.

If you asked me when I just got out of school what my dream job was I’d tell you that I dreamed of being a partner in a Big 4 accounting firm. That was my ultimate goal. As my career has developed, my outlook on life and my vision has expanded. I realized that accounting was just the tip of the iceberg. What accounting has done is give me a thorough understanding of business and how companies function. Knowing how to read and interpret financial statements is really essential to understanding how businesses function.

But here’s the deal: what I love more than anything, is impacting people’s lives in a direct, personal and meaningful way. As an accountant, I do get to impact others’ lives – it’s generally through the area of accounting and taxes. Still, it does allow me to get to know the persons behind the numbers. That part, to me, is what makes the journey fascinating. So many times I’ve met people in the world of accounting and taxes and before you know it we’re talking about the meaning of life and the related issues.

When I went through my divorce in the early 2000s, that really rocked my world. I wrote about the impact of that on me in The Story Behind the Upbeat Dad. But what I’ve been able to do since then is channel the negative energy from that experience and become a better person instead of remaining bitter. And I think I’ve done just fine in that regard.

I don’t believe that the lessons that I learned were for my benefit alone. People go through divorce and broken relationships every day – that wasn’t unique to me. So I thought that if I could share some of the lessons that I learned with others, I could make an impact on their lives in a positive way.

Since I started writing this blog in October of last year, I cannot tell you just how fulfilling the experience has been for me. And I know that we’re making an impact. We’ve developed quite a following – last week we got hit number 20,000. And as I say, each of those hits represents a way in which we can touch the lives of others.

Now here’s the most significant statement I could make in this post. If you look at my resume, there’s absolutely nothing that would cause you to think I could be proficient as a writer. I’m not formally trained in that area. I’m trained as an accountant, remember? It’s not about what you’ve been trained to do – it’s about what you were born to do. One of the greatest singers and songwriters in history, Bob Marley, was never formally trained in music. He said, “I don’t have education; I have inspiration. If I was educated, I’d be a…fool.”

What I’ve been able to do is develop my skill as a writer to do what may have seemed impossible several years ago. At another point, I will write a blog post about how my former ways of stuttering actually helped me to become a better writer. You can’t stutter on paper, right?

Thus far, I’ve been able to balance my formal training as an accountant and my growing passion, which is writing and speaking, while making a meaningful difference in others’ lives. I authored the book Poems of Inspiration: A Daily Dose of Self Motivation. When it was released in 2006, that book was on the bestseller lists of Barnes and Noble and Amazon in the self-help section. This whole area is what I enjoy more than anything – helping others. It’s truly priceless to contribute to another’s well-being.

I wonder, is the work that you do fulfilling? Do you enjoy it? Is there something else that you would rather do? I’m not suggesting by any means that you get up tomorrow and quit your job but I am suggesting that you begin taking steps to feed your passion. It’s there for a reason. And just forget your formal training for a moment. If people only pursued areas in which they were formally trained, many of the great feats throughout history would never have been accomplished.

I say all the time that I’m an accountant – a Certified Public Accountant. I’m also a speaker but my greatest gift is writing. So when all is said and done, I believe that my greatest impact on the world will be through the medium of writing.

I challenge you to find out what your true passion is. And take small steps each day to feed that passion. You’ll be amazed at just how things will fall into place as you do this. There are things that you are trained to do; and other things that you were born to do. My hope for you is that you will discover the thing that you were born to do. Until you find that, nothing will be quite as fulfilling as it ought to be.

I hope that this post has given you fuel for your fire. I hope that it’s inspired you to get to work on your life’s purpose. That’s what this whole thing is all about. When you’re at your best, you’ll be more effective in your personal and professional life.

Enjoy your day. I wish nothing but the best for you and your family.

The Upbeat Dad

Your Gift that Keeps on Giving!

Today's post is about the need that each of us has for self-actualization. We are most fulfilled when our lives are used in service to our fellow men. As we take this journey, let me give you a brief testimonial.

When I started The Upbeat Dad organization last October, I felt strongly that writing the blog would be a fulfilling experience. I had a message to share that I thought could impact the lives of people all around the world. I knew in general what I wanted to write about. The specifics would work themselves out along the way.

What I didn't know was that the blog would have taken off so quickly. We're now at a pace where we have over 1,000 hits each week. And as I always say, each hit represents a life that can be touched by our positive message.

Also, what I didn't know was that I'd have so much material that I could do a blog post each and everyday. I really thought that after a while, I'd end up repeating myself because there are only so many issues to write about concerning fatherhood - or so I thought.

These days, I'm so consumed with work as an accountant and writing the blog posts and planning the community forum and building relationships with colleagues, readers and others, that I don't write each post quite as timely as I'd like to. Besides, I'm a husband and father, so my 24 hour life is really consumed with activities.

But believe me when I say that there is no shortage of material to write about. Every day - literally ever day, I get new ideas to write about. I really don't go looking for them - they come to me. Sometimes it's as a result of me just thinking about life. Sometimes it's from something in the news. Sometimes it's from something a member of my household says or does.

Sometimes it's from talking with a member of my extended family or a friend. Maybe it's from someone who I'm speaking with for the first time. My point is that there's always some new message to share to encourage others, even if the nature of a subject matter isn't quite so positive.

This leads me to make a very important point. Please make note of this because it can literally change your life. Most persons want to make a positive impact on the world in some way, shape or form. We often don't know how we can be most effective - we only know that we want to make a difference.

Here's how you know that you're on to something big: when everything you do, think and say on the matter causes what you envision to expand. Let me repeat that: you know you're on to something big when everything you do, think and say on the matter causes what you envision to expand.

This is so profound that it can change your life. If you look throughout history at the lives of the great men and women who have shaped our world, you'll see clearly that a common thread connects each of them. Their work is much bigger than them.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart died over 2 centuries ago, yet he's still celebrated today as one of the most brilliant musicians the world has ever known. Mother Theresa of Calcutta died in 1997 but today her work is synonymous with the sacrificial giving of one's life for the advancement of others. Martin Luther King died the year before I was born yet the dream about which he spoke still lives on today.

Each of these persons had a vision and as time passed, the vision came to fruition and lives on today, even after their deaths. Think of Walt Disney. He passed away so long ago, yet people from all over the world flock to Disney theme parks to be partakers of what was just a dream in his head decades ago. "I'm going to Disney World," is a familiar cry of professional athletes as they win championships in their sports.

What I'm saying with this post is that when you want to impact the world in a meaningful way, you'll see the tangible evidence that you're making an impact as you move along on your journey. Let me also quickly share this word of caution: it doesn't really happen overnight. More often than not, it takes years to come to fruition. But if you believe in your vision and feed it with positive thoughts along the way, in due time, it will come to pass. And when it does, it's like the floodgates open up for you. What seemed to take years to happen starts unfolding in minutes.

I first dreamed of making an impact on a global level in 1995. I got married in 1996. When that marriage failed in 2001, my world got turned upside down. Still, I wanted to share a positive message with the world. And today, 16 years after I first had the vision to make a difference globally, here we are: on a daily basis, people on every continent are being encouraged by this message. And believe me, the vision is unfolding minute by minute, day by day.

I want to encourage you to do the best and to be the best for yourself and for your family. We are all created to serve each other with our gifts and talents. No one is born without a purpose. However small or insignificant you think your gifts might be, each gift, when developed, can grow into something larger than what even you might be able to comprehend.

Oh and by the way, as your gift takes effect, it will compensate you and your family beyond your wildest dreams. Not simply by financial means but more with the fact that you're impacting the lives of others in a meaningful way. Money should never be a motivator for us to serve others. But in the process of serving others, in time, believe me, the money does come.

I hope that this post has lit a fire in you - one that leads you to accomplish great feats. And as you serve others, I hope that you will be rewarded not only financially but also with the satisfaction of knowing that through your efforts, the lives of others are enhanced. That's something to live for, right?

May your life's journey be filled with the fulfillment of knowing that your gifts will make a difference not only for today but for generations to come.

Enjoy your day.

The Upbeat Dad

How to Live a Purpose Driven Life

As you may know, yesterday I celebrated my birthday. It was a great birthday – quite honestly, the best one I’ve ever had. I’m not just saying that for the sake of saying it, it’s really the best one. There are a number of reasons why I say that but the most significant one is this: I have never been surer about my purpose than I am right now. That’s a powerful statement to make but that’s my honest and true assessment.

As I mentioned in yesterday’s post, Birthday Reflections, every year as my birthday ends, I actually bid it farewell until the next year. I typically go outside and take a ½ hour walk starting at about 11:45 PM. During that walk, I reflect on how far I’ve come since my last birthday. And then I think further on what I’d like to accomplish over the next year. I pray and ask for guidance along this journey. It’s really a powerful self-check – a personal inventory, if you will. And then I try to refocus on the task at hand as I try to maximize my effectiveness in life.

Last night’s reflection walk was powerful. I thought of my newly expanded family (our son was born this past August). I also thought of my new family – The Upbeat Dad and its readers. These are people all over the world, many of whom I may never meet. Yet I consider our readers as family because, in a sense, we’re on the same team – we care about our children and want the best for them. And our readers recognize the importance that a loving, caring dad has in a child’s life. As dads, moms and kids read our blog, this is the consistent message that we try to convey.

After coming back from my walk, I had a little down time before going to sleep. But it’s as if I had turned on a faucet while reflecting and couldn’t turn it off. I was able to see, in a very real sense, the things that I’ve envisioned over the past several years coming to pass. I’m just taking notes on these things and getting in place because this coming year, I expect to see some monumental accomplishments. I have never been at this point before in my entire life and that’s what so thrilling to me!

In athletics, teams start each season trying to get better. And some of them have a realistic chance of winning a championship. They envision greatness and work relentlessly towards achieving that level of success. When they are successful and are right on the brink of reaching their collective goal – a championship – it’s a thrilling moment, one that they greatly anticipate. Right now, I feel as if for all of my life, I have had certain goals and ideals that I’ve aimed for. And over time, that which I aim for has become more clearly defined. And now, I’m really on the brink of attaining a significant feat.

This feat that I speak of has little to do with me. I think if we’re all honest with ourselves, we’d acknowledge that what is most fulfilling to us, is knowing that through our efforts and commitment, others’ lives are enhanced.  Our lives have greater meaning and purpose when we’re in service for our fellow men. A doctor may become wealthy and drive a fancy car but he or she does so by helping others to become healthy. That’s the reward – not the material things that are gained in the process.

When a singer gets on stage and shares the gift of song with thousands of screaming fans, it’s not the revenue earned from concert tickets or royalties from CD sales that satisfy them – but rather, it’s knowing that they’re inspiring and satisfying these adoring fans. We all have that inner need to be of service to our fellow men and until we fulfill that need, any success we may appear to have is somewhat empty.

For me, having been raised in a wonderful, loving two parent household, I know that my life is so much better for it. So when I went through a divorce and got an eye opener going through the whole family law process, I realized just how negatively families are affected when happy homes become broken homes. I made a vow then to make a difference in the lives of families, to whatever extent possible. Because when I saw my 3 year old daughter go through the pain of seeing her parents divorced, I wanted to ensure that as few families as possible would find themselves in that plight. That marriage ended but I wanted to keep as many families together as possible.

I also know that many fathers simply do not care to fulfill their obligations to their children. I really don’t understand that mindset but I know it’s a reality. Just 2 weeks ago I met a divorced mother who told me that she knows things are tough economically so she doesn’t even mind the fact that her former husband can’t send money to help support the kids. She just wants him to call them and keep in touch. Far too many men see the ending of their relationship with a woman as the ending of their relationship with their kids. How sad and unfortunate.

On the other hand, I know many women who recognize that the family law system generally favors them so they seek to exploit that same system, thinking that they’re just hurting the fathers of their children. They do hurt the fathers, no doubt, but in the process they hurt their own kids even more. The kids become nothing more than pawns in a game of power struggle. When different parties think that they win because they get what they wanted through the legal process, quite often, the children are more damaged than they would’ve ever imagined.

Children are wonderful and so innocent that it pains me to see their plight when families fall apart. So I made a vow to not simply sit back and be a critic. I want to do something about it. This is really my life’s mission – a calling, if you will. To be at this point now, on the brink of seeing what I’ve envisioned for most of the past decade coming to pass, is thrilling – not because of me, but for the sake of our children – all our children all over the world.

Let me ask some simple questions of you: What is your life’s purpose? What is your calling? What injustice do you see in the world that you know how to make right? What service do you think you can offer to your fellow men that would not only help them greatly, but would make your life more meaningful and complete? Did you know that there are tasks that only you can accomplish? Yes, you. And until you do those tasks, any success you may have, would be somewhat hollow and meaningless. I heard someone say several years ago, “It’s like a voice is inside of you saying, `you’ve done everything but you haven’t done me!’” We all have that voice.

Our lives have greater impact when we have a purpose driven life – one in which we’re not just going to work to collect a pay check so that we can accumulate more things. Fulfillment is something that you simply cannot buy. I encourage you to seek to live a life of purpose, one that helps others. This isn’t necessarily a call to social work and charitable endeavors, as noble as those callings may be. It’s a call to serve with our time and talents. If it’s as a banker, then do so, helping people by meeting their banking needs. If it’s as a teacher, do so, imparting into your students the knowledge and wisdom that you’ve gained. If it’s as an entertainer, do so, knowing that people have choices in entertainment so you give them nothing less than your very best every time you have the opportunity to entertain.

You understand where I’m going with this? I sure hope you do because when you look at the lives of great men and women throughout history, this one trait is common in their life story – they have lived and in the process, they served mankind with their gifts. And when they pass on, they leave a legacy that impacts the world for generations to come.

As we live purpose driven lives, we also are shining examples for our children. They too will learn to live lives of purpose. Our 12 year old daughter already has the mindset that she is obligated to share her gifts with others. And I will teach these same principles to our 4 month old son as he grows.

Do teach these principles to your children. Encourage them to learn as much as possible in school. Find out from them what they desire to be when they grow up. But please, I ask of you, don’t focus so much on how much money they will make – ask them, who will benefit from the service that they offer. If your child wants to become a police officer, focus more on the fact that they will protect the public, rather than thinking of the excellent salary and retirement package that the police department offers. Likewise, if they want to go into politics, focus more on the fact that they can help to enact laws that will help our society in a meaningful way. This is what we call a purpose driven life.

I’ll close with the last two stanzas from my poem A Lasting Legacy, found in my book, Poems of Inspiration: A Daily Dose of Self Motivation:

Whenever I come to the end of my days

And I go to my final resting place

When the sun goes down and I finish this race

May I leave this world a better place.

This is my vow to humanity

A vow that will last all eternity

For my children and all who will come after me

May I leave a lasting legacy.

Have a great day.

The Upbeat Dad