Message #109 - The Key... Part 2.

"Adopting an acquired pattern of behavior and thought that becomes almost involuntary as a result of frequent repetition". If you read my last post you probably are again wondering "what the heck is he talking about?".... This is a definition of what is absolutely essential to achieving success. It goes "hand in hand" with my previous post on FOCUS. Read on.....

If Focusing helps you see and clearly visualize the goal... Then what Stops the Distractions from Robbing you of your focus. I believe that life's Distractions rob us of our focus. In fact I believe that's the #1 cause of failure... DISTRACTIONS.

We all have a certain amount of focus, but what I've seen in myself and other accomplished people is an unwavering ability to "stay in the zone" and block out distractions.

The greater your ability to block out any and all distractions... the greater your potential for Success!

So then... How do we block any and all Distractions? ... We must develop the essence of the quote above in red. The above quote in red is a definition of the word HABIT.

I believe before you can have FOCUS (and later success) you must have first created a consistent and distraction free environment through developing and "Adopting an acquired pattern of behavior and thought that becomes almost involuntary as a result of frequent repetition". This behavior becomes a part of your focus.

When I was at my best as a wrestler... I simply could not be DISTRACTED. The behavior that I adopted assured me of "NO DISTRACTIONS". As a result I wasn't attached (or attracted) to anything that I could not immediately give up (indefinitely if I had to) that distracted me from my goal. The only way to do this on a consistent basis is to develop and "Adopting an acquired pattern of behavior and thought that becomes almost involuntary as a result of frequent repetition"or simply stated develop a HABIT that insures you can stay focused on your goal.

I steered clear of negative people... negative thoughts... negative food... etc., and as a force of habit surrounded myself with positive people... positive thoughts... positive food etc. PEOPLE, THOUGHTS and FOOD I could control... and I did. I left out working hard for a reason... Most everybody that's serious about success Works Hard! It's not about Working Hard. It's all about STAYING FOCUSED!

How do yo stay Focused? Develop Healthy Attitudes that Bring Impact Today.

www.LeeKemp.com

Message #108 - The Key... Part 1.

"The action of adjusting the distance between the lens and subject to make light rays converge to form a clear and sharply defined image of the subject". You probably are wondering "what the heck is he talking about?".... This is a definition from photography. Read on.....

Well, I get asked all the time by young wrestlers how I achieved success so quickly in wrestling:

"I started wrestling in 9th grade and didn't make varsity until 10th grade. The next year in 11th grade I was the state champ beating both the defending state runner-up and state champ. State champ again the next year in 12th grade finishing the last two years undefeated. Won the Jr. Nationals (beating a future 3-time NCAA Div-I champion) and beat a Russian in a N.E. Ohio vs Russia Junior Dual. Next year as a 18 year old college freshman lost an overtime split referees decision in NCAA Div-I finals. Next year, just 6 years after starting wrestling, beat Gable (he was the Olympic Champion 4 years earlier and was 26 years old) and and won NCAA Div-I championship, the 1st of three consecutive titles. Two years later was the youngest American Gold medalist in the world championships. Next year was America's first multiple-time world champion. Three years later was a 3-time world champion - the first American three-time world champion".

This is the most consistent thing I get asked. HOW?......? and not only wrestler or athletes, I find I get asked this HOW question by virtually everyone interested in HOW success is achieved.

For years I gave the canned answer of; hard work, sacrifice, dedication ... etc., But when I really thought about it I realized that it was all because of FOCUS.... I'll say it again... FOCUS...!

Sounds simple but it's probably the hardest one thing to do on this earth... Especially with all the things pulling for our attention on a minute by minute basis 24/7.

This post is an attempt to have you think about focus in a different way. The above definition, at the beginning of this post in red, defines focus as related to photography, but I think it frames what Focus is in all things. It was especially true for me as an athlete. How do you get "a clear and sharply defined image of the subject"? This is done in photography by "adjusting the distance between the lens and subject".

Watch how I relate this to focusing on a goal... The clearly defined image of the subject is your GOAL. The LENS is your MIND's EYE; and adjusting the distance between these to form a clear and sharply defined image of the subject is the process of "fine tuning" into your goal, or simply, how clearly can you see your goal in your mind's eye. It's easier to believe you can accomplish something if you can actually "see it" clearly in your mind. If it's not clear in your mind then it's harder to see and believe.

It always amazed me that Eagles can clearly focus on a mouse over a mile away...THAT'S FOCUS. If the goal is fuzzy, then the effort and subsequent success is "fuzzy" too. For me my goals were laser sharp and crystal clear... I WAS SUPREMELY FOCUSED! ... and so was my effort that led to the success.

The more clear and sharply defined your goal is in your mind's eye... the greater your FOCUS. The greater your focus, the greater your willingness to do all the things you KNOW you need to do to attain the goal, i.e., the hard work, sacrifice, dedication... etc. It becomes an unstoppable machine... FOCUS ... EFFORT/WORK... SUCCESS.

Tune in your FOCUS and you'll have your SUCCESS. Stay tuned for part 2 of the Key. The Key to SUCCESS.

www.LeeKemp.com

Message #107 - Dream vs Duck....

Dreaming to Accomplish Something versus Ducking to avoid something... In Life our Actions are Based on either trying to Gain Something or Trying to Avoid Something...

That's really what achievement is all about. We all know achieving something can be hard and requires overcoming many obstacles and setbacks.

The challenging question for all of us when faced with challenges and hardships is: "Do we continue Dreaming or do we start to "Duck" or avoid the challenges".

Ducking to me involves avoidance; hiding; deception; denial; accepting the status quo; hoping for something better rather than seeking something better; sitting in the back of the class so you don't get called on; putting in the minimal time - leaving work or practice right at the scheduled quitting time - no extra effort; seeking no extra responsibility, being on the Defensive always countering someone else's attack having none of your own.... etc.

Dreaming is just the opposite of all these: Meet vs avoid; Reveal vs hide; Truth vs deception; Approval vs Denial (Denial means Don't, Even, Notice, I, Am, Lying); Reject status quo vs accept status quo and so on...

Duck has another connotation: Ducks are not viewed as strong, in fact they are weak. You can think of Ducks as always complaining ­ (quacking) ­ about their failures and something not being right.

Compare the Duck to the majestic Eagle and think of the Eagle as Dreaming instead. Eagles soar above the fray. Eagles have no limits. They are strong, confident and have no equal.

Don't have a Duck mentality but have a Dream mentality. Let the Dream - soaring like an Eagle, mentality travel with you for the rest of your life; don't embrace ducking through life; don't be a duck... but be an Eagle and keep Dreaming.

www.LeeKemp.com

Message #106 - Don't Focus on Winning...

Although Winning is the Goal You Must Focus on Something else to Really Explode Your Success....

I recently read a short quote about Selling that really stuck with me. It went something like this:

"To sell more don't focus on what and how you can sell your customer... But instead focus on what you can do and how you can HELP your customer.

By doing that you will solve your customer's problems and flow right into selling them naturally. The best salespeople are Super Problem Solvers.

Well I got to thinking about my success in wrestling and lo and behold... I wasn't focused on winning as much as I was focused on GETTING BETTER.

That's it. I was focused on what I could do to get better and how could I get better each day rather than focusing on the end result of Winning.

Simple... THE BETTER YOU GET... THE MORE YOU WIN!

FOCUS ON GETTING BETTER

www.LeeKemp.com

Message #105 - What Are You Looking At? ...and What Are You Focusing On?

There are a Lot of Things Pulling at us for our Attention. Some of Which is Very Subtle... and Some is of Course Shouting for our Attention...

We only have a FINITE amount of Attention and FOCUS. We all have a Limited Amount. Have you ever got to a point that you said I can't think any more... I can't focus on another thing!

Well, if that happens to you, ask what used up all my Attention and Focus? I know from Experience that I perform better on the things I pay attention to and focus on. PERIOD!

YOU ARE WHAT YOU THINK ABOUT...

People that have the ability to devote 100% of their attention and focus to something will usually excel at it. We can only have ONE thought in our mind at any given Time. If you clutter your mind with a lot of random and unrelated thoughts... then that's exactly what you'll get in results and accomplishments... Random and Inconsistent Accomplishments.

Keep a journal and write all the things you think about in a day. Do this for a week. I promise that the things on your journal WILL EXACTLY DEFINE YOU!!!

IF YOU WANT TO CHANGE YOUR PERFORMANCE AND RESULTS... CHANGE YOUR THOUGHTS. We all know the definition of insanity RIGHT!

www.LeeKemp.com

Message #104 - Look for Where you Slipped....

We all sometimes Fall and come up Short of our Goals. We ask "how did I Fall (or Fail)?

As a successful wrestler I get asked a lot how did I rebound and recover from a LOSS and get back to WINNING. Well after the obvious "It's not EASY" I reply with a question "look back to where you started to SLIP (lose confidence, doubt, cut corners, not work as hard, veer from your core values, hook up with the wrong person or people, not care as much, etc, etc, the list goes on... and on...)

I've discovered from my own experiences both from wrestling and in LIFE (after all this is most important) that before the FALL there was a SLIP.

THIS IS WHERE THE FALL ACTUALLY OCCURRED... at that point of the SLIP. If not corrected a FALL is inevitable. It's SURE.

It's ONLY a MATTER of TIME. Some of us can hang on for a long time after slipping. The actual Fall is not always immediate.

We all know when we slip. We brush it off though as a "Close Call"... We get in Denial... We try and pretend it never happened... We think were to busy to address the slipping ISSUE so we ignore it and think business will be as usual.

BUSINESS WON'T BE AS USUAL FOR LONG.

The most consistently successful people are the ones that acknowledge AND correct their SLIPS as soon as possible, thereby avoiding a FALL later.

IT'S NOT WHERE YOU FALL... BUT WHERE YOU STARTED TO SLIP. PAY ATTENTION TO THE SLIPS and you'll have more SUCCESS.

www.LeeKemp.com

Message #103 - You Don't Have to Like It.......

Sometimes You Have to do What you don't like to Achieve What you Want.

I get asked a lot what I did to be a successful wrestler and the main thing I say is a lot of what I did I really didn't like.

The problem with being successful is most of us have a fuzzy idea what it takes! We all want the end result...the spoils... the victory... the nice house... car... etc.

The problem continues with most people only focusing on the part of the process they like. Based on the God given natural abilities you got at birth and the skills you have been able to attain you will land somewhere on the success scale.

If the place you land on the success scale is not where you want to be, then SOMETHING HAS TO CHANGE.

THE CHANGE THAT NEEDS TO BE MADE usually involves DOING THINGS WE REALLY DON'T LIKE.... and SINCE MOST OF US RESIST DOING THINGS WE DON'T LIKE THE SUCCESS WE WANT NEVER COMES.

As a wrestler there were many aspects to training I really liked. But there also were some things I didn't like... I really disliked RUNNING... and I avoided it as much as I could.

When I was at my first elite level training camp in 1978 training for the World Championships I was introduced to running by Coach Dan Gable. We ran HARD every day. Up hills... over gravel roads... in sand... with guys on our backs... ect.

Because it was Gable and because I was convinced I needed it to win... I did it with excellence and with a good attitude... I strived to win or be in the front of every run.

Figure out what you have been avoiding because you don't like it and really determine if that very thing, if you were doing it, can help you toward a goal you have.

www.LeeKemp.com