The Eye of the Tiger: Keys to Success

“Don’t talk yourself out of your dreams. Fight for your passions. Own your goals.”

When I was about five years old it was time to learn to ride my bicycle with the training wheels off.  Excitement mixed with fear.  My heart was pounding, hands shaking, and legs almost too wobbly to pedal.    

“Could it really be done?” 

“Did I have what it takes?”

At that young age, every kid believes they have what it takes.  They dig deep, fight, fall, and get back up.  Anything is possible.    

My memories unfold like a home movie. I see the purple banana seat bike. I can hear my brother’s voice chanting “you can do it”. I can feel him let go of the seat back and then I crash head-on into the massive tree on the front lawn. I must have hit that dang tree 50 times or more. It didn’t matter. Each time I’d get up, I’d repeat under my breath “Show Tony you’re a Tiger. Show him what you can do!”. At five years old I found motivation in the Frosted Flakes commercial theme song. “The taste of Tony’s Frosted Flakes, brings out the Tiger in YOU!”. That day, in that moment, I became a tiger. I was hungry to meet my goal, stalked it down like prey in the night, and didn’t stop until I conquered what I came to do. Sure enough, I learned to ride that bike. And I never forgot. Getting pumped and talking myself up mattered. Believing in myself mattered. Hitting obstacles (dang tree) and pushing past them made the difference.

I could do it.  I did have what it takes.  So do you.    

It’s quite bizarre thinking back on this now, at almost 40 years old. 

When adults chase a goal, all kinds of fear and self-doubt muddy the path to success.  Often times it’s crippling enough that dreams are sacrificed before they are given a breath of life.  Obstacles become insurmountable.  I’m here to tell you that this type of thinking is crap! 

The keys to success lie within the Eye of the Tiger. Get up and fight for your passions.

Below are few keys to position yourself for success.     

• Rise Up – Talk yourself up.  Rise to the challenge.  Believe you can do it.  Envision yourself meeting your goal.  Day dream about living your passion.      

• Take Chances – With great risk comes great reward.  Take the training wheels off the bike and start pedaling.  Don’t sit around waiting for change.  Be the change, take the chance, get in the game.  Play to win.  Get up and fight.      

• Go the Distance – Rome wasn’t built in a day people!  Brick by brick start laying the framework to meet your goals now.  Like right now.  Not tomorrow, not next month.  Start small and keep going.  Push forward.  There is no obstacle too big and no productive step too small.  Kick the can down the road toward success.    

• Don’t Lose Grip of Your Dreams – Keep your ‘why’ front and center.  Remind yourself of the end-game.  Don’t let yourself forget why your goal is important to you.  Use that reason to propel your forward.    

• Stay Hungry – Don’t settle.  Keep your eyes on the prize and do not give up!  You wanna look good in that little black dress, don’t you?  Put down the ice cream!

• Stack the Odds – Choose to do things that contribute to your success, not your failure.  Surround yourself with people who encourage you.  Collect the tools necessary to be successful.  Evaluate your environment and make necessary changes.      

• Master Your Skills –  Whatever skill set is required of you to meet your goals, you can learn it.  You can master it.  There’s no shortage of YouTube videos or online training for any given topic.  Become an expert in your passion.  Attend classes.  Seek a mentor.  Seek support. 

• Challenge Yourself – If it was easy, everyone would do it!  Meeting your goals is hard work.  Grunt work at times.  Challenge yourself to make changes toward success.  You are not in competition with others; you must compete with yourself to perform better than yesterday.      

• Follow Your Strengths – Use your strengths wisely.  Let them guide you toward bigger and better.  If you are a good leader, lead yourself to success.  If you are a great organizer, organize yourself to success.  If you like to read, read up!  Use your talents to make strides. 

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