Marcus Lopes's Blog, page 15

The Art of Not Giving Up

When you see someone else achieve their goal and you hear their story, it sometimes (not always) seems like they did it effortlessly. Because you don’t see the long hours of practice the swimmer put in the pool so that she stood in first place on the Olympic podium. You don’t see the writer getting up early, staying up late, or writing on their lunch break to write the book that goes on to hit all the bestseller lists. What we don’t see is that they’ve perfected the art of not giving up.

It Tak...

Up the Ante

Good or bad, I’ve never been one to follow the crowd. And at different times throughout my life, that has earned me a reputation as a rebel, rulebreaker, or loner. Some just called me stubborn. But when it comes to success (however you define it) and actually getting done the things you set out to do, following the crowd can potentially hold us back. We have to be able to recognize when it’s time to up the ante.

Let me put it this way. I’ve learned that sometimes it is necessary to step outside ...

The End of the Road

This is a continuation of ‘A Hard Reset‘

Michael threw open the door and walked heavy-footed down the corridor, half a dozen files tucked under his arm. He ignored Derrick—he’d actually forgotten that he was there—and headed towards the elevator. Three hours of being grilled behind closed doors about the Agency’s investigation into the Romero-Denault Affair, and having to dumb down his answers, had him wound up. He appreciated now that there had been twenty feet between him and Neil Sampson, be...

Leave Your Baggage Behind

Routines are great. It’s because of a great morning routine, modified slightly over the years due to changing day jobs, that I’ve managed to write as much as I have. But even when a routine is good, you can get stuck in a rut. And you might not even realize it. Why? Because you haven’t been able to leave your baggage behind.

Life on the Other Side of Social Media

When I was on social media, I tried to create and share content that was not only engaging, but hopefully inspiring as well. I had spe...

Just Be Yourself

To become relentless means a lot of different things. I’m once again going to refer to Tim Grover’s book, Relentless: From Good to Great to Unstoppable. In it, he asks this question: “What would it feel like to just let go of all the external pressure and expectations and just be yourself?1

Just. Be. Yourself.

It’s not easy being yourself in a world that expects you to be on-call 24/7. It takes a great amount of confidence and focus to tune out the noise and everything that is being thrown at us...

A Hard Reset

This is a continuation of ‘The Sit-Down‘

“You don’t have to sneak out.”

Michael, seated on the grey sofa, looked up after he’d finished lacing up his shoes. His gaze latched onto Sam, who tightened the belt of the white bathrobe that stopped just about his knees. “That’s not…” He massaged the back of his neck as he stood. “That’s exactly what I was hoping to do, Sam…”

Sam crossed to him and kissed him lightly on the lips. “It was nice to be with you one last time, Michael. I don’t know why you ...

Get into the Zone

When you stop to ask, “Why?” and are open to hearing the answer, everything changes. The answer isn’t always what we expect it to be. And instead of feeling right, it ties our stomach and intestines into reef knots. It mimics the most unbearable case of constipation, the kind that forces you to bend over in pain. While there’s not over-the-counter relief, the cure is simple: go into the zone that holds you to your why.

The Zone

When it comes to ‘the zone,’ or what is referred to in psychology a...

A Call to Rest

Even before the COVD-19 pandemic, I rolled out of bed somewhere between 3:00 and 4:00 a.m. Now, on what I call a ‘good day,’ I wake up consistently around 3:00 a.m., give or take ten minutes. No alarm clock. I’ve never needed one. Perhaps because I’ve been dealing with insomnia for most of my adult life. It’s during the quiet of those early morning hours when I am able to focus, uninterrupted, on my creativity. Getting up that early makes for long days. But with my fiftieth birthday on the hori...

Becoming Relentless

There are some books that you read over and over again. Because each read-through lets you discover new gems that had been left buried. Sometimes those new discoveries lead to an ‘aha’ moment. You get it. Finally. Other times, what you actually experience is an ‘oh, shit!’ moment. Your kidneys dropkick your intestines because you get it, all right. The author is speaking directly to you. They know your darkest secret, and now you’re paranoid they’re just waiting to expose it to the world.

A Boo...

It Really Does Begin with WHY

Since 23 January 2023, I’ve been [more] intentional about how I start my day, intentional about the things I do and don’t do. My frustration with the lack of progress in certain areas of my life had been palpable for months. Still, I found it hard to change some habits that were, undoubtedly, the source of that frustration. I’d been wasting too much time streaming movies and TV shows, and on certain—not all—social media apps that didn’t provide value. All because I had lost sight of my why.

Do ...