Evan Sanders's Blog, page 96

An Angel Like You Since The Devil In Me

Your caged

I know you’re there

Never going away

Under wraps

Under constant guard

You’re heard

You’re seen

But that lock ain’t coming undone ever again

I feel you rattling the bars

Yelling out

Writing advice to steer me off path

Lockin’

Loadin’

You yell as they leave

Blood boilin’

Ragin’

Shaking the foundations

Crumbling the earth

 

Trying to find a way to get out

To wreck havoc

To burn it down

But all you see is a back

Turned away from you

And you can’t take it

But every step away makes you smaller

And you try to get back

You try to manipulate

But you fail

Because these steps in the other direction won’t end

You’ve been heard and seen enough

Nothing else to offer

And that’s the truth

Gave nothing

Took everything

Took more than you deserved

You keep yelling though

But it becomes fainter

And fear sets in those eyes

Right before you disappear into the depths

Always locked there

Unseen

Heard but not granted the right

To ever control again

I say my farewell

- Evan Sanders

How We Rise: The Steve Nash Story

In college, one of my professors told me a story about Steve Nash and how he viewed his success in the NBA. Apparently Nash had told a reporter that his goal wasn’t to be the best player on his team, but to be the guy who made every other teammate the best they could possibly be. He knew that if he raised everyone else up that the team had a much better chance to succeed. That was his goal.

Tonight is just going to be full of memories from the past…just an FYI.

My dad taught me once that you always operate on an equation when you are going after a goal. He told me that your excitement for success has to be greater than your fear of failure. Of course, this is a sliding scale and you move back and forth from time to time, but in all, you have to really want it more than you fear it not working. That is what will keep you going each and every day. That will allow you to continue through the thick of it. Because the mud always comes and life  loves to slather it on.

Let your game speak. I’m reminded of a quote from another teacher who said “You either have the results or the reasons why not.” And it’s true. I mean how many times have we all committed ourselves to something and then have some sort of justification of why it didn’t happen. I think the quote above is really true. When you have a commitment to something, there are no excuses. You just do…and you do nothing short of it. You live a life that you are proud of and you tackle each and every day with vigor and white-hot passion. I am recommitting myself to my commitments. Funny sentence, but nothing but the truth.

Someone a while back asked me my definition of what makes a man. They asked me about my project and what I’ve found out through this whole writing process and wanted me to whittle it down to a couple of things. It’s really a tough question, but one of the first things that came to my mind was this. “The difference between a boy and a man…is that a man is responsible for himself. And because he is responsible for himself, he admits failure, shortcomings, and takes it upon himself to change.”

As I travel throughout this life, I learn more and more every single day. This only happens though because I leave myself open to learning. I believe that once you know something you stop learning about it. That can’t happen. It can’t happen with this project especially – and fyi I have been there before as well. Keep your heart and your eyes open. You can learn a whole lot.

- Evan Sanders

You Got A Dream

If you are going to change the world, you must first change yourself. Almost everyone has heard this. I’ve thought about it for who knows how long because I do want to change the world - and I always add “and I think I am crazy enough to do it.”

When I started this project, I had no intention of changing the world. In fact, the only thing I wanted to do was change myself into something better. But there’s the answer. The answer to changing the world is changing yourself. A great deal of the time, the thing we are capable of creating eludes us until we take a look inside and start working on the broken parts. The gears only start turning when you line up the teeth.

We change the world by being the best possible versions of ourselves. That moment, and it comes every day, when you choose to love deeply, act boldly, live passionately over letting the Black Dog consume you changes the world. Because all of that energy you have when you point your life in a positive direction gets sent out to the world. We all get dragged down into the dumps. Anyone who tells you that they don’t have bad days isn’t speaking the truth. But life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you respond. That is a choice you get to make every day. And the string of failures you’ve had, well, you can turn those into a string of successes.

Don’t compete with anyone else. You’re aiming low if you think that beating someone or winning a prize over someone else is your competition. No, aim for something far far more challenging. Compete with your potential. Compete with the person you know you could become. Set a ridiculously high goal, one you know that is so damn tough to achieve, and eventually you will morph into the person that can achieve it. Yes, your potential, is your ultimate competition. If you keep chipping away at it, you’re going to eventually make something beautiful. Give it a run for its money.

I encourage you to do one last thing. Believe. It’s harder than it sounds…but in all seriousness, believe as much as you can. Strive to act nobly, drive yourself through the failures, be happy even during the lonely times, and above all else – believe. It will take you places.

- Evan Sanders

Perfection Is The Enemy Of Done

 

I remember hearing my teacher tell me this and it has been an invaluable lesson. “Perfection is the enemy of done.” That made me think. Hard. Often we strive to be perfect and it drives us nuts because we can never achieve it. I think striving to be the absolute best you can possibly be is a great gift that you can give yourself. However, things get a little bit shaky when you start demanding yourself to be perfect.

I mean even think of a Perfect Game in baseball. It’s not really perfect. Essentially a perfect game would be 9 innings, 3 batters an inning, 3 pitch strikeouts per batter. That would be absolute perfection. And yes I know it’s incredibly hard to throw a perfect game, but still…im making this example to drive a point.

You can be a little bit better, a little bit faster, a bit smarter than you were yesterday. You can be a little more organized, love a little deeper, and trust me in the long run this pays off. Like I was saying yesterday, you can shape yourself into something that you couldn’t have possibly been before.

I saw this quote the other day that said something like set a goal so big and seemingly impossible for yourself and eventually you will grow into the person that can achieve it. This made me think about my own life and what I have been doing. I have set a grand goal, and day by day I am changing and morphing into the person that can achieve it. Because when I started I couldn’t have possibly been the person to achieve it right off the bat. And this is why goals are great. At one end you get to dream and to make anything possible for yourself. And on the other end you get to go through the day to day shaping and restructuring of your life in order to achieve it.

I am a master of goal setting. I am in rookie ball in regards to making the sacrifices it takes to make those goals happen.

But just because your in rookie ball doesn’t mean you won’t get called up to the majors one day. And I promise you that I plan on pitching some pretty amazing games in this life. Baseball references. Quick side note – I think if I am ever going to get a tattoo, a miniature pitchers rubber will be somewhere on my body – just to remind me of all the lessons I learned from the sport I love most.

So set a huge ass goal. Let it scare the shit out of you. Then take those little baby steps and you will change into something fantastic.

Muhammad Ali  used to say “I am the greatest” even before he was close to being the best. It works.

- Evan Sanders

What To Do When You Find Yourself Fluid

We all have them – those moments where everything just becomes fluid. The ones that make that foundation a bit liquid. The mattress you lay down on at the end of the day turns into a water-bed and you aren’t as stable as you would like. Situations and events turn and rumble and options become opaque. Heat and pressure add up and eventually, you just melt into it all.

This…can be very very confusing.

But there’s another element to this equation that I want to talk about and that is what’s being melted. When you believe in yourself, when you’ve improved, when you’ve loved deeply, when you’ve reached for more and fallen short, you have begun to create a life worth being proud of. And even though you have fallen and turned to something far less solid, you have the opportunity to reshape yourself. And that’s the golden nugget I learned this weekend – even though it was in liquid form.

Sometimes, in order to create something even greater and to mold yourself into something stronger, you have to go through a mighty hot and pressure driven situation. And the hardest part of it all is that you have to be open to this. Often times I find myself wanting to get an answer to a situation as fast as possible, but this process demands that you cool down. It demands time and you have to give it exactly that. So breathe for a bit…and it will all shape up.

How are you going to shape yourself?

- Evan Sanders

Like A Stone Wall

 

In the first battle of Bull Run, several Confederate units fell into panic as the battle was raging on. Thomas Jackson, a brilliant general who was known to inspire courage in his troops pointed to Jackson and said, ”There stands Jackson like a stone wall!” This call to action rallied the troops and urged the men to gather their courage to regroup to fight on.

Yesterday I was on the verge of  tears all day. It hasn’t been easily lately. I’ve been under a lot of pressure and everything seems to be piling up all at once. It’s tough. Real tough. I had this urge to just run earlier…and then somehow Stonewall Jackson popped into my head. “There stands Jackson like a stone wall!” I just kept repeating that in my head. Things could be a lot worse. Bullets could be zipping around you…you could be unprotected on a horse…and yet – somehow that man found the courage to stand up to great adversity.

I pull courage from stories like these. There have been great people in the past who have performed massive acts of courage. It’s not that they weren’t afraid – of course they were fearful. But it’s that they had something inside them that allowed them to get over that fear. They had that little extra thing…some call it belief…purpose…resolve. You can call it whatever you want, but the fact of the matter is…it’s there.

I’ll tell you right now, I’m lost. I feel more lost than I have ever felt before. I don’t know which path to take or even which direction to go in general. I’m 100% clueless.

Lost in the mud, but trying to stand strong.

- Evan Sanders

Quote Of The Day

Quote Of The Day

I love this quote by Roald Dahl because he goes a few steps further than doing something that you have fun doing. It reminds me that you have to be absolutely passionate about what you are  doing. And why? Well I think it piggybacks off a Steve Jobs quote where he talks about loving what you do because when you are going after your passion things can be really difficult. So light it up! Be white hot and passionate about your craft and you will produce some incredible results. 

What do you think? 

My Life : Getting Personal

If you haven’t read the previous About Me Page then I suggest you head over and check it out at http://wp.me/P1ZMnJ-2 But if you have read it, well, get ready for another one.

I am a social media nerd, a lover of Excel spreadsheets, a passionate Will Ferrell fan, an English over Italian suit guy, a brand builder, a developing SEO expert, a lover of books, a man with taste yet not enough money to quench that pallet, a turkey burger fan, a griller, a gym addict, a lover of candles, a cold shower type of guy, a content specialist, a hopeful romantic, a whisky man, a vision board maker, a reciter of famous quotes about life, a reader of love stories, a very amateur film student, a developing bicep curl master, a 0 degree black belt, a whittler, a pretty decent fire starter, a fisherman, a ridiculous storyteller, a Photoshop connoisseur, a passionate man, a lover of love, a fan of Walking Dead, a MEGA fan of Breaking Bad, a lucky speller, a

140 characters run through my veins and I have watched The Notebook 6 times. I can typically keep the ash on my cigar despite gravity’s need to make it fall. I slid down an electric fence once and thanked it for scratching my back. When I was 7 I was hit in the face with a baseball bat. Twice I have been hit in the nose with a baseball thrown by a young man who now pitches for the Chicago White Sox. I once found they key to happiness, but then lost it with my actual keys. I fail a lot. When in doubt I throw it up to the Big Guy and believe that He has a very interesting sense of humor. I accidentally spilled a half gallon of water on my crushes homework in high school. I can make little kids laugh and on occasion I trip up stairs. I lit a Chinese firework once, and the results were disturbing yet fantastic. I consider myself the 117th most interesting man in the world. I don’t always drink beer, but when I do…I definitely pick something a bit darker and heavier than Dos Equis…typically a Guinness.

I like to think outside of the box, then take it apart and turn it into some sort of sculpture. I love LEGO’s. I collected Pokemon cards when I was young. I once took too many scoops of Pre Workout and forgot what country I was in. I have a tendency to think I can take jumps on my snowboard and end up redesigning the snow. I am embarrassed every time my mom says “panties.” I often have fits of insomnia and end up writing out my future on the wall. I’ve watched A Beautiful Mind Twice. I’ve created a 1 step guide on How To Become A Man http://wp.me/p1ZMnJ-22e and have been known to get really lucky with taking awesome pictures. When I was young, my parents convinced me that the fireworks on 4th of July were for me. My birthday is on the 3rd.

I have no appendix. I’ve torn most of the cartilage out of my right knee. Im obsessed with quote photos. Instagram makes my heart sing. I’m incredibly stubborn. I love Hall and Oats. I have a bit of a salt tooth. I believe smiling is one of the best things for your health. I have the cardio of a sled dog. I often ponder the meaning of dreams. I often make up words. I’ve been known to hit insane shots playing H.O.R.S.E. I respect witty hashtags. I once dreamed I played left field for the SF Giants – I’m a pitcher. I’ve taken grounders off of pretty much every body part. I’ve thrown pitches high and in. Im obsessed with inspiring documentaries and have possibly cried during one or two. I am fascinated with slalom skiers. I am uninterested in politics, love the furriness of bears, and my favorite movie is Ratatouille. Second to Ratatouille is Despicable me. I have screamed like a little girl during scary movie previews. I’ve always wanted to visit Germany. Motivational speaking is in my future. I’m allergic to honey.

Here’s a little bit more about me. I hope you enjoyed it!

How To Be A Man : My 1 Step Guide

Couldn’t tell ya. I can’t give you 16 steps on how to be a man – or woman. In fact, I wouldn’t want to. Because it would be unfair to you. It would take away the most valuable lesson you can learn in life – the lesson of being able to look deep inside and find out what you are truly made of. So I will give you my 1 step on how to be a good man or woman.

How to be a man – Evan Sanders’ 1 step plan. Ready for it? Loving introspection.

Here’s the thing. From day 1 http://wp.me/p1ZMnJ-eB of this project I have said that this is not a guidebook. It is not intended to give you “the” answer on how to do something, but rather offer some perspective through my own experiences in living life and going through trials and successes. No two people are the same and I think if we put ourselves in a box by saying that “these are the ways on how to be a good man or good woman” only hurts us in the end. We become cookie cutter individuals packaged by a positive product yes, but nonetheless packaged all in the same way.

You have to be your own man or woman. You have to be 100% awesome version of you. You can read quotes on life, inspirational quotes, or stories from the heroes of our time…but in the end, your head hits the pillow and only yours. So this is where my one step plan comes into play. I didn’t just say introspection for a reason. The reason is, introspection can lead people down a path of finding everything they hate about themselves and give up on the process altogether. Loving introspection allows you to see your imperfections perfectly. It allows happiness to flow through you even though you might be traveling down some dark paths that you have never traveled down before.

Sure there are characteristics that are revered and should be considered: love, passion, determination…the list goes on. But I am not going to sit here and write to you that you must have passion, tenaciousness, or anything else for that matter because that will make you a man. You might be seeking something else for yourself than what I am seeking. And both paths are equally as admirable. So I encourage you to be your own person and to see daily life as the greatest teacher there is. If you open yourself to taking a dive deep within and loving every step of the way, then you can truly become who you want to be…or maybe you bring out the person who you have hidden for a long time.

Currently, on social media, we are obsessed with 10 ways to this or 17 ways to that. Some of them are funny. Many of them are valuable. But when it comes down to articles written about defining yourself as a human being, I think that should be left to you. The greatest gift I ever gave myself was being able to sit down at the end of the day and on fresh white clean sheets of paper writing out my story. I wouldn’t want to take those blank pieces of paper away from you by giving you a formula to follow. Make your own. Make it the greatest story that was ever told.

- Evan Sanders

I Testify

I Testify

That Battle between pride and shame

Brought me to this point

Of seeing imperfections perfectly

And opportunity willingly

I was scared

I am still a little bit

But you can waste your life away wondering

Or drive yourself into the fog

Just knowing that the next 200ft will come

And that you will have the ability to react if need be

I testify to the world

That life dragged be through the mud

That I have sabotaged my own goals

With no defense at all

Fighting against the feeling of undeservingness

Which is rooted in truth

Just lies

I see a future bright

But right now, the focus is on one thing

Constantly getting back up no matter what

To fail, and to fail, and to fail

And have no other reaction but to rise

The ground view is interesting

You see the stars in their beauty

But looking down might be a nice change of pace

To see where you began

Faith drives me through this

That bet on oneself

And I know, deep within

It will all be okay.

- Evan Sanders