Dan Waldschmidt's Blog, page 59

Loser’s Can’t. Winners Won’t.

A lot of what you “can’t do” really ought to be an honest discussion about what you “won’t do”.

It’s easy to reply to a hard challenge with the observation that “you can’t do that”.

You “can’t”? Or you “won’t”?

You can’t lose weight or you won’t stick to a diet? You can’t make more money or you won’t work hard enough to earn more? You can’t find a job or you won’t do what it takes to be found?

Being successful in life isn’t about what you “can’t do”. It’s about what you “won’t do”.

It’s about the line in the sand you draw before the battle even begins. It’s about you creating professional excuses to the personal conquest you should already be winning.

It’s about quitting before you even begin.

Losers say “I can’t”. Winners have the guts to say “I won’t”.

I won’t back down until I get what I want. I won’t stop working until I reach the outcome that I want.

I won’t give up on my marriage. I won’t stop fighting to be a better version of me. I won’t complain, be a cynic, point the finger at other people for my own mistakes, or pretend like the universe is out of my control.

Winners have a different vocabulary than losers do.

They see the world differently. They think of the world differently. They act differently.

If you find yourself “can’t-ing”, you are living life as a loser.

Step up. Be bold. Declare with passion what you won’t do.

That’s what winners do.

The post Loser’s Can’t.
Winners Won’t. appeared first on Dan Waldschmidt: Author of EDGY Conversations.

Copyright by Waldschmidt Partners Intl... Not sure that all that legal stuff really matters. If you want to share this material, do so. Just don't charge for it and don't tell people you wrote it. Both of those are uncool.

Other than that, all rights are reserved to you to change your life. If you are ready to be amazing, now is the time to get started. Onward...

Pooping, Ponies, And The Secret To Unlikely Success.

The battle to potty train my 2 year old daughter feels a whole lot like the battle to be successful.

My baby girl, Dylan, will be 3 in early February and we’ve been working for the last 12 months on trying to teach her how to use the potty. It’s been so much more difficult than it was with her two older brothers — who just figured it out.

We’ve talked to friends. Read some books about the subject. Used Google to figure out what we’re doing wrong. Nothing seemed to be working at all. Doing anything with an adorable 2-year-old who isn’t potty trained makes anything about 50,000 times more stressful.

That all magically fixed itself about a week ago.

As Sara and I were doing some evening grocery shopping together, Dylan happened to find that one toy aisle every grocery store seems to need to have. She quickly brought me Flashdance, which is a My Little Pony. If you don’t have daughters you probably wouldn’t know that.

She refused to let me put it in the cart because she knew that I would take it out when she wasn’t looking. So she held onto it until we got to the checkout aisle — and then passionately made her 2-year-old case for me to purchase it.

Which, of course, I did.

When we got home, I took Flashdance out of the packaging and gave it to her to play with. For a few hours she was all about that pony. A few times Sara or I stopped her and asked: “Do you need to go to the potty?”

“No. No. No.” she would say, without even looking up from her play.

A few more minutes later she was tugging on my pants. “I’m wet, daddy. That’s gross.” I looked down and realized that her jeans were soaked. As a parent, it was one of those super frustrating moments.

It drives you mad.

And so I responded like any half crazed, underslept dad would respond. “Give me that pony,” I told her. “She is so upset with you.” I was just making it up as I went along, but the story sounded good so I stayed with it.

I took her new Flashdance and put it up on the on the counter and turned the pony’s head away from Dylan. “She is so upset right now,  she doesn’t even want to look at you.”

Then I got Dylan undressed and cleaned up. She was heartbroken that she could no longer play with her pony.

That’s when the magic happened.

A few minutes later as I was explaining what the ruckus was all about to Sara we noticed that Dylan was missing — which usually means something is about to be broken or a wall is being turned into a canvas.

And then I saw her in our bathroom, sitting on the toilet. “Dad, I go poop” she said to me was a huge smile on her face. Sara and I were ecstatic. Clapping our hands and jumping around like fools. “Your pony is so proud of you,” I told her.

And we turned her ponies head around.

“See, now she wants to play with you.”

Since that crazy pony story, she’s been a master of the bathroom. She gets it. Problem solved. She figured it out.

Despite all the books and research and support from friends what worked seemed a lot like luck. What we thought would work, didn’t work at all. But, while we were working, while we were obsessed with figuring out this situation, the solution came to us.

Which is a reminder about how success happens.

Success often comes from unlikely channels.

Getting to where you want to be might be a noble cause, but don’t be surprised if you get there a different way than you are planning right now.

Be open to new ideas. Be open to change. Be open to doing whatever it takes for as long as it takes until you end up with your own pony success story.

The post Pooping, Ponies, And The Secret To Unlikely Success. appeared first on Dan Waldschmidt: Author of EDGY Conversations.

Copyright by Waldschmidt Partners Intl... Not sure that all that legal stuff really matters. If you want to share this material, do so. Just don't charge for it and don't tell people you wrote it. Both of those are uncool.

Other than that, all rights are reserved to you to change your life. If you are ready to be amazing, now is the time to get started. Onward...

Stop Getting Advice From Idiots.

It was a little after 4 AM when I got to the starting line. It was freezing cold — barely 20 degrees outside. I was wearing Nike running tights, a compression shirt, and a light running jacket.

It was my last race of the year —  a 50 miler through horse trails in beautiful North Carolina. It was early and cold, and I was nervous — which makes everything a little more frustrating than it needs to be.

I needed help.

I was wearing a hat and gloves and struggling to get water in my running bottle without getting myself wet. I wanted to ditch the water bottle and just run empty-handed — but I wondered if that would be a mistake 10 miles it.

As I was fumbling around trying to figure this out, I heard a bit of wisdom from the runner standing next to me: “I’m not taking any water with me. It’s too cold right now to get dehydrated.”

That seemed to make sense to me.

It was 4 AM and cold. This guy was an expert. You don’t need water when its cold outside.

I turned my head lamp on and headed to the starting line, waiting for the gun to go off. When the race started, I joined a pack of runners who jumped ahead of the rest of the athletes. As we stumbled around in the darkness, trying not to miss the trail, we chatted a little bit about who we were and where we were from.

Taking our minds off the run.

My new friend with the advice about not needing to drink any water shared a little more information with the rest of us: “This is my first ultra-marathon,” he commented, “I’m just hoping I can finish in 13 hours.”

If it wasn’t so cold I would have punched myself right in the face. I had just accepted advice from an idiot. And that’s just me being mean because he wasn’t really an idiot. He was just a newbie with a lot of excitement.

I was the idiot.

Why? Because I bought into his advice — simply because I was confused at the moment and he sounded confident. I was willing to buy into this theory that “you don’t need water when it’s cold outside”.

What sounded logical to me at the time is something that you know is absolutely dead wrong. I believed it. I wanted to believe it. I accepted it as truth.

Because I got intellectually lazy.

Ten miles later into my ultra-marathon I grabbed a water bottle and finished running. I finished in second place overall. A few minutes behind the winner. My friend, with a great advice, finished 8 hours later. (Good for him. I’m glad he had the guts to stick it out when things get tough.)

I learned a lessson about accepting advice. It’s easy to assume that the person telling you what to do knows more than you. But maybe they’re just as confused as you are. Maybe what you’re hearing isn’t what you need to be doing.

Take the time to find the right answers.

Don’t automatically accept what is quick or easy.

When you feel most vulnerable you want to believe what seems most comforting at the time — which is most likely the wrong advice for you.

Remember that. Dig deep. Think for yourself.

Have an edgy conversation with yourself.

Push past easy or quick to find answers that truly get you closer to where you want to be in the long run.

And, if you decide to go running at 4 AM  for 50 miles, you definitely should bring some water with you.

The post Stop Getting Advice From Idiots. appeared first on Dan Waldschmidt: Author of EDGY Conversations.

Copyright by Waldschmidt Partners Intl... Not sure that all that legal stuff really matters. If you want to share this material, do so. Just don't charge for it and don't tell people you wrote it. Both of those are uncool.

Other than that, all rights are reserved to you to change your life. If you are ready to be amazing, now is the time to get started. Onward...

27 Hard Questions Awesome People Ask Themselves Right Now.

What are the top five things you know you need to do right now that you been avoiding?
Who is the one person in your life you need to build a better relationship with right now?
How much money do you need to set aside right now for your safety net so that you can live the life of your dreams?
What’s been bothering you over the last few months that you need to take care of right away?
Who do you need to hire right now to help you get a little bit closer to where you want to be?
What are you afraid of right now that you’re too embarrassed to say out loud?
Are you as financially fit as you need to be right now or are you just hoping things stay lucky for you?
Are you using the right tools right now to guarantee that you follow up and follow through on a consistent basis?
Do you find yourself gravitating towards the fast and easy solution or are you willing to work hard right now?
How often do the opinions of others cause you to throw away the ideas you’re working on right now?
Would you be doing what you’re doing right now if you knew you only had a few days left?
To whom do you need to say “Thank you” or “I’m sorry” right now?
How can you be more candid right now with the people that are relying on you for direction?
What personal health habits do you need to improve right now in order to get to your full potential?
How often do you try things before you decide that your idea isn’t going to go anywhere right now?
Right now do you actively seek out time for meditation or personal exercise on a daily basis?
How much time do you spend watching television, movies, or playing video games each day right now?
How often do you set aside time right now to nurture your soul and dig into the pain and fear that tries to control you?
Are you mentally strong enough right now to ignore your critics even when they claim to have your best interests at heart?
What would you do if you lost everything right now?
Who do you blame right now when you don’t like the results you been getting?
What would others say about you right now if they were asked if you were a person of integrity?
How often do you allow yourself to dream big dreams without talking yourself out of getting started right now?
Do you treat others as compassionately right now as you like to be treated when everything goes wrong for you?
What would you be doing right now if you weren’t afraid that you couldn’t do it?
Are you actively looking right now for opportunities where you can give value to those who need it most?
Right now—how will you know if you end up being successful?

The post 27 Hard Questions Awesome People Ask Themselves Right Now. appeared first on Dan Waldschmidt: Author of EDGY Conversations.

Copyright by Waldschmidt Partners Intl... Not sure that all that legal stuff really matters. If you want to share this material, do so. Just don't charge for it and don't tell people you wrote it. Both of those are uncool.

Other than that, all rights are reserved to you to change your life. If you are ready to be amazing, now is the time to get started. Onward...

How To Tell If You’re Losing Before You Do.

You don’t go bankrupt all in one day. Your marriage doesn’t crumble overnight.

Your business doesn’t fail because you make one bad move one day.

Failure is a process, not a moment in time.

The things you do are less consequential than the thoughts you think.

Your philosophy for life and your attitude towards the things that happened to you on a daily basis impact your ability to achieve greatness.

You start losing before it actually seems like you are.

That’s because your attitude drives the decisions that you make.

Whether you realize it or not, your perspective on life enables you to either create hopeful outcomes from negative situations or to spot the one wrong thing in magical moments.

That the the reason why it’s so deadly. The wrong perspective on life will destroy your chances of success.

Chances are you won’t see it happening until it’s too late.

You don’t realize that your personal negativity is crippling your ability to act entrepreneurial — until it’s too late. You don’t get it that reacting the way you are is costing you revenue, profit, relationships and opportunities — until it’s too late.

It’s not your business strategy. It’s your outlook on life.

It’s important to fix your attitude before it’s too late. If you want to know if you’re going to fail, you need to ask yourself hard questions:

Are you always looking for the “easy path” instead of putting in the hard work necessary to achieve results?
Do you blame others when you make mistakes, face obstacles, or hear harsh criticism?
How often do you make choices based on how much money you can make “right now”?
When do you ask for help, seek out mentors, and build relationships with people who are smarter than you?

You’re losing, and you don’t know it.

That’s a shame because winning is just as easy of a choice as losing. It’s just a different set of attitudes.

It’s a choice to be positive. A choice to be focused. A choice to do the hard things.

Anything else is just a decision to start losing — which isn’t a help in getting you closer to where you want to be.

Choose better. Live better. Be better.

The post How To Tell If You’re Losing Before You Do. appeared first on Dan Waldschmidt: Author of EDGY Conversations.

Copyright by Waldschmidt Partners Intl... Not sure that all that legal stuff really matters. If you want to share this material, do so. Just don't charge for it and don't tell people you wrote it. Both of those are uncool.

Other than that, all rights are reserved to you to change your life. If you are ready to be amazing, now is the time to get started. Onward...

The Days We Cry.

I was sitting on the grass in my backyard watching my mother water the garden. I was a teenager at the time — just returned from spending most of the summer in Mexico doing missionary work.

I was part of a team who passed out rice and beans and Bibles to poor people in Mexico.

That was a day I cried.

As I sat on the grass with my arms around my knees, I was troubled by a feeling that “no one else seemed to care”.

The world went on while poor people with little access to commodities that I disposed of regularly were left hopelessly mired by the constraints of their environment.

It wasn’t fair.

I cried for a while that day — thinking about my summer. The hundreds of people who had smiled at me as I handed them their dinner. How much difference it made for them. The delight that someone else cared enough to kick a soccer ball around and spend a few minutes attempting to communicate in broken high school Spanish.

I cried because life refused to stop and let me help these people. I cried because no one else cared.

And life went on.

Another day of summer. Another grade to finish high school. I was left with this feeling that people should care more — that by caring we could truly make a difference in the world. That those smiles weren’t crafted by accident. They were created with love and compassion.

My choice to give to others directly resulted in inspired moments for others.

Twenty years has passed since then.

I’ve been successful at a lot of things. I’ve made a lot of money for myself and the businesses that I’ve worked with. I’ve owned big homes and fast cars. I’ve trained for ultimate fighting and competed in some of the toughest ultra marathons on the planet. I’ve logged more than 6,000 miles running and hundreds of thousands of airline miles traveling the globe.

I feel like that young teenager sitting on the grass in my backyard with my knees under my chin wondering why things are broken.

Today is a day I cry.

I am confused and saddened by the cold and callous opinions of those who use religion to look down on those who need a hand up. I am deeply troubled by the spiteful labels aimed at individuals who could be inspired to change if someone only cared enough to love them.

I am angry. And outraged. Bothered.

Tired of crying.

Most of all, I am determined to speak up and work tirelessly until these days that we cry are only moments of celebration for the change we together have brought to those among us who need our love and compassion.

Time to get to work.

The post The Days We Cry. appeared first on Dan Waldschmidt: Author of EDGY Conversations.

Copyright by Waldschmidt Partners Intl... Not sure that all that legal stuff really matters. If you want to share this material, do so. Just don't charge for it and don't tell people you wrote it. Both of those are uncool.

Other than that, all rights are reserved to you to change your life. If you are ready to be amazing, now is the time to get started. Onward...

Let’s Burn This Place Down.

You have to get angry before you can get even. You have to be outraged before you can rise to a new level of success. You have to burn with intensity, ambition, and holy passion for getting to where you want to be. It’s not a dream. It’s not a goal. It’s not even an

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Copyright by Waldschmidt Partners Intl... Not sure that all that legal stuff really matters. If you want to share this material, do so. Just don't charge for it and don't tell people you wrote it. Both of those are uncool.

Other than that, all rights are reserved to you to change your life. If you are ready to be amazing, now is the time to get started. Onward...

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The Truth About Life Not Being Fair.

If you haven’t figured it out already, you’re about to get a rude awakening when you realize that life isn’t fair. Good people who do good things sometimes get taken advantage of. Bad people with evil intentions sometimes look like they are untouchable. The things that should be aren’t and the things that shouldn’t be

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Copyright by Waldschmidt Partners Intl... Not sure that all that legal stuff really matters. If you want to share this material, do so. Just don't charge for it and don't tell people you wrote it. Both of those are uncool.

Other than that, all rights are reserved to you to change your life. If you are ready to be amazing, now is the time to get started. Onward...

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What Matters Is Doing What Matters.

So you’re busy. Who cares? We’re all busy. Being busy isn’t an excuse for not getting things done. It’s not a good reason for not accomplishing big goals and audacious dreams. If you’re one of those people making the comment that “there’s just not enough time in the day to get it all done” then

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Copyright by Waldschmidt Partners Intl... Not sure that all that legal stuff really matters. If you want to share this material, do so. Just don't charge for it and don't tell people you wrote it. Both of those are uncool.

Other than that, all rights are reserved to you to change your life. If you are ready to be amazing, now is the time to get started. Onward...

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The One Fight You Should Always Run Away From.

Being around negative people will suck the life out of your dreams. Instead of leaving those people feeling motivated, you’ll leave feeling angry. Instead of wanting to push your own limits and achieve more, you’ll find yourself depressed — wallowing in self doubt and looking for revenge. Cynics, critics, skeptics, “reasonable people” — whatever they call

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Copyright by Waldschmidt Partners Intl... Not sure that all that legal stuff really matters. If you want to share this material, do so. Just don't charge for it and don't tell people you wrote it. Both of those are uncool.

Other than that, all rights are reserved to you to change your life. If you are ready to be amazing, now is the time to get started. Onward...