Invent Your Astounding Capabilities

Invent Your Astounding Capabilities

“If we did all the things we are capable of, we would literally astound ourselves.” –Thomas Edison

The possible (and likely) reality that you and I are settling for less than our greatest abilities, I find to be one of the most disappointing yet deeply motivating truths.

It’s easy coming from the greatest inventor of all time, right? However, over 1000 patented inventions didn’t come easy – the start is simply allowing ourselves to do the things we are capable of, despite what we think we cannot. 

Limits are life’s greatest lie.

We are unique in our possession of the power to persevere despite facing adversity, to make directional adjustments throughout the journey, and tap into our inherent creativity to accomplish our goals no matter the feat…then accomplishing more… after accomplishing more, and doing it again.

The next ingenious, life-altering, technological advancement very well could be between your ears. For the rest of us that aren’t quite there yet – it doesn’t mean you can’t or won’t make an impact.

Fulfilling our capabilities comes in many forms. 

For me, my body is my invention – constantly engaged in enriching my every experience. It’s an art enjoyed and found through the endless possibilities that can be developed through exercise, sport and technical precision, optimal nutrition, discovering ideal sleep patterns, mastering and understanding the most influential habits, and practicing the art mentality.

Inventions, art, and innovation – it can lie on a canvas, machinery, or in yourself. Maybe it’s your time to try a triathlon, to go forth with that crazy business idea, sign up for a race, learn how to swim, experiment with a new recipe.

Test the boundaries. Push the limits. Invent history.

The possibilities of what you can do and achieve are undoubtedly endless.

Edison’s quote is a reminder that within each of us is the power and ability to reach remarkable goals. Here’s the real question – how do we “know what we are capable of”? 

Settling for anything less is only robbing you of opportunities. What are you doing this week to astound yourself? 

Edison has too much motivation to stop here. Edison’s quotes through his innovative quest can as easily be said to how we improve our health. It all starts with asking the right question – but what is that? Next Monday’s motivation will tell you!

Enjoy 

Finding Your Greatness

Finding Your Greatness

“Greatness is just something we made up.

Somehow we’ve come to believe

that greatness is a gift

reserved for a chosen few.

For prodigies. For superstars.

And the rest of us can only stand by watching.

You can forget that.

Greatness is not some rare DNA strand.

It’s not some precious thing.

Greatness is no more unique to us than breathing.

We’re all capable of it.

All of us.” – Nike

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2JnYcuRW_qo

The heights of our capacity are fascinating… it’s for this very reason our striving for greatness has become a fundamental human drive. To push beyond the limits, question the possibilities and possess an innate purpose to offer something for the betterment of others (whatever that be) energizes a sense of greatness in each of us.

Immerse yourself in the research and you will find no conclusion on the origin of greatness – it is far too complex to be captured in a single approach. Even how we conceptualize greatness is inconclusive.

What is “greatness” anyways?

The only conclusion we can possibly agree upon is that NO single, defined reason, trait or ability alone can generalize one’s ability to achieve or possess greatness. Greatness manifests in the interaction of complex factors which we can only make an effort to understand.

The power these complex interactions between variables of environmental situations, genetic variations or skill sets reside in each of us and the 24 hours in our day.

How do you choose to interpret that and what are you going to make of it?

“Athletic greatness” for example draws on a different set of abilities, skills, and dispositions than that of “academic greatness”. Even the complexities amongst a sport demonstrate that two people can obtain the same result but through two very different routes. Greatness is nothing but a word which we individually choose to define and perceive both in our self and others. Greatness is nothing more than our perception.

Great could be taking your first step in a mile or it could be your meditative practice. Only you define what great is and what you aspire – never be afraid to do that and believe the ability resides within you.

Must all paths to greatness require extraordinary talent? Is it sheer luck? Are you waiting for the opportune time, developmental circumstance, or influence of experiences?

Engage and take action in meaningful work and your greatness will follow.

The ability to be great resides in each of us.

Be your own kind of great – anyone can be great, anyone can do it.

What will you do?

The Determining Factor of Success

The Determining Factor of Success

“Destiny is not a matter of chance, it is a matter of choice; it is not a thing to be waited for, it is a thing to be achieved.” -Winston Churchill

How do we choose success?

A tight correlation has been recently discovered between a person’s perception of their health and their actual health status. This study found that those who believe that weight is outside of their control have less healthy BMIs, make poorer food choices, and report lower levels of personal wellbeing than those who don’t.

Why? Because if it is outside of their control and if they “don’t even have a shot” of course they are going to engage in behaviors that are rewarding in the short term!

The ability to focus on solutions in the face of adversity, to see growth – that is the determination of success.

Dr. Jason Selk speaks on this in 10 Minute Mental Toughness – “We humans are better at seeing problems than we are at seeing solutions. This itself is a problem, because what we dwell on expands“.

Those that think they are stuck with what they have – whether that be athletic performance, career, body type, poor eating, personality ticks, behavioral habits – are less likely to make an effort to change and often become distressed.

When we begin to focus on problems, our brain releases neurotransmitters that cause us to feel ‘not so hot’, they significantly limit your intellectual abilities and creativity. This is all occurring biologically and comes down back to how we perceive ourself, our control, and that overall image. It makes sense that we generally give up on hopeless causes…they wouldn’t be advantageous and our biological tendency is to focus on problem centric thoughts.

However, the second you cross the barrier and search to focusing on solutions – you release a whole new set of neurotransmitters that cause you to feel better, increase your memory, mental capacity and creativity.

“Being focused on solutions means keeping your thoughts centered on what you want from life and what it takes to achieve what you want, as opposed to allowing thoughts of self-doubt and concern to occupy the mind“, Selk’s research found most solution-focused people achieve this 40% of the time, but RELENTLESS solution-focused people replace 100% of undesirable thinking with thoughts emphasizing solutions.

You possess the ability to achieve success. The first step is believing it’s in your power to change. The second is to choose to be relentlessly focused on the solutions and seeing growth.

1. Have the choice 2. See the solutions

That’s what this is all about! Want to be pleased with your efforts and progress? It doesn’t matter if you are striving for an Olympic gold medal or cleaning the kitchen – if you have a growth oriented mentality and focus on solutions you will be satisfied!

You have two choices – believe you have the capacity AND fight to overcome the challenge or let problems intimidate you and slump to defeat.

What is on thing you can do differently to make this week better? What is in your control?