Wednesday, November 2, 2016
In California now near San Francisco, it was south we went. We could have gone to coast route, which has more views, but that will have to wait until next trip (will you join us?)
From Barry to the other Barry
So–from Barry and Sue Bakalor to Barry and Annie Friedman—here we go—still in California. What great hosts these Barry’s and family were, a memory at each home that will last a lifetime.
Millionaires?
Boy, I recently visited some very successful friends who lead a wonderful life that they each created. Barry and Annie Friedman, through performing, writing and doing seminars, while living in a $1 million home; Barry and Sue Bakalor, our next stop, through their computer company and is at this time selling their house for $5.5 million; and, currently visiting Daniel Powell, who has a real estate company and lives the life that “He” wants, while living in a $3 million mansion.
(And, you have to remember, I live with Tina in a van.)
Here we go . . .
Driving down route 99 through central California, we saw more and more growth of edibles along each side of the road. This state grows much of what is eaten in the country, as well as shipping much produce to the rest of the world.
Lately I have been studying vertical farming, which, I think, will get bigger and bigger in the world. When you grow on a farm you have limited earth space, when you grow in a multi level building where you control the lighting, watering, temperature and the growing soil, you can grow much more.
A big asset
You may wonder how we arrive where we do, I must say, having GPS to guide us on this ride is truly remarkable. I’ve driven, round trip, across the US twenty times, most times alone in the vehicle, going by maps and personal direction. I remember the days of stopping off the road to find a pay phone to call and get better directions to my destination. The GPS system is such advancement in human life, what might be coming next?
Back home
Finally arriving in the San Diego area, I’ve seen much change in my home city. I have been here off and on over the years, I can’t believe how much change and growth there has been; hard to recognize these days.
A job?
The reason we came to San Diego at this time is because Tina had an interview for a temporary job. We were planning on spending the winter down in warm, nice San Diego.
Yes, I have friends
Also, I had wanted to come to see my good friend, Daniel Powell. I wrote before about how well he has done with his life and career. Also, this amazing person developed cancer, fought it, and won!–Makes me so happy.
My mom
San Diego is where I grew up. My mom has lived here since about 1967, so, of course I always visit her when I’m in the area (when I wasn’t living at her home.) A couple years ago mom died, so it is very strange and difficult to visit this city with no mom here.
Here is the change
After only two days in warm sunny San Diego, which was going to be our final destination for the winter, Tina found out her mother will be let out of the hospital in about one week and we need to go back to take care of her. So, here we go, from East Coast to West Coast and back again.
Seeing the wilderness once again
Back on the road, I-8 heading east; nice to see the desert I remember so well. As we are driving through these stunning places we love seeing the area. We took some pictures, you will see. And, in some places, we are seeing piles of volcanic rock on the sides of the road, which we have seen other places. We just think it is so neat.
November 3—I saw we were passing somewhat close to Santa Fe, NM, so I had to go see my sister. She has been successful in her life, a proud brother I am. Here she is >> wireweaver.com. We had not seen each other or talked much since my mom died. So, I went up to the door, knocked, and after she answered we just stared at each other through the screen door for a time—it was strange–Great to see you, Kath.
Across the top of Texas
And, the next day we put in many miles on our way back to the east coast. Driving through the north of Texas on I-40 we saw many cows in stockyards. What a terrible life they lead, just standing around all day in the same place and getting a bite to eat now and then, but not fresh green grass. Later down the road we saw herds of cows in fields of grass, a much better life for them. These cows in the stockyards are basically being fattened up to feed humans, a sad thing.
Staying south
We are passing through Amarillo, Texas. Once again, the same businesses, the same traffic, the same look—every city is the same.
Oklahoma >> moving into Oklahoma we are seeing cotton fields in many areas, nice. This area is very flat; we are used to the mountains and forests, which I like much better.
November 5-6, 2016
On our way from California I saw that Branson, Missouri was on the way, so, of course I had to take us to see my friends, Albert Lucas and his wife Ruth. Albert is a superb juggler who I have known since 1976. At that time he juggled with The Ice Capades, yes, juggling while skating. In Branson he is performing in the show, “Dixie Stampede“, and is one of the stars of the show.
There is a certain juggling trick that is performed with clubs that Albert is very good at. Many years ago I started calling this trick, “Albert throws”, the name caught on and now the trick is called this around the world.
What’s upcoming>>>
Tina and I will be staying at her mom’s home so Tina can take care of her. Funny how that can happen, your parents raise you and you go back later to take care of them.
But, we will be taking short outings to the wilderness and I will continue my weekly postings. Included in each post will be more inspirational segments from my books. And, I hope my writings have been improving, I am trying to be a better writer for you. Let me know . . .
How do you like it?
When I wrote some of my books I used this style of writing, to have an opening line before most paragraphs. I feel it gets the readers interest up to move on down the pa. You are the reader, what do you think?
As usual, if you would like any of my books, let me know. I will send the book attached to an email.
Next Sunday I will be writing to you from our new home base in cold Pennsylvania. Get ready to read a fun post.
Beyond Your Potential
The Comeback Kit, From Coma to Comedy
BOOK THREE—FINDING SUCCESS!
A Series of Books to Change Your Life
By Kit Summers
Chapter 21 – Goal Setting Toward Success
“Without setting goals you
have no direction at which to
aim toward your potential.”
Kit Summers
Oh—The Plans I Have For Me . . .
Goal setting has been defined in various ways over time. To me, goal setting is making a plan for the future to advance yourself and your life. People who don’t make plans for their future and who don’t have or set goals for themselves tend to wander through life, not knowing where they are going, so in the end, they get nowhere. Obviously, the process of setting and achieving goals is relevant to all occupations, studies, and professions. All human activity begins with an intention that is directed toward a goal.
Make Your Plans
I’m sure you’ve set goals before, even if you didn’t call them goals. Perhaps you made plans to do something simple, like getting your grocery shopping done. Or maybe you had a long term goal like retiring by age fifty-five. Whether short or long term, most people know how good it feels to finally achieve a goal that they set out to do. But, there are just as many people who tend to stop two feet short of their goals, either because the path gets difficult or maybe they get bored. I encourage you to keep driving toward the outcome that you want.
How to get there
The way to reach your goals is first to have a clear vision of the outcome that you desire. In other words, define exactly what it is that you want. Next, you have to take action. So many people never take action after they set their goals. If you don’t, your goals and desires will always be dreams. Your future will give you what you ask of it. Ask for a banana, and that is what you will get. Ask for great success and/or a wonderful relationship and you will get that, too. Goals give you the power to achieve your desires.
Make Your List
Fewer than four percent of people actually write down a list of goals for themselves. This is a shame because actually writing out your goals and thinking about them will you help you to achieve them much more quickly. Have fun while writing your goals and know that what you write can be any goal that you may dream of – anything – be it living in a mansion, eating a cookie, juggling five balls at one time, driving a Rolls Royce, or writing a book.
Making Progress
We need goals and strategies that allow us to see our progress. Making a list of goals I wanted to accomplish helped me to get through my recovery. When I reached the different goals that I had set for myself, I would cross them off of the list. I remember how good it would feel to see my list get smaller and smaller. Once I finished a list, I would build a new list with new goals and the process would start all over. If you don’t already have a list of goals, start one now. Set goals for yourself and make plans for all areas of your life. After listing your goals, write steps that you can use to reach your goals. These smaller steps are your map towards reaching your larger goals.
Break Them Down
Whether you’re a student studying for a test, a corporate president planning a yearly budget, or a father planning a vacation, this system can work for you – if you put it into action! Many people I talk with tell me that of course they have goals in their lives. Then I ask how they are working toward their goals and they say they haven’t gotten around to meeting their goals, indicating that they haven’t broken their goal into smaller goals. Without breaking your goals into smaller steps, they will remain too large and it is hard to work toward them. How do you eat an elephant? – One bite at a time. Ask yourself what you would do if you knew you couldn’t fail, and then move toward your goals at full speed.
The Map
When you set goals for yourself, map out a way that will help you to reach your goals. In my seminars, I use a goal of juggling as an example. The first step is to start with one juggling ball. Keep working on juggling the ball in various ways until you get the feel of it. When that is comfortable, take the next step which is juggling two balls. You don’t have to master each step before moving on, just get the feel for the step, get comfortable with it, and then move on. Finally, take the last step and pick up the third juggling ball. By drawing a map towards juggling and following the steps towards the final goal of juggling three balls, the goal of juggling is much more manageable. This same process can be used toward any goal or plan.
Moving Ahead
Goal setting is basically making plans to advance your life. Life is constantly changing though and things don’t always go as we foresee. Get comfortable with planning alternative courses of action. If you can’t continue with a goal as you had originally planned, set an appropriate alternative and develop a path to direct you to the goal by another route. Your goals will constantly be changing and growing – learn to change with them and to direct them toward success. You have to know somewhere you want to go, then you can start mapping out a route to get there. When you are setting goals and working towards them, enjoy the steps toward the goal as much as the finish line once you get to it.
Why have goals?
Goals are good for us because they help us to focus our attention and energy, and we can then act passionately and effectively toward our desired outcome. You don’t want to aim at reaching your goals though. Instead, aim your energy to the path leading to the goal. This is true for career goals, juggling goals, fitness goals, relationship goals, and all other goals you have.
Stay on Course
As long as it is within your control, stay on the path you’ve set for yourself and enjoy your time there. If you were to disregard the path, your entire effort may be weakened. If you don’t in fact enjoy the process of doing what you do, you risk not giving it your all and giving up on the goal. A short range goal would be one that you want to accomplish in a day or even a week. A long range goal might take a year, five years, or even a lifetime. We can’t put our goals out in the future and hope to one day work toward them. What we have to do is pull the future to us. Set your goals now and start driving toward them.
Direction
Without a clear goal in mind, you can find it difficult to decide what to do next. Goals should be set for many areas of your life – physical, family, economic, social, spiritual, mental, career and juggling. Without being clear about your goals, you will go only as far in life as what you need to get by. You must go beyond the potential you think you have. Everyone has different dreams and goals. Figure out exactly what yours are, then start mapping out a course to reach them.
People are Here to Help
Remember, people are here to help you. Maintain relationships with positive people who have goals similar to yours. This will help you to reach your goals much sooner. Remember though to judge yourself by your goals and your abilities, not by comparing yourself to other people’s progress or results.
Makes Life Better
Goal setting and self-improvement does not mean that you are dissatisfied with the way you are now. Goal setting is a way of looking to the future and seeing new paths toward success so that you can add to what you currently have. Goal setting is an aggressive way to break out of the ruts and plateaus of life to advance you. It is a plan, a desire, a passion, a mission. Planning like this is a way of getting to know yourself, what you can achieve, and what you really want out of life.
Model Excellence
As I was recovering, I found and modeled other people who had suffered head injuries and later found ways to do well for them self. By modeling, I mean I would do as they would do, act as they do, be on the same track of success. After my recovery, I would still use this technique and would find people whom I respected and admired and I would model them. You see, excellence can be duplicated. Think of people who have already reached the goal that you have in mind and answer the following questions.
1. What did they have to do to reach their goal?
2. What steps did they take?
3. What do you think their frame of mind was?
Get Help Toward Your Goals
If at all possible, talk with people who have achieved the goal that you have in mind. Don’t be afraid to talk other people – we are here to help each other! I have found that every person that I wanted to talk to about how they met their goals were happy to talk to me about their success. Rightfully so, they were proud of what they had accomplished. When you talk to other people about their successes in life, ask precisely and intelligently how they reached their goals. Ask them what ideas they might have to help you avoid the roadblocks or obstacles they encountered on the way to reaching their goal. This will save you energy and time on your path to reaching the same goal.
Writing with Finesse
One of my most ambitious goals after the accident was to write a book about juggling. I didn’t want to write just any old book on juggling though; I wanted to write the best book ever written on the subject. I started working on my juggling book in 1985 and finally published Juggling with Finesse in the summer of 1987. Much more than just a how-to book, I included many motivational and inspirational ideas within the text. In a large way, the writing and publishing of this book was a self-prescribed therapy as I was getting back to life again. It helped to organize my mind and get my thoughts in order. By writing this book, I learned that communication is essential for everyone in life. Learning to properly use language and developing your communication skills will take you miles in life.
Your Book
Everyone is the author of their own lives. Think of your life as a book. As you live your life, you are always adding to the book. We are all special and unique. We all have special skills that are ours alone and no one else may know of them except you. When something happens, good or bad, that affects your life, say to yourself, “The story continues.” This helped me quite a bit as I was recovering, and I still say this to myself today. As I am working toward my goals and continuing to write the story that is my life, I find that the path towards the end result is what brings me the most pleasure, especially when I can see myself being stretched beyond what I would think is my full potential.
Challenge Yourself
When I am setting goals for myself, I always try to make sure that I go slightly above and beyond what I think my maximum potential is. That is, I constantly challenge myself to do more, yet am satisfied with a series of small victories. Your goals are always changing and growing, use small goals and steps towards your greater goal should be just beyond your reach.
Do the Work
Without having a clear goal in your mind, you can find it difficult to decide what to do next. It takes much work to figure out your goals and desires in life. Many people don’t take the time or effort to figure out what it is they really want in life. If you want success, you must work. Setting goals and planning your path might very well be the most rewarding work that you will do in your life. Remember, a goal is something we truly want to do, something very important to us. Goals are essentially making plans that allow progress. I hope you would agree with me that we all should continue to advance ourselves and make progress in our lives.
Congratulate Yourself
Remember to applaud yourself for every effort you make, regardless of the outcome. When you praise yourself, you are putting positive thoughts into your mind which will undoubtedly boost your self-esteem and help you to continue making progress on your goals. Each goal that you achieve should help to bolster your self-confidence and confirm the belief you the abilities to continue making progress in your life.
How to Set Your Goals
The following is an outline I created that has helped me to set goals and to plan for them. You may want to make copies of this for all your goals.
A) Set realistic goals that are just beyond your reach and define EXACTLY what it is that you want to accomplish.
B) Gather as much information as you can that will be helpful to you in reaching the goal you have set.
C) Break your goal down into 9 subgoals or smaller steps.
1___________________2_________________3______________________
4___________________5__________________6_____________________
7___________________8__________________9_____________________
D) Think about any obstacles that might get in your way and list them.
E) For the obstacles listed in D), list at least three alternative steps that you could take in order to still achieve the goal you’ve set.
1__________________2___________________3__________________
F) Visualize your goal as if you have already achieved it.
G) Stay flexible and be willing and able to change your strategies toward your goal.
H) Make a timeline toward your goal and your smaller steps, and then be persistent towards meeting these deadlines.
________________________1 month_________________________6 months
________________________1 year__________________________2 years
Long Term Goals
While short term goals are essential, it is also necessary to have long term goals projected ten, twenty, or even thirty years into the future. The idea of a thirty-year goal might sound silly, but if you want to be somewhere specific thirty years from now, you can make it happen. Just think about living as being retired in Hawaii on the beach with sand between your toes, or off the grid living as a nomad in Mongolia. You won’t get to either place unless you plan for it now and begin taking those smaller steps today.
Tie Your Goals Together
Keep setting goals and strive toward reaching them. Remember that the size of the goal doesn’t matter, you have to work toward it no matter what and you can break it down into as many small steps as you want to or need to. Remember, failure is a step toward success. When something doesn’t work for you one way, learn from your failure and take a different approach toward your goal. Goals are achieved little by little, step by step. Because learning goes slowly, and progress requires time, know that change sometimes takes years. It can also be helpful to see how your different goals are actually similar or how the smaller steps for one goal might help you to get closer to another goal, too.
Read
Read through your goal list every day, but don’t just read the words. Mix your emotions and feelings with your words in a positive frame of mind. Use your mind to THINK! Unless you mix your emotions with your thoughts, you will get nowhere. Remember that it’s hard to do this right away, it takes practice. Your desire must become a burning obsession. You alone must decide whether the reward is worth the price you must pay and the effort you must make. Remember that everything that you do starts with an idea.
Start Now
Take charge of what you want in life. If you demand to be rich, determine how rich, and how this will satisfy you. You have been given a roadmap in this book that can help to take you anywhere that you want to go. You have to remember that ultimately you always have total responsibility for yourself and what you do with your life. So, set goals for your life and build the life that you want – STARTING RIGHT NOW!
