Category — success

Cinderella Stories, Baseball Victories and Love

- by Gina Parris

 

Have you ever witnessed a victory that was more than just a win? I bet you have.

Yesterday I watched the last game of Firstborn’s junior college baseball conference playoffs. I left at noon for a game that started at 2:00 pm in blazing heat, and ended at 9:30 pm in a flooded field, with freezing – but ecstatic fans!

At the end of four days of play, our underdogs were better than nine other teams, including two that are nationally ranked. They were undefeated tournament champs, and proved what we all love to believe:

Cinderella lives!

The post-game celebration had to be at least as magical as any fairy-tale Royal Ball. The players, coaches and parents laughed, played and lingered on the field in jubilation. The boys, who had worked so hard all year, sometimes in resentment, looked once again like Little Leaguers. The smiles were uncontrollable. One of the superstar pitchers clutched the giant trophy close to his chest as if it were a baby.

“Well you have no idea,” he whispered, “I DID go through nine months of hell for this!”

All of us who are mothers, laughed hard.

“Oh yes, we have an idea!”

I kept thinking about that scene on the drive home. What in the world would cause me to give up 12 solid hours one day, and change next week’s plans for baseball? Isn’t it just a game?

Well, yes, and no.

Yes. It’s a game. No, it’s not just about a game.

It’s about the lessons.

• It’s about setting goals and being willing to endure hellish moments of conditioning to reach them.

• It’s about overcoming the doubts of everyone around you, and the doubts inside your self.

• It’s about facing your own demons and errors and losses and choosing to still go on the field looking for victory.

• It’s about loving your coach one day, hating him the next, loving him again, and realizing that commitment is worth it in the end.

• It’s about trusting that ultimately, the Game knows.

• It knows that for better or for worse, what you do in private will show up before the crowd.

• It’s about character that is developed and that can never be taken from you.

• It’s a about taking talent that you are born with, and turning it into skill through hours and hours of dedicated practice.

• It’s about giving birth to the dream you’ve carried inside you for so long – and realizing that it’s never easy.

Baseball. Cinderella. Giving birth.

What else in life might those things remind YOU of?

I am reminded of so many things, but right now, it reminds me of marriage, of family, of commitment and pain and pleasure and anger and ecstasy.

I think of the days those boys signed their letters of intent to play ball. Surrounded by parents and coaches and athletic directors, the moment was full of hope and enthusiasm.

Like the bride and groom – surrounded by their wedding party.

The marriage begins.

The honeymoon is magical.

And then, Real Life sets in. There are good times and bad, for better or for worse.

Victory. Pain. Anger. Frustration. Victory. Loss. Victory. Happiness. Pain… and on it goes.

Finally one day the players, the lovers, decide that the commitment was worth it all. When that happens, they realize they will do whatever it takes. They will choose to keep playing to win.

That’s why we love a victory on a field. It represents more than winning a game. It speaks to the champion’s heart inside of each one of us.

I don’t know about you – but I certainly will keep playing to win! As I do, I’ll be right here…

In your corner!

 

Gina

 

 

SUPERNATURAL SUCCESS

This morning I woke up to the regular beeping of my alarm but with every beep I heard these words, Faith, Hope, Love, Faith, Hope, Love, Faith, Hope, Love.

Since I was actually way too tired to walk across the room and turn it off,I laid there for at least 10 minutes beeping out those three words:

Faith, Hope, Love, Faith, Hope, Love, Faith, Hope, Love, Faith, Hope, Love, Faith, Hope, Love.

Something about it stirred me up. 

"What is this all about?"  I asked.

"Supernatural success." came the reply.

Oh yeah, THAT. Suddenly everything else seemed pretty boring. You know – stuff like shopping for my new car, refining our workouts for the gym, planning Christmas vacation. But the stuff I need to do took on a new excitement – meeting with clients, filling in my marketing calendar, writing articles for readers.

As I washed my face I looked at an index card that I have stuck on my mirror.  It says this,

"So – throw off EVERYTHING that hinders & the sin that so easily entangles & RUN with PERSEVERANCE the race marked out for you:
-conquer kingdoms
-bring justice
-obtain the promises"

Everything about those words fills a whole storybook for me.  It's very personal. But what about you? Do you know the race YOU are here to run? Do you know how to do it with faith, hope and love?

It's my desire that you will indeed finish your course with joy.

Everybody essentially wants joy. They want peace. They want love.  And they strive so hard.

Let's just look at those three forces for a moment. They are infinitely powerful:

1. Faith – This is an absolute SUBSTANCE – as real as anything else you can see and touch.

It has a frequency. In fact like everything else in the universe, it basically IS a frequency. It give substance to things hoped for (just as fear gives substance to things dreaded.)

2. Hope – the assurance of something positive. It is completely inaccurate to say, "Don't get your hopes up – you'd hate to be disappointed!" Real hope does not disappoint. It vibrates with vision and purpose and creates a target for our faith.

3. Love – Perhaps the most powerful force of all. In fact my favorite book, the Bible, says that "God is love, and the one who lives in love lives in God and God in him."  It's not very complicated, but the fact is – only love is powerful enough to drive out fear and equip you to win.

I don't know how to walk in these forces apart from God. I know many people try. But then when they lay hold of everything they wanted, they often wonder why they are not happy or satisfied.  How my heart goes out to them.

On the other hand – sometimes people offer us only trite little Sunday School answers. I remember once someone telling a friend of mine, "Well, you just need to let go and let God!"

He looked immediately at me and asked, "But what the HELL does that really mean???" I LOVED his honest question.

People from all over the world come to me to help them master their mindset to achieve their full potential – in life,  business or sport. Sometimes they want to talk about spiritual things, sometimes not. I am happy either way, and I rejoice in their results every time.

Still, there are times I have to cut away all the psycho-babble and zero in for myself on the things that are unchanging and eternal. Faith, hope and love – by way of a Living God. I love it in His presence.  Ultimately, its what gets me up in the morning.

How about you? What gets YOU up in the morning?

Please let me know by commenting right below

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 Until next time – keep playing hard, and ENJOY YOUR GAME!!  

In your corner,

Gina

 

Gina Parris is an internationally sought-after peak performance speaker and coach who has been equipping individuals and organizations for over 20 years. She is passionate about seeing you win big in your life and livelihood as you master your mindset and strategize your actions.

It’s not often that I sit down to watch a TV show, but I do love recording The Biggest Loser and watching it with my husband. My favorite part may just be watching Mr. Parris cry for joy at the success of the “Losers.”

Anyway, this week the contestants got to go back to their homes for a week to see their families and continue their fitness goals away from “the ranch.”

It was encouraging to see each one get home to a crowd of fans cheering them on for their progress. As I looked at each competitor, I thought of two things:

1. If you had seen any of these contestants just walking down the street, and you had never seen them on TV, you would not think of cheering for them. They could appear to be just another overweight American.

2. I thought of all the years that I hated my own figure, because I compared myself to the images in the magazines and fell so far short in my mind.  I had no idea then how to master my emotions.

The peak performance lesson from the Biggest Loser is that being able to manufacture our own optimism is a secret of top athletes and winners everywhere.  The “Losers” this week demonstrated how that’s done.

Focus – Contrast

Instead of focusing on where you fall short. Focus on the progress you are making towards a worthy ideal. When you can learn to do this, you will be in a place of power.

One way to do this is by embracing the CONTRAST.  You may feel that you are struggling financially – but contrast your state to that of MOST of the world’s population and you realize that by global standards you are rich indeed. This moves you from despair to gratitude.

The competitors on the Biggest Loser have found themselves making progress towards a worthy ideal. Each one is dozens of pounds (some around a hundred pounds) closer to their goal than when they started. The loved ones closest to them knew it is progress worth cheering about.

Just for fun, when you find yourself discouraged – imagine you were once miles away from where you are now. Look at your situation with fresh eyes.  Play “pretend.”

Inspired by the shoe, I told my family,

“Hey, pretend that the last time you saw me, I weighed 4oo pounds. Then I’m going to run in the door like I am right now.”

So I stepped into the garage, and came blasting into the kitchen, jumping around for joy. The other Parris’ cheered like crazy. It was a silly moment – but suddenly I felt better great about my excellent health, which I often take for granted.

You can break through to a more successful you, right now. It’s all a matter of perspective.

Another Peak Performance Tip from The Biggest Loser is the power of a coach. After a week away, the contestants couldn’t wait to get back with their coaches, for the push, the encouragement, the expertise that they provide.

It is impossible to duplicate the success you get from a coach without one. It’s been said that in order to achieve the extraordinary, all you need is one other person who believes in your dreams. Where else but in a coach or trainer do you find someone totally dedicated to YOUR success? That person plus your action equals success, no matter how things have gone in the past.

Keep taking action.  Stay in the game. You are destined to win this thing!

Please tell me, what is one success that you have come to take for granted? How can you celebrate it today?

I’m in your corner,

Gina

P.S. I have 3 slots opening up for private coaching clients. I will let you know more about that in a few days.

Photo credit: Darnok from morguefile.com

“Abundance isn’t something we acquire – it is something we tune in to.” – Jim Rohn

What do you do when you feel like you are about to keel over, dried out from exhaustion, seeing dust instead of fruit?

Shift or die!

Let’s go with “shift.” Shift our mindset, shift our vision, shift our actions, get better results. The great news is that you can make the mental shift in a moment, take action right away and find yourself in a place of happiness. After all, happiness is the result of  progressive action towards a worthy ideal.

Jim Rohn used to say that abundance is simply something we tune in to. It is not something we have to strive to acquire.

So how do we do that? We become like the tree in this psalm:

“He is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither.
Whatever he does prospers.” *

Yes! How lovely to become the tree whose leaves do not wither, and who bears fruit in season and can say that “WHATEVER he does prospers.”  That is a life that is tuned in to abundance.

That means you are not dried out – you are tapped in. You are tapped in to thousands of gallons per minute of fresh, life-giving water. In building a business, it means you are tapped in to refreshment that you take to the marketplace -bringing solutions to those who need you.  In fact, it means that you SEE the abundance of those very people indeed, who need you. You see the abundance that is available to them.

You tap in to that refreshing water by making some choices.

1. Choose who you listen to.

Don’t spend time with  scoffers and doubters and people who don’t share your values. Spend time with people who have a spirit of faith and excellence. This goes for the music and programs and every other element that goes in your ears and before your eyes.  Ultimately we become what we behold, so behold wisely!

2. Choose what you delight in.

When you delight in things that are excellent and true – you find excellence and truth all around.  Become aware of the supernatural power of God rushing towards you with all you need and pouring through you to others. That is irresistible!

3. Choose what you are meditating upon.

The verse right before the one above  says,

“…and on his law he meditates day and night.”

This kind of meditation is not the kind where you empty your mind. The closest synonym would be “masticate” or to chew.

Chew: def – to 2. To ruminate mentally; to meditate on -Webster 1913

What is this law? To love God with all your heart and to love people as yourself.  Within that is all kinds of promises to cling to and mutter all day long. This kind of meditation will quickly change your state and transform your “reality.”  It will expand you in love and that love will drive out all fear. In the absence of fear – faith can flourish. Many people fail to realize that faith works by love!

So, if your fruit seems withered, check your roots. You may need to re-hydrate in a hurry, by adjusting what goes in your eyes, ears and heart, as well as minding what comes out of your mouth!

There is no scarcity out there. There is more than enough to meet all your needs immediately.

The point than is to take ACTION. Be a doer, otherwise you end up delusional, thinking you “already know all that.”  If you are truly stuck on taking the right actions, than look back at step 1. Get around the right people.

Find someone who will:

• be totally dedicated to YOUR success,

• hold you accountable to YOUR dreams,

• help you clarify the strategy that will make success INEVITABLE

• walk by your side as you BREAK THROUGH the walls that you are bound to hit

(If you have no one in your life who can do all that, then hire a coach. It will be the best investment you ever make.)

Right now is the perfect time to take a deep breath and find refreshing. Don’t quit – you’re just about to win!

What is one way that you can sink your roots deep into a life-giving source?  Please comment below.

Until next time, keep playing to win and enjoy your game.

I’ll be right here in your corner,

Gina Parris

P.S. If you find it hard to think of positive things to meditate upon, especially when you are weary – then you MUST go purchase the Royalty Within Audio right here. You can get the CD or the MP3 and start filling your heart up right now.

You can click the image to order.

*Psalm 1: 3