How to Win a Grey Cup?

It's been a big day for football:
Over a dozen games for the NFL and the Grey Cup for the CFL.

I'm not a crazy sports fan but I love to see great athletes and teams put on exhilirating and inspiring performances (don't we all?) .

Thinking about the Canadian championship between the Saskatchewan Roughriders and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, there were a few questions that kept playing in my mind all day: what makes teams win? What makes a good team lose? What goes on in their bodies and in their minds to determine how they play as individuals and how they play as a team? And how can you condition the players and team over a season so that they become unstoppable? What makes a team lose in game seven of the Stanley Cup like the Edmonton Oilers did last year? And what allowed the Edmonton Eskimos and Oilers of the '80's to win all of those cups year after year? What changed? That was just my train of thought...

Now, the answers to these questions can be simple or extremely complex.

First, what makes teams win? A desire to win, a belief that they can and deserve to win, and a vision of victory that takes them through all the hard times. The greatest leaders and coaches will create an environment where these elements grow.

Of these, the greatest element is the VISON of victory. It all starts with a vision, and the vision is what gives the person or team the energy to go on when things are difficult. It's what pushes us to learn what we need to learn, to practice what we need to practice, and to do what we need to do.

Why?

Because with a powerful vision, the pain of NOT achieving victory is much greater than any pain you will feel on the journey. All the training, all the discipline, all the sacrifice is nothing compared to the agony of NOT achieving your vision. And the pure bliss of victory is oh sooooo sweet!

The vision of victory is what drives us on. It's also what aligns the Universe to your cause. Remember, what you focus on grows. You reap what you sow. Imagination is the most powerful nation in the World.

However, that doesn't mean sit on your ass, visualize and expect to wake up with all your dream realized!

If the Saskatchewan Roughriders didn't train hard all year, show up and play hard all season, and keep going and going no matter how things were, they wouldn't have won the Grey Cup today!

As one of the winning players said it:

"Tough times don't last. Tough people do."

Get the VISION you want for your life. Make it clear, vivid and powerful. So powerful that it pulls you magnetically to DO everything you need to do in order to achieve it. And no matter what, KEEP GOING.

Do this, and sooner or later, you WILL succeed. And the Love and Joy you will feel will be more than worth all the pain and suffering you may have to endure along the way.

Here's what another teary-eyed player said after their win:

"We faught so hard. It was a hard game. This is a dream come true."

Go for it. And... keep... going.

Now, if only we could condition our beloved athletes and sports teams to BELIEVE in their dreams a little bit more. How far could they really go?

CHB

Copyright © Charles Begin

How To Change The World

Many of us want to change the people and the world around us.

We see all the things that we think others should change about themselves. We notice everything about the government that we know should be different. We look at celebrities, teachers and leaders and make comments about what they should or shouldn't have done. We notice everything wrong with the environment and with war and with the economy.

Does any of that help?

I'm sure you all know the answer.

No. Complaining and wanting the world around you to change so that you can stay the same will only bring about more frustration and pain because your reality will not change until YOU change.

Those who change the world do so by changing themselves and how THEY interact. They don't sit there and complain. They don't even write letters or books to complain about the state of the world (although that's an action more than just talking about it). No. Those who change the world start by changing themselves. They ACT. They DO something instead of complaining about it not being right.

And believe it or not, they actually become what they idealize.

Remember, what you focus on grows. Energy follows attention. The more you think about an ideal, the more you are pulled to embodying that ideal.

All the greatest leaders (think of your favorites) have been people who embodied the teachings they were promoting. In other words, they walked their talk. They got things done. They LIVED their dream. That's why people followed them.

If you are the type of person who goes about with the "do what I say, not what I do" attitude, you will not inspire others. After all, if you can't even believe enough in something to live it... why should they?

For those who wish to make a difference, to change the world, even if only in the eyes of one other person... you must BE the example for others. We learn by imitation as much as anything else, so we all need examples to follow and practice until we find our own way. Don't just talk about change. We all talk, and most of us do only that. The ones that make a difference do more than talk. They ACT. They become the greatest that they can be. They ARE the greatest that they can imagine themselves to be... and that inspires others to do the same. You can never change another against their will. The only way to change others is to change yourself.

This doesn't mean that you need to be perfect and never make a mistake, no way! We all make mistakes otherwise we would never learn. And that's the key point: make all the mistakes you need to make, to learn what you need to learn. And for this to work you must LEARN from your mistakes!

Not one of us is 'better' than anyone else. We are all the same, all ONE at our source. We are all everything that we see and experience in our reality. Everyone we meet or hear about is a reflection of something inside of us...

Believe it or not, we can all be great leaders. We can't all be the leader of everything, but we can all be great leaders in something... each in our own area of burning passion and desire. We can all be great leaders in that which we love most. It's up to us to decide what we are willing to do, to BE, to achieve it.

Have the courage to transcend mere talking. Instead, BE.

As Gandhi (pictured above) said it:

Be the change you wish to see in this world.

Make the commitment. Change yourself. BE the change you desire. After all, why would you have the desire if you wouldn't be able to achieve it?

If the desire is there, it is possible for you.
You just have to find a way.
And keep trying until you get it. Even if it takes thousands of tries, or more.
Show them how it's done.

Wishing you the deepest peace,

CHB

Copyright © Charles Begin

I Remember

Whether you agree with the war(s) or not is irrelevant. Rememberance Day (Veterans Day in the States) is for remembering the sacrifice of everyone involved in the World Wars, and everyone since then who fights for peace and freedom.

Although I am not a soldier, I grew up surrounded with examples of heroes giving their lives for the powerful causes they believed in. It is something that resonates with me and was instrumental in helping me transcend my fear of death. Still, I can only imagine what it must have been like in those wars...

Thank you to all who gave their lives, and all who work for freedom.

Let's remember that many died so that we may live. That those who fought sacrificed everything in some cases, so that we may have a better world. Well, lets do them proud. Let's make this world a better place, so that they will not have died in vain.

I'm sorry. Please forgive me. Thank you. I love you.

CHB

Copyright © Charles Begin

Flowers and Pixies and Stars, Oh My!

I just spent probably the better part of an hour writing a rant against people promoting "airy-fairy" type of new-age spiritual beliefs and practices. I was going to post it here. I just deleted the whole thing.

Then I wrote a short note about why I deleted the first text and how I forgave everyone who does the "airy-fairy" thing. I deleted that too. It sounded too airy-fairy.

So now I'm just going to say this:

We are all here for a reason. We all have our roles to play in this world. Go with whatever works for you. If at some point it no longer works, go deeper, or find something else.

Nuff said.

CHB

Copyright © Charles Begin