Life's Wake-Up Calls
"It's not about how hard you hit. It's about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward."
- Rocky Balboa
Life's Wake-Up Calls
Chasing Influence: Transformational Coaching to Build Champions for Life
Ripley’s Believe it or Not recounts the incredible tale of Joan Murray, a skydiver who plunged from nearly 15,000 feet above North Carolina when both of her parachutes failed to open. Miraculously, Murray survived the fall, and the unlikely reason turned out to be the mound of fire ants she landed on. The mound itself was inconsequential, but the hundreds of bites from the ticked-off ants are what made all the difference. The adrenaline rush induced by the fire ant bites jump-started Murray's heart and kept her alive.
Emerging from a two-week coma and six weeks in the hospital, Murray defied the odds and not only returned home but later resumed her passion for skydiving. Her story is a unique reminder that unexpected twists of fate can help us through life's challenges.
On one such twist of fate type of day, author Frank Bettger made a conscious decision to embrace enthusiasm during a watershed moment in his life. In his book "How I Raised Myself from Failure to Success in Selling," Bettger shares his story of being fired from a minor league baseball team and then asking the team's coach “Why?” It was a question – and answer – that changed his life.*
The coach told him he was fired because he was lazy.
Bettger explained how this apparent laziness came from his nervousness and fear, not genuine lethargy. Nevertheless, the coach’s mind was made up, but his blunt advice also became the catalyst for change.
That “will never work. That’s the thing holding you down,” the coach explained. “Whatever you do after you leave here, for heaven’s sake, wake yourself up, and put some like and enthusiasm into your work!” This wake-up call marked the beginning of Bettger's commitment to living with passion and energy. Transforming into a "barrel of enthusiasm," he not only overcame his fears but also became a source of contagious inspiration for others.
For Bettger, enthusiasm became the driving force to success in life, propelling him to a major league baseball career and later accomplishments in writing, speaking, and selling. The lesson learned is clear—enthusiasm is the key to living out a life of purpose. Purpose without enthusiasm is like gasoline without a spark—full of potential but lacking the needed flame for ignition. To reach your dreams, let enthusiasm ignite your gifts and passions. Desire always wins when pursuing a fulfilling life!
"Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass but about learning to dance in the rain."
- Vivian Greene
Connecting this quote to the story. Developing resilience and embracing challenges is important, like Joan Murray's ability to thrive despite her unexpected free fall and Frank Bettger's decision to live with enthusiasm in the face of setbacks.
This week’s Chasing Influence tip: Grow through what we go through—do everything as though it will make a needed difference.
*As a performance psychology tip, Dr. Rob Gilbert challenges others to make a habit of rereading the seven pages that begin "How I Raised Myself from Failure to Success in Selling."
If you enjoyed this story, a series of three Chasing Influence workbooks is available. Stories are accompanied by discussion questions and answers. Each workbook contains 33 lessons to use with any team.
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©Troy Urdahl, 2024
Excellent examples of resilience and grit- “It’s not about the setback, it’s about the comeback!”
Important lessons - keep them coming!