[quote]Alpha wrote:
Yea, the point I was making had nothing to do with the individual’s actual performance. Injuries and other things happen. What i am stating is that, you should not go around taking about what you “Could” or “would” have done if the circumstances were ideal.
I am sure you have heard it a lot. Guys saying things like, “I would have done better, but I had a hard weight cut…” etc. The bottom line is that they did not do better, so they shouldn’t try to qualify their poor performance. or when guys try to justify how they are going to do BEFORE the comp, saying things like, “I am not at my best, so i probably will not do very well.” They think it is going to give them a way out when they do not perform well, but in reality, i think they are just trying to soften the blow to their ego rather than taking a true subjective look at what they need to do to perform better next time.
All I am saying is to be proud of the work you out there. It was your best that day. Saying that you could have done better is like having the best of intentions. It may make the individual feel better about how they did, but it doesn’t change the facts of the end result. Actions speak much louder than any excuse people give.
Anyone who reads my log knows that I am a fan of both Reed and Mike. And i don’t believe either acted like the individual I am trying to portray in the example.
As far as #7…Again, i think, you read it differently than I intended. My basic premise was to take responsibility for your actions and stop blaming others and things because you aren’t where you want to be in life.
If you are trying to be one of the best in the world, then you are going to have to sacrifice just about everything else in your life to get there. Most people are not trying to be the best in the world. They are just trying to get as good as possible in the parameters which they are not willing to sacrifice. Like you said, most people are not willing to give up certain things because they goals they set do not require it. But the best guys in the world do. Changing the way you phrase things, changes the reality of those things. This happens when an individual takes responsibility for the choices they have made… so rather than saying, “I could be the best X in the nation IF I didn’t have a full-time job.” they would say, “My desire for the safety and security of a full-time job is greater than my desire to be the best in the nation.” The best people in any field have this outlook and i am just trying to get people to shift the blame so that they can be an active participant in changing there circumstances instead of looking at themselves as a victim.
I am not saying you are wrong or that your priorities are not correct, all I am stating is that, no matter how big or small your goal is, don’t walk around blaming your circumstances or previous life choices because you are not where you want to be in life.
We can agree to disagree on this, and I mean no disrespect, but hopefully that added some clarification.[/quote]
You’re pretty much right, I can’t really argue with that. While sometimes there are obstacles that you can’t overcome no matter what you do, your results still depend on what you put into it. You have to own your own life, crying about your problems will get you nowhere.
Anyway, my whole point was that your article was not too harsh at all. The only thing is that those two points were a little bit ambiguous, but you clarified that.