I was reminded this week of one of my favorite quotes from Albert Gray called, “The Common Denominator of Success.” I shared the quote with a group of Middle School boys to highlight the importance of nutrition, and how many athletes (and adults) often believe they can outwork poor nutrition and still attain the results they desire. I found myself expounding on the quote, starting with how nutrition must come alongside and support training to actualize their purposes and potential in health, fitness, athletics and life—and ending with using the thinking as a metaphor for life, sharing their success in life will correlate to their ability to align with the principles behind the following quote and arming theirselves with the tools to make it happen.
“The common denominator of success—the secret of success of every person who has ever been successful—lies in the fact that “THEY FORMED THE HABIT OF DOING THINGS THAT FAILURES DON’T LIKE TO DO.”
It’s just as true as it sounds and it’s just as simple as it seems. You can hold it up to the light, you can put it to the acid test, and you can kick it around until it’s worn out, but when you are all through with it, it will still be the common denominator of success, whether we like it or not. It will still explain why people have gone into a business or profession with every apparent qualification for success and have been nothing but disappointing failures, while others have achieved outstanding success in spite of many obvious handicaps. And since it will also explain your future, it would seem to be a mighty good idea for you to use it in determining just what sort of future you are going to have. In other words, let’s take this big, all-embracing secret and boil it down to fit you.
If the secret of success lies in forming the habit of doing things that failures don’t like to do, let’s start the boiling down process by determining what are the things that failures don’t like to do. The things that “failures” don’t like to do are the things that you and I and other human beings, including successful people, naturally don’t like to do. In other words, we’ve got to realize right from the start that success is something, which is achieved by the minority of people … and is therefore “unnatural” and not to be achieved by following our natural likes and dislikes nor by being guided by our natural preferences and prejudices.” – Albert Gray
Part of what fuels the Actualize Mission & Core Values is to help people catch a revelation:
“Everybody wants to actualize his or her purpose and potential. But most do not understand nor are rarely given the tools to achieve safe, effective and sustainable success over time.
The process of actualizing purpose and potential begins when desire meets an intentionality to move forward, and the discipline of undergoing the rigors required is valued and pursued with the tools to make it happen.
You bring the desire, intentionality and discipline, and we arm you with the plan and tools which educate, encourage and empower you every step of the way.”
Having a revelation of a desire or need to manifest an upgrade is one thing. Moving from the revelation of a desire or need into action is faith that what is not yet actualized can be and is worth the rigors to make it happen. But such faith-forward action requires getting new thoughts that are often unnatural and the habit of consistently doing things that are uncomfortable or not our preference.
Actualize pursues being the type of business that evokes the spirit behind this way of thinking. We aim to learn who you are and meet you right where you are at, and develop a plan that educates, encourages and equips clients through their health, fitness, nutrition and life journey. As we do this with clients, we often learn we do not have all the answers, we are not always right and there is always room for improvement—and this makes us better as we pursue the upgrade. We love living these ideals in our personal life, and count it an honor to believe in and encourage those we get to journey with to do the same!
Coach Blaine
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Actualize Sports & Fitness is North Central Washington’s premier performance enhancement training, health and nutrition, and mental achievement coaching center. We exist to educate, encourage and empower Actualize Sports (competitive athletes, teams & coaches) & Actualize Fitness (fitness enthusiasts of all ages & abilities) clients to actualize their unique purpose and potential in athletics, fitness and life.
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