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"For the amazing speaker on stage, there are years of practice in obscure places refining skills now coming easily on display. Don’t become discouraged at the beginning of a new path. Where are you feeling discouraged because you aren’t as far along as you’d like?"
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"Being all in requires the courage to try something new. Is there an area in your life where you want to try something new? How do you create a small win to move you further down the path?"
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"For lasting impact, we help others with the skills and knowledge acquired. Encouragement through the valley of latent potential is important, especially until people have that breakthrough moment for themselves. Who do you need to encourage today to stick with it?"
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"Stay the course. When thwarted try again; harder; smarter. Persevere relentlessly.” - John Wooden
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“You don’t have to be great to start, but you do have to start to be great.” - Zig Ziglar |
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Late this summer, I went whitewater rafting with a group of friends in Colorado on the Arkansas River. I love whitewater rafting, so this was my jam. Towards the tail-end of our run, our river guide said, “Would any of you like to take my spot and guide us?” Of course, I said yes, as it didn’t look that hard. I thought he would give me some instructions. Nope, when I hopped to the back of the raft with my paddle, he jumped to my spot and never said a word. At the beginning of our adventure, we all had been given a safety briefing and he said, “The worst thing that can happen is if you hit a rock in the center of your raft. This won’t happen, but if by some slim chance it does, I will yell, “high side”, and we all need to climb to the top of the raft and stroke as hard as possible to get us off the rocks. Otherwise, the current will flip the raft.” As I start to guide the raft, some larger rocks come into view. Not steering well, I send us right toward the rock. Then, I panicked and tried to steer back, only causing us to go sideways. We drill the rock, dead center in our boat, the exact thing the guide said not to do. He yells “high side”, we all jump up and stroke with fury, moving us off the rocks. Afterward, our rattled guide says, “You have no idea how close we were to flipping. That was bad.” The experienced guide made the rapids feel simple, almost effortless for guiding our raft down the river. He also is a certified instructor, with years of experience. Many times, we step into a challenge and somehow think it should go as effortlessly as for those who have been doing it for years. We get discouraged or embarrassed in our first attempts, causing us to quit trying. We need to give ourselves grace as we learn and remember, even the most experienced person had a first day. Stay the course, as becoming the best version of yourself requires skills you don’t yet have and will acquire over time if you keep trying. And if you hit a rock, you can always yell “high side”, calling in help to get you off the rocks!
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If you enjoy this, please share with others. Share this newsletter on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, WhatsApp, or via email using this link: 3...2...1 Impact: Guiding the Raft
Tim Brand
Founder and CEO, Many Hands
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