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MESSAGE #1419 EAT LIKE A BIRD, POOP LIKE AN ELEPHANT

I’m reading a great book right now by one of my favorite authors, “Rules for Revolutionaries” by Guy Kawasaki.

In this book, Kawasaki talks about a concept elegantly named, “eat like a bird, poop like an elephant.”

Most people have it wrong, Kawasaki says, referring to the fact that when someone says you eat like a bird, you don’t eat much. But the truth is, compared to their body weight, birds DO eat a lot. A hummingbird, for example eats about 50% of its body weight in one day.

Poop like an elephant. This one needs no explanation, elephants have about 165 pounds of poop a day.

How does this apply to sports and life?

Eat like a bird—take in a lot of information about your sport, business or major in school. Read, watch videos, talk to experts, etc. The more you know, the better off you will be (as long as you take action).

Poop like an elephant—disperse the information you acquire. Share with your teammates, co-workers and fellow students. If you do this, everybody wins (and you are forced to learn even more).

And while we are on the topic of animals, do what the title of Brian Tracy’s book says…

Eat That Frog!

This means, do the thing that you don’t feel like doing first! Make the important thing the important thing.

You may KNOW that you should eat like a bird and take in as much knowledge as you can…but that doesn’t mean you WILL.

You may KNOW that you should poop like an elephant and spread your knowledge to others…but that doesn’t mean you WILL.

A true champion does what he needs to do, when he needs to do it, whether he feels like it or not.

MESSAGE #798 THIS DETERMINES SUCCESS…

From the holykaw.alltop.com site…

Recently, Stanford scientists replicated a classic experiment from the 60s, in which they tested kids’ ability to delay gratification. Researchers gave each child a marshmallow and told them that they would receive a second marshmallow — if they were able to wait until the researcher left and returned.

Two important conclusions were drawn from this work:

1. Kids who were able to delay gratification succeeded more in life.
2. This kind of experiment makes for ADORABLE kid footage. See what I mean, and watch the clip!

MESSAGE #784 IT’S ABOUT OTHERS…

“If you want happiness for an hour – take a nap.
If you want happiness for a day – go fishing.
If you want happiness for a month – get married.
If you want happiness for a year – inherit a fortune.
If you want happiness for a lifetime – help someone else.”
-From the Federal Palace Restaurant in Hong Kong (Thanks, Guy Kawasaki!)

Last night I attended a benefit for HomeFront, an organization that helps families “break the cycle of poverty.”

Every single night, HomeFront helps…

-Over 450 children and parents sleep soundly in a safe place

-171 people reside in HomeFront’s permanent, affordable, service-enriched housing

92% of their funds go directly to their programs, and they have just started a Women’s Initiative, empowering women.

I went to show my support and to donate a signed copy of my book. I also spoke briefly and shared a story on how the key to true happiness is helping others.

I remember a story about two men standing at their friend’s funeral and one of them asking the other, “How much did he leave?”

The other responded, “He left…everything.”

See, many of us go through life trying to accumulate as many things as we can – homes, cars, electronics, but we can’t take any of that with us.

At the end of our lives, it doesn’t matter how much we have.

All that matters is what we leave behind. How much of a difference we made. How we treated others.

I don’t get paid to blog every day, but it motivates me to motivate others. It’s my way of making a difference, in my own little way.

Am I perfect?

Not even close.

But I’m doing what I love and appreciate every single day – I’m just like you – trying to become a little bit better every day.

I have been fortunate to realize that external riches are nothing without internal riches. Now go make a difference today!

Have a super day, everyone.

Thanks for reading.