motivation – The Corrigan Encore

On the half hour

October 24, 2023October 24, 2023 John Corrigan

Sitting is the new smoking. What did that just say? Obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, body fat and cardiac disease, have all been linked to prolonged periods of sitting. I know it is wild but a study has come out with some pretty gnarly results we can experience if we sit for a long time.

This is pretty bad news when you consider that, 6 out of 10 employees sit for about nine hours a weekday as part of their job. That’s tough isn’t it? You have to work to earn money to live but the work that you are doing is literally killing you. Do not fear though the same study that informed us of the danger associated with sitting gave us a Prescription for sitting. Get up every half hour and move for five minutes. That’s it, do it now set a reminder on your phone for every half hour. Your future self will thank you and think of all the Apple watch and fit bit awards you will earn!

I have always felt like motion is important and when I think of motion I always think of two things one is Newtons law

An object at rest stays at rest and an object in motion stays in motion with same speed and in the same direction unless acted upon by an unbalanced force.
Isaac Newton

and I think about the song that Muddy Waters sings. A rolling stone gathers no moss

So lets all get together today and get in motion even if it is just for five minutes every half hour!

Its a difference maker

October 19, 2023October 19, 2023 John Corrigan

There are losers, average, winning and championship caliber people and teams within every sport and business venture in the world. Most athlete’s and companies have access to the same resources (I say most because there are those people and companies that have won the lottery in life and been gifted with wealth and talent). What is it then that separates all the sport and business players in the world? Attitude!

A loosing attitude is cultivated when, people and organizations are hesitant to do what is asked of them and sometimes do not do what is asked of them by the sport or the customer.

An average attitude is cultivated when the people do only what is asked of them and no more.

A winning attitude is cultivated when people and the company do what is asked and are driven to do better.

A championship attitude is cultivated when the people or company do what is asked are driven to do better and encourage other people and companies to do better.

So in conclusion if you want to be a champion or have a championship company, help yourself and others at being the very best!

What can you do?

October 18, 2023 John Corrigan

I am standing in a coaches office staring at a poster on the wall. The poster has an athlete on a track in the start position for a sprint. Hands down on the track one foot in front of the other on their toes. The quote on the poster reads

You’ll never know what you’re capable of until you take that first step and just go for it.

I love this poster and quote. It is simple yet truly profound. It can be easy to over analyze and evaluate situations especially difficult or fearful ones and life is full of difficult and fearful situations. As we think and analyze fear can become prohibitive and even crippling. Fear may stop us from trying and that is a shame because the quote is true we really do not know what we are capable of.

Life itself is a pretty powerful and incredible thing and if you are reading this than you are alive and thinking. Thinking is also a pretty powerful thing.

Never underestimate the power of thought; it is the greatest path to discovery
Idowu Koyenikan, Wealth for All: Living a Life of Success at the Edge of Your Ability

You are a living thinking being and you are way more powerful than you can imagine. You are definitely more powerful than your fears.

You are one thing only. You are a Divine Being. An all-powerful Creator. You are a Deity in jeans and a t-shirt, and within you dwells the infinite wisdom of the ages and the sacred creative force of All that is, will be and ever was.
Anthon St. Maarten, Divine Living: The Essential Guide To Your True Destiny

So whatever you are facing today, you got this! You are awesome and you look great in jeans too 😉 .

Even the little ones

March 30, 2023 John Corrigan

Big ideas, big projects and new times. I have two ideas that today have become projects for me. Before today the projects were just ideas but I made two small steps that transformed those ideas into tangible items projects. I have a whole bunch of steps to take before the projects are fully manifested but.. I want to celebrate!

When you are involved in a project, it is important to celebrate the small steps. Small steps matter a lot. Small steps lead to bigger steps and then victory.

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step
Lao Tzu

Here is a great article that outlines the importance of the small steps.

The Real Value of Small Steps

Know this today is the day to take the first (even if it is small) step towards starting and completing the project that you will finish. One more thing to note, when you complete and while you are completing that first step on your major project I am cheering for you from the cheap seats.

Go insert your name here! You are crushing this!!
Me (in the cheap seats)

A Little Dark

October 6, 2022 John Corrigan

Dan Weiden passed away Friday at the age of 77. Who is Dan Weiden? Dan Weiden was an ad executive and he came up with the Nike slogan “Just do It”. Nike was not going to use a tagline and told the ad company that Weiden worked for that they did not use slogans. Weiden insisted that they at least try the slogan for the campaign. He said that the images were to disconnected and asked Nike to try the tag line (not slogan), the rest is history… Well sort of

Dan wieden lets the world now in an interview where he got the idea for Just do it.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

DAN WIEDEN: And the firing squad was there. And before they put the sack over his head, they asked him if he had any last words, and he said, you know, let’s do it. I remember when I read that, I was like, that’s amazing. I mean, how do you, in the face of that much uncertainty, do you push through that? And so I didn’t like the let’s thing. You know, I just changed that because otherwise I’d have to give him credit. Now I don’t really have to, so…

Gary Gilmore was the inmate who told the firing squad “let’s do it”. Let’s or just do it is an action statement and life is all about action. Granted the action taken after Gilmore said those words was death it is still kind of empowering hearing the charge Just do it or let’s do it. We made the plans, bought the gear, arrived in the place now what? Do it! Get it done! Make it happen! I feel empowered as I type. Don’t talk about it, be about it. Just do it or lets do it doesn’t ask for permission, doesn’t assume you can’t it just is and that is truly the nature of living isn’t it?

Whatever you need or want to do today my advice is DO IT!

There is always room

September 7, 2022 John Corrigan

My youngest in now in college but I can remember when she was in elementary school and we had just finished eating a pretty big meal. I mentioned that I was “completely stuffed” and wouldn’t even dream of eating anymore. My youngest made a similar comment, later however after seeing an advertisement for ice cream voiced that she wanted ice cream now. I asked her how this could be possible and she replied that, there is always room for ice cream. My wife also let me know that food and ice cream do not stay in the same place in your stomach. We laughed and somehow ate ice cream together.

There have been times when I felt so exhausted and tired and still had to find a way to work and I did many have. How do we do it? How can we go on when we are “done”? Everyone is motivated by different stimuli. I have seen office workers who keep photos of loved ones at their work space as motivation for enduring, I have also seen photos of dream house and cars in the same spaces.

Whatever inspires us one thing is universal we can all find more space for going on, there is always room for ice cream.

How do you eat an elephant?

July 6, 2022 John Corrigan

I’ve never eaten an elephant but I imagine that you would eat the massive majestic almost magical beast one bite at a time.

I used to teach new web developers how to create websites using the ASP stack. The course was a boot camp style course and a lot of information was thrown at the students at one time. Some students would start coding and I could see and sense the feeling of being overwhelmed that’s when I would ask. “How do you eat an elephant?” The answer was always one bite at a time.

“We do not have to become heroes overnight. Just a step at a time, meeting each thing that comes up, seeing it as not as dreadful as it appears, discovering that we have the strength to stare it down.”
Eleanor Roosevelt

Lately the world has thrown a lot at people. It seems like a chore to just exist and that is because it can be. The good news is that you can handle anything and if you feel that you can’t you probably have others that will help you if you ask. Just take a breath look at what is going on right now, and deal with that. Once you finish dealing with now acknowledge and celebrate and move on to now again. You can really do way more than you think you can you just need to put one foot in front of the other and lean forward.

What do you think?

June 16, 2022 John Corrigan

I have some ideas… I have been told by many people that the ideas are crazy and not practical. “That will never work, it’s a pipe dream, there is a reason it is done this way or that way, don’t reinvent the wheel”. I have heard all of the reasons people have for not pursuing my ideas. All the thoughts that have been given to me have been code for no. People saying don’t do it for some reason or another and I am ashamed to admit it but I have often listened to these people. As I got older I have caught myself on more than one occasion being one of those people. The person who tells someone no.

Never allow a person to tell you no who doesn’t have the power to say yes.
Eleanor Roosevelt

There was a movie called “Envy” it starred Jack Black and Ben Stiller. The two characters were neighbors. The neighbors worked together and carpooled together. Jack Blacks character always had ideas for new inventions and offered the ideas and investment opportunities to Ben Stillers character. Ben Stilllers character refused and Jack Black got wealthy from one of the ideas.

Photo by Andrea Piacquadio on Pexels.com

If it is your dream or idea you are the one who must bring it to fruition and you are the one who needs to believe in yourself and say yes. Asking for advice is good and giving advice is also good however I truly believe that the saying “there are no bad ideas” is and should be true.

I wonder how many life altering, universe shaking ideas were shot down by well intentioned friends and families? Let’s lift ourselves and each other up. The world needs it more than ever.