FRANK VANDERSLOOT
A MESSAGE FROM EXECUTIVE CHAIRMAN
If You Want to Cross the Finish Line, Don’t Ever Sit Down! Not Even for a Minute!
All your energy has been used up, and there is no more fuel to keep the body going. The only way to keep running is to overpower the fatigue with a mental determination to take step after step. The young doctor began to treat the runners who jogged into the little roadside tent. They would sit down, then the doctor would wrap ankles, give cups of water, massage cramped leg muscles, and do everything he could to get them ready to hit the road again. He quickly finished and told them they could now go out and finish the race. But they didn’t move. They couldn’t. Once the runners had sat down, it was like their bodies were glued to the chair. The physical fatigue would overcome them and their mental determination to finish the race was gone. So the doctor changed the way he treated the runners. Each time someone came into the tent, he immediately asked them, “Do you want to finish the race?” If they said “yes,” he would not let them sit down but asked them to remain standing. He wrapped ankles, bandaged scrapes, and massaged muscles while they stood. He made them keep moving while drinking water. Then the runners were able to keep their focus on the marathon and regain the momentum they needed to finish. “Don’t sit down,” the doctor said hundreds of times that day—and each runner who did not sit down went on to finish the race. There were two key elements that made it possible for those wornout runners to finish the race: One was the mental decision that they were going to run the full race. The other was their physical momentum and sense of commitment that never stopped because they never sat down! By following these two principles, we too can finish our race and reach the goals we’ve set for our lives. The first step is to decide to finish. When do you make that decision? Before you start! If you haven’t resolved upon
We have thousands of teams engaged in Fast Track each time when we have the challenge! They have made a commitment to themselves and each other to change their lives. They are engaged in the Seven Critical Business- Building Activities. Nothing can accelerate your business like focusing on these activities—especially the first two. Everything begins with building a contact list and making appointments. With the Fast Track focus on those Critical Activities and the results we are already seeing, I am very excited about what is happening and what we are going to see this year. I am in great anticipation about what is about to happen in the businesses and lives of those who focus on these Critical Activities! Those who consistently focus on these basic activities will reap tremendous benefits as they grow and prosper. That consistent focus makes all the difference! It’s a life changer! With so much activity going on, people will soon be reaching new milestones and drawing closer to their goals. They are racing forward and working their businesses with a sense of real commitment. That commitment will be the factor that will help them reach their goals and see new levels of success. I once heard a story that captured the true meaning of commitment. This story took place along the streets where the New York City Marathon is run. The marathon brings over 50,000 people from all over the world to compete, from ages 18 to 90. With so many competitors, many volunteers are needed to assist the runners at certain points along the course. One of the volunteers was a young doctor who offered to help with any medical needs. When he arrived, he was assigned to the station at the 19-mile mark. This station was in a strategic place—after running 18–20 miles, the body hits “the wall,” as marathon runners call it. Essentially, what that means is your body is worn out.
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