Tweet

From Braces to Races: A Lesson in Motivation

Written by: Jack Zufelt

Article Overview: Bonnie St. John Deane grew up in hospitals, in leg braces, and on the wrong side of the tracks, but that didn't stop her from believing that an African-American girl, with only one leg, could learn to ski. As soon as I learned to ski a little, I set my sights on qualifying to compete in the 1984 Disabled Olympics in Innsbruck, Austria. Such an outrageous dream made me stand taller just thinking about it.

From Braces to Races: A Lesson in Motivation

Bonnie St. John Deane grew up in hospitals, in leg braces, and on the wrong side of the tracks, but that didn't stop her from believing that an African-American girl, with only one leg, could learn to ski.

As soon as I learned to ski a little, I set my sights on qualifying to compete in the 1984 Disabled Olympics in Innsbruck, Austria. Such an outrageous dream made me stand taller just thinking about it.

My big break came when an elite ski academy in Vermont accepted me as a student. For three months, I searched for grants, scholarships, and sponsors to no avail. When I told the headmaster I couldn't afford the tuition and had failed to find sponsors, he said, "Come anyway." I knew this opportunity would change my life. But then on the first day of the ski school, I broke my leg-my real leg-while playing on a skateboard. As the only kid at the academy with only one leg, I had wanted so badly to show them I could run the obstacle courses, jump rope, and play soccer. Instead, walking on crutches with my artificial leg I could barely get from my room to dinner without tripping. Being so thoroughly inept among a crowd of such superb athletes hurt more than my injuries. At night, I cried in my pillow.

Although the doctor removed my cast after six weeks, my luck didn't improve. A week later, my artificial leg broke in half. Even when you think things can't get any worse, they do. For three weeks my new prosthesis roamed the country, lost in the U.S. Postal Service.

Years later, as I stood on the winner's platform in Innsbruck, Austria, with the silver medal around my neck, I could hear the National Anthem playing, and see the Stars and Stripes fluttering behind me. The desire for that moment had pulled me through all the tough times.

Do you have a powerful desire that captures your heart and picks you up when you fall down? Who or what motivates you? When I am asked that question, I must answer, "I motivate me." For any project you are working on, you can increase your motivation by finding bigger payoffs that have more meaning for you. In all cases, "things" are less important than what those things mean to you personally. List everything you have ever wanted to have in your life: new clothes, vacations, ideal relationships, peak experiences, or career accomplishments. Star the items that really excite you. Find the deeper meaning. Ask yourself, "Why do I want it?" Dig underneath to find the personally compelling reasons. Dig down to find out what you want out of life. Like a child, keep asking yourself "why?" If the final answer is "I should," or "My boss wants me to," scratch it off your list-or change it, expand it, and aim higher. Stop underestimating your odds for success, err on the side of optimism, spend less time around negative people, and learn from people who have done it before you. List your resources and act-don't feel you have to do everything at once. You can get there if you do what you love!

Bonnie's story didn't end on the winner's platform at the Olympics.

She has since motivated herself to finish degrees from both Harvard and Oxford, win a Rhodes Scholarship, win awards as an IBM sales representative, and garner high praise as a White House official on the National Economic Council.

Again, it all starts by knowing what you really want. Don't get trapped by your present reality-what you have or how effective you are at the moment. People who are immersed in their present realities often think they "know the truth," but they don't.

When you find your Core Desires, your emotion needle will go clear off the chart. Those are the things you'll want to focus on. When you truly want something, you'll amaze yourself at what you will do to get it-nothing will stop you once you uncover your Core Desires and tap into your Conquering Force.

What you will become, or achieve, will be a direct result of the Core Desires you uncover, the mentors you choose to learn from, and the choices you make. Successful people invest in themselves through a continuing quest for knowledge, understanding, wisdom, and truth. When you invest in yourself, be sure you know your Core Desires first. Then you'll see a much greater return on your investment_not only in greater satisfaction but also in improved productivity, enhanced social relationships, and greater earning ability. There's nothing like learning all you can about something you love, your Core Desires. Learning about them will start an important chain reaction that will work in your behalf.

By Jack M. Zufelt
"Mentor To Millions

Related Articles
  Lesson #2: The Proof is in the Product that Works
  Run Your Own Race—At Your Own Pace
  Sell, Sell, Sell, Sell
  Why Motivation Malfunctions at Midlife
  5 Ways to Motivate Your Salespeople

Article Tags: african american girl, artificial leg, bonnie st, headmaster, innsbruck austria, john deane, jump rope, leg braces, national anthem, obstacle courses, prosthesis, silver medal, skateboard, ski academy, ski school, stars and stripes, tough times, u s postal service, walking on crutches, wrong side of the tracks
Referred by: http://www.va4growth.com



Related Forum Posts
Re: How To Stay Motivated In Your Business - Motivation spurs people into actions every time. When there is no motivation the reason to move forward seems lost. Thanks so much for this post Evan
Dan Kennedy Marketing Methods - We haven't sent out the physical letter yet as the person owning the list wanted to make modifications to the letter that we knew would work well but the List owner had a point - it didn't reflect her personality so her clients would know it didn't come from her. Lesson learned for me. We're back to the drawing board with the list owner more involved in the development of the letter and emails. I should have known better being a Business Analyst in my day job that you never leave the end-user out. So Evan we haven't had the opportunity to test any of it yet but it's been a fun process for me to stand back and look at.
Re: Finding AND Keeping Good People - Employee retention or as you mention “Keeping the Good People” is one of the biggest challenges for any growing business. It takes a huge effort from the entrepreneur’s end. I can come up with the following when it comes to KEEPing the good people- 1. Motivation of the employees 2. Recognition of the needs of the employees 3. Activities to make the employees feel valuable towards the organization 4. Make benefits more accessible 5. Offer profit sharing incentives 6. Create clear career paths at the company 7. Consider telecommuting, job sharing and other flexible working arrangements 8. Incentives are essential and they don't have to be huge 9. Have other managers praise an employee's work 10. Be sensitive to the balance between work and private life
Re: What Franchisors Want From Franchisees - Kevin - Here's a rough summary of your questions. Your credit score - below 600's and you're considered high risk. Best if you are in the high 600's and above... if you're in 700's you're golden. Franchisers want to see people who can relate to other people. If you are very shy or you dislike working with the public, then this can count against you. Even if you can fake it... why would you bother? Great customer service is a benchmark any business owner should strive for... Financing arrangements will vary - if you can show that you have 20% above all of your start-up costs, this would help. The more assets you own the better. Motivation can be expressed in HOW you plan the start-up. It's all in the details. Are you taking the opportunity seriously? Are you learning and studying business attributes like marketing, salesmanship, and customer service? Demonstrate that you are motivated. Subscribing to their system would be about following their rules. If you have a maverick mentality... then consider starting your own business where you make the rules... not a franchise. Franchisers have different ways in how they evaluate their prospects. Your professional background or history can play an important role in the final evaluation. This is really about common sense...


Share this article with your friends. Fund someone's dream.

Leave a comment below or share on the left and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.

Tweet

Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!

Name:
Email:

Popular Articles

The State of the Sustainable Furniture Industry

Basic Operating Question (BOQ) for Empowerment

Is the iPad useful? One CEO tells all ....

Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.