What Do You Desire?

Alan Watts narrates this awesome video that really captures the essence of my philosophy and why I am so passionate about what I do.

Conceive, Believe & Achieve

I’ve been a football fan since I was a young boy, growing up in a small farming community in Saskatchewan, Canada. It was natural to become a “Roughrider” fan because there was only one professional team in the entire province. I often say that all babies born there are injected with green blood – which is why everyone who lives in Saskatchewan “bleeds green”! None of this is relevant to what I want to share with you today, other than the fact that my thoughts on the power of believing in yourself are inspired by an individual who plays for my beloved team.

Kory Sheets is the star running back for the ‘Riders. When the team signed him in 2012, he was fourth or fifth on the depth chart when training camp began. He battled and ultimately won the job to be the feature running back. Being an American player that was unfamiliar with Canadian football, Kory immediately wanted to know who the greatest players in league history were. He openly stated that his goal was to have his names listed among the greats. He battled a few injuries in his first season but still managed to gain 1,277 yards on the ground. Fast-forward to 2013 and Kory went on record saying that he is the best running back in the league. His desire was to amass 2,000 yards in 2013. Mike Pringle of the Montreal Alouettes set the CFL single-season record of 2,065 yards rushing in 1998. That’s quite a statement for a young man entering his second year in the league; some might even say “cocky”.

Through the first 5 games of the season, Kory had rushed for a CFL record (though the 1^st five games of a season) of 712 yards and was on pace to break the 15 year old single-season record. Later on, he was injured and was forced to miss 2½ games. When he returned from injury, it took a couple of games but he quickly regained his sizzling pace. By this time however, Kory had been surpassed by another player, Jon Cornish of the Calgary Stampeders, for the league lead in rushing. Cornish’s teammates & fans spent a great deal of time disputing who the best running back was, to put it mildly. Kory continued to maintain his belief that he was the best running back in the league with his own teammates standing behind the claim. When the season ended, Cornish won the rushing yard title having accumulated 1,813 yards. Sheets finished second with 1,598.

Undeterred, Mr. Sheets & the Roughriders proceeded to go through the playoffs undefeated and become the league champions, defeating the Hamilton Tiger Cats 45-23 in front of their home crowd to win only their fourth Grey Cup title in their storied existence. Kory played an integral role in their success, having rushed for 442 yards in three playoff games. More significantly, he ran for a Grey Cup record 197 yards & two touchdowns in the final game. He was named the game’s MVP.

Why am I telling you all of this? In essence, we can conclude that Kory’s success was derived from three simple concepts; conceive, believe and achieve.

Conceive: He visualized being the best. He worked hard at it; he practiced and kept his eye on the prize. He educated himself and formulated a plan.

Believe: He was confident that he could be the best. While others were mocking him, he ignored their opinion (and that’s all it was – an opinion) and went about his business. He disregarded the naysayers, pulled up his boots and went to work. He fought through the adversity of injury and maintained his belief in himself. He was grateful for his accomplishments and gave credit to those who helped him succeed (his team).

Achieve: When the season ended, he had won a championship ring to go along with the Most Valuable Player in the Grey Cup award. Since the Roughriders won the final game, obviously he was a player on the best team in the league. The MVP award suggests that he was able to back up his claim that he was the best in the league.

The most important piece is this. When you add his regular season & playoff rushing yard totals together, it comes to 2,040 yards. You might say that it doesn’t count because it wasn’t regular season yards. When Kory spoke, he simply said that he felt he was the best in the league. He also said that the goal was 2,000 yards for the season. He did not specify “regular season” only. My point is that we can use his example as evidence of the greatness that lies within each in every one of us. We simply need to set the goal, work hard & believe in ourselves. We need focus and to surround ourselves with like-minded individuals pursuing a similar goal. Achieving success is the only possibility if we follow these three simple principles.

Mario Piché – The Career Change Conductor

The Cost of Winning

The 2013 NHL Stanley Cup championship series was exceptional and will be remembered by hockey fans for many years to come. It featured the Chicago Black Hawks vs. the Boston Bruins, with Chicago eventually winning the series in six games. This was the Hawks second appearance in four years, having defeated the Philadelphia Flyers in 2010 also in six games. The Bruins defeated the Vancouver Canucks in seven games during their most recent appearance in 2011.

Now I am a huge fan of sports, mostly because I believe that there are many parallels in relation to how we go about living our daily lives. We can learn so much from our experiences. A storyline emerged from this series that really caught my attention. One of the key players for the Boston Bruins is Patrice Bergeron. Patrice was unable to participate in the 2011 cup final due to injury, although his name was engraved on the cup as he was part of the team. Bergeron was however, able to play in this year’s final. After it was over, it was revealed that Bergeron played the final game of the championship series with a separated shoulder, torn cartilage in his ribcage, a broken rib and get this – a punctured lung! Having simply one of the above injuries would be enough for many to sit the game out.

We can safely say that Patrice Bergeron is an employee or contractor to his company, that being the Boston Bruins. In 2011 his company, the Bruins, had a mission and goal of winning the cup. The bottom line is that is their business, their entire focus or purpose for being in business. Patrice was unable to participate, being “off sick” as it were, but his company forged on without him. Ultimately, they achieved their success without him and they didn’t miss a beat. Was he missed? Most likely but the end result was that “the company” completed the job, regardless.

Fast forward to 2013. Once again, his company was moving forward toward their purpose of being champion with Patrice playing an integral role in the team’s(company’s) success. Let me say for the record that I have never met the man and have absolutely no way to know for sure what he was experiencing physically or mentally. I can however, tell you that I have had broken ribs, torn ligaments in my shoulder and experienced playing through pain in several championship series, albeit at a lower level of competition. I didn’t get paid to play, but I can relate to his desire to win and be a part of the team success. I have no doubt that he was completely committed to the team realizing their goal. He obviously was able to play through an excruciating amount of pain. He sacrificed himself and his body. Ultimately, his team came up short but it’s safe to say that Patrice gave 100% and laid it all on the line.

The question that begs to be answered is at what cost? He put himself in a position whereas in a worst-case scenario, he may have lost his life. Would that have been worth it? What would that have meant to those he left behind? Certainly there would have been many heartfelt, touching things said about him by fans along with his teammates. What about those who are really close to him away from his public life? Rest assured, the Boston Bruins would have moved on without him, much as they did in 2011. On a less dramatic scale, another question that surfaces is how did he affect the outcome by not being able to compete at 100% physically and quite likely, mentally? Did he help his team or hurt them and while in the process – himself?

Many of us follow sports as a form of entertainment, to have something to talk about over a beer after work, community spirit or perhaps something to take our minds off the stress of our day. Personally, I love them for some of these reasons but I have always been fascinated with the lessons they provide for our daily lives as well. In telling you this story, I invite you to consider some questions as you reflect on your own life. What is your commitment level to having personal as well as professional success? Do you give 100% on a consistent basis(acknowledging that what is 100% for you can vary from day to day)? How great is your desire to attain your goals? Are you sacrificing happiness & relationships on your path to success or are you loving the journey? What are you willing to endure? Do you play through the pain at the risk of your health or simply unwilling to put forth any extra effort at all in the midst of any sort of adversity or discomfort? Maybe you are simply going through the motions and simply existing. The question that truly sums it all up is what is the price that you are willing to pay in order to be a champion in your career and even more so, your life? Is it win at any cost or are you aligned with your values & your beliefs in relation to where you focus your time, energy and resources? How are you and your loved ones affected by your choices? I believe that it is of utmost importance that we all find the answer to these questions so that we can live the life we long for.

If any of this remotely resonates with you, I’d like to connect with you. I can help you get you on the path to where it is you’d like to go.

Mario Piché – The Career Change Conductor