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Your Ultimate Finish Strong Countdown Challenge. It is always motivating to see what can happen when someone makes up their mind to really go for it. Challenging ourselves is one of the most powerful ways I know to harness hidden abilities that would not have surfaced otherwise.
Would you like to unlock your potential, overcome seemingly impossible obstacles, and blow through your personal or professional barriers? If so, then here’s a true story that will light your fires.
Fortitude and determination
We’ve all heard of the Tour de France. Without a doubt it is one of the toughest, most grueling bike races in the world. One hundred and thirty-eight racers take 21 days to cover over 2000 miles.
Think about the degree of fortitude and determination needed to complete a race of this magnitude, let alone to actually win. This is exactly the kind of challenge that reveals the incredible untapped potential we all have, but rarely plug into. Well, this guy did!
Against all odds
In 1989 US cyclist Greg LeMond was 50 seconds behind the leader, going into the final leg on the final day of the race. Who was the rider ahead of Greg? He was Frenchman Laurent Fignon, a two-time Tour de France winner. But that’s not the half of it.
Fignon came to the 1989 Tour de France in the best condition of his career. He had just won the 1989 Giro d’Italia and was ready to claim his third TdF championship. Greg LeMond on the other hand, was trying to make a racing comeback after a near death hunting accident two years earlier.
He had a goal and he was totally focused
A 50 second lead in this final leg of the race was considered insurmountable. In the minds of the spectators (and the leader), the race was already over. No one, including Fignon, ever dreamed that LeMond could close the gap. It was considered impossible!
To make it even more unlikely, LeMond still had 38 shotgun pellets in his body, including some in the lining of his heart from that hunting accident two years earlier. He had made a remarkable showing and it would have been a major victory for him to just go through the motions and hang on to second place.
He didn’t care about the odds, he came to win
Just like you and me, Greg LeMond believes in the power of focus and a strong finish. His goal was to win, period. Greg attacked this final stage of the race with everything he had, putting his full and undivided focus into the task at hand.
As you might have guessed, Greg not only overcame the 50 second difference, he went on to win that day with an 8 second lead. The margin of victory was the closest in Tour history.
What made the difference?
Greg LeMond was willing to dig down deep to recruit all of his inner resources, and then apply laser sharp focus to a strong finish. Meanwhile, his defeated opponent had taken his victory for granted and just kept doing what he had always done.
Greg is a strong believer in the value of having a game plan in place, and the importance of making a strong finish, and so am I. How about you? With the proper motivation, and a good game plan, what could you accomplish?
Would you like to find out?
September 20th is an important day for me because it begins the final 100 day countdown for this year. That means that on September 20 the first 265 days of this year will be ancient history, and the only part of the year that will matter will be those final 100 days.
What did you intend to accomplish this year that hasn’t happened yet? Whatever it is, there is still enough time if you have a good game plan in place and shoot for a strong finish like Greg LeMond did. If you continue doing what you did for the first 265 days, where will you be when the year is over? Will you be feeling victorious over all that you’ve accomplished, or will you feel disappointed?
The ultimate finish strong countdown challenge
If you are a long time reader of Advanced Life Skills, then you already know that I like to challenge myself this time of year and really focus on a strong finish. This year I have decided to ramp up my efforts exponentially and I would love to have you join me. Let’s do amazing things together!
Here’s my plan. I’m so impressed with Gary Ryan Blair’s 100 Day Challenge, that I’ll be using it to finish the year stronger than ever before. I love this program because it helps you line everything out and get really clear on what you are going to accomplish. Then it provides the perfect blend of daily motivation, accountability, and focus to see you through so you can finish strong. It’s got everything you need to unleash your potential, finish strong, and accomplish amazing things.
Let’s make this a life transforming experience
As you can tell, I am pumped to push aside all the obstacles and do something extraordinary. Let’s get some energy going here and encourage each other to get focused and to get busy. Mark your calendar for September 20, take a serious look at the 100 Day challenge, and start making a list of five goals you want to accomplish during the challenge.
Warning: don’t think small or hold yourself back, that won’t inspire you to dig down deep to recruit all of your inner resources, or apply laser sharp focus to a strong finish. You need to think big and get ready to pull out all the stops. Let’s all be able to look back on this year from the winners circle and say I did something truly amazing.
