Everyday, in every place I visit or pass by, I cannot believe the number of
people that just seem to go through the motions without as much as a thought
of putting effort into their actions. People are out there living life
without an edge. These are the people that will complain about aspects of
their day in which they have no control and then make up excuses for their
lack of production. In whatever you do, work or play, you have to have an
Edge! You have to Bring IT! "Bring WHAT?", you ask? Bring "IT"! "It" is what gives you your EDGE. "It" is a combination of Attitude, Focus,
Passion, Determination and Courage. "It" is what fuels your fire, that
which puts you ahead of your competition. "It" is what keeps on top of your
game. Think back to the 2002 Winter Olympics. Do you all remember the
Canadian Women's Hockey Team? There was a team that was Bringing It! They
had Attitude, Focus, Passion, Determination & Courage. Those five things
are the ingredients to success! Those five ingredients separate the Average
from the Champions. Let's talk about Attitude first. Attitude is something you get to choose
every morning when you wake up. You can choose to be grumpy or upset, you
can choose to be lazy and waste the day away, or you can choose to be happy
and make the most of your day. You cannot choose the fact that people will
react in certain ways, some will look out at the gorgeous sunny morning and
point out a cloud somewhere in the sky. You can't help that. What you CAN
do is play the cards you have, and that is the attitude card. Attitude is
more important than facts, the past, education, training, memory,
circumstances, failures, successes and more important than what people say
or do. It is more important than appearance, talent or skill. Attitude can
make or break a person, team, company, or family. I live by the saying "10%
of life is what happens to me, and 90% is how I choose to react to it". You
are in charge of your attitude. Choose the right one. You may not WANT to
go to work everyday, or school, or the gym. But, you have to be there
anyway, make the most of it. Coming of eight straight losses to the USA in
2002, Team Canada's women could have chosen to be grumpy or upset, how dare
the hockey Gods make them play the Americans again. But they were not
influenced by the past, they CHOSE to compete. That was their attitude
choice for the day. The second ingredient of your Edge is Focus. Focus is being present at
every moment of the day. Sure you'll have moments when you fall asleep, or
daydream. Every second you are "away" is a second lost. The key is to
bring yourself back. Bring back your focus. Be there for yourself, for
your team, for your family and for your colleagues. There may be times when
you are lost thinking about the fight you just had with your spouse, or the
chance you missed eight years ago in overtime, or the party you will be
going to this weekend. Forget all that, because at the moment YOU ARE
HERE!! You need to focus on the present. Focus on the now. Flashback
again to 2002. Remember all the penalties that the American ref handed our
team? They played shorthanded for MOST of the game, a game against an
opponent that had won eight straight games when we played at full-strength.
Our girls could have used that as an excuse and surely it would have been a
valid one at that. They could have lost focus and let frustration get the
better of them. They didn't. They kept their composure, because they kept
their focus. The third part of your Edge is Passion. So many times we see people just
going through the motions. It happens in sports, it happens in life, and it
happens at work. If you can't get passionate about what you are doing,
don't do it. You are doing and injustice to yourself and your teammates
(whether they be colleagues or family). You have to want it. How many
times have you watched a hockey game and seen a player skate up and down the
wing not wanting to touch the puck or anyone on the ice? Don't these
players have any adrenaline running through their body? Get Passionate.
Get a life, a pulse. Let us know you're alive. Show us that you're in the
game. If you can't be passionate about what you are doing, it's not worth
doing. If you looked into each players' eyes during that final game in
2002, you would have seen the Passion. You would have seen how much they
wanted that Gold Medal. That was Passion in its truest form. The fourth ingredient is Determination. Even with all other factors going
for you, if you don't have determination, you won't succeed. No matter what
the obstacles are, what the hurdles are, you need determination to see the
job through. The women were determined to win the gold medal. The
penalties, the eight straight losses, the formidable opponent, these were
obstacles or hurdles. Determination was how they overcame them. The final part of the puzzle is Courage. Courage is imperative in your
drive to succeed. You have to be able to handle all situations with
courage. If you don't have courage, your fight is over before it begins.
It took a lot of courage to stand up to the bigger, stronger, faster
American team. It took courage to fall in front of slap shots while killing
penalties, and it took courage to play short one skater for almost the
entire game. At !work, rest or play, you need Courage! So there you have it. The magic formula for success. BRINGING IT =
Attitude + Focus + Passion + Determination + Courage. Choose the right
attitude, stay focused, be passionate, be determined to persevere, and have
the courage to make decisions! Just BRING IT everyday, and you'll never
look back. The 2002 Canadian Women's Olympic team exemplified Bringing IT.
By doing so, they brought home the Gold. How many of you are prepared to
"Bring IT" on a daily basis? How many of you will choose not to? The
rewards are there for the taking, so don't let them slip away. You owe it
to yourself to succeed. Find your Edge. It starts with you choosing your
attitude! If you're going to go through life anyway, don't choose to be
Average, choose to be a Champion! Choose wisely. Now get out there and
BRING IT!! Asif Khan, Realtor Re/Max All-Stars Realty Inc.
people that just seem to go through the motions without as much as a thought
of putting effort into their actions. People are out there living life
without an edge. These are the people that will complain about aspects of
their day in which they have no control and then make up excuses for their
lack of production. In whatever you do, work or play, you have to have an
Edge! You have to Bring IT! "Bring WHAT?", you ask? Bring "IT"! "It" is what gives you your EDGE. "It" is a combination of Attitude, Focus,
Passion, Determination and Courage. "It" is what fuels your fire, that
which puts you ahead of your competition. "It" is what keeps on top of your
game. Think back to the 2002 Winter Olympics. Do you all remember the
Canadian Women's Hockey Team? There was a team that was Bringing It! They
had Attitude, Focus, Passion, Determination & Courage. Those five things
are the ingredients to success! Those five ingredients separate the Average
from the Champions. Let's talk about Attitude first. Attitude is something you get to choose
every morning when you wake up. You can choose to be grumpy or upset, you
can choose to be lazy and waste the day away, or you can choose to be happy
and make the most of your day. You cannot choose the fact that people will
react in certain ways, some will look out at the gorgeous sunny morning and
point out a cloud somewhere in the sky. You can't help that. What you CAN
do is play the cards you have, and that is the attitude card. Attitude is
more important than facts, the past, education, training, memory,
circumstances, failures, successes and more important than what people say
or do. It is more important than appearance, talent or skill. Attitude can
make or break a person, team, company, or family. I live by the saying "10%
of life is what happens to me, and 90% is how I choose to react to it". You
are in charge of your attitude. Choose the right one. You may not WANT to
go to work everyday, or school, or the gym. But, you have to be there
anyway, make the most of it. Coming of eight straight losses to the USA in
2002, Team Canada's women could have chosen to be grumpy or upset, how dare
the hockey Gods make them play the Americans again. But they were not
influenced by the past, they CHOSE to compete. That was their attitude
choice for the day. The second ingredient of your Edge is Focus. Focus is being present at
every moment of the day. Sure you'll have moments when you fall asleep, or
daydream. Every second you are "away" is a second lost. The key is to
bring yourself back. Bring back your focus. Be there for yourself, for
your team, for your family and for your colleagues. There may be times when
you are lost thinking about the fight you just had with your spouse, or the
chance you missed eight years ago in overtime, or the party you will be
going to this weekend. Forget all that, because at the moment YOU ARE
HERE!! You need to focus on the present. Focus on the now. Flashback
again to 2002. Remember all the penalties that the American ref handed our
team? They played shorthanded for MOST of the game, a game against an
opponent that had won eight straight games when we played at full-strength.
Our girls could have used that as an excuse and surely it would have been a
valid one at that. They could have lost focus and let frustration get the
better of them. They didn't. They kept their composure, because they kept
their focus. The third part of your Edge is Passion. So many times we see people just
going through the motions. It happens in sports, it happens in life, and it
happens at work. If you can't get passionate about what you are doing,
don't do it. You are doing and injustice to yourself and your teammates
(whether they be colleagues or family). You have to want it. How many
times have you watched a hockey game and seen a player skate up and down the
wing not wanting to touch the puck or anyone on the ice? Don't these
players have any adrenaline running through their body? Get Passionate.
Get a life, a pulse. Let us know you're alive. Show us that you're in the
game. If you can't be passionate about what you are doing, it's not worth
doing. If you looked into each players' eyes during that final game in
2002, you would have seen the Passion. You would have seen how much they
wanted that Gold Medal. That was Passion in its truest form. The fourth ingredient is Determination. Even with all other factors going
for you, if you don't have determination, you won't succeed. No matter what
the obstacles are, what the hurdles are, you need determination to see the
job through. The women were determined to win the gold medal. The
penalties, the eight straight losses, the formidable opponent, these were
obstacles or hurdles. Determination was how they overcame them. The final part of the puzzle is Courage. Courage is imperative in your
drive to succeed. You have to be able to handle all situations with
courage. If you don't have courage, your fight is over before it begins.
It took a lot of courage to stand up to the bigger, stronger, faster
American team. It took courage to fall in front of slap shots while killing
penalties, and it took courage to play short one skater for almost the
entire game. At !work, rest or play, you need Courage! So there you have it. The magic formula for success. BRINGING IT =
Attitude + Focus + Passion + Determination + Courage. Choose the right
attitude, stay focused, be passionate, be determined to persevere, and have
the courage to make decisions! Just BRING IT everyday, and you'll never
look back. The 2002 Canadian Women's Olympic team exemplified Bringing IT.
By doing so, they brought home the Gold. How many of you are prepared to
"Bring IT" on a daily basis? How many of you will choose not to? The
rewards are there for the taking, so don't let them slip away. You owe it
to yourself to succeed. Find your Edge. It starts with you choosing your
attitude! If you're going to go through life anyway, don't choose to be
Average, choose to be a Champion! Choose wisely. Now get out there and
BRING IT!! Asif Khan, Realtor Re/Max All-Stars Realty Inc.