The Mechanical Bull

As much as you would like more money, a hotter girlfriend, a long vacation, fame, muscles, health, good looks and a rewarding career….right now! Realize this. You only have right now. This is it. This is your life. This is the result of all your hard work, decisions, and dreams.

Are you at a desk? In a café? On your smartphone?

Right now you are reading this blog because you’re looking for an answer, escaping your hum-drum, procrastinating…or you just like my blog. But when you’re finished this article, you will still be right here, right now.

Many of you have big plans for the future. You’re working on it. A little bit here, a little bit there. A few days ago you said hello to a pretty woman at Starbucks. Yesterday you went to the gym. Soon, maybe, you plan to ask your boss for a raise.

You’re working on it.

Five years ago you were working on it.

Five years from now you will be working on it.

There’s really nothing else to do but work on it. But can you stay with your goal? Do you have a goal?

I was at a bar the other night, teaching a bootcamp. Inside the bar they had a mechanical bull. I was watching the hot young girls ride this beast, their bosoms heaving, their hips swinging back and forth until they inevitably got tossed. It was quite sexy.

Then a young guy got on the bull. People were cheering him on, but he didn’t look at the crowd, or even smile. His focus was completely present, on the task at hand. The bull started out slow and then increased in speed and rhythm. He rode that damn bull to the end. The crowd went crazy. He walked off that bull and every man and woman gave him respect.

If you really want to achieve something, you need to ride that bull. Stay on the damn beast and don’t let go. The beast is your goals, your hopes, your dreams. The people that fall off the bull don’t really fall, they let go. Most people will never even get on the bull, never mind ride it into submission.

They let go

Not fall off

They let go

Because they’re afraid of the pain. They’re afraid of embarrassment. They’re afraid of effort.

When you fall off, you keep one hand on that bastard, and haul yourself back on. Because if you really want to achieve something big, you’re going to get hurt anyway. That’s part of the game. All that matters is what you do right now.

Get back on the damn bull and stay on it.