John Addison, of Success Magazine, used this phrase in a video he created that 
advertises one of his courses. The phrase really stuck with me. How many times do we say to ourselves “I would like to become…” and then acted on that thought? John’s thoughts revolve around becoming a good (great) leader. When we are young, we often have thoughts about becoming a good reader, a bicycle rider, a good driver, a graduate. Why do we sometimes let that thought go when we grow older. Are we too busy? Are we too involved with the day to day events of our lives? What is sad is when we just seem to be biding our time before something else happens. We each have 24 hours per day. There are several books I want to read. If I have some “down time” between obligations, it would be good to have one of those books with me to read, or have it on CD to be able to listen while waiting in a vehicle. Some goals take longer than others. I have a goal to be the best father I can be, the boys are already fully grown, one has a family of his own, does that mean I can stop or am I still becoming a good father. When I was seven, I wanted to become a bicycle rider. My parents were planning all sorts of strategies, that would take some time. But I wanted to become a bicycle rider, so I just borrowed a friends bicycle and went down to the end of the street and started practicing. It took me several hours, but by that afternoon I was able to ride a bike. The same goes for learning how to program, I had designed and written several FORTRAN programs when I went back for my Masters in Computer Science. On the first day of class I was assigned five LISP programs to complete by Wednesday. LISP, unlike FORTRAN, is a recursive language (a routine can call itself without any ill side-effects). This was all on a terminal instead of Hollerith cards. It was fun two days, but since I had a specific goal, I did manage to complete the assignment.
Becoming takes a life-time. There are intermediate becoming(s), but they all add up to a lifetime of progress. One area that sidetracks us is our own thoughts. Sometimes we have a fear of failure, other times we have a fear of success, at other times we want to be perfect the first time we do something. Like when I learned how to ride a bicycle, being perfect the first time you try something is just about impossible. As a quote from the Get the Healthy Edge Program, for whom my wife is a coach, “progress not perfection” says that we need to make progress in order to eventually become the person we want to be. As we progress, there are tasks at which we can be perfect, but once we have mastered one goal, we need to move on to the next to keep learning and progressing.
As I talked about in my last post, in is always good to learn in as many ways as possible, including having a mentor. It is never too late to find a mentor who has become what you would like to become. Read, learn, listen. There are many ways to become the person you want to be. Keep learning and loving it. I know that when I have become the person I want to be, then I will truly become an human being. Best wishes for all the success you deserve.
Are there some days where you just say: “Boy, do I feel lucky to only be in a precarious position but what is the best way to move forward.” This could be for all sorts of reasons, from loss of a job through loss of health. Most cases do have a way out, but we need to use our heads (and hearts) to determine the best way forward. Asking a good friend for help or advice is a good way to help us determine a good path. They may have been through a similar situation before. They may be aware of options that of which we may not be aware. Use all the resources available to make the best possible decision in the time you have allotted. Most the time, there is enough time to do things right. But in certain circumstances a quick decision is required. What got me thinking about this was a picture I saw on Bing that was credited back to CNN.