When people talk about growing up and role models, it usually starts in the home.
My mom was my first and primary role model. Papa was a bit of a Rolling-Stone but my step-father was a role model too.
My first external role models were Arnold Schwarzenegger and Michael Jordan. I know what you’re thinking. Michael Jordan was pretty bad ass, that’s why he’s my guy. There was NO ONE at that time that was as fun to watch play basketball as Michael Jordan was.
But that’s not why I wanted to be like Mike.
As a teen I watched his video Come Fly With Me and he talked about being in “the zone”. My young self had heard about the the zone but I didn’t think it was real. It’s like Big Foot. You can’t prove he exists but you wouldn’t be surprised if he was really out there either.
Well, Jordan talked about being in the zone and he said when he is on his game the rim doubles in size like big bucket and he can’t miss. When he’s in this ‘zone’ he’s unstoppable.
If I didn’t see Jordan virtually unstoppable in so many different instances I may not have taken him so seriously. But maybe he’s on to something?
Then came Schwarzenegger.
As a teen—younger than I was at the time, Schwarzenegger said he was going to be like Reg Park and use bodybuilding as his path to become an actor. He set goals to be Mr. Universe, move to America, become a movie star, and marry a Kennedy.
He did all those things by the way…
Since Michael Jordan is 6’6”, height well suited to excel in NBA basketball. And Schwarzenegger was born with a frame able to pack on massive amounts of muscle to be Mr. Universe (and later Mr. Olympia). Their success must be due to gifts.
I’m not that lucky.
God only gives talent to the few.
Maybe she’s born with it, maybe it’s Maybelline.
I don’t know. Or do I?
In Wayne Dyer’s audio for There Is a Spiritual Solution to Every Problem he talked about the book Power Vs. Force and genius. He said genius isn’t something you’re born with, it’s something you tap into.
The author of Power Vs. Force is David Hawkins. Hawkins wrote:
“Recognized geniuses may be rare, but Genius resides within all of us… Consciousness is a universal quality, like the quality of physicality. Because genius is a characteristic of consciousness, genius is also universal. That which is universal is, therefore, theoretically available to every man.”
Everyone is born with different gifts. You could take voice lessons from now till the day you die and could never sing as good Mariah Carey. You could play chess for 10 hours a day for a decade and never get as good as Bobby Fischer was.
But you can tap into genius and be amazing at what you do! You can ride that wave of passion and creativity much more often than you think. Honestly I think we’d all be connected to genius much more often if we would just stop blocking it.
This is why solutions come in the shower.
Or while driving.
Or while walking.
When you relax your mind or aren’t focused on problems, the right solutions can come in.
My wife has rescued animals all of her life. And in recent years she’s worked with animal rescues. So often I see them waste their time whining and complaining about people and animal cruelty.
Animal abuse sucks but the best solutions to problems can’t reach you when you’re whiney, bitchy, and complainy. You’re like Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs but you’re the Seven Dwarfs that no one wants to be around.
But here’s the rub.
Genius doesn’t want to be around you either.
Adam