PICK UP YOUR OAR AND START ROWING By Michael T. Smith

MY FRIDAY STORY PICK UP YOUR OAR AND START ROWING By Michael T. Smith My boss, two co-workers and I stood behind the hard plastic seats. We were in the front section, on the first-base line at Shea Stadium, home of the New York Mets. We were so close to the infield, there was a protective net over our heads. I was new to the New York City area and had never been to Shea Stadium. These were dream seats. My heart pounded with excitement. We stood with our umbrellas held high. The rain beat down on everything around us. It bounced off the seats and quickly formed deep puddles on the cover protecting the field. "Steve," I asked my boss, "How did you get such great seats?" "They came from Ed at the office. His dad is a blind sports writer and has a long- standing relationship with the Mets and Yankees." The game was called due to rain. We left the stadium disappointed. On the long subway ride back to Jersey City, I wondered about the man behind the seats. How could a man be blind and be a sports writer? Years have passed since that rainy night. Old friends back in Canada often ask me, "Mike, have gone to a baseball game in New York yet?" I say to them, "I've been to a few, but let me tell you about the best seats I ever had but couldn't use." Whenever this happens, the memory of that night comes flashing back. I wonder about the blind sports writer. What was his story? It had to be special. I sat at my computer one night. An email popped into my in-box. I didn't recognize the return address. The subject line said, "Inspirational SI article about my dad, Ed Lucas." I was curious. I opened the email. It was from a gentleman sending me a clip of a story written by Steve Rushin for Sports Illustrated. It was a wonderful read about a special man. Through the article and the man who sent it to me, I learned the full story. The following is a synopsis: Twelve-year-old Ed Lucas ran home from his school in Jersey City. It was October 3, 1951. He arrived in time to see Bobby Thomson win the pennant for his favorite team, the New York Giants. After the game, Ed ran out to play ball with his friends. During the game, Ed was hit between the eyes by a line drive. The force of the blow detached both retinas, leaving Ed permanently blind. Ed became depressed. His mother, Rosanna, took matters into her own hands and took Ed to a Newark, New Jersey men's store. There, she introduced him to Phil Rizzuto, a part-time employee of the store and a Yankee star. Phil befriended Ed. Rosanna wasn't done yet. She wrote the Giants Manager, Leo Durocher, about her son. Leo asked her to bring Ed to, what was then called, the Polo Grounds. On June 14, 1952, young Ed sat in the clubhouse with the members of the Giants. It was the beginning of a special relationship. Ed enrolled in St. Joseph's School for the Blind in Jersey City. The nuns were demanding. Ed learned to make his bed and match his clothes. If he whined about being blind and not being able to do what other kids could, Sister Anthony Marie was quoted saying, "Isn't that a shame? We're all in the same boat here, Ed. Pick up your oar and start rowing." Ed enrolled in university to study communication arts. He worked hard. He knew no other way. The nuns had made sure of that. He graduated in 1962 and became a regular in the Shea and Yankee Stadium press boxes, where he interviewed the players. Years later, a young Mets rookie, Ron Swoboda, took Ed by the hand. Together they walked the warning track around the field. Ed traced his fingers along the outfield wall. His fingers, sensitive to reading Braille, seemed to read the history of the park. Every dent, scratch and chip he touched meant something to him. Later that year, Ed married. He and his wife had two sons - Eddie and Chris. Sadly, at a very young age, their mother left forever. Ed had to raise his two sons alone. With the strength he learned years ago at St. Joseph's, Ed took on the task. He taught his sons to be strong. It was not uncommon for the two young boys to see Billy Martin in their home. "Huge stars like Mickey Mantle would tell me my dad was their hero," Chris was quoted as saying. Years later, a friend came to Ed and told him about a nurse, Allison Pfeifle, whose detached retina left her legally blind and unable to continue her profession. He asked Ed to speak to her. Ed and Allison talked on the phone for many years before meeting in person. They were baseball fanatics and spent their first date at Shea Stadium. On March 10, 2006, at Yankee Stadium, Allison walked from the dugout to home plate and became Ed's new bride. With his two sons at his side, Ed started a new life, at the place he holds so dear, and with the woman who captured his heart. Ed, now 68, was quoted saying, "Baseball took my sight, but it also gave me my life." *********************** I sat in shock. Could it be? I mailed Chris back and told him about the seats we couldn't use that rainy night. He confirmed, his father was the man who provided those unused seats. Chris told me later, "They are the first couple in the 80 year history of the stadium to have the honor of marrying there." I finally knew the story. It was sure worth waiting for. Michael T Smith ABOUT THE AUTHOR Michael lives in Caldwell, Idaho with his wonderful wife Ginny. He writes in his spare time and is completing a collection of his stories to be called, “From My Heart to Yours.” Michael writes inspirational stories in his spare time. To read more of Michael's stories or to contact him, go to http://ourecho.com/biography-353-Michael-Timothy-Smith.shtml#stories Sent to you as a courtesy of... Your friends at AsAManThinketh.net For a free eBook of James Allens classic: http://www.AsAManThinketh.net

The Seven Deadly Roadblocks to Success by Chris Widener

The Seven Deadly Roadblocks to Success by Chris Widener

When traveling down the road it is always good to beware of roadblocks! You don't want to crash and burn do you? The same is true in our journey toward success. We need to beware of those things that will keep us from our destination!

What are the most common? Here they are:

1. Fear. Fear is one of the worst enemies of success. When fear wraps its tentacles around you and keeps you in bondage, you will never be able to reach for your dreams. We must confront our fears, see them for what they are, toss them to the side, and pursue our dreams with relentless passion. Conquering fear and stepping forward to reach new lands and new ideas is what makes success possible. What are you afraid of today? What fear must you conquer to be able to achieve your dream? When you realize what it is, take an action that is diametrically opposed to that which you fear. This will confront and conquer the fear by giving you the first step in the right direction.

2. Lethargy. Quite frankly, what keeps most people from success is that they simply don't have the energy, or make the energy, to do what it takes to move to the next level. They get to a point that is comfortable and then they settle in for a nice, lifelong nap! Don't get lethargic; get going! Force yourself to wake up from the slumber and move!

3. Lack of perseverance. Oftentimes the race is lost because the race is not finished. Success is often just around the sharpest corner or the steepest hill. Persevere. Keep going. One more hill. One more corner! In real estate they say the three most important things are "location, location, location." In success the three most important things are "perseverance, perseverance, perseverance."

4. Pessimism. The saying is that you can achieve what you believe. Ask yourself what kinds of beliefs you hold. Are you an optimist or a pessimist? If you don't believe that you can achieve then you won't. Your pessimism will prove yourself right every time. You will find that you subconsciously undermine yourself. Develop your optimism. Look for ways to believe that you can achieve success.

5. Not taking responsibility. I am the chaplain for the local police department. The other day I went with an officer as he took two prisoners to court. Time after time the prisoners made excuses as to why they hadn't yet done what the judge had ordered (she didn't buy it, by the way). After dropping the prisoners off, I said to the officer that unsuccessful people and prisoners have the same bad habit—they won't accept responsibility for their lives. You are responsible. When you accept that, you are on the road to success.

6. Picking the wrong people to hang out with. We can easily become products of our environment. This is why it is essential to hang around people who will spur you on, not hold you back! What about the people you have surrounded yourself with? Are they quality people who will encourage you and strengthen you in your quest for success? If not, move on!

7. No vision. Those who succeed always see their success months and years before they live it. They have the ability to look ahead, see the future, imagine the good that can and will come from their lives, families and work. To not have vision is a tremendous roadblock. Sit down and work on seeing the future—and make it good!

"What would be pitiful is if your income grew but you didn't."- Jim Rohn

Your Net-worth will never rise above your self-worth.

Tony Robbins Little Changes Mean A Lot! Change One Action, One Bad Habit!

KEEP YOUR TANK FULL!

Keep Your Tank Full!
Fired Up Jim Hammons 2011 Success Tip #7. Keep you tank full. If you drive car until your gas tank is empty you run out of gas and end up on the side of the road or the middle of traffic. So in order not to run out of gas you periodically take time to stop into a gas station and fill your tank up with gas.

The same analogy works for your physical body, 2-3 times per day you take the time to stop and eat food which is fuel for your body. Like the car if you don't put the fuel in your body than you literally run out of gas "energy" you get tired and sluggish and you want to pull over and take a rest or sleep.

Which brings to another tank that you need to keep fueled up and that’s the tank of your mind your mental tank. Especially being an entrepreneur, business owner etc. It's imperative that you feed your mental fuel tank so that you can stay sharp, focus and on top of your game. Life its self can be very stressful add on to that the demands that your work and career add to it and its not a good situation. The fact is though this is the most neglected tank and the one that most often runs on empty. Mostly due to ignorance, people just don't know how or where to get the information or maybe they know but they just don't believe in self motivation or personal development and third, they know how and where they just do not take the time to fill their mental tank.

My suggestion if you are in the third category is that you set your alarm clock if you still use one I personally do not I wake up when I'm finished sleeping which is normally way before most people set their alarms for anyway! But set your alarm 30 minutes earlier and after your inspirational time which is spiritual time whatever that means or is to you take 20 to 30 minutes to read or listen to a positive self improvement or personal development book or cd program. If you have no material books or cds I'm about to give you a tip on how you can get started absolutely for free at once.
Google search or You Tube search the key words motivation or personal development, or for leaders and trainers who you now the names of like, Jim Rohn, Tony Robbins , John C. Maxwell, Zig Ziglar, Tom Hopkins, Harvey McKay and you will find a plethora of great articles videos etc. Also you can visit my web show for videos from some of my personal favorite leaders, trainers and speakers on these subjects!
I hope this helps and is of value to you, I personally have been on a 25 plus year journey or self improvement and personal development and still continue everyday on my journey! I wish you great success and happiness in all that you choose to endeavor.
Stay Fired Up^^^Fired Up Jim Hammons