Jack Choros: No Matter What Make An Impact, Part 3

Last week in Part 1 of my conversation with Jack Choros, who was born with a physical disability called cerebral palsy, Jack shared with us his goals for 2015. In Part 2 he shared his big dream of working with a professional team in The National Hockey League (NHL). 

Today Jack share his amazing story climbing the 1776 steps of the CN Tower and an important lesson he learned from a chance meeting with a former professional ice hockey goaltender on a Go Transit train ride.

Tell Us About Your CN Tower Climb

In the spring of 2010, I decided to climb the CN Tower for the World Wild Life Fund. A few months before that I had been going through a difficult time while trying to find a career after graduating from university.

I wanted to do something that would light a fire under me and inspire me and also make a difference to others. I thought in my head that it would be a pretty cool idea to climb the CN Tower not only to raise money, but because growing up I had always been labeled as somebody who couldn’t walk.

So to climb 1,776 steps of the CN Tower and have the accomplishment broadcast on TV and in newspapers was just my way of trying to inspire others. It was also a feel good moment…It felt really, really awesome doing something good!

I figured if people saw the story maybe they would stop saying things like I could not walk. Self-confidence is a big issue for persons with disabilities, especially when they’re young and in school. While most adults probably won’t admit it to themselves, the exclusion and the teasing that comes with growing up actually stay with you into your adult years and convince you that you’re not good enough.

So when people watch my CN Tower climb, especially kids with disabilities I want them to know they can accomplish any goal they set their minds to. Most importantly I want children with disabilities to know that what other people think of them doesn’t have to be their reality and they should be confident and have big dreams.

Tell us the story about Shawn

I was on a Go Transit train heading towards Oshawa getting ready to ring in 2014 on New Year’s Eve with my best friend and company. On the train I met this guy named Shawn. He looked big and athletic. At first glance he intrigued me.

It just so happened that I was really excited thinking about all of my New Year’s resolutions. I wanted to get more involved in the sports industry in 2014. I had my headphones on and my nose buried in a Sports Illustrated magazine reading a feature on Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson.

After a few minutes had passed I noticed that Shawn was in a pretty steady conversation with the Go Transit operator, whom to this day I actually still bump into once in a while at Toronto Raptors NBA Basketball games. They were both talking about how they were involved in sports. Initially I could not hear what they were talking about because I was in my own world. However, I overheard the Go Transit operator talking about how he has a part-time job doing security for the Toronto Raptors and that the team once took him on a road trip. Within a few minutes I hear Shawn talking about how he used to be a hockey player and that he played professionally.

With 2014 approaching and being excited about getting involved in sports I thought to myself “this must be the law of attraction at work.” At that point, I decided to get involved in the conversation. As I got talking to Shawn I realized that something didn’t add up. He was a professional ice hockey goaltender and who had made it to a hockey league in Europe. Yet he was sitting inside the wheelchair accessible partition on the Go Train and when he would speak to me I noticed that he would stutter repeatedly then apologize after every sentence he finished. Because I grew up with a physical disability I normally don’t like to ask people about their own physical challenges as I understand how annoying it can be to be asked on a regular basis, but in this case I couldn’t help it.

Shawn told me that one day in the middle of his playing career, he got attacked by two strangers with a sledgehammer and that he nearly died. The attacked left him with permanent brain damage. Shawn was actually coming home from a regular hospital visit when I met him on the Go Train. Since his attack he has had constant issues with bleeding in his brain.

I will never forget Shawn and even after meeting him I sought him out on social media and realized that he was just as confident and enthusiastic as any athlete I’ve ever been around and yet his whole life changed and he became so quiet, so humble and in the way so remorseful for having been through so much as if it was his fault.

I think about him all the time how lucky I am to be able to speak and pursue my goals. Shawn reminded me that if you know you have the physical, mental and vocal ability to send a message to the world it’s your responsibility to use everything you’ve been given and make the impact you were meant to make, and become the person that you are meant to become.

What inspires you?

What can you do to inspire someone?

What message do you have to share?

Building Bridges for Success

Last week Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk, founder of Space X and chief executive of Tesla Motors, tweeted he would build a test track for a Hyperloop transport system most likely in Texas. The track will be for companies and students to test out their pods. He also tweeted that he is thinking of having an annual hyperloop pod racer like Formula SAE, a student design competition organized by SAE International.

Mr Musk who is also the founder of PayPal, first announced plans for the Hyperloop in August 2013. The plan is an ambitious one which he envisages the system could transport passengers between Los Angeles and San Francisco in less than 30 minutes thanks to an innovative design that Musk has described as a cross between Concorde, a railgun and an air hockey table. His announcement last has taken us a step closer to the realities of a transport system that could theoretically travel at speeds of up to 700 miles per hour. Essentially, passengers would sit in cars that were then fired down a tube which had had most of its air removed. A system of magnets would accelerate and brake the capsules, and also keep them from touching the sides of the tube.

Picture for a moment living in a city where our homes are connected tubes that are then linked to a main tube that leads to central location. For example, I live in the Heartlake area of Brampton, rather than getting into my car and head south on the 410 to get to Toronto I would instead jump in my pod and rocket off Toronto Union Station. At speed of up to 700 miles per hour, I would be in Toronto Union Station in no time.

The announcement by Elon Musk had me thinking about success and how important it is to build bridges for success. There are three important lessons for success that I take away from Elon Musk’s announcement. They are:

Share your Vision

In building bridges for success it is imperative that you share your vision with others. The purpose of this is to engage our others in sharing and making your vision come to fruition. We note that Elon Musk first made the announcement of his audacious hyperloop from as far back as August 2013 during a Google-sponsored event with fellow entrepreneur and space explorer Richard Branson. He noted "You want the future to be better than the past – or at least I do, quite a bit."

To build bridges for success you have to share your vision with others. Have you shared your vision for 2015? Who have you share it with?

We cannot do it alone

In order to be successful we need the help of others. We cannot get to the top alone. We have to create strategic alliances with others who can help us along the path. Our connections can help us deepen our skill set and acquire additional resources that we need to succeed. Elon Musk recognises that building the Hyperloop by itself will not be enough to bring his dream of hyperloop transport system into reality. It is for this reason he is thinking about a Hyperloop pod racer for companies and students similar to Formula SAE. This is will continue to fuel research into technology and system that could one day be economically viable. Currently, there are some 100 engineers from across the US are working on the development of the system. However, they are at least 10 years away from a commercially operating Hyperloop.

Who would you like to help you make your dream a reality?

3. What will it take?

You have to know or at least have an idea of what it will take to turn you dream into reality. Mr Musk said that a passenger-only model would cost about $6bn and that a prototype would take three or four years to complete. Already there is a crowd-funded California-based project - Hyperloop Transportation Technologies - that has begun thinking about how such a system could be constructed, although they have not yet produced a working prototype.

What is your dream? What’s your vision? What will it take to turn your vision into reality?

May I encourage your to build bridges for success. Remember your objective should be to enhance your confidence, skills and success. The bridges you build for success should provide you with a platform to face challenges and barriers. It should give you the opportunity to experience a happy life and the fruits of success.

Mark McKenzie is a leading Subject Matter Expert in financial services regulation and supervision as well as a professional motivational speaker, corporate trainer and youth mentor.  He can be contacted by email mastbmckenzie@gmail.com or by telephone 647-406-4622. Read my blog http://mastbmckenzie.blogspot.ca/ and always write me a comment and share. Follow me on Twitter @mackynacky. Connect with me on www.youtube.com, Google+, Facebook and Linkedin.

Jack Choros: I Can Win With My Brain, Part 2

Yesterday in Part 1 of my conversation with Jack Choros, who was born with a physical disability called cerebral palsy, Jack shared with us his goals for 2015 and how he is honing his technical writing skills and building his business network.

Many of us have big dreams but we fail to take the first step to turn our dreams into reality. Today in Part 2 Jack tells us about his big dream of working with a professional team in The National Hockey League (NHL). To accomplish his goal, he volunteers for a Junior A hockey team in Mississauga to learn as much as he can about the game.

Jack is not discouraged by the fact that when he was in school he never got picked to play on any sport teams. To the contrary he has wholeheartedly embraced the encouragement of Mrs. Bell, one of his elementary school’s teachers. When he was six years old Mrs. Bell told Jack very bluntly that he would never win a championship in hockey with his legs but he could with his brain.

Today, Jack is hopeful that by boosting his knowledge of hockey and becoming proficient in hockey analytics and statistics that is used to evaluate players’ performances he will one day make to the NHL. His ultimate dream is to win the Stanley Cup as a general manager for professional team in the NHL. Eleanor Roosevelt said “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” Jack is clearly a man who believes in the beauty of his dream to one day work with a professional hockey team in the NHL.

Please enjoy reading my conversation with Jack Choros. I hope you are inspired. I also hope you too can be a source of encouragement and motivation for Jack on his journey to the NHL.

In what specific capacity would you like to work with a professional hockey team? Why professional hockey? Where does your passion for hockey come from?

In terms of working in the hockey business, I’ve always dreamed of winning the Stanley Cup as a team general manager. These days in order to become the general manager of a team, you either need to have competed previously as a player at a professional level or worked your way up by proving your value in hockey analytics (which is the analysis of hockey statistics as indicators of performance), as a talent scout who watches and analyzes teams and games at lower levels, or be a former player agent who is well-versed in sports law or collective bargaining and labour relations.

In this day and age, hockey analytics and stats are being used in coordination with one another in order to evaluate players and that is where I hope to make an impact and work my way up. I currently volunteer for the Mississauga Chargers, a Junior A hockey team. I am also exploring opportunities with their Ontario Hockey League affiliate the Mississauga Steelheads about how I can help them succeed and also advance my career prospects. I have a lot to learn about both scouting and statistical analysis and I believe these are great stepping-stones for me along the path to success.

As far as where my passion for hockey came from, I had always wanted to be like the boys and participate in sports growing up. However, I never had the opportunity to participate in sports at school the way I wanted to, partially because I was physically limited and also because other kids would exclude me from activities. I then realized that if I wanted to fit in I would have to know a lot about sports, so seeing as how we live in Canada I gravitated towards the game of hockey.

When I was six years old, I was in the gym one time with my teaching assistant Mrs. Bell and I looked up at the championship banners on the walls of our elementary school. I told her that one day I was going to win one of those banners and help a team win. She mentioned that I wouldn’t be able to do it with my legs but I could do it with my brain. That was in first grade and that is when I realized I had a dream.

Of course life can take you on a weird path sometimes and recently my freelance writing has led me to an opportunity with an analytics blog. So even though at the age of 29 I’m just starting to make progress and connections in the business, I now realized I could have started the process a decade ago. While I am may be starting a little late, I am hopeful that I will find the path to turn my dream into reality.

Ironically enough I ran into Mrs. Bell three years ago while she was helping someone else onto a wheel transit bus and she reminded me of our encounter in my school’s gym when I six years old.

What challenges do you see yourself facing in 2015 and how do you plan to overcome them?

Believe it or not, I have always believed that the hardest part about overcoming a physical disability is not the physical part, but rather the mental aspect of it.

My main challenge is trying to grow as much as I can this year. I have to get over the fear of failure and the fear of feeling pain. Without pain there is no growth and people logically know that, but most of us never get past it. We eventually start to procrastinate and delay the chance to evolve into the person that we were always meant to become. I know who I was meant to become and it’s time to accept that and take the steps necessary to reach my goals.

In overcoming both my mental and physical hurdles, the biggest thing will be my ability to break down my big dreams into smaller daily goals. My daily goals will keep me encouraged and feeling successful. The more successful you feel the more energetic and enthusiastic you are and the more likely that you will make it through the tough times and push harder when necessary rather than quitting. I think it’s hard for any of us to wrap our heads around that idea when times get tough, but I believe it’s a big key to success.

It’s time to implement it in my own life and there’s no better year than 2015 to do so.

Tell Us About Your Business

I started working as a freelance writer nearly 2 years ago. However, I’ve really been at it for almost 5 years considering that I worked for free for various sports sites to get my name out there. I currently write for one or two sports media properties at any given time and also write advertising copy for a local newspaper company.

With the New Year upon us, things have changed for me and I’m in the process of finding new clients and new business opportunities. My goal is to take myself from freelance writer to content agency, so that I can have employees who focus on the writing while I pursue my passion in the hockey business. I am using writing as the tool that will position me as an expert in the professional hockey industry years from now. Writing is one of the primary vehicles I am using to chase my true dream of working with a professional hockey team.

Are you inspired by Jack?

How can you be an inspiration to Jack?

What challenges do you see for yourself in 2015?

How do you plan to confront your challenges?

Please come back next Wednesday for the conclusion of my conversation with Jack Choros. Next week, Jack will share his amazing story about climbing the 1776 steps of the CN Tower and an important lesson he learned from a chance meeting of a former professional ice hockey goaltender on a Go Transit train ride.

Jack Choros: The Man I Want To Be

Jack Choros was born with a physical disability called cerebral palsy. He uses a walker to get around and in the spring of 2010 he climbed all 1,776 steps of CN Tower to raise funds for the World Wild Life Fund. I first met Jack shortly after his monumental accomplishment in 2010.

Jack is a man of grace, humility and a world of big dreams and ambitions. He is an amazingly funny, entertaining, energetic and engaging speaker. Jack’s big dream is to one day work with a professional team in The National Hockey League (NHL) using hockey analytics and statistics to evaluate players’ performances and eventually work his way up to the role of team general manager. He is also learning to cook and hope to  one day have a family of his own.

Last week I called Jack to wish him a Happy New Year. We chatted about his goals for 2015. Below I share Part 1 of my conversation with the Jack Choros.

Tell me about your physical condition?

I was born with a physical disability called cerebral palsy. It is most commonly caused throughout the birth process and it’s more likely to occur in cases where there is more than one baby being born. I was born with a twin sister who does not have a disability.

Cerebral palsy is basically caused by a lack of oxygen to the brain. It can range from very mild to severe and I’m somewhere in between on that spectrum. It affects my muscle coordination and balance. I use a walker to get around.

In addition to having to overcome physical obstacles on a regular basis, like others, I’ve also had my share of social and career challenges as well. Having cerebral palsy hasn’t stopped me from doing the things I want to do, but it definitely presents its own unique challenges.

What are your key goals for 2015?

I would like to turn my freelance writing career into a financially viable business and as such I am working on improving my technical writing skills.

I am also currently working on improving skills that will allow me to live on my own in the near future. I’m coming up on my 30^th birthday this summer and I would like to be more independent. That means learning how to cook and other life skills. I am doing more networking for grow my freelance writing business.

Despite my disabilities in 2015 I will continually challenging myself to take risks and do things that I’ve never done before. Essentially I want to continue grow and developed as a person and become the man that I want to be. In general, I want to live healthier. I want to push myself harder and let my fears fall by the wayside.

I just want to feel freer and feel enthusiastic about life on a day-to-day basis. My long-term goal is to get more involved in hockey as a profession so I am building my writing business. I hope to hone my writing skills so that I can walk away and pursue my boyhood dream of working for a professional team in The National Hockey League (NHL) someday.

You mentioned that you are honing your writing skills, are you attending writing classes? Do you have a writing coach/mentor?

I am not attending any writing classes but recently I have looked into joining the Professional Writers Association of Canada. I have been told by many people in the business that this particular association is a great way to network and find writing opportunities with bigger publications. These are publications that not only pay more for a story or an advertisement, but also tend to go back to the same writers for further work in the future. Opportunities such publications would help me avoid the pitfalls of being an unemployed writer, something I’ve experienced on and off for the last two years.

I do have a mentor. Her name is Angela. I actually connected with her after I had been writing for a blog for two months and I became worried that I wasn’t going to be able to make enough money. I started joining groups for freelance writers on the social network LinkedIn and I noticed that she had a website for freelance writers that listed job postings. I sent her a message to thank her for posting them because I had found work that way. Now anytime I’m in a jam she’s the first person in the business that I call for advice.

Tomorrow Jack will share an amazing story about his passion for hockey and how he hope to work his way up using hockey analytics and statistics to evaluate players’ performances up to the role of team general manager in The National Hockey League (NHL).

Five Lessons of The Impossible El Capitan’s Dawn Wall Climb

On Saturday I read an article in the New York Times about Tommy Caldwell, 36 and Kevin Jorgeson, 30 relentlessly efforts towards the summit of the Dawn Wall which is a 3,000-foot vertical wall on the southeast face of El Capitan in Yosemite National Park. The Caldwell-Jorgeson’s effort which begun on Dec. 27, 2014 is considered the most difficult free climb ever attempted. As I read the article I could not help visualizing the risks faced by the two climbers. Most importantly I wanted to cheer them on their quest and celebrate each time the completed a pitch. Caldwell and Jorgeson are doing the impossible and they are inspiring people like me and you. 

There are five important lessons about making the impossible possible in 2015 that we can take away from Caldwell and Jorgeson’s incredible free climb up Dawn Wall. 

1. Take risks and be fearless

Clearly both Caldwell and Jorgeson are risk-takers. They are not paralyzed by fear. They are extremely confident and belief in their abilities. From what I have read, Caldwell is the more experienced climber of the two. The Dawn Wall will be his 12th free climb on El Capitan. For Jorgeson, it will be his first. To avert some of the risks involved in their quest, they wait until dusk or even night to climb, using headlamps to see. The reason for this is that they need the rock to be cold to prevent their fingers and hands from perspiring too much and slipping off these imperceptibly tiny granite handholds.

Taking risks requires that you belief in yourself. You must be so confident in yourself that you are fearless. Your beliefs are powerful. If you believe something is impossible, that belief will erode your confidence and turn that impossible belief into a self-fulfilling prophecy. You will be afraid and you will avoid taking risk. You must confront risk with confidence. However, you should not be careless or carefree.

2. Control the things you can control

On January 1, both climbers succeeded on pitch 14, a breakthrough for both to conquer this first significant hurdle. Pitch 15 was also equally difficult. Caldwell made it to the top of pitch 15 but Jorgeson stalled primarily because of tears in his fingertip skin as well as because his right foot was ever so slightly out of position as shown in a video analysis of his attempts. Pitch numbers 12 through 20 constitute the hardest climbing on the Dawn Wall.

To make the impossible possible in 2015, control the things you can control. Over the week, Jorgeson sought advice from the climbing world about how to best tape his fingertips. He experimented with various methods only to encounter profound frustration when he reached other sharp, tiny holds on pitch 15 only to have his tape slip and cause him to fall.

Success for Jorgeson seems in doubt and at the same time Caldwell had to make the decision whether to move on alone or waited for his partner. Caldwell eventually went ahead and was unstoppable. Each day he dispatched pitch after pitch—as climbers call a rope-length of climbing—completing all the way through pitch 20. In total, the Dawn Wall is about 3,000 feet tall, and breaks down into 32 pitches.

On Friday, January 9, Jorgeson broke through. After two days of rest to let his skin heal, and having perfected his taping system, Jorgeson climbed pitch 15 without falling. He called the experience "crazy and surreal." The success re-energized the team in a major way, as Jorgeson seemed to be catching a second wind. By Saturday, Jorgeson had also completed pitches 16 and 17, too—another major breakthrough.

To turn an impossible dream into possibilities you must control the things you can control. For example, you can control your health by eating healthy foods and keeping physically fit by exercising daily. You can keep track of your finances by using a budget. You can document your plans and goals for 2015.

3. Think outside the box – think possibilities and not impossibilities

One of the most amazing things for me about following Caldwell and Jorgeson on their monumental journey up the summit of Dawn Wall is how they rest. For the past 16 days they have essentially been living on the side of El Capitan. They spend their nights in a portaledge camp—essentially a hanging platform tent—fixed to the wall near the middle of this block of pitches. Clearly, in order for Caldwell and Jorgeson to complete the most difficult climb in the world they needed to think outside the box. So rather than climb down each day they decided to camp out on the side of the Dawn Wall.

To make the impossible possible in 2015, you must think outside the box. I am optimistic that Caldwell and Jorgeson will make it to the top of Dawn Wall. I am cheering them on.

4. Never Stop Learning

There are some 13 other full-length routes on El Capitan that have been free climbed. However, none of those come close to the sustained level of difficulty the Dawn Wall presents. It took Tommy Caldwell, who has free climbed 11 of those other routes, more than anyone else, seven years to piece together a way up the wall. He methodically explored the sheer face by rappelling down from the top of El Capitan on reconnaissance missions, searching for the tiniest wrinkles in the smooth rock to pull himself upward. He fell hundreds of times while attempting the route’s numerous pitches (a pitch is a segment of climbing less than the length of a rope), though he was caught each time by his rope. The resulting route is a masterpiece. The hardest section, Pitches 14 and 15, involved traversing horizontally across the blankest portion of the wall for more than 300 feet. This required the power and coordination of an Olympic gymnast and the footwork of a ballerina.

Jorgeson noted that on their current quest he his learning a lot from Caldwell first in terms of attitude and technique. He noted that Caldwell's optimism is, in a lot of ways, why this route is coming together. It would be really easy to write off the Dawn Wall as impossible. He also noted that in terms of climbing technique, he is learning a new language on granite of the Dawn Wall as well as that the climbing has a certain pace to it. It has a tempo. It's about how you step on the footholds. It's very particular.

To turn your impossible dreams into possibilities never stop learning.

5. Be Resolved and Kick Doubt Aside

In order to turn your impossible dreams into possibilities you must have a deep rooted resolve to succeed. You must kick doubt and fear aside. Jorgeson, speaking to National Geographic from his portaledge just after waking up, described his mindset for the past week as one of pure resolve. He was resolved that he was going successful get to the top of pitch 15. He noted that he never allowed anything else to come into his mind not even happiness. He noted that he was stoked to watch Caldwell pull onto Wino Tower [the ledge at the top of pitch 20], but he was kind of preoccupied with his own resolve of what he still had to do to get to the top of pitch 15.

Jorgeson noted that he had moments of doubts but they were fleeting. They were combined with feelings of frustration. He told the National Geographic that he would pull back to the ledge, having split his finger yet again, and then realize he would have to take another two rest days. In his mind he thought about the timing, the weather as well as whether or not he was going to have another chance to do it. He noted that 30 minuteswould go by and then he was back to his state of resolve.

Having accomplished pitch 15, he has the same attitude about the next three pitches as he did about pitch 15. As far as he was concerned, they are just as hard and he was trying not to let any other thoughts creep in.

To make you impossible dreams possible in 2015 you must be like Jorgeson. You must have a fierce determination to succeed and don’t ever succumb to doubts and fear.

When you do the impossible you inspire others and leave a legacy

Just reading about Caldwell and Jorgeson’s quest inspires me. The anticipation and spectacle surrounding it is awesome. Clearly this will be a part of their legacy. Weather permitting, they are expected to reach the summit of Dawn Wall in February. I am terrified of heights yet I admire the climbers’ courage.

Events that capture themes that are relevant and applicable to people’s lives are usually captivating. We don’t all have to climb to the top of Dawn Wall to inspire others. However, with our own adventures, dedication, determination, vision, goals and belief we can make the impossible possible and inspire others. 

In my blog last week, I wrote about my failure to sleep outdoors on the coldest night in 2014 in solidarity with the homeless. Reading about Caldwell and Jorgeson’s determination to get to summit of Dawn Wall is serving as an inspiration for me to attempt sleeping outdoors on the coldest night of 2015. Should I attempt sleeping outdoors? Would you be inspired? Would you help me accomplish this goal?

What is your impossible dream for 2015? What is your adventure for 2015?

Look at what you accomplished in 2014 especially what you once thought could never be done. Are you amazed you once thought it was impossible? 

In 2015, take some risks and be fearless, control the things you can control and think outside the box. Think possibilities and not impossibilities.

Mark McKenzie is a leading Subject Matter Expert in financial services regulation and supervision as well as a professional motivational speaker, corporate trainer and youth mentor.  He can be contacted by email mastbmckenzie@gmail.com or by telephone 647-406-4622. Read my blog http://mastbmckenzie.blogspot.ca/ and always write me a comment and share. Follow me on Twitter @mackynacky. Connect with me on www.youtube.com, Google+, Facebook and Linkedin.

5 Magical Tips To Avoid Failure in 2015

“I can accept failure... I can't accept not trying” - Michael Jordan

At the start of 2014, I committed to walk and run approximately 50km during the month of February and to sleep outdoors in solidarity with the homelessness on February 21^st, the coldest night of the year. While I was successful in first part of my goal, I failed to carry through with sleeping outdoors. The task of sleeping outdoors was an important component to my objectives of helping to create public awareness around the issue of homelessness in Brampton and other cities around the Greater Toronto Area (GTA).

Looking back at 2014 and this specific goal here are five magical tips to avoid failure in 2015.

1. Set Goals that are challenging but at the same time achievable

My goal of sleeping outdoors was both compelling and achievable and obviously extremely challenging. Why did I fail? Although compelling, achievable and challenging I fail because of extremely poor planning. I did not establish a sufficiently adequate support team. This is not to say that people who are homeless and living outdoors have a support team to bring them coffee or provide security or provide shelter from our brutal and bitter winter.

To be successful our goals must be challenging in order to avoid monotony and failures. The greater the challenge, the greater the level of details required in planning. State your goals in writing. Your goals should be realistic and suited to your present capabilities. Sometimes you have to take small, progressive steps toward reasonable, long-term goals. At the same time your goals should also push you to extend yourself beyond where you are.

2. Create Visual Images of Yourself When You Achieve Your Goal

In order to avoid failure, you should find compelling images of yourself when you achieve your goals. For my goal of sleeping outdoors the only images I had in my mind was being mugged and abused. Call it doubt or fear. The reality is people who are homeless are frequently mugged and abused. To be successful at this goal I needed to have created a more compelling image of myself successfully sleeping outdoors in solidarity with the homeless. Looking back a compelling image of myself could be winning award from the city of Brampton for my humanitarian work. For the hectic of it, it could be winning an award from the United Nations. What is the point of dreaming, if we are not dreaming big?

3. Share Vision and Goals With Others and Stick to Positive Emotional Connectors

One of best ways of avoiding failure is sharing your vision and goals with others. In early 2014, I used my blog, McKenzie’s Voice to share information about my goal of sleeping outdoors in solidarity with the homeless. By doing so, I received lots of positive encouragement. As the date of February 21^st drew closer, I felt confident I could successfully achieve this specific goal. A failure of this natures leads to regrets. I have to admit, it is even difficult writing about it.

Success could have been monumental in helping me to build awareness on the issue of homelessness in Brampton and other cities around the GTA. To the contrary, I harboured doubts and fear. Consequently, the subtle negative things got the better of me and led to my failure. In setting goals, if you focus on the negative you will fail. Allow your goals and outcome to excite you. Approach your goals with great anticipation and enthusiasm.

Share your vision and goals with others and focus on the positive in order to avoid failure.

4. Have Patience and Be Flexible

Nothing in life is achieved with haste. You have to set a reasonable time within which to achieve your goals. You have to make time to celebrate small successes. For example, while I failed to sleep outdoors on the coldest night in 2014, I was successful in walking and running over 50km during the month of February 2014. Despite failing to sleep outdoors, by setting one of my goals to sleep outdoors in solidarity with the homeless, it provided me with a platform from which I can help to create awareness around the issue of homelessness.

In addition to having patience is also the ability to be flexible. Remember nothing in this world stays the same forever. Consequently, good strategies and goal setting requires flexibility. In order to stay on course you have to be able to adapt to changing circumstances by being flexible. I accepted the fact that I was unsuccessful and have made adjustments to continue my awareness campaign. Success requires the ability to be flexible.

5. Learn From Your Mistakes or Failures

My failure to sleep outdoors reinforced an important lesson in goal setting which is the importance of adequate planning and building a support team. Life is about ebbs and flows. It is about success and setbacks. We will make mistakes. We will fail at some of our goals. However, one of the most important things in life is to always learn from your mistakes or failures. With a little more planning and the help of others I am going to attempt this goal again. I am confident that with better planning and the help of others I can accomplish this goal.

Did you fail to achieve your most important goals for 2014? Why did you fail?

Mark McKenzie is a leading Subject Matter Expert in financial services regulation and supervision as well as a professional motivational speaker, corporate trainer and youth mentor.  He can be contacted by email mastbmckenzie@gmail.com or by telephone 647-406-4622. Read my blog http://mastbmckenzie.blogspot.ca/ and always write me a comment and share. Follow me on Twitter @mackynacky. Connect with me on www.youtube.com, Google+, Facebook and Linkedin.