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25 May 2010 Acapulco’s Spectacular Attraction
Author:  |  Topic: Focus  | Tags: , , , ,  | 3 Comments

Acapulco diversAfter 10 wonderful days in Acapulco where I caught up with friends who are more family than friends, I flew back to San Antonio yesterday. It had been close to 6 years since I was last in this city (and over 4 years since I was last in Mexico). (During the last trip to Acapulco I attended one of my friend’s wedding. Now they have 2 children – time flies!)

One of my favorite events in Acapulco is watching the famous divers perform at the Quebrada. What a nice surprise to find that Pastors Juan and Dina (who are like son and daughter to me) presently live close to this area in the city. In fact they are so close that I could walk down to watch the waves crashing against the rocks and enjoy the sea air every morning.

We went down to watch the divers one afternoon and once again I was reminded of the training that champion athletes go through. These young world champions (15-24 years of age) do intense training in the gym and the pool most every day.

Narrow area of water where the divers go intoThe day we watched them the sea was very rough. Five young men dove into the rushing waves and swam across the narrow stretch of water to the other side from where they would make their dives. At least they tried to swim across.

The waves were so strong that it took them two attempts to reach the other side.

During their first attempt they were dragged back to where they started by the force of the current.

Once they did reach the other side, they scaled the cliff, some to reach the 25 meter level and one was to dive from the 35 meter level. The video shows the 35 meter dive.

As we watched these young men perform, I was struck by one major key to their success and safety as they made their dives.

This key is focus.

This dangerous, yet spectacular dive requires laser focus.

They need to be focused on:

Timing. Their focus gave them the exact time to make their dive. For the current of the sea to be in their favor, precise timing is absolutely imperative.

Positioning. There is a very small area of water where it is safe to dive into. It takes laser focus to aim at this area where it is deep enough as well as far away enough from the rocks to be safe.

Overcoming Fear. Do these young men experience fear? Of course they do (and they will admit it). What enables them to overcome all fear and make the jump? Their focus is FIXED on their goal.

You will probably never dive off of a 25 meter or 35 meter cliff in order to achieve your dreams, but nevertheless you DO need to stay focused to reach your goals.

JillAre you training every day to achieve your dreams and goals? Are you staying laser focused?

Acapulco – Divers from Jill Rapley on Vimeo.


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13 May 2010 An Elderly Pastor Demonstrates A Powerful Success Key
Author:  |  Topic: Success Secrets  | Tags: , , , , ,  | 3 Comments

Sunrise on riverMore years ago than I care to remember, I heard a pastor in a village in Mexico tell a story that I have never forgotten.

This story vividly illustrates the most powerful of all keys to success.

I think that after you have read this story you will discover that this key to success, as simple as it may be, will challenge you to the depths of your being.

Here is the story:
A young man in his late teens admired an older pastor who’s life had touched multitudes in a very positive way. The lad recognized that this man had something different and extra special in his life. Whatever it was he really wanted it. So he approached the older gentleman saying:

Teach me how to find what you have.

At first his request seemed to be ignored. But he continued to ask until one day the elderly preacher gave in and said: “OK, meet me here at 4.30am tomorrow morning and I will show you exactly how I got what you want”.

What? 4.30am!
This did not seem to make sense.

However the teenager knew what he wanted, so he showed up at that hour the next morning. They set off for a long drive. They drove in silence. The lad was bewildered and dared not ask questions.

Next thing they found themselves in a remote area way out in the country, by a river.

Finally they stopped and the pastor got out of the car. He beckoned for the boy to follow him and they took a walk through some bushes along a track. They came in a river. The elderly gentleman told the boy to get into the river. It was freezing cold!

What does all this have to do with learning the secret to this great man’s life?

The boy politely obeyed and the elderly preacher put his firm hands on the boy’s head and pushed him under the water and held him there.

Of course the boy struggled, yet the more he struggled the more the preacher insisted on having him stay under water until he it felt like he was fighting for his life.

All the boy could think of was that he absolutely had to breathe. He was desperate for air.

What Did You Do That For?

Finally as the boy was struggling in great desperation the preacher let him go. Bewildered the boy screamed at the preacher “what did you do that for”?

Quietly the preacher asked him: “When you were under the water, what was the one thing you wanted more than anything else?”

The answer to that question was easy. “I wanted air” he replied.
“I was desperate for air”.

“When you want what you say you want as desperately as you wanted to breathe just now we’ll talk”

JillWhat a challenge! How desperately do you want to fulfill your dreams? Take some time to really think about this today!

Photo Credit: Sunrise on River by Darekfarmer


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