Are You an Octopus or a Hammerhead Shark?
My brother has challenged me to write 500 words a day.
I spoke to him recently about some of the things I aspire to achieve and in more or less words, I asked for his help. My brother has been a thriving entrepreneur for over 10 years, managing multiple businesses, properties, relationships and now a beautiful 1 month old boy (shout out Baby J) !
I'm not sure what I was expecting in response but Tim certainly took me by surprised when he assigned 500 words a day for 30 days. At first, I thought "DOWN". I like writing, I like reading, I like connecting the dots but when your days get busy and your mind gets tired, the last thing I want to do is write.
I never asked why he chose this for me, however in writing that last paragraph, I now completely understand.
It's simply a practice of discipline.
In the book Legacy by James Kerr, there's a chapter titled “Champions Do Extra” with two small quotes written beneath,
"Find something you would die for and give your life to it".
"Don't die like an octopus, die like a hammerhead shark".
Mic drop please...
After reading this, I sat back and thought, that's exactly it. I want to be the damn hammerhead shark.
All of the things I proclaimed to my brother are not farfetched, nonetheless, they ask more of me. They require more of my time, focus, commitment and at the end of the day, if they are really important to me, I am responsible for that.
Coincidently enough, in that same chapter another quote reads,
"Leaders are storytellers. All great organizations are born from a compelling story. The central organizing thought helps people understand what they stand for and why".
Damn, maybe Tim is really onto something.
So here it is...
Instead of perceiving this task as a burden, I will see it as an opportunity.
An opportunity to stand for what I believe in and inspire a few a long the way.
Something I ingrain into the minds of my athletes everyday.