When meteors enter our atmosphere at night they look like a “shooting star” as they blaze across the sky. I recall watching “meteor showers” at night in my childhood hometown of Little Rock. This term has been applied to people as well. When someone is famous for a short time or has a big moment before disappearing they are called a Shooting Star. “One Hit Wonders” also fall into this category.
Two of the most famous Shooting Stars are James Dean and Hank Williams. Both were highly influential in their field and Hank Williams was amazingly so. James Dean died in a car crash in California at age 24. Twenty four! Yet he is still iconic as a rebellious youth who was desperate for approval and acceptance.
Hank Williams was even more influential. He is often referred to as “Pappy” (grand father) by today’s Country Music stars. Hank was a gifted songwriter whose music is still sung today. He died at age 29.
One could conclude that youth and talent were the magic formula in both James and Hank’s cases. I’d agree but there’s another message here. In just over five years each of these men left a lasting imprint on the world. Five years! How old will you be five years from now?
No matter what you do, those five years will come and go anyway. But what if, starting today, you did one key thing every day for the next five years? You would transform your life and perhaps even leave an impact on the world!
Those who follow me are aware that, as a young 26 year old, I made a commitment to new eating habits and daily inspirational learning for a five year period. During that time I removed 52 lbs of fat, got into good shape, and transformed my worldview by learning daily from Earl Nightingale recordings and reading inspirational books. At age 56 I did a similar renewal. I made a commitment to mountain trail running and hiking in Southern California and by age 73 I was in the best shape of my life. In my 60s I made a commitment to do 100 pushups a day (10 or 20 at a time at first). I committed to do ten consecutive days, then 30, then 100 and finally I went five years without missing a day*. (*When I did miss one, I doubled up the next day to erase my error.) Five years seems like a long time, but 10 days is easy. If you continue to add another 10 days, before long you’ll have 100 or 365 or 5 years. Don’t be intimidated by the long term, commit to each day. One day at a time.
Now it’s your turn. No matter what your age is today, five years from now you will most likely still be around. Do you want to be fit, more financially strong, better known, skilled in certain ways, or…? Is there travel you want to do, works you want to produce, a book you’d like to write? What’s still on your “bucket list”? It is doable, and you are capable of doing it. Don’t seek to be a Shooting Star nor to die as an icon. Seek to be the person you have always wished you could be.
There is a seed inside you that wants to grow. Your “acorn” is destined to become a mighty Oak. It needs you to transcend your self doubt and fears in order to grow. When you nurture your true nature growth will be automatic. But you must Show Up! You have to start. It’s OK if you miss a day occasionally. Just start again the next day. If you want to run, just put on your running shoes and step outside. Even if you don’t run, you will have increased the likelihood of running a thousandfold. Just show up! If you’re broke, save 50 cents today, 25 cents tomorrow and a dollar next week. Just begin.
Want to write a book? Don’t. Instead write a paragraph or one short story. Do that several times and you’ll have enough to edit into a book. Big tasks can intimidate you, but small ones like having fruit instead of sugar for dessert today, those tasks are easy. Commit now to begin. If you don’t measure up this week, keep on going and correct your errors as they occur. You might just become a Star and remain one. Imagine the influence Hank Williams could have had if he’d lived to age 90. If James Dean had lived, he might have become the next Clint Eastwood. It is not the length of life that determines our success. It is the depth of our commitment to make it so. Be the person you’ve dreamed of being. Start today to help your acorn grow.
If I can help as your Mentor, reach out. If you want to do it on your own, get a copy of my book Mentor Minutes: Reach the Top 1% of any Field.