Saturday, July 16, 2016

Take That Next Step Toward Your Dream by Madeline Frank, Ph.D., DTM

Are you afraid to try for your dream? How about taking your first step? Be bold, be brave!

When our oldest child was 4 years old, he was learning to ride a bike. When we told him that it was time for the training wheels to come off, he burst into tears and was convinced that he would fall over and get hurt. 

But he didn't. He took off and rode for 20 feet before he lost his balance. Then he got back up again with a smile on his face. 

Zig Ziglar tells the story of a young woman who attended one of his seminars and told him about her Mother, who dressed her children in beautiful clothes that she hand made.

While the woman mentioned that she would like to do the same for her children, she was convinced that she just didn't have the raw talent that her mother was blessed with. 

Zig urged her to take the first step. "Anything worth doing is worth doing poorly until you learn to do it well.” 

A year latter she came to see Zig Ziglar and brought her 3 children dressed in the beautiful dresses she had made for them.

Remember, “to change your life” you have to take that “first step”! It will not happen until you take that “first step.” After that first step take a “second one” and continue improving your skills by having an expert to get better and better each time you work on it!

Dave Sheffield, motivational speaker and coach says, “Be willing to be terrible. Be willing to overcome that fear."

When I was preparing for a concert tour in Australia and New Zealand, I was learning a new piece on my viola by Ernst Toch, an Austrian composer. My husband came in and said, “What is that awful piece you are playing? You don’t plan to play it on tour?”

I replied, “It is a new piece by Toch that I am just learning.”

A month later, he came in and said, “What is that beautiful piece you are playing?”

I replied, “Do you remember that piece by Toch that I was just learning last month that you said was so awful?”

He said, “ Yes, but this doesn’t sound like it.”

I replied, “I was just learning it!” Arthur Rubinstein, the famous pianist called it “kitchen work.”  By working on the piece each day, I learned how to understand how to play it!”

When the famous Spanish cellist, Pablo Casals was in his eighties and nineties he was asked by reporters “why do you continue to practice your cello four and five hours a day?”
  
Pablo Casals said, “I think I’m making progress. I think I see some improvement.” He continued practicing every day to improve his cello playing. Mr. Casals lived to be 97 years old.

That first step begins the learning process. The next steps will lead you to progress, then mastery. 

What is something that you would like to try, but you are afraid of?

1) Boldly begin

   Don't over analyze the process. Just get started, and be willing to do it poorly.

2) Take your second step and learn faster by having an expert guide you through this new skill. A coach or mentor can be a valuable model for you on your path to mastering your goal. 
3) Keep working to get better and better at your new skill just like the young women who at first was terrible seamstress. She took her second and third step by practicing and improving to sew beautiful dresses for her daughters. 

       Remember “How do you get to Carnegie Hall?”

           “Practice, practice, practice.”


Madeline Frank, Ph.D., DTM is an Amazon.com Best Selling Author, John Maxwell Team Member, Certified World Class Speaking Coach, sought after speaker, business owner, teacher, researcher, and concert artist. She helps businesses and organizations "Tune Up their Businesses". Her innovative observations show you the blue prints necessary to improve and keep your business successful. She writes a monthly newsletter "Madeline's Monthly article & Musical Tips Blog" and a monthly radio show "Madeline's One Minute Musical Radio Show". Her book "Leadership On A Shoestring Budget" is available on Amazon or Kindle. Contact Madeline Frank for your next speaking engagement at mfrankviola@gmail.com


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