Three Points of Contact and 113 Resilience Tips for Teens
I have to admit, I have some amazing fans.
Some of you are military, some of you are health care providers, some are athletes or marathon runners, and others know me because of my experience battleing cancer.
Of all these amazing people though, one group of you is very near and dear to me. I’m talking about teens. I am extremely proud that my book Three Points of Contact is consistently at the top of the Amazon Best Sellers list for teens. Let me explain why:
You all know I’m a resiliency coach and I specialize in dealing with adversity. What qualifies me to do this you ask? Well, dealing lots of adversity, starting from when I was a teenager.
I was raised by a single mom and times were tough. In high school I was working three jobs and missed graduating by 1 point. For a time I was homeless, and I literally slept on the Air Force recruiters doorstep so that I could enlist in the military.
Like anything, practice makes perfect, and I’ve had a lot of practice with adversity. It’s through years of dealing with adversity that I developed the pillars of Optimism, Visualization and Action that have become the Three Points of Contact.
We cannot control the adversity that comes our way in life, but we can control how we deal with it. These are things I wish I knew as a teen.
Actually, there are many things I wish I had known back then. I’ve got 113 of them in my book, so I’ll be posting more of them here, with a focus on some of my favorite fans: teens.
So stay tuned for that, and until then, live everyday with enthusiasm.
Cheers,
Greg
The Power of Community College – North Lake College in Irving, Texas
As I’ve discussed before, I’m working on my second book which is about the power of community college. As part of this book I’ve been interviewing students all over the country to hear their stories, some of which I want to share with you before the book comes out.
Community college is not only a great way to get an education, but it’s often the most economic option, allowing students to get a degree with little to no debt. Whether they are pursuing an associates degree, or using community college as a jumping off point to a four-year degree program, it gives people an incredible number of options without breaking the bank.
And let me tell you, you will not find a more motivated and excited group of students. These guys are in class because they want to be, many are working while taking classes, and nearly all have a plan of what they’re working towards.
Last week at North Lake College in Irving, Texas I had the pleasure of talking to Anna and Josue, two students working on the associates degrees.
Check out the video below for the full story and like Josue told me when I was talking to him, “You gotta dream big”.
Cheers,
Greg
The 5 Second Rule by Mel Robbins Changed my LIFE!
Back in June of 2011 I had been cancer-free for one year. Coming back from stage III throat cancer was not easy, but as I sat in the University of Kansas Cancer Center waiting for my one-year follow-up, I had this nagging question that I couldn’t shake. The questions was “is this all that is left for me?” waiting with bated breath every year for a positive follow-up, to hear that “Things are fine Greg”.
I didn’t like that idea, but I didn’t know what to do about it. That’s when I saw this TEDx video from Mel Robbins:
Something happened when I watched that video in the waiting room at the Cancer Center. Mel introduced her “5 Second Rule” and it motivated me to make a change right then and there. I applied for a job in Germany while still sitting there before my appointment. It was Wednesday, June 15th 2011 at 2:30pm in the afternoon.
I got the job, and moved to Germany for five years. To say that single decision changed the course of my life is the understatement of the century. But it didn’t stop there. I decided to run more, and now have run 11 marathons. I decided to write a book, now it’s sold over 100,000 copies and is being used in universities and cancer centers around the world.
I can’t even imagine who I’d be or where I would be if I had stuck around in Kansas City waiting for that next positive check. Waiting for life to happen.
Of course, I’m not the only one. Over 8.4 million people have watched Mel’s video and her 5 Second Rule has been helping all kinds of people take control and change their lives. It’s been so successful that she made The 5 Second Rule into a book that just came out Feb 28th.
The basic premise is this: We all have things we want to do, or know we should do, yet we don’t do them. We hesitate, we wait, and we kill our progress with doubt, excuses, worry or fear. It could be anything from getting up early and going for a run, or voicing a new idea at work.
The point is this, when you feel that hesitation, start counting down from 5 to 1. When you get to zero, you act. You act before you brain has time to doubt, to fear, worry and to kill the idea. Now you have the law of inertia on your side (an object at rest stays at rest and an object in motion stays in motion).
Why does this work? I certainly can’t explain it better than Mel herself:
Whenever you feel an instinct fire up to act on a goal or a commitment, or the moment you feel yourself hesitate on doing something and you know you should do, you should use the Rule.
I’m really impressed with this book because she clearly maps out how to use this tool to:
– Become confident
– Break the habit of procrastination and self-doubt
– Beat fear and uncertainty
– Stop worrying and feel happier
– Share your ideas with courage
It is IMPOSSIBLE read this book without becoming motivated to attack all those things you want to get done. If it doesn’t motivate you, you’d better check your pulse! Mel knows that there is greatness in all of us, and it’s on the other side of our excuses.
So many great success stories in this book (including one about me, Thanks Mel!), but I’ll close with two quotes from Mel that really stuck me:
“The difference between people who make their dreams come true and those of us who don’t is just one thing: the courage to start and the discipline to keep going.”
There it is. 5 Seconds. Courage. Discipline. That’s all you need to succeed. So when to start?
“There is no right time. There is only right now. You get one life. This is it.”
Now get out there and make a change. Start with this book.
Cheers,
~Greg
The Power of Community College with Soccer Star Oumar Ballo
I’ve been championing community college for years. Not only did I attend community college myself, but I’ve been teaching at variety of community colleges for last 20 years. In that time I’ve had over 3,000 students, and let me tell you, they come from all walks of life. With their grit and determination I’ve seen them go on to be incredibly successful.
I’m so excited about community college that it will be the subject of my second book. As part of writing that book, I’ve been interviewing people with amazing and inspiring stories whose journeys took them through community college. It’s amazing work, and conversations I truly enjoy.
In this video I speak to professional soccer player Oumar Ballo. He’s a defender for the Swope Park Rangers in the United Soccer League and on his way to playing for the Sporting Kansas City team in the MLS (Major League Soccer).
Apart from being a community college alum, he’s an incredible young man who has gone through a lot to get to where he is today. After a hard day of training, we talk about enthusiasm, vision, optimism and action. Oumar was keen to point out that bringing positive energy everyday is one of his keys to success.
Check out the video below for more, and stay tuned for the next interview coming soon!
Cheers,
Greg
The Power of Community College (my next book)
Last week I was at the CONCACAF Champions League game between Sporting Kansas City and Vancouver Whitecaps. Really beautiful stadium at Children’s Mercy Park, and I always love supporting my Kansas City teams.
Midway through the game there was a weather delay, and I had a few minutes to record this video (on Facebook live) and I talk about lots of exciting news and interviews I have coming up.
My next video is with Oumar Ballo, a defender for the Swope Park Rangers in the United Soccer League. We talk about lots of great things, and community college is of course one of them.
Check out the video below to see what’s coming!
Cheers,
Greg
Army Magazine Book Review
Thanks to Army Magazine and Lt. Col. Chad Storlie, U.S. Army retired, for reviewing my book for the March 2016 magazine. The issue is already available on their website.
Army Magazine is one of the world’s premier professional journals for leadership and advancement of the military arts and sciences. It’s published every month by the Association of the United States Army (AUSA), and I encourage you to check it out!
Enjoy!
Cheers,
~Greg
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