The Cart Blog

Today’s Monday Morning Motivational topic is CMU Professor Dr. Randy Pausch, who is suffering from terminal cancer of the pancreas.

I’m sure you’ve heard about Professor Pausch and his last lecture, but if you haven’t actually seen the lecture video yet, take an hour and watch it – it’s tremendously inspiring. He also maintains a blog-like journal so you can track his current status.

Motivational Quote:

“Brick walls are there to let us show our dedication and to filter out the people who don’t really want it.” — Dr. Randy Pausch

Sean Lewis lost his right leg in a mortar attack in Iraq. He found his prosthetic leg got in the way of his golf swing, so he took it off and now golfs with one leg. The Wall Street Journal (subscription required) wrote about Lewis and pro golfer Jim Estes, who volunteers to help wounded soldiers learn to golf as part of their physical therapy.

You can see a picture of Lewis golfing here.

You can read more about the PGA and their involvement with Wounded Warriors.

Motivational Quote:

“It’s not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters.” — Epictetus (55-135)

Happy Monday! Here’s this week’s Monday Morning Motivation.

I have really enjoyed Michelle Nichols’s Savvy Selling Podcast. A few weeks ago, she interviewed Olympian Ruben Gonzalez, who said, (I’m paraphrasing)

When I was a kid, I read a lot of biographies of great people … and every biography is the same. A person has a dream. They struggle to achieve it. And in the end, they have a victory. Dream, struggle, victory. That’s the way success is attained.

Dream, Struggle, Victory. So when you’re in the struggle, just remember that it’s a necessary precondition to the victory!

(BTW: if you have enjoyed Ms. Nichols’ podcast, write to Business Week and ask them to start it up again.)

Motivational quote for the week:

“You create your opportunities by asking for them.” — Shakti Gawain

How hard do you think it would be to get in shape if you were living in Afghanistan? Probably not as hard as you think – there’s a new fitness craze, and Arnold is their, well, Arnold. Money quote:

From the rubble they build a gym. In the gym, they build their bodies. And with those bodies, tuned for strength and achievement, they build a nation.

Read the full story in Men’s Health.

Success starts with the right attitude. This is the first in a series of motivational articles I will blog on Mondays – I’m calling them the Monday Morning Motivational (MMM) posts.

Motivational Quote:

GOALS = Grasp Opportunity And Live Successfully — Peter Sinclair