This month has been chock full of blessings for me. My son and daughter in-heart (if not yet in-law) gave me the most beautiful grandchild. They are the neatest new family.
My daughter continues to make me smile every day.
I have learned lots from my kids. They are the most
spirited, ballsy, honest, funny people I know.
One of the best life lessons I've ever received has been
from my son. He lives by the credo (and I'm paraphrasing)
'Don't make excuses, don't complain and don't
explain yourself.' And he truly lives that way. I admire that
about him.
I now work hard every day to make no excuses, not explain myself
and not complain. About anything. Ever.
Ever struggle to achieve a goal?
I'm about to remove your excuses -forever.
Read on...
62-Year-Old Reaches North Pole
Raymond Aaron, at the age of 62, heard about a crazy thing called the Polar Race.
This is a race where a handful of extreme athletes travel 350 miles across arctic ice-fields to reach the Magnetic North Pole.
Using only skis and sleds. Under their own power. No motors. No kidding.
And Raymond did what many don't ever do - he finished the race. Alive.
So what's your excuse for not achieving your goals?
Raymond pushed himself beyond human limits - and did something well beyond the abilities of most people half his age.
"The Polar Race is by far the toughest thing I've ever done," says Raymond. "I would never do it again."
Then he smiles. "But I highly recommend doing it once."
So how tough was it, really?
Raymond spent April in the Arctic, racing to the Pole with competitors half his age, pulling a 100-pound sled, skiing the equivalent of a marathon every day.
He lost a pound of body weight every day.
At times, he thought he might die.
At times, he wanted to quit.
But quitting the Polar Race is not an option. If you want to live, you keep moving.
Raymond endured the hardships of the subzero temperatures, fields of ice rubble, and dragging that hundred pound sled behind him. He suffered frostbite on his face.
One night, Raymond lay in his sleeping bag listening to a polar bear rummage around his campsite.
The coldest day of the race came just four days into the three-week ordeal. The race teams forced themselves to move through a bone shattering -68°day.
"It's hard to describe because it's so shocking. Cold wind instantly freezes you. It's just so frightening." Says Raymond.
While it was the most difficult thing Raymond had ever done, it also turned out to be the most rewarding.
Completing the race was a triumph few people will ever know.
"I learned that I could go beyond what I thought were my limits," says Raymond. "We are capable of much more than we believe we are capable of."
Fitting, because Raymond's job back in the "everyday world" is teaching people how to achieve their life's goals.
"Anyone can do just about anything they set their mind to," Raymond says. "And I'm living proof."
