Guest Posts
Want More Opportunities? Prepare Like a Lifeguard
by David Hungarter Opportunities are funny and unpredictable. Sometimes you see them from a great distance, like a spot on the horizon. Other times, they creep into your life slowly, when you least expect them. And sometimes they pour into your world like a flood. The flood probably sounds like the best scenario, and it is–if you’re prepared. Ironically, preparing for opportunities usually creates them. It’s an investment in yourself and your role as a solution to a need in the world. Lifeguards are a prime example of this. Some people assume lifeguards are lazy. They sit in the sun, put on sunblock, and occasionally blow their whistles when the guys get too overzealous dunking the girls into the pool. This perception couldn’t be further from the truth, however. A lifeguard’s job begins not when the clock is punched at the start of a shift, but in training. Here are three lessons from lifeguards that will help save your career. 1. Lifeguards prepare and practice in anonymity before the big opportunity ever presents itself. They invest in the hero within by studying emergency situations and learning to realistically solve problems. They do this without knowing when, if ever, the opportunity will come to put these acquired skills to the test. 2. While on the job, lifeguards stay in top physical condition and continue practicing their rescue skills. They don’t pass a test and assume their abilities are fully developed for good.They review what they’ve previously learned, and add new information to what they know, and run drills. Then when the situation calls for their help, they confidently spring into action because the needed action has already become second nature to them. 3. Everyone wants to be the life-saving hero, and they can–if they prepare. Whether you want to be a writer, own a business, earn a scholarship, or shed those extra pounds, preparation ensures your role as the hero when the situation calls for one. What will you do today to prepare for and help create your big break? David is a START Alum, participating in his second START experiment. He is both a husband and father and is new to blogging with his website, www.lifeguardtrainingstand.com. You can connect with David on Twitter, @DHungarter, or on Facebook, Dave Hungarter. ...
Read MoreWhat Is The Start Experiment?
The blog post was only live for 24 hours. Jon Acuff was in the middle of a bus tour to promote his latest book, Start, which had recently hit the New York Times Bestsellers list, when he posted it. Readers had already lined up to buy the little black, white, and red hardbacks, and what a powerful book it was. Start shined a light in the dark corners of readers’ minds and asked them to confront the thing that held them back in life. The message was ambitious, but simple: We are born to do something great. To do great things, you must punch your fear in the face. Ignore the negative voices in your head and just start. You will go from average to awesome. As START landed on kitchen tables and gathered coffee cup rings and Hi-Liter marks, the next part of the START experience went live: a website called Nomorevoices.com, where people anonymously posted their deepest, darkest fears on a virtual bulletin board and hit a “Me too” button on fears already posted. Within hours, hundreds–and soon thousands of people–emptied their darkest dreams into that sacred public space. Strangers silently bonded from behind computer keyboards across America. As it turns out, we all want to matter. We all want to be somebody, but most of us are terrified to try the things we know would make our lives un-average. We think we’re stupid. Unlovable. Unqualified. A few weeks later, Jon’s cryptic blog post went live, and it brought the START experience full circle. It went something like this: “If you are ready for an adventure, message me with your name, address, phone number, and e-mail immediately. I’m not telling what the adventure is. You will have to punch fear in the face and sign up for it. This post will stay up for 24 hours, and then I’ll delete it.” Jon thought 50 people might respond. 2,600 showed up. I was one of those people. It took a few days for Jon and the good folks at Dave Ramsey’s organization (Lampo) to corral the response. One by one, they invited participants to a closed Facebook group called The Start Experiment. Those first few days were terrifying and glorious, like packing up and leaving home for the first time to go to college. Jon was too busy to micromanage, so it was left to us to introduce ourselves to each other. Perhaps he was standing somewhere in a lab coat laughing with maniacal joy at his creation. “Hello, this is my name. This is my current job. This is my greatest dream.” On July 6, Jon broke his silence. Welcome to the Start Experiment. Do you know what fear, fears? Fear fears community. Fear always tries to isolate you and put you on an island as if you’re the only one on the planet bumping into challenges. But how do you build community in a rapidly disconnecting culture? That is the question the Start Experiment seeks to answer. And it starts with an adventure…. The START Experiment was a gift: for 24 days, we would support each other as each of us named our dream, broke that dream down into small goals, and attempted the risky but necessary steps that would help us reach that goal. Each day, Jon e-mailed us a simple task to complete and discuss. What will you dare? What will you risk? Within the virtual walls of that closed group, the power of safe, positive community hit us like the lightning bolt that awakened the Frankenstein monster. On day 2, we started our journals at Jon’s request. A couple of STARTers photographed theirs and posted pictures, and it was a catalyst. The whole group’s masks seem to come off at once, and we became downright vulnerable with each other. Introverts gushed like tv game show hosts. Lone wolves asked for help. Task by task, we cheered each other on as we left our safe, passive ways of doing things and waded into treacherous surf. “I just started my own company!”...
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