I grew up in the bowels of Yonkers, NY. In the hood. In the heart of downtown called Getty Square.
Yonkers is known as The Central City, The City of Gracious Living, The Sixth Borough, The Terrace City, and/or The City of Seven Hills (The last is most apropos to describe where I grew up.)
Yonkers is also the city that borders the Bronx on it’s Southwest corridor. This is probably why I was drawn to Jennifer Lopez for this post. She was born and raised in -the Bronx.- You never say Bronx. Always -the Bronx.-
Here’s a snippet of a Jennifer Lopez interview where she talks about the secret to her success:
If I tell you all the people that told me I wasn’t going to act, sing or dance, or I wasn’t good at it or I should stop or I should quit or even after I became famous for doing these things, you know I would be locked in a house somewhere doing nothing.
The truth is nobody knows what’s inside of you. Only you know what’s inside of you. Only you know what you can accomplish and what you’re capable of and what your gut and your dreams and your desires and your wants and your ability…you only know. Nobody else knows.
Whatever you feel in your heart and in your gut? You should follow that. Follow that.
Then if that changes one day that’s fine too. Then you follow that. But you’re the only one who knows. Nobody else.
You only learn really in this world from the mistakes you make, from hard times, from going through difficult periods. That’s when you grow. We should look at these moments for opportunities for growth and as almost blessings.
Because if everything went smoothly all the time, we’d be very complacent and we’d stay in one place. We’d never ever stretch ourselves or question ourselves or want to be better people in a certain way. These moments, they force us to do these things.
Nobody likes to work out. Nobody likes to eat all the right foods all the time. But those simple things are really the secret to it. It’s about things like portion control or being consistent. Honestly these are the things that have to do with success as well. Not just looking physically fit.
All of it is a mindset. All of it is about being consistent and doing the right things.
Staying healthy and staying fit is no different than that.
You have to follow your dreams and work hard. That’s what you have to do. You will create your own beautiful path and existence in life.
When they ask me – “What would you want to be up there?” And they gave me a choice of all these words, and I said -Be extraordinary.- Because I feel like we’re all extraordinary. Nobody’s the same. There’s no two people that are alike.
And honestly we all have the capacity. And we all have it in us, the ability to do whatever it is we want to do. And all we have to do is kinda just put our minds to it and just work hard. You can make anything happen.
There isn’t anything new here. Right?
Some of you might be saying, well Steve it’s easy for her to say. She had an uber supply of talent, the right connections, etc. Wrong! The only thing J. Lo had was a fiery conviction about who she wanted to become.
Jennifer was bitten by the entertainment bug during her last year in high school. She auditioned for a part in a small budget film and that is where her journey began. At that moment she realized she wanted to be a famous entertainer.
Instead of pursuing who she wanted to become, she acquiesced to satisfy her parents wishes and attended Baruch College only to drop out after one semester. She told her family she was going to be a movie star. Her parents told Jennifer it was a foolish idea and that “no Latinos did that.”
Jennifer agreed to disagree with her family and moved to a Manhattan apartment. The rest is history.
Nobody knows what’s inside of you. Nobody knows what you want to create. Nobody knows who you want to become. Nobody knows, but you.
Some of you might be saying, “But Steve, that’s the point. I don’t know who I want to become! I don’t know what I want to create! I haven’t a clue!”
Growing up as a kid in Yonkers I felt lost and alone. Constantly seeking answers as to what to do with my life.
I lived in this space of not knowing for about 30 years. Yes I had a successful career as an IT Sales Executive though I know this wasn’t who I was. I knew there was something better out there for me.
So I enrolled in the coaching program at Coach University almost 13 years ago. I spent several years learning the skills required, practicing those skills, working with my own coach, and measuring my success.
To date I’ve coached approximately 450 clients in 17 countries. I never could have imagined my life could be this fulfilling.
This is what my day looks like. I coach clients and teach classes in the early morning and early evening. During the day I satisfy my value of adventure through snorkeling, hiking mountains, enjoying new places to eat, and exploring the mysterious and enlightening depths of the ocean floor and scuba diving.
Almost 14 years ago I was walking around in a coma with no energy nor direction. Grateful for the life that I had. Family, friends, the big house, power boat, and the shiny red 4×4 Chevy Silverado. However my life was lifeless and I wanted more.
The aforementioned is my endgame. And I’m living it. What would it be like if you could discover your vision? Your goals? Your endgame?
This is what a seasoned coach can help you to define. Do it today. Don’t wait 30 years like I did.
If you’d like to explore what it would be like to work with a coach, reach out to me for a complimentary consultation. We’ll determine if we’re right for one another. If we’re singing each other’s music. If this makes sense to go after your endgame at this point in time.
CONTACT INFORMATION
Telephone: 315.303.2180
Skype: esteban.borek
WhatsApp: Steve Borek