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Jerry Clark

How or why?



I know I need to do these things. Why can't I do what I say I want to do? What is getting in the way? I know it would be good for me, but I have yet to get to it.


I want to improve my health, read more books, find a new job, and many other things. If I accomplished these things, life would be more enjoyable for me. This reminds me of two concise anecdotes.


Anecdote 1—There are two large 20-story buildings side by side, 15 feet apart with a man on the roof looking across to the other building. There is a 20-foot plank, 1 foot wide on the roof of the building where he is standing. He was asked if he would put the plank across and crawl over to the other building. He replied with a quick, "Heck no."


Then he was asked, "If the adjacent building was on fire and your son or daughter was on the rooftop 15 feet from you, would you cross the plank to save them from the fire?” “That is a no-brainer,” he said.


Anecdote 2—In a very mountainous country, two warring tribes lived in the same proximity. One lives up on the top of a very high and rugged mountain. The other lives in the valley below. The mountain terrain is so rough that the tribes seldom have any contact. One evening the mountain tribe came down and stole a small girl and took her back to the top of their mountain. The elders of the valley tribe prepared to rescue the young girl early the following day. They waited until daylight to begin the climb with all the ropes and ladders they could carry and started the treacherous climb to rescue the small girl. The terrain was so rugged and challenging that they made it only 500 feet up the 2500-foot slope on the first day.


Tired and bewildered, they stopped for the night to rest, eat and prepare for the next day. The second day was worse than the first making it only 400 feet up the mountain. After two days of rugged climbing, they are only 1/3 up the mountain. Again, the group retired from the climb to rest, eat and recharge. The morning broke, and as they began to prepare their ropes and ladders, they saw movement up the mountain. As they stopped to see what was happening, they saw the mother of the small girl coming down the mountain with her stolen daughter in her arms.



When you know the why the how becomes easy.


What do you want? Why do you want it?Is the why worth the effort to go for it? What do you want to do that still needs to be done? What is holding you back? What is stopping your big dreams? If you genuinely want to accomplish something, ask why you want it. If your why is powerful, the how becomes a no-brainer.


A good friend of mine is going through cancer treatment. Why? Because he has a lot of life ahead to live. He is attacking the treatment with a vengeance.


Watch for the blind spots!




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You can get a copy of my book below.

Blind Spots in Relationships

What I don't know I don't know about myself




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