The Thing About Trains

Its the season. Christmas movies are on again.

I was impressed by a line Tom Hanks playing the role of The Conductor delivers to Hero Boy in the movie “The Polar Express”.

“The one thing about trains” he says. “It doesn’t matter where they’re going, what matters is, deciding to get on.”

I am sure the words read just as well in the book, but it was in the way Hanks character delivers the line, peering down over his glasses with a look that demands the truth that ultimately got my attention.

I was convicted to recall the times that I have let my days slip by.

Take a good long hard look at yourself, internally and externally.

Where do you live? What does your house look like inside and out? What do you drive? How many people did you help last month? How much money did you make last month; how much did you save? How do you relate to your colleagues at work, to your friends, family, and your closest ones? What interests do you actively pursue, what dreams do you dream, and what adventures do you have?

In what do you truly believe? What do you honestly want from your life, from your God? What does your God expect from you?

What are you doing to improve yourself physically, mentally, and spiritually? Do you want fame, wealth, success, happiness, or peace of mind? Do you want a family and a happy home; or boat, a sports car and a bunch of admirers?

What mistakes have you made; which ones are you still making?

Where have you been and where are you going? What are you doing today? Do you have a vision, or are you just an ambivalent watcher as your life passes you by?

Have you ever decided to get on the train?

“We can achieve anything we want in our lives!” motivators tell us and it seems to work for a few, doesn’t it? “But not for me” you may be saying.

We’ve heard it often from motivators, teachers and our preachers, and we’ve read it in books like “The Secret” – the method of visualizing your goals in your mind’s eye is a must if you’re to truly succeed. Once you have a definite goal pictured in your mind, you can fulfil any desire through commitment and absolute conviction; always remembering that whatever you truly believe, you will prove yourself absolutely right. Right?

But what if you don’t know what you want from your life, what an appropriate goal is, or how to meditate upon these things absolutely?

Where do you start?

Wealth, joy, admiration, spiritual enlightenment, beauty, creativity, recognition, power, contentment, good health, achievement, authority, love, security, and peace of mind?

Would you like any of these things?  Of course you would, we all would.

If you spend the time and search for your true inner-desires, you might find there are a few of these things that you want more than others. If you keep searching, you’ll find the one desire that has been with you since you were born. It has been with you your entire lifetime, this is your gift, and is the path you should following.

Sometimes however these things, our passion and talent, are so deeply hidden and beaten down they’ve become very difficult to realize or even find. For one reason or another we’ve allowed someone or something in our lives to deny ourselves of the truth. We’ve pushed our natural abilities and intuition(s) down and hidden them away. Sometimes we’ve even come to resent these gifts.

For me I have learned that an easy method of discovering my true path (again and again) is to begin by determining the things that I don’t want to do and remembering not to do them. For most of us these things are easily identifiable, and at least this process begins to narrow the field a little.

The truth is our passions and gifts are more easily uncovered simply by living life, really living it, by actually taking the journey.

The one thing about trains, it doesn’t matter where they’re going, what matters is, deciding to get on.

None of us really understands or knows where we’re headed, what will happen in the end or along the way, but the ones that understand a little more understand what really matters is deciding to get on the train.
Sell without regret!

Michael Tate: Sales Director International – NRS Media 

A foundation employee during its initial five year start-up phase Michael Tate has returned to NRS Media after 15 years of working internationally to take up tenure as the company’s Sales Director in its International office.

Michael has a vast knowledge of effective media use, advertising and advertising sales management built over the last 25 years working with some of the world’s largest TV and radio groups.

He is a highly sought after key-note speaker and advertising sales trainer at major industry bodies like the Radio Advertising Bureau, the Texas Broadcasters Association, and the Oregon Association of Broadcasters. Tate has successfully worked with advertising sales managers, their staff and clients in 12 countries including the USA, UK, Canada, Ireland, Norway, Malaysia, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Philippines and Australia.

 

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