Injuries and Training: Do or Do Not?

The first thing you need to know about training with an injury is, you are the only one who knows your body. Never (and I mean never) let anyone else push you if you are injured. If there is a coach, personal trainer, sensei, or friend that tries to force you to train injured find another person to train with. There are several steps that you need to take if faced with an injury:

1. Assess the severity of the injury. Did you pull something? Break a bone? Is there swelling, bruising, or bleeding?
2. Decide if you need to discontinue the workout or just take a break. If you do continue, back off using the affected area.
3. If the injury is bad enough go to the hospital or schedule a doctor appointment. Never be too proud or act "tough".
4. If the injury does not seem bad remember RICE (rest, ice, compression, elevation).

If you are able to continue training with the injury make sure that you train smart. Do not over work the affected area. While you are training find ways to train muscle groups that will not stress the injured area. There are many ways to get a great workout without using the injured area. For example, if you have shin splints from running take time to go swimming. You can always find something, get creative.

Finally, if you are recovering from an injury train smart. Take time to rebuild and rehab the injured area. Find someone that is experienced in rehabilitation and take it slow. Make sure you have correct form and don't push your body too hard too fast.

Now take care of yourself and train smart.

A Little Basic Thai Kick Instruction (His first time)

20 Laws of Extraordinary Success - part 4

Law 16
To achieve extraordinary success you must first deal with your fears. Super Achievers understand that failure is one of the most often missed keys to extraordinary success.

-Fear can both be a roadblock to success or the greatest motivator to achieve success. It is all in how we use that fear, to be sure, fear will always be there in one form or another. The main fear that we struggle with is the fear of failure. This its always a possibility in every endeavor in life, so why let it get us down. Instead use your failures as learning experiences to make you better.

Law 17
Studying failure will prevent us from repeating it and become the building blocks for future success.

-If we can put aside our pride and blame, we can get to the root of or failure. This will enable us to make strategies that will help us to steer clear of the same pitfalls that have caused us to fail in the past. Every step that we can take will propel us ever closer to the prize that we so desperately seek.

Law 18
Avoidance of criticism will short-circuit the ability to achieve extraordinary success.

-None of us enjoy criticism. However, criticism is necessary. Whether we believe it or not, we don't know it all and often get it wrong. This is why we need the input of others to help refine us and make us better. Even the most destructive criticism can launch us into new levels of success if we can make it into a positive change.

Law 19
Becoming a positive person will help us achieve more and enjoy the ride.

-If we are negative no amount of money or success will bring us happiness. This is why many successful people commit suicide or turn to drugs and alcohol. If we are not positive people I can guarantee a life if depression, anxiety, and stress.

Law 20
You must have PASSION to achieve extraordinary success

-Passion will carry you longer, deeper, and farther than anything else when it comes to success. This is the one quality that will see you through all the difficulty and self-doubt that you will inevitably face. PASSION, PASSION, PASSION if you don't have it, no goal is worth it.

Use these 20 laws to drive and propel you into new levels of success and let me know about it..... go and make your dreams possible.

20 Laws of Extraordinary Success - part 3

Law 11
Effective partnering raises the level of success exponentially, accelerates success meteorically, and reduces risk enormously.

-At some point we have to realize that we don't know it all and we are not good at everything. In short, we all need the help and expertise of other people who have been there before, longer, and are more successful. If we can find the way to sick up or pride and partner with other people we can achieve success far greater than we could possibly imagine. You never know what doors may open from just a short conversation with someone. They may know someone or have access to resources that could change everything.

Law 12
Effective communication skills can either accelerate your achievement or stop it

-The ability to share your idea and promote it to other people is absolutely critical in success in any field. You can gain so much support for any project if you can line up the right people and communicate your vision effectively. On the flip side, if you are intrusive our overbearing with people you will find that people will run and hide rather than support your cause, even if it is worthy.

Law 13
It is the speakers responsibility to grab the listeners attention, hold that attention, give clear understanding, and appeal to their emotions.

-If you are to be an effective spokesperson for your success you have to be able to do these things. This may mean that you need to take a public speaking class or read some books dealing with those skills. I have several books on my shelf on those subjects right now. If you can grab your listeners attention and give them your passion there is no limit to your success.

Law 14
Extraordinary success can never be achieved without encountering extraordinary roadblocks, setbacks, and failures. These can only be overcome through creative persistence.

-The bigger the dream the more possibilities you have for major difficulties. However, achieving extraordinary success would not be extraordinary any other way. It is through these trials and struggles that prove our worth and drive us to overwhelming success. When we come out on the other side we will find that we have much more than we ever thought we could have.

Law 15
If you can't control your time, you won't achieve extraordinary success.

-Time management is one skill that all truly successful people must master. If we are always late or miss appointments we will never be able to move any further up the ladder of success. We must also find a way to balance our family, personal, and professional time. If any of those areas are out of synch we will never find true joy in what we do.

Stay tuned for the last five laws, next week....

20 Laws of Extraordinary Success - part 2

Law 6
Dreams without clearly defined goals, and goals without clearly defined steps, will rarely be achieved at all.

-Even though we may have big goals and dreams if we do not map out the small steps to get there it will never happen. As I work with youth I have to continually remind them that if they want to be a rapper, they may want to learn how to write poetry and do well in there English classes now because much of rap is lyrical poetry. It is so easy to get off track if we neglect to put one foot in front of the other and keep or eyes forward toward out goal.

Law 7
No one has ever achieved extraordinary success without "Shooting for the Stars".

-We can only expect to achieve things within the limitations that we place on ourselves. If we neglect to think as big as possible we only limit ourselves. I know personally I have some lofty dreams, but it is precisely those dreams that propel me forward to achieve more and love my life.

Law 8
"Lack of know-how" only appears to be an insurmountable obstacle. For Super Achievers, it serves as a springboard to extraordinary achievement.

-I have always found it amazing that many of the truly successful people in the past have had little quantifiable education. They have spent their lives becoming experts in what they know best and where they find that their true passions lie. This is not to say that formal education is unimportant, however I have seen more people better equipped for success because of their struggles than those reading about it from a book. I believe it is because that the perceived "lack of know-how" propels us to be excellent in all that we do.

Law 9
Super Achievers use all the leverage possible to remove the limits of limited resources.

-If we find that we have limited resources we must remember that we have an unlimited supply in the universe. We just need to find the right people to help us. I was just reading a book and in it the author reminded me that finding funding and support for a project is really a matter of numbers because there will always be people just waiting to buy into your vision, you just have to find them.

Law 10
Every extraordinary out impossible dream ever achieved has been achieved through partnering.

-We must remember that we are communal beings. We live in community and always need other people. Not one of us can walk the road alone. We need the feedback, challenges, and support that other people provide if we are to make it in any endeavor in life. The sooner we come to realize this truth the more happy and fulfilled lives we will live.

We are now halfway through the Laws of Extraordinary Success, I hope you are finding some wisdom from these truths. I know they have helped me focus my thoughts and become a more successful person. Look for part 3 coming early next week.