If I Can Do It, You can Do It

Author: Douglas Amend

Originally published on Medium

Apr 5, 2020

Mining the gap for the road to success.

Mentorship is a highly valuable interaction. Looking back in history, this would occur regularly when the local Elders would share the stories of their experiences. The wisdom, when followed, allowed the next generation to prosper. There is a lot to be said for listening to someone who has made the journey and came back. It is tough to argue with “been there, done that” when seeking advice. In today’s economy, Mentors are also known as Coaches, Teachers, Managers, or Parents.

There are multiple voices in the Personal Growth sphere that offer insight into the power of thought. As A Man Thinketh by James Allen, written in 1903 and Napolean Hill’s Think and Grow Rich, written in 1937 have been some of the foundational work that was carried on by Jim Rohn. Jim Rohn then mentored current industry leaders Tony Robbins, Mark Victor Hansen, Jack Canfield, Brian Tracy and, Darren Hardy. (Wikipedia, 2020) The message is — Your thought is your perspective. Change your thought; change your perspective.

I am drifting over to the spiritual side of the conversation where I find Deepak Chopra’s book titled The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success, sharing Law #5 — The Law of Intention and Desire. With quality intention, thinking of the good you can bring to the world, and the desire to take the actions necessary, the universe manifests in a way to benefit your journey. Think about how can I be better, and what more can I offer?

For further understanding of the universe, I then turned to Dr. Joe Dispenza’s book titled Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself. In his work, the basis is that the world is energy. Subatomic particles consist almost entirely of energy as they comprise the environment around you. When combined with your brain energy (thought), you can have a direct impact on your future. To me, the analogy works like this — Do you know anyone that mopes around saying, “nothing good ever happens for me, I can never catch a break or my life sucks?” The amount of time spent focusing on how bad things are “creates” more bad things. It seems like a self-fulfilling prophecy. How does this circle back to “If I can do it, you can do it?” In late 2016 I slipped off near the summit of Broken Top Mountain in Oregon while climbing. Upon impact, I fractured my back. It took over eight hours to hike out solo (another story) and then a seven and one-half hours of surgery to remove a rib and install a titanium vertebra. The recovery was an uphill battle. Roughly one month in, I was sliding into depression. Along with feeling poorly, in my mind, I was checking off all of the things that I would no longer be able to do. Wrestling with my Grandchildren. Nope. Playing Ice Hockey and Officiating the games. Done. Playing golf again. Not anymore. Be a contributing member of society. I couldn’t see how? My thoughts were no longer of a positive nature, and my world was growing darker. I had a very supportive family and a large network of friends. Yet, I was convincing myself that I was not going to recover fully. So, I reached out. I found someone who had traveled the road I was staring down. Someone who fully recovered from back surgery to tackle all that life could bring on. Nathan Quarry became a professional UFC Fighter in 2001 than had a spinal fusion performed in June 2006. After recovering and training, he returned to win his next match on September 19, 2007. I was fortunate enough to have a conversation with him. He asked how he could help? I shared how I felt I was never going to be the same, that I was afraid I would never be able to lift my Grandchildren again. Without hesitation, he responded with, “Yes, you will.” When I challenged him with how he knew, the response was, “If I can do it, you can do it.” Hearing that from someone you had spinal fusion, went back into the UFC and fought six more times. I was humbled by what he was able to accomplish and inspired by his belief in me. I changed my thoughts. He shared the path, and I followed his instructions. In June 2017, I was wrestling with the Grandchildren, playing golf and in November that same year back on the ice playing beer league hockey. At age 55. Today I find success in the gaps. I am blending the Quantum Physics understanding of the universe put forth by Dr. Dispenza with the spiritual guidance of Deepak Chopra and the positive mindset framework of Darren Hardy. The treasure is in the gaps. Learn from those who have completed the journey you are looking to take. Good luck on your journey.