What it Really Takes to Win
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Ruben on Success
I Believe
I believe most people allow fear of failure and fear of the unknown to keep them from being the best that they can be.
Fear is the enemy.
Most people can do so much more… but they’re afraid. They’re stuck.
My Mission
My mission is to inspire and equip others to face their fears and passionately pursue their goals.
I do it by sharing the story of how I went from being a bench warmer in my college soccer team to a four-time Olympian in the sport of luge.
My story takes people’s excuses away and gets them to take action. It wakes them up and inspires them to win. People leave my talk thinking, “If that guy could make it to the Olympics, we can do anything!”
People need to be inspired by great stories of achievement. They need inspiration to have the courage to face their fears.
My mission is to inspire people to wake up and to live their lives with passion so they will be more productive and so that they will create a ripple effect of success everywhere they go.
“Most men lead lives of quiet desperation
and go to the grave with their song
still in them.”
Henry David Thoreau
“Sport stories have the power
to change the world.
They have the power to inspire.
Sports stories can create hope
where once there was only despair.”
Nelson Mandela
Achieving Greatness
Great people were not born great. They became great by making a decision to pursue their dream in life and by refusing to give up.
The struggle we must all face on the road to our dreams is what makes us great. Ordinary people can become extraordinary if they dedicate their lives to the pursuit of their dreams.
“The harder the conflict, the more glory in overcoming it.” – Thomas Paine
“You’ll never achieve anything great in life until you start believing that something inside you is bigger than the circumstances you face.”
Ruben Gonzalez
Living Your Life as an Adventure
Deep down in every heart is the desire to be somebody, to do something great.
In the third Grade I had the call, the beckoning, an inner longing to compete at the highest level. To strike out on an adventure.
I refused the call out of fear, out of a low self image, out of lack of belief that I could ever be an Olympian.
Like most people, I let fear of the unknown and fear of failure keep me from pursuing my dream.
At age 21 I overcame my fears and I accepted the call. What was the difference? How did I change? What gave me courage? The books I read and the people I consistently associated with.
Refusal of the call would have been devastating. Those who refuse the call can never be heroes. They are destined to live with regret. A life with no peak experiences. A life of quiet desperation.
“Great people became great by making a decision to pursue their dream in life and by refusing to give up.”
Ruben Gonzalez
Courage
You will never achieve anything great in life unless you dare to believe that something inside you is bigger than the circumstances you face.
When we think about or dreams, it is like a call to arms. A call to take an adventurous journey. The spiritual journey takes us inward and downward to face the hardest realities of our lives.
We must understand and acknowledge that the enemy is within – fear of failure. Accepting the call requires courage. Courage is not the absence of fear. It is acting in spite of fear.
Action is the proof of your courage. Courage is going against the odds, against popular opinion. It’s doing what most people aren’t willing to do. Having the heart to choose your own course of action. And taking responsibility when you fail or stumble.
With Courage you can do almost anything. Without it even a brilliant person accomplishes little.
“This country was founded and built by people with great dreams and the courage to take great risks.” – Ronald Reagan
“The struggle we must all face on the road to our dreams is what makes us great.”
Ruben Gonzalez
Pursuing Your Dream
We were designed and created for extraordinary achievement.
God puts a dream in your heart. God gives you all the gifts, talents, and hidden resources you’ll need to make your dream come true. It is up to you to do the work. It is up to each one of us to decide to make the journey, put ourselves through the struggle, pursue our dreams. When we are struggling we will dig deep inside us and only then will we find our gifts.
“I am not discouraged, because every failure is another step forward.” – Thomas Edison
“Ordinary people can become extraordinary if they dedicate their lives to the pursuit of their dreams.”
Ruben Gonzalez
Pushing Beyond Self-imposed Limitations
Conditioning our minds for extraordinary achievement is simple but it takes time.
The road to huge successes in all areas of your life can be broken down to five steps. What you tell yourself influences what your beliefs and thoughts are. Your thoughts determine what you do. What you do repeatedly becomes your habits. Your habits determine your results.
If you are not happy with your results, change what you say to yourself and surround yourself with people who support and encourage the quest for your dream. If you do that, before long you’ll be getting different results.
“Every success you’ve ever had or will ever have is the product of your courage to act and the courage to endure.”
Ruben Gonzalez
Risk Taking
You win by taking the journey. After taking the journey you will never be the same again. Life itself is about getting knocked down and getting back up and trying again. Jump and find your wings on the way down!
I dare you to take the journey. To think bigger, act bigger and to be bigger. And I promise you a richer and more exciting life if you do. The world is filled with opportunity and the rewards for the daring are great. Focus on the objective, not the obstacles.
“To win without risk is to triumph without glory.” – Pierre Corneille
“I didn’t make it because of superior athletic ability. I made it because I refused to quit.”
Ruben Gonzalez
Tenacity
You will face a challenge, a struggle on the way to your dream. When it comes, look it squarely in the eye and say, “I will be bigger than you. You cannot defeat me.” Not quitting on the way to the goal transforms us. It’s about who we become by taking the journey.
The Olympics are about all that is right about the human spirit. The Olympics showcase a group of people who were willing to go for it. People who refused to quit when the going got tough. I only made it because I refused to quit.
“It’s not whether you get knocked down. It’s whether you get up again.” – Vince Lombardi
“Success is not about how much talent you have. It’s about what you do with the talent you do have.”
Ruben Gonzalez
Decision Making
When you are on a quest for your dream decision making is simple. All you do is ask yourself which choice gets you closer to your dream. You are the dream. Whenever you choose to do something that keeps you from your dream, you are not being true to yourself.
“Successful people love the battle, the challenge and the journey. It’s about knowing that you did your best.”
Ruben Gonzalez
Leadership
Would you follow someone you don’t trust? Of course not! Therefore, leadership rule #1 is to be a person of integrity. To be absolutely trustworthy. The other thing is to be Passionate about your mission.
Most people are afraid to show passion for what they believe. Being passionate about your dream will set you apart from the crowd because 95% of people are afraid to show passion for anything.
If you are trustworthy and passionate about your cause, you will attract followers. You will become a person of influence, which is what leadership is all about.
“If you will do whatever it takes for however long it takes and refuse to quit, success is only a matter of time.”
Ruben Gonzalez
Success
Success is not about how much talent you have. It’s about what you do with the talent you do have.
Successful people love the battle, the challenge, the journey. It’s not about the outcome. It’s about knowing that you did the best you could to become the best of what you were capable. If you give it your all, you can hold your head up no matter what the outcome.
“If a man has done his best, what else is there?” – George S. Patton