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3 P’s of Influence

Hey Everyone!

I was talking with a friend the other day and the following question came up.  What does it take to influence people in a positive way?  Click the video below to hear my 3 P’s of influence. I look forward to reading and responding to your comments below!

All the best in happiness, health & wealth,

Jason

Commitment vs Dedication – How the Difference Can Change Your Life

Have you ever looked back at something that you worked on for a really long time before you finally accomplished it and wondered why it took so long?  Did you find an answer?  I spent 20 years speed skating and missed 3 Olympics before I finally accomplished my goal of winning an Olympic medal and I wondered the very same thing.  People often ask me what the difference was between all the failures and the ultimate success. 

This is what I tell them… 

Right from when I started speed skating at age 11, I was always a very dedicated athlete.  I had to be, as for the first number of years, I trained by myself and didn’t really have a coach.  I was self motivated and

Dedication - No matter how hard you try there will always be a missing piece
Commitment is that missing piece.

dedicated to my goal of competing in the Olympics.  Rarely did I miss a workout.  I ate healthy,  I didn’t drink or party much (even at university) and got ample rest (for the most part).  When I trained, I trained HARD.  I had a very good work ethic.  Believe it or not, I enjoyed the training more than the competition.  For me, good race results were an excuse for more training (weird I know). 

So Why Does it Always Seem to Take Longer?

Why then did it take me until the last year of my career to finally achieve what I set out to do?  Well, there are a number of reasons but I think this is the biggest one…  You see, like I mentioned, I was very dedicated to my sport, my training, my health, etc, but…  for a very long time, I wasn’t COMMITTED to it. 

What’s the Difference Between Dedication & Commitment?

Well, it is a very BIG difference!  The way I look at it, when you are dedicated, you APPEAR to be doing all the right things (just like I did).  Like I said, I did the workouts, took care of myself, didn’t party… I worked hard but… I wasn’t 100% invested… I wasn’t ‘ALL IN’.  It was like I was just going through the motions (how many people do you know that are like that).  What I mean by this is I didn’t have a deadline or an end point for my goal as there was always next season.  It was almost like I was giving myself an excuse for not achieving what I wanted! 

"Dedication is great but it is commitment that leads to achievement." Jason Parker
Commitment is where the rubber meets the road

 

What did I do different in my last season? 

I DECIDED it was my last season… NO MATTER WHAT!  A target and a deadline were set and there were no more tomorrows.  There wasn’t going to be another chance, another season or another Olympics.  

This changed things.  It caused me to make the most of every day and of every workout because it was the last one I was ever going to have on that day.  It gave me daily purpose.  I

"There are only two options regarding commitment. You're either in or you're out. There's no such thing as life in-between." - Pat Riley
“There are only two options regarding commitment. You’re either in or you’re out. There’s no such thing as life in-between.” – Pat Riley

wanted to be able to retire from my sport and look back on my career with no regrets!  And you know what, I did (and ended up with an Olympic medal to boot)! 

You might be wondering why I’m writing this now (and that would be a very good question).  The reason is I have found myself back in that same place, being dedicated to something, but not fully committed to it and I decided it’s time to get committed.

What does this mean for you?

How can you take advantage of this difference?  Take out a piece of paper, write down these questions, take some time to connect with them and write out your answers.  I’m going to do the same thing… 

  1. What areas of my life have I been ‘going through the motions”? 
  2. Have I been dedicated to something for a long time but haven’t gotten the results that I want?  (If I haven’t been dedicated to anything, why haven’t I?)
  3. What is it that I really want (that it is time to commit to)? 

 Let me know what you come up with in the comments below or on Facebook.  Let’s hear what you’re committed dedication is to… and I might share mine as well 😉

Decide it, Believe it, Become it and Achieve your “Olympian Life”, today!

Jason

Olympic Lessons You Can Use Today

Hey Everyone,

I was going through some old video and came across this clip from a corporate talk I did. Even though I did it a while ago, the lessons I talk about are still just as important today as they were 5 years ago so I thought I’d share this with you. Let me know in the comments below what you think!

All the best in happiness, health & wealth!

Jason Parker

P.S. If you enjoy this, be sure to click the like button or one of the share buttons below to share it with others 😉

A Special Reminder at Christmas

With the Festive Season upon us I wanted to send out a Christmas greeting and something to keep in mind to help you all make this a Christmas to remember!

I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and I look forward to sharing some very new and exciting things in the New Year!

All the best in happiness, health & wealth!

Jason

P.S.  Be sure to let me know what you think of this video and how it influenced your Holiday Season!  😉

How My Funny Hat Will Help You Be More Productive

Hey Everyone!

I was out hiking with my dog Kodiak today and thought of something I wanted to share with you. It is a short video about how the funny hat I was wearing (you can see it below) taught me 3 things that help me to get more done and be far more happy and productive. So click the play button below and be sure to share in the comments how you feel you can be more productive with the hats that you wear!

All the best in happiness, health & wealth!

Jason

P.S. If you enjoyed this and received value from it, click one of the share below to post it on your Facebook or with someone else you think would benefit!

I am Kind of Embarrassed About This…

Hi everyone.  I have to admit that I am kind of embarrassed about this…  Actually, I am VERY embarrassed about it!  Check out the video below to see why…


All the best in happiness, health & wealth,

Jason Parker

P.S.  Make sure to say hi in the comments section as I read every one. I can’t wait to start developing more amazing friendships and helping you to achieve more in your life!

Inspiration – 2010 100km Kidney March

When I speak a large events, I’m used to being the one doing the inspiring.  This past Friday I was speaking at the opening of the historic 2010 100km Kidney March in support of the Kidney Foundation of Canada and this time, I was the one being inspired…

I want to thank and congratulate all of the participants that represented their family, friends and other loved ones in this event and are there every day to support them… you are all heroes! Thanks for inspiring not only me, but so many others!

All the best in happiness, health & wealth,

Jason Parker

P.S.  I’d love to hear how you were inspired this weekend in the comments below…

Welcome to Jason Parker Speaks!

Jason Parker

It’s hard to imagine that the 2010 Winter Olympics ended MONTHS AGO already!  You might be wondering what’s been running through my mind…  Just over 4 short years ago, we (the Canadian Speed Skating Team) were in our final days of training, counting the days before we headed out to Torino, Italy!  The energy was like a POWER PLANT!  UNLIMITED!!!  True electricity in the air!!!  After a lifetime of training and 3 previously missed Olympics, MY DREAM WAS FINALLY COMING TRUE!!!  What an AMAZING experience!!!

And what really brings this to the forefront of my mind is something I experienced just recently…  I was at a gym and got talking to someone who was working out.  It came up that I was a speed skater and he asked for my last name.  Turned out he worked for the first company that ever helped me out financially (at the time I was living off of about $800 per month)!  Shortly thereafter, the company was bought out, their contact details changed and unfortunately we lost touch.  I was never able to let them know just how much their support changed my life and truly made my Olympic medal a possibility!  This really got me thinking…

Since I spend a lot of time in airports and hotels, I have plenty of opportunities to meet some really interesting and special people – including you!  And I’ve been thinking about something that I’m really embarrassed about…  Since winning an Olympic medal in 2006, I’ve met hundreds (probably thousands) of really great people – and that’s where it stopped.  I have completely dropped the ball on staying in touch.

That is something I truly want to change – thus – my new theme – staying in touch and building fantastic life-long relationships!!  Now many of you know that I focus a lot of my energies towards helping others – through health, and also by telling my story of NEVER GIVING UP!  That’s why I want to start sharing the principles I learned over the years that provided the opportunities for me to win my Olympic medal, to be healthier and to feel better than I did 15 years ago, and to help people create balance and success in their lives!  Yes!!

So – stay tuned, be sure to sign up for my Newsletter and watch for my next email where I’ll be sharing with you some of the most exciting news of my life!  This is something that couldn’t be more life changing!

All the best in happiness, health & wealth,

Jason Parker

P.S.  Make sure to say hi in the comments below as I can’t wait to hear from you!