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Excerpt from "Don't Stop the Swagger" by Damon J. Smith
A swagger is that excitement in your walk when you're sure about where you are and where you want to go. It's the extra style in your stride, strong and deliberate yet graceful, knowing every step brings you closer to an extraordinary destination. You move with purpose. People notice you when you pass because your energy is just too strong to ignore. The swagger can't be acquired with material objects. It comes from an untapped source deep within that you may have never known your soul possessed. The swagger never lets circumstance or criticism interrupt its mission. Nothing affects the swagger because its anticipated outcome is just too good. |
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But what happens when your uncommon dream doesn't go as planned? Your business fails, tragedy hits, you make a bad decision, your marriage goes downhill, your athletic aspirations don't pan out, or you're in a job that just doesn't do it for you? You see, with every little hiccup in life you lose energy, excitement and drive. YOU LOSE YOUR SWAGGER! If you're questioning whether you have ever had a swagger, believe me, it's there. It's the very thing you like to talk about, the passion that propels you toward your deepest desires. Swagger is purpose, passion, excitement and, most of all, self-belief. Throughout life, you learn how to act in the midst of success. You rarely hear that the minute you begin to pursue your dream, opposition knocks at the back door. If you're unprepared for opposition, fear can easily set in, causing you to doubt your own ability. You may begin to settle for mediocrity and stop pursuing the excellence that brought you to your highest level of personal achievement. Your swagger will be reduced to a mere means of getting from point A to point B. What happens to the teenage girl who gets pregnant during her senior year of high school? Most people treat her as though her life is ruined; she is now a statistic and will suffer the consequences for the rest of her life. Granted, things will change for this young lady, but her life is not over. She can accomplish all she desires; it will just require changing her strategy. You will make some bad decisions in life. You will face consequences and criticism, but you can recover. You can find comfort when things are going right, but you must not let pain, afliction, persecution or discomfort stop your progress! You must understand that each person has a different circumstance and thus a different strategic plan is needed when pursuing your heart's desires. Two people wanting the same thing can have two entirely different ways of getting it. The overwhelming characteristic found in people who have a swagger is confidence - not to be confused with arrogance, which means believing you are above everyone and everything else. Confidence means knowing you have all you need inside to accomplish your goals. Those with the swagger don't wait for others to jump on the bandwagon before pursuing their dreams. They innovate and break new ground. Everyone has more than one significant talent or ability; to only use one talent or fail to explore the limits of one's abilities would simply be a waste. Your confidence in yourself will allow you to take action; and accomplishment will always follow action. Life's rewards don't always go to the most intelligent or stronger man, but most often to the man who has a strong self-belief. --- “Don’t Stop the Swagger” is a non-fiction book about perseverance, preparation and taking action. It not only lays the path to success but it also reveals how failure, pain, and struggle will most likely precede uncommon success. It exposes the characteristics of peak performers and explains why a Bill Gates, Oprah Winfrey, Tiger Woods, Michael Jordan, Samuel Jackson or Colin Powell differ at what they do, yet share a common mindset. It identifies six career skills that are essential in any arena of choice, be it business, self employment, entertainment, etc… and finally gives the reader action keys on how to develop these skills. Ultimately, this book will inspire. More importantly, it will prepare each person for the process in obtaining his or her heart’s desire. |
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