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In the 1800s two men ruled the market of military weapons developments. Alfred and his younger brother Emil. Two Swedish inventors who were nicknamed in their field as the “TRADESMEN OF DEATH.”
Alfred was fascinated by the development of nitroglycerin and set about to use it to create the “monster of all monsters in war” He invented Dynamite.
In the process of perfecting that invention, His factory exploded, killing several men and his younger brother Emil. In that tragedy, Alfred was given the greatest gift any of us could ever be given and that gift, in turn, became one of the greatest gifts this planet has ever had in her history.
“Your life does not get better by chance, it gets better by change.”
–Jim Rohn
Alfred was given the chance to see his ability to change.
While looking to read his brother’s obituary in the morning paper, he discovered to his shock the editor had made a massive mistake. Instead of writing Emil’s obituary, the editor had mistakenly written an obituary for Alfred!
The headline read “TRADESMAN OF DEATH MEETS HIS MASTER.”
When Alfred read how his wealth, power, and influence had built a legacy of death, destruction, and the thrones of the power hungry, Alfred knew he needed to change.
He cleared his schedule for several weeks and put every ounce of concentration into the development of a way to change the way he was remembered. He succeeded.
After his passing in 1895, several funeral services were held and Alfred Nobel’s body was cremated. The will was opened. Everyone was shocked.
Alfred Nobel had written several wills during his lifetime, but the last one was dated November 27, 1895 - a little over a year before he died.
Nobel’s last will left approximately 94 percent of his worth to the establishment of FIVE prizes:
PHYSICS, CHEMISTRY, PHYSIOLOGY &MEDICINE, LITERATURE, PEACE
The wording was clear that the prize money should be awarded to “Those who, during the preceding year, shall have conferred the greatest benefit on mankind.”
“Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending.”
-Maria Robinson
All that to say this. It is NEVER too late to change.
If you don’t like something about the leader you are, change it.
If you don’t like the way you respond under pressure, change it.
If you don’t like the way you treat the people in your life, change it.
If you don’t find passion in what you do, then what do you have to lose? Change it! If you don’t like the kind of parent, spouse, sibling, employer, employee, or friend that you are... You guessed it! CHANGE IT!!!
No condition in this life is permanent, so why waste another minute mired down in thinking that says you have just always been this way and everyone should continue to just live with it?
In life, you have TWO choices.
Change, or spend massive amounts of time and energy making excuses as to why you cannot.
“Everything in life changes. Everything. Why, then, do we believe that we are unable to?”
~ Daniel Stombaugh
I love the story of an under-worked and struggling actor for paramount studios back in the 30s. His name was Archie Leech.
Have you ever heard of him? No?
It’s not surprising to me because even though he went on to play one of Hollywood’s top sought after leading men and international epitome of the suave ladies’ man, no one ever heard of Archie Leech. It seemed as if Archie could not quite make it into the type of movies he desired and was constantly frustrated by his agents and his own seeming lack of ability. One night, while sitting at a desk in Paramount studios, Archie decided to do more than settle for a sub par standard of life and career. Archie said, “I picked up a pencil, and I wrote down what I knew in my heart I wanted to be. How I would respond to the press, how I would enter and exit an expensive limo, how I would stand up to producers and how I would act.” He did not write down what he was currently doing in those areas, but rather how he saw himself becoming in those areas. He then decided that this character he knew he really was not Archie Leech. He made up a name he would become. He signed that declaration with that name.
Carey Grant.
Toward the end of his career, someone once asked him about this moment where Archie stopped making excuses and Carey started living and his reply was powerful. “I wanted to become Carey Grant so much that I became him or he became me.”
In life, you have TWO choices.
Change, or spend massive amounts of time and energy making excuses as to why you cannot.
“Everything in life changes. Everything. Why, then, do we believe that we are unable to?”
~ Daniel Stombaugh
In 2012 (LEFT PICTURE) I was 252 lbs. Sick, tired, and on my way toward becoming diabetic. I was broken emotionally, spiritually, and physically.
In 2017 (RIGHT PICTURE) I am 71lbs lighter and in the best shape of my life. I am alive, awake, and fully walking in my God given life purpose. I have a goal and a vision for where I am going, and it is clear to me. I don’t speak about change with a few catchy quotes and an inspirational story.
I speak from a life that has done it.
Nearly everything about my life has changed from what it was, to begin to point toward what I had always believed it was supposed to be. The sweat and tears it took to climb out of the mental prison that had enslaved my thinking was the hardest part. The rest just flows.
"Everything in life changes. Everything. Why then do we believe that we are unable to?"
~ Daniel Stombaugh
Climbing with you,
~Daniel