Hot
Diggity, Dog Diggity:
Staying
Determined
Today is the Fourth of July…as American as
baseball and apple pie. But to my SO, Barry, today
is all about the hot dog. Barry is one of the great sports fans of all time, and
if it’s on ESPN, it’s a sport. To Barry, there is nothing more American than the Nathan’s
Hot Dog Eating Contest. There’s the historic beach setting, America’s favorite food,
and, of course, the spectacle of the competition itself.
Barry has
been religiously watching this annual contest of gluttony for as long as I can
remember. Three years ago we were in Denmark for a wedding. After spending July
4th in Copenhagen, we went back to our hotel room and watched the
contest on YouTube. Nyhavn, The Little Mermaid, Tivoli and
Hot Dogs. :)
Today,
Joey Chestnut, the reigning Nathan’s champ since 2007, has done it again. Although
he is the undisputed Nathan’s champion, Takeru Kobayashi is perhaps the greatest competitive
eater of all time, Although Kobayashi
only weighs about 130 lbs., he holds several records, including six
Guinness Records, for eating hot dogs, meatballs, Twinkies, hamburgers, pizza and pasta. Years ago, Kobayashi changed the world of competitive eating at the Nathan’s
contest when he separated the hot dogs from the buns. Barry has a huge
amount of admiration for Kobayashi, and considers him to be the greatest
competitive eater of all time.
Several years ago, Kobayashi refused to go along with what he
called overly restrictive limits on endorsements and remuneration imposed by
Major League Eating, the international federation that runs the Nathan’s 4th of
July Contest and other annual events. Kobayashi has decided to instead navigate
the niche industry alone.
And although Kobayashi has decided to march to the beat of his own drummer, he
has continued to set records, albeit unofficially.
How can such a small man could eat so many hot dogs?
I’ll tell you. Like anything else, competitive eating is more about
determination than other things. In 2011, the much larger Chestnut scarfed down 62
hot dogs in 10 minutes to win at Coney Island while his rival, Kobayashi, ate
69 at a simultaneous event across town on a rooftop in midtown Manhattan. In
2012, Chestnut ate 68 hot dogs at Coney Island while Kobayashi ate 68.5 at a
bar in the Bushwick neighborhood of Brooklyn. Nathan’s officials dismissed both
records, but couldn’t dismiss the fact that Kobayashi out-ate Chestnut.
To Barry, Kobayashi is a legend. One
of Barry’s dreams came true a few years ago at a Schaumburg Boomer’s game. A team of fans representing the Boomers, including Barry, competed against Kobayashi after the game.
Although Kobayashi out-ate the team consisting of 4 fans and the Boomer’s
catcher, this was definitely one of the highlight of Barry’s sport’s career.
So why am I writing about hot
dogs in an ADHD blog? It’s about determination. It’s about finding your unique
niche. It’s about focus. It’s about not allowing obstacles to get in your way.
It’s not about competing directly against other, but competing with yourself. It’s
about achieving your personal best.
So I ask
you…how hungry (pun intended) are you for the things you desire? What is your
level of determination? Stop thinking it is impossible. Know
what you want and be sure it’s something that YOU want…not something someone
else wants for you. Folks with ADHD aren’t like everyone else. Play to your
unique strengths; do it your way.
Here are
a few simple steps to stay hungry:
* Be clear about your dreams, goals and desires.
* Work from YOUR point of strength
* Be deliberate. Don't rely on luck.
* Stay focused
* Minimize distractions...or learn how to deal with them. This is a huge issue for ADHDers...and another blog in itself.
* Make a commitment
* Be flexible and adjust your actions accordingly
* Take action NOW. Don't dwell in the past. One step at a time.
* Keep your eye on the prize. What will it be like when you accomplish your goal? Really feel it.
Today is Independence Day for the USA. Today can be Independence Day for you as well. Leonardo da Vinci said it best, "It had long since come to my attention that people of accomplishment rarely sat back and let things happen to them. They went out and happened to things."
