What is a BAD Apple? By Frank

--> What is a BAD APPLE?

(Article written for the CCRA Conference)

By: Frank Kitchen

I recently completed my very first marathon. While running the un-godly distance of 26.2 miles, a lot of thoughts went through my head. “Why am I doing this?” “Where is the finish line?” “I have an article due for the CCRA Conference!” “How do I explain what BAD means?” While I was running the race I noticed 10,000 BAD APPLES surrounded me.  We all had the same dream, to complete the marathon. We all had a BELIEF that we could finish without dying. We all took various ACTIONS to train for the race. When race day finally arrived we all had the DETERMINATION to fight through various mental and physically adversities to complete the race. We all rejoiced! We accomplished our goals and answered the question…..”Are you a BAD APPLE?”

 “What does BAD APPLE mean? When I travel the country with Rodger Campbell; we are constantly asked that very question. There are two of us, so people usually get two answers. We both believe people and organizations are like apples. They have to ability to grow into something ordinary, rotten, or extraordinary. Our goal is for everyone to become extraordinary! In order to do this you must become BAD. Don’t worry CCRA delegates, being BAD is good. We invite you to come to our presentation to find out why it’s good to be BAD.

BAD means to have belief, action and determination. We all have dreams in our lives, but do we really believe they can come true? My dream was to run and complete a marathon. ONE MARATHON!  In order for my dream to become reality I needed to believe I could complete the race. Without belief there is no action. A dream that doesn’t come true becomes a nightmare. Taking the first step to achieve a dream is the toughest part. You can only take that leap of faith when you truly believe.

Now that I believed, I needed to take action. My actions included: six months of training, consulting with running experts, buying the right equipment and putting down my non-refundable entry fee. As the race date approached, I started to have doubts. I considered changing my mind, until my last practice run. I ran over twenty miles with my girlfriend and I didn’t die! This marathon thing could really happen. I’m going to accomplish something extraordinary!

Race day arrived with a four o’clock AM beep beep beep from my alarm clock. I got up and got ready. Got my carbs, drank my fluids and took my ibuprofen. There was excitement as the race began. That excitement started to fade around mile thirteen. That’s when things really got tough.  By mile eighteen I thought about quitting when my leg cramped up.  The thought of not accomplishing my dream kept me going. I really didn’t want to have to run the race again. I mentally stayed determined. When muscles started to lock up, I found the first aid station to get treatment. When I thought I was the only one having issues, I looked around and saw hundreds of other people facing the similar difficulties.  The torment bonded us. As the finish line approached, I had several friends there to cheer me on. That inspired me more. When I crossed the line the celebration and my retirement began! Bags of ice on my knees, ibuprofen in my mouth and thank yous to everyone who offered encouragement to achieve my dream.

No matter what you or your organization want to accomplish; you must be BAD. First you must believe in the dream. Second you have to take the proper actions. Finally when the hardships arise you must stay determined to the end. Hardships will definitely test your beliefs. If you stay determined you can accomplish your dreams.  You must also continue to Build and Develop, who you are and those around you. We are here at the CCRA Conference to change attitudes. You can call us attitude adjusters! Attitudes are all about belief. One must believe in themselves. One must instill belief in others. Finally they need belief in the dream they want to become reality. When we accomplish our dreams, it’s more than ordinary. It’s special. We get a sense of adulation and we can’t wait to conquer our next challenge. This is success!  This is being a B.A.D. A.P.P.L.E!