Mark considers his greatest testimony during the 1996 Olympics as being able to "run with a broken arm" and his greatest challenge as "not turning to drugs, not quitting, but having faith and belief." A belief in himself, that, "strengthened by the power of God, he would reach any set goal." He calls this attitude "staying in the zone." Mark says, "Staying in the zone begins with a discovery of who you are and where you belong on earth. An understanding and application of a formula he calls the "Four P’s" representing; Purpose, Passion, Production and Permission."
"Purpose entails a discovery of reason for being; finding out what you are on earth to do, why, and how you need to get it done. Once this is established, the passion to pursue those things naturally follows."
"From passion you draw the energy to forge ahead despite all odds. Passion leads to production or multiplication as the Bible calls it, "be fruitful and multiply" meaning to increase and have dominion in your chosen field of endeavor."
Mark says the problem is that a lot of people, "want the production without the passion." "People wonder why they are not being promoted at work, why they are not making enough to pay their bills, they seek a better life but the truth is, "a life without passion for purpose is a fruitless life and just like the fig tree, it lacks any reason for continued existence."
The last very important formula, which is often overlooked by people who have reached the production stage is, Permission. Marks says that, "Sometimes in life, when we think we have reached the stage of production, setbacks, either self-inflicted or externally induced, occur. At this point, we need permission to forgive ourselves and the world, permission to dream again, permission to believe and be able to say, "Hey, all that is in the past, no more guilt no more regrets or anger, this is a new day and I’m going to take advantage of it."
Mark says he is able to talk about his formulas so passionately because they are time tested and are drawn from his own real-life experiences and interactions with other people. "The formulas are not a combination of speeches drawn from different motivational speakers. I’ve been in the zone, been in the twilight zone, been in the wrong zone, and I can identify with the Four P’s formula most intimately."
Another thing that kept Mark going during his most trying periods is positive reinforcement. He says, "It’s very important for people to constantly practice positive reinforcement until it becomes a habit." Whether in the workplace, at home, or in dealing with children, Mark believes people should spend a lot more time emphasizing the positive values of others. "There has to be a balance between disciplining and saying something positive because the objective is to empower, to build up, not destroy. The truth is that most people know when they have done something wrong, they don’t need further scolding and yelling added to what they are already dealing with. What they need is to say, "It’s okay, I believe you and I believe that you will do better next time."
"What we lacked as children, we need to acquire as adults. We need to balance out with positive reinforcement, and be able to say, "Hey, I may fall down, but I’m going to get back up." To the individual struggling through self doubt, low self esteem or absence of self confidence, Mark has this to say, "You are not alone, I’ve been there and I know how you feel." But no matter what, get back up, for no crime, no sin, no falling down is too big that God cannot forgive and you can get back up."
