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| Inspiring content...2 With Ravi's courtesy
Today, the one and onlyToday is no ordinary day. It is special. It is unique. There has never been a day quite like today. It offers opportunities which are all its own. Today is here now and it will never come again. It's a valuable gift you've just now received, to do with as you wish. Will you expand it into even better things or will you squander the one chance you have to make this day count? Consider the vast amounts of energy and matter which must come together in precisely the right combination just to make this day a reality. How could you possibly take it for granted? This very day there is greatness waiting to be expressed. There is joy waiting to be experienced. You're in a great position, one which won't be the same after this day is over. Do all you can with this day. Make the most of every moment. It's here for you now. Take it in and run with it.
Here's a great way to make use of your time today. Pick something you need to do and get it done. Just imagine what a great sense of freedom and accomplishment it will bring you. Do it now, and instead of draining yourself with delay you'll be filled with the fruits of your labor. Get it out of the way, and you'll be free from the worry and anxiety. There's no sense in imposing an unnecessary burden on yourself. Free your energy, free your time, free your mind by tending quickly to the things you must do. The sooner you get started, the more you'll get accomplished.
You are the person most negatively affected by your scorn and anger toward others. Though your anger may be entirely justified, that's no reason for you to perpetuate and support it. By the same token, the love and compassion you express toward others lives in your own heart and benefits your own life as well. Whatever you direct toward others, ends up as part of you. You cannot hurt others without also hurting yourself. You cannot help others without also benefiting yourself. Think of your anger and negativity not as a stone which you throw at another, but rather as a toxic cloud which surrounds both of you. Think of your love and compassion for others not as something you give up, but rather as a light you turn on which adds a bright, positive glow to everything around you. Do all you can to move past the anger and to fill your world with positive brightness.
The past is over. It is finished. It has brought you to where you are right now. You can learn much from it. You can carry its experiences with you always. Yet you cannot go back. You cannot relive the past. You can do something much, much better. You can make your life from this point on the best that it can be. Whether you long for the past or you regret every minute of it, the reality is that it's over. That means you can take from the past whatever you wish to take, and move forward. Today is a new day with even more possibilities than any day you've ever known in the past. Today is your opportunity, here and now, real and ready. If you think you're too old or too late or too this or too that, you're absolutely wrong. You're precisely in the right spot, at the right time, to make a real, positive difference in your life and in the world around you. Today is the best opportunity anyone could ever imagine, because what you do with today is completely up to you. Make it the best day ever.
Imagine how completely frustrating and confusing it would be to run a race in which there was no clearly defined finish line. How would you know which direction to run? How would you keep from wasting your efforts? How would you find the drive and motivation to go forward, if you didn't even know where forward was? With no finish line, not only would you not know where you were going, you'd also have no way of knowing how to get there. To run the race, you must know where the finish line is and you must follow a course that will get you to that point. The same is true for any accomplishment. It's crucial to know exactly where you are going and to determine the precise course of action which will get you there. A vaguely conceived finish line can never be crossed. Do your efforts today have a clearly defined finish line? Are your efforts moving you along the course which will reach that goal? Or are you just running around in circles? The only way you can win the race is by knowing exactly where to run.
Today you know more than you knew yesterday. Today you are more experienced than you were yesterday. Today you are closer than you were yesterday to achieving the goals you have set. Do you still think of yourself as the person you were last week, or last year, or 15 years ago? The fact is, every day you successfully move forward in spite of the challenges. You've actually become very good at it. And you get better each day. Some things change for the better, some for the worse, and yet life's richness steadily grows with each passing moment. Everything you've ever been is still a part of who you are. And you get to add even more today! Through joy, disappointment, sorrow, excitement, boredom, frustration and bliss, each day enriches you to face the next one as a more complete and ever growing you.
When you're willing to accept challenge you won't have to accept defeat. Instead of throwing up your hands in defeat when things go wrong, look at the situation from a different perspective. See it as a challenge to be overcome. Your attitude makes all the difference. Winners and losers are distinguished not by the circumstances they face, but by the way they face them. Losers think "I've been defeated." Winners think "I've been challenged." Challenges are painful, inconvenient, and uncomfortable. They demand your time, your effort and your energy. And they make you stronger as a result. Rather than accept defeat, see the challenge. Put the best that you have into getting past that challenge. It's easy to be a victim, but that won't get you anywhere. Be a victor instead, by accepting and transcending each challenge that comes your way.
Habits are a great way to program yourself for success. First you form your habits, and then your habits form you. Good habits are difficult to establish. They take some significant, focused effort over a period of time. That effort will pay off many times over when the habit has become firmly implanted in your day-to-day life. Achievement and success require consistent effort. Positive habits can deliver precisely that. Good habits turn baby steps into giant steps. They cause time to work for you, rather than against you. For example, imagine what would happen in you were to get in the habit of waking up 20 minutes earlier than you do now. You could use the time to work on a special project while the house is quiet and you're able to concentrate. In just one week you would add more than two hours of quality, productive time. Each year you would add the equivalent of three full 40-hour work weeks -- all from a 20-minute habit. What habits can you develop that will move you steadily toward your goals? Make the investment in your own positive habits, and you could well enjoy the dividends throughout your entire life.
The past is all you know. The future is all you can be. The present is what you have to work with. The things you have become and the possibilities available to you are all distilled in the powerful moment known as now. Your entire lifetime sits balanced on this moment, ready to tilt in whatever direction you decide. Now is when life is lived. Today is when accomplishment takes place. This moment you have before you is when dreams are followed, when action is taken. Your destiny is here right now, ready for what you can make of it. This day is golden. Live it. This time is potent. Use it. Waiting or wishing will only waste it. Always do what you can, when you can. Start right now and keep on going. This moment is everything you could possibly hope for. Mine the treasure it contains and you'll be rich indeed.
Focus and discipline are essential for success, yet most people find it difficult to attain them. The way to become focused and disciplined is not by seeking these qualities directly, but rather by practicing them in the pursuit of a driving and undeniable purpose. Focus and discipline are means to an end. They must have a clear and well-defined object. You cannot just be focused. You must first have something meaningful upon which to focus. The question you must ask yourself is -- what do you desire and why? Forget for a moment about what other people desire or what they expect you to desire or what is fashionable to desire. What do you really, truly desire to do with the incredible treasure of possibilities that is your life? Answer that question and you'll have a driving reason to become disciplined. Answer that question and you'll have a clearly defined objective upon which to focus. You are completely and immediately capable of all the discipline and focus you could ever need when you find a compelling enough, personally meaningful reason.
Dare to look foolish. The real fools are those who never attempt anything. Dare to make mistakes. They are the best teachers you will ever know. Dare to take action. There's a risk you may fail. Yet if you take no action failure is a certainty. Dare to be fully alive. Dare to speak your mind. Dare to enjoy the beauty of the world. Dare to make a difference. Dare to love. Dare to be the person you know you can be. Dare to expect the best, with your words and actions. You'll usually get it. Dare to do what is right rather than what is convenient or expedient. It will truly make a difference in the way you see yourself, and the way others see you. You're here, with this magnificent day available to you. Dare to make it the best you can.
To be a real winner, be a good loser. Your attitude and actions when things go wrong will determine how often things go right for you. Things will indeed go wrong. There is risk in every undertaking. The road to success it not a straight, paved freeway. It has many twists and turns, gaps, potholes and rough pavement. Anyone can be positive when things are going right. That's no big accomplishment. The real key to success is to remain positively focused when things don't go as you planned. Today will not be perfect. Your job will not be perfect. Your children will not be perfect. Your car will not always run. Your computer will crash. People will be rude to you. These things are part of living. The less time and effort you spend whining, complaining and being dismayed about them, the more time you have for positive, effective living. When you can shake off the losses and keep on going forward, then you're a true winner.
Somewhere in the day ahead is a precious hidden treasure, waiting for you to discover it. It won't be shiny and gleaming. When you first see this treasure, it probably will not look like a treasure at all. It may appear at first as something to avoid rather than pursue. And because of that, most people will pass it by. Will you? Look for treasures in the problems that challenge you, in the people who need your help, in the news that at first dismays you. The most valuable treasures are rarely the ones which brightly and gleefully announce themselves for all the world to see. Just as the most precious gemstones are found beneath the surface, the best of life's treasures require some effort to uncover and enjoy. As you go through the day, be an active treasure hunter. Keep in mind that you'll uncover the best treasures in the most unlikely and unexpected places. Look for treasures in every moment and you will surely find them.
It may often appear that self interest is greedy, and that greed is in one's self interest. Neither is true. Both assumptions are tragically and completely wrong. Ultimately, acting in your own self interest is the height of responsibility. This is because your own interests are best served by serving the interests of the world in which you live. Greed, on the other hand, is the abdication of responsibility, the expectation that you can indefinitely live off the efforts of others without providing any value in return. The difference between self interest and greed is the difference between civilized behavior and anarchy, the difference between trust and suspicion, the difference between fulfillment and despair. Greed is a lie, a terrible deception. The expectation that one can take more than one gives is a sad illusion. Greed will get you nothing worth having. The best strategy for advancing your own self interest is to live responsibly, with respect and gratitude. Always keep in mind that you are a part of your own world. Act accordingly, and that world will be a beautiful place.
A large single effort can rarely match the power and influence of a small effort that is repeated over and over again. The more you repeat your thoughts and actions, the stronger they become. Even the smallest effort, if it is performed consistently for a long enough time, can make an enormous difference. Lasting success and achievement are built one step at a time, over time -- not in a one-shot attempt. If you desire to win big, then the surest way to do it is to win little, over and over again. If you think you're short on resources, or skill, or opportunity, think again. Do what you can, with what you have, as often as you can. Though the single efforts may be small, they add up to an enormous influence. Make time your friend. Make time work for you by using it to multiply your effectiveness. Keep going. Keep working. Keep making the effort, again and again. Keep it up for as long as necessary and you'll get exactly where you wish to go.
Actions and their consequences are inexorably linked. Every action has its own set of specific consequences. The more completely you consider and evaluate the consequences, the more effective your actions will be. Often we're tempted to act without thinking through all the possible consequences of that action. We focus on one particular desirable consequence and ignore all the others. That can be a serious mistake, leading to poor choices and undesired results. Always keep in mind that consequences follow actions just as surely as night follows day. You cannot break that link, yet you can control your consequences by directing your actions. Remember that the consequence you desire may be packaged with others which are not so desirable. The pleasurable consequence of eating a doughnut is necessarily accompanied by the unpleasant consequences of ingesting a large amount of fat and sugar. Think through your actions. Consider all the consequences. See the whole picture. Decide what you intend to accomplish, and take the actions which have consequences that will surely bring you there.
This day in which you find yourself is filled with pure possibility. From where you are right now, at this very moment, there are pathways which radiate outward in infinite directions. And departing from each of them are even more sets of possibilities. Within all these possibilities there is certainly a path which will take you to exactly where you wish to be. Think about it. Right now, wherever you are, no matter what has happened before, there is a clear and specific way for you to achieve whatever you desire. Are you following that path? Are you harnessing the power of the possibilities which are open to you? Or do you choose to focus primarily on your limitations? Certainly there are challenges in every endeavor. Yet your possibilities far outweigh your limitations. Always keep in mind that there is a very real connection running from where you are to where you desire to be. Get on that path, work your way along, and life is great in all its magnificent possibilities.
You can say "I might" or "I'll think about it" or "I'm working on it" or "I'll try." Or you can say "I will." If you don't really want it, then don't waste your time saying "I might." Just say "no" and quickly move on. If you do really want it, don't undermine your efforts by saying "I might." Commit yourself by saying "I will." Say it right now. Think of something you have decided to do and say "I will." Notice how powerful and unequivocal it feels. Those who say "I will" are the people who follow through. They're the people who get things accomplished. "I will" affirms your commitment with your words. By itself, it won't get you there. It's a powerful way to start, though. Be clear about your intentions, with yourself and others. Make a habit of saying "I will" and you cannot help but convince yourself that yes, indeed you will.
Is there something you complain about day after day? Why? What exactly is the purpose of continually complaining about the same thing? It must be obvious by now that your complaints are not doing you any good. So take matters into your own hands. Do something about it! You may not be able to completely eliminate the source of your frustration, yet there is certainly something you can do to turn it in a more positive direction. Of course if you do that you'll have to stop complaining. Is that a problem? Well, do you really wish to improve the situation or do you just like to hear yourself complain? Do you seek pity or do you seek to make a positive difference? If something is disagreeable to you, do something about it. Start small if you must, but make a point to do something. Then, not only will you be making a direct improvement in the situation, you'll also free up all that time and energy you previously spent complaining. Find a way to be positive. Find a way to get things done. See how much better your life can be when you decide to make it so.
How many times do you catch yourself saying or thinking "that's just the way I am"? What wonderful opportunities and experiences do you avoid because you tell yourself they're not for you? The way you are is precisely the way you choose to be. Though you are special and unique, you are not set in stone. You're meant to be flexible and adaptable, curious, adventurous and resourceful. "Just the way I am" is too often just a convenient excuse. Sure, you are free to choose how you wish to live, but make no mistake -- it is a choice. The way you are is based largely on the way you choose to be. Take a look at those things you've chosen, and at the things you've avoided. Take a look at the limitations you've placed on yourself. Haven't you lived with that burden long enough? Start today to expand your own self concept. You can do it, you can be it, you can have it, you can create it -- when you make the choice to do so. Don't sink into the comfortable excuse of "just the way I am." Go out and grow. Go out and build. Go out and create greatness. Go out and make a fascinating, fulfilling life for yourself. There's no one better suited for the job than you. Rather than settling for just the way you are, get in touch with all that you can be.
I f you're constantly worried about little, trivial problems and annoyances, you'll end up getting little, trivial results. Yet when you tackle a big, major problem your energy is directed toward producing significant positive results. Many people never get ahead simply because their problems are not big enough to draw them forward. Too many lives are wasted fighting little, petty, but comfortable battles over and over again. If you're going to make a mark on this world you'll need to rise above the petty concerns which keep others from realizing their true potential. Put yourself on the line. Get yourself some challenges with substance, and they'll propel you toward great achievements. Welcome those big, sticky, complicated problems. In them are your most powerful opportunities.
W hen the result is not what you expected, learn from it. When you get the result you want, learn from that too. Every experience is a wonderful opportunity to learn. Wisdom comes from learning the difficult lessons which experience teaches. With wisdom comes respect, authority and effectiveness. You pay a hefty price for wisdom, and yet what you get is even more valuable than what you paid. It is indeed difficult to console yourself to "learning from this" when things fail to go your way. It is much easier to get angry, to get depressed, to complain or even to forget about the whole thing. But when you do that, you end up paying the price without getting any value in return. Whatever happens, let it increase your wisdom and, ultimately, your success. Whatever happens, get past the concerns of the moment and learn from it.
T ruth is one of the most effective tools available to you. When you respect, honor and abide in the truth, you put yourself on the side of strength and power. You can try to cover it up, explain it away, run from it or rationalize against it, but in the end if you go against the truth you will lose. Lies, deceit, half truths, rationalizations and justifications must constantly be defended and maintained, and will eventually crumble. The truth remains the truth whether it is defended or not. It often can seem convenient or expedient to deny the truth. But when you deny the truth you put yourself in a position of weakness. Making a habit of that can drain your energy, not to mention your credibility. Put yourself on the side of the truth, though it may be inconvenient or even painful. There will surely come a time when you'll be glad you did.
W hen you hear only what you want to hear, you're not really listening. Listen to what you don't want to hear as well. That's how you'll learn. That's how you'll grow. That's how you'll get stronger. Though you may be confident in your knowledge, no one knows it all. No one has everything figured out. Others have much to teach you. Let their words add value to your life. There are opinions not your own which are very much worth considering. Listen to learn. Really listen and consider what others have to say. If someone were to provide a sumptuous meal to you, would you leave it half eaten? When someone is gracious enough to share their knowledge and experience with you, make the most of a great opportunity. Listen and hear not only what you thought you wanted to hear. Listen and hear what you have to learn.
Few things can hold you back unless you think they will hold you back. Many times those who succeed in accomplishing the "impossible" do so because they don't know it is impossible. Most limitations require your support in order to continue their existence. Are you giving your energy to your limitations or to your possibilities? When you give support to your limitations you're basically working against yourself. Certainly there are some very real and powerful limitations imposed upon you. What matters most is what you do about them. If you dwell on them or fashion them into excuses, they will surely defeat you. Instead, give your focus and your energy to your possibilities. Look for ways to succeed, rather than for excuses to fail. There are plenty of both to be had. It is your choice which to gather. Put your time and your effort where they will make a positive difference. Your limitations do not need your support. Your positive possibilities do. Work to make them stronger and more real with each glorious moment.
Rather than worrying about it, do something about it. Rather than complaining about it, do something about it. Rather than putting your energy into assigning blame, put your energy into the effort of making positive progress. Instead of cursing your feebleness, make yourself stronger. Instead of filling your mind with regret, fill your moments with constructive action. Instead of fretting about your ignorance, find out what you need to know. Success, happiness and fulfillment are not that complicated, though we often strive to make them so. We wait in pain and desperation for circumstances to improve, when circumstance has little to do with anything. What do you want to have, to be, to do? Then get up and take the actions which will surely bring you there. Stop waiting, stop worrying, stop complaining, stop settling for less. You're alive and overflowing with possibilities. Start living like it!
How many silver BMWs did you see yesterday? Unless you drive a BMW, you probably didn't notice any. But later today or tomorrow, after reading this, chances are you will notice several. Why? Because you always see what you're looking for. That being the case, it makes sense to look for the very best that life can offer. There are wonderful opportunities swirling around you at any given point in time. Open your eyes to them by deciding precisely what you desire to have or accomplish or become. We refer to some people as having "vision." These are people who have clearly defined objectives. We call it "vision" because those objectives give them the ability to see things no one else can see. Directing your intentions can truly open your eyes. What are you seeing? What are you missing? What are you all about? Decide that, and you'll develop the vision to see the many opportunities all around you.
Look up at the stars on a clear night. You are not looking at some illusion. They are really there. The vast magnificence of the universe is not "out there," it is real and it is here. You are right in the middle of it. Though your problems of the moment may seem overwhelming, stop and ask yourself, "Compared to what?" Consider that the sun will rise tomorrow. The seasons will continue to change. The light from distant stars will continue to stream across the vast reaches of space, to sparkle before your eyes. Are your challenges really insurmountable? If they seem to be, then enlarge your perspective. You have plenty of room to do that. You have an entire universe against which to consider those challenges. Back off far enough, and they will appear very tiny. Look at a big enough picture, and you'll find the courage, energy and inspiration to move on through those seemingly overwhelming problems.
On a regular basis, take time to imagine the very best that life can be. Step aside for a moment from the day-to-day concerns of life. Re-establish contact with your highest goals and most treasured dreams. Remind yourself of the beautiful possibilities that life holds for you. Renew your determination to bring them to fruition. Spend some quality time with your dreams. They are real to the extent that you value them. To the extent that you commit to them and work for them, they will come true. The challenges of getting through each day can often demand all your attention. Your most profound, driving desires can become buried where they never see the light of day. So make a point of digging them out often. When you keep your dreams vibrant and alive long enough to reach them, they will indeed come true.
You have exactly one opportunity to make today the best it can be. Once the day is over, you've either made the most of it or you haven't. You've either made use of it while it was here or you've let it slip away. One day may not seem like much. After all, there will be others. But unless you respect and value each day as it comes along, even enough days to last a dozen lifetimes would be of little use. Today is yours right now. Use it to get things done. Use it to make a positive difference. Use it to change your momentum for the better, or to maintain the forward direction you've already established. There are plenty of things to do. You know what they are. Today is here for you to use. The most gnawing regrets are for things not done, for actions not taken, for opportunities not acted upon. Don't set yourself up for regret today. Get busy! Use it while you have it, and tomorrow will be even brighter.
What does it mean to be a winner? We often assume that the winner in any situation is the person who gets their way. Yet getting one's way can often come at a terrible cost to one's integrity and peace of mind. Those who seek only to get their way or to grab the biggest piece of the pie must always be looking over their shoulder. They end up wasting precious time and energy on a pursuit that is, ultimately, quite empty. A true winner is someone who is strong enough and conscientious enough to exert a positive influence. That is the kind of winner who remains a winner. That is the kind of winner whose victory can never be questioned or reversed. Winners who win by making a positive difference can walk confidently with their head held high, knowing that their victory will be continually built upon and increased, rather than constantly challenged and torn down. The prize does not make the victory. Rather, the victory makes the prize. Have the strength, have the courage to sincerely make a positive difference, and you'll be a winner whom no one can deny.
When you take risks there is the very real possibility of failure. When you take no risks there is the absolute certainty of failure. Some risks are not worth taking, yet to avoid all risk is to avoid life itself. Getting up in the morning is risky. Going into the marketplace is risky. It is risky to develop relationships with other people. Yet these are all risks which are well worth taking, because they can bring such valuable rewards. Sometimes you'll take a risk and it will hurt you. That's no reason to stop taking risks. Learn from the experience and move forward. Your time and resources will rot and waste away if they are hoarded in fear of losing them. The most destructive risk is that of taking no risk at all. Use what you have. Don't let your fear of failure be the cause of your greatest failure. Put yourself on the line. Take some reasonable risks and reap the many rewards they bring.
Don't be concerned with what you can get away with. Be concerned with what you can accomplish. The time spent figuring out how to cut corners can be better used by simply doing the job right. It's great to develop ways of becoming more efficient and effective in your work, but not when it compromises the quality or integrity of that work. Finding the time and resources to do it right is always a challenge. Working through that difficult challenge will bring you much more value than simply finding a way to avoid it. Those who make a 95% effort just manage to get by. Those who make a 100% effort achieve spectacular results. There's not very much difference in the amount of effort, and yet that difference is crucial. When you cut corners, you save yourself just a little bit of effort, but the price you pay is enormous in terms of diminished results. Integrity is a bargain. It costs just a little bit more going in, yet it pays for itself many, many times over. Forget about cutting corners. Do it right and ultimately you'll be the one to claim the biggest prize.
You've persevered through the dark, difficult times. You've taken each challenge in stride and overcome countless obstacles along the way. And just when you're beginning to turn the corner, just when it looks like it's all starting to go your way, a huge setback comes along and knocks you down. Just when things are starting to go well after a long and difficult effort, the momentum is suddenly snatched away from you. That is when it is most important to not give up, to keep on going. Pick yourself up, no matter how discouraged you may be. Now is your opportunity to cross the threshold into a realm where success is virtually assured. You were so close and then the world beat you back yet again. Find a way to keep on going. It is indeed a moment of truth. When you can pick yourself back up, weary though you may be, and get back in the game, at that moment you'll know with absolute certainty that nothing can stop you, that nothing can keep you down. What would you attempt if you knew you could not be stopped? Keep going, no matter what, and you'll reach truly magnificent heights in whatever you choose to undertake.
If you find yourself planning to do something "just this once" watch out. It means you're about to compromise your own values. Whatever it is, you already know it's wrong. When you have to use "just this once" to justify your action, that's a very good reason to avoid the action altogether. "Just this once" has a way of quickly turning into "I got away with it before, so I can do it again." You'll find yourself on a slippery slope, sliding ever downward into a hole of despair and regret. Don't fool yourself into thinking that "just this once" will bring you anything of value. You already know it won't. When you find yourself saying "just this once" stop it in its tracks by saying "I'll continue to be strong." "Just this once" is the tiny tip of an enormous wedge of compromise which can quickly drive your best interests far away from you. Refuse to let it get a foothold. Be strong in the little things and you'll be successful in the big things.
Every moment you spend in pursuit of empty pleasures, every moment you spend filled with anger or envy, every moment you spend in idle distraction, is a moment that you have stolen from yourself. Every moment you spend in focused effort, every moment you spend teaching, learning or building, every moment you spend making a positive difference, is a moment whose value you are preserving. Spend a moment, an hour or a day and it is gone. Positively invest that same amount of time and it will continue to pay dividends for a long time to come. How much of the past hour have you invested toward your own future? How much of the past week? Enjoy each minute of life and as you do, also make it count. Rather than pursue fleeting pleasure, build lasting joy. Instead of letting time take your life from you, use that same time to bring more life to living. Every moment the stakes are high, because those moments will never return. When you waste them away, there are never enough. Instead, make them count. Put as much of yourself as you can into each moment and there will be plenty of time for a life of greatness.
I f you tell a lie you incur a debt which you can never repay. At times, it may seem convenient and expedient to misrepresent the truth, or to avoid it altogether. Yet for that expediency of the moment you will continue to pay, long into the future. Whereas the truth can maintain itself forever with no effort, a deception can never stand on its own. Every dishonesty sets up a continuing drain on the resources of the person who engages in it. The fleeting gain of the moment is overwhelmingly eclipsed by the never-ending cost which deception initiates. Is dishonesty worth it? No. It is terribly short-sighted, a sure sign of ignorance, gullibility, immaturity and lack of experience. Lying is for losers because it creates losers. Real winners are those who understand the overarching value and undeniable power of the truth.
The thoughts you think help to form a big part of your reality. Though nothing will happen solely by thinking about it, thinking is the first crucial step to getting results. The thoughts you think give your life its flavor. Your thoughts are the breeding ground for your reality. Every action you ever take will be preceded by a thought. So what are you thinking? Are you thinking about how unfair life is? If so, then it will be cruelly unfair to you. Or are you thinking about how great life can be? If so, you'll see exciting possibilities that others cannot even imagine. What do you think of others? What do you think of the work you do? The thoughts you think won't achieve anything by themselves, but they will make an enormous difference in all the other things you do. Your mind is constantly turning out thoughts which do indeed have the power to change your life. As much as you can possibly do so, put those thoughts to work for you. Think about it!
When you are at your busiest, when you are overwhelmed with things to do, when the pace is getting more frenzied by the moment, that is when an attitude of calm relaxation can do you the most good. Stepping back and calming down will actually move you ahead more effectively than nervous, anxious energy. Though the deadlines loom large in your mind, they will come and go no matter what you do. Do your very best, do it quickly and efficiently, but don't get in such a rush that you waste most of your energy fighting against yourself. Produce results rather than just activity. Instead of just being busy, be effective. Spend your energy on achievement rather than on nervousness. Right now, take a long, deep breath and know that you're making a difference. Let go of the anxiety. Experience the joy of being focused on positive pursuits. Stay calm, stay focused, and be your most effective.
From the most distant galaxies to the smallest insects crawling underfoot, we live in a vast and awesome universe, filled with wonder, color, energy, life and opportunity. When you step back and put things in perspective, in the midst of all this magnificent abundance, most of our worries and troubles seem downright trivial. Though your burdens bring pains which are very real indeed, remember to keep them in perspective. Step back and look at the big picture. See the possibilities, radiating out from you in every direction. These possibilities exist not only in spite of your problems, but often because of those problems. Even that which holds you back has the potential to move you forward. A whole world is within your grasp. The positive possibilities far outweigh the negative realities. See the whole picture. Look at what you already have. Look at what you can be. Do all you can each moment to make it the best.
When suddenly faced with a challenging situation, we tend to focus on the oppressive negative aspects of that situation. Consequently we can quickly become overwhelmed. A more positive approach is to identify the aspects of the situation for which you can be thankful. It may sound a little absurd, when confronted with a difficult challenge, to look for ways to be grateful for it. And yet that is an excellent place to begin. There's a word for people who take this approach. We call them resourceful. That moniker comes not because these people have access to any more resources than anyone else, but rather because they are able to clearly identify and make use of those resources, particularly in the midst of difficulty. Resourcefulness grows from an attitude of gratitude. Rather than bemoaning your fate, shine a thankful light on your situation and you'll illuminate much value. Ask yourself, "What can I be thankful for here?" The things you find will likely make the difference between winning and losing.
Success comes not from pretense. Success comes from substance. Perhaps you think the substance of your life is not that impressive. If so, you're completely and absolutely wrong! You are overflowing with substance and value and it will show if you'll just let it. Your own experiences, thoughts, interests, knowledge, passions, desires, integrity and sense of humor, among many other things, set you apart and make you truly special. You are wonderful and you are worthy. The power of substance comes from being who you are. Be you. It is your destiny. The world is waiting to joyfully throw its arms around the genuine, valuable person you know you are.
Whatever you plant will grow in the fertile ground that is today. Fail to plant, fail to tend the garden, and something will still grow there. But it probably won't be to your liking.
Walking through a neighborhood, it is easy to spot the gardens which are carefully and lovingly tended. They're the bright and bountiful ones. Likewise, a life that's well tended is filled with the bright, beautiful rewards of that care and effort.
Long ago people realized that they had no control over the seasons. Some of those people, however, also realized that by controlling their own actions and movements in accordance with the progression of the seasons, they could have plenty of food to eat. Great civilizations resulted which continue to grow and thrive even to this day. In every area of endeavor there are numerous and significant factors beyond your control. Yet you are far from helpless. In every situation, there are countless positive actions you can take which will more than make up for the things you're unable to control. Life is yours to live. Excellence is yours to pursue. Focus not on what is beyond your control. Instead, exercise control over your own thoughts and actions so as to harvest a sweet fulfillment from the vagaries of life.
While it is true that genuine accomplishment requires effort applied over time, that eventual accomplishment begins to return value as soon as you start to work on it. Working diligently toward a future objective adds real value to your world today. So what are you waiting for? Set your sights on an ambitious goal and start right now to reach for it. The reaching, the striving, the discipline and the effort are their own rewards. And they serve to make the goal, when it is indeed reached, more valuable than you ever could have imagined.
Trust grows and thrives when there is a genuine commitment to truth. Truth is not always convenient or easy. It is often difficult and awkward. Yet truth is an absolute necessity for building trust, and without trust it is difficult to get anything accomplished. Even liars demonstrate a respect for the truth, though sadly they also demonstrate an ignorance of how to attain it. A lie would have no purpose if there was no truth. Yet the real, lasting power of truth comes only from being truthful. There are countless ways to evade the truth. They are all, in the end, a tragic waste of effort. Truth is just as essential to nourish the mind as is food to nourish the body. The more fully you live each moment in truth, the more powerful and effective those moments will be.
Every great achievement has come about as a result of doing what is needed. Each and every dream you desire for yourself and your world can be reached by doing what is needed. What do you plan to accomplish today, or within the next month, the next year, the next twenty? Whatever your goal may be, you'll get there by doing what is needed. It's a simple concept, and an overwhelmingly powerful one, available to anybody. Stop waiting for life to hand you an easy treasure. Do what is needed today and achieve whatever you desire.
Would this ever happen? Of course not. When you're on your way to something you've been working for, planning, and anxiously awaiting, you'd never let a petty distraction throw you off track. Or would you? Unfortunately, it happens every day. Too often, we let the distractions of the moment deny us our most treasured goals. The next time you're tempted by a distraction, keep in mind where you're already headed and how very much you desire to get there. Ask yourself if you would prefer to have the distraction or the goal you've set for yourself. Rather than hopping from one empty distraction to another, focus your effort and attention toward those things which will bring true and lasting fulfillment.
There are things in this life over which you have control, and there are things over which you have little or no control. Both contribute to your luck. You can sway the balance decidedly in your favor by making sure those things under your control are moving you forward. Though circumstances beyond your control will not always be favorable, you can make sure that the circumstances you do control will indeed always work in your favor. Through a positive focus, discipline, preparation, effort, and persistence anyone can get lucky. Good luck will be yours when you work your way toward it.
Or you can get busy and make things happen. It's your choice. You can either make yourself vulnerable or you can make yourself valuable. You can choose to be a victim or you can decide to be a victor. Your life is not something that happens to you. The life you experience is a direct result of the way you choose to experience it in every moment. It can be full of pain and despair or it can be filled with joy and accomplishment. Today is your opportunity to live life on your own terms. You are unique. You are worthy. You are able. You can create greatness in your own life through the way you spend each precious moment. You can. It is yours for the doing, right here and now.
An ideal way to ask is to offer. When you offer, you put yourself in a powerful position. You make yourself much more difficult to deny. Think about it. If someone were constantly begging you for something, or constantly demanding things of you, how willing would you be to comply? Yet if someone were offering you something of value in return, think about what a difference that would make. You have plenty of valuable things to offer -- your time, your experience, your knowledge, your attention, your understanding. There's never any reason to beg. There's rarely any reason to demand. Effectively get whatever you desire by making a compelling offer.
Humility is a sign of true courage and confidence. Those who are unsure of themselves are the ones who must prop up their egos with loud and arrogant boasts. What a waste of effort! Those who are confident enough to act with humility are the ones who get things done. When you can admit that you don't know it all, you set yourself up to learn valuable things. When you act with respect and deference toward others, you win their sincere, enthusiastic respect in return. Humility is not backing down. It is moving forward past your own petty ego. Acknowledging your limitations is a crucial step toward transcending them. Live with humility and you'll truly live beyond yourself.
Momentum is largely a matter of perception, and therein lies its power. When two or three disagreeable things happen, you suddenly see yourself as having a "bad" day. Once you've decided it's a bad day, it truly becomes a bad day, not because of some outside force or twist of fate, but because of your own chosen perception. A similar thing happens when you see yourself as having a "good" day. A couple of breaks go your way. Suddenly you see yourself as invincible. And in many ways you are. Your positive bias raises your energy level, your expectations and the effectiveness of what you do. Again, it's not because you've received some kind of mystical power, but because you've convinced yourself that you're having a positive day. With that in mind, it's easy to see how to turn each day into a great day. Just decide to make it so! Even those days which start on a negative note can take on a positive momentum when you understand that your momentum on any given day is, for the most part, up to you. Decide to have a great day -- and you most certainly will!
Persistence is a strength, and yet stubbornness can be a weakness. Flexibility is a strength, and yet indecisiveness is a weakness. The difference between being persistent and being stubborn, the difference between being flexible and being indecisive, is a clear and abiding sense of purpose. Are you living on purpose? Are you going through each day with a purpose? There is a purpose which tugs at your heart. Have you made the effort to discover and know it? Your wishes, desires, hopes, dreams, opinions, likes and dislikes, at their very deepest level, revolve around a purpose. You can sense it. It is there. Do you know it? Have you explored it? You'll find it by considering the things you enjoy, the people you like to be around, the experiences which provide you with a deep sense of fulfillment. Pay attention to the times you really feel good about yourself. Ask yourself why this is so? Keep asking until you touch a purpose so fundamental it cannot be explained in any other way. Put the power of purpose behind your thoughts and into your actions. There's no better way to become highly and happily effective in all you do.
Even if you've never done it before, you can do it. There was a time when you had never done even those things at which you're now most skilled. But you learned how, and you did them. You learned some more and improved. You did it before and you can do it again. Think of all the things that at one time were new to you. Everything you know right now was at one time something new. You've discovered. You've learned. You've improved. You're very experienced at going through that process. It has been happening from the moment you were born. What you need to learn, you can learn. What you need to do, you can do. What you need to achieve, what you desire to achieve, you can indeed achieve. How intensely do you want it? What are you willing to do? How clearly can you see the reward? Those things matter very much. You're good at achievement, so choose carefully what you decide to achieve. Because you'll get it.
Excellence is not achieved in the first step. Yet that first step must be taken if excellence is to be created. Greatness is not attained in the initial effort. Yet greatness comes only through making that first effort, and then many more. Go ahead and begin. Get started. Take the first step toward your dreams. Make the first effort to work toward greatness. You will learn a lot as you go, and perfect your approach. The important thing now is to get started and keep going. You will make mistakes. Correct them and learn from them. You'll have disappointments. Keep on going and those disappointments will serve to further motivate you. You'll come up against difficult obstacles. Find a way through them. You'll have triumphant moments. Celebrate the triumphs but don't let the celebration prevent you from moving forward. Go ahead. Get started accomplishing those things you've decided to do. Now is a great time. One step at a time, you can do it. You know you can, so go ahead and make it happen.
To desire something without also desiring the effort necessary to create or obtain it is indeed a wasted desire. To get something for nothing is to have nothing but an empty trinket. The value of anything worth having is in the effort needed to obtain it. The thing itself can be eventually taken away, or it can be depleted, it can break or it can turn to rust. Yet the strength, the experience, the confidence, the wisdom you gain from the effort will always be with you. When you sincerely look at the things you desire, you'll see that you don't desire those things at all. You desire to be the person who can obtain and maintain those things. As such, it is best to focus not only on the objectives you desire, but also on the efforts which will make them a reality. That's where the real value is.
Reach a little higher today than yesterday. Raise you expectations a little bit more. After all, you're wiser and more experienced than you were even just a day ago. In fact, you now have more knowledge and more experience than you've ever had before in your life. Even if yesterday was a total disaster, you've at least learned something from it. And if yesterday was full of success, you've learned from that as well. The bottom line is that you're more experienced, more aware of what works and what doesn't work. So reach higher today than you did yesterday. And resolve to reach even higher tomorrow. As time goes on you're continually growing and improving, so you might as well take advantage of that. Reach higher, and you'll attain more. Expect more of yourself, and those expectations will soon become your reality. Each day provides ample opportunity for improvement. So expect to improve. And you will.
The greatest triumphs can rise from the most devastating defeats. When all is lost, there is everything to gain. Never, ever can you be so far down that you're unable to pull yourself back up. There is always a way to transform loss into victory. Rejoice in the good fortune of having made it through a bad experience and then set to work to turn it around. Not only can it be done, when you do it you'll be creating a triumph of the greatest proportions. Challenge yourself to be a turnaround specialist in your own life, in your own world. Look for challenging situations and pull the positive possibilities out of them. There are opportunities everywhere. From the mundane to the momentous, every difficulty is ripe with positive possibilities. Life is filled with energy and far too much of it is negatively directed. Make it your job to redirect the enormous amount of energy around you into positive pursuits, and the world will marvel at what you accomplish.
When you're low on energy and lacking motivation or enthusiasm, it's time to reconnect with your positive possibilities. Sit down and make a written list of at least ten improvements you can undertake. They can include improvements affecting your health and fitness, your career, your home, your business, your family, or any other aspect of your life. They don't have to be things you can complete right now. They just have to be things you would really like to do, things that would genuinely improve the quality of your own life and the lives of those around you. Challenge yourself to come up with at least ten. If you can think of more, that's even better. Be sure to put them in writing. That makes them much more real. With your written list there in front of you, consider this. Your disappointments are all behind you, yet they're still trying to hold you back. Your positive possibilities are right there in front of you, very real and very potent, waiting for you to fulfill them. Choose to focus on the possibilities. Let the disappointments fall farther and farther behind as you move yourself forward. When you need a boost, count your possibilities. Then get yourself busy and make them happen.
You're already a winner. Now it is time to claim your good fortune. The moment you were born you won the grandest prize anyone could ever hope to imagine. You got in on the ground floor of the biggest opportunity in the universe. You're wonderfully alive. You can sense, you can perceive, you can think, you can act, you can make things happen. You have access to a world full of resources, and you have the time each day to make the most of them. With desire to push you forward, and wisdom to keep you steady, you can be, and do, and experience, and go to, and become whatever you decide. The grand prize is yours. Now is the day to claim it. Life is yours. Now is a great day to live it. The shortcomings and disappointments you've experienced are nothing compared to the possibilities you now can grasp. A universe filled with opportunity begins precisely where you are right now and spreads out infinitely in all directions. The higher you reach, the higher you'll go. The more you put into your life, the more magnificent it will become. Live this day as a winner. Claim and make the most of that special, priceless prize that is your life.
Are you afraid to fail, so afraid that you don't even make the attempt? When you think about it, that really makes no sense. By not even making an attempt, you are guaranteeing failure. So the fear of failure leads straight to certain failure. Do you feel fear? Great! Examine that fear. Look for the message it is intended to convey. Fear can make you more aware. It can give you increased energy. It can prepare you to overcome difficult challenges. Fear can harness your resources like nothing else can. Your fear is there to help you move effectively forward, not to hold you back. Let it teach you. Let it prepare you. Don't let it stop you. When fear is holding you back, look closely at that fear and you'll find a way to move forward. The only lasting failure is the failure to act. If you do make the attempt and fail to get the desired result, learn from it and give it another go. You cannot fail when you continue to take action.
Don't concern yourself with being better than everyone else. That will mainly get you resentment, disappointment, or both. Focus instead on being better today than you were yesterday, on being even better tomorrow than you are today. When you compare yourself to others, you'll either end up being disappointed or you'll end up being arrogant. Instead, compare yourself to yourself. The important thing is to make progress in your own life. Upstaging someone else simply won't bring you any true gain. Improving yourself will. We all share certain things in common, and yet no two people are the same. There is no one who is better than you. And at the same time, you are better than no one else. You are unique. You are beyond compare. Make the most of it. Make it better and better each day. Stop worrying about everyone else and you'll free up enormous energy to be the best you can be.
A decision is more than a wish. When you decide to get something done, it will get done. When you truly decide, it's more than just a vague intention. It's more than saying you're going to do it. It's more than hoping to get it done someday. It is a commitment that you make to yourself. When you truly decide, it will happen. What have you decided to do? Look around you. Look at your life. Look at the person you've become. Look at what you've accomplished and you'll see exactly what you've decided to do. What will you decide to do now? You have the ability to achieve whatever you decide to achieve, to become the person you decide to become, to live the life you decide to live. Yet ability alone will not get you there. All the resources in the world, by themselves, will not get you there. Opportunity alone will not get you there. You must decide to get yourself there. Then it will happen.
Effective people don't have any fewer disappointments than others. In fact, they likely have more. What is different is that effective people don't let those disappointments stop them. Effective people don't have any fewer interruptions or potential distractions. They just don't allow those interruptions and distractions to knock them off track. If a disappointment comes along, let yourself be disappointed. And then move on. When an interruption pops up, deal with it and then move on. If you try to shove the disappointment and interruptions out of the way without resolving them, they continue to hound you. There will be negative surprises every day. You can turn each one into a continuing excuse for why you're not making any progress. Then they'll surely hold you back. Or you can turn each one into a positive learning experience by quickly dealing with it and moving on ahead. It will make the difference between collecting excuses and amassing accomplishments.
Tiny drops of rainwater are soft as they fall on your face. They yield to the slightest breeze. Yet if you gather enough of those raindrops together, and get all that water flowing in the same direction, it can destroy anything in its path. Brief, tiny moments come and go all day long. Each of them seems quite trivial and powerless. Yet when you point enough of them in the same direction, by focusing your efforts on a clear and specific goal over a period of time, those moments can add up to a powerful, unstoppable force. Are you tapping in to the awesome power which you receive one moment at a time? It is constantly available to you, yet you must use it as it comes. It does not linger around and wait for you. Each moment comes, and then it is gone. It is up to you to use it, to forge it together with the other moments in your life so that you can build, create, accomplish and achieve. Waste your moments, and they'll seem numbingly trivial. Harness them together and there's no limit to what you can achieve.
There are those who are curious about achieving something great. There are those who are interested. There are those who plan. There are those who dream. There are those who talk about it. There are those who criticize. There are those who look forward to it. There are those who wish. There are those who watch. Then there are those who are totally committed to getting it done, and who demonstrate that commitment every moment with their thoughts and actions. The difference between excellence and mediocrity is commitment. The path that runs from the dream to the achievement is paved with commitment, every inch of the way. Those who make the commitment, those who give their dreams the power of focused action, are the ones who will achieve their dreams. No matter how worthy, admirable or fiercely desired the goal may be, it takes commitment and action to make it a reality. If you're curious, if you're interested, if you're thinking and dreaming and planning, take that powerful step up to being committed. Make those hopes and dreams count for something. Make them happen.
Consider how supremely fortunate you are. You're alive, you're able to think, to act, to make decisions, to make a difference. There are those whom you care about. There are those who care about you. You're experienced, knowledgeable, skilled, curious and resourceful. With all that going for you, there's no need to be stopped by fear. There's no need to be the least bit insecure. There's no need to be angry, arrogant or deceitful. There's every reason to be confident. There's every reason to move forward. Sure your life has its shortcomings. Yet those are far outweighed by your blessings and your possibilities. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain by stepping confidently forward. You are blessed, you are worthy and you deserve to have the best that life can offer. Use every moment to make that happen.
You have what it takes to be a leader. You have what it takes to be a winner. You have what it takes to be successful. The question is, will you use it? Will you fulfill the enormous potential that is your life, or will you just sit back and watch others doing it? Will you be the unique, creative, productive person you were meant to be? You already have what it takes. You have the desire. Look deeply enough and you'll find plenty of it. The resources you need are there. Work diligently enough and they will be available to you in abundance. You have the time -- the same 24 hours in each day as everyone else. You have knowledge, and the ability to learn. You have skills, and the ability to adapt. Yes, you have what it takes, right now, right here, today. If you're looking for opportunity, stop looking. You are the opportunity. You can truly make a difference in your own special way. You have what it takes. Make it count.
Do you have the will to achieve? You already have the necessary basic skills
The big question is this. Do you really want to achieve? When you decide you do, when you commit to making it happen, you can reach whatever goals you choose to pursue. The biggest factor in your success is you. Knowledge, information, skills and resources all play a part, to be sure. Yet success hinges mostly on your will to make it happen. Without sufficient will, all the advantages in the world won't do you much good. With enough willpower, no obstacle can prevent you from achieving what you have decided to achieve. Are you willing to make it happen? If you're not, you can be willing anytime you choose. It's a simple decision and it is up to you. Be willing, and your life can be whatever you decide it's going to be.
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