One of the keys to success is staying motivated because it is being motivated that keeps us going out the door every day to change the world and reach our destiny! It is our desire for a better life, for change in ourselves and others, and for personal growth and fulfillment that moves our mountains! Desire!
Desire sure is a word with much more richness to it than the word “want” though they are essentially the same. “Want,” though, sounds like you could take it or leave it. “Desire” says, “I have to have it!” Desire, is “want” with a fire under it!
Unfortunately, we tend to ebb and flow from want to desire, even with the same goal! One day we may be passionate about building our business or growing our relationships and then, the next day, we find ourselves simply in the “want” camp again. The key to keeping on is to re-light the fire under want so it roars into a raging fire of desire! Then, and only then, will we see the passion needed to be tenacious pursuers of our dreams! Keeping the fire lit is what will see you through the mountains and valleys of life and the journey you are on to your success!
So what do we do? We light the fire! Here are a few thoughts to help you build the fire of your desire!
The wood:
Keep a clear mental picture of the goal. This is imperative. The picture of the goal is like the wood in a fire. It is the raw material. Know what your goal is and what it looks like.
The fuel:
Keep a list, if simply just a mental one, of all of the benefits of pursuing and reaching your goal. Make them as “sense” oriented as possible. “See” the benefits. “Hear” them. “Touch” them. This is like the fuel that we add to a fire to get it going. Now all we need is a match.
The match:
Keep yourself active! This is the match: Action! Even when you don’t feel like it, get yourself to act and soon you will see the fire burning because you have again ignited the dream! The more desire you have the more the fire burns.
Eventually the fire will begin to die out. Here is where you throw the wood on again, pour on some fuel, and if need be, strike another match. I would encourage you to not let the fire go out though, because it is easier to continually throw wood and fuel on an already burning fire than it is to start one up again!
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Monday, April 7, 2008
DARE TO DREAM AGAIN.
Do you remember when you were a child and no dream seemed too big? Some of us thought we would walk on the moon; some dreamed of riding with Roy Rogers; others imagined stepping to the plate in a big-league game. Every one of us, when we were young, had a common trait - we were dreamers. The world hadn't gotten to us yet to show us that we couldn't possibly achieve what our hearts longed for. And we were yet still years from realizing that in some cases we weren't built for achieving our dream (I realized about my junior year of high school that I was too short and to slow to play professional basketball. The dreamer is always the last to know).
Eventually we started to let our dreams die. People began to tell us that we couldn't do the things we wanted. It was impossible. Responsible people don't pursue their dreams. Settle down, get a job, be dependable. Take care of business, live the mundane, be content.
Do you know what I say to that? Hooey!
It is time to dream again!
Why? Here are just a few reasons:
Avoiding regret. The facts are in, and someday we will all lie on our deathbed looking back through the history of our lives. We will undoubtedly think about what we wished we had done or accomplished. I for one don't want to regret what could have been, what should have been. So I am deciding today to pursue my dreams.
Making the world a better place. All of the great accomplishments that have ever happened began with a person who had a dream. Somebody rebuffed the nay-sayers and said to himself or herself, "This can be done, and I am the one who will do it." And in many instances they changed the world for the better. It isn't just the Martin Luther King's and the J.F.K's either. Think of all the people we have never heard of who have started things large and small that help people world-wide every day.
The world needs people like you to dream of something great and then to pursue it will all of your heart. Maybe you belong to a business, school, or organization that started out with good intentions but has settled into the same ol' same ol'. Shake them up and remind them of how they could really help people if only they would dream!
Personal and family fulfillment. One of the things that happens when we stop pursuing our dreams is that a little piece of us dies and we become disheartened, if only in that area of our lives. Stepping up and pursuing your dream rekindles that passion and zeal that everyone has the capacity for and lets us experience fulfillment. Having a purpose puts the zip in our step and the zing in our emotions!
Leaving a legacy. How will your children remember you? As one who sought all that life had to offer, using your gifts and talents to their fullest extent, leading the family with a zest for life, or as an overweight couch potato who could have been? Our children need to see that we dream; that we search for something better. They in turn will do the same!
So where do we start? Here are some ideas:
Reconnect with your dream.Set aside some time to let yourself dream. What have you placed on the backburner in order to live the status quo? Settle on one or two dreams that you can and will pursue. Don't come up with too many. That will only deter you further.
Decide that you will do it.This may seem elementary but many people never decide and commit fully to their dream. They simply keep "thinking" about it.
Tell others that you are going to do it.This puts you on the record as to what you are dreaming about. It makes you accountable. It will help you do it if for no other reason than to avoid embarrassment!
Develop a step-by-step plan.This is absolutely essential. You must sit down and write out a few things:
A timeline.How long will it take to the end?
Action steps.Point-by-point what you will do and when you will do them.
Resources you will need to draw from.What will it take? Who will need to be involved for help or advice?
An evaluation tool.You need to evaluate from time to time whether you are progressing or not.
A celebration.Yep, when you are done you should already have planned what you will do to celebrate. Make it big!
I have found that there is no better time than now. So, set aside some time today to get started on your dream. Follow the action plan and set your sights for the top of the mountain! You will be glad you did!
QUOTE FOR TODAY
"Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much, because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat." - Teddy Roosevelt
Eventually we started to let our dreams die. People began to tell us that we couldn't do the things we wanted. It was impossible. Responsible people don't pursue their dreams. Settle down, get a job, be dependable. Take care of business, live the mundane, be content.
Do you know what I say to that? Hooey!
It is time to dream again!
Why? Here are just a few reasons:
Avoiding regret. The facts are in, and someday we will all lie on our deathbed looking back through the history of our lives. We will undoubtedly think about what we wished we had done or accomplished. I for one don't want to regret what could have been, what should have been. So I am deciding today to pursue my dreams.
Making the world a better place. All of the great accomplishments that have ever happened began with a person who had a dream. Somebody rebuffed the nay-sayers and said to himself or herself, "This can be done, and I am the one who will do it." And in many instances they changed the world for the better. It isn't just the Martin Luther King's and the J.F.K's either. Think of all the people we have never heard of who have started things large and small that help people world-wide every day.
The world needs people like you to dream of something great and then to pursue it will all of your heart. Maybe you belong to a business, school, or organization that started out with good intentions but has settled into the same ol' same ol'. Shake them up and remind them of how they could really help people if only they would dream!
Personal and family fulfillment. One of the things that happens when we stop pursuing our dreams is that a little piece of us dies and we become disheartened, if only in that area of our lives. Stepping up and pursuing your dream rekindles that passion and zeal that everyone has the capacity for and lets us experience fulfillment. Having a purpose puts the zip in our step and the zing in our emotions!
Leaving a legacy. How will your children remember you? As one who sought all that life had to offer, using your gifts and talents to their fullest extent, leading the family with a zest for life, or as an overweight couch potato who could have been? Our children need to see that we dream; that we search for something better. They in turn will do the same!
So where do we start? Here are some ideas:
Reconnect with your dream.Set aside some time to let yourself dream. What have you placed on the backburner in order to live the status quo? Settle on one or two dreams that you can and will pursue. Don't come up with too many. That will only deter you further.
Decide that you will do it.This may seem elementary but many people never decide and commit fully to their dream. They simply keep "thinking" about it.
Tell others that you are going to do it.This puts you on the record as to what you are dreaming about. It makes you accountable. It will help you do it if for no other reason than to avoid embarrassment!
Develop a step-by-step plan.This is absolutely essential. You must sit down and write out a few things:
A timeline.How long will it take to the end?
Action steps.Point-by-point what you will do and when you will do them.
Resources you will need to draw from.What will it take? Who will need to be involved for help or advice?
An evaluation tool.You need to evaluate from time to time whether you are progressing or not.
A celebration.Yep, when you are done you should already have planned what you will do to celebrate. Make it big!
I have found that there is no better time than now. So, set aside some time today to get started on your dream. Follow the action plan and set your sights for the top of the mountain! You will be glad you did!
QUOTE FOR TODAY
"Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much, because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat." - Teddy Roosevelt
Friday, April 4, 2008
SENTENCED TO SUCCESS
I once heard a speaker use the statement, “I have been sentenced to success!” I heard that almost twenty years ago, yet it still sticks in my head.
I magine that. What if we had been given a life sentence to serve, say 75 years, and the sentence was to do time in a place called “Success”? The truth is that we have.
Let me back up. We have been given a life sentence. But, unlike a sentencing in a real life courtroom, we get to actually choose where we will “do our time.”
Here are some of the choices people make:
The prison of poverty. Poor people are no better or kinder or anything else than people with money. People are people regardless of how much money they have. Frankly, I have had little and I have had a lot, and yes, I will choose having a lot! When you choose to live in poverty you are in a prison that does not allow you the freedoms we were intended to experience. We are unable to help others as we desire. My advice? Don’t choose a sentence to the prison of poverty.
The prison of depression. Depression is like a blanket that overwhelms you and eventually smothers you. Now before you go accusing me with, “You just don’t understand.” Yes I do. I have had a history of depression. Depression is rampant in my family of origin. I know first hand what a prison depression is. When you are locked up in depression you cannot live life as it was intended. But you can get out! My advice? Don’t choose a sentence to the prison of depression.
The prison of the lack of health. Lacking health is a real pain! The freedom we lose when we choose to live in a state of a lack of health is terrible – and unnecessary! We don’t have to live in that prison. We can choose a different sentence! We can choose health! My advice? Don’t choose a sentence to the prison of the lack of health.
The prison of doubt, worry, and fear. This is a dark, dark prison. It is one that haunts you the whole time you reside there. It makes you believe that the surroundings are worse than the really are. It keeps you from enjoying life and becoming the kind of person you were intended to become! My advice? Don’t choose a sentence to the prison of poverty. My advice? Don’t choose a sentence to the prison of doubt, worry and fear.
There is another option. You can choose to be sentenced to success! You can choose to actually be set free! You can choose to walk out of that courtroom and live the life that you choose!
What can you experience when you are sentenced to success. How about these:
Good health
Financial abundance
Emotional freedom
Positive relationships
A career you love
Spiritual liberty
And how will you experience these? By choice. Your choice. You choose exactly what kind of life you will live. You choose the sentence you will serve here on earth and the experience that you have.
Will you languish in a dark prison or in the open freedom that comes from the sentence of success? That depends on the choices you make.
I challenge you to choose this day to:
Pursue financial independence
Develop yourself spiritually
Make a change so you are in a career you love
Re-commit yourself to loving relationships
Achieve emotional health
Make a choice TODAY. Do not spend another day in a prison where you do not belong!
Where will you serve your sentence? You get to decide.
As for me?
I have been sentenced to success!
I magine that. What if we had been given a life sentence to serve, say 75 years, and the sentence was to do time in a place called “Success”? The truth is that we have.
Let me back up. We have been given a life sentence. But, unlike a sentencing in a real life courtroom, we get to actually choose where we will “do our time.”
Here are some of the choices people make:
The prison of poverty. Poor people are no better or kinder or anything else than people with money. People are people regardless of how much money they have. Frankly, I have had little and I have had a lot, and yes, I will choose having a lot! When you choose to live in poverty you are in a prison that does not allow you the freedoms we were intended to experience. We are unable to help others as we desire. My advice? Don’t choose a sentence to the prison of poverty.
The prison of depression. Depression is like a blanket that overwhelms you and eventually smothers you. Now before you go accusing me with, “You just don’t understand.” Yes I do. I have had a history of depression. Depression is rampant in my family of origin. I know first hand what a prison depression is. When you are locked up in depression you cannot live life as it was intended. But you can get out! My advice? Don’t choose a sentence to the prison of depression.
The prison of the lack of health. Lacking health is a real pain! The freedom we lose when we choose to live in a state of a lack of health is terrible – and unnecessary! We don’t have to live in that prison. We can choose a different sentence! We can choose health! My advice? Don’t choose a sentence to the prison of the lack of health.
The prison of doubt, worry, and fear. This is a dark, dark prison. It is one that haunts you the whole time you reside there. It makes you believe that the surroundings are worse than the really are. It keeps you from enjoying life and becoming the kind of person you were intended to become! My advice? Don’t choose a sentence to the prison of poverty. My advice? Don’t choose a sentence to the prison of doubt, worry and fear.
There is another option. You can choose to be sentenced to success! You can choose to actually be set free! You can choose to walk out of that courtroom and live the life that you choose!
What can you experience when you are sentenced to success. How about these:
Good health
Financial abundance
Emotional freedom
Positive relationships
A career you love
Spiritual liberty
And how will you experience these? By choice. Your choice. You choose exactly what kind of life you will live. You choose the sentence you will serve here on earth and the experience that you have.
Will you languish in a dark prison or in the open freedom that comes from the sentence of success? That depends on the choices you make.
I challenge you to choose this day to:
Pursue financial independence
Develop yourself spiritually
Make a change so you are in a career you love
Re-commit yourself to loving relationships
Achieve emotional health
Make a choice TODAY. Do not spend another day in a prison where you do not belong!
Where will you serve your sentence? You get to decide.
As for me?
I have been sentenced to success!
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN BEING A SUCCESS AND A SUCCESSFUL LIFE
I was reading an article the other day about a famous athlete and one of his teammates made a comment that I found interesting. He said, off the record of course, that his famous teammate would have a funeral so small that it could be held in a fitting room.
Now, most people would consider this athlete “successful.” He is rich beyond anyone’s imagination. He has and will set world records. He will undoubtedly be elected into his Hall of Fame, most likely on the first ballot.
But he is not a successful human being. It is common knowledge that he is universally disliked.
This got me to thinking. I am attending two funerals this week. One is the funeral of a man who was “successful” in the eyes of the world. That is, he made a lot of money. But he wasn’t a terribly successful human being. He was estranged from his oldest son and hadn’t spoken with him in years. He was a borderline alcoholic. There were other storms in his life. About 50 people will attend.
The other funeral is for a man who was not “successful” in the eyes of the world. You would have never given him a second look had you seen him in the store. He wasn’t wealthy. He was not high-profile. Yet he was quite a successful human being. People were encouraged and built up by this man. People were better because he graced their lives, even in small ways. His funeral will have about 200 people there, paying their last respects. He would have never guessed there would be that many, yet after he died, people came out of the woodwork to speak highly of him.
So what is the difference? And can we be both “successful” and a successful human being. I believe that we can have both. I do believe it is hard because the accumulation of wealth takes time and time at work, which usually takes away from time doing things that foster human relationships. But it is possible.
It can be done by those who understand balanced living and are aggressive time and priority managers. Give yourself time to make your fortune or pursue your dreams, but give yourself time to make yourself a successful life as well.
Here are some tips for being a successful human being who has a successful life:
Love People, Use Things. People who become “successful” and miss a successful life are those who love things and use people. Be sure to put people as a priority for your life.
Take time off. Life isn’t just about work. There is so much else to experience here in this life, and unfortunately, too little time to enjoy it.
Be a giver. Be someone who gives more than takes. Yes, we all have to take from time to time, but we should take only when we need to and give every time we have a chance to!
Be a life-long learner.I truly believe that we become better people as we learn. Take time throughout your life to grow and learn and become a better person.
Keep a sense of humor.People who laugh are a gift to the world. Don’t take yourself or your circumstances to seriously. Learn to look on the bright side and see the humor in situations.
Honor your commitments.This is a key to a successful life. We live this life based on commitments we make toward one another. Those who honor those commitments are those who will be respected and trusted by others.
Mentor someone. Always take the time to mentor someone. I know this firsthand because of the energy a few people put into my life, sometimes just letting me know that they believed in me. This goes a long way and makes the world a better place!
I am sure there are other aspects of a successful life, but these are the simple ones that you can begin to apply today. Remember, you can work and become a success, and I encourage you to do so, but don’t forget to live a successful life as well!
Now, most people would consider this athlete “successful.” He is rich beyond anyone’s imagination. He has and will set world records. He will undoubtedly be elected into his Hall of Fame, most likely on the first ballot.
But he is not a successful human being. It is common knowledge that he is universally disliked.
This got me to thinking. I am attending two funerals this week. One is the funeral of a man who was “successful” in the eyes of the world. That is, he made a lot of money. But he wasn’t a terribly successful human being. He was estranged from his oldest son and hadn’t spoken with him in years. He was a borderline alcoholic. There were other storms in his life. About 50 people will attend.
The other funeral is for a man who was not “successful” in the eyes of the world. You would have never given him a second look had you seen him in the store. He wasn’t wealthy. He was not high-profile. Yet he was quite a successful human being. People were encouraged and built up by this man. People were better because he graced their lives, even in small ways. His funeral will have about 200 people there, paying their last respects. He would have never guessed there would be that many, yet after he died, people came out of the woodwork to speak highly of him.
So what is the difference? And can we be both “successful” and a successful human being. I believe that we can have both. I do believe it is hard because the accumulation of wealth takes time and time at work, which usually takes away from time doing things that foster human relationships. But it is possible.
It can be done by those who understand balanced living and are aggressive time and priority managers. Give yourself time to make your fortune or pursue your dreams, but give yourself time to make yourself a successful life as well.
Here are some tips for being a successful human being who has a successful life:
Love People, Use Things. People who become “successful” and miss a successful life are those who love things and use people. Be sure to put people as a priority for your life.
Take time off. Life isn’t just about work. There is so much else to experience here in this life, and unfortunately, too little time to enjoy it.
Be a giver. Be someone who gives more than takes. Yes, we all have to take from time to time, but we should take only when we need to and give every time we have a chance to!
Be a life-long learner.I truly believe that we become better people as we learn. Take time throughout your life to grow and learn and become a better person.
Keep a sense of humor.People who laugh are a gift to the world. Don’t take yourself or your circumstances to seriously. Learn to look on the bright side and see the humor in situations.
Honor your commitments.This is a key to a successful life. We live this life based on commitments we make toward one another. Those who honor those commitments are those who will be respected and trusted by others.
Mentor someone. Always take the time to mentor someone. I know this firsthand because of the energy a few people put into my life, sometimes just letting me know that they believed in me. This goes a long way and makes the world a better place!
I am sure there are other aspects of a successful life, but these are the simple ones that you can begin to apply today. Remember, you can work and become a success, and I encourage you to do so, but don’t forget to live a successful life as well!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)