Hard work spotlights the character of people: some turn up their sleeves, some turn up their noses, and some don't turn up at all.
-Sam Ewig
How do you feel about work? Our society has given work a bad name. We associate it with a lot of struggle to get few rewards, or worse yet, even failure. We hate work. We see our job as a chore that we only do so that we can enjoy the weekend. Most of us are forever on the search for the easiest possible way to get what we want. We forget that "there's no free lunch".
In order to enjoy your work, you must be confident of your success. You must have no doubt that the result of the work you are doing will move you forward towards your goals. Of course, if you have no goals, then your work will seem pointless, and you will have no real motivation to do it.
The way you approach your work spotlights your character because it shows to what extent you know where you are going, and are confident you are that you will eventually get there. People who turn up their sleeves beleive that they can do this work well, and also that it will make a difference in the world. People who turn up their noses may beleive that the work is important but that they don't have the ability to do it well. They may also beleive that they can do the work but their results will not make a difference to them or to anyone else. Finally, people who don't show up at all, don't beleive that the work is important, or that they can do it well anyway. They have absolutely no motivation to work. The first group will acheive great success, the second group will acheive a little success, and the third group will fail. Which group are you in?
For ideas about how to acheive true success, visit http://www.reachingmypotential.com
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Monday, March 30, 2009
Think
You have to allow a certain amount of time in which you are doing nothing in order to have things occur to you, to let your mind think."
Mortimer Adler
In our society, we worship activity. We consider any time that we are not actively doing something as a waste of time. In fact, for many of us, we consider any time that we are not actively doing several things at once as a waste of time. Often we invent activities to do because we don't have any constructive ideas of what we should be doing at this moment. We call this busywork.
We are driven to do the most things possible in the shortest amount of time. We haven't stopped to think about whether all those things we are doing are moving us towards where we want to be, or about whether all this activity is producing significant results. We haven't thought about where we want to be, or what kind of results we are expecting our actions to produce.
It is essential to allow some time every day to stop all your activity and just think. Think about what you want, and the best way to go about acheiving it. Develop a plan of action. The best thing you can do is to develop a habit of daily meditation. Find a time and place where you can be undisturbed. Just stop what you're doing, stop what you are thinking about that, and let inspired ideas come to you of what activities you really should be doing. That is a very important part of being truly successful
For ideas about how to acheive true success, visit http://www.reachingmypotential.com
Mortimer Adler
In our society, we worship activity. We consider any time that we are not actively doing something as a waste of time. In fact, for many of us, we consider any time that we are not actively doing several things at once as a waste of time. Often we invent activities to do because we don't have any constructive ideas of what we should be doing at this moment. We call this busywork.
We are driven to do the most things possible in the shortest amount of time. We haven't stopped to think about whether all those things we are doing are moving us towards where we want to be, or about whether all this activity is producing significant results. We haven't thought about where we want to be, or what kind of results we are expecting our actions to produce.
It is essential to allow some time every day to stop all your activity and just think. Think about what you want, and the best way to go about acheiving it. Develop a plan of action. The best thing you can do is to develop a habit of daily meditation. Find a time and place where you can be undisturbed. Just stop what you're doing, stop what you are thinking about that, and let inspired ideas come to you of what activities you really should be doing. That is a very important part of being truly successful
For ideas about how to acheive true success, visit http://www.reachingmypotential.com
Saturday, March 28, 2009
What Happened?
"When it comes to the future, there are three kinds of people: those who let it happen, those who make it happen, and those who wonder what happened."
John M. Richardson, Jr.
Which one of these people are you? Are you someone who wonder what happened? Some people just don't know what is going on. Perhaps they are just lost in their own little world. Perhaps they feel like if it doesn't involve their family or friends or community then they don't really need to know about it. They don't pay attention to signs of things that are about to happen in the larger world.
Are you someone who lets things happen? Some people don't want to get involved. Perhaps they don't want to take risks. Perhaps they don't want to spend the extra time and energy on an outcome that seems doubtful to them. Perhaps they don't have the extra time and energy to spend on anything that doesn't directly affect them. Pehaps the outcome simply isn't important enough to them to justify the amount of extra effort that they would have to spend on it.
Are you someone who makes things happen? Some people care so much about the outcome that they are willing to do whatever it takes, as long as it's legal, ethical, and moral, to acheive it. Of course there will always be people who are willing to do illegal, unethical, and immoral things to acheive their goals but I'm assuming you aren't one of those. Some people are very aware of their connection to the larger world, and know that whatever they do for others always comes back to them eventually. They are very aware of what is going on around them, and even on the other side of the world, and they are alert for both opportunities and challenges. They don't waste time in going after what they want. They are confident of their success, so they are willing to spend the extra time and energy on getting what they want. These are the successful people. These are the people who make things happen.
For ideas about how to acheive true success, visit http://www.reachingmypotential.com
John M. Richardson, Jr.
Which one of these people are you? Are you someone who wonder what happened? Some people just don't know what is going on. Perhaps they are just lost in their own little world. Perhaps they feel like if it doesn't involve their family or friends or community then they don't really need to know about it. They don't pay attention to signs of things that are about to happen in the larger world.
Are you someone who lets things happen? Some people don't want to get involved. Perhaps they don't want to take risks. Perhaps they don't want to spend the extra time and energy on an outcome that seems doubtful to them. Perhaps they don't have the extra time and energy to spend on anything that doesn't directly affect them. Pehaps the outcome simply isn't important enough to them to justify the amount of extra effort that they would have to spend on it.
Are you someone who makes things happen? Some people care so much about the outcome that they are willing to do whatever it takes, as long as it's legal, ethical, and moral, to acheive it. Of course there will always be people who are willing to do illegal, unethical, and immoral things to acheive their goals but I'm assuming you aren't one of those. Some people are very aware of their connection to the larger world, and know that whatever they do for others always comes back to them eventually. They are very aware of what is going on around them, and even on the other side of the world, and they are alert for both opportunities and challenges. They don't waste time in going after what they want. They are confident of their success, so they are willing to spend the extra time and energy on getting what they want. These are the successful people. These are the people who make things happen.
For ideas about how to acheive true success, visit http://www.reachingmypotential.com
Friday, March 27, 2009
Change
"Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself."
Leo Tolstoy
We would all like to change the world. We dream of a world with no hunger and no poverty. We dream of a world with no pollution and no sickness. We dream of a world without violence and war. But we would like to change our immediate environment too. We dream of a bigger house, a faster car, quiet neighbors. We always can find something in the outside world that we wish was different. We do everything we can think of to change the world. But we don't think of changing ourselves.
If we could become peaceful, we would become an inspiration for the people around us, and when each of them became peaceful they would become an inspiration to the people around them. Ripples of peacefulness would spread throughout the world and combine. By being a model of what we wanted to see in the world outside us, we could change that world. But we have to change first. We have to become the kind of person who would have the peace or wealth or whatever it is we want for the world. We have to inspire others.
We don't become successful by trying to change the outside world directly. We become successful by changing ourselves into the kind of person who does the things that lead to the results we want to see in the world, and inspires others to do the same. We don't have to change the world. We just have to change ourselves.
For ideas about how to acheive true success, visit http://www.reachingmypotential.com
Leo Tolstoy
We would all like to change the world. We dream of a world with no hunger and no poverty. We dream of a world with no pollution and no sickness. We dream of a world without violence and war. But we would like to change our immediate environment too. We dream of a bigger house, a faster car, quiet neighbors. We always can find something in the outside world that we wish was different. We do everything we can think of to change the world. But we don't think of changing ourselves.
If we could become peaceful, we would become an inspiration for the people around us, and when each of them became peaceful they would become an inspiration to the people around them. Ripples of peacefulness would spread throughout the world and combine. By being a model of what we wanted to see in the world outside us, we could change that world. But we have to change first. We have to become the kind of person who would have the peace or wealth or whatever it is we want for the world. We have to inspire others.
We don't become successful by trying to change the outside world directly. We become successful by changing ourselves into the kind of person who does the things that lead to the results we want to see in the world, and inspires others to do the same. We don't have to change the world. We just have to change ourselves.
For ideas about how to acheive true success, visit http://www.reachingmypotential.com
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Give Up
"No matter what we want of life we have to give up something in order to get it."
Raymond Holliwel
We have all heard that "there's no such thing as a free lunch" but most of us live as as though there must be a free lunch somewhere. We are always searching for the greatest value for the lowest price. When the stores have a sale, we rush over there.
We always have one eye on the lookout for freebies, even though deep down we know there must be a catch somewhere.
There is always something we must give up in order to get what we want. It may be time, money, energy, or a combination of all three. T Harv Ecker mentions that people all the time say that they want to become a millionaire. But few of them are willing to give up their weekends, their time for hobbies, their time to spend with friends and family, even for a little while. People just don't want to give up anything that they are used to having.
In order to be successful at anything, you have to give up something, and probably several things. Everything comes with a price. You simply have to be willing to pay that price. In order to do this, you have to make the success you want become more attractive than whatever you will have to give up in order to get it. You have to come at this with the mindset that nothing is free. And even if it was, you would not value it. The more we had to give up in order to get what we want, the more we will value what we want, and ourselves for being able to get it.
For ideas about how to acheive true success, visit http://www.reachingmypotential.com
Raymond Holliwel
We have all heard that "there's no such thing as a free lunch" but most of us live as as though there must be a free lunch somewhere. We are always searching for the greatest value for the lowest price. When the stores have a sale, we rush over there.
We always have one eye on the lookout for freebies, even though deep down we know there must be a catch somewhere.
There is always something we must give up in order to get what we want. It may be time, money, energy, or a combination of all three. T Harv Ecker mentions that people all the time say that they want to become a millionaire. But few of them are willing to give up their weekends, their time for hobbies, their time to spend with friends and family, even for a little while. People just don't want to give up anything that they are used to having.
In order to be successful at anything, you have to give up something, and probably several things. Everything comes with a price. You simply have to be willing to pay that price. In order to do this, you have to make the success you want become more attractive than whatever you will have to give up in order to get it. You have to come at this with the mindset that nothing is free. And even if it was, you would not value it. The more we had to give up in order to get what we want, the more we will value what we want, and ourselves for being able to get it.
For ideas about how to acheive true success, visit http://www.reachingmypotential.com
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Day In and Day Out
"It's not what you do once in a while, it's what you do day in and day out that makes the difference."
Jenny Craig
Most of us don't appreciate the significance of our habits. We make New Year's Resolutions and by February we have all but forgotten them. Why? Because we didn't make them into a habit. We just went about doing all our old habits. No matter how much we may want something, if we don't make it into a habit, it will never happen.
You may want to think of developing a habit like forging a road through the jungle of your brain. In the beginning, no matter how eager you are to get going, it's a huge amount of work clearing the brush. But the more people travel down that path, and the more frequently they travel, the wider the pathway gets and the more easier it is to follow. And when you are a person who just arrived, which path are you going to take. The one that's already cleared and well travelled, of course. In fact habits are thousands of times stronger than desires.
In this analogy the nerve impulses that occur whenever you think a thought or do some action, are like the people wanting to travel. When you do something every day, you are in a situation when that particular neural pathway will be very well travelled. You have a habit. When you only do something once in a while you will be in the same situation as the person who is trying to clear all the brush.
If you ever want to accomplish something, it is essential to make it into a habit, or to develop habits that will support your goals. If you have a habit you want to get rid of, you will have to create a whole new habit that is more useful to you. They say it takes doing something for 21 consecutive days before it becomes a habit. You better get started now.
For ideas about how to acheive true success, visit http://www.reachingmypotential.com
Jenny Craig
Most of us don't appreciate the significance of our habits. We make New Year's Resolutions and by February we have all but forgotten them. Why? Because we didn't make them into a habit. We just went about doing all our old habits. No matter how much we may want something, if we don't make it into a habit, it will never happen.
You may want to think of developing a habit like forging a road through the jungle of your brain. In the beginning, no matter how eager you are to get going, it's a huge amount of work clearing the brush. But the more people travel down that path, and the more frequently they travel, the wider the pathway gets and the more easier it is to follow. And when you are a person who just arrived, which path are you going to take. The one that's already cleared and well travelled, of course. In fact habits are thousands of times stronger than desires.
In this analogy the nerve impulses that occur whenever you think a thought or do some action, are like the people wanting to travel. When you do something every day, you are in a situation when that particular neural pathway will be very well travelled. You have a habit. When you only do something once in a while you will be in the same situation as the person who is trying to clear all the brush.
If you ever want to accomplish something, it is essential to make it into a habit, or to develop habits that will support your goals. If you have a habit you want to get rid of, you will have to create a whole new habit that is more useful to you. They say it takes doing something for 21 consecutive days before it becomes a habit. You better get started now.
For ideas about how to acheive true success, visit http://www.reachingmypotential.com
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Theft
"Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired, signifies in the final sense a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed."
Dwight David Eisenhower
When we make guns, launch warships, and fire rockets we do it because we beleive we are seperate from "the enemy" and we want to gain power over them in order to make sure that our lives go the way they want them. The truth is, however, that nobody will ever gain control over their lives by gaining control over other people. There is no way that we can ever guarantee our lives will go the way we want them to, and the sooner we understand that the better off we will be. The other truth is that we are not seperate from "the enemy" or any other human beings. We are not better than they are, nor are we worse than they are. We are all human beings and we are all connected for better or worse. "Never ask for whom the bell tolls. It tolls for thee."
Since we are all connected, it makes sense to care about other humans. We are all the responsibility of each other, and we all need each other in order to make the best of ourselves. If we do not feed the hungry or clothe those who are cold, then one day we will find ourselves hungry and cold . If we don't make peace with our fellow human beings, we will inevitably one day find ourselves at war. And none of those things will feel good! That's not what we want for ourselves. The Golden Rule is such a wise one. It is only when we treat others the way we want to be treated ourselves, that we are indeed treated that way. Don't steal from yourself just to satisfy your ego's selfish wants. Every person you help, helps you even more.
For ideas about how to be truly successful, visit http://www.reachingmypotential.com
Dwight David Eisenhower
When we make guns, launch warships, and fire rockets we do it because we beleive we are seperate from "the enemy" and we want to gain power over them in order to make sure that our lives go the way they want them. The truth is, however, that nobody will ever gain control over their lives by gaining control over other people. There is no way that we can ever guarantee our lives will go the way we want them to, and the sooner we understand that the better off we will be. The other truth is that we are not seperate from "the enemy" or any other human beings. We are not better than they are, nor are we worse than they are. We are all human beings and we are all connected for better or worse. "Never ask for whom the bell tolls. It tolls for thee."
Since we are all connected, it makes sense to care about other humans. We are all the responsibility of each other, and we all need each other in order to make the best of ourselves. If we do not feed the hungry or clothe those who are cold, then one day we will find ourselves hungry and cold . If we don't make peace with our fellow human beings, we will inevitably one day find ourselves at war. And none of those things will feel good! That's not what we want for ourselves. The Golden Rule is such a wise one. It is only when we treat others the way we want to be treated ourselves, that we are indeed treated that way. Don't steal from yourself just to satisfy your ego's selfish wants. Every person you help, helps you even more.
For ideas about how to be truly successful, visit http://www.reachingmypotential.com
Monday, March 23, 2009
Be
"First say to yourself what you would be; and then do what you have to do."
Epictetus
So many of us are focused on what we would like to have. We are convinced that when we get that thing we will be happy. When I get a bigger house...When I get a raise...When I get a maid...When I get a better job..."
We feel as though when we get all those things, then we can start doing what we really want. "When I get a getter job, I will be able to go on more exotic vacations". When I get a raise, I will be able to hire a gardener. When I get a bigger house, I will be able to study in peace. When I get a maid, I will be able to do more enjoyable things than vacum and dust. And on and on.
We want to have things so that we can do what we want in order to be the way we want, which is happy. But when we focus on what we don't have yet, we can't be happy right now. We have the order of things wrong. When we focus on being happy with the things we have right now, then we will do the things that are necessary to have the things we want. We know how we want to feel, so we just do whatever will make us feel that way. And those things we do are what brings us the physical things we want. We get happier and happier.
For ideas about how to acheive true success, visit http://www.reachingmypotential.com
Epictetus
So many of us are focused on what we would like to have. We are convinced that when we get that thing we will be happy. When I get a bigger house...When I get a raise...When I get a maid...When I get a better job..."
We feel as though when we get all those things, then we can start doing what we really want. "When I get a getter job, I will be able to go on more exotic vacations". When I get a raise, I will be able to hire a gardener. When I get a bigger house, I will be able to study in peace. When I get a maid, I will be able to do more enjoyable things than vacum and dust. And on and on.
We want to have things so that we can do what we want in order to be the way we want, which is happy. But when we focus on what we don't have yet, we can't be happy right now. We have the order of things wrong. When we focus on being happy with the things we have right now, then we will do the things that are necessary to have the things we want. We know how we want to feel, so we just do whatever will make us feel that way. And those things we do are what brings us the physical things we want. We get happier and happier.
For ideas about how to acheive true success, visit http://www.reachingmypotential.com
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Security
"When you know that you're capable of dealing with whatever comes, you have the only security the world has to offer."
Harry Browne
Do you long for security? Real security is knowing that no matter what happens you will be okay. Many of us would like for bad things to never happen. We figure that the only way to be safe from bad things is if those bad things never happen in the first place. We feel a need to control our lives, to make sure that nothing happens that we don't want to happen. We desperately want to be in control of the things around us. We don't want to take risks. They're, well, too risky. What if something bad happens and then I won't be okay? Does this sound like you.
The truth is that bad things do happen, and they will always happen. Nobody can stop them from happening. But just because something bad happens doesn't mean you have to be hurt. You can always change your attitude about things. A lot of the time we think something is bad just because we are looking at its worst aspects. If we looked hard enough, we could find something good about it, and then we could feel better about it. For example, suppose you were in an accident and were in hospital for a week. You could complain "Why did this have to happen to me" and focus on your pain and the money it will cost to repair everything. Or you could feel glad that the doctors are able to make you better and/or that you now can rest for a week and catch up with those novels you've been wanting to read, and sure enough, you will turn out okay.
If you could really trust that whatever happens, you will turn out okay, not only will you feel more secure when bad situations happen but fewer bad situations will happen to you. If you beleive you will be okay no matter what happens, the Universe will beleive it too. And it will send you situations in which you really will be okay. That's the best security there is.
For ideas about how to be truly successful, visit http://www.reachingmypotential.com
Harry Browne
Do you long for security? Real security is knowing that no matter what happens you will be okay. Many of us would like for bad things to never happen. We figure that the only way to be safe from bad things is if those bad things never happen in the first place. We feel a need to control our lives, to make sure that nothing happens that we don't want to happen. We desperately want to be in control of the things around us. We don't want to take risks. They're, well, too risky. What if something bad happens and then I won't be okay? Does this sound like you.
The truth is that bad things do happen, and they will always happen. Nobody can stop them from happening. But just because something bad happens doesn't mean you have to be hurt. You can always change your attitude about things. A lot of the time we think something is bad just because we are looking at its worst aspects. If we looked hard enough, we could find something good about it, and then we could feel better about it. For example, suppose you were in an accident and were in hospital for a week. You could complain "Why did this have to happen to me" and focus on your pain and the money it will cost to repair everything. Or you could feel glad that the doctors are able to make you better and/or that you now can rest for a week and catch up with those novels you've been wanting to read, and sure enough, you will turn out okay.
If you could really trust that whatever happens, you will turn out okay, not only will you feel more secure when bad situations happen but fewer bad situations will happen to you. If you beleive you will be okay no matter what happens, the Universe will beleive it too. And it will send you situations in which you really will be okay. That's the best security there is.
For ideas about how to be truly successful, visit http://www.reachingmypotential.com
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Blow your Horn
Get someone else to blow your horn and the sound will carry twice as far.
Will Rogers
Most of us are busy blowing our own horn. We are desperate for attention. We want everyone to know how great we are, and we think that the only way for them to find that out is if we tell them, or show them. We go out of our way to do things that we think will impress others. We go out of our way to show others how wonderful we are. We want to be the star of the show, and let everyone else know it.
But is this the best way to let people know what good people we are? What if we found someone else who thought we were wonderful and that person told everyone about it. Other people would beleive him much more than they'd beleive you because they expect you to be biased about your abilities but they don't expect him to be. They beleive his is a more honest and accurate appraisal. They assume he has no reason to say such things other than that that's his real experience. They are impressed by what he says.
Make sure that you are always treating other people well. You never know who will turn into your spokesperson. When he blows your horn, many more people will hear it. Remember that this principle also applies to those people who don't like the way you treat them and they let everyone know about it. Don't put yourself in that position. You never know who will have plenty to say about you.
For ideas about how to acheive true success, visit http://www.reachingmypotential.com
Will Rogers
Most of us are busy blowing our own horn. We are desperate for attention. We want everyone to know how great we are, and we think that the only way for them to find that out is if we tell them, or show them. We go out of our way to do things that we think will impress others. We go out of our way to show others how wonderful we are. We want to be the star of the show, and let everyone else know it.
But is this the best way to let people know what good people we are? What if we found someone else who thought we were wonderful and that person told everyone about it. Other people would beleive him much more than they'd beleive you because they expect you to be biased about your abilities but they don't expect him to be. They beleive his is a more honest and accurate appraisal. They assume he has no reason to say such things other than that that's his real experience. They are impressed by what he says.
Make sure that you are always treating other people well. You never know who will turn into your spokesperson. When he blows your horn, many more people will hear it. Remember that this principle also applies to those people who don't like the way you treat them and they let everyone know about it. Don't put yourself in that position. You never know who will have plenty to say about you.
For ideas about how to acheive true success, visit http://www.reachingmypotential.com
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Love
"The amount of love you show to your neighbor reflects how much you love yourself."
Tessy Igbinoghene
It has been said that when we critisise someone else, we are really critisising ourself. We are usually very aware of our faults and shortcomings, much more than we are aware of our strengths and talents. We have this idea that these faults make us bad people, and if other people knew about them then they would despise us. Since we can't deal with our own shortcomings, we tend to project them onto other people. We say to ourselves "See, I'm not ___; he is. Psychologists call this projective identification.
Since love is what makes life worth living, it is vital to love yourself. You need to be able to accept every part of you; the good, the bad, and the ugly. Then you need to prove you love yourself by striving to be the best person you can be. Find ways to increase your strengths and lessen your weaknesses. Throwing your weaknesses onto other people is a form of denial, and when you deny your weaknesses, you can't do anything with them. Not only that, but when people see that you don't love them, they won't love you.
In order to be really successful, you need other people's love and cooperation. You also need to love yourself enough to expect success. If you find yourself spending a lot of time critisising others, then it's time to start loving yourself more.
For ideas about how to acheive true success, visit http://www.reachingmypotential.com
Tessy Igbinoghene
It has been said that when we critisise someone else, we are really critisising ourself. We are usually very aware of our faults and shortcomings, much more than we are aware of our strengths and talents. We have this idea that these faults make us bad people, and if other people knew about them then they would despise us. Since we can't deal with our own shortcomings, we tend to project them onto other people. We say to ourselves "See, I'm not ___; he is. Psychologists call this projective identification.
Since love is what makes life worth living, it is vital to love yourself. You need to be able to accept every part of you; the good, the bad, and the ugly. Then you need to prove you love yourself by striving to be the best person you can be. Find ways to increase your strengths and lessen your weaknesses. Throwing your weaknesses onto other people is a form of denial, and when you deny your weaknesses, you can't do anything with them. Not only that, but when people see that you don't love them, they won't love you.
In order to be really successful, you need other people's love and cooperation. You also need to love yourself enough to expect success. If you find yourself spending a lot of time critisising others, then it's time to start loving yourself more.
For ideas about how to acheive true success, visit http://www.reachingmypotential.com
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Happiness
"Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned, earned, worn or consumed. Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace, and gratitude."
Denis Waitley
We tend to think that money can buy us happiness. If we had more money, we could buy a bigger house or a fancier car or a more exotic vacation. But all these things don't make us happy for long. Happiness can't be bought. There are many poor people who are much happier than many rich people. The things that money can buy are not what is really important to us. As the Beatles said "I don't care too much for money. Money can't buy me love". No matter how much money and how many fancy things we have, if we have no love, then we won't be happy.
It is not receiving love that makes us happy. The real reason we feel happier when someone else loves us is because it tends to make us love them more. The truth is that we feel happiest when our thoughts are not about ourselves and what we can get from others but about others and what we can give to them. But love is not just romantic love, of course. Our happiness increases whenever we focus on whatever we love and appreciate in the world around us.
"Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace, and gratitude". In order to be really happy, you must appreciate all the blessings that you have right now. You must love the things you see around you, right now. To do this, you need to realize that even when something unpleasant occurs, there is always a lesson or opportunity hidden in it somewhere.
You don't want happiness in the future, after all; you really want it right now. Appreciate the present, don't attach your happiness to something you don't have yet. The present is all that really matters because it is all that you have any control over.
For ideas about how to acheive true success, visit http://www.reachingmypotential.com
Denis Waitley
We tend to think that money can buy us happiness. If we had more money, we could buy a bigger house or a fancier car or a more exotic vacation. But all these things don't make us happy for long. Happiness can't be bought. There are many poor people who are much happier than many rich people. The things that money can buy are not what is really important to us. As the Beatles said "I don't care too much for money. Money can't buy me love". No matter how much money and how many fancy things we have, if we have no love, then we won't be happy.
It is not receiving love that makes us happy. The real reason we feel happier when someone else loves us is because it tends to make us love them more. The truth is that we feel happiest when our thoughts are not about ourselves and what we can get from others but about others and what we can give to them. But love is not just romantic love, of course. Our happiness increases whenever we focus on whatever we love and appreciate in the world around us.
"Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace, and gratitude". In order to be really happy, you must appreciate all the blessings that you have right now. You must love the things you see around you, right now. To do this, you need to realize that even when something unpleasant occurs, there is always a lesson or opportunity hidden in it somewhere.
You don't want happiness in the future, after all; you really want it right now. Appreciate the present, don't attach your happiness to something you don't have yet. The present is all that really matters because it is all that you have any control over.
For ideas about how to acheive true success, visit http://www.reachingmypotential.com
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Desire
"Count not thyself to have found true peace, if thou hast felt no grief; nor that then all is well if thou hast no adversary; nor that this is perfect, if all things fall out according to thy desire."
Honoré de Balzac
We tend to treat things we don't like as just things to get away from as fast as possible. We fight with them, push them away, and try to ignore them. We try to change any conditions we see as being responsible for them. We do anything other than see them for what they really are.
Things we don't like can actually be useful to us. It's all about attitude. Once we have established that fact that we don't like something, we can conclude that what we really want is it's opposite. It is very difficult for us to know what we really want until we have experienced it's opposite. And if you don't know what you really want, then your life has no direction or meaning.
The other reason that things we don't like can be beneficial is because if we have never experienced greif, then we can't appreciate joy. If we have never experienced failure, then we can't appreciate success. We all know from experience that success is much sweeter if it has been long and difficult in coming. The sweetest successes come out of overcoming the greatest difficulties and obstacles.
Recognize that the things you don't like and don't want are actually gifts from God. They tell you what you do want and help make it much more satisfying and enjoyable when you finally get that thing. Don't just run away from them but stop and think about how they can help you succeed.
For ideas about how to acheive true success, visit http://www.reachingmypotential.com
Honoré de Balzac
We tend to treat things we don't like as just things to get away from as fast as possible. We fight with them, push them away, and try to ignore them. We try to change any conditions we see as being responsible for them. We do anything other than see them for what they really are.
Things we don't like can actually be useful to us. It's all about attitude. Once we have established that fact that we don't like something, we can conclude that what we really want is it's opposite. It is very difficult for us to know what we really want until we have experienced it's opposite. And if you don't know what you really want, then your life has no direction or meaning.
The other reason that things we don't like can be beneficial is because if we have never experienced greif, then we can't appreciate joy. If we have never experienced failure, then we can't appreciate success. We all know from experience that success is much sweeter if it has been long and difficult in coming. The sweetest successes come out of overcoming the greatest difficulties and obstacles.
Recognize that the things you don't like and don't want are actually gifts from God. They tell you what you do want and help make it much more satisfying and enjoyable when you finally get that thing. Don't just run away from them but stop and think about how they can help you succeed.
For ideas about how to acheive true success, visit http://www.reachingmypotential.com
Monday, March 16, 2009
Possible
"When nothing is sure, everything is possible"
Margaret Drabble
Are you sure about yourself? Are you sure about what you like and dislike, about what you are scared of and what brings you joy? Are you sure about your capabilities? Most of us are pretty sure of who we are. We are confident that we are the product of our upbringing, and our experiences, and the relationships we have had with other people. We are confident that we share the beleifs of our country and our society. We are confident of the mental, emotional, and physical differences between ourselves and the opposite sex. We know that we are masculine or feminine.
But is any of that really who we are. Since we have spent so much time and energy defining ourselves, we have closed the door to becoming anything different. There are no other possibilities for us. If we have decided we are fat, then we will always be fat. The truth is that very little of who we are can't be changed once we decide that it is possible for us to be something different than who we thought we were. The only things that really can't be changed are the physical workings of our bodies.
What would happen if you gave up the picture you have of yourself? Can you even imagine doing that? What would happen if you said "I don't understand anything at all about myself"? If you could do that, then you would be free to become anything at all. Anything would be possible. You could reinvent yourself entirely. If, for example, you decided that you weren't fat, just 200 pounds, then it would actually be much easier to lose the pounds if you still wanted to. When you don't have any picture of who you are, you can be anything. You're not bound to be true to that picture. And most of the time the pictures we have of ourselves are inaccurate anyway, largely being what other people have told us we are when they really don't know.
For ideas about how to acheive true success, visit http://www.reachingmypotential.com
Margaret Drabble
Are you sure about yourself? Are you sure about what you like and dislike, about what you are scared of and what brings you joy? Are you sure about your capabilities? Most of us are pretty sure of who we are. We are confident that we are the product of our upbringing, and our experiences, and the relationships we have had with other people. We are confident that we share the beleifs of our country and our society. We are confident of the mental, emotional, and physical differences between ourselves and the opposite sex. We know that we are masculine or feminine.
But is any of that really who we are. Since we have spent so much time and energy defining ourselves, we have closed the door to becoming anything different. There are no other possibilities for us. If we have decided we are fat, then we will always be fat. The truth is that very little of who we are can't be changed once we decide that it is possible for us to be something different than who we thought we were. The only things that really can't be changed are the physical workings of our bodies.
What would happen if you gave up the picture you have of yourself? Can you even imagine doing that? What would happen if you said "I don't understand anything at all about myself"? If you could do that, then you would be free to become anything at all. Anything would be possible. You could reinvent yourself entirely. If, for example, you decided that you weren't fat, just 200 pounds, then it would actually be much easier to lose the pounds if you still wanted to. When you don't have any picture of who you are, you can be anything. You're not bound to be true to that picture. And most of the time the pictures we have of ourselves are inaccurate anyway, largely being what other people have told us we are when they really don't know.
For ideas about how to acheive true success, visit http://www.reachingmypotential.com
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Fact
"Sit down before fact like a little child, and be prepared to give up every preconceived notion. Follow humbly wherever and to whatever abyss Nature leads, or you shall learn nothing."
Thomas Henry Huxley
Most of us cling to our pre-conceptions about the world with everything we've got. We get really upset whenever we see or hear something that doesn't agree with how we thought it should be. Think of how often you use the word "should". We have plenty of opinions about how everything should be. But whenever I hear the word "should" I want to ask "Why should it?". When you ask that, most people don't have any adequate explanation.
All our pre-conceived notions about how the world works are indispensable parts of ourselves. When life doesn't behave according to the way it should, then it is as if our very being was threatened. Our ego is is terrified of death.
But we are created to not only live, but to grow and expand. The only way that we have to do that is to learn new things. If we want to be successful, it is vital that we constantly are learning new things. And if we want to learn new things, we must be able to realize that we don't know everything there is to know, and we don't always know how the world is going to behave. Learning requires humility. We must have the humility to get rid of our pre-conceived notions and accept what life is showing us about how things really work.
For ideas about how to acheive true success, visit http://www.reachingmypotential.com
Thomas Henry Huxley
Most of us cling to our pre-conceptions about the world with everything we've got. We get really upset whenever we see or hear something that doesn't agree with how we thought it should be. Think of how often you use the word "should". We have plenty of opinions about how everything should be. But whenever I hear the word "should" I want to ask "Why should it?". When you ask that, most people don't have any adequate explanation.
All our pre-conceived notions about how the world works are indispensable parts of ourselves. When life doesn't behave according to the way it should, then it is as if our very being was threatened. Our ego is is terrified of death.
But we are created to not only live, but to grow and expand. The only way that we have to do that is to learn new things. If we want to be successful, it is vital that we constantly are learning new things. And if we want to learn new things, we must be able to realize that we don't know everything there is to know, and we don't always know how the world is going to behave. Learning requires humility. We must have the humility to get rid of our pre-conceived notions and accept what life is showing us about how things really work.
For ideas about how to acheive true success, visit http://www.reachingmypotential.com
Saturday, March 14, 2009
A Rehearsal
"Stop acting as if life is a rehearsal. Live this day as if it were your last. The past is over and gone. The future is not guaranteed."
Wayne Dyer
How would you live differently if you knew that you only had a year to live? What about a month? 2009 is now here. This is a time when we decide how we want this year to be better than last year. It is a time when we plan how to make this year any different from last year. We are looking towards the future. But this sometimes prevents us from seeing the present as the gift it really is.
Even though the act of planning is very important because it focuses your mind upon your goal, the only practical way to create a better future is to act in the present. Even the best of plans get waylaid. When you recognize this, you don't take your plans so seriously. You just stay aware of what is going on around you right now, and what you can do right now that will move you towards your goals. Listen to your intuition.
Do what will make you feel good now. You can't change what happened in the past, but you can act now to make sure that bad things don't happen again in the future. You don't know what the future will bring. The future is never guaranteed.
There is no way of knowing whether you will be around to enjoy the future. After all, many people have just dropped dead with no prior illness that anyone knew about. It could happen to any of us at any time. And if it did happen to you, could you say that you had told everyone you loved how you felt about them? Could you say that you had accomplished things that you really felt good about? Could you honestly say that you had no unfinished business? Few of us could. Don't act as though life is a rehearsal. Live this day as if it were your last. After all, it might be.
For ideas about how to acheive true success, visit http://www.reachingmypotential.com
Wayne Dyer
How would you live differently if you knew that you only had a year to live? What about a month? 2009 is now here. This is a time when we decide how we want this year to be better than last year. It is a time when we plan how to make this year any different from last year. We are looking towards the future. But this sometimes prevents us from seeing the present as the gift it really is.
Even though the act of planning is very important because it focuses your mind upon your goal, the only practical way to create a better future is to act in the present. Even the best of plans get waylaid. When you recognize this, you don't take your plans so seriously. You just stay aware of what is going on around you right now, and what you can do right now that will move you towards your goals. Listen to your intuition.
Do what will make you feel good now. You can't change what happened in the past, but you can act now to make sure that bad things don't happen again in the future. You don't know what the future will bring. The future is never guaranteed.
There is no way of knowing whether you will be around to enjoy the future. After all, many people have just dropped dead with no prior illness that anyone knew about. It could happen to any of us at any time. And if it did happen to you, could you say that you had told everyone you loved how you felt about them? Could you say that you had accomplished things that you really felt good about? Could you honestly say that you had no unfinished business? Few of us could. Don't act as though life is a rehearsal. Live this day as if it were your last. After all, it might be.
For ideas about how to acheive true success, visit http://www.reachingmypotential.com
Friday, March 13, 2009
Direction
"The more intensely we feel about an idea or a goal, the more assuredly the idea, buried deep in our subconscious,will direct us along the path to its fulfillment" Earl Nightingale
What things are you most passionate about? Many of us have to stop and think about that, because we have been so busy trying to cope with the everyday details of life that we haven't had time or attention for anything else. We tend to be preoccupied with what is going on right now and what we expect to happen in the future because it's always been that way in the past. We don't envision our life any different than it is, and we never go out of our comfort zone. Some of us have even forgotten what it is like to feel passionately excited about something we really beleive in.
The more passionate we feel about something, the more we feel motivated to do something about it. Life is always moving in the direction of growth and expansion, and wants us to become that way too. So when we are passionate about something, that becomes part of who we are and in order for us to grow into who we have become, we need to bring that thing into our physical lives. So the universe nudges us to take action in order to accomplish that.
In order to be successful, we need to take action towards creating those things we feel most passionately about. We need to listen to our intuition which is the universe telling us what actions are best to create the results we want. The more strongly we feel about a goal or idea, the more the universe will be trying to direct us along the best path for its fullfillment, if only we will listen to it.
For ideas about how to acheive true success, visit http://www.reachingmypotential.com
What things are you most passionate about? Many of us have to stop and think about that, because we have been so busy trying to cope with the everyday details of life that we haven't had time or attention for anything else. We tend to be preoccupied with what is going on right now and what we expect to happen in the future because it's always been that way in the past. We don't envision our life any different than it is, and we never go out of our comfort zone. Some of us have even forgotten what it is like to feel passionately excited about something we really beleive in.
The more passionate we feel about something, the more we feel motivated to do something about it. Life is always moving in the direction of growth and expansion, and wants us to become that way too. So when we are passionate about something, that becomes part of who we are and in order for us to grow into who we have become, we need to bring that thing into our physical lives. So the universe nudges us to take action in order to accomplish that.
In order to be successful, we need to take action towards creating those things we feel most passionately about. We need to listen to our intuition which is the universe telling us what actions are best to create the results we want. The more strongly we feel about a goal or idea, the more the universe will be trying to direct us along the best path for its fullfillment, if only we will listen to it.
For ideas about how to acheive true success, visit http://www.reachingmypotential.com
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Paid
"Ask yourself what you would do even if you were never paid. That's a clue to what you should be doing and of course finding a way to be paid for it. You can attract more money from love."
Dr. Joe Vitale
Have you ever thought about what you would do all day long even if you never were paid for it? Most of us do what we do all day long because we ARE paid for it. Usually the pay is more important to us that whatever it is that we are doing. After all, we need to pay the bills; that's the most urgent thing in our lives. There never seems to be enough money, no matter how much money we have. Money is like a god; we constantly crave it because we have equated it with happiness and freedom.
But money creates neither happiness or freedom after a certain point (apparently after about 15,000$ yearly income). The world is full of rich people who are miserable; and they are not really free either because they have to look after and worry about the theft or destruction of all the things they have accumulated.
So if money doesn't create the happiness we all long for then what does. Certainly a large part of happiness comes from doing the things we enjoy doing most. Another large part of it comes from doing things for other people. So why not combine the two? Why not do for other people the things you enjoy doing most? That is what you should be doing all day, because it benefits everyone. And you can attract more money from love.
For ideas about how to acheive true success, visit
http://www.reachingmypotential.com
Dr. Joe Vitale
Have you ever thought about what you would do all day long even if you never were paid for it? Most of us do what we do all day long because we ARE paid for it. Usually the pay is more important to us that whatever it is that we are doing. After all, we need to pay the bills; that's the most urgent thing in our lives. There never seems to be enough money, no matter how much money we have. Money is like a god; we constantly crave it because we have equated it with happiness and freedom.
But money creates neither happiness or freedom after a certain point (apparently after about 15,000$ yearly income). The world is full of rich people who are miserable; and they are not really free either because they have to look after and worry about the theft or destruction of all the things they have accumulated.
So if money doesn't create the happiness we all long for then what does. Certainly a large part of happiness comes from doing the things we enjoy doing most. Another large part of it comes from doing things for other people. So why not combine the two? Why not do for other people the things you enjoy doing most? That is what you should be doing all day, because it benefits everyone. And you can attract more money from love.
For ideas about how to acheive true success, visit
http://www.reachingmypotential.com
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Life
"The purpose of life is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience."
Eleanor Roosevelt
Not many of us really live our lives. We sort of trudge through it, following no particular path, dealing with whatever seems most urgent and just being glad to have made it through the day. We don't even know what we really want. We are mostly stuck within our comfort zones and afraid to try anything new. When was the last time you tried something totally new? When was the last time you took a risk? When was the last time you acheived a particularly satisfying goal? I bet it was a long time ago, too long ago.
Someone who really lives their life is eager to try out new experiences just for the sake of doing something new. They are constantly seeking growth and expansion. They are not afraid of failure because they know that the only way they can ever really fail is if they either never take action in the first place or if they don't learn anything about themself from the experience. They live at the edge of their comfort zone so it is constantly expanding. They are the people who are truly successful because they truly enjoy their lives.
For ideas about how to acheive true success, visit http://www.reachingmypotential.com
Eleanor Roosevelt
Not many of us really live our lives. We sort of trudge through it, following no particular path, dealing with whatever seems most urgent and just being glad to have made it through the day. We don't even know what we really want. We are mostly stuck within our comfort zones and afraid to try anything new. When was the last time you tried something totally new? When was the last time you took a risk? When was the last time you acheived a particularly satisfying goal? I bet it was a long time ago, too long ago.
Someone who really lives their life is eager to try out new experiences just for the sake of doing something new. They are constantly seeking growth and expansion. They are not afraid of failure because they know that the only way they can ever really fail is if they either never take action in the first place or if they don't learn anything about themself from the experience. They live at the edge of their comfort zone so it is constantly expanding. They are the people who are truly successful because they truly enjoy their lives.
For ideas about how to acheive true success, visit http://www.reachingmypotential.com
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Discover
"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."
Mark Twain
Are you disappointed at the results you have gotten in life. Are there things you tried that just didn't turn out right. We all have experienced times when we wanted to get something but our efforts just didn't bring us the results we hoped for. We may have wondered "What's the use in trying? It just doesn't work for me". At the time it seems like such a big deal. It ruins your whole day. But twenty years from now, it won't seem so bad. There is something that will seem a lot worse.
What will seem a lot worse is all the things you never even tried to do. Remember all those things that just seemed too difficult for you. There seemed to be too many obstacles. Other things seemed to be more urgent. You were afraid to get out of your comfort zone so you procrastinated too long and missed your window of opportunity. Those are the things you will really regret.
The moral of the story here is to realize that it is much better than to have tried and failed than to have never tryed at all. There is always some step you can take towards your goal; no matter how tiny it is at least you are moving forward. Never be afraid to sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."
For ideas about how to acheive true success, visit http://www.reachingmypotential.com
Mark Twain
Are you disappointed at the results you have gotten in life. Are there things you tried that just didn't turn out right. We all have experienced times when we wanted to get something but our efforts just didn't bring us the results we hoped for. We may have wondered "What's the use in trying? It just doesn't work for me". At the time it seems like such a big deal. It ruins your whole day. But twenty years from now, it won't seem so bad. There is something that will seem a lot worse.
What will seem a lot worse is all the things you never even tried to do. Remember all those things that just seemed too difficult for you. There seemed to be too many obstacles. Other things seemed to be more urgent. You were afraid to get out of your comfort zone so you procrastinated too long and missed your window of opportunity. Those are the things you will really regret.
The moral of the story here is to realize that it is much better than to have tried and failed than to have never tryed at all. There is always some step you can take towards your goal; no matter how tiny it is at least you are moving forward. Never be afraid to sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."
For ideas about how to acheive true success, visit http://www.reachingmypotential.com
Monday, March 9, 2009
Action Without Thought
"Whatever failures I have known, whatever errors I have committed, whatever follies I have witnessed in private and public life have been the consequence of action without thought."
Bernard M. Baruch
If you stop to think about it, you will probably see that all of your errors and failures occured because you acted without thinking. This, of course, means you acted from habit. Habits are essential for certain things. If we had to stop and think about every single thing we did before we did it, we'd probably go crazy.
We need to acquire habits to efficiently do the things that we need to do every day, such as the habit of brushing our teeth every day, for example. But most of us spend our entire lives on autopilot. We only think about what we are doing when we are presented with a completely new situation and don't know what to do about it. We treat certain people the same way all the time, for example, without stopping to think about whether it's appropriate for the occasion.
In order to really know what is the most appropriate action for the current circumstances, you need to know what the current circumstances really are. Your mind needs to be in the present; and for most of us virtually all of the time our mind is either brooding about the past or worrying about the future. How often have you missed what someone was saying because your mind was off somewhere else? How may people can truthfully say that they are a good listener? The same principle occurs with everything else going on around you. Always pay attention to what's going on right now before you do anything other than basic habits.
For ideas about how to acheive true success, visit http://www.reachingmypotential.com
Bernard M. Baruch
If you stop to think about it, you will probably see that all of your errors and failures occured because you acted without thinking. This, of course, means you acted from habit. Habits are essential for certain things. If we had to stop and think about every single thing we did before we did it, we'd probably go crazy.
We need to acquire habits to efficiently do the things that we need to do every day, such as the habit of brushing our teeth every day, for example. But most of us spend our entire lives on autopilot. We only think about what we are doing when we are presented with a completely new situation and don't know what to do about it. We treat certain people the same way all the time, for example, without stopping to think about whether it's appropriate for the occasion.
In order to really know what is the most appropriate action for the current circumstances, you need to know what the current circumstances really are. Your mind needs to be in the present; and for most of us virtually all of the time our mind is either brooding about the past or worrying about the future. How often have you missed what someone was saying because your mind was off somewhere else? How may people can truthfully say that they are a good listener? The same principle occurs with everything else going on around you. Always pay attention to what's going on right now before you do anything other than basic habits.
For ideas about how to acheive true success, visit http://www.reachingmypotential.com
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Mirror
"The world is a great mirror. It reflects back to you what you are. If you are loving, if you are friendly, if you are helpful, the world will prove loving and friendly and helpful to you. The world is what you are."
Thomas Dreier
What is your world showing you about yourself? Are you truly happy with everything that goes on around you? Most of us are not. Some of us aren't happy with anything that is going on around them. The truth is that everything around you, you've attracted into your life. When good things are there, we would like to beleive this. But when we see bad things, it's difficult to accept that you attracted them into your life.
Why would you attract bad things into your life? Some people actually, unconsciously, choose to do this because they get rewards from it that they aren't aware of. For instance, someone might choose to be sick all the time (hypochondriacs) because they enjoy having all the people around them be sympathetic and even do things for them. Often when they realize this, they can say they would rather be well than get this kind of attention from others, and their sickness goes away.
If you don't like what the world around you looks like, then it's time to change yourself; including your subconscious beleifs. If the people around you don't love you enough, then you need to start loving them more. If you never have enough money, the world is telling you that you have a (probably subconscious) beleif that there never is enough money for everyone, so you need to change that. The outside world is just a reflection of your inside world.
For ideas about how to acheive true success, visit http://www.reachingmypotential.com
Thomas Dreier
What is your world showing you about yourself? Are you truly happy with everything that goes on around you? Most of us are not. Some of us aren't happy with anything that is going on around them. The truth is that everything around you, you've attracted into your life. When good things are there, we would like to beleive this. But when we see bad things, it's difficult to accept that you attracted them into your life.
Why would you attract bad things into your life? Some people actually, unconsciously, choose to do this because they get rewards from it that they aren't aware of. For instance, someone might choose to be sick all the time (hypochondriacs) because they enjoy having all the people around them be sympathetic and even do things for them. Often when they realize this, they can say they would rather be well than get this kind of attention from others, and their sickness goes away.
If you don't like what the world around you looks like, then it's time to change yourself; including your subconscious beleifs. If the people around you don't love you enough, then you need to start loving them more. If you never have enough money, the world is telling you that you have a (probably subconscious) beleif that there never is enough money for everyone, so you need to change that. The outside world is just a reflection of your inside world.
For ideas about how to acheive true success, visit http://www.reachingmypotential.com
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Nobility
"The truth is that there is nothing noble in being superior to somebody else. The only real nobility is in being superior to your former self."
Ralph Waldo Emerson
We are so preoccupied with comparing, and along with our comparing goes judgment. This is better than that, Joe is a better player than Jim (or maybe just plain better). It seems like wherever we can find a difference between two things (or people), then one has to be better than the other. Your ego, especially, thrives on being better than someone else, even if it's only better at one particular skill or talent.
This is a meaningless comparison though because the truth is that there are so many people with so many different strengths and weaknesses that whichever thing you pick to compare yourself to others with, there will inevitably be someone who is worse than you at it. But there will also inevitably be someone else who is better than you at it too. That's why it's a waste of time comparing yourself with other people.
The only comparison that is really important is the comparison between the way you are now and the way you used to be in the past. This is the only way of measuring growth, and growth is what it's all about. You can't be successful, or happy, unless you are growing; and this is what you really need to keep track of.
For ideas about how to acheive true success, visit
http://www.reachingmypotential.com
Ralph Waldo Emerson
We are so preoccupied with comparing, and along with our comparing goes judgment. This is better than that, Joe is a better player than Jim (or maybe just plain better). It seems like wherever we can find a difference between two things (or people), then one has to be better than the other. Your ego, especially, thrives on being better than someone else, even if it's only better at one particular skill or talent.
This is a meaningless comparison though because the truth is that there are so many people with so many different strengths and weaknesses that whichever thing you pick to compare yourself to others with, there will inevitably be someone who is worse than you at it. But there will also inevitably be someone else who is better than you at it too. That's why it's a waste of time comparing yourself with other people.
The only comparison that is really important is the comparison between the way you are now and the way you used to be in the past. This is the only way of measuring growth, and growth is what it's all about. You can't be successful, or happy, unless you are growing; and this is what you really need to keep track of.
For ideas about how to acheive true success, visit
http://www.reachingmypotential.com
Friday, March 6, 2009
Doing
"You must be the kind of man who can get things done. But to get things done, you must love the doing, not the secondary consequences."
Ayn Rand
What does it take to be the kind of man who can get things done. The first thing, of course, is that you must beleive that you can get things done. You must have a clear goal, and continually focus upon it. But the most important thing, is that you must take consistent action towards your goal.
There are two reasons why you want to acheive any goal. First, you want to receive the consequences of acheiving it. This includes impressing other people and getting them to like you or approve of you more, or having lots of money, or being famous. All of these consequences bolster your ego and make you feel important. They may even make you feel happy for a while. But they are all ultimately dependant on what other people think, which you have no control over.
The second reason why you want to acheive a goal is because it is very important to you personally. You want to take action, not because you will get a reward of either money or approval from others, but because you enjoy it for its own sake. You enjoy seeing yourself getting closer and closer to your goal. This kind of motivation is most important to success because it is what keeps you going, even when there are obstacles and setbacks. The rewards you get are only dependant on your love for your goal, which you have complete control over. This is how you really acheive success.
For ideas about how to acheive true success, visit http://www.reachingmypotential.com
Ayn Rand
What does it take to be the kind of man who can get things done. The first thing, of course, is that you must beleive that you can get things done. You must have a clear goal, and continually focus upon it. But the most important thing, is that you must take consistent action towards your goal.
There are two reasons why you want to acheive any goal. First, you want to receive the consequences of acheiving it. This includes impressing other people and getting them to like you or approve of you more, or having lots of money, or being famous. All of these consequences bolster your ego and make you feel important. They may even make you feel happy for a while. But they are all ultimately dependant on what other people think, which you have no control over.
The second reason why you want to acheive a goal is because it is very important to you personally. You want to take action, not because you will get a reward of either money or approval from others, but because you enjoy it for its own sake. You enjoy seeing yourself getting closer and closer to your goal. This kind of motivation is most important to success because it is what keeps you going, even when there are obstacles and setbacks. The rewards you get are only dependant on your love for your goal, which you have complete control over. This is how you really acheive success.
For ideas about how to acheive true success, visit http://www.reachingmypotential.com
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Turn Back
No matter how far you have gone on the wrong road, turn back"
Turkish proverb
It is often very difficult for us to admit that we have changed our minds. Perhaps we have committed ourselves to something and then realized that it isn't going to work out. We are reluctant to stop it because we are afraid of hurting or upsetting other people who are relying on us to do what we said we would. We feel guilty about backing out of a commitment. But what is the point of knowingly making yourself miserable for a long time in the future. It's better to quit while you still can.
Perhaps we have spent a great deal of time, money, and/or energy on something and it hasn't got us where we want to be. We are feeling dissatisfied with it. We are reluctant to get rid of it because that would mean that all those resources we spent on it would have been wasted. But what is the point of wasting even more resources on it in the future?
Successful people know when it's time to get rid of something. They don't wait around and hope that things will get better. They don't allow negative things to take up space in their lives. They have no tolerance for nagging unresolved pains. They don't allow anything to spoil their dreams. No matter how far they have gone down the wrong road, they turn back as soon as they realize that they are on the wrong road.
For ideas about how to be truly successful, visit http://www.reachingmypotential.com
Turkish proverb
It is often very difficult for us to admit that we have changed our minds. Perhaps we have committed ourselves to something and then realized that it isn't going to work out. We are reluctant to stop it because we are afraid of hurting or upsetting other people who are relying on us to do what we said we would. We feel guilty about backing out of a commitment. But what is the point of knowingly making yourself miserable for a long time in the future. It's better to quit while you still can.
Perhaps we have spent a great deal of time, money, and/or energy on something and it hasn't got us where we want to be. We are feeling dissatisfied with it. We are reluctant to get rid of it because that would mean that all those resources we spent on it would have been wasted. But what is the point of wasting even more resources on it in the future?
Successful people know when it's time to get rid of something. They don't wait around and hope that things will get better. They don't allow negative things to take up space in their lives. They have no tolerance for nagging unresolved pains. They don't allow anything to spoil their dreams. No matter how far they have gone down the wrong road, they turn back as soon as they realize that they are on the wrong road.
For ideas about how to be truly successful, visit http://www.reachingmypotential.com
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Choices
"The way I see it is you have two choices in life; you can be grateful for everything life has given you or you can be resentful for everything life has done to you. Your degree of happiness is directly proportional to the conviction of your choice."
Enzo D'Alimonte
Can you truly say that you are grateful for everything that life has given you? Most of us are grateful for certain things in our life and resentful for others. We see circumstances in one or more areas of our life that are not making us happy. We have this beleif that everything in our life should make us happy; that the world should revolve around our own wants and needs.
We tend to focus on the absence of what we think we need in order to be happy. Sometimes we know what will make us happy, at least for a while. Other times we think something will make us happy but when we get it, it turns out to be a big mistake. Almost all the time, we think we will be happier in the future when something we want comes into our lives. So we are rarely happy in the present.
You can choose to notice and pay attention to all the blessings in your life. You can choose to be grateful for everything that comes into your life. You can choose to welcome even things that (initially) are unwanted, and look for the opportunities that are inherent in them. This is how you find real happiness.
For ideas about how to acheive true success, visit http://www.reachingmypotential.com
Enzo D'Alimonte
Can you truly say that you are grateful for everything that life has given you? Most of us are grateful for certain things in our life and resentful for others. We see circumstances in one or more areas of our life that are not making us happy. We have this beleif that everything in our life should make us happy; that the world should revolve around our own wants and needs.
We tend to focus on the absence of what we think we need in order to be happy. Sometimes we know what will make us happy, at least for a while. Other times we think something will make us happy but when we get it, it turns out to be a big mistake. Almost all the time, we think we will be happier in the future when something we want comes into our lives. So we are rarely happy in the present.
You can choose to notice and pay attention to all the blessings in your life. You can choose to be grateful for everything that comes into your life. You can choose to welcome even things that (initially) are unwanted, and look for the opportunities that are inherent in them. This is how you find real happiness.
For ideas about how to acheive true success, visit http://www.reachingmypotential.com
Monday, March 2, 2009
Happiness
"Three grand essentials to happiness in this life are something to do, something to love, and something to hope for."
Joseph Addison
Have you thought about what it is that really makes you happy. Most of us spend our whole lives searching for something that will finally make us happy. The problem with this is that as soon as we find that thing we thought would make us happy, we become upset at the possibility of losing it and also promptly find something that we think would make us even more happy. It's like a merry-go-round where we never really get anywhere.
In order to be happy, it is essential that we have something to do. We all know how miserable we can be when we are bored. People were meant to take action towards some goal. We are happiest when we know that we are getting closer to acheiving something we value. We are happiest when we are continually improving ourselves.
It is therefore essential for our happiness that we have something we value. We need to have something we love. Love is truly what makes the world go round. It really is what makes us feel happy and alive. Without love we have no motivation to improve, nothing to work towards, and nothing to appreciate the beauty of.
It is essential that we have something to hope for. We must have the expectation that we can acheive what we want. After all, if we have no hope of acheiving something, then we aren't going to be motivated to go after it. And we are going to feel bad because now we want something that we feel that we can't have.
To be happy, you must know what you love enough to work to obtain. You must have the hope that comes from confidence that you can acheive your goal. And you must then take consistent action to work towards that goal. Then, not only will you be happy, but successful too.
For ideas about how to acheive true success, visit http://www.reachingmypotential.com
Joseph Addison
Have you thought about what it is that really makes you happy. Most of us spend our whole lives searching for something that will finally make us happy. The problem with this is that as soon as we find that thing we thought would make us happy, we become upset at the possibility of losing it and also promptly find something that we think would make us even more happy. It's like a merry-go-round where we never really get anywhere.
In order to be happy, it is essential that we have something to do. We all know how miserable we can be when we are bored. People were meant to take action towards some goal. We are happiest when we know that we are getting closer to acheiving something we value. We are happiest when we are continually improving ourselves.
It is therefore essential for our happiness that we have something we value. We need to have something we love. Love is truly what makes the world go round. It really is what makes us feel happy and alive. Without love we have no motivation to improve, nothing to work towards, and nothing to appreciate the beauty of.
It is essential that we have something to hope for. We must have the expectation that we can acheive what we want. After all, if we have no hope of acheiving something, then we aren't going to be motivated to go after it. And we are going to feel bad because now we want something that we feel that we can't have.
To be happy, you must know what you love enough to work to obtain. You must have the hope that comes from confidence that you can acheive your goal. And you must then take consistent action to work towards that goal. Then, not only will you be happy, but successful too.
For ideas about how to acheive true success, visit http://www.reachingmypotential.com
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