Don't Let Distraction Get in Your Way!

The best way to reach the economic freedom you want...you must always keep your eyes on the right road. But even that road can twist and turn. You will face your own adversity or personal disappointments. Know that these are things that keep you striving for your goal - as long as you always keep your eyes on the right road!

You're not alone in having to deal with those issues, not by a long shot. But the road to your personal success is measured by the way you react to adversity and disappointment...and you don't have to let those issues become distractions that prevent you from reaching your dreams.

In reality, those issues only become distractoins when your eyes are not on your target, your goal. Time is your most precious commodity. You can always make more money but you can never make more time.Don't be distracted by the challenges you face, because all they do is steal valuable time from you.

Keep Your Eyes on The Road!

It won't surprise you to learn that I'm not a proponent of the victim mentality. I believe strongly that the life you and I are living right now is the life we've created. It's based on the decisions and the choices we've made over the years. We're simply living with the consequences of those choices.

Peter Drucker said: "The best way to get the future we want is to create it." If you're genuinely interested in improving your current circumstances, start thinking of what you'll have to do to get the results you want. The reality is you're in charge of what you say and what you think. You decide what goes into your mind by the choices of what you watch, what you read and the people you associate with.

In order to be successful, or to improve performance and productivity in any area of life, all you need to do is act in ways that produce more of what you want. Life gives feedback. All we have to do is pay attention.

Don't like your work environment?

What did you do to create it?

What can you do to change it?

Not happy with your current physical condition?

What did you do to create it?

What can you do to change it?

Not happy with your relationship with ________ ?

What did you do to create it?

What can you do to change it?

Success and failure both leave clues. We can play the blame game all day long or we can accept the fact that the common denominator in our success or failure is US! Don't like your current reality? Pick up a mirror and meet the one person who can change it.

If your ready to change your future, you just may want to join us! Click here to find out more.

Focus on the Task at Hand
by Max Lucado

Life is tough enough as it is. It's even tougher when we're headed in the wrong direction.

One of the incredible abilities of Jesus was to stay on target. His life never got off track. Not once do we find him walking down the wrong side of the fairway. He had no money, no computers, no jets, no administrative assistants or staff; yet Jesus did what many of us fail to do. He kept his life on course.

As Jesus looked across the horizon of his future, he could see many targets. Many flags were flapping in the wind, each of which he could have pursued. He could have been a political revolutionary. He could have been a national leader. He could have been content to be a teacher and educate minds or to be a physician and heal bodies. But in the end he chose to be a Savior and save souls.

Anyone near Christ for any length of time heard it from Jesus himself. "The Son of Man came to find lost people and save them" (Luke 19:10). "The Son of Man did not come to be served. He came to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many people" (Mark 10:45).

The heart of Christ was relentlessly focused on one task. The day he left the carpentry shop of Nazareth he had one ultimate aim--the cross of Calvary. He was so focused that his final words were, "It is finished" (John 19:30).

How could Jesus say he was finished? There were still the hungry to feed, the sick to heal, the untaught to instruct, and the unloved to love. How could he say he was finished? Simple. He had completed his designated task. His commission was fulfilled. The painter could set aside his brush, the sculptor lay down his chisel, the writer put away his pen. The job was done.

Wouldn't you love to be able to say the same? Wouldn't you love to look back on your life and know you had done what you were called to do?

by Chris Widener

Destiny. What a powerful word. And the great thing about it? Everyone has one! You have a destiny! Another great thing about destiny? We have a significant role in shaping our own destiny! In essence, you can choose your date with destiny - powerful!

Your destiny is the dream that lies within you of your desired and preferred future. And the things that we choose each day are what lead us to that destiny: Our actions, our words, our attitudes, and our relationships. They all add up to develop and shape that date on which we will reach our destiny.

Here are some thoughts to think about as you work on shaping your Date with Destiny:

The Mental Question: Do you believe that you can achieve a life of abundance?

The frank truth is that many people simply do not believe that they can achieve what lies in their heart. Success is for someone else, a better person, or a smarter person. This is not true and is perhaps the greatest obstacle we face on the journey to our destiny. If we are to achieve the abundance in life we must first believe we can, or face our own continual self-sabotage of what a college professor of mine called "stinkin'-thinkin."

Here is the truth:

• It doesn't matter what your intelligence is.
• It doesn't matter what your current resources are.
• It doesn't matter what you currently earn.
• It doesn't matter what family you came from.

Nothing in your current circumstances matters in whether or not you can achieve your destiny! Nothing! Now, your current state may make it a longer or harder journey than someone else, but the possibility is always there no matter what your current circumstances are.

And that is the message we need to continually tell ourselves. "I can do it." Not "I can't do it."

Clear vision. Do you have one of your destiny? Here are some questions to determine whether or not your vision is clear.

• Can you describe it in intricate detail?
• Can you "see" it?
• Can you "feel" it?
• Can you "hear" it?

Here are a couple of illustrations.

Perhaps you came from a dysfunctional family and your dream is to have great moments with your family. Let's start with a Thanksgiving meal. Can you see each person there? What are they wearing? Are they smiling? What is the conversation? Can you hear the laughter? Can you experience the joy? Can you smell the turkey? Can you see people hugging each other and saying "This was wonderful," as they leave?

Another scenario: Your company. Can you see the large building you are in? Can you see the workers? Can you feel the positive attitude they have as they carry out their work? Can you experience the excitement as you get the quarterly results? Can you see yourself handing out healthy bonuses that bring pleasant surprises to your employees?

This is where it begins. A clear vision of your destiny.

Consider your resources. Are you aware of the resources you will need in order to set your date with destiny? Do you know how you will go about getting them? What are your natural gifts and talents that you have? How can you best utilize them in achieving your destiny?

What is your current level of resources?

•         Money?
•         Time?
•         Emotional health?
•         Help from others such as friends, family, employees or volunteers?

What will be your needed future level of resources? And have you developed a plan to achieve this level?

The last thing I would encourage you to do is fix a date in the future that you believe you could be living your destiny by. A real date. What this enables you to do is then begin to work backwards in setting goals to move you along the way, providing you with future points to strive for and an evaluation point to reflect upon.

Here are the points again:

• Answer the mental question: Do I really believe?
• Develop a clear vision.
• Consider the resources needed.
• Set a date with destiny.
• Develop a plan to get there.

-- Chris Widener

Give a daily gift to others and to yourself.

To your enemy, Forgiveness.

To an opponent, Tolerance.

To a friend, Your Heart.

To a customer, Service.

To all, Charity.

To every child, a Good Example.

To yourself, Respect.

by Jim Rohn

Parents, leaders, employers, teachers and volunteers have you discovered one of the great positive mysteries of life? Here it is - All life seems to wish to reward its benefactor.

If you become the benefactor, you will receive these incredible rewards. If you are the benefactor to the garden, the flowers seem to bloom and say, "Look at me. Look how bright and beautiful I am because you took care of me. I wish to reward you by being beautiful, lovely, spectacular."

Your own children, if you become their benefactor, they want to reward you with their progress. I taught my daughters how to swim. And my daughters would say, as they were about to dive, "Daddy, daddy watch, watch, look, look, watch" as if to say; 'look what you have created here, you've spent the time with me and now look at me. This is the payoff. ‘Watch me dive." I was their benefactor.

I have found that all life wishes to respond to the benefactor. The ones who give their time, give their effort, give their patience, give their ideas, the benefit of their experience. Whatever has benefited from that, wishes to respond. The crop wishes to grow. The child wishes to show you how much progress they've made.

And remember that whatever you move towards tends to move towards you. Just as when you move toward education, and education starts to seek you out. Or when you move toward progress and progress seems to want to now embrace you. You will find that, just as predictably, as you move towards helping those in your care they will wish to repay you with their own success and accomplishments.

~Jim Rohn

by Melissa Taylor

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ; he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!"   2 Corinthians 5:17 (NIV)

Devotion:

Once a liar, always a liar.  Once a bitter person, always a bitter person.  Once a failure, always a failure.  Once impure, always impure.  Once a bad mom, always a bad mom.  Once a person living in fear, always a person living in fear.  "Once a ____, always a ____." 

What did you fill in the blank with?  Do you have anything from your past that still defines you?  I have good news for you. You can stop living like this today.

Who is Jesus to you?  That is a question we all need to answer.  Jesus' disciples were asked this in Matthew 16:15.  ^"Then Jesus asked them, 'But who do you say I am?'" (CEV).  Peter answered, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God" (v.16).  How would you answer Jesus' question?

So many of us know and believe Jesus is indeed the Son of the living God, but what does that mean to us in terms of our identity? The Bible tells us in John 3:16-18 that God loved us so much that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but live forever in eternity.  "God did not send his Son into the world to condemn its people. He sent him to save them! No one who has faith in God's Son will be condemned." (CEV)

Did you notice that last part?  Jesus did not die for our sins so that we would live under condemnation of them.  Nor did He die so we would forever be labeled and falsely identified by our sins.  He died so we would be set free from our sins and their shame, labels, and condemnation.  Don't believe anyone who tells you different.  Know who Jesus, your Savior from sin, is and rest in that truth.

Maya Angelo said, "When people show you who they are, believe them...the first time."  I will have to disregard Ms. Angelo's statement.  "Once a ___, does not make me (or you) always a ____."  Why?  Because of who Jesus is in us. Our God is not only a God of second chances, He is a God of infinite chances, forgiveness and grace.  

We can't change what people think about us.  Sure, we can try to explain how we've changed, but often others will define us by one or more sins we've committed in the past.  It's happened to me before. Even though I may have once earned the "Once/Always" names I was called, I know that's not who I truly am.  Our identity is NOT in what we did, but in who and Whose we ARE.

"Once a ___, always a ___"?  No ma'am, that is not true in the context of Christ!  In Christ, you are washed clean.  Look again at our key verse, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the old has gone, the new has come."  The old has gone.  Gone.  Gone.  It's gone!  Answer the question Jesus asks, "Who do you say I am?" And believe the answer that He is your Savior from condemnation.  You are a new creation in Christ Jesus.  No person or past action can take that from you because, "Once a beloved child of God, always a beloved child of God."  That is the truth!

Happy Father's Day to all the wonderful fathers out there. I enjoyed reading this short story by one of my favorite motivation speakers "Jim Rohn". I hope you enjoy it too.

"Invest in your family and they'll invest in you. Inspire them and they'll inspire you. With your inner circle take care of the details. When my father was still alive, I used to call him when I traveled. He'd have breakfast most every morning with the farmers. Little place called The Decoy Inn out in the country where we lived in Southwest Idaho. So Papa would go there and have breakfast and I'd call him just to give him a special day. Now if I was in Israel, I'd have to get up in the middle of the night, but it only took five minutes, ten minutes. So I'd call Papa and they'd bring him the phone. I'd say, 'Papa I'm in Israel.' He'd say, 'Israel! Son, how are things in Israel?' He'd talk real loud so everybody could hear - my son's calling me from Israel. I'd say, 'Papa last night they gave me a reception on the rooftop underneath the stars overlooking the Mediterranean.' He'd say, 'Son, a reception on the rooftop underneath the stars overlooking the Mediterranean.' Now everybody knows the story. It only took 5 - 10 minutes, but what a special day for my father, age 93." -- Jim Rohn

by Jim Rohn

Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment.

We must all suffer from one of two pains: the pain of discipline or the pain of regret. The difference is discipline weighs ounces while regret weighs tons.

All disciplines affect each other. Mistakenly the man says, "This is the only area where I let down." Not true. Every let down affects the rest. Not to think so is naive.

Discipline is the foundation upon which all success is built. Lack of discipline inevitably leads to failure.

Discipline has within it the potential for creating future miracles.

The best time to set up a new discipline is when the idea is strong.

One discipline always leads to another discipline.

Affirmation without discipline is the beginning of delusion.

You don't have to change that much for it to make a great deal of difference. A few simple disciplines can have a major impact on how your life works out in the next 90 days, let alone in the next 12 months or the next 3 years.

The least lack of discipline starts to erode our self-esteem.

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by Denis Waitley

By re-energizing and renewing yourself frequently, you will avoid burnout and become much more motivated and productive. Don’t keep your nose to the grindstone for years and wait for retirement to travel. Balance and consistency are the keys. Enjoy the process, not just the result. Don’t fight the passing of time. Don’t fear it, squander it, or try to hide from it under a superficial cosmetic veil of fads and indulgences. Life and time go together. Do enjoy each phase of life. Do make the most of each day, and draw maximum joy from each moment.

Many people today are concerned with quality time – time generally defined in part as that spent on recreation, personal pursuits, time with children, spouses and friends. While I certainly believe quality time is important, I believe two other aspects of time are equally important.

First, one must also spend quantity time. The average father spends less than 30 minutes each week in direct one-on-one communication with each of his children. How can we possibly expect good family relationships with so little communication?

Second, one must spend regular time. Many supervisors and company presidents go for weeks, even months, without seeing many of their employees. There’s no substitute for regular meetings and open forums in which managers and team members can share ideas.

Time has a dual structure. On one hand, we live our daily routines meeting present contingencies as they arise. On the other hand, our most ambitious goals and desires need time so that they can be assembled and cemented. A long-term goal connects pieces of time into one block. These blocks can be imagined and projected into the future as we do when we set goals for ourselves. Or, these blocks of time can be created in retrospect as we do when we look back at what we’ve accomplished.

It’s not in the image of our big dreams that we run the risk of losing our focus and motivation. It’s the drudgery and routine of our daily lives that present the greatest danger to our hopes for achievement. Good time management means that you maximize the daily return on the energy and mental effort you expend.

Ways to maximize your time productivity:

• Write down in one place all the important contacts you have and all of your goals and priorities. Make a back up copy, preferably on CD, DVD or Zip disc. Write down every commitment you make at the time you make it.

• Stop wasting the first hour of your workday. Having the chat and first cup of coffee, reading the paper, and socializing are the three costliest opening exercises that lower productivity.

• Do one thing well at a time. It takes time to start and stop work on each activity. Stay with a task until it is completed.

• Don’t open unimportant mail. More than a fourth of the mail you receive can be tossed before you open or read it, and that includes e-mail.

• Handle each piece of paper only once and never more than twice. Don’t set aside anything without taking action. Carry work, reading material, audiotapes and your laptop computer with you everywhere you go. Convert down time into uplink time.

• Spend twenty minutes at the beginning of each week and ten minutes at the beginning of each day planning your to do list.

• Set aside personal relaxation time during the day. Don’t work during lunch. It’s neither noble nor nutritional to skip important energy input and stress-relieving time. Throughout the day, ask yourself, “What’s the best use of my time right now?” As the day grows short, focus on projects you can least afford to leave undone.

• And as we said at the beginning of this message, take vacations often, mini-vacations of two or three days, and leave your work at home. The harder you work, the more you need to balance your exercise and leisure time.

Action Idea: Plan a relaxing 3-day vacation within the next three months without taking any business work with you. Reserve it on your calendar this week.

-- Denis Waitley

by Chris Widener

Sometimes success is found through the things that you don't do. Here are some ideas for what we shouldn't do.

Don't say "I can't." There are two words that we don't allow in the Widener household - I can't. The fact is that most of what we say that we can't do can actually be done, if only we put our mind to it. My mother taught me from an early age that if someone else had already done it, I could too. And if no one else had already done it, I could certainly be the first! Good advice!

Practical application: When you are up against a problem, and you are tempted to say "I can't," begin to think of all of those who have already done it. When you see how many already have, you'll be encouraged. For instance, if you want to write a book but think, "I can't get this published," you should take a trip to the local Barnes and Noble. Walk through and ask yourself if your book wouldn't be better than even just one of the books that is already been published and stocked. You will find yourself saying, "Surely I can!"

Don't give up. If you are going to achieve anything in life, you are going to get knocked down along the way. Those who succeed are those who get back up and forge ahead. My oldest child was in gymnastics and one day on the way to practice we were talking about determination. I am convinced that more often than not, success lies on the other side of the river hardship. Determination and a "don't give up" attitude will see us through the hard times and onto victory!

Practical application: The next time you feel like the wind has gone from your sails, and you feel like quitting, take awhile to rethink the situation. Remind yourself again why you started out in the first place. Remind yourself of how you will feel when you get there. Then, reassert yourself and set a goal of another month (or whatever time frame is needed). In one of my ventures, early on I was weary and felt like giving up. Instead, I kept telling myself, just show up for one more week. Good news - it worked!

Don't get discouraged. Discouragement is an attitude. Instead of going to the depths of the dumps, tell yourself you are going to do great. Choose to be courageous! One of the greatest powers we have been given as humans is the ability to choose our attitude. All people experience hard circumstances. Yet some say to themselves that they will learn from them and forge ahead a better person. These people, who do not allow themselves to get discouraged, are those who become successful.

Practical application: Find the most positive person you can and take them to lunch. Make sure they are someone who believes in you already. If nobody else, get your mother - she will always believe in you! When you get them out to lunch, tell them that you are discouraged and in need of some encouragement. If you have picked the right person, they will do the rest. Chances are, they will even do some follow-up calls with you. And by all means, pick up the tab for lunch.

Don't be a lone ranger. Anybody who has achieved greatness has done it with the help of many others who bought into the vision and pushed the cart. The most famous and accomplished achievers in the world all had a cast of others who helped them along. You may not be able to name Tony Stewart's pit crew, but they were there. Super Bowl champion quarterback Ben Roethlisberger has an awesome front line to protect him, but I can't name one of them. If the greats need others, then so do we. The sooner we realize that we need others, the quicker we will achieve our dreams.

Practical application: Sit down and write down the answers to the following questions: What partners do I already have? What ways are they already helping me? What ways could they help me? Who are potential partners who would make me better? What workers do I already have? What ways are they already helping me? What ways could they help me? How many more workers will I need to achieve my dreams? How will I go about gaining them?

Don't accept anything less than excellence. Good gets along, excellence succeeds. Have you ever heard anyone say of the greats "Yeah, they were pretty good." No! They were excellent! We should never, under any circumstances, accept less than excellence. We should constantly be striving to better ourselves, our situations, our relationships, and the people around us, helping them to become excellent.

Practical application: First, evaluate. Is ______________ excellent? Second, determine what would qualify as excellent. It would be excellent when ____________ is true. Third, set a course, step-by-step, toward excellence.

Remember, when it comes to the above - Just don't do it!

-- Chris Widener

by Jim Rohn
(Excerpted from The Power of Ambition series)

What is the origin of true ambition? There exists really only one place to find true ambition and that is within you – in every thought, in every movement, in every motivation. Your ambition is an expression of who you truly are, your own self-expression.

Self-expression. Isn't self-expression really self-direction? How you think, how you move, how you motivate yourself. Ambition is a result of self-direction and self-direction is one of the six key principles necessary for building ambition. Positive self-direction says, "I know who I am and I know where I want to go. I'm accumulating knowledge and experiences and feelings and philosophies that will help prepare me for opportunities that I know will show up without notice or any help on my part." Because you know where you want to go, you have already been working on the parts of your personality that will make you better. Working on your attitude, working on your health, working on your time management skills. Putting it all down on paper. And you constantly see yourself in the place you want to be, going in the direction you want to go.

Direction determines destination. So here is a question you must ask yourself, "Are all the disciplines that I'm currently engaged in taking me where I want to go?" What an important question to ask yourself at the beginning of the month, the beginning of the week, the beginning of the day. Because here is what you don't ever want to do - kid yourself. Kid your neighbor, kid me and kid the marketplace, but don't kid yourself - fingers crossed - hoping you will arrive at a good destination when you're not even headed that way. You have to ask yourself often, Am I? Am I doing the disciplines that are taking me in the direction I want to go? Don't neglect to ask these important questions, questions that help determine your direction, the set of your sail, your destination.

Is this the direction I want for my life?
Is this someone else's direction?
Is this a goal I have been ingrained with since my childhood?
Is this goal my parent's, my spouse's, my boss', my children's or is it Mine?

Ask yourself these questions and then debate them. After you have answered these questions within yourself, then take it one step further and ask, "What am I doing that is working or not working?" Debate it all. Work with your mind to figure out the best possible direction for you - your self-direction. And then ambitiously pursue your own self-direction. Let the power of your own ambition take you where you want to go, to do what you want to do, to create the life you want to live!

To Your Success,
Jim Rohn

Credit Statement to be included in Reprints:

This article was submitted by Jim Rohn, America's Foremost Business Philosopher. To subscribe to the Free Jim Rohn Weekly E-zine go to www.jimrohn.com Copyright © Jim Rohn International. All rights reserved worldwide.

 by Jim Rohn
(Excerpted from Week Six of the Jim Rohn One-Year Success Plan)

One of the amazing things we have been given as humans is the unquenchable desire to have dreams of a better life, and the ability to establish goals to live out those dreams. Think of it: We can look deep within our hearts and dream of a better situation for ourselves and our families; dream of better financial lives and better emotional or physical lives; certainly dream of better spiritual lives. But what makes this even more powerful is that we have also been given the ability to not only dream but to pursue those dreams and not only to pursue them, but the cognitive ability to actually lay out a plan and strategies (setting goals) to achieve those dreams. Powerful! And that is what we will discuss in detail this week: How to dream dreams and establish goals to get those dreams.

What are your dreams and goals? This isn't what you already have or what you have done, but what you want. Have you ever really sat down and thought through your life values and decided what you really want? Have you ever taken the time to truly reflect, to listen quietly to your heart, to see what dreams live within you? Your dreams are there. Everyone has them. They may live right on the surface, or they may be buried deep from years of others telling you they were foolish, but they are there.

So how do we know what our dreams are? This is an interesting process and it relates primarily to the art of listening. This is not listening to others; it is listening to yourself. If we listen to others, we hear their plans and dreams (and many will try to put their plans and dreams on us). If we listen to others, we can never be fulfilled. We will only chase elusive dreams that are not rooted deep within us. No, we must listen to our own hearts.

Let's take a look at some practical steps/thoughts on hearing from our hearts on what our dreams are:

Take time to be quiet. This is something that we don't do enough in this busy world of ours. We rush, rush, rush, and we are constantly listening to noise all around us. The human heart was meant for times of quiet, to peer deep within. It is when we do this that our hearts are set free to soar and take flight on the wings of our own dreams! Schedule some quiet "dream time" this week. No other people. No cell phone. No computer. Just you, a pad, a pen, and your thoughts.

Think about what really thrills you. When you are quiet, think about those things that really get your blood moving. What would you LOVE to do, either for fun or for a living? What would you love to accomplish? What would you try if you were guaranteed to succeed? What big thoughts move your heart into a state of excitement and joy? When you answer these questions you will feel Great and you will be in the "dream zone." It is only when we get to this point that we experience what Our dreams are!

Write down all of your dreams as you have them. Don't think of any as too outlandish or foolish - remember, you're dreaming! Let the thoughts fly and take careful record.

Now, prioritize those dreams. Which are most important? Which are most feasible? Which would you love to do the most? Put them in the order in which you will actually try to attain them. Remember, we are always moving toward action, not just dreaming.

Here is the big picture: Life is too short to not pursue your dreams. Someday your life will near its end and all you will be able to do is look backwards. You can reflect with joy or regret. Those who dream, who set goals and act on them to live out their dreams are those who live lives of joy and have a sense of peace when they near the end of their lives. They have finished well, for themselves and for their families.

Remember: These are the dreams and goals that are born out of your heart and mind. These are the goals that are unique to you and come from who you were created to be and gifted to become. Your specific goals are what you want to attain because they are what will make your life joyful and bring your family's life into congruence with what you want it to be.

Jim Rohn

Quality of life, in America today, is often measured by the amount of money you make. Success is defined by the kind of car you drive. By the neighborhood you live in. By the toys you own. After all, he who dies with the most toys wins. True or false?

Life was difficult before remote controls and automatic door locks. Skiing was so boring before the new shape skis hit the market. Fishing without a carbon-fiber rod was next to impossible. And the best part of life today is that big-screen plasma HDTV, the one with the universal remote that controls everything. It's the best escape devised yet from an otherwise dull evening.

In contrast, the people of the remote Himalayan country of Bhutan were recently rated as having the poorest quality of life of all but one other country in the world --- after all, their average annual per capita income is only $500. Ironically, however, when you visit the country, there are no beggars, only beautiful, snow-capped peaks, virgin forests, and clean air. The crime rate is extremely low, no one is in a hurry, and there is a strong sense of community. You might almost think that instead of depending on their belongings to entertain them, they've learned to enhance their lives by building relationships with each other.

Be careful to avoid the trap of, "the more you buy, the more you need". Because oftentimes then the more we think we need, the more unhappy we are with what we have. So this year, before buying those new golf clubs, stop and think. Will that $1,000 bring you more happiness through a bag of irons, compared to a few days off with your family, or as a donation to an organization, or a person who is trying to make a difference. It's your choice. It's how you measure it.

So this week count your blessings instead of your possessions. Spend more time with those you love, instead of spending more money on things you lack.

-- Denis Waitley

"A man who wants to lead the orchestra must turn his back on the crowd." ~ James Crook

Great Commentary:
I love quotes that are counter-intuitive because many times "counter-intuitive" is what works best in this world. This is especially true in leadership. If you think about it, there are only two options in life: Go with the crowd or against it. Those who will lead in this life must often start against the crowd and lead forcefully until the crowd sees the results and changes their direction. If you just go with the crowd, you are just part of the crowd. Even if you are going with the crowd but out in front of the crowd, that doesn't mean you are leading. It just means you are faster than the rest of the crowd! That means you're just better at being average - and that isn't what you want your life to be!

Action Point:
Think about your life. Are you going with the crowd or against it? Are you willing to lead by turning your back on the crowd? Take a step today to differentiate yourself from the crowd - and begin your journey toward success and leadership!

All mankind is divided into three classes:

• those that are immoveable
• those that are moveable
• and those that move

~Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790)

Which one are you?

by Jim Rohn

People often ask me how I became successful in that six-year period of time while many of the people I knew did not. The answer is simple: The things I found to be easy to do, they found to be easy not to do. I found it easy to set the goals that could change my life. They found it easy not to. I found it easy to read the books that could affect my thinking and my ideas. They found that easy not to. I found it easy to attend the classes and the seminars, and to get around other successful people. They said it probably really wouldn't matter. If I had to sum it up, I would say what I found to be easy to do, they found to be easy not to do. Six years later, I'm a millionaire and they are all still blaming the economy, the government, and company policies, yet they neglected to do the basic, easy things.

In fact, the primary reason most people are not doing as well as they could and should, can be summed up in a single word: neglect.

It is not the lack of money - banks are full of money. It is not the lack of opportunity - America, and much of the free World, continues to offer the most unprecedented and abundant opportunities in the last six thousand years of recorded history. It is not the lack of books – libraries are full of books – and they are free! It is not the schools – the classrooms are full of good teachers. We have plenty of ministers, leaders, counselors and advisors.

Everything we would ever need to become rich and powerful and sophisticated is within our reach. The major reason that so few take advantage of all that we have is simply neglect.

Neglect is like an infection. Left unchecked it will spread throughout our entire system of disciplines and eventually lead to a complete breakdown of a potentially joy-filled and prosperous human life.

Not doing the things we know we should do causes us to feel guilty and guilt leads to an erosion of self-confidence. As our self-confidence diminishes, so does the level of our activity. And as our activity diminishes, our results inevitably decline. And as our results suffer, our attitude begins to weaken. And as our attitude begins the slow shift from positive to negative, our self-confidence diminishes even more... and on and on it goes.

So my suggestion is that when giving the choice of "easy to" and "easy not to" that you do not neglect to do the simple, basic, "easy"; but potentially life-changing activities and disciplines.

    If you could have what it is that you think about and dream about, but you had to earn it, not just have it given to you, what would it take to make it happen?  Most everyone, my dad is the exception (he could win the lottery and he might possibly buy a new golf club, but I'm not even sure about that), wants something better for themselves and their families.  Most of those wants involve more money for a bigger, better home, new cars, kids' college funds, clothes, vacations and the list goes on and on.  I believe that it is achievable!  Do you?  I have been caught up in the "some day it will happen" mode.  As I have explained in some other blogs, there is plenty of money out there to be made.  How can you get your share of that money.  You will probably have to do something differently.  You already know that, no matter how much or how little money that you earn, you spend it!!  Most of us could cut costs and save ourselves some expenses and bills but we feel that we are entitled, or that we deserve whatever it is that we spend our money on, I know that I do.  What will motivate you to take a step, a leap of faith that there is more out there for you?  There are thousands of millionaires out there, if not millions.  Not all of them started out with money.  Aren't those the best stories?  The ones that had nothing, had lost everything and yet now they're millionaires, or even more?  Do you believe that you can be one of them? 

     I have heard, and I believe, that making the money is not the hard part, the hard part is changing your attitude about having what you want.  You have to change your mindset & believe that you are worth it and that you are capable.  There are many books and media available for your personal education on this topic.  It all starts in your mind, you have to believe in yourself and clear your thoughts as to what it is that you want.  The hardest part is to get rid of the "demons" that haunt you and tell you that you are living the life that you were meant to live, that you were not meant to have what you really want and that you were meant to work your life away only to earn enough money to pay your bills and buy essential items.  You must clear your mind of that and good things will happen.  You bring about what you think about!  Every time that a negative thought comes into your head, you take a step backwards.  You must clear your mind of those thoughts.  It will be difficult for most because those thoughts have always been reality.  Can you change the way you think?  I think that you can and if you really want to, I know that you can!!

     Another secret is that money is not evil!!  That is difficult for some people to understand.  Wealthy people give more to charities in this country than many people earn in a year.  Wealthy people are not evil, some evil people are wealthy.  Don't be confused by that!  Part of the secret of earning money is that you have to give back in any way that you want and you must give for the right reasons, because it's what you believe in and because you truly want to give.  I can't explain it, when you give and you donate, you feel better about yourself and you receive in return, it just works that way.  Give it a try!!

     What motivates you?  What will you do to change your current financial situation?  Will you write down what it is that you really want for your family and yourself?  Write down what you want and believe that there is a way.  It is very possible that you can afford to pay for your own, or your kids' college education.  It is very possible that you can pay off your debt or buy that dream home that you want or anything else it is that you desire.  It will take a new way of thinking and confidence that you are worth it.  In many cases it will require you to venture into unfamiliar territory, but if you really are clear about what it is that you want for you and your family, that will be an easy step.

      What are you going to do?  How are you going to make it happen?  If you are tired of thinking about your financial struggles and you are ready to take action, either enter your basic information for the free offer that is included on this page or click on the banner ad below.  Do you want to work.......Or not? 

You're bigger than anything that can happen to you.

The obstacles you face are only mental barriers which can be overcome
by adopting a more positive approach.

Have the courage to confront what you can imagine.

You don't have to be a puppet manipulated by outside powerful forces,
you can become the powerful force yourself.

Courage is resistance to fear and mastery of fear, not absence of fear.
This is where you'll win the battle, in the playhouse of your mind.

Visualize what you want.
See it, feel it, believe in it.
Make your mental blueprint, and then begin to build.

See things as you would have them be instead of as they are.

© Copyright 2008 www.yourdailymotivation.com  

Personal relationships are the fertile soil from which
your advancement, success, and achievement in life will grow.

The only barrier between you and what you want is the support
of other people.

Always think in terms of what the other person wants.
You can get anything you want in life if you help other people
get what they want.

You cannot hold a torch to light another's path without brightening
your own.

© Copyright 2008 www.yourdailymotivation.com