Half Full or Half Empty?

"Some folks go through life pleased that the glass is half full. Others spend a lifetime lamenting that it's half-empty. The truth is: There is a glass with a certain volume of liquid in it. From there, it's up to you!"~Dr. James S. Vuocolo

Well there are your choices...Is it half full or half empty? Your answer will say a lot about you (but I would imagine that most people will say it's half full, because that is what they think they are supposed to say...) Why not think of another answer? I say that the glass is FULL! Half with water and the other half with air. Just because I only gave you 2 choices, you thought that those were the only answers.

See, we've been taught to think sequentially, not simultaneously. We've also been taught that most questions require an either or answer...Why not think of AND instead of the either or? Let's say that you want to do a couple of things on vacation, so you say well we could do this or that. Why not say, we could do this first AND then that second! You might not get to spend all the time you wanted on one thing but you were able to do them both!

Aristotle said "Happiness depends on ourselves," and Edison said “There is a time for everything.” The choices are up to us AND there is time for everything. Remember, think AND instead of either or!

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

"Some folks go through life pleased that the glass is half full. Others spend a lifetime lamenting that it's half-empty. The truth is: There is a glass with a certain volume of liquid in it. From there, it's up to you!"

It Was A Day Like Today

“It was a day like today when Marco Polo took off to China. What are your plans today?”~Loesje

That was when people still believed that the world was flat and that you could fall off if you went to far! It was a day just like today. What will be your plans for today that will change the world?? Do you have any plans? Ya, I know, you are going to do what you do everyday and those are your plans...Well, goody for you!!!

If you keep doing what you have always done, you are going to keep getting what you always get. How's that working for ya???  What's that called?  INSANITY!!!

Maybe you will start to do something new and different, but just as you get going, you see... a ... SQUIRREL!!!!!!!!!!!!! Distracted again...off on another tangent, getting you no closer to your plans or goals. But you are busy...SQUIRREL...and then another tangent. Then another SQUIRREL!!!

Imagine if Marco Polo had been so easily distracted, or Columbus, or Einstein or anyone who has been successful in completing something. Our society has even given this challenge a name...ADD and tries to cover the issue with drugs. Well, we know how well drugs worked in the '60's so why not now???

“It was a day like today when Marco Polo took off to China. What are your plans today?” Make you plans BIG plans. You don't serve the world playing small!

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

“It was a day like today when Marco Polo took off to China. What are your plans today?”

Someday NEVER Comes

"Tomorrow never comes and yesterday never comes back, so live today to it's fullest so that your yesterdays will be remembered with happiness and your tomorrows will be full of brightness and hope."

Are you living today to the fullest? Are you playing full out? Why not? What is holding you back? Tomorrow is promised to no one, so it could never come. Are you planning on doing something someday? Guess what? Someday NEVER comes.

Are you stuck living in the past? What benefit are you getting from doing that? There must be some benefit otherwise you would have left it behind a long time ago. To be able to live in the present, you have to let go of the past...especially the past that is holding you back.

Do you want your tomorrows to full of brightness and hope? Then live full out today!! It is the only way to create the future that you want. Here's a secret...I can see your future! How you ask? You future is being created by the things you do today and the thoughts that you have today. If you are wanting tomorrows that are full of brightness and hope, start today with brightness and hope

Live in the present. Live in the NOW. Be present NOW!

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

"Tomorrow never comes and yesterday never comes back, so live today to it's fullest so that your yesterdays will be remembered with happiness and your tomorrows will be full of brightness and hope."

The Number Of Times I Succeed

“I am not judged by the number of times I fail, but by the number of times I succeed; and the number of times I succeed is in direct proportion to the number of times I can fail and keep on trying."~Tom Hopkins

I am judged by the number of times I succeed, yes I am judged by the number of times I succeed, not the number of times I have failed. It's so difficult to let the failure go but that's what needs to happen to succeed again. We hold on to our failures much too tightly and much too long. Why do we do that?  We do that because our brains default to the negative!

“Do not lose courage in considering your own imperfections, but instantly set about remedying them – every day begin the task anew.” St. Francis de Sales

Set about remedying those imperfections and every day, begin the task anew. Work on those imperfections a little every day and soon they will be gone. Too often we allow those imperfections to stay with us without us working on them. Sometimes we don't work on them because other people might see them and we couldn't have that or sometimes we get some kind of benefit from the imperfection...

Benjamin Franklin had 12 vices that he wrote about and wanted to work on.  He took each vice and worked on one for a month, until he was able to change it.

"And the number of times I succeed is in direct proportion to the number of times I can fail and keep on trying." Well, plan to keep on trying.

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

“I am not judged by the number of times I fail, but by the number of times I succeed; and the number of times I succeed is in direct proportion to the number of times I can fail and keep on trying."

You Were Born To Win!

You were born to win, but to be a winner you must plan to win, prepare to win, and expect to win. ~Zig Ziglar

YOU WERE BORN TO WIN!!! Do you realize that? Really? Most people just accept what they get without any thought of winning, just happy to be alive...Oh, they wish that they would win and sometimes they even win...but they don't have a winner's mindset. See, there are 3 things that you have to do to create a winner's mindset. 1. Plan 2. Prepare 3. Expect.

Sometimes we plan but most of the time we don't plan, or plan to win, because it takes some work to plan. It's said that "If you fail to plan, you plan to fail." Cute wording but oh so true!! Yet there we are, just going about our day without planning, and reacting to everything that comes our way. Make a plan. Plan your work and then work your plan.

Be Prepared. The Boy Scout motto that we learned as kids...but do we continue it in our daily work? No, for the most part, we just kind of wing it, don't we. What is it that you are preparing for? Anything? Your next appointment? A new sales call? NO, after a few times, we think that we can just do it without preparation. Preparation creates confidence...and confidence is what makes good things happen for you.

Expectations. I train sales people and always, without a doubt, when I ask them if they expected to make the sale, they reply no. Why is that? They have never been taught that expectations create your reality. In fact, when they don't make the sale, the first thing they say is "I knew it." Talk about a self-fulfilling prophecy!!! They knew they couldn't make the sale, but didn't think that they could make the sale...How screwed up is that?

There are 3 things that you have to create the mindset do to win.
1. Plan 2. Prepare 3. Expect.

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

You were born to win, but to be a winner you must plan to win, prepare to win, and expect to win.

I Will Make You Worse

“If I accept you as you are, I will make you worse; however, if I treat you as though you are what you are capable of becoming, I help you become that.” Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

We are often told to "accept people as they are" so as not to bring attention as to who they are. Is this good? Or do we make them worse by accepting them as they are and opposed to what they are capable of becoming? It's important to allow people to be who they are without criticism, but what if they can become so much more? Wouldn't it be our responsibility to help them become what they could become?

I'm the Grand Inquisitor and I'm also an Irritator and Goethe's quote really makes it for me, because so many people are living their lives at 50% when they could be at 80% or 90%. Are you living your life at less than it should be? Are people accepting you and not challenging you to be more? How do your friends interact with you? Are they moving you forward or keeping you where you are?

The world does not benefit from you playing small and if we accept you as you are, we may be not allowing you to become who you might be. I would hate that...so I'll go on Questioning and Irritating. I'm ok with you not liking me because I irritate you. It means that you are thinking about something and that will challenge you and get you out of your comfort zone and allow you to grow.

"It's never too late to be who you might have been."

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

“If I accept you as you are, I will make you worse; however, if I treat you as though you are what you are capable of becoming, I help you become that.”

Live Out Of Your Imagination

"Live out of your imagination, not your history."~Stephen Covey

Are you living out of your history or your imagination? Think about that before you answer...Most of us are living out of our history, whether we realize it or not. We continue to do the same thing, over and over and expect different (better) results. Einstein described that as insanity, yet there we are, doing it again and again.

Sometimes we have a bad history and we continue to punish ourselves by living it over and over again. Here's the thing...at any moment, you can choose to have a different history! You don't have to live in the pain of your past history, because everything works together for you and while you might have experienced loss, there is a silver lining just waiting to be seen! But if you are looking at the door that closed, you will miss it.

What does it mean to "live out of your imagination?" Do you know? I think that it means that as we imagine things, we should strive for them, rather than just think about them and do nothing. Think of a time when you had a good idea...thought about it for a while...AND THEN FORGOT IT! The universe likes speed and you need to capitalize on that. Don't let fear hold you back from "Living out of your imagination..."

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

"Live out of your imagination, not your history."

Significant and Important

“It seems essential, in relationships and all tasks, that we concentrate only on what is most significant and important.”~Soren Kierkegaard

Are you concentrating on what is "most significant and important?" Most of the time, we don't, do we. We are preoccupied with what is now, with the latest and greatest, with the wiz-bang things.  We see something interesting and then SQUIRREL!!!!!!  Our attention is diverted to yet something else!  Start concentrating on what's most significant and important.

Why is it so easy to "Major in the Minor" things? We know that they are minor things, and yet we spend hour after hour doing those minor things to the detriment of what is most significant and important.  What's a minor thing that you have made major?  I'm sure you have a few...

Stop majoring in the minor things. Start investing your time on the significant and important things. You will have to get clear on what is significant and important, but that can be the easy part.  If you're having a challenge deciding what's significant and important, message me and we can talk about it and set you on the road to those significant and important things.

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

“It seems essential, in relationships and all tasks, that we concentrate only on what is most significant and important.”

Learn, Live and Hope

"Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow."~Albert Einstein

Did you learn from yesterday? What did you learn? See, most of the time, we are so busy that we don't take the time to evaluate what we have learned and what we haven't. In our go, go, go society, we hardly even take the time to stop and take a deep breath, much less take time to think about what we learned or didn't learn.

Einstein, one the smartest men ever to have lived says that we need to learn from our yesterdays! Take that to heart and spend 10 minutes each night thinking about your day and what you learned. He also says to live for today. I read that as be present where you are, always. Our minds, while wonderful and complex, challenge us to be present with all the other thoughts of things that need to get done and things that didn't get done and all the other stuff.  Most of the time we are regretting the past and worrying about the future.  Stop doing that NOW!  Wherever you are...BE THERE!

Hope. Hope for tomorrow. Do you have hope? I know some people who don't believe in hope...and I feel sorry for them. They just seem to feel that they have to live with what life gave them and they can never change their life for the better. "Choose hope." Anything is possible when you choose hope. Anything is possible!

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

"Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow."
"Once you choose hope, anything's possible."

Worry About Inaction!

"I never worry about action, but only about inaction." ~Winston Churchill

WOW, think about that! Churchill only worried about INACTION...not ACTION.

Think about the rest of us...what do we worry about? Action, right? We worry that we won't do it well enough, that someone might think we are not smart, that we are silly, that we are not business-like. RIGHT?

How can you change your mindset to worry about inaction instead of action? Are you willing to try? Do you see yourself as unique? If so, then let other people see your uniqueness! Don't wear a mask, let people see who you REALLY are.

What action have you not taken because you were worried about how it would be received? TAKE THAT ACTION NOW!! Worry about the inaction rather than the action. 

Go back in history and think about how different the world would be today if Churchill hadn't taken action. Most of Europe would be speaking German today, not the 15 other languages that they do speak now. Who knows if the United States would have been pulled into the war? What if Germany had developed the nuclear bomb?

Never worry about action, but only about inaction.

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

"I never worry about action, but only about inaction."

Think New Thoughts

“The dogmas of the quiet past are inadequate to the stormy present. The occasion is piled high with difficulty, and we must rise with the occasion. As our case is new, so we must think anew and act anew.” ~Abraham Lincoln

 Take a look at Lincolns quote...it's almost as if he was talking about today!!
"The occasion is piled high with difficulty, and we must rise with the occasion." Sound or feel familiar? Are you having difficulty in these times? Are you rising to meet the occasion? Or are you just "doing the best you can?"

Albert Einstein said that "you can't solve a problem at the same level of thinking that it was created at." You need to "think anew and act anew."

"Think anew." When was the last time that you thought anew? Most people haven't had a new or original thought in years. Break out of your comfort zone and THINK NEW THOUGHTS!!! Growth only happens when you leave your comfort zone.

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

“The dogmas of the quiet past are inadequate to the stormy present. The occasion is piled high with difficulty, and we must rise with the occasion. As our case is new, so we must think anew and act anew.”

What Are You Prepared To See?

“People only see what they are prepared to see.”~Ralph Waldo Emerson

What are you prepared to see? Are you prepared to see great things or are you only prepared to see average things, or worse yet, only seeing bad things? Why do you think that is? What is preventing you from seeing what you really want to see?  Fear?  Lack?

Most people aren't prepared to see great things for themselves.  Are you one of those people? If so, realize that you are the only one who can make great things happen for you.  No one else is going to come to you and make great things happen for you.  It's your choice to decide to see great things for yourself because if you don't, they will never happen!

You have seen and done things up until now. You have brought yourself to where you are now.  The choices you have made in what you are seeing have dictated where you are now.  Are you where you want to be? If not, it might be because you aren't prepared to see what is in store for you.

Are you expanding your vision? Opening not just your eyes, but also your mind? They say that "when you see it, you will believe it," but I would say that in addition to that, "when you believe it, you will see it." What are you ready to believe?  What are you ready to see?

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

“People only see what they are prepared to see.”

Live Inside Your Hope

"The very least you can do in your life is to figure out what you hope for. And the most you can do is live inside that hope. Not admire it from a distance but live right in it, under its roof. " ~Barbara Kingsolver

Have you figured out what you hope for? Or do you not believe in HOPE? Like Red in "The Shawshank Redemption," who had been torn down by the years in the prison...Have you been torn down by life? By your work? By your family or friends? What is it that you HOPE for?

The least you can do is have HOPE. The most you can do is live in that HOPE, not admiring it from a distance, but LIVING IN IT! Are you living in your HOPE? In the movie, Andy LIVED in his HOPE daily, even while in prison, so I ask again, Are you living in your HOPE?

Andy had the best line in the movie when he tells Red that "Hope is a good thing, in fact, it is the best of things."

Another good movie for living in your HOPE is "The Bucket List," but that's for another post. LIVE IN YOUR HOPE! It's the best place to be.

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

"The very least you can do in your life is to figure out what you hope for. And the most you can do is live inside that hope. Not admire it from a distance but live right in it, under its roof. "

The Choices We Make

"It has been said that the gate of history turns on small hinges, and so do people's lives. The choices we make determine our destiny." ~Thomas S. Monson

I know that you know that the "choices we make determine our destiny." That's kind of a given. But are you putting any thought into the choices that you are making? Or do you just let life come and go without any thoughts on how it will affect you?

Are you saving your money or are you going to Starbucks every morning??? Are you making time to meet with people or are you on Facebook, Twitter and the computer all day? Are you reading good books or watching TV? I could go on, but you get the idea...The choices we really don't think about are hurting us?

The choices we make determine our destiny! Think about that the next time you make a choice without thinking about it.

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

"It has been said that the gate of history turns on small hinges, and so do people's lives. The choices we make determine our destiny." 

Who Are You Hanging With?

"You must constantly ask yourself these questions: Who am I around? What are they doing to me? Where do they have me going? What do they have me thinking? And most important, what do they have me becoming? Then ask yourself the BIG question: Is that okay? ~Jim Rohn

Read that again and ask yourself those questions about your associations. Who are you associating with and are they helping you or hindering you? Analyze those associations. Study them and make sure that they are not influencing you in a direction that you may not want to go. See, we won't let someone push us off course with a big push, but we might let little nudges move us in the opposite direction than we want to go.

If you are looking for a place where your associations will pay off, join us at the Mastermind Roundtable meeting every Tuesday morning.  It's a business discussion group that will challenge you, motivate you, educate you, entertain you and might even irritate you.  It's a community that cares about who you are more than what you do...and we do go deep.

It is said that your income is the average of your 5 closest associates. Does that inspire you or do you need to find new associates? Are you putting yourself in a position to be learning from others? Or are you just keeping pace, just "trying to make ends meet?"

The greatest gift you can give somebody is YOUR own personal development. Are you giving that gift or are you not working on yourself and keeping the gift? (Now, I know some of you are saying, "Of course I'm working on myself...but are you really???)

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

"You must constantly ask yourself these questions: Who am I around? What are they doing to me? Where do they have me going? What do they have me thinking? And most important, what do they have me becoming? Then ask yourself the BIG question: Is that okay?

Your Personal Philosophy

“Your personal philosophy is the greatest determining factor in how your life works out. Don't borrow someone else's plan. Develop your own philosophy and it will lead you to unique places.” ~Jim Rohn

Do you have a "Personal Philosophy" or Mission Statement for your life? Why not? According to Rohn, your personal philosophy is the determining factor in how your life turns out. Might make sense to have one...don't you think?? Do you think it might help you top have one? I do.

Make it YOUR Personal Philosophy. Don't let it be your parents, boss, teacher or who ever might want you to share or take theirs. This is YOUR Personal Philosophy and will take you to places that you have never been or even imagined.  But only if it's YOUR Personal Philosophy and not someone else's.  Take the time to imagine and then create it!  Do it Now!!

Yesterday we spoke about how Beliefs = Behaviors = Results. These all flow from your Personal Philosophy. Your Personal Philosophy needs to be in alignment with your Beliefs and Values.

Take some time right now to create your Personal Philosophy. Here's a link to help you with creating it.

http://www.timethoughts.com/goalsetting/missionstatements.htm

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

“Your personal philosophy is the greatest determining factor in how your life works out. Don't borrow someone else's plan. Develop your own philosophy and it will lead you to unique places.”

Beliefs Influences Behavior

"Our beliefs strongly influence our behavior. They motivate us and shape what we do. Beliefs are our guiding principles, and come from many sources - upbringing, imitation of others, conclusions as a result of past traumas and repetitive experiences." ~Peter Shepherd

What are your beliefs? Really, what are your beliefs? When was the last time that you sat down and thought about them? Have you ever questioned your beliefs? What happened? Was your belief confirmed or was it proved to be false?

Beliefs influence Behavior and Behavior influences Results. How are your beliefs stopping you from getting what you want? Ya, I know, I can hear your mind saying your beliefs are helping you get what you want, right...?? Well if that was the case, you would already have what you wanted, wouldn't you. Time to examine those beliefs again!

Beliefs come from many sources, some good, some not so good. Are you letting a belief that is no longer applicable to you keep you from getting what you want?

We'll talk more about beliefs tomorrow, but until then, tell me, "What are your beliefs?"

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

"Our beliefs strongly influence our behavior. They motivate us and shape what we do. Beliefs are our guiding principles, and come from many sources - upbringing, imitation of others, conclusions as a result of past traumas and repetitive experiences."

Who Are You Becoming?

"We become what we make our minds to become. It is nobody's fault that the great majority of the people never make up their minds to become anything at all."~William James

Have you made up your mind about what you want to become? What, you haven't yet? What's stopping you? What's holding you back? Why haven't you? You can become whatever you decide you want to become. At any time and any age!

I disagree with James as far as fault of the great majority of people, because now, with everything that we have available to us to learn, to grow and to think, it IS the fault of those who never make up their minds to become something. It is their responsibility to become what they want to become. It is not the responsibility of others to tell us what we should become or do.

Here's an interesting way to look at yourself.  Start telling other people who you are becoming.  We are constantly becoming something more or something less.  So, who are you becoming?

Step out of your playing small ideas and thoughts and create the life that you truly want. Decide today to become who you want to become. Don't wait another minute...Do it NOW! What are you waiting for?  Become who you were meant to be!

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

"We become what we make our minds to become. It is nobody's fault that the great majority of the people never make up their minds to become anything at all."

Accept Your Greatness!

“You're awesome and amazing can't you see? You're poised for greatness, wouldn't you agree? Believe in yourself, and feel your creative power, Then watch your joy and love unfold by the hour.” ~Andy Dooley

Too many people don't believe they are amazing and yet a few that aren't, believe they are...How does that work?

Most people's self-esteem and self-belief has been worn down by naysayers, dream vampires and by family and friends that are "just looking out for you." By being told that they "did it wrong," "can never do anything right," "you are a screw-up," and other uplifting statements like that, it's no wonder!

We were created perfectly and still are perfect. It's that little pesky brain telling us that we aren't perfect. Remember, your brain is not your friend. Sure, we all have imperfections, but we still are perfectly created to be who we are.

Who are you? Think about that for a minute. You are not your body your brain, or even your job, but who you are is your spirit and your soul. What drives you? What are you passionate about? Why? That's who you are.  Here's another thought for you:  Know that you are created perfectly.

Are you poised for greatness? James Casey gave me a button that says "Accept Your Greatness." And that is the key. ACCEPT YOUR GREATNESS! Allow yourself to be that great person you know that you are! Too many people are content to play small. You don't serve the world playing small. Play BIG. Accept Your Greatness. Become who you are!

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

“You're awesome and amazing can't you see? You're poised for greatness, wouldn't you agree? Believe in yourself, and feel your creative power,Then watch your joy and love unfold by the hour.”