Are You Thankful?

"A thankful heart is not only the greatest virtue, but parent of all other virtues"~Cicero

Are you thankful? Why?? or Why not? How often are you thankful?  Who are you thankful for?  Do you express your thankfulness to them?

We forget in our "microwave society" to be thankful because we are so busy. Then the holidays come around and we put our 'thankfulness' mask on and we remember that this is the way we should always be. Or maybe we really are thankful and it's not just a mask, but after the holidays, we slip back into our regular thought patterns...

Cicero, 2200 years ago laid it out for us. Not only "the greatest virtue, but parent of all others!"Do your other virtues grow from thankfulness? They should. He is saying that we can have no other virtues unless we first have thankfulness.

For those of us who live in the United States, we forget how great we have it here. We are in the top 3% for income and possessions. Even those who don't have a lot, or have lost a job, even the homeless are better off than 97% of the rest of the world! If that isn't enough to make you thankful, you need to have your head examined...by a witch doctor in Africa!

Take some time this week and write down all the things that you are thankful for, especially those things that we take for granted...Like running water and indoor plumbing, like a roof over our heads, like transportation (even if its not a BMW or Mercedes).
"A thankful heart is not only the greatest virtue, but parent of all other virtues"

It's Never Too Late

"If you do not feel yourself growing in your work and your life broadening and deepening, if your task is not a perpetual tonic to you, you have not found your place." ~ Orison Swett Marden

Wow, it was like Marden was speaking to us today, instead of 100 years ago. With the recent statistics that close to 80% of people who ARE employed, hating their job, I guess most people haven't found their place yet. If that's you, keep reading...if not keep reading anyway...

Are you growing in your work? Is your life broadening and deepening? Unfortunately, most people aren't. It's not easy to find what you love to do and grow with that. It's difficult to make changes, especially after you've lived life for a while...Believe me, I know. It was 3 years ago that I realized that I wasn't growing, deepening and broadening my life. The changes haven't been easy but they have been worthwhile!

Find your place! Remember, that the place for the things you want is currently occupied by what you've settled for...Don't settle! It's never too late to be who you were meant to be!

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

"If you do not feel yourself growing in your work and your life broadening and deepening, if your task is not a perpetual tonic to you, you have not found your place."

Decide What Matters To You

“Our greatest fear should not be failing, but it should be succeeding at things that don’t matter.”

Why have we developed this sense of fear of failure? What has led us to thinking that failure is a bad thing? Most people have come to realize that success isn't possible without failure, but we make that failure label so painful that people will do just about anything to not fail. Including nothing at all...for fear of failure.

Our greatest fear should instead be succeeding at something that doesn't matter! I know a lot of people who are great at things that don't matter. What's the point? Are you succeeding at something that doesn't matter? What makes it matter for you? Maybe someone else has decided that it needs to matter to you, but does it?

Does what you do matter?? (Other than providing you with a paycheck) Does it really matter? I think too often we get stuck doing things just because...Just because it pays the bills...just because it's easy to do...just because it's what I've always done...

Decide what matters to you and do that!!

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

“Our greatest fear should not be failing, but it should be succeeding at things that don’t matter.”

There Will Always Be Time?

"Time is at once the most valuable and the most perishable of all our possessions."~ John Randolph

How often do we think about time that way? Not often enough! Our most valuable yet perishable of all our possessions. We need to remember that tomorrow is promised to no one. NO ONE! Someday never comes!  So make each minute count.

"In truth, people can generally make time for what they choose to do; it is not really the time but the will that is lacking."~ Sir John Lubbock

Here's the truth about time. You will make the time for the things you choose to do. So the next time someone asks you to do something, don't say, "I'm too busy." Be honest. Tell them that what they want you to do isn't important enough for you to do it. They may thank you for it or they may hate you for telling them the truth, but you will feel a lot better.

Here's another thing about time...You will never FIND more time. You need to MAKE more time. This comes down to priorities. Make sure that you are always doing the most productive thing at any given moment!

If you are serious about valuing your time better, take a daily calendar and at the end of each day, rip that day away and throw it in the trash.  You will start to get a better handle on how fleeting this most valuable possession is!

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

"Time is at once the most valuable and the most perishable of all our possessions."

Choose A New Ending

"Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending."~ Maria Robinson

How true is that?? The challenge is that most of us get caught up in the hashing, re-hashing and bitching about the choices we made before. We need to let go of those thoughts and start fresh every day!  That's the great thing about life...every moment you can start over brand new.  It's a choice and you get to choose!

YES, YOU can start today and make a new ending. Yes you can. Don't let those doubts slow you down or stop you. John Kanary said "If doubt is challenging you and you do not act, doubts will GROW. Challenge the doubts with action and YOU will grow." Don't let them grow, act on your new beginning and you will grow, not your doubts. After all, doubts are just stories that we tell ourselves, usually not based in truth or reality, just stories we tell ourselves.

Gandhi said "The future depends on what we do in the present," and yesterdays quote was "The secret of your future is hidden in your daily routine." It's all determined by what you do today! Remember, every single thing you do matters!!

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

"Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending."

It's Simple But Not Easy

"The secret of your future is hidden in your daily routine."~ Mike Murdock

Can it really be that easy? Yes, it can. The secret of your future is hidden in your daily routine. So, that being the case, what is your daily routine? Is it serving you or hurting you? Are you doing what it takes to be successful each day or are you just doing what you have always done?  How often do you even consider your daily routine?

The best thing about this is the fact that you can change your daily routine today! Right now! You don't need to remain stuck in that old, depressing routine, you can change it!  It is in your power to make this change.  Will you make the change for the better or stay stuck doing the same things over and over and expecting different results?

If your business is slow now, look back a couple of months and take a look at the effort that you put in then. It's really easy to see how effective you were then, based on the results that you get today.

"The secret of your future is hidden in your daily routine." If you aren't succeeding like you want to, look at your daily routine.

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

"The secret of your future is hidden in your daily routine."

Can You See New Things In Old Places?

"True discovery consists not in finding new landscapes, but in seeing the same landscape with new eyes." ~Marcel Proust

Are you ready to see new landscapes? Change your eyes!! Proust really means, change the way you think about things. When you see something, do you always think the same thing? Why? Start asking questions about why you think those same things...you might be surprised by the answers.

Are you ready to change the way you think? Einstein said that "You can't fix a problem with thinking the same way that created the problem." He was saying, change the way you think! I challenge you to do it, change the way you think. A whole new world might open up for you.

See the landscape with new eyes! Change the way you think!

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

"True discovery consists not in finding new landscapes, but in seeing the same landscape with new eyes."

Challenges? I Love Challenges!

“You can’t make an omelet without breaking the eggs.” ~ Joseph Campbell

Why is it that people think that they can transform their lives without some challenges? And when the challenges come, they quit working on themselves. Is this you? Challenges are a part of life. They are what makes us grow, learn and help us become who we were meant to be.

Wayne Dyer says "In my world, nothing ever goes wrong." Wow!! What a great view of life to have. Can you have that kind of view? Why not? Everything that happens to you happens for a reason, that's how he can view the world that way. I know that you realize this but have you ever thought about it this way? How do you view your destiny?

“So that’s what destiny is: simply the fulfillment of the potentialities of the energies in your own system.”~ Joseph Campbell

Simply the fulfillment of the potentialities in your own system. Are you reaching your full potential? Why not? What is holding you back? Stop letting reasons keep you from becoming who you were meant to be!!

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

“You can’t make an omelet without breaking the eggs.”

Who Are You Hanging With?

"You must constantly ask yourself these questions: Who am I around? What are they doing to me? What have they got me reading? What have they got me saying? 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 life does not get better by chance, it gets better by change." ~Jim Rohn

Who are you hanging with and how are they affecting you? Alright, I hear some of you saying "My friends don't affect me, I affect them." Right...

If EVERYTHING YOU DO MATTERS, then it would also be true that everything the people you are hanging around does matters...AND AFFECTS YOU!!

What are you becoming by hanging with them? Better? Smarter? Healthier? Are you growing or shrinking...there is not staying put. Too often, we don't analyze our relationships and whether or not they are positive or negative for us. Start doing that now. Stop letting what others want and do affect you, even in the slightest way.

Your life does not get better by chance, it gets better by change. You might have to change some of the people you are hanging with, maybe even some family. Make the changes that YOU need first before you try to help others with their changes. If the people that you are around aren't challenging you, find some who will!!

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference

"You must constantly ask yourself these questions: Who am I around? What are they doing to me? What have they got me reading? What have they got me saying? 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 life does not get better by chance, it gets better by change."

Argue For You Limitations And You Get To Keep Them

"When we argue for our limitations, we get to keep them."~Peter McWilliams

Are you arguing for your limitations? Why? Is't it safer letting those limitations go and having new experiences? Is it because the pain caused by those limitations is familiar and easier to deal with than the unexperienced feelings that you will have when you let them go?

You don't serve the world playing small, being less than you should be. Abraham Maslow said that "If you deliberately plan on being less than you are capable of being, then I warn you that you'll be unhappy the rest of your life." Is that what you want your life to be? Unhappy? Less than you are capable of being? Not becoming all that you can be?

We all want to be more than we are right now. Some of us will do what it takes, go through the fear that is holding us back and be all that we were meant to be and some of us won't. Don't get caught wishing that you should have done something when you knew that you could.  Don't get caught settleling for less than you deserve!

Stop arguing for your limitations and cast them off you so that the real, authentic you can come out and serve the world! What are you waiting for? Do it NOW!

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

"When we argue for our limitations, we get to keep them."

Are You Irreplaceable?

"In order to be irreplaceable, one must always be different."~Coco Chanel

Are you irreplaceable to your customers? Really? What is it that you give them that other people in your business can't give them? Think about that for a while...What do you provide that no one else can provide? Until you have figured that out, you will continue to be a commodity in everyone's eyes. Do you see the product that you sell as a commodity? That's too bad if you do...

You ask, 'How can I be irreplaceable?' Good question! Think about that for a while and I'm sure that you could come up with many ways that you could become irreplaceable. But start out with being authentic to who you are. Most people in business are "acting as business people," not being who they really are. Are you? Do you do things because that's what "business people" are supposed to do?

"When everyone thinks the same, no one is thinking." This applies to doing the same thing as well. Look at the car ads in the newspaper (for those of you younger readers, newspapers were sheet of paper printed on that would bring the news from yesterday to your house...)

You could just change the name of the dealership on the top of the ad and no one would know the difference! What a bunch of sheep or penguins! "When everybody thinks the same, no one is thinking."

Think about being irreplaceable. I guarantee you that if you think about being irreplaceable for one hour a day, for a week, you will develop so many good ideas at being irreplaceable that you could double your business in 6 months!

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

"In order to be irreplaceable, one must always be different."

Are You Willing To Be A Beginner?

"You can learn new things at any time in your life if you are willing to be a beginner."~Barbara Sher

Are you willing to be a beginner? Are you willing to submit yourself in order to learn something new? Most people will say, "sure, I can be a beginner" but when put to the test, revert back to their old "I already know that" routine.

Allow yourself the pleasure of not having to know it all and learn some new things!! Our current business society says that you should always know everything and never show weakness or lack of knowledge...How's that working for ya???

Do you know how freeing it is to say, "I didn't know that, can you tell me more?" Do you know what it does for the person who you say it to? It's huge. A validation for them and an opportunity for you to let someone else teach you!

Most people won't allow that to happen, to let someone else know that they don't know something. Think about your favorite/hated politician. What would happen if they were being authentic and said that they didn't know something...instead of obfuscating, spinning, etc? Wouldn't you feel better that they at least had the guts to be truthful? In today's politics, the other side would crucify him for stupidity or something worse.

Don't be a politician. Be yourself, and if you don't know something, take the opportunity to be a beginner! Always be learning. You are never too old.

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

This is my 1000th post to this blog.  Thanks to all the readers for your support!!

"You can learn new things at any time in your life if you are willing to be a beginner."

Are You A Learning Machine?

"You can never learn less, you can only learn more."~R. Buckminster Fuller

Do you realize that you were created as a learning machine? That if you allow yourself, you could be constantly learning? What is something that is stopping you from learning?

It's those 3 most dreaded words in the English language..."I know that." Or, "I already know that."

Each time you use those words, you are cutting off learning. Even if you do already know that, let the experience continue, because there is always something that you may have not known about if you don't cut yourself off from learning. Always!

An old mentor of mine once told me that you could hear something 99 times, but on the 100th, as long as you were listening, it might make more sense to you, allow for deeper understanding, or just plain hit you right between the eyes with the truth that you thought you already knew!

How often do you say that, "I know that." Make it your goal to take those words, in that sequence, out of your vocabulary. It inhibits learning, stifles the mind and just makes you plain boring...

Always take the opportunity to learn more...because you can't learn less.

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

"You can never learn less, you can only learn more."

Living With Unused Potential

“Ineffective people live day after day with unused potential. They experience synergy only in small, peripheral ways in their lives. But creative experiences can be produced regularly, consistently, almost daily in people's lives. It requires enormous personal security and openness and a spirit of adventure.” ~Stephen R. Covey

Are you living with unused potential? Don't think so?? Hate to break it to ya...but we all are, some just more than others. Why are we living with unused potential? A lot of reasons...Fear. Complacency. Lack of Knowledge. The list could go on and on.

Our society, in order to make sure that no one feels bad, has been rewarding mediocrity as excellence. Little League baseball teams don't keep score, lest some one's feeling get hurt. I read about a League that wants to make sure that all the teams end up with an even won/loss record. Why? To make sure everybody is equal.

Here's the thing about equality. You can't dictate equality of outcomes, only equality of opportunity. We are now trying to dictate equality of outcomes.

It requires enormous personal security and openness and a spirit of adventure Are you personally secure and open? Most people would say yes, but if you really think about it, most people aren't. They aren't secure in who they are. Some are unsure of who they are while the rest...simply lack the spirit of adventure. Be secure in who you are and revel in that spirit of adventure.

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

“Ineffective people live day after day with unused potential. They experience synergy only in small, peripheral ways in their lives. But creative experiences can be produced regularly, consistently, almost daily in people's lives. It requires enormous personal security and openness and a spirit of adventure.”

The Butterfly Effect

"How far forward would we need to go in your life to show the difference you make? There are generations yet unborn whose very lives will be shifted and shaped by the moves you make and the actions you take today. And tomorrow. And the next day. And the next.

EVERY SINGLE THING YOU DO MATTERS!

You have been created as one of a kind. On the planet Earth, there has never been one like you…and there never will be again. Your spirit, your thoughts and feelings, you ability to reason and act all exist in no one else. The rarities that make you special are no mere accident or quirk of fate.

YOU HAVE BEEN CREATED IN ORDER THAT YOU MIGHT MAKE A DIFFERENCE!

YOU HAVE WITHIN YOU THE POWER TO CHANGE THE WORLD!

Know that your actions cannot be hoarded, saved for later, or selectively used.

By your hand, millions – billions – of lives will be altered, caught up in a chain of events begun by you this day.

The very beating of your heart has meaning and purpose.
Your actions have value far greater than silver or gold.

Your life…And what you do with it today…"

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

Thank you, Andy Andrews

Be Your Best Self

"Be yourself; no base imitator of another, but your best self. There is something which you can do better than another. Listen to the inward voice and bravely obey that. Do the things at which you are great, not what you were never made for." ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Why are there so many penguins and so few peacocks? Because in the world, we are told to "fit in," "Don't stand out," "This is the way we've always done things." (thankfully in Arizona at least, we are losing the penguin suits...) Our individuality has been systematically beaten out of us. So who we are sometimes is a second hand version of someone else...How sad!

Be yourself, your best self! Too often, we hid our best self for fear of it being not enough, for fear of people not liking us, for lots of reasons. There is something that you can do better than any other and if you don't do it, the world will never see it, because you were put here for that one thing.

Listen to the inward voice and bravely obey that. How often do you turn that voice off or down so low that it can't be heard? Why do we do that? Because we need courage to listen to our own intuition...and act on it.

Do the things at which you are great, not what you were never made for. Are you doing things that you were never made for? Most small business owners are...for all the wrong reasons.

Do the things at which you are great, not what you were never made for.
Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

"Be yourself; no base imitator of another, but your best self. There is something which you can do better than another. Listen to the inward voice and bravely obey that. Do the things at which you are great, not what you were never made for." 

Are You Disciplined Or Devoted?

"People think I'm disciplined. It is not discipline. It is devotion. There is a great difference."~Luciano Pavarotti

Are you disciplined or devoted? Really?? I believe that most people are disciplined and only a few are devoted, but as Pavarotti says, there is a great difference. Do you see the difference?

If you are disciplined, you will get the job done, (usually) no matter what. If you are devoted, you will get the job done because. Because you love what you do, because it's not really work to you and because it is what  you are on the earth to do.

It seems to me that great workers are disciplined, while those who are devoted are great workers and also the ones who really enjoy life and all it has to offer. Does this mean that those who are disciplined don't enjoy life or that those who are devoted aren't disciplined? No, not at all, but I think you can tell the difference between the two.

It also seems to me that the devoted ones are the ones who always play big, always stretch for bigger and better things and dream more. Can you say that you are devoted to your job or are you disciplined in your job? The mere fact that 78% of people hate their jobs in the US leads me to think that most are just disciplined and not devoted (and maybe not even disciplined, but know how to show up to get a paycheck...)

Be devoted. Play Big. Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

"People think I'm disciplined. It is not discipline. It is devotion. There is a great difference."

Your Choices, Your Changes

"By the choices we make, by the attitudes we exhibit, we are influencing lives every day in positive or negative ways...our family, our peers, our friends, and even strangers we've never met before and will never meet again. So when you brush your teeth every morning, look in the mirror and ask yourself...'Are there things I'd like to change?'" ~Mac Anderson

What would you like to change about yourself? Anything? Well, what are you waiting for?  You can choose to make a change right now. You don't need anyone's permission and if you do, I give you permission to change what you need to change. Just because you have always done something one way, doesn't mean that you have to keep doing it that way.

Who are you influencing with your choices? Anyone? No one? You are influencing at least one person...and that's you. How is that working for you or do you believe that you don't have any choices and you are stuck?

Your choices have brought you to where you are now. Are you happy with them? If not, it's not to late to change your choices and choose new things. "It's never too late to be who you were meant to be." Who were you meant to be? Are you who you were meant to be???

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

"By the choices we make, by the attitudes we exhibit, we are influencing lives every day in positive or negative ways...our family, our peers, our friends, and even strangers we've never met before and will never meet again. So when you brush your teeth every morning, look in the mirror and ask yourself...'Are there things I'd like to change?'"

Waiting For Something To Make You Happy?

"If we allow our emotions to be tied to the events in our lives, we have given the power of our happiness to the changing tides of circumstance."~Allen Cohen

Do you allow your emotions to be tied to the events in your life? I think we all do to some extent, but Cohen is saying that we are giving away our power and the power of our happiness if we do. Think about that. When we simply react, we are giving away our power.  Do you allow your emotions to be tied to changing circumstances?  Stop reacting, start responding.  There's a big difference.  Think about it.

Here's the thing. Happiness is a choice. It's not tied to anything. You can choose to be happy or you can choose to be sad. Too often we tell ourselves that when this happens, then I will be happy. Sure, we're happy for a few minutes, but then the happiness fades and we need to look for the next thing to make us happy.

Too many people are waiting for someone or something to make them happy. Why? When we do that it doesn't work and we've given away our power. Happiness is YOUR CHOICE!!! Don't give it away. Choose to be happy, today! You can do it! Choose to be happy today!!

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

"If we allow our emotions to be tied to the events in our lives, we have given the power of our happiness to the changing tides of circumstance."

Enjoy The Life In Front Of You

"All of us tend to put off living. We are all dreaming of some magical rose garden over the horizon - instead of enjoying the roses that are blooming outside our windows today." ~Dale Carnegie

Are you putting off living? I know, you're breathing, so you must be living...well, that doesn't count. Are you putting off living? Why? What is holding you back from really living? Do you know or are you just guessing at what is holding you back?

Nelson Mandela said "There is no passion to be found playing small - in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living." Most people just settle for their life, they play small, not wanting to create a great life.

We have been given the capability to live a great life, but most people are too scared to live the life they want. They settle for what they get. Stop setteling for what you get, start creating the life you want!  Watch a tree grow.  They grow as tall as they can.  If you were a tree, would you be growing as tall as you can or would you let other things stop you from growing?

Stop putting off living and enjoy the life that is right in front of you!

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

"All of us tend to put off living. We are all dreaming of some magical rose garden over the horizon - instead of enjoying the roses that are blooming outside our windows today."

Meant-To, Didn't-Do, Never-Will

"Mr. Meant-To has a friend, his name is Didn't-Do. Have you met them? They live together in a house called Never-Win. And I am told that it is haunted by the Ghost of Might-Have-Been."~Marva Collins

Now, I'm sure that you don't fall into one of these descriptions, right? Oh really??? Hmmm. How many times do we tell people that we "meant to" do something, but didn't? How many times have we just "didn't do it?"

To me, they should live in the house of "Never Will" instead of "never win" although they won't win at anything either.

Here's our challenge...when we start using excuses and reasons why we didn't do something, we are not holding ourselves accountable, to ourselves, never mind the person who we told we would do it.

"You have reasons or results." That's it. Results or reasons, and reasons don't count. Am I saying that your results will always be what you want? No way, but you will have a result and you can change the result by doing it over better. You can't change a reason and make it better...

Oh, "what might have been." Don't stay stuck there. "It's never too late to be who you were meant to be." So start today, leave the reasons behind and become who you were meant to be. The world is waiting for you!

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

"Mr. Meant-To has a friend, his name is Didn't-Do. Have you met them? They live together in a house called Never-Win. And I am told that it is haunted by the Ghost of Might-Have-Been."

Is This The Real Me?

"Seek out that particular mental attribute which makes you feel most deeply and vitally alive, along with which comes the inner voice which says, 'This is the real me,' and when you have found that attitude, follow it."~William James

What attribute, mental or otherwise, makes you feel most deeply and vitally alive? Do you know? Have you found out what it is yet? It took me almost 50 years to figure what made me feel most deeply and vitally alive. What about you?

What do you do that says "this is the real me?" Have you found that yet or are you just floating down the river, without any real direction or purpose? I'm afraid that most people are floating down the river without any real direction. The world is begging you to find what your purpose is and you're stuck doing something "to pay the bills."

Your life is the sum result of all the choices you've made, both consciously and unconsciously. Here's the key though. You can choose a different choice, today. Right now, you can become what you were meant to become. It's never too late to become who you were meant to become!

Make the choice, NOW. It's NEVER TOO LATE TO BE WHO YOU WERE MEANT TO BE!

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

"Seek out that particular mental attribute which makes you feel most deeply and vitally alive, along with which comes the inner voice which says, 'This is the real me,' and when you have found that attitude, follow it."