Change Doesn't Happen Without 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.”

Are You Asking Yourself These Questions?

"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."

Confidence vs. Fear

“Fear of all kinds and sizes is a form of psychological infection. We can cure a mental infection the same way we cure a body infection with specific, proved treatments, condition yourself with this fact: all confidence is acquired, developed. No one is born with confidence. Those people around you who radiate confidence, who have conquered worry, who are at ease everywhere and all the time, acquired their confidence, every bit of it.”~ David J. Schwartz

ARE YOU INFECTED BY FEAR??? Why? Why are you letting it hold you back from becoming all that you can be? Are you playing small because of your infection? Get some anti-virus attitudes right now!!

What is the anti-virus attitude that beats fear you ask? Glad you asked! It's confidence and action! Confidence is not something we are born with but it is something that is developed. You can develop that confidence any time you want. Why not start right now?? You are good at some things, start there. Know that you are good and work to be better at them. This will build your confidence. The more confidence you get, the more you are likely to do bigger and better things.

The other anti-virus attitude is action. We will talk about action tomorrow.
Grow your confidence, grow your business, grow your life.

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

“Fear of all kinds and sizes is a form of psychological infection. We can cure a mental infection the same way we cure a body infection with specific, proved treatments, condition yourself with this fact: all confidence is acquired, developed. No one is born with confidence. Those people around you who radiate confidence, who have conquered worry, who are at ease everywhere and all the time, acquired their confidence, every bit of it.”

It's Possible, Start Dreaming!

"Are you disappointed, discouraged and discontented with your present level of success? Are you secretly dissatisfied with your present status? Then start dreaming! It’s possible! You can become the person you have always wanted to be!"~ Robert H. Schuller

Are you disappointed, discouraged and discontented with your present level of success? Thoreau said that "most men live lives of quiet desperation." Is that you? Are you disappointed and discouraged by your present level of success? Your present level of success is the direct result of the work that you put  in the past. So if you are discouraged, there's an easy solution to that...Do more of the right things!

You can become the person that you want to be and you can start right NOW!!! Because, "it's never too late to be who you might have been." All it takes is your decision to start now and do things better and differently than you did them before.

If you are unsure of what the right things to do are, ask someone who has already done what you are trying to do. No one can do it all by themselves, we all need friends, mentors and coaches. A Mentor is "someone who makes you do the things that you don't want to do and makes you see things you don't want to see, to help you become all that you can be."

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

"Are you disappointed, discouraged and discontented with your present level of success? Are you secretly dissatisfied with your present status? Then start dreaming! It’s possible! You can become the person you have always wanted to be!"

Are You 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.”

Be Yourself; No Base Imitator Of Another

"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 hide 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 one else 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 inner 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.

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."

Discipline vs. Devotion

"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  they are 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.

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."

Choose Happiness!

Choose To Be Happy, Today!

"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.

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."

Are You Stuck Here?

"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?"

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." 

Dream, Will, Trust, Courage, Success

"To dream anything that you want to dream, that is the beauty of the human mind. To do anything that you want to do, that is the strength of the human will. To trust yourself, to test your limits, that is the courage to succeed."~Bernard Edmonds

What are your DREAMS? Are you following after them or are you stuck? Most people have great dreams...but aren't doing anything to get them other than wish for them. Why? What story are you telling yourself that is keeping you from making it happen?

How strong is your WILL? Can you do ANYTHING you want to? Really? Why not? What is the story that you are telling yourself as to why you can't? The strength of your will will determine whether or not you achieve your dreams.

Do you TRUST yourself? Test your limits? The fear isn't that we are inadequate, the fear is that we are powerful beyond measure and will not know how to deal with it. Most people have just enough trust in themselves that they know that they aren't where they ought to be, but not enough TRUST to step out of where they are and become who they were meant to be.

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

"To dream anything that you want to dream, that is the beauty of the human mind. To do anything that you want to do, that is the strength of the human will. To trust yourself, to test your limits, that is the courage to succeed."

Are You Planting Seeds Today For Tomorrow?

"Do not measure success by today's harvest. Measure success by the seeds you plant today." ~Robert Louis Stevenson

Are you measuring your success by today's harvest? Why? Is it that need for instant gratification? What is driving that measurement of today? Stevenson says to measure your success by the seeds that you plant today. There used to be something called delayed gratification...and it was even better than instant gratification.

Are you planting seeds for tomorrow, or are you only concerned with today? That's another challenge for our microwave society. We don't even want to think long-term, only how can I get it now??

It's been said that we can learn from watching nature. Well, in nature, there is always a gestation period, for plants, trees, animals and even humans. Live in the present but Stop living for the right now. Start planning for the future. "I am planning for the future," you say. Really, I ask? Really??

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

"Do not measure success by today's harvest. Measure success by the seeds you plant today."

ASK: Always Seek Knowledge

“Whatever we learn has a purpose and whatever we do affects everything and everyone else, if even in the tiniest way. Why, when a housefly flaps his wings, a breeze goes round the world; And it's much the same thing with knowledge, for whenever you learn something new, the whole world becomes that much richer.” ~ Norton Juster

What are you learning? Do you realize how what you learn affects other people? Even in the tiniest way? Everything we do makes a difference, some for good and some for not so good.

The Butterfly Effect used to be a urban legend, until the scientific community came to the conclusion that it was authentic, accurate and viable. In fact, it has been accorded the status of "law" and is known as "The Law of Sensitive Dependence Upon Initial Conditions."

When you learn something new, the whole world becomes richer. But what are you learning? Most people are "too busy" to spend any time learning anything. Do you know that if you worked ON your business 30 minutes a day, after a year, you will DOUBLE your business? Stop working IN your business and spend some time ON it.  If you don't know where to start, email me or call me.  A.S.K.  Always Seek Knowledge!

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

“Whatever we learn has a purpose and whatever we do affects everything and everyone else, if even in the tiniest way. Why, when a housefly flaps his wings, a breeze goes round the world; And it's much the same thing with knowledge, for whenever you learn something new, the whole world becomes that much richer.”

Beyond Your Wildest Expectations?

"Nobody succeeds beyond his or her wildest expectations unless he or she begins with some wild expectations." ~ Ralph Charell

Are your goals beyond your wildest expectations? Why not? Really, why not? Most people make their goals something that they think they can achieve, not something that would be beyond their wildest dreams. See, we have been taught that we shouldn't have wild dreams because we will be disappointed when we don't reach them...What a crock!

It all does come back to your expectations. Are your expectations really big or are they just big enough to make you work a little harder to get, but not your wildest dreams??? Start trying to reach beyond what you think you can do...You'll be amazed as you start doing some great things.

St. Francis of Assisi said it this way "Start by doing what is necessary, then do what is possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible." Here's a real easy way to do the impossible. Go out and do it.

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

"Nobody succeeds beyond his or her wildest expectations unless he or she begins with some wild expectations."

Life, A Matter Of Expectation

"The world is full of abundance and opportunity, but far too many people come to the fountain of life with a sieve instead of a tank car... a teaspoon instead of a steam shovel. They expect little and as a result they get little."~ Ben Sweetland

Do you realize that the world is full of abundance and opportunity? It is. Stop living in your victimhood and see your abundance and opportunity. Sure, you say, I see my abundance. The challenge is that you don't see all the abundance that's there for you, you only see a small portion that you feel comfortable with, not total abundance. You are coming with a teaspoon vs. a steam shovel. There is total abundance available for you, but you have to claim it. What is stopping you from claiming it?

It gets back to your expectations. YOUR expectations. If you expect little, you get little. If you expect abundance, you get abundance. So, what are you expecting? I sure hope it's a BIG expectation.

Horace said "Life is largely a matter of expectation." What is your expectation? I sure hope its as big as you can make it. Don't play small anymore.

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

"The world is full of abundance and opportunity, but far too many people come to the fountain of life with a sieve instead of a tank car... a teaspoon instead of a steam shovel. They expect little and as a result they get little."

Do You Expect Grand Things?

"Your expectations, opens or closes the doors of your supply. If you expect grand things, and work honestly for them, they will come to you. Your supply will correspond with your expectation." ~ Orison Swett Marden

How often do you think about your expectations? Too much, not enough, just right? Where do those expectations come from? Past history, other people, your mind? How do you know the expectation you hold is the right one?

According to Marden, your expectations hold the key to your success or failure. Do you believe that? Why or why not? I know that when I'm in a sales situation, that if I don't expect to make the sale, I never do. Wayne Gretzky said "You miss 100% of the shots you don't take." I like to equate that to expectations. You miss 100% of the expectations that you don't have for yourself.

Winners expect to win. Losers hope to win. There's a huge difference in those two words, expect and hope. Are you hoping to be successful or are you expecting to be successful? As always, the choice is yours and yours alone. Nobody can make it for you.

Start your day off with great expectations and watch them come true. Great expectations will equal great results.

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

"Your expectations, opens or closes the doors of your supply. If you expect grand things, and work honestly for them, they will come to you. Your supply will correspond with your expectation."

What Are You Prepared To See?

“The future has many names: For the weak, it means the unattainable. For the fearful, it means the unknown. For the courageous, it means opportunity.” ~Victor Hugo

How do you see the future? What name do you give it? Unattainable, Unknown or Opportunity? Now that you've thought about it, why do you name it what you did? What was the deciding factor in how you see your future?

Most people see the future as Unattainable or Unknown because they have yet to decide what they really want out of life. Oh sure, they think they know what they want, but they really only have wishes and don't really know what they want. They are not clear on what they really want. That is why the universe doesn't give them what they want...because they can't decide what they want. Decide NOW. Be crystal-clear and it will start to appear!

The courageous see the future as an Opportunity. And while their goals may be unattainable now, or their path is unknown, they refuse to be kept back by those thoughts and choose to see only Opportunity!

Ralph Waldo Emerson said "People only see what they are prepared to see." What are you prepared to see? The Unattainable, the Unknown or the Opportunity? If it's not the Opportunity, maybe we need to talk...

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

“The future has many names: For the weak, it means the unattainable. For the fearful, it means the unknown. For the courageous, it means opportunity.”

The Worst Habit You Could Have

"Feeling sorry for yourself, and your present condition, is not only a waste of energy but the worst habit you could possibly have." ~ Dale Carnegie

Wow, leave it to Carnegie to call people out of their victimhood!!! He would be considered un PC because he doesn't "care" enough for people going through problems. But really, look at the quote again...what does feeling sorry for yourself accomplish? It might make you feel better, but other than that brief feeling, it accomplishes nothing!

Feeling sorry for your "present condition." Think back a year. What conditions were you dealing with that you thought you would never be able to deal with or get over. The key is that all of our issues are "present" but are subject to change. Know that it will change...usually for the better.

"The chains of habit are too weak to be felt until they are too strong to be broken."~Samuel Johnson Don't get into the habit of feeling sorry for yourself, because as Johnson says..."they are too weak to be felt until they are too strong to be broken." Think of the habits that you have developed, both good and bad. Now, start thinking how you can get rid of the bad ones and only do the good ones. Benjamin Franklin decided to improve himself and spent one month working on one good habit.  He spent 13 months working on new habits.  Is that something you could do?  Is it even something that you would want to do?

We fall into bad habits all the time. The key is to realize it and break them while they are still weak and not wait to try to break them when they have become too strong.

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

Self-Fulfilling Prophecy

"Prepare yourself for something wonderful to happen; when you do, it probably will."

Are you prepared for something wonderful to happen to you? No? Why? Are you beat down by life and circumstances? Have you lost hope for things to get better for you?  Don't wallow in that downtrodden, victim mentality!

There’s a lot to be said about self-fulfilling prophecy. Do you remember making that call to the client who you just knew wasn’t going to buy? And did they? I doubt it. But what about that call when you knew that they were going to buy? I bet they did! Whenever you start thinking that good things are going to happen to you, they usually do and by the same token, when you start going down that negative/victim/whoa is me route, what do you get? That’s right, more of the same. The universe responds to the vibrations of energy we send out...and if those vibrations are negative, we get more negativity from the universe, but if those vibrations are positive, we get more positivity from the universe! You have already done it before. Just realize that this time, you are doing it because of an intention.

Gary Zukov said "Every intention sets energy into motion. Whether you are conscious of it or not." Do you realize that you are setting energy in motion? Are you conscious of whether it is positive energy or negative energy. You can set negative energy in motion just as easy as setting positive energy in motion. But it is up to you. You decide which energy you are going to set in motion.

Make it positive energy and those around you will thank you for it!

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

"Prepare yourself for something wonderful to happen; when you do, it probably will."

"There Is More To Life Than Increasing Its Speed"

"Beware the barrenness of a busy life." ~Socrates

Wow...beware the barrenness of a busy life! Take a look at your life. Is it barren? Are you always busy? Are you running from meeting to meeting, driving like a banchee to get to where you need to be next...without any consideration of others? What's that getting you? How's that working?

Socrates, 2500 years ago saw the barrenness. Do you? REALLY?? Our society has programmed us to WANT MORE, NEED MORE, HAVE MORE...But is that all there is? More?

More recently, Mahatma Gandhi said "There is more to life than increasing its speed." Yet, that is all we seem able to do. Knowledge is doubling every 6 months...Computers that you bought 6 months ago now could almost be obsolete. There's so much new information coming at us, we can't keep up (and that's tough for us recovering perfectionists...lol)  In fact, according to Google, there is more information posted online every 48 hours than was known from the beginning of time to 2004!

It has been said that "The time to relax is when you don't have time for it." Take a few moments today, stop your hectic schedule, put away the IPad,  I-Phone and RELAX!!!!! Go ahead, do it. Turn technology off for 5-10 minutes.  You can do it.  OK, you say that you need permission...I GIVE YOU PERMISSION...to relax for 5-10 minutes today. That's all, 5-10 minutes. It will change your day, your week, your month...maybe even your life!

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

"Beware the barrenness of a busy life."

I Am The Master Of My Fate

"William Henley said, 'I am the master of my fate. I am the captain of my soul.' Once you believe this (I mean, really believe it,) nothing will hold you back. Something unexplainable happens when we accept complete responsibility for our behavior and our results. But it's not an easy thing to do."~Mac Anderson

Are you the master of your fate? Or are you just letting life happen to you?? Do you believe that you make the choices of the things that happen to you or that you have no choices? Why?

Get out of your victimhood and allowing circumstances to rule your thinking.  You need to start thinking differently, start acting differently, live in gratitude and become a person of increase. Accept responsibility NOW!

Something unexplainable happens when we accept complete responsibility for our behavior and our results. Have you accepted complete responsibility for your behavior and your results? Not an easy thing to do...especially when our society almost demands that we blame something or someone.

Break away from that crap. Take responsibility for your choices and actions. Know that you always have a choice and that YOU get to make that choice, no one else can make it for you.

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

"William Henley said, 'I am the master of my fate. I am the captain of my soul.' Once you believe this (I mean, really believe it,) nothing will hold you back. Something unexplainable happens when we accept complete responsibility for our behavior and our results. But it's not an easy thing to do."