Refuse To Accept Anything But The Best

"It is a very funny thing about life, if you refuse to accept anything but the best you very often get it."~W. Somerset Maugham

Here's our challenge, we too often accept anything rather than refusing to accept anything but the best. It comes down to our choices. We have been taught to take what we can get rather than what we want. We're told that "that's the best that you can do, you better take it," and we believe those well-meaning people. So we accept things that are less than the best in our lives.

What would happen the next time you come to this choice and you say "No, I will only accept the best and I'm not settling this time!" Do you think that things might change for you? Do you think that maybe you will get the best or does you mind quickly tell you that "you're not worthy," " you shouldn't have the best" or "you don't deserve it?" DON'T LISTEN TO YOUR DOUBTING THOUGHTS!! You ARE worthy! You SHOULD have the best! You DO deserve it! We ALL do.

Stop settling NOW. A favorite quote of mine is that "The place for what you want is currently occupied by what you settled for." STOP SETTLING NOW!

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

"It is a very funny thing about life, if you refuse to accept anything but the best you very often get it."

A Slight Change In Your Routine

"A day merely survived is no cause for celebration. You are not here to fritter away your precious hours when you have the ability to accomplish so much by making a slight change in your routine."~Og Mandino

Are you frittering away your precious hours? Really? Are you sure? I think most of us have gotten real good at frittering...What could you be doing RIGHT NOW to create the things you want in your life?

"You have the ability to accomplish so much by making a slight change in your routine." Do you realize that? You do have the ability to accomplish so much. But you might need to make a slight change. What could that change be? It will be different for everybody but you need to decide what it is...no one else will be able to tell you.

Jim Rohn said "Success is nothing more than a few simple disciplines practiced every day." What are your simple disciplines? Do you know what they are? If you don't, ask...otherwise you will be practicing the wrong ones and not getting what you want.

Stop frittering away your precious time. Figure out what that small change is and make it RIGHT AWAY! Decide what your simple disciplines are and start practicing them every day.

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

"A day merely survived is no cause for celebration. You are not here to fritter away your precious hours when you have the ability to accomplish so much by making a slight change in your routine."

Time; Your Most Valuable Possession!

"Think highly enough of yourself to make wise and effective use of this day. Remember that every moment you fill is your own, precious, irreplaceable time."~Ralph Marston

Are you making wise and effective use of your time? Today? If not, then you don't think highly enough about  yourself. You get to choose. Taking action or procrastination. Making wise and effective use of the day or wasting the day.

Every moment is yours to fill. It's your choice what to do with it. No one else can make you do anything that you don't want to. It comes back to your choice of thinking highly enough about yourself or not. Do you think highly enough about yourself or are you allowing others to dictate your time? Don't let them, it's your choice.

John Randolph said "Time is at once the most valuable and the most perishable of all our possessions." How true that is. Think about that. We own 24 hours a day. Are you investing it or wasting it? Think about how easy it is to blow 15 minutes every couple of hours. It could add up to 3 or 4 hours a day that we fritter away and lose forever. Do you value time as your most valuable possession? Most people don't.

Start making wise and effective use of your time...TODAY!! It's your choice to use your time in the way you see as best. Make sure that you are choosing well. Start treating time as your greatest possession!

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

"Think highly enough of yourself to make wise and effective use of this day. Remember that every moment you fill is your own, precious, irreplaceable time."

Stop The Mindless Wishing!

"Stop the mindless wishing that things would be different. Rather than wasting time and emotional and spiritual energy in explaining why we don't have what we want, we can start to pursue other ways to get it."~Greg Anderson

Mindless wishing. What a great phrase!! That's what most of us do, Mindless wishing. I ask people about their goals and if they are written down. Sometimes they say, "Oh, I don't need to write them down, I have them in my head. I think about them all the time. Sorry, as Anderson says, that's just Mindless wishing.

Stop wasting time and emotional and spiritual energy in explaining why we don't have what we want. What is past is past and there is no use in creating a story why we didn't reach what we want. The key is to realize that right now, you can start finding other ways to get what you want! There are always more ways to do things that we originally think. Stretch your mind, think new thoughts, create new ways.

Write down your goals. Write down your goals. Write down your goals. Stop the Mindless wishing and start finding a new way to reach your goals!

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

"Stop the mindless wishing that things would be different. Rather than wasting time and emotional and spiritual energy in explaining why we don't have what we want, we can start to pursue other ways to get it."

Is Your Mind Limiting You?

"The most expensive piece of real estate is the six inches between your right and left ear. It's what you create in that area that determines your wealth. We are only really limited by our mind."~ Dr. Dolf de Roos

Location, location, location! Isn't that what they always say? Well, that location is in between your ears! I was at an event this weekend and one of the people that I was speaking to said, "Oh, I already know that, that won't work here." Wow, talk about wasting that real estate called your brain! Whenever you say those terrible words, "I already know that" or "I know that" learning stops. Your brain shuts down. Never use those words...it only hurts you!

John Assaraf said "Here's the problem. Most people are thinking about what they don't want, and they're wondering why it shows up over and over again." This same person went on to tell me how terrible the economy was, etc, etc, etc. The truth is, I know 3 or 4 people in her industry that are doing great in this "terrible" economy. But she would have none of that, because she knew already that this economy is what is keeping her down. I walked away shaking my head and feeling sorry for her. She keeps thinking about what she doesn't want and getting more of it!!

Remember, what you create in between your ears will dictate your wealth. You have complete control over that, no one else does and not even outside forces that we might want to blame for our troubles (like the economy). Start thinking about what you WANT rather than what you DON'T want. It's a challenge, but you can do it.

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

"The most expensive piece of real estate is the six inches between your right and left ear. It's what you create in that area that determines your wealth. We are only really limited by our mind."

Who Do You Hang With? Listen To?

"Think big and don't listen to people who tell you it can't be done. Life's too short to think small."~Tim Ferriss

How many times did you have a great idea and you told someone about it and they said "You can't do that," "You're stupid," "Why waste your time?" and you listened to them? Don't listen to the naysayers or those that want to keep you where you are. There's an interesting story about a bucket of crabs that describes this perfectly; when one of the crabs starts to climb out, the other crabs reach up and pull him back down. That's what those well meaning people are doing to you.

Napoleon Hill said "Deliberately seek the company of people who influence you to think and act on building the life you desire." Hang out with people who only want the best for you, who constantly are lifting you up and not smashing your dreams. Hang with people who will help your dreams come true!

Look at who is influencing you and who you are hanging with. If they aren't lifting you up, they are pulling you down. Notice that and make a change. It will positively affect your future.

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

"Think big and don't listen to people who tell you it can't be done. Life's too short to think small."

Embrace The New! Leave Your Comfort Zone

"It takes a lot of courage to release the familiar and seemingly secure, to embrace the new. But there is no real security in what is no longer meaningful. There is more security in the adventurous and exciting and in change there is power."~Alan Cohen

Have you released the familiar and seemingly secure? Really? Most people stay in their comfort zone and never release the familiar, thinking that they are secure in their comfort zone. Here's the challenge. When you are in your comfort zone, you are not staying level but you are shrinking, getting smaller. There is no security in what is no longer meaningful, but we hold on tight to those things and hope that they will become meaningful again. I hate to tell you but they will most likely NOT become meaningful again.

Max De Pree said "In the end, it is important to remember that we cannot become what we need to be by remaining who we are." We cannot remain who we are to be meaningful to the world. You can't continue to play small, you need to play as BIG as you've been created to be!

Realize that there is no security in what is no longer meaningful. You also cannot become who you were meant to be by staying as you are now. There is power in change! Be prepared to make that change.

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

"It takes a lot of courage to release the familiar and seemingly secure, to embrace the new. But there is no real security in what is no longer meaningful. There is more security in the adventurous and exciting and in change there is power."

Believe You Are Gifted For Something

“We must believe that we are gifted for something, and that this thing, at whatever cost, must be attained.” ~Marie Curie

Here's the challenge; we've been told too many times that we are not worthy, that we suck, we're stupid, that we can't do something great. And guess what? We have believed it!!! The shame isn't on the people who told us that, because well-intentioned people think they are telling us that for our own good. They are trying to protect us from something. It could have been our parents, teachers, friends or our co-workers. NO, the shame is on us for believing them!! Stop believing them RIGHT NOW!!

We were all gifted by the creator to do something great for the world, to impact others. If you don't, the world will never see what you were meant to bring it. Don't let others stop you from doing what you are gifted to do.

John Steinbeck said "It is the nature of man to rise to greatness if greatness is expected of him." Well, greatness is required from YOU! And guess what? I'm expecting to see it from you!!

Start now to stop listening to those who don't support you and put you down. Don't let them get in your head anymore. Know that others (ME) are expecting GREATNESS from YOU! You were created to be GREAT. Just go out and do it!

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

“We must believe that we are gifted for something, and that this thing, at whatever cost, must be attained.”

Setbacks Help Us March Onward

"Life is a series of experiences, each of which makes us bigger, even though it is hard to realize this. For the world was built to develop character, and we must learn that the setbacks which we endure help us in our marching onward." ~Henry Ford

Life is a series of experiences, each of which makes us bigger. What a wonderful way to look at it. Neither good nor bad, but just experiences. It is not until we judge the experience that we place it in the good or bad category. But that is wrong thinking on our part. They are only experiences and we need to see and understand that. We can choose to look at those experiences as good or bad but we are only telling ourselves a story of what we have experienced. Learn from the experience but look at them as just that...experiences.

Do you realize that each experience makes us bigger? We sometimes think that some experiences make us smaller but that's not really the case. Each experience makes us bigger. You were meant to play bigger, you were meant to bring you talent and abilities to the world.

Allow each experience to make you bigger. If you don't bring the world your talent, no one else will and that talent will be lost forever. Claim your uniqueness!

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

"Life is a series of experiences, each of which makes us bigger, even though it is hard to realize this. For the world was built to develop character, and we must learn that the setbacks which we endure help us in our marching onward."

Focus On Things Taken For Granted

“One very important aspect of motivation is the willingness to stop and to look at things that no one else has bothered to look at. This simple process of focusing on things that are normally taken for granted is a powerful source of creativity.” ~Edward de Bono

How willing are you at looking at things that no one else has bothered to look at? Are you willing to ask the question why do we do this that way? I hope so because it leads to the expansion of your mind and ideas. Think about that...the expansion of your mind. Are you willing to expand your mind or are you set in your ways and you "already know how to do that?"

Einstein said “The significant problems we face cannot be solved at the same level of thinking we were at when we created them.” Yet every day, we try to solve the problems that come our way without changing the level of thinking that created them. Are you guilty of this? I know that I am sometimes, but most of the time, I will try to add to my knowledge to deal with the problem that I created. Books, articles and mentors help.

Motivation...Every action, positive and negative comes from our motivation. Choose wisely, make that motivation a positive one. ASK! Always Seek Knowledge. Expand your mind daily!

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

“One very important aspect of motivation is the willingness to stop and to look at things that no one else has bothered to look at. This simple process of focusing on things that are normally taken for granted is a powerful source of creativity.”

Living In The Past? There's No Future There

“People who live in the past generally are afraid to compete in the present. I’ve got my faults, but living in the past is not one of them. There’s no future in it.”~Sparky Anderson

Are you afraid of competing in the present? Are you living in your past? As Sparky said, "there's no future in it." The key is to always be present. Don't live in the past and don't spend a lot of time in the future, stay in the present.

Robert Collier said "Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out." That's the key, day in and day out. It doesn't say anything about yesterday or tomorrow, but day in and day out. Live for today, work for today, for today may be all you ever get. Yesterday is gone and tomorrow is too far away.

Be present today. Stop living in the past and stop living in the future. Today is the only time you can live, so be present today. Repeat your disciplines day in and day out and at the end of the day, let it go, it's done, it's gone.

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

“People who live in the past generally are afraid to compete in the present. I’ve got my faults, but living in the past is not one of them. There’s no future in it.”

Your History Is Not Your Destiny

"To grow, you must be willing to let your present and future be totally unlike your past. Your history is not your destiny."~Alan Cohen

You do realize that your past does not equal your future, right? Right?? Just because you haven't done something doesn't mean that you can't do it now. This is the attitude to have...choose to have this attitude.

Here's another great attitude to have. Anthony D'Angelo said "If you have time to whine and complain about something, then you have the time to do something about it." If you complain about anything, then you do have the time to do something about it. Unfortunately, too many people have become victims and all they can do is whine and complain. Don't let that be you!  

Stephen Covey said "Live out of your imagination, not your history."  Far too many people are living out of their history, letting it repeat over and over and over.  Start living out of your imagination!  It's real easy to do...just let go of the past.

Don't allow your past to affect your future. You can become what you want to become. Stop complaining and whining and start changing the things that you are complaining about.

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

"To grow, you must be willing to let your present and future be totally unlike your past. Your history is not your destiny."

You Get To Choose Your Own Way

“Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of human freedoms – to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.”~Viktor E. Frankl

The last of the human freedoms..."to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances." That means a new economy, a lousy boss, a bad relationship, any set of circumstances! It is your CHOICE!!! And only yours!

You get to choose your own way. It's not dictated by anyone other than you...unless you give someone else that power. A lot of people have given their power away to someone else. Don't let that be you!

Shakespeare said “Make not your thoughts your prisons.” Are you a prisoner of your thoughts? Think about that. What thoughts are hold you back, holding you prisoner? When you examine those thoughts, you will find that there is no truth to the thoughts that are holding you prisoner. It's just a story that you are telling yourself so it becomes a story that you live.

Know and realize that no circumstance can dictate your attitude to you. You are the only one who can choose your attitudes. Take today to examine the thoughts that are holding you prisoner. After analyzing them realize that you don't need them anymore. Make a prison break, in your mind!

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

“Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of human freedoms – to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.”

Your Attitudes, A Secret Power

"Our attitudes control our lives. Attitudes are a secret power working twenty-four hours a day, for good or bad. It is of paramount importance that we know how to harness and control this great force."~Tom Blandi

How is your attitude? I know, I know, I can hear you now..."My attitude is great," right? Really?? Most people don't think about their attitude and think that it is always great. But it's NOT! This is one area of your life that you can change and control and it will only cost you a little discipline.

Anthony de Mello said "What you are aware of you are in control of; what you are not aware of is in control of you." Start being aware of your attitude, towards your work, your play, all the time. When you are aware, you are in control. Attitude...the only thing that we can truly control!

Be more aware of your attitude and how you project it to the world. Take time to think about it to make sure that it is the way that you want it to be. Don't let others choose your attitude for you!

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

"Our attitudes control our lives. Attitudes are a secret power working twenty-four hours a day, for good or bad. It is of paramount importance that we know how to harness and control this great force."

Do You Believe?

"Never underestimate the power of belief when it comes to fulfilling your dreams. I can say with no hesitation that every person I've ever met who has achieved any degree of success has one thing in common: they believed with all their heart they could do it." ~Mac Anderson

What is your belief when it comes to fulfilling your dreams? Do you believe that you can do it or are they just dreams? Unfortunately, to most people, they simply are dreams of what could have been, or what should have been or what would have been. It's so sad to see people bringing their past into their future!

Think about the successful people that you know. Did they lack belief in their dreams? I bet not...so what about you? What are you waiting for? What do you believe about your dreams? Do you believe that you can accomplish them? I hope so.

W.C. Fields said “Attitude is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than what people do or say. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill.” That attitude that he was talking about is all about belief!

"It's never too late to become who you were meant to become." Stop waiting! Believe! Take Action! Become who you were meant to be!

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

"Never underestimate the power of belief when it comes to fulfilling your dreams. I can say with no hesitation that every person I've ever met who has achieved any degree of success has one thing in common: they believed with all their heart they could do it."

Think First, Act Afterward

“Self-discipline begins with the mastery of your thoughts. If you don't control what you think, you can't control what you do. Simply, self-discipline enables you to think first and act afterward.” ~Napoleon Hill

Mastery of your thoughts. How often do you control what you think about? How often do you think about what you are thinking about? It's called Metacognition and we need to do more of it. Most people just go about their lives without really thinking. The challenge is to really think about what you think about.

"Self-discipline enables you to think first and act afterward.” Think first and act afterward. What a novel concept! Thinking and responding rather than not thinking and then reacting.

Pat Riley said “Discipline is not a nasty word.” He is so right.

Think and respond rather than reacting. Take today to think about what you think about. It might enlighten you to as to why some things keep happening to you. Work on Self-Discipline.

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

“Self-discipline begins with the mastery of your thoughts. If you don't control what you think, you can't control what you do. Simply, self-discipline enables you to think first and act afterward.”

It's What You Think You're Not

"It's not what you are that holds you back, it's what you think you're not."
~ Denis Waitley

Are you thinking that what holds you back is who you are? That's not what is holding you back. What is holding you back is thinking that you are not enough, thinking that you need to become more. All you really need to do is to find who you think you're not inside of you and realize that your telling yourself a story that you are not! We each have been created uniquely, and each of us has something special to bring to the world.

Are you bringing your uniqueness to the world? Here's the sad part if you aren't. The world will never see what you were meant to bring to it because you are the only one who was given that special gift to give the world. The gift you were meant to bring to the world can only be brought by you.

Here's the attitude you need to have. Joan of Arc said "I'm not afraid... I was BORN for this!" You were born to bring your uniqueness to the world. Don't be afraid. Start now.

Realize that you have everything you will ever need to bring your uniqueness to the world inside of you already. Your don't have to learn something new, you just need to release what's inside of you.

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

"It's not what you are that holds you back, it's what you think you're not."

A Hearty YES To Your Adventure!

“The big question is whether you are going to be able to say a hearty yes to your adventure.” ~Joseph Campbell

Are you ready to say a hearty YES to your adventure? Really? Then, what are you waiting for? Permission? OK, I give you permission to say a hearty YES to your adventure. Now, what are you waiting for?

Oh, you need to let go of yesterday, right? The beautiful journey of today can only begin when we learn to let go of yesterday. You may not have known it, but you need to let go of the past if you are every going to move forward. Are you ready to let go of the past and live in the present?

LaTersa Blakely said that "You cannot write a new chapter for your life until you bury the old one."  Let Go!!  Move forward!

Start leaving the past in the past so you can live in the present and move into your future. The future that you  create. The future of your dreams. "It's never too late to be who you were meant to be."

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

“The big question is whether you are going to be able to say a hearty yes to your adventure.”

People Aren't Thinking About YOU!

"You wouldn't worry so much about what others think of you if you realized how seldom they do."~Eleanor Roosevelt

I just love this quote! Read it again. Now, think about how many times you didn't do something because of what other people thought about what you were going to do Guess what? They weren't thinking about you!

Think about when you meet someone and tell them what you do for business. Guess what? They don't care about what you do for business. What they care about is what you can do for THEM!! That is the only time people really think about you...when you can show them how you can help them! It's all about them. Remember that you must enter the conversation they are having in their head when you meet them.  Never forget that.

A favorite quote of mine is "It's none of my business what you think of me." See, because when I care about what you think about me, I change who I am to fit what you think about me and I go from being authentic to working on pleasing you.

Realize that most people are NOT thinking about you. What they do care about is what you can do for them! So don't run your life based on other people's thoughts.

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

"You wouldn't worry so much about what others think of you if you realized how seldom they do."

Recognize Problem, Turn It To An Opportunity

"Each problem has hidden in it an opportunity so powerful that it literally dwarfs the problem. The greatest success stories were created by people who recognized a problem and turned it into an opportunity."~Joseph Sugarman

This is so true...the problem is that we focus so much on the problem that we can't see the opportunity. A long time ago, one of my first mentors told me, "don't come to me with a problem unless you also have a solution." That's always stayed with me. Do you think like that? What would happen to you if you did?

Why do people do business with you? Because you solve a problem for them, that's why. We are all looking for our problems to be solved for us. Those who can solve the problems are rewarded, not those who can't or only see the problem.  Are you solving problems for your prospects and clients?  I hope so...otherwise your business is dying.

Stop focusing on the problem and start focusing on solutions! Analyze the problem but then search for opportunities. Don't stay focused on the problem, only the opportunities.

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

"Each problem has hidden in it an opportunity so powerful that it literally dwarfs the problem. The greatest success stories were created by people who recognized a problem and turned it into an opportunity."

Questions = The Answer!

"Some self-confronting questions: 'Where do I want to be at any given time? How am I going to get there? What do I have to do to get myself from where I am to where I want to be? ... What's the first, small step I can take to get moving?'"~George A. Ford

Questions are the answer! When was the last time you asked yourself these self confronting questions? Have you ever asked them? Most people just go through life without ever asking these questions and don't know why they do what they do, other than to pay the bills. Without asking these questions, you will never be who you were meant to be, never become the person who can change the world with your unique talents...all because you stayed safe by not asking those self-confronting questions.

Stop playing small!! Be who you were meant to be! Bring your unique talents to the world, because if you don't, the world will never see them. Each of you were meant to bring something great to the world, why are you keeping it to yourself??

Ask yourself those questions and more. Challenge your perception of who you are and who you are becoming. Be who you were meant to be.

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

"Some self-confronting questions: 'Where do I want to be at any given time? How am I going to get there? What do I have to do to get myself from where I am to where I want to be? ... What's the first, small step I can take to get moving?'"

YOU Control Your Destiny!

"Understanding that we control our own destiny is the key to our success in life. Simply put, when we decide how we want our life to be we must take responsibility and move forward." ~Mac Anderson

Do you realize that? YOU control your own destiny! It's not controlled by the economy, your boss, your spouse, your parents...YOU control your own destiny!! The challenge is knowing what you want it to look like and being specific! Most people really don't know what they want. They want to be "rich." To be "happy." What do those things mean?? Nothing to your brain. You need to be specific in knowing what you want and why you want it.

Why do you want to be "rich?" And what does "rich" mean to you? Put a number on that. Say, "I want to make $750k a year!" Your mind can get around that. Now, why do you want to make $750k a year? The whys will be your driving force when you slow down or are depressed or not feeling excited about what you are doing.

"Simply put, when we decide how we want our life to be we must take responsibility and move forward."   Are you ready to take responsibility and move forward?  Most people will say that they are however when it comes down to it, they really aren't ready yet.  That's sad!
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Be specific about what you want out of life. Real specific. Realize that it's your choice...no one elses, only yours.

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference

"Understanding that we control our own destiny is the key to our success in life. Simply put, when we decide how we want our life to be we must take responsibility and move forward."