Have Others Defined You?

"I have no need to conform to the stereotypes others have defined for me."~Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Are you conforming to the stereotypes that others have defined for you? Why? I mean really, why? Were you told that you needed to be this way or that way and you did it? What were you thinking?  Too many people conform to what others have defined for them!

Here's a favorite quote of mine, "It's none of my business what you think of me." See, if I make it my business what you think of me, then I change who I am to gain your acceptance, trust, love, whatever.  Then I become inauthentic and I'm just acting.  But to really live that quote, you need to be confident in who you are and know who you are!

“Don’t be pushed by your problems. Be led by your dreams.” Too many people today are only pushed by their problems and aren't led by their dreams. Be led by your dreams! But make sure that they are your dreams and not someone elses...

You, and only you, get to choose how you spend each precious moment of your life. Choose carefully and well. It is always your choice.

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

"I have no need to conform to the stereotypes others have defined for me."

Great Results Come From Great Expectations

"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. When I played basketball in college, we had a pretty good team.  Several times before games, players on the other team would come up to us and say "Hey, take it easy on us, ok?"  Now, were they expecting to win?  They had already lost in their minds!  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."

Are You Getting Ready To Live?

“Many people die with their music still in them. Why is this so? Too often it is because they are always getting ready to live. Before they know it, time runs out.” ~Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.

Are you getting ready to live? Stop it and LIVE NOW! Before you know it, time runs out...  Tomorrow is promised to no one, yet we act like we have all the time in the world to do the things we really want to do...and we keep putting them off.  New Years Day 2015 feels like it  was just like a few month ago!  New Years Day 2016 will be here in 92 days!!!  Time flies and we don't even realize how fast it goes by!

Don't let your time run out with music still in you. Do the things you have always wanted to do. Don't let circumstances dictate that you can't do what you want to do. It is your choice to either do it or stay "getting ready to live."

Robert Orben said "Time flies. It's up to you to be the navigator." See, we are in control of how we spend our days. Here are the numbers. You have 1440 minutes per day and 86,400 seconds per day that melt away, always. Are you investing your time or are you wasting it? It's your choice!

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

“Many people die with their music still in them. Why is this so? Too often it is because they are always getting ready to live. Before they know it, time runs out.”

YOU Choose!

"With everything that has happened to you, you can either feel sorry for yourself or treat what has happened as a gift. Everything is either an opportunity to grow or an obstacle to keep you from growing. You get to choose."~Wayne W. Dyer

So, do you feel sorry for yourself or do you treat what has happened as a gift?  Most people just feel sorry for themselves and it keeps them stuck where they are.  Oh sure, once in a while they step out of their victimhood however it's only for a short time and then they are back feeling sorry for themselves.

Ken Keyes Jr said “To be upset over what you don't have is to waste what you do have.”  Most people are upset over what they don't have or what they feel they aren't getting from someone else and waste what they do have.  Is that you?  I hope not.

Do you see everything as an opportunity to grow or an obstacle to keep you from growing? What a wonderful thing to see everything as an opportunity to grow!  We need to teach our children this.  Did you not do something right?  An opportunity to grow, not a failure.  didn't get that client?  An opportunity to grow, not a failure.  How different would our society be if we looked at failure as an opportunity to grow and not failure?  Henry Ford said "Failure is the opportunity to begin again more wisely."  An opportunity to grow!

YOU GET TO CHOOSE!  Feel sorry for yourself or a gift.  An opportunity to grow or failure?
It's always been you choice, no one elses!!

Know.  Be Known.  Make A Difference!

"With everything that has happened to you, you can either feel sorry for yourself or treat what has happened as a gift. Everything is either an opportunity to grow or an obstacle to keep you from growing. You get to choose."

Power In The Present Moment

"What's the good of dragging up sufferings which are over, of being unhappy now just because you were then." ~Seneca

Your greatest power is always in the present moment. When you re-live past misery in the present you are committing an act of violence against yourself. When misery from the past enters your consciousness you have the power to choose how to view it. What choice do you make?

Stop living in the past!  Just because something happened once before doesn't mean that it will happen again.  Too many people like to stay in the past because it serves them somehow.  They like to play the "victim."  They like to get sympathy.  It's a pain that they are familiar with so they hang on to it.  Don't be that person!!

Here are a couple of self confronting questions to bring you into the present: "What am I trying to accomplish today?" "What one thing am I not doing --that if I did do, would greatly improve my life six months from now? Think ahead, not behind.

Take some time and answer those questions. I know that the answers will give you the direction and power to make it happen.

Finally, two thoughts to take with you today. Your greatest power is ALWAYS in the present moment and the choice is YOURS to make.

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

"What's the good of dragging up sufferings which are over, of being unhappy now just because you were then."

You Have A Choice

"You may not be able to control the events that occur during the day, especially those events that are unexpected and challenging. But, you definitely have a choice whether you are going to allow these events to ruin your day, and how you are going to face these challenges." ~Barry Gottlieb

Do you ever get up "on the wrong side of the bed?" Ever had a "bad hair day?"  Ever feel like everything is going wrong and it will never get better?  How do you handle them? Do you let them ruin your day or do you change your mindset before leaving the house? You do have a choice in how you respond to those events. Be sure to exercise that choice. Don't stay stuck in that negativity.

Too many people have allowed themselves to stay stuck in that negativity.  They enjoy being there!  It's the pain they know which will always be less than the pain they don't know.  If that's you, start counting your blessings.  You're alive.  You live in the greatest country in the world (the one everyone else in the world wants to come to) and so on.  You could probably count 100 blessings in 5 minutes.  Well, that 5 minutes would be the best time spent to get you out of that negativity.

Stephen Covey said "If you start to think the problem is 'out there,' stop yourself. That thought is the problem." Too often we get caught up in thinking the problem is 'out there' when it is really with us. Realize that you are in control of your life, no one else is. It will be your choice to either react or respond. Reaction is without thought. Response requires thought. Always respond, never react.

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

"You may not be able to control the events that occur during the day, especially those events that are unexpected and challenging. But, you definitely have a choice whether you are going to allow these events to ruin your day, and how you are going to face these challenges."

Opportunity Or Obstacle?

"With everything that has happened to you, you can either feel sorry for yourself or treat what has happened as a gift. Everything is either an opportunity to grow or an obstacle to keep you from growing. You get to choose."~Wayne W. Dyer

So, do you feel sorry for yourself or do you treat what has happened as a gift?  Most people just feel sorry for themselves and it keeps them stuck where they are.  Oh sure, once in a while they step out of their victimhood however it's only for a short time and then they are back feeling sorry for themselves.

Ken Keyes Jr said “To be upset over what you don't have is to waste what you do have.”  Most people are upset over what they don't have or what they feel they aren't getting from someone else and waste what they do have.  Is that you?  I hope not.

Do you see everything as an opportunity to grow or an obstacle to keep you from growing? What a wonderful thing to see everything as an opportunity to grow!  We need to teach our children this.  Did you not do something right?  An opportunity to grow, not a failure.  didn't get that client?  An opportunity to grow, not a failure.  How different would our society be if we looked at failure as an opportunity to grow and not failure?  Henry Ford said "Failure is the opportunity to begin again more wisely."  An opportunity to grow!

YOU GET TO CHOOSE!  Feel sorry for yourself or a gift.  An opportunity to grow or failure?  It's always been your choice, no one elses!!

Know.  Be Known.  Make A Difference!

"With everything that has happened to you, you can either feel sorry for yourself or treat what has happened as a gift. Everything is either an opportunity to grow or an obstacle to keep you from growing. You get to choose."

Your Future Equals Your Present Actions

"We are responsible for what we are, and whatever we wish ourselves to be, we have the power to make ourselves. If what we are now has been the result of our own past actions, it certainly follows that whatever we wish to be in the future can be produced by our present actions; so we have to know how to act."~Swami Vivekananda

Yes, YOU are responsible for who you are!  Not your parents, not your teachers, not your spouse or significant other.  We are also responsible for whoever we wish to be!  Do you realize that?  You ARE responsible for who you wish to be, how great is that?  It's your choice and it's always been only your choice.

We are now the results of who we have been in the past and so it follows that we can change who we will be by our actions NOW, in the present.  WOW, we can change who we will be by our current actions!  Who do you want to become?  Start now by changing your actions to be that person.  

Ralph Waldo Emerson said "Don't be too squeamish or timid about your actions.  All life is an experiment."  Ya gotta love Waldo.  See, your life is an experiment and you are the one in control, deciding what to do and be!

We have the power to make ourselves whoever we want to be.  Most people say that when they have, they will do and be.  That's wrong!  You need to BE, DO, then HAVE!  Make your present actions all about being who you want to become!

Know.  Be Known.  Make A Difference!

"We are responsible for what we are, and whatever we wish ourselves to be, we have the power to make ourselves. If what we are now has been the result of our own past actions, it certainly follows that whatever we wish to be in the future can be produced by our present actions; so we have to know how to act."

Wise Use Of YOUR Time

"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."

Attention: What Are You Emphasizing?

"The trick is in what one emphasizes. We either make ourselves miserable, or we make ourselves happy. The amount of work is the same." ~Carlos Castaneda 

What are you emphasizing? Are you spending your time on things that matter or things that don't matter? Most people start out working on the things that matter and then are distracted and end up emphasizing the wrong stuff. Then we end up miserable because we don't understand that we are concentrating on things that don't matter. What is it that you are emphasizing?

Susyn Reeve said "When you focus your attention on the people, places, things and activities that you bring you pleasure - pleasure is what you experience." This is part of the reason that we need to doing something that gives us pleasure for our jobs. 75% of workers today HATE their jobs! Is that you? I hope not, because it is a choice. Your choice!

Do you believe in the Law of Attraction?  It works every time.  The challenge for most people is that their focus is on the wrong thing.  They are focusing on what they don't want instead of what they do want.  Is that you?  Start focusing on what you want and you will see the difference, Another way to stay focused is to set goals that keep you focused.  

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

"The trick is in what one emphasizes. We either make ourselves miserable, or we make ourselves happy. The amount of work is the same."

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."

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.”

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!
:
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."

The Joy of Overcoming Limitations

"The marvelous richness of human experience would lose something of rewarding joy if there were no limitations to overcome."~Helen Keller

What is limiting you now? Why are you letting it limit you? Most of our limitations come from our own mind. Is that what is limiting you today? Why?  Think about the things that Helen Keller had to overcome and notice that I didn't say limitations.  I'm not sure she ever thought that she had any!

Samuel Johnson said "Adversity has ever been considered the state in which a man most easily becomes acquainted with himself." Are you becoming acquainted with yourself? Who are you becoming?

Our lives are based on overcoming our limitations and dealing with adversity. How are you doing? Really? It's important to realize that we are never face with a problem that we can't deal with or overcome...unless we choose to not deal with it or not overcome it. Dig deep, find that limitation and adversity overcoming button within you.  Remember, you are never given a challenge without the tools to deal with that challenge.  It's your choice, no one elses.

Find your overcoming button within you, if you already haven't. When was the last time you needed to use it...you might be needing it now.

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

"The marvelous richness of human experience would lose something of rewarding joy if there were no limitations to overcome."

Are You Attached To Your Burdens?

"People become attached to their burdens sometimes more than the burdens are attached to them."~George Bernard Shaw

Are you attached to your burdens? Sometimes we grow to accept our burdens and then don't get rid of them, but keep them attached to us. Is that you? Are you keeping that burden attached to you?

"Real difficulties can be overcome, it is only the imaginary ones that are unconquerable."~Theodore N. Vail

Are you allowing those imaginary difficulties to keep you down? "Real difficulties can be overcome, it is only the imaginary ones that are unconquerable." Yes, real difficulties CAN be overcome. It's the trash in your head that is unconquerable. Wow, it all comes back to what we think. "No thought lives in your mind rent-free." What are you paying for the thoughts that you have? Is it costing you or are you getting a return on your investment for what you think?

Action:
Realize that the biggest problems that you will face today are the imaginary ones, not the real ones. Lose you attachment to your burdens. It's your choice!

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

"People become attached to their burdens sometimes more than the burdens are attached to them."

You Are In Charge Of Your Attitude!

"The most important thing I can tell you about attitude is that it is a choice. You can choose to be positive or you can choose to be negative. Nobody can force you to be either one. You are totally in charge of your attitude."~Larry Winget

Your attitude is completely up to you, you did know that, right? If so, have you ever said that you "got up on the wrong side of the bed?" If you are saying that or "I'm having a bad hair day," you are allowing something else to affect your attitude. You are not in charge of your attitude. We don't often think about the things that we say...

They say that life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you deal with what happens to you.  Do you complain about things that happen to you?  Think about how you react or respond to things that happen to you and if you need to change how you respond to those things, start changing that NOW!

Action:
Own the words you speak! Realize that the way you speak affects your daily life. Choose to have a good attitude. It is one of the things that YOU CAN CONTROL. That and your thoughts!

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

"The most important thing I can tell you about attitude is that it is a choice. You can choose to be positive or you can choose to be negative. Nobody can force you to be either one. You are totally in charge of your attitude."

Accept Complete Responsibility!!

"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."

It's None Of My Business What You Think Of Me

"I have no need to conform to the stereotypes others have defined for me." ~Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Are you conforming to the stereotypes that others have defined for you? Why? I mean really, why? Were you told that you needed to be this way or that way and you did it? What were you thinking?

Here's a favorite quote of mine, "It's none of my business what you think of me." See, if I make it my business what you think of me, then I change who I am to gain your acceptance, trust, love, whatever. But to really live that quote, you need to be confident in who you are, and know who you are!  So, who are you??

“Don’t be pushed by your problems. Be led by your dreams.” Too many people today are only pushed by their problems and aren't led by their dreams. Be led by your dreams! But make sure that they are your dreams and not someone elses...

You, and only you, get to choose how you spend each precious moment of your life. Choose carefully and well. It is always your choice.

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

"I have no need to conform to the stereotypes others have defined for me."

As Great As Your Dominant Aspiration

"Whatever your present environment may be, you will remain, fall or rise with your thoughts, your Vision, your Ideal. You will become as small as your controlling desire; as great as your dominant aspiration." ~ James Allen

You will remain, fall or rise with you thoughts. Wow! Think about that! You get to decide to remain, fall or rise, all based on what you think. I know that you know this...but do you believe it and know it without a doubt? Sometimes that's the hard part, we know it intellectually, but can't make it a part of our consciousness.

You will become as small as your controlling desire. What is your controlling desire. Does it really benefit you? Does it allow for your greatness to be seen? Or is it holding you from your greatness?

You will be as great as your dominant aspiration! What's your dominant aspiration? Is it life changing? Is it world changing? Is it something that drives you every day or just something you pull out when people ask you what it is?

It is your choice! You will become as small as your controlling desire or as great as your dominant aspiration. Choose wisely.

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

"Whatever your present environment may be, you will remain, fall or rise with your thoughts, your Vision, your Ideal. You will become as small as your controlling desire; as great as your dominant aspiration."

Change Is Simple, Not Easy!

"Change is not easy. But it is simple. Things will always change. We don't have a choice about that, but we do have a choice on how we react to change. The choice really boils down to this...either we manage change, or it will manage us."

CHANGE IS SIMPLE!! But it's not easy Things will always change, so why is it that we try to stop change, fight against it or ignore it? Some things need to change, some things don't. Allow the things that need to change to change and stop the things that don't need to change. It's that simple, but it's not easy.

Here's the thing...we have a choice as to how we respond to change. It is our choice alone, no one elses. Too often we act like we don't have a choice and we have to accept whatever comes our way. NOT!!! It is your choice, your decision, your ability to respond the way that you want to react to change. Respond with your power, with who you are!

So, manage change through your choices or be managed by change through your choice to not choose, your decision to allow life to happen TO you and be a victim of change. Don't allow who you are to become a victim of change. Rise above it. Choose to respond the way you want to respond.

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

"Change is not easy. But it is simple. Things will always change. We don't have a choice about that, but we do have a choice on how we react to change. The choice really boils down to this...either we manage change, or it will manage us."