10-29-04

"You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face." -- Eleanor Roosevelt

Motivator: The engineer who most diligently respects the laws of physics is able 2 create the most useful machines. The government which best respects the will of the people becomes the most powerful and beneficial. The degree 2 which a business respects its customers has a direct impact on the success of that business. The forces of nature can b powerful, harsh and potentially destructive. Yet with enough understanding and respect, they can b harnessed and put 2 positive use. The same can b said of human forces. When u learn 2 understand and act in harmony with the world around u, the results r much better than if u try 2 hide from it or fight against it. Most things can be harmful or helpful depending on the amount of respect and understanding u grant them. The things which still work against u, r lessons available 2 hone ur skill and understanding. Heed them well and their substantial power can b YOURS.

10-28-04

"All I would tell people is to hold onto what was individual about themselves, not to allow their ambition for success to cause them to try to imitate the success of others. You've got to find it on your own terms." --Harrison Ford

Motivator: R u concerned that the comments and opinions of others will somehow damage ur self esteem or self image? R u afraid of speaking ur mind or taking action because u might get ur feelings hurt? If u really want 2 improve ur self esteem, stop allowing other people 2 b responsible 4 it. Instead, create something of value. Make a positive difference. Pats on the back r nice, but in the end the thing that will truly make u feel good about urself is 2 accomplish something worthwhile. Find valuable feedback in the criticism of others. Realize that it can't hurt u, that it actually can help. Go forward with the confidence of knowing that u're truly making a difference, and YOU will indeed.

10-26-04

"Give so much time for the improvement of yourself that you have no time to criticize others."

Motivator: The things u already know can b a great foundation 4 learning even more. Unfortunately, they can also b a stubborn obstacle. Often the more u know, the less u feel u need 2 learn. But that kind of thinking is based on the entirely false assumption that there is some kind of limit 2 learning. In truth, learning has no limits. The world is changing at an astounding pace. Even in a specialized area of knowledge, there is new information every day. The knowledge u already have can help u immensely in learning and understanding new things. In fact, the value of what u know is, in large part, based on YOUR willingness 2 use it as a basis 4 learning more.

10-25-04

"Virtue and decency are so nearly related that it is difficult to separate them from each other but in our imagination." -- Cicero

Motivator: A major source of discouragement is the mistaken assumption that the future = the past. It is difficult indeed 2 keep going when previous experience has produced so much disappointment. But the fact is that life does not have 2 follow a str8 line. At any point, it is possible 2 change direction. Great accomplishments often come on the heels of bitter disappointments. Rather than assuming that u're doomed bi ur past, consider all the ways u can create a bright future. Each day, each moment is a new opportunity, independent of what has gone before. Learn what u can bi looking back, but spend the bulk of YOUR time and attention looking forward.

10-22-04

"Optimism is essential to achievement and it is also the foundation of courage and true progress."- Nicholas Murray Butler

Motivator: Being frustrated, annoyed or angry uses up ur precious time, energy, thoughts and actions. Certainly there r situations worth getting angry about, but do u truly wish 2 give over even a little bit of urself 2 the petty little things which really don't matter? When someone does something 2 annoy u, consider how much of ur valuable time u could save bi forgiving that person, in ur own mind, right then. When u forgive before u've even shown any anger, the matter will die and u can quickly move on. Expect the best from those around u, and u'll very likely get it. Yet when someone falls short of ur expectations, don't aggravate the problem bi letting it sap ur time and energy. The more little things u can forgive, the more big things YOU can accomplish.

10-20-04

"A friend hears the song in my heart and sings it to me when my memory fails." -Unknown

Motivator: How do u know that things r bad? It is only bi seeing that they can indeed b better. How do u know that u have failed? It is only because u have a very real concept of success. How do u know u'r in the dark? It is only because u have glimpsed the light. The longing which accompanies misfortune is an undeniable confirmation of the very real possibility of good fortune. Even the slightest twinge of discontent is evidence of the greatness that is surely possible 4 u. In ur disappointment is the affirmation of ur possibilities. In the bitter is the grasp of sweetness. The pain of defeat does not prevent victory. Rather, it demonstrates that victory is indeed possible. Do not b dismayed bi ur dismay. Find in it the resolve that it carries, and let it push YOU in a more positive direction.

10-19-04

"There are many ways to measure success; not the least of which is the way your child describes you when talking to a friend." --Unknown

Motivator: Rather than doing what is easiest, do what is best. Doing what is easiest at the expense of what is best will cheat u out of challenging experiences and the valuable results they bring. It is easy 2 watch, yet it is best 2 participate. It is easy 2 complain, yet it is best 2 take positive action. It is easy 2 take, yet it is best 2 give, 2 make, 2 create. Doing what is best challenges and compels u 2 b ur best. What possible alternative could b better than that? Doing only what is easy leads 2 a life that is hard. Doing what is best brings a life that is full. With each decision u face, keep in mind that making the easiest choice may very well preclude u from making the best choice. Effort is a privilege, not a punishment. Make full use of ur considerable abilities. Forget about easy. More often than not it is a deception. When u have the choice, do what is best.

10-17-04

"Courage to start and willingness to keep everlasting at it are the requisites for success."--Alonzo Newton Benn

Motivator: Tourists usually experience life at their destination with a sense of urgency. They know their time there is limited and so they want make as much of the visit as possible. Tourists often appreciate a place even more than the people who live there. Consider what it would be like visit your own life as a tourist. What things would you make sure do? What things would you stop taking for granted? How much more deeply would u appreciate the good things around u? How much more would u take advantage of the possibilities available 2 u if u knew u had 2 leave them behind in a few days? Look at ur life through the eyes of a tourist and YOU'll find much that is special indeed.

10-16-04

"When we tire of well-worn ways, we seek for new. This restless craving in the souls of men spurs them to climb, and to seek the mountain view." --Ella Wheeler Wilcox

Motivator: In a sense, it is useless 2 make judgments about things that have already happened. U can put ur judgment 2 better use bi applying it 2 the things over which u have control. And all those things r in the present, not in the past.When u truly think of everything that has already happened as being 4 the best, something almost magical takes place -- u actually start making the best of what has happened. Indeed, "it's all 4 the best" is a self-fulfilling appraisal. Certainly there r tragedies, major and minor. Yes, there r many disappointments, 2. R these really 4 the best? They might as well b. They've happened; they're a done deal. Ur best strategy is 2 emerge with something positive and useful.

10-15-04

"What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us." -- William Morrow

Motivator: Circumstances most certainly change, from moment to moment, but the good things which u've known never go away. Deep down inside, u r still the same person u were on the happiest day u've ever experienced. And deep down inside is where things truly matter. Joy is cumulative and persistent. Think of a happy time and u r happy. The world will often attempt 2 drag u down and when it does, summon the power of ur happiness. Think of the best moments u have ever known. They r still with u. And there r many more 2 come. Joy is more than the pleasure of the moment. It is an affirmation that life is very much worth living. It may sometimes get covered up, but it never has 2 go away. Keep it with u and add 2 it all that YOU can.

10-14-04

"The young do not know enough to be prudent, and therefore they attempt the impossible -- and achieve it, generation after generation." --Pearl S. Buck (1892-1973) American Writer

Motivator: How big can u dream? Think of all the incredible products, ideas and artistic expressions that didn't exist ten years ago. The possible goes way beyond the probable. Ur possibilities r limited only by ur imagination. Look around u at all the incredible things that have been achieved in this world. Each and every 1 of them existed at 1 time only in someone's imagination. It takes more than imagination, 2 b sure, but imagination is an essential first step. U have the capacity 2 imagine anything. U might as well make it the very best. Let ur imagination lead YOU 2 an extraordinary reality.

10-13-04

"We can often do more for other men by trying to correct our own faults than by trying to correct theirs." -Francois Fenelon

Motivator: Innovations come from people who have problems. Creativity springs from people who r dissatisfied. From experience, I can say that the biggest breakthroughs come from those people who face the most formidable challenges. Great accomplishments r not made bi those who say "I'll start on this when I have the time and the money." Greatness comes from those who find a way 2 express it, regardless of how limited their resources may b. What is holding u back? Is it really ur lack of resources, as u constantly tell urself, or is that just a convenient excuse? Stop waiting until things r perfect. The obstacles will always b there. They will never just go away. Find a way through them. Stop waiting 4 "if only" and start living "no matter what."

10-12-04

"Man has never made any material as resilient as the human spirit." --Bernard Williams (1929-) English Philosopher

Motivator: Excuses r the sure and reliable building blocks of failure. Whether u find urself offering them or accepting them, they r a definite warning flag that u r off course. Well thought out actions make up the currency of effectiveness, whereas excuses r the currency of uselessness. Every setback has a reason. Every mistake has a reason. U can either accept those reasons, and learn something positive from them, or u can turn them into excuses, and thereby allow them 2 defeat u. Each excuse is a small defeat, and they can add up quickly. The best strategy is 2 avoid them. Explain urself, but make no excuses.

10-11-04

"Excellence is an art won by training and habituation. We do not act rightly because we have virtue or excellence, but rather we have those because we have acted rightly. We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit." -- Aristotle

Motivator: Everything u do has consequences. Whether that is a blessing or a curse depends, quite simply, on what u do. U're not some feather that is randomly tossed about by the wind. U have direct control over ur own fate, based on the actions u take. U take action, and there is a result. That dynamic is neither positive or negative, neither good nor bad in itself. It is completely and totally what u make of it. Understand and appreciate all the implications of ur consequences, and u have the power 2 go wherever YOU wish.

10-8-04

"Hard things are put in our way, not to stop us, but to call out our courage and strength."
-- Anonymous

Motivator: If u'r ever going 2 fulfill the great and wonderful possibilities that r surely urs, now is the moment 2 begin in earnest. A full and rich life is urs 4 the making, but it won't just b handed 2 u, no matter who u r. Ur life, ur fulfillment, requires ur active and committed participation. And now is the time 4 that 2 happen. The past is long gone and the future is yet unavailable 2 u. Now is when u can make a difference. What r ur dreams, ur hopes, ur ambitions? Now is the time 2 follow them with the passion that u know u have. Now is the time 4 action, 4 commitment, 4 purpose. Putting it off until later will only cheat u out of what u could have become. Do it, be it, live it now. It's the grandest opportunity YOU could ever imagine.

10-7-04

"Rely on the ordinary virtues that intelligent, balanced human beings have relied on for centuries: common sense, thrift, realistic expectations, patience, and perseverance." -John C. Bogle (1929-) American Investor

Motivator: If at first the task seems overwhelming, remember that u'll learn as u go along. Don't let a lack of knowledge stop u from setting ambitious goals. Much of what u'll need 2 know, u'll learn in the doing. Have u ever considered learning a new language? Does the prospect seem overwhelming? Well, u've done it before, and the first time u did it u were just a child. Not only did u learn a particular language, u learned the concept of language, 2. Whatever u need 2 learn, whether it is a language, a skill, or a new way of thinking, u'll find a way 2 learn it. U're good at that. It's how u've survived and grown, and made YOUR way in the world thus far.

10-6-04

"'I can't do it' never yet accomplished anything: 'I will try' has accomplished wonders." -- George P. Burnham

Motivator: It doesn't matter who u r or what u have been or what u have done in the past. Nothing can pull u down when u refuse 2 let it -- not any other person or group or situation or challenge. People just like u have overcome obstacles that truly would appear overwhelming even 2 the most optimistic person. People just like u have achieved things no one would have thought possible in their wildest dreams. There r an infinite number of directions in which u can journey from where u r right now. Some will certainly b more challenging, and yet those will also be much more fulfilling. The choice of direction is entirely up 2 u. So envision YOUR ideal future and then set out 2 make it happen.

10-5-04

"The self is not something that one finds. It is something that one creates." -Thomas Szasz (1920-) American Psychiatrist

Motivator: How many times have the obstacles standing in ur way been primarily a creation of ur own imagination? Have u ever convinced urself that u cannot possibly do something, and then later discovered that u can indeed do it? Consider that many of the limitations which u live with each day may very well b self imposed. Certainly there r very real and frightening challenges which u face. B careful not 2 add 2 them with ur own imagined obstacles. Ur imagination is best used 2 imagine ur positive possibilities. Ur mind and ur imagination r totally under ur own control, so use them 4 2 ur benefit. Let ur imagination enrich ur life rather than impede it. Imagine the best 4 urself and YOUR world.

10-4-04

"It is better by noble boldness to run the risk of being subject to half the evils we anticipate than to remain in cowardly listlessness for fear of what might happen." --Herodotus

Motivator: Often those who point out problems r accused of negative thinking. Yet it's absolutely necessary to acknowledge the problems if u ever hope 2 make any progress. Constant complaining, whining and excuse making r certainly negative, but addressing the problem with honesty and clarity is very positive. If u attempt 2 stay positively focused by ignoring the negative u're simply not being realistic. When u can c and understand the negative aspects and then deal with them in a positive, forward looking manner, then u tap into the real power of positive focus. C the situation 4 what it is, and then take the appropriate actions 2 improve it.

10-3-04

"The three great essentials to achieving anything worthwhile are; first, hard work, second, stick-to-it-iveness, and third, common sense."

Motivator: U already know the importance of discipline, integrity, perseverance, patience and positive focus. U've experienced their benefits, and u've experienced the pain of their absence. Success in life flows from the gratitude and appreciation of those qualities which make success possible. Latch on 2 the qualities which bring true fulfillment. Clearly and fully recall their value so as 2 remind urself how very much u desire them and the fruits they bring. Remember what u already know and let it guide YOU 2 achieve.

10-1-04

"Many men owe the grandeur of their lives to their tremendous difficulties." -Spurgeon

Motivator: In every effort there will b interruptions, disappointments, even some disasters. Ur recovery time depends largely on what u decide 2 make it. The time and energy u put in2 anger and self pity will serve mainly 2 prolong the time it takes 2 get going again. Accept that the setbacks will come and when they do, decide 2 move quickly past them. Find something positive in each one, and that will serve 2 get u focused again on progressing toward ur goal. Winners and losers both stumble. The WINNERS, though, r the ones who quickly get back up and keep on going. Cheers!!!