Who doesn’t love a good movie? Watching a movie, we can see people fight battles, travel through time, realize they are married to a spy, etc. However, all along, we know they are just stories. We enjoy the emotion they bring for a couple of hours; if they’re really good they get us thinking, we learn something, and then we continue on with our own life.
However, I find it interesting how easy it is to get wrapped up in a story when it is my story. I think back to the parable of the Chinese farmer, watching the ebbs and flows of his life, remaining calm and Read More...
Before you start thinking I have turned into a drill sergeant, let me explain.
There are two kinds of pain: the pain of discipline and then there is the pain of regret. You do not get to choose a life of pain or no pain. Instead you get to choose if you will feel the pain of disciple or the pain of regret – there is no other alternative – but the choice is yours to make.
When you are committed to growth, in your life, career, bank account etc, you will experience pain. On one hand, the pain of discipline hurts a little and when you experience it, it makes you stronger, healthier, and tougher. The pain of regret on the other hand hurts a lot and, when we feel this pain, it can injure or crush Read More...
Here is a good question for you to think about: If someone was going to write a report about the thoughts going through your mind, what would they say?
I ask you this because it is the number one question that you need to be asking yourself on a regular basis if you are going to experience freedom in your life. What are your thoughts all about?
I have found that the thoughts people entertain are the root causes of stress and what prevents them from experiencing all the freedom that they should have and deserve. People simply spend their time thinking about the wrong things. Here is what I mean:
You can either be thinking about the past, present or future.
Most people spend close to half their Read More...
Larry King interview Oprah on the book, The Secret, and the impact it has had on her life. Oprah makes the point that you, and only you, are in charge of your life. This gives you great responsibility and creative power to attract what you want.
What change can we effect? What’s the difference we want to make in the world?
Mahatma Gandhi believed that we must be the change we want to see in the world. Here are some things to think about how to do just that …
1. Know that all significant change throughout history has occurred because of the courage and commitment of individuals. Not because of nations, armies, governments and certainly not committees decided on change. People like Joan of Ark, Albert Einstein, Clara Barton, Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Edison and Rosa Parks. They might not have done it alone, but they were, Read More...
Spring is in the air and the flowers are getting ready to burst into bloom. This time of year reminds me of a quote:
To exist is to change, to change is to mature, and to mature is to go on creating oneself endlessly.
Think about the analogy of a flower’s bloom in regards to this quote.
Anything that is alive, including ourselves, cannot exist without changing. Life means changing. Like a flower that is growing, we appreciate the growing and changing plant as it matures and blooms.
Sometimes, when change is happening to us, such as a new job, a workout routine, a healthier diet, or learning a new skill, it can be painful, but Read More...
Today I would like to revisit a concept that we have talked about many times – the concept of Be Do Have. I want to revisit it because it is one of those concepts that you could think about everyday, and everyday you would have a new or deeper insight.
The Be Do Have Principle literally applies to every area of your life. It is the idea that before you can Have something like joy, health, or wealth, you must first decide to Be the kind of person who has those things and then Do the things necessary to Have them.
The reason this concept is so vital to talk about is because most people think about Be Do Have in reverse order or out of order.
For example, many people believe that when Have a Read More...
I was fifteen years old at my first school dance. Mom had prepared me well, as I knew all the popular dances. My favorite was the two-step because even if I got nervous and lost my place, I could still look as if I knew what I was doing. I practiced over and over again until I knew I was a pro.
My excitement grew as the day of the dance approached. The prettiest girl in my class, Sharon, was going to be there that night. She had the smile of an angel and beautiful hair to match. I set my sights to dance all night with Sharon. The day of the dance finally arrived, which caused the entire school to buzz at a fever pitch.
As I walked into the dance that evening, I Read More...
I had a phone call today that I was not looking forward to and I had thought of putting it off until “tomorrow”. I had plenty of reasons why I could rationalize putting it off for another day, but I knew that the more I put it off the worse it was going to get. So, I made the time, and made the call.
Going into the call I was expecting a battle. The email that I had received beforehand was negative, accusatory, and disrespectful so I wasn’t excited to talk with this person. Amazingly enough, 10 seconds into the call the person on the other end was not acting ANYTHING like I had imagined they would.
I realized that what they thought they were communicating in email was not what Read More...
Who doesn’t love a good movie? Watching a movie, we can see people fight battles, travel through time, realize they are married to a spy, etc. However, all along, we know they are just stories. We enjoy the emotion they bring for a couple of hours; if they’re really good they get us thinking, we learn something, and then we continue on with our own life.
