Make Better Choices Beginning Today

by: Jim Rohn

What we ponder and what we think about sets the course of our life. Any day we wish; we can discipline ourselves to change it all. Any day we wish, we can open the book that will open our mind to new knowledge. Any day we wish, we can start a new activity. Any day we wish, we can start the process of life change. We can do it immediately, or next week, or next month, or next year.

We can also do nothing. We can pretend rather than perform. And if the idea of having to change ourselves makes us uncomfortable, we can remain as we are. We can choose rest over labor, entertainment over education, delusion over truth, and doubt over confidence. The choices are ours to make. But while we curse the effect, we continue to nourish the cause. As Shakespeare uniquely observed, "The fault is not in the stars, but in ourselves." We created our circumstances by our past choices. We have both the ability and the responsibility to make better choices beginning today.

Believe in yourself!

Believe in yourself!

Believe you were made to do any task without calling for aid.

Believe, without growing too scornfully proud,
that you, as the greatest and least are endowed.

A mind to do thinking, two hands and two eyes
are all the equipment God gives to the wise.

Believe in yourself!

You are divinely designed and perfectly made
for the work of mankind.

The truth you must cling to through danger and pain;
the heights others have reached you can also attain.

Believe to the very last hour, for it is true.
That what ever you will, you've been gifted to do.

Believe in yourself and step out unafraid.

By misgivings and doubt be not easily swayed.

You've the right to succeed;
the precision of skill which betokens the great
you can earn if you will!

The wisdom of the ages is yours if you'll read.

But you've got to believe in yourself to succeed.



Winning Words of Champions,
p. 103

Faith In Myself

by: Marjorie Holmes

God gave me faith in myself,
not only on days when I'm going great and winning
and nothing seems impossible
but on days when the whole world looks lousy
and I'm losing and the road ahead seems too hard.
When I wonder if I'm brave enough, smart enough
and I must be crazy to try,
don't let me quit Lord, not ever.

Let me keep the faith in myself.
No matter how many people
discourage me…
doubt me…
laugh at me…
warn me…
think me a fool…
Don't let me listen.

Let me hear another voice telling me,
"You can do it and you will!"
If nobody else in this world gives a darn or believes in me,
let me believe in myself.

I know there'll be times when I will doubt my own abilities,
when I'll be discouraged and on the verge of despair,
don't let me give up,
hang onto me.
Fan the fires so that I'll try even harder.
Give me more faith in myself.

Dear Lord, you are the source of life and power.
You are the source of my abilities and my faith.
Thank you for reinforcements.
I know that you will give me for what I ask…
Faith in myself.

Consulting Tips from the Million Dollar Consultant: How to Create A Speech from Scratch

By: Dr. Alan Weiss Even if you're not a professional speaker, you will often have to present a speech for a client, a civic group, a trade association, or a social club. By a "speech" I don't mean a report or a facilitation of a meeting. I mean that you're responsible for delivering information to a group of people for at least 30 minutes or more in an engaging and positive manner. Piece of cake. Here are the basic components of a first-rate presentation: First, prepare a catchy opening. It doesn't have to be humorous or clever, but it should capture people's attention. (An audience usually decides in the first two minutes of a talk whether or not to pay close attention to the rest of it.) You might say that you have a very different report from what people expected. Or you might quote some statistics ("We are the seventh largest group of our kind"). You may foreshadow the rest of your talk by citing the fact that there are five important points you want to convey. Whatever you do, the first two minutes will be key, so put yourself in the audience's shoes, and use an opening that would cause you to sit up and listen. Second, in the "body" or middle of the speech, create a clear structure you can work around. For a 30-60 minute talk, I suggest 5-7 points. Support each one with an anecdote, example, or facts. If your overall theme is "How to increase membership," your five points might be: Our membership history The composition of our current membership Competition for members Sources of new members Actions required for attracting new members If we were to take point #3 as an example, supporting anecdotes, examples and facts could include: 3a. There are now 27 sources for similar interests, whereas there were only 7 two years ago. 3b. The impact of cable TV and the Internet 3c. A conversation you had last week with a prospective member who is still undecided If you want to take questions, do it after the "body" but prior to the close. Third, create a closing which summarizes the five main points and then calls for the action you wish from the group. The closing should have a formal ending and a "thank you," and not just drift off into vague questions. Some other rules of thumb: Don't tell a story for the sake of the story. It must be relevant to your point. Don't use humor at someone else's expense, although self-effacing humor almost always is effective. Repeat all questions, to give yourself time to think and to allow everyone in the room to hear them. Don't overdo visual aids-PowerPoint is almost always overkill. Some overheads will usually do the trick if the group isn't too large, but keep the visual professional and in very large type. Don't present things that are already in handouts and which can be read later. Control the room-if someone gives you a hard time, tell them to see you later, but that you owe time to the group and not to one-on-one debates. If you don't know the answer to a question admit it, and ask if anyone else does. Finally, no speech is the turning point of Western Civilization. Prepare carefully, do the best you can, and then go home. You'll find that you did much better than you would have thought.

Consulting Tips from the Million Dollar Consultant: The Ultimate Tip

By: Dr. Alan Weiss

This article concludes five years of the "hot tip of the month," spanning categories from rebutting objections to establishing fees, and from professional development to marketing. I'm bringing it to an end here not because I don't have more to say--a continuing stream of books, tapes, articles, and newsletters will attest to that--but because this forum is becoming unwieldy in its sheer volume. This edition brings us to the 60th entry, one a month, unfailing, for our duration. All the tips will remain on these pages, indexed, for complimentary downloading, ongoing reference, and incentive for new readers. This final "hot tip" is my ultimate tip, not just in the sense of being the final one, but in terms of being, perhaps, the most important. If you want to be successful as a consultant, speaker, trainer, facilitator, coach, or entrepreneur in general, here is the ultimate tip: First be successful as a person. As Popeye said, "I am what I am." Robespierre observed that no man has the ability to step outside the shadow of his own character. You must be comfortable with yourself as a contributing human being if you are to be comfortable and successful as a contributing professional. I've found very, very few good, hard working people who fail dismally as professionals. Similarly, I've found few conniving, insincere, unethical people who succeed spectacularly in their work. Oh, there are temporary anomalies, and we've all had bosses at one time or another who should have been lobotomized for the good of the company, but those are the exceptions. If you're reading this, you're probably not an "organization man" (or woman). You're an entrepreneur trying to do the best you can running your own practice or business. And, funny thing, I've long noticed that the harder I work, the luckier I get. The more that I plan and anticipate, the more the breaks tend to fall in my direction. If you improve your own performance as a person, you'll improve your business. Are you creating happiness, and not just consuming it? Are you a sincere lover, an engaging friend, a loyal colleague? Do you do what you say you will do, and is it predicated on what's right and not just what's expedient? Are you tolerant of honest differences but intolerant of unethical behavior and corrupt actions? Your clients don't have to like you, but they should respect you and admire you (and liking you, of course, doesn't hurt). How does your family regard you? How do your friends react to you? How do your colleagues perceive you? Ultimately, as Billy Joel sang it, we all have to get up with ourselves. Are you a person whom you would respect and admire as a friend? If not, what do you have to change about yourself? If so, then how do you also convey that in your business? The job is merely a means to an end. Your life is that end. How are you living it?

You Have The Power to Succeed

by Max Steingart

Nothing will happen by itself. It will all come your way once you understand that you have to make it come your way.

Life to a large extent is what you make of it. Success on any major scale requires you to accept responsibility. Choose the thoughts and actions that will lead you to success.

Nobody can do it for you. Only you can make it happen. You're the only one that has to live your life.

The day you take complete responsibility for yourself, the day you stop making any excuses, that's the day you start on the road to success.

You have the power to succeed at anything. The power to fulfill your dreams is within you.

Creating Your Character

By Jim Rohn
from Cultivating an Unshakable Character


Could creating your character be likened to an artist creating a sculpture? In my opinion, I believe that character is not something that just happens by itself, any more than a chisel can create a work of art without the hand of an artist guiding it. In both instances, a conscious decision for a specific outcome has been made. A conscious process is at work. Character is the result of hundreds and hundreds of choices you make that gradually turn who you are, at any given moment, into who you want to be. If that decision-making process is not present, you will still be somebody. You will still be alive, but may have a personality rather than a character.

Character is not something you were born with and can't change like your fingerprint. In fact, because you weren't born with it, it is something that you must take responsibility for creating. I don't believe that adversity by itself builds character and I certainly don't think that success erodes it. Character is built by how you respond to what happens in your life. Whether it's winning every game or losing every game. Getting rich or dealing with hard times. You build character out of certain qualities that you must create and diligently nurture within yourself. Just like you would plant and water a seed or gather wood and build a campfire. You've got to look for those things in your heart and in your gut. You've got to chisel away in order to find them. Just like chiseling away the rock in order to create the sculpture that has previously existed only in your imagination.

But do you want to know the really amazing thing about character? If you are sincerely committed to making yourself into the person you want to be, you'll not only create those qualities, but you'll continually strengthen them. And you will recreate them in abundance even as you are drawing on them every day of your life. Just like the burning bush in the biblical book of Exodus, the bush burned but the flames did not consume it. Character sustains itself and nurtures itself even as it is being put to work, tested, and challenged. And once character is formed, it will serve as a solid, lasting foundation upon which to build the life you desire.

To Your Success,
Jim Rohn

© 2003 Jim Rohn International.
All rights reserved worldwide.
www.jimrohn.com

I Dream To Become A Great Man

By: Moises P. Reconalla

I was born as a poor boy and grew up in the street without the care, guidance and supervision of my beloved parents. I have experienced an empty stomach, being almost naked, existing without permanent shelter and without proper education.

As a young man, with deprived and some sad experiences of life, I started to think of innovation and dream for my future. I dream to become famous, I dream to become a great man!

Yes, I to dream to become a great man, a great man with power and authority; a great man like Abraham Lincoln, Brian Tracy, Benjamin Franklin, Dave Higgins, John Maxwell, Manuel Quezon, Martin Luther King Jr., Og Mandino, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Theodore Roosevelt and Winston Churchill.

Yes, I dream to become a great man because I want to have a change and improvement, a change and improvement to my beloved country, a change and improvement to the lives of the needy.

I thought to become a great man was to have power and authority, power and authority over the lives of the people, power and authority to become their lord and master.

But now I realize that to become a great man, it is not to become the lord of their lives, instead the lord of good example.

I also realized that to become a great man it is not to become the master of their lives, instead a master of change in helping to improve their way of living.

Now, with these precious thoughts that are still fresh in my mind, I am thankful to my beloved Creator for helping me to realize this.

Another thing is that to become a great man, is to change and improve first myself. Not be a self-centered, lord and master to others, instead a lord and master of my own self.

I realize that by changing my own self, I can gradually change my own destiny. I realize that by changing my own self, I can gradually brighten up my future.

Lo! Today I will live as if it is my last. I will improve my character, my skills, my talents and myself. I will serve and help others with love and care and I will become great!

Yes, I will become a great man if I will think about the good of others before myself. For only in serving, helping, loving, and sharing the blessings from Above, I can finally win the hearts, favors and support from my beloved human being. And my name will be hailed forever in the pyramid and pages of history!

--- Copyright © 2007 Moises P. Reconalla

Article Source: http://motivateus.com/stories/becoming-a-great-man.htm


Be part of something positive and powerful that impacts the world. Submit your favorite positive quote, article, essay, poem or story for possible publication. Share your experiences, so others may learn from your wisdom and then they can share it with others.

Visit our website: http://motivateus.com/form.htm

Sing, Dance and Climb

By: William Arthur Ward

"Sing a new song; dance a new step; take a new path.

Think a new thought; accept a new responsibility; memorize a new poem.

Try a new recipe; plan a new adventure; entertain a new idea.

Learn a new language; blaze a new trail; enjoy a new experience.

Make a new friend; read a new book; see a new movie.

Climb a new hill; scale a new mountain; launch a new career.

Find a new purpose; fill a new need; light a new lamp.

Exercise a new strength; grasp a new truth; practice a new awareness.

Add a new dimension; encourage a new growth; affirm a new beginning.

Discover a new answer; envision a new image; conceive a new system.

Dream a new dream; chart a new course; build a new life.

Open a new door; explore a new possibility; capture a new vision.

Start a new chapter; seek a new challenge; express a new confidence.

Write a new plan; turn a new page; follow a new direction.

Watch a new program; be a new person; radiate a new enthusiasm."

My Creed

By: Edgar Guest

To live as gently as I can;
To be, no matter where, a man;
To take what comes of good or ill
And cling to faith and honor still;
To do my best, and let that stand
The record of my brain and hand;
And then, should failure come to me,
Still work and hope for victory.

To have no secret place wherein
I stoop unseen to shame or sin;
To be the same when I'm alone
And when my every deed is known;
To live undaunted, unafraid
Of any step that I have made;
To be without pretense or shame
Exactly what men think I am.

To leave some simple mark behind
To keep my having lived in mind;
If enmity to aught I show.
To be an honest, generous foe,
To play my little part, nor whine
That greater honors are not mine.
This, I believe, is all I need
For my philosophy and creed.

LIFE IS WORTH LIVING

By: Jeanine Van Wyk

THROUGHOUT LIFE COMES GOOD AND BAD
THINGS MAKE US HAPPY OR SAD
PEOPLE GIVE OUT LOVE, BUT ALSO HATE
THOSE THAT SHARE LOVE ARE CLOSEST MATES
THERE ARE TIMES WE FEEL UNAPPRECIATED
AND THAT ALL PEOPLE ARE FILLED WITH HATRED
WE CAN KEEP GRUDGES BUT WHAT ARE THEY WORTH
FEELINGS OF BITTERNESS WHILST WE LIVE ON THIS EARTH
FORGIVE AND FORGET THE MISTAKES PEOPLE MAKE
WE’VE ALL FALLEN GUILTY TO GIVING LESS THAN WE TAKE
SHARE LOVE, LAUGHTER AND POSITIVE FEELINGS
AND YOU'LL BEGIN TO SEE THAT LIFE IS WORTH LIVING.

Our Deepest Fear

By: Marianne Williamson
Return to Love


"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear in that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our Light, not our Darkness, that most frightens us.
We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?
Actually, who are you not to be?

You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the World.
There is nothing enlightening about shrinking
so that other people won’t feel unsure around you.
We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us.
It is not just in some of us; it is in everyone.
As we let our own Light shine,
we consciously give other people permission to do the same.
As we are liberated from our own fear,
our presence automatically liberates others."

Learn How to Put Failures Behind

By: Steve Goodier

Unless we learn how to put failure behind us:

We will never ask for what we need for fear of rejection.

We will never ask a boss for a promotion for fear of her saying no.

We will never go back and take classes for fear of failing.

We will never change careers for fear of it not working out.

We will never forgive others who hurt us for fear of being hurt by them again.

We won't do the things we want to do for fear of letting ourselves and others down.

Unless we learn how to put failure behind us, we won't take any risk at all! And we'll never fully live, either.

Believe in yourself

Believe in yourself!

Believe you were made to do any task without calling for aid.

Believe, without growing too scornfully proud,
that you, as the greatest and least are endowed.

A mind to do thinking, two hands and two eyes
are all the equipment God gives to the wise.

Believe in yourself!

You are divinely designed and perfectly made
for the work of mankind.

The truth you must cling to through danger and pain;
the heights others have reached you can also attain.

Believe to the very last hour, for it is true.
That what ever you will, you've been gifted to do.

Believe in yourself and step out unafraid.

By misgivings and doubt be not easily swayed.

You've the right to succeed;
the precision of skill which betokens the great
you can earn if you will!

The wisdom of the ages is yours if you'll read.

But you've got to believe in yourself to succeed.



Winning Words of Champions,
p. 103

CHARACTER

By: Jim Rohn
Success Philosopher

CHARACTER is the result of hundreds and hundreds of choices you make that gradually turn who you are, at any given moment, into who you want to be. If that decision-making process is not present, you will still be somebody. You will still be alive, but may have a personality rather than a character.…

CHARACTER is not something you were born with and can't change like your fingerprint. In fact, because you weren't born with it, it is something that you must take responsibility for creating. I don't believe that adversity by itself builds character and I certainly don't think that success erodes it. Character is built by how you respond to what happens in your life. Whether it's winning every game or losing every game. Getting rich or dealing with hard times. You build character out of certain qualities that you must create and diligently nurture within yourself.…

CHARACTER sustains itself and nurtures itself even as it is being put to work, tested, and challenged. And once character is formed, it will serve as a solid, lasting foundation upon which to build the life you desire.

To Your Success,
Jim Rohn


www.jimrohn.com

The Roadmap to Happiness

By: Coach Frank DiCocco
Thought of the Week
used with author's permission


I have thought deeply about what constitutes real happiness—true, genuine happiness.

I have tried to simplify these thoughts as much as possible into brief, straightforward guidelines, that hopefully will serve you well for many years to come. What follows is my best personal opinion of how to go about creating a truly worthwhile and happy life:

Be good, and do good. That is simple enough.

Know what is right, and do what is right. (Again, that is simple enough.)

Live each day in such a manner that, when you go to sleep each night, you do so with a clear conscience. This will come from making every effort that you can to live the life you know you should be living.

Live your life the best way you know how.

Never do something you won't be proud of.

Never become someone you won't be proud of.

Do not search for riches, fame, or material wealth. Live your life the best way that you can, and if you do, you will attain the most valuable possession there is: peace of mind.

Realize that there is no substitute for being a good person.

Work hard at developing meaningful, genuine relationships. As legendary coach, John Wooden, said: "Make friendship a fine art."

Contribute to the lives of others.

Help make other people's lives a little better and more pleasant than they might otherwise be.

Have a positive impact on other people. Care for others as much as you can, and show appreciation to the important people in your life as often as you can.

Leave a legacy of love and respect.

Learn to forgive, and actually practice forgiveness.

Learn to ask for forgiveness.

Learn to control your emotions. Learn to think before you speak and act.

Learn to control your anger, or else it will control you.

Never judge anyone. Be kind and respectful to everyone; you never know what someone might be going through.

Keep an open mind. Accept the fact that you may not always be right.

Keep an open heart. Understand that what you want in life, and that what you are called to do may change as you gather more knowledge and experiences.

Do not fear change. Embrace the exciting opportunities that come with the future.

Always be positive. Remember, you can be realistic and positive at the same time.

Enjoy the life you have, because it's the only one you're going to get.

Don't always take yourself too seriously. Learn to laugh at yourself and at your circumstances. Find ways to make the arduous and tedious things enjoyable.

Don't waste time complaining. Find something to be thankful for, and make the most of the good things you have in your life. Focus on the positives, and you will find that everything else seems to disappear from view.

Appreciate what you have. Pursue what you want.

Do not be contented with the work of yesterday. Keep moving forward, and keep striving toward something worthwhile.

Always do your best. If your best is good enough, then enjoy the rewards. If your best isn't good enough, then keep working and keep giving your best until one day it is.

Be humble; it is better to be humble of your own choosing than to be humbled by other people or by circumstances.

Never be satisfied with any accomplishments, but instead, resolve to continue to do your best every single day.

Find out what you have a passion for, and then do it. And don't just do it for your own benefit; find a way to use your gifts and your passion to help others.

Do two things with your life: simplify it, and maximize it.

Hold on tightly to your sense of self-worth and your dreams. They belong to you, and you alone. No one can take away any of those things unless you allow them too.

Learn to value your integrity. You come into this world with it: make sure you do all you can to leave this world with it as well.

Don't just go through the motions in life. Make the most of yourself and your time in this world.

Don't wish for better circumstances. Go out and make them.

Make the most of your talent and your opportunities, and find a way to do it in service to something that is greater than your own immediate self.

Leave your mark on this world. Leave a piece of your spirit behind in the hearts and minds of everyone you meet.

Let the world be a better place for your having been here.

Realize that we are all part of something larger than ourselves, and that we are called to do as much good in this lifetime as we possibly can.

Live with honor, live a life that matters.

Live in such a way so that at the end of your life, you will be able to say, in the words of Henry David Thoreau, "My life has been the poem I would have writ. But I could not both live and utter it."

... in other words: Make Your Life a Masterpiece.

MAN CANNOT DISCOVER NEW OCEANS UNLESS HE HAS THE COURAGE TO LOSE SIGHT OF THE SHORE..

Peter got out of the boat, and walked on the water and came toward Jesus. Matthew 14:29 NASB.



When Luciano Pavarotti was a boy, his grandmother often put him on her lap and said, “you’re going to be great, you’ll see.” His grandmother, however, had dreams of Luciano becoming a banker!

Instead, Pavarotti became a schoolteacher. He taught elementary school for a while, singing infrequently at special events. His father became the one who goaded him into developing his voice, chiding him for singing below his potential.

Finally, at age twenty-two, Pavarotti stopped teaching…to sell insurance. He continued to look for something stable on which he could rely financially, in case he couldn’t make it in the music world. The insurance business allowed him time to take voice lessons, and the rest is history. The opera star now says, “Studying voice was the turning point in my life. It’s a mistake to take the safe path in life.”

He adds with a twinkle in his eye, “My teacher groomed me. But no teacher ever told me I would become famous. Just my grandmother.”

It takes courage to leave a position you consider safe and launch out in a new direction. But without taking a risk, you can never realize your potential or know all God created you to be. From: God’s Little Devotional Book