Archive for August, 2009
Harness the Power of Your Surroundings
Photo courtesy of wili_hybrid
Few things have as much power over who you are, and who you will become as your surroundings. If you are always surrounded by clutter than you will find it very difficult to focus. If you hang around a bunch of cynics than it is going to be hard for you to see new opportunities. If you watch violent tv shows on a regular basis you will be more tense. The thing is that your brain is constantly recording. Every smell, taste, person, thought, and image you pass is permanently a part of your sub-conscious. All of that stuff dwells in you, and over time the influence of these memories will manifest.
Obviously no one can control every aspect of their surroundings. There will be some things that just can not be avoided. Do not waist a moment worrying about what you can not change. There are things that you can do that will make a difference. This is what you must focus on. It is a matter of life or mediocrity. (more…)
12 comments August 29, 2009
5 Ways Serving Others Will Help You Succeed
photo courtesy of Phil Scoville
So you want to get your name out there, or you want to leave a good impression with someone. What if you’re trying for a raise at work? Maybe you want to launch a new business. The fact is that you can do almost any of these things with one simple trick. You have got to be helpful to others.
“You can have everything in life that you want if you just give enough other people what they want.” -Zig Ziglar
Here are the five ways that serving others can help you in your endeavors. (more…)
8 comments August 26, 2009
The Most Important Step in Making Your Dreams Come True
Photo courtesy of JasonRogersFooDogGiraffeBee
Everyone has a dream. Maybe yours is something athletic, like climbing a mountain. Maybe its something world changing like drilling wells in Africa. Maybe its something daring, like quitting your job and working from home. Maybe you dream of just being able to spend more time with your family. Whatever it is you are after there is one step that you have to do, or your dreams will not happen. So what is it?
Commit today to do everything in your power to make it happen. Maybe you don’t have enough money to get started. Maybe you don’t have the time to work on your dreams. The list of possible difficulties could go on forever, but if there wasn’t some element of difficulty would it be worth doing?
What you have to realize is that if your dream is not important enough for you to really commit to, than it is not going to happen. There will always be something else going on, there will always be difficulties, but you have one life that you are guaranteed, and you don’t know how long that life is. So how do you do this? (more…)
2 comments August 24, 2009
Og Mandino Quotes
For quite some time until a computer crash I had a list of this man’s quotes saved on my desktop. They were so powerful that I read them every day.
Edit 09/21/09: Just found the original post that introduced me to Og Mandino. This massive treasure chest is well worth the time to read it! Og Mandino Treasure Chest
Og Mandino was a World War II bomber pilot who could not find work after the war. A problem all too common for war veterans even today. With no where else to turn he started selling insurance. Between lack of work, memories of war, and his mothers early death Mandino turned to alcohol. He was at the point of being suicidal until he ran across the self-help section at a library. Steadily he replaced his drinking habit with the habit of reading positive books. This practice led him to becoming a great salesman, and one of the best selling inspiration authors of all time. Today his books and quotes are still a powerful treasure, but don’t take my word for it, here is what Mandino himself had to say. (more…)
2 comments August 23, 2009
Journey Your Goals to Fulfillment
You ever gotten an idea that worked out so well in your mind that you had to act on it? Maybe it was a business model that had to be written down. Maybe it was a picture that had to be drawn. Maybe it was that diet that you were going to stick with. What happened when you went to make it happen? Did it work out the way you intended on that first try?
For most of us I think the answer for that last question would have to be no. What you need to know is that, that is okay. It is normal to miss the first time you shoot for something. The vision that we had was so perfect compared to what we actually got that even if we got close to what we wanted it just doesn’t seem to be enough. Its like the difference in a rope bridge being long enough or too short.
Don’t let it get you down. You still have breath in you, otherwise reading this post would prove difficult. So things didn’t turn out how you wanted them to, it is okay. It is good that you aimed at something worth achieving. Now is a good time to ask yourself some questions about your goal. (more…)
3 comments August 21, 2009
Essential Questions
Who am I? What is the right thing for me to do? What is my purpose? What does it all mean? How many times have you found yourself making a decision in hopes of finding the answer to one of these questions? How many times have you chosen someone to admire based on their answers and example in regard to these questions? Its important that we ask these things, and its important that we find our own answers to them. I don’t think there is an absolute answer to any of these questions, at least not one that could be proven once and for all yet. Below are the answers that I’m using for these essential questions. These answers are just my way of seeing things. You don’t have to accept them and feel free to critique them, or even add to them. (more…)
Add comment August 16, 2009
Lao Tzu Quotes
In ancient China there was a dead tortoise shell kept in the palace as a symbol of the emperor. When Lao Tzu was asked about politics like his rival Confucius focused on he replied that it was better to be a turtle dragging its tail in the mud, than a dead one in a great palace. One of my favorite movies is Kung Fu Panda, and one of the coolest characters, Oogway (pictured above) is heavily based off of the philosophy given by Lao Tzu in the Tao Te Ching. Lao Tzu taught to be satisfied with things as they are, to let go of the strife of trying to control things that we have no power over, to seek knowledge of yourself, to live with kindness, and to enjoy life in the present while you have it, because that is all there is. Much of the beauty seen in the eastern culture has been greatly influenced by this man. Here are just some of the great quotes from Lao Tzu. (more…)
Add comment August 16, 2009
Power of Self-Imaging
Have you ever heard of how powerful your self-image is? I had, but I was skeptical, so I put together an experiment to test this… (more…)
2 comments August 14, 2009
10 Ways to Celebrate Besides Food
Every major holiday here in America makes a huge deal about food. When we see our family and friends one of our first instincts to celebrate is to go out for food. When somebody has a birthday, we usually celebrate with some form of food, and than we wonder why we have the fattest country in the world. Enough already. There has to be some way to celebrate besides food. This has really been on my mind a lot since I’m trying to get in to better shape. Here’s a list of things that I’ve come up with.
1. Look up the local sights and go visit them. You don’t have to wait till someone comes to visit. Got a birthday? Meeting up with friends? Have at it.
2. Go feed ducks/ fish at the park/zoo My little siblings were visiting me around Christmas time and I had a loaf of bread that had gone stale, so we took it to the park, and we had a blast feeding the ducks.
3. Play a game. I don’t care if its a card game, board game, dominoes, or video game. They’re all great chances to spend time with the people you care about.
4. Go to a movie There should be a dollar theater somewhere in your area, its not that expensive to go in that case.
5. Put in a movie Ok, so you don’t have to go out to see a movie. Between the library, rental stores and your own collection there should be something good that not everyone has seen.
6. Walk around a historic downtown district. These are usually loaded with lots of unique shops to go look through and can be tone of fun!
7. Go to a car show. Depending on where you are you may not need to even pay to get into one, and there are a lot of really really nice cars at these things. I’m not even a car person and I have a blast at these things!
8. Go to a concert A lot of colleges concerts on campus that are either free or low cost, it can be a lot of fun to go and see them.
9. Hike a trail! Most places have at least a park with some nice scenic hiking trails. Just going for a walk on one can be a lot of fun, and a good chance for everyone to visit.
10. Get a group picture! Load up in the vehicle or walk around and look for the best places to get good group pictures!
What ideas do you have for celebrating that doesn’t have to involve food?
Add comment August 12, 2009
Compliments
Our views of ourselves in America have gotten completely skewed. One minute we are told that we should buy things for ourselves because we deserve them, the next we get the message that we are not on the same status of others because of what we don’t own. We are sold messages all day of what we are supposed to look like, how we are supposed to dress, and a whole slew of marketing ideas hitting our senses, and changing the ways that we think about the world and ourselves.
Its even gotten to the point where if someone gets complimented we usually have two gut reaction one is to be suspicious that we are being sold something and the other is to attempt to deny it entirely. Neither one is good. So what are we to do about it?
First off, what you own does not define you! What does define you is how you treat others, and what actions you choose to take. Second off, no one is born without some good quality. Do not take it for granted when someone compliments you. The best thing you can do is say thank you, as turning down a compliment is essentially calling someone a liar. Thirdly, people need more compliments! If you like how someone looks let them know. If somebody demonstrates good character let them know. The fact is that they may not know that they have that good thing going for them. Heck we don’t always know when we have something like that going for us!
With women complimenting clothing is fine. Men complimenting other men’s clothes doesn’t always come across how its meant, so it’s usually better to stick with compliments of character.
What about you? Has someone ever made your day with a compliment? What did they say? What would be something that if somebody told you would really make a difference to your day? Do you think you could make someone else’s day in the same way?
4 comments August 10, 2009
