Helping Others

“Mishaps are like knives that either serve us or cut us as we grasp them by the blade or the handle” (James Russell Lowell). Our attitudes toward our past and present circumstances can lead us toward joy or misery, which is always a choice. We can help each other become great by teaching people what to do, as well as what not to do in order to expedite a victorious joy-filled journey. Be vulnerable enough to tell your stories of both victory and failure in order to help others know what to do, as well as what not to do, while venturing along their expedition. Being bold, courageous, and humble enough to do this has profound potential to lead people into their greatness.

Pursue Your Dreams

Being a wonderful father or mother, son or daughter, husband or wife, an individual living out a mission or calling versus working a job or having a profession, and becoming physically, mentally, emotionally, socially, and spiritually fit, ensues through self-improvement. Growth and personal development are lifelong pursuits, which is why the persistent, relentless, courageous, and faithful individuals ascend higher than most. Winners are competing against themselves, while choosing to live without limitations, ceilings, or borders. Be boundless by embracing your true authentic self that produces real freedom and fulfillment. Remember, your opinion matters most and must guide your journey, not other people’s opinions about you. Be brave enough to believe in yourself and in the power of pursuing your dreams.

Raise Your Standards

“As I grow older, I pay less attention to what men say. I just watch what they do” (Andrew Carnegie). We must raise the bar high and do what we should do on a daily consistent basis whether we feel like it or not. Positive character development and reformation is absolutely possible and within your control. Decide to be, do, and give your best.

Harmony

“It is human nature to think wisely and act foolishly” (Antatole France). If people think they should live with integrity, yet do not follow through on promises, there will be inner conflict. When we say and do what is harmoniously in sync with the internal blueprint regarding how we believe our lives, including the world around us should be, magnificent beauty and peace of mind triumphs. Integrity is only working at half its potential power when a person believes his or her integrity should be 100%, although only behaves honestly 50% of the time.

Do Your Best

“Doing the best at this moment puts you in the best place for the next moment” (Oprah Winfrey). Each day for the next 30 days read that list of character traits and continue adding to it. Be truthful to yourself, while diligently striving to develop the best of you. You deserve the best and your family deserves your best, therefore you owe it to yourself to become the best version of yourself, starting right now.

What’s In You?

“What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us” (Ralph Waldo Emerson). Right now, write down 15 character traits you like about yourself. Remember that progress only occurs by doing. Write 30 additional character traits you admire in others that you desire to acquire more of throughout your life journey. Work on developing admirable traits within yourself each day. Tomorrow is not a guarantee, therefore do what must be done, today. If this were your last day to be alive on planet earth, would you be proud of the choices, behaviors, and activities you’re partaking in? Is there someone or something you are neglecting that deeply yearns for your attention?

Acquire Your Dreams

What comes naturally to you? What interests you most in life? What gives you great enjoyment from life? What do you desire to improve upon? We can train ourselves and obtain training from others that have gone before us and succeeded in a specific endeavor. Find mentors or teachers and obtain the education and skill development required to help turn your dreams and goals into reality. Remember that action combined with limitless self-belief and unshakable faith are the kings of acquisition.

Ask, Seek, and Find

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you” (Matthew 7:7 NIV). Develop an insatiable hunger toward going after your transparent desires with an unstoppable, unyielding, relentless, determined, and courageous tenacity for results. Indeed, it is true that we get what we tolerate in life, as well as receive our genuine, honest, clear, and must have desires by asking, planning, doing, and becoming.

Successful Perspective

“Things turn out best for the people who make the best of the way things turn out” (John R. Wooden). Maintain positive mental attitudes (PMAs), while leaving the other person feeling better with a worthy goal to aspire toward. While desiring my son to pick up his clothes or put his toys away, instead of constantly criticizing or complaining, making a deal works much better. Telling him that he can earn money or toys for putting his clothes and toys away, although for every piece of clothing or toy left out one dollar or one toy is given back. Do you agree? Now, he makes an extra effort to keep his clothes and toys picked up.

Moreover, in the book, Total Recall: My Unbelievably True Story, Arnold Schwarzenegger wrote that he desired for his family to keep the lights off in the house to conserve energy. He ended up unscrewing the lightbulbs. His kids became tired of refastening the bulbs and started turning the lights off when they were not using them.¹⁴ People can get the point without nagging or complaining.

In the book, Believe in Yourself, Joseph Murphy quotes, “It is just as easy to imagine yourself successful as it is to imagine failure, and far more interesting too.”¹⁵ Arnold was all about reps, reps, reps and believing in himself, which massively helped create his success. That is how Arnold lives his life. Just like location, location, location is pivotal in real estate, reps, reps, reps of execution, execution, execution, action, action, action, and doing, doing, doing, practice, practice, practice can create an explosive revolution toward victory. An extra persistent dose of self-belief practically makes achieving goals certain.

True Motivation

“You can get a lot farther with a kind word and a gun than a kind word alone” (Al Capone). If a gun was held to your head or that of a family member and you were told you must stop a bad habit to prevent death, you could do it. That is called intrinsic motivation. We don’t want to coerce anyone, although we must sell ourselves in order to achieve our dreams. Desire the acquisition of dreams come true as badly as you crave the air you breathe. Dare to be original by being good and principled, while upholding steadfast concrete moral values and associate with people that sustain and reciprocate the like.