Eradicating Bad Habits

“A habit cannot be tossed out the window; it must be coaxed down the stairs one step at a time” (Mark Twain). Focus on eradicating one poor ritual at a time. Replacing the bad habit with a positive, productive, and repetitive practice can eliminate the poor routine from one’s life. Setting a definitive time in the future, no longer than three months out, to stop smoking can build positive anticipation that facilitates the cessation process. Physical symptoms, such as anxiety, insomnia, and irritability may last up to two weeks. After that short duration the winning battle is in the mind. The time and trouble to become healthier is extremely short compared to the wonderful life-giving payoff. Sugarless gum or candy, coupled with physical activity can help tremendously.

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.

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.

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?

Think Positively

“We become what we think about all day long” (Ralph Waldo Emerson). Let us not be hindered by our own negative minds, attitudes, behaviors, emotions, or any poor internal or external environmental factors any longer. Take responsibility for your own life and become eternally rich. True wealth is created and felt on the inside. External rewards result from our internal affluence.

Reconditioning

It has been said that fleas can be conditioned inside a jar. After hitting the lid so many times they stop jumping so high. The fleas no longer jump out of the jar even when the lid is removed. Recondition your minds and begin living without self-limiting beliefs, today. Success is waiting for each of us on the other side of fear, indecision, nonbelief, and external obstacles.

Similar conditioning has held true for elephants. The programming process results set in after being shackled to the ground while young and unable to break strong ropes. Even while grown and fully capable of becoming unshackled, their unbelief or conditioned response made the seemingly impossible feat that was utterly and easily possible, hinder them from even trying. Do not let that be you any longer. You have too much greatness and potential in you to be shackled by self-limiting beliefs another moment. Go get your greatness out into the world and live out your dreams.

“Courage is contagious. When a brave man takes a stand, the spines of others are stiffened” (Billy Graham). Stop thinking too much and get busy doing more deliberately with powerful intrinsic purpose and meaning. Act as if failure is not possible. Act brave and you will be brave. Internally, feel victory and you will possess victory.

Trusting the Unknown

“Trust yourself, then you will know how to live” (Johann Wolfgang von Goethe). We become better human beings by doing things that force us to break through fear and live outside the box where limitations do not exist. People must drive outside their confining boxes or realities of life, therefore engineering a new highway in order to make the unknown known.

Progress

“Success usually comes to those who are too busy to be looking for it” (Henry David Thoreau). Focus on your passions and dreams with unstoppable self-discipline. Live life enthusiastically and invigorated while pursuing your dreams, not forgetting priorities and high personal intrinsic standards. The consistent self-discipline, determination, drive, work-ethic, perseverance, and desire for greatness must come from within each one of us. Progress is an inevitable result.

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.