Monday, June 28, 2010

Start with the worst first..!

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Why put off for tomorrow what you can do today?

It is human nature to put off the things that we do not want to do in the first place.

All of us have items or tasks that need to be completed, yet we continually procrastinate getting them done.  There are many reasons for this.  It may be a painful, boring, or costly task.

Experience tells us that if we get it done we will feel much better and more importantly we will be less distracted and more content when it is behind us.

Some simple advice for you when you are faced with a list of unpleasant tasks to deal with in your life.

Start with the worst first!  If tomorrow morning you get up with the full intent of completing one of those painful tasks and not even think twice about making it happen, you will reap many benefits.

I know that I said it in a previous Blog..............JUST DO IT..

Sorry that my BLOG is a little short this week, but I have to go complete some unpleasant tasks that I have been putting off!!!

Have a great week!!!


"Helping you to the next level"

Monday, June 21, 2010

Persist........without exception!

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I was once told by a a former boss that I was patient, but persistent.  When I first heard this, some 17 years ago, it took me awhile to truly understand what that meant.

There are many people out there that are simply patient.  They are willing to wait and wait for things to happen in their life......not all bad.!....or is it?

When a farmer plants a crop, they patiently wait for the fruits of their labour.  In this case, patience is a good thing, simply because the farmer took action in the first place.  It is very possible that over the years the outcome was not always desirable, perhaps some poor crops........but the farmer continued to seed year over year.  He persisted, without exception, even though many times, he thought about giving up.

Winston Churchill, was quoted as saying, "If you're going through hell, keep going."

In life, we are thrown many curve balls and challenges, but if we continue to persist without exception, we can overcome the challenges.  This is not always easy to do, but you need to be strong!

I learned valuable insight from Andy Andrews. (7 Decisions for Success).  He comments about the persistence of a child.
"How long must a child try to walk before he actually does so? Do I not have more strength than a child? More understanding? More desire? How long must I work to succeed before I actually do so? A child would never ask the question, for the answer does not matter. By persisting without exception, my outcome—my success—is assured. I will persist without exception. I focus on  results."

On a final note for you to ponder, I share some insight from Eckhart Tolle, from his book, The Power of Now.  "Do not be concerned with the fruit of your action just give attention to the action itself.  The fruit will come of its own accord."
 
I thank my colleague and friend Terry R. for reminding me of this very important message!!!
 
Have a great week everyone!
 

 
"Helping you to the next level"

Sunday, June 13, 2010

Your Bucket List!

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What is in your Bucket List?

-Owning Real Estate
-World Travel (back to Maui for me)
-Financial abundance
-Find an amazing relationship
-Luxury Car
-Own a Harley
-Help your kids financially
-Make a difference in your community
-Create multiple streams of income
-Perform Stand-up comedy
-Run a marathon
-Healthy lifestyle

We all have the list, but we often don't physically write down the list.  Why?

Kids do it with their Santa list.  They write down everything that they want.......it is usually a really long list.  As adults, we assume or realize that we cannot have everything we want, so we stop dreaming and wishing that it can happen to us.  Kind of sad, isn't??

In the 2007 movie, "The Bucket List", (with Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson), the two characters meet each other in a hospital room as they are both fighting a terminal illness.  As they build a close relationship, they decide to create a list of the things that they want to do before they die.  Their, "kick the bucket list"

It is a great movie, as they travel to amazing places and learn a tremendous amount from each other, yet discover what LIFE is truly about.  They make positive changes in their life near the end, and reconnect with people that are in their life.

So, why is it that most people think about their Bucket List when their life is near the end?

There was a quote I heard approx. 20 years ago, (Dick Lohr) which stated, "We should live our life on purpose, not by accident."  This quote has always stuck with me for all these years.

If we create our Bucket List today and attempt to accomplish each item on the list, with a lifetime ahead of us, would we not have greater odds at achieving the list, and truly "Live Life", than if we waited until it was too late?

What's in your Bucket List?   Start building it today!....and realizing the joy of achieving the outcome of the list while you are alive and well.............!

Make it a great week!

"Helping you to the next level"

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Never Assume!!

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How many times have you jumped to conclusions or made certain assumptions and were totally wrong?

You know the old saying................"Never ASSUME, because it can make an ASS of U and ME."

This is an area that I constantly strive to improve upon, however I still catch myself making assumptions.

The good news is that I am right sometimes......The BAD news is that I am wrong more times.

When we were young, we were taught to count to 10 before getting mad and saying something that we may regret.  In our adult life, this is still applicable and it works well when you ASSUME things.  The key difference is that you should likely count for 48 hours....or more in some cases!!!

I failed to follow my own advice recently and jumped to an assumption, that was totally wrong.

As it turned out I made an ASS of me, and not of the other person.  The great ending to the story is that I have truly learned from the experience and more importantly, the other person offered something that TRUMPS any assumption................Forgiveness and understanding that provided a very favorable outcome for both of us!

A quote to ponder.....
“Most of us can read the writing on the wall; we just assume it's addressed to someone else.”
      -Ivern Ball

On a final note, you can assume that I will be updating my BLOG again next week, but don't ASSUME it will be amazing and life changing....LOL...!

Have a great week.

"Helping you to the next level"......and me too!