Josh Hinds Motivation and Inspiration Journal

I find it particularly disheartening when I hear someone refer to a persons success and achievements as simply luck. Or even worse… dumb luck.

The word luck implies that the person had very little to do with the positive outcome they are currently enjoying. In fact, it even conjures up the idea that someone that is enjoying their success could have as easily achieved the result from doing something as simple as going to the local store and purchasing a lottery ticket and hoping for the best.

The reality is that “luck” in and of itself in virtually all the cases of those where one might define a person as being successful had little if anything to do with it. Very often, the exact opposite is true. One can easily find countless examples where the ingredients of being action oriented, and persistent had much more to do with the attainment and rewards these people are enjoying.

Assuming that you agree with me that the word luck by itself has very little to do with what it truly takes to be successful in ones ventures — why is it that all to often we don’t associate the true ingredients when discussing the success of others? Rather than use words such as lucky, why don’t we instead celebrate the fact that the person in question worked hard, put forth the ample effort and is being rewarded for all that went into getting them to where they are now.

Perhaps we should look to several examples as to why this is true. First, very often we want the quickest results possible. Knowing this is the case, accepting that having the stick-to-it-ness necessary to achieve greatness isn’t all that glamorous. Perhaps it is easier for us to simply say, they were lucky then to say, “If they can do it, I can learn from this persons example and achieve similar results in my given area of endeavor.

In looking not to just the end result, or glamorous rewards often associated with the success stories of other people, but also in the hardships they had to endure we can gain a needed strength. It is from that very strength that I believe we can in turn move closer to our own definition of success.

The next time you hear someone calling a persons achievement lucky, I hope you will do both yourself and the other person a big favor and disagree with them wholeheartedly. Remind them that far more likely then simply luck was all the effort that we may not even be aware of that went into getting them to where they are now.

It’s a simple shift in the way we choose to view things, but it is a shift that gives us the power and knowing that we are as capable as anyone when it comes to reaching our dreams and desires.

– Here’s wishing you great success, Josh Hinds

* Josh is the author of Why Perfect Timing is a Myth: Tips for Staying Inspired and Motivated Day in and Day out! Grab your copy at http://www.getmotivation.com/booklet/

(c) All rights reserved.

Remember, your dreams are yours for the taking…

But …
You’ve got to put forth the action it requires to get started as well as keep the faith as you move forward in spite of those who might intentionally (or otherwise) attempt to throw water on your dreams.

You have it in you to live the life you desire. If you didn’t, you wouldn’t have conceived the idea in the first place. That much I can tell you. Unfortunately what I can’t tell you is the particular mix of perseverance it will take to reach your destination.

So here’s a bit of simple advice — don’t give up just shy of your goal — stay in the game even when the chips are down. Because very often it is just on the other side where our goals and dreams reside.

It’s Your Life, LIVE BIG! Josh Hinds

* Josh is the author of Why Perfect Timing is a Myth: Tips for Staying Inspired and Motivated Day in and Day out! Grab your copy at http://www.getmotivation.com/booklet/

(c) All rights reserved.

No matter what goals and dreams you desire, there’s a good chance it’s going to mean reaching beyond what you believe yourself to be capable of.

This fine line between what we think we can achieve and cannot is often referred to as one’s comfort zone.

Whether it’s giving a report in class, or preparing to make a speech to the board of directors at your company — we all have a point where we begin to doubt what we’re made of. Can we really pull it off we ask ourselves?

Perhaps you’re asking yourself something similar at this very moment in your life. Let me assure you — the answer is YES! Yes you can.

Now that’s not to say you’re not going to be scared, or perhaps even hear your knees knocking. Fear, is simply part of being human — to some degree, we all deal with it.

The key is to manage that fear and not allow it to hold us back. At the risk of belittling something as serious as overcoming one’s fears… I’d like to offer up this little acronym to keep in mind the next time you find yourself faced with one of life’s less then comfortable situations…

F = alse
E = vidence
A = ppearing
R = eal

Don’t worry; what you read above is not a typo Keep that saying in mind, and also keep clearly in mind that just beyond your personal comfort zone lays great achievements.

Here’s to your Success, Josh Hinds

* Josh is the author of Why Perfect Timing is a Myth: Tips for Staying Inspired and Motivated Day in and Day out! Grab your copy at http://www.getmotivation.com/booklet/

(c) All rights reserved.

I’m often asked how it is that I stay so positive. Now allow me to clear up some misconceptions you might have based on that last statement. I am not one of those folks that walk around with what is commonly referred to as a career politician’s smile painted across my face.

Although I do believe whole-heartedly in the power that a simple smile can impart on another. No, you see, just like everyone else, no matter how over all a positive person I am, or attempt to view things I still have my down moments.

I like to call it being human

The very fact that we are just that, human, allows us all to have down times. The difference lies in how quickly we choose to get over those things that are holding us back, or making us feel at less then our personal best. And that I believe is a major key - being able to get past the downtimes in ones life as quickly as possible and getting back on with being your best. Moving towards continuous improvement.

Remember, self-improvement is a hands on project. That is to say that without ongoing implementation and attempting of the new ideas we learn, try as we might, we aren’t going to miraculously wake up one day changed people. No, we’ve got to apply those ideas and bits of advice we learn.

Now if I might elaborate a bit on motivation itself. And how I believe you can better stay on the path of leading a more positive life, as well as pursuing your journey with greater motivation. I’ll use the saying of Zig Ziglar; he has such a simple - yet powerful way of getting the point across…

Zig say’s, “People often say motivation doesn’t last, well that may be true, but neither does bathing - that’s why we recommend it every day.”

Now if that’s not an ahhh haaaa moment for you, I’d like to ask you to really take in the simplicity of Mr. Ziglar’s words. You see, that is the “gasoline” that has fueled my own journey to where I am now. It’s how I stay positive in a world that others might tend to view as negative. It’s how I tune out most of the negative things around me, and tune into what’s positive.

But enough about me… Most importantly, it’s how you can lead a more positive daily life. And as you can see, it’s not really all that complex is it?

Let’s look at it another way. You wake up and you pretty much have a clean slate. In most cases your day is fresh - neither overly negative nor positive. That being the case - and if you’ll concede that what I illustrated above is true, then wouldn’t it stand to reason that importing positive thoughts (i.e. reading, listening, reciting, etc.) first thing in the morning, and throughout your day could do wonders towards reprogramming your mind and the over all way in which you see your world?

I would say that it would - So here’s your homework for today… Ugghhh, I never was that great of a student, and so I must tell you that even hearing that word homework, gives me the shivers as I’m sure it did some of you… Even so, like I said before, self-improvement is a hands on project so it’s worth getting over it and now embracing the view that you are a life long learner.

I did, and I can tell you - I’ve been infinitely better for it as I’m certain you will as well. It really is just a shift in your thinking from - I’m not a good student to - I enjoy learning for what it will make of me. Simple? Of course, but I’m living proof that simplicity is often all it takes.

So here’s what I’ll ask you to do….

Copy the following quote again on a 3×5 index card - or somewhere you can keep it handy and not lose it:

“People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing - that’s why we recommend it daily” - Zig Ziglar.

Read that several times a day. Also, choose to read something or listen to something of a positive nature at least three times a day - preferably, morning, noon and evening. What would be even better is if you could immediately counter any and all negative experiences with something positive.

Given the events of most people’s days this isn’t always feasible, but it can pay dividends and is worth attempting. The big thing to keep in mind here is that no matter how great any idea or advice is, unless YOU choose to implement it and give it a fair shot to work its magic in your life you’re not going to get results.

Let me say that again - because it’s that important!

YOU have to be a part of your own success journey. If you want to see real lasting change for the better in your life, you’ve got to be the biggest part of the process.

So simply knowing that you can offset your negative feelings by introducing positive thoughts into your mind simply isn’t enough. No - you’ve got to actually do it - it’s going to mean keeping that motivational book, or tape handy to refer to when you need to. It might mean stopping what you’re doing at the moment or even scheduling yourself (and sticking to it) sometime to take in positive or motivational material.

Like dieting, or exercising, developing a positive mental attitude is a choice. It requires nurturing. It’s not always immediate, but if you will work on it, and cultivate it you will see results. And those around you will as well.

To Your Success, Josh Hinds

(c) All rights reserved.

As a whole I think there is a sad tendency in most of us to underestimate just how powerful we are. Just how much greatness lies inside each and every one of us - just waiting to get out. The reality is if you knew just how special you were - and how much greatness went into making you the unique you that you are I’m convinced you’d immediately know that nothing can truly keep you from achieving that which you want in your life.

The journey is not always an easy one - very little of lasting or true value is first paved with an easy road. In fact we often find it is those very times we believed to be insurmountable that are often most responsible for our gaining the skills it took to reach our eventual success.

What I’m suggesting is that the skills it takes to become that which we desire to become are learned only through times of hardship or unrest. Certainly the good times and study in self-improvement plays a part, but don’t discount the importance of life’s challenges either. In the end all parts of our life can be valuable teachers.

We need only accept that each event - positive or negative can hold in it an opportunity to be made better for having experienced it. Now that’s certainly not to say that we find any sort of joy in each and every one of life’s events - certainly not the negative ones anyway. However, it is I believe worthwhile to look for the lessons that exist in both the good and bad in our lives.

Being careful not to dwell on the negative. Remember, there is a huge difference between dwelling on - and simply learning from and moving past something.

Here’s wishing you great success along the journey of life, Josh Hinds

* Josh is the author of Why Perfect Timing is a Myth: Tips for Staying Inspired and Motivated Day in and Day out! Grab your copy at http://www.getmotivation.com/booklet/

(c) All rights reserved.

I’ve long been a student of those who have achieved high levels of success. Over the years I’ve noticed several common threads in the makeup of the people I’ve studied. I’d like to recount several of those traits for you in the hope that in identifying them, you can implement these qualities into your own life and in turn be better as a result.

Responsibility, Persistence, and Belief in your own greatness - In virtually all the cases I’ve studied, every person at some point was faced with obstacles that could have kept them from reaching the level of success they are at now. Certainly it would have been easy for each of these individuals to simply blame their life’s circumstances for their lot in life and choose to surrender to the idea that greatness was not something they deserved.

Notice I didn’t say that the “super achievers” I’ve studied did not have issues or pitfalls occur in their lives. No, what makes them different is that they accept the short falls and get on with the business of overcoming and correcting those things as quickly as possible.

My friend, the fact is that none of us can control where we come from, or the poverty that we may or may not have been born into. However, what we can do is to begin moving past what stands in our way now, and start doing what it takes to improve our place in life. To accept where you are now, because you might happen to have less then someone else is simply not an excuse that I hope you will allow to stand in your way.

I assure you that no matter what might be standing in your way, there is someone in the world that has a story of things that stood in their way that will put yours or mine to shame… Yet somehow they plugged on until they found the “magic key” that unlocked what was blocking their way.

As you move forward on your success journey and begin to believe that you are cut out for greatness be sure to reach for and review the countless stories of those that have overcome what was in their way and reached their own definition of success. Let these examples be your fuel as you move towards your own dreams.

The reality is that you were born for great things, even if you can’t fathom this to be true at this time in your life — I assure you it is still so.

I’m not saying for a moment that it’s always going to be an easy path to follow. After all, if life were all a bed of roses we’d all be living the good life. But sadly, that’s not so, life takes work, it takes commitment, it takes a lot of persistence, and a commitment to oneself to be the best one possibly can be.

I’ll leave you with this final point. If you knew just how much greatness is inside you I’m convinced it would absolutely amaze you — you would live each day taking more chances because you knew that with each attempt you’re one step closer to unlocking greater success.

So my challenge for you at this very moment is to get on with the business of being the best you can be. Dream big dreams, plan and put the action necessary to bring out the great achievements you are capable of.

Yours in success, Josh Hinds

* Josh is the author of Why Perfect Timing is a Myth: Tips for Staying Inspired and Motivated Day in and Day out! Grab your copy at http://www.getmotivation.com/booklet/

(c) All rights reserved.

“What we put out, inevitably makes it’s way back to us. Whether those things are good, bad, negative or positive – they all make their way back to us over time.” – Josh Hinds

My hope is that you really gave a little thought to the quote above rather then chose to read over it as quickly as possible. If you’re like most folks (and me at times), I do hope you’ll go back and read it again. In my humble opinion, it’s that important

What got me itching to write about this topic again was that I was watching the movie Pay It Forward earlier tonight. If you haven’t seen it, you’re missing out if I do say so myself. The basic premise (at least that I get from it every time I see it) is based on the idea that by doing acts of kindness for others, even people we don’t know, we have within us the power make a big impact and even change the world around us for the better.

I’m certain that some of you reading this, I’ve just completely lost with that last statement – I’ll admit at first glance it might seem a little to good to be true, doesn’t it?

There was a point in my life where I have to say I might have discounted my own statement. And even at times in my life, when things happen that don’t appear to be making sense to me I admit it can be easy to discount it as well. However, it’s just about the time that I’d find myself doubting the power of random acts of kindness that I tend to become the receiver of someone else’s. Perhaps this is something you can relate to yourself?

I’m always reminded of one of my favorite quotes by Zig Ziglar every time I give serious thought to the idea behind random acts of kindness… Zig Say’s, “You can have everything in life you want, if you’ll only help enough other people get what they want.”

Now one could make the case that there is a difference between Zig’s quote and the importance behind random acts of kindness. After all, isn’t that the point? That is that the acts of kindness be completely random? That is, we do them without any direct expectation. To this I would say, you’re exactly right. I would however take it a step further and say that Zig’s quote is in fact more deep then the way you may interpreting it.

How so you ask?

Well, the way I see it, Mr. Zig Ziglar is suggesting we actually make the idea behind the quote the quote a lifestyle. A lifestyle in the sense that everything we do is built upon service to others. Not serving others only where we might see a direct or immediate benefit. That is the point at which I believe both ideas meet. You see, in both random acts of kindness & choosing to lead a life built on serving others. We put ourselves into a natural state where the things we send out (i.e. give freely to others) naturally come back to us in some form or another.

In both instances, the point is not that we’ll benefit directly, but so that others will. The ironic thing is that it’s through our giving without expectation that we are rewarded in ways often beyond what makes logical sense. You can refer to this as the law of reciprocity – which is perhaps best, explained by the idea that we are paid back for the good we do.

Unfortunately, the flip side is also true. We are very often re-paid for the negative and bad things that we put out as well.

If you doubt this take a minute to really give thought to times in your own life, and I’m certain you will see numerous examples where you’ve benefited as result of your sharing your kindness or good gestures with others.

Now that we’ve touched on the ideas behind – and importance of practicing random acts of kindness, I’d like to share a few ideas you might consider trying for the next few days.

Action Ideas for positively impacting others…

1. Consider sharing your smile with another person. Yep, I’ll admit this sounds simple, but you can’t imagine what a positive impact a friendly smile can have on another person, until you’re the person that’s the receiver of one

2. If you happen to go through a place such as a tollbooth, or something along those lines consider paying for both you and the next person in line. The idea here is that the other person doesn’t even know you did it. Remember, we’re talking about random acts of kindness here.

First, the person will be completely surprised. And since you’re not doing it in front of the person, there’s no chance for them to feel put on the spot or anything of that nature.

This sort of random act of kindness also has the power of being carried on several people down the line. Imagine how you would react if you get to the toll booth, and find that someone in front of you paid for you, without even knowing that person, much less expecting it. The chances are good that you’d pass along some kind act to the next person you come into contact with isn’t it? Well, guess what? Most folks feel the same way as you would

3. Send a card – something as simple as an unexpected card can make all the difference in the world. You don’t have to write a novel here. Short and to the point can be incredibly powerful. Simply let them know you wanted to stop what you were doing to write them and let them know you appreciated them, and why.

4. Consider leaving positive and encouraging quotes to people that sit down in the seats (or at the table) you’ve just left. The idea here is to be anonymous. Don’t leave your name or anything like that. Simply share a positive thought or quote.

You might even consider making 3×5 cards with positive quotes and sayings on them that you can leave at random places through out your day. Again, the idea is to be totally anonymous with them.

Think about how these things might have a positive impact on you. Would they give you a smile? If you were at a point in your day where things weren’t quite up to par might they be just the ticket to give you that needed positive jump start?

See, that’s the point. Random acts of kindness.

These are just a few ideas that you might want consider doing. I hope you’ll make up some of your own ideas as well and begin as soon as possible the act of putting good out there for others. Everyone benefits … the other person, the people they come into contact with, and ultimately you.

Finally, to illustrate the point I’d like share the following story with you…

There was a man that was walking on the beach one day when he came across a place where a number of starfish had been washed upon the shore. He noticed there was an older man who was feverishly running back and forth trying to put the starfish back into the ocean.

The younger man after watching the other fellow for a while said to him, don’t you know you can’t possibly save them all? Why are you wasting your time like this? To which the older man, after putting another starfish back into the ocean replied, “It made a difference to that one”.

Here’s to your success,
Josh Hinds

* Josh is the author of Why Perfect Timing is a Myth: Tips for Staying Inspired and Motivated Day in and Day out! Grab your copy at http://www.getmotivation.com/booklet/

(c) All rights reserved.

“Leaders are born, not made.” Right?
Let me ask you a question: do you believe that?
I’ll give you mine: I *don’t* believe it.

AND HERE’S WHY…

Reason Number One: Look Around You
Look at the military, businesses, schools and other organizations.
They are hiring people who they feel can make a difference.
They say, in effect, “Join us. Listen to us. Practice what we teach… and we will help you to make a difference with us.”

They look for - and find - difference makers.

Reason Number Two: Look At The People You Know

I’ll make you a bet.

I’ll bet you know some folks who have *become* leaders - people who influence others and make a difference in the world - through the time honored principles I mentioned above:

(1) good, hard study; and (2) applying what they have learned.

Reason Number Three: Take A Look At Me

Yep, you read that right.

You may not know me very well, but I kinda think I do LOL! And…
I’ll tell you this. If you were one of those proverbial “flies on the wall” who was “there” throughout the various stages of my life, you would have noticed a few things.

I didn’t act much like a born leader.
I didn’t even look much like a born leader. (Yes, I know that’s a perfect lead in for those of you who know me know. Keep those remarks to yourself for the time being!)
I didn’t accomplish a lot of “born leader stuff.”

But I *did* do this…

I took a good, hard look at certain types of people.
You know them. The “big guys” and the “little guys” who stand out above crowd in terms of their impact.

I looked.
I learned.
I acted.

DID YOU GET THAT?
One more time.

I found the right people and then…
I looked.
I learned.
I acted.

HAVE YOU NOTICED?

Most folks don’t think of themselves as a born leader.
Chances are *you* don’t.
But…
You *can* become a person who positively impacts the lives of all kinds of people in all kinds of ways.

And *that* is what I want you to hear.
You can.
You really can.
And if Josh Hinds can, YOU can.

CAUTION AHEAD

Remember, though…
Don’t compare in a non-productive manner.
Don’t expect too much too soon.
Don’t expect a free ride with no obstacles.

But above all…
Don’t sell yourself short.
Don’t give up on your dreams.
Don’t stop believing in your potential.
And don’t quit looking, learning and taking consistent actions in the right direction.

Growing in leadership potential together,
Josh

* Josh is the author of Why Perfect Timing is a Myth: Tips for Staying Inspired and Motivated Day in and Day out! Grab your copy at http://www.getmotivation.com/booklet/

(c) All rights reserved.