Motivation Articles, Essays, Tips and Advice

The turning point in my life came when I discovered the law of cause and effect, the great law of the universe, and human destiny. I learned that everything happens for a reason. I discovered that success is not an accident.

Failure is not an accident, either. I also discovered that people who are successful in any area usually are those who have learned the cause-and-effect relationship between what they want and how to get it.

Determine Your Personal Growth and Development Values…
To realize your full potential for personal and professional growth and development, begin with your values as they apply to your own abilities. As you know, your values are expressed in your words and actions.

You can tell what your values are by looking at what you do and how you respond to the world around you. Your values are the root causes of your motivations and your behaviors.

Clarify Your Personal Growth and Development Vision…
Create a long-term vision for yourself in the area of personal growth. Project forward five or ten years and imagine that you are developed fully in every important part of your life. Idealize and see yourself as outstanding in every respect. Refuse to compromise on your personal dreams.

Set Goals for Your Personal Growth and Development…
Now take your vision and crystallize it into specific goals. Here is a good way to start. Take out a piece of paper and write down ten goals that you would like to achieve in the area of personal and professional development in the months and years ahead. Write in the present tense, exactly as if you were already the person you intend to be.

Determine exactly what you want to be able to do. Decide who you want to become. Describe exactly what you will look like when you become truly excellent in your field and in your personal life.

Upgrade Your Personal Knowledge and Skills…
Set specific measures for each of your goals. If your goal is to excel in your field, determine how you will know when you have achieved it. Decide how you can measure your progress and evaluate your success.

Perhaps you can use as a measure the number of hours you study in your field each week. Perhaps you can measure the number of books you read or the number of audio programs you listen to. Perhaps you could measure your progress by the number of sales you make as the result of your growing skills.

Develop Winning Personal Growth and Development Habits…
Select the specific habits and behaviors you will need to practice every day to become the person you want to become. These could be the habits of clarity, planning, thoroughness, studiousness, hard work, determination, and persistence.

Action Exercise:

Decide today to develop yourself to the point where you can achieve every financial and personal goal you ever set and become everything you are capable of becoming. Write down your goals and make sure to look at them every day, then ponder ways you possibly achieve these goals.
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Brian Tracy is one of the world’s leading authorities on personal and business success. His fast-moving talks and seminars are loaded with powerful, proven ideas and strategies that you can apply immediately to get better results in every area. Be sure to visit the Brian Tracy web site

-What was biggest takeaway you got from the ideas shared? You’re welcome to share your thoughts in the comments section below.

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Play BIG – have fun with your life. Life is really a game of uncovering, sharing and feeling the exhilaration of being more you. Leaving behind what others have planned for you and becoming who you choose to be.

Be Bold – Courage, faith and action creates boldness. When you know that you deserve wonderful, invigorating and magnificent results in your life, you take positive and powerful actions. You were placed here and now because you deserve your dreams. When you are willing to plant the seeds, to work on your dreams, to take action it is because you know within your core that this is your destiny. This is your year to be bold – to be you!

Live Your Brilliance – What is your sweet spot? What positive impact do you have at work, home and among other people? When you are in the zone of contentment, joy and feeling a rush of satisfaction what are you doing? Knowing your zone is key to living your brilliance. It takes work to be honest with yourself so that you know, really know your zone. There is no easy way to be brilliant. Living your brilliance requires your willingness to focus in on your strengths and develop them to their highest potential no matter what.

Reap BIG results – when you play big, are bold and live in your brilliance you reap big results. It is the way of the world. Those results look different for each person. Your view of success is different from mine, that is what makes living so extraordinary. You can have life your way… if you chose to transform and live life with “The Three Bs” Big-Bold-Brilliant.

Decide that this is the year you will play Big, be Bold and be Brilliant!

It is your choice!

- Pegine
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Pegine Echevarria is a motivational speaker and author – a nationally recognized expert on success, leadership, and team building. Visit her at Pegine.com

-what do you think of ideas shared? How are some ways you plan to play Big, Bold, and brilliant this year (and beyond)?

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“People do not attract that which they want, but that which they are.”  – As A Man Thinketh

To put it another way: When you stop working on what it is you’re trying to get, and start working on you, only then will you get what it is you want.

It really is very basic when you think about it. Jim Rohn says, “To attract attractive people, you must be attractive. To attract powerful people, you must be powerful. To attract committed people, you must be committed. Instead of going to work on them, you go to work on yourself. If you become, you can attract.”

I know so many people who work very hard and diligently and sacrifice greatly in an effort to create wealth. But they haven’t changed who they are, and until they begin to think and act like wealthy people they’ll never attract the wealth they seek.

Wealthy people don’t think and act the way they do because they have wealth. They have wealth because they think and act that way.

How many people are on a diet today who don’t stand a chance of losing (and keeping off) any weight because they’re still the same person who gained all that weight to start with. Let me repeat again, so you’ll grasp how important this is: Slim people don’t think and act the way they do because they’re slim.  They’re slim because they think and act that way.

To get what you want, you change who you are, and you change who you are by simply changing the way you think and act. And one technique for doing that which is promoted by a lot of wise teachers is to “act as if.” If you “act as if” you’re slim long enough, then one day you will attract slimness even though you may be 100 pounds overweight today.

If you act as if you’re wealthy long enough, then one day you will attract all the wealth you can imagine even though you may this moment be destitute and homeless.

Bob Proctor says, “Act like the person you want to become. For as Goethe, the German philosopher, once wrote, ‘Before you can do something, you first must be something.’”

And that’s worth thinking about.

Vic Johnson
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Vic Johnson is a speaker and founder of a host of personal development websites. You can grab your free ebook copy of “As A Man Thinketh” by James Allen, a timeless success classic by clicking here!

-What are your thoughts on the ideas above? What are some of the ways you “act as if” in your life?

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There is a lot that has been written about how to motivate yourself when your motivation is weak.

Many of those motivation techniques are great, but in order to make them even more effective, let’s take a look at 10 things that kill motivation in order to figure out what causes our motivation to die in the first place.

1. No goals

Without goals, you really don’t need motivation. I mean, what in the world would you do with it? Run around in circles? Many people complain about not being motivated to do anything. The majority of the time, it’s because they don’t have any goals that excite them enough to do anything.

2. Failure

This is a big one. When we set out to achieve something and things don’t go as planned, we feel this thing we called failure. It could specifically be feelings like disappointment, embarrassment, or overwhelm. Knowing what to do when this happens to get your motivation back is critical.

3. Negative people

One comment of discouragement is often enough to kill any motivation some people may have. People who constantly make negative comments directed towards you should be avoided if you want to maintain your motivation.

4. Negative news

Bad news sells. If you focus too much on the bad things that are happening in this world, that may suck the motivation right out of you. No matter how good things are, the media will always have something bad to report. Try to focus on what’s good instead.

5. Low energy

Being fit plays a big role in your motivation. When you barely have enough energy to move around and do stuff, your motivation will suffer greatly. A good diet and exercise regimen will help with that.

6. Distractions

Distractions can come from anywhere. These are things that tend to throw our focus off course. If you stay off course for too long, your motivation will deteriorate.

7. Not taking action

When you don’t take action towards your goals, your motivation will die off fast. Often times, people will sets a goal, make all these plans, and then wait for the right time to start. Times like the first of the month, after the holidays, New Years, when summer starts, etc. Once you have a goal, you must take action right away, even if it’s on a Tuesday.

8. Lack of belief in yourself

You could be inspired and motivated by a book you read or a movie you see to go out there and make your dreams a reality, but if you don’t believe you can pull it off, you will eventually stop. You must truly believe you can achieve your goals, otherwise, you’ll soon start doubting yourself and when you do, kiss your motivation good-bye.

9. Boredom

There will be goals that require you to take repetitive actions that may slowly kill off your motivation. If you find running to be extremely uninteresting to you and your goal is to lose weight, that’s a formula for failure. Change up your strategy if necessary and where possible, hire someone else to do certain mundane tasks for you.

10. Lack of support

Often when we feel like no one is behind us, during the tough times, our motivation will fade. Having people who will encourage you is a great motivation booster. They can also help increase your belief in yourself.

By becoming aware of these 10 things that kill motivation, you can better prepare yourself to deal with these ahead of time, or when they occur, in order to keep your motivation alive. Being able to keep your motivation up will eventually lead to achieving your goals.
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Kevin Ngo is the creator of Motivational-Well-Being.com, a website full of tools to help people stay focused and take massive action towards their goals. On his site, you will find videos, stories, songs, and much more to help inspire you to pursue your dreams.

-What are some other ways you have identified that slow down  or stall your motivation? Even better, what are some ways you’ve found helpful in recharging your motivational batteries?

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Money isn’t what most people think it is, and that’s why they don’t have more of it. The one thing you have to shift in your thinking about money is the thought that it’s static, because it’s not. Money is not like rocks, yet most people treat it that way. Money flows and money grows, and if you think any other way about it, then money goes.

You most likely want the flowing and growing mindset about money. And that’s just it: money is a mindset. All wealth is. I define wealth as the increase in anything that is important to you. Whatever wealth is for you, creating more of it begins with a mind set, a setting of the mind toward an objective. If you have a mind to create more money, you have to start in the mind first.

This process is no different for any other wealth you wish to increase. Think about a relationship. Did it come in the million dollar package the day it walked in through your door? I doubt it. You have to work at it, play at it, and most of all, set your mind in the right direction about it, and that direction is always to be in the flow of it.

Part of flow is letting go. Can you hoard a relationship? Of course not. Do that and it dies. Money is no different. Jealousy kills the flow of money just as fast as it kills off relationships. The wealthy don’t hoard their money, they invest it. They let what money they have work for them to the point where every few years, or sooner, their money doubles.

Money, like a relationship, won’t increase if you squeeze it to death. Any thoughts of lack or fears of losing are akin to squeezing. Tight grips sink ships. I know, all these little truisms sound cute, but they’re true, especially when it comes to money. Because simply put, the fact is, money is a thought, a totally created human illusion as temporary as sand on the beach.

Just go to the mint and watch them destroy millions upon millions of dollar bills each day simply because they have been worn out, and you can imagine the flow it takes to do that. Illusions are defined by Webster as that which is real, but temporary.

Once you grasp this temporal nature of money in a big way, the desire to grip it so tightly begins to loosen. That’s when you see the impossibility of holding onto something that does not last. Yes, we can do it for a time, but becoming detached to any ideas of permanence with regard to money, supports you in increasing it. Such detachment is the beginning of letting your money flow.

Think about it. Money is as fluid as water. What happens to a pond when you dam it up? All manner of bacteria and algae grow to the point where everything gets choked off. Money is no different. Dam up the flow, and there your money goes; into stagnation. Break the dam and let the fresh water flow, and everything rejuvenates.

Think about this too: that if you think about money as being static, and you only have so much of it, like anything else in this Universe, you always get to be right about what you believe. Is that what you want to be right about? That the amount of money you have is it? How’s it going to grow then? How’s it going to flow then? Would you want your relationship to always stay the same? To never grow?

To never get more satisfying? I would venture to say that your answer would be a resounding “no” to that question. Then why do you treat money flow in this way? As if by holding tightly onto it, and not investing, somehow that will serve you. It doesn’t. What it does is put you out of the flow, and into stagnation.

The first question I am always asked is “How?” How do I let go? What do I invest my money in? I always answer the same way, and I know that this answer does not satisfy many, but that’s just the nature of the truth. It is what it is, and in the discomfort of finding out about it, you will be propelled out of your comfort zone and into the success zone where more of change and more of increase happen.

Because truth is, I have no idea how you are going to let go, or any recommendations as to what to invest your money in so that it grows in the flow. Only you can come up with such choices, and that’s as it should be. What I do know is, how to commit to being in the flow with regards to money. Or how to commit to being in the flow with regards to any increase in wealth you desire in your life.

I go over the exact procedure for setting and then flowing the energy of intention in The One Penny Millionaire!™ As always, the first step in that process is to take a stand for something. For more money. For an increase in your experience of love in relationship. For the perfect and right partnership. Because for whatever increase in wealth you desire, your commitment always begins the process necessary for your success.

And it is always, without exception, out of such commitments that miracles happen. What your particular miracles will be, I cannot say. I can only say, get out there and take your stand, the sooner the better. Why sooner? Because none of us are going to live forever, and accomplishment seems to be such a joyful way to pass the time for us human beings. Might as well begin to grow in the flow and right now! You go!

Just in case you’re beginning to think that I have no concrete “To do” suggestions to offer, truth is, I do have one. One of the most effective and useful ways to get in the flow with regard to the money mindset that creates wealth is to tithe.

What tithing sets up is the mindset of plenty, and in that set of “having enough to give it away” thoughts, and in that abundant conversation, miracles of increased wealth happen. I have seen this truth in action so many times, I won’t even try to explain why it works so well. I probably don’t even really know why, only that it does. But I don’t know how electricity works so well either, but that doesn’t mean that I’m not willing to use its flow to my benefit all the time! You can do the same.

If you think you can’t tithe, or that you don’t have enough money, that’s when you need to tithe even more, so that you can get out of the “I don’t have enough” mindset, and into the “I have so much, I can even give away ten percent of my wealth and do better than ever before” mindset. Neither one is more right than the other one, or even better, but know that each mindset has its particular results.

I just happen to like the miraculous results of the in-the-flow-mindset most of all! The one that produces an increase in my wealth. Now that’s thinking with a wealthy mindset, the one you need to succeed with!
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TB Wright is the creator of The One Penny Millionaire!™ web based seminar series, and the author of Be BAD! Do Good! How To Get What You Want In Spite Of Yourself! which is available at www.onepennymillionaire.com

-what do you think of the ideas shared above? Is there anything you would like to share that would be helpful along the lines of this same topic? Please use the comments below to join the conversations.

When you set off toward a new destination or goal, like taking off in an airplane, you will have an idea of both your departure time and your arrival time. You will set a schedule for yourself and expect to arrive pretty much on schedule. But as soon as you take off, you will experience what pilots call “unexpected headwinds.”

The situation in your life is similar. As soon as you embark on a new journey, you will experience headwinds as well: everything will cost twice as much and take three times longer than you anticipated. You should estimate how long you will take to achieve certain milestones and then triple that time to get the actual time period required.

Types of Headwinds

Headwinds in your business and personal life will come from several sources. Your primary source of headwinds will be other people. They will disappoint you, cheat you, betray you, and fail to live up to your expectations, and turn out to be incompetent or indifferent.

Your customers will be a major source of headwinds. When you start a new venture, you will be amazed at how difficult it is to get customers to buy your product or service for the first time.

Your customers will disappoint you in that they will buy less than you expected, take longer to buy than you expected, pay slower than you expected, and complain more than expected. Remember that the customer is always right. It is not what you produce but what people buy that counts.

Financial Headwinds

Another form of headwinds that you will face has to do with money. Some people will tell you that it is easy to make all the money you want just by thinking positively and visualizing yourself as wealthy.

Everyone wants to believe that this is true, and many people embrace the idea of effortless wealth with their whole hearts. But that doesn’t include those people who have actually achieved financial success.

People who have made a lot of money have learned through bitter experience that the only thing easy about money is losing it. As the Japanese proverb says, “Making money is like digging with a pin; losing money is like pouring water on the sand.”

Personal Headwinds

You will experience headwinds personally in that you will discover, much to your surprise that you lack specific talents, skills, and knowledge that you need to succeed.

You may find that you are a poor time manager or that you lack self-discipline. You cannot seem to focus, concentrate, and apply yourself single-mindedly to your most important tasks. You waste time and feel overwhelmed with too much to do and too little time in which to do it.

You may lack financial, analytic, marketing, or selling skills. You may not know how to plan and organize your business, advertise effectively and attract customers, or persuade your prospects to buy from you.

Fortunately these are all learnable skills. But the starting point of mastering these essential skills is for you to admit that you need them. After that, the education can begin.

Action Exercise:

Because of your incredible mind, you can learn any skill you need to learn to achieve any goal you can set for yourself. You must never allow yourself to be held back because you lack a particular skill. Figure out what skill you need to increase the quality of your life, and then set out to learn it.
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Brian Tracy is one of the world’s leading authorities on personal and business success. His fast-moving talks and seminars are loaded with powerful, proven ideas and strategies that you can apply immediately to get better results in every area. Be sure to visit the Brian Tracy web site.

-What are your thoughts on the ideas above? Join the conversation by leaving a comment below.

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Bad things happen to good people. It’s not fair, but it’s true. Other than the fact that it was beautifully written, I think the reason Harold Kushner’s book struck such a chord (and was such a huge international bestseller) is that we can all relate to the title.

We’ve all seen it happen – to ourselves or to others (or all of the above). If life is a journey, then we all at some point pass through the valley of the shadow of death.

I’d like to share with you ten principles that I consider to be the Laws of Adversity. I hope that adversity doesn’t strike you this week, but if it does I hope that someday you’ll be able to look back and say that it was the best thing that every could have happened.

Law #1: Adversity is not optional; bad things do happen to good people. Fortunately, as Harold Kushner writes in his book of that title, “The ability to forgive and the ability to love are the weapons God has given us to live fully, bravely, and meaningfully in this less-than-perfect world.”

Law #2: You might not be able to choose whether or not you pass through the valley of the shadow, but you do choose whether or not to take up permanent residence down there in the darkness.

Law #3: We learn and grow more from our setbacks than we do from our successes. Adversity prepares you for bigger challenges and accomplishments in the future.

Law #4: Surviving adversity is a great way to build self-confidence, and to give you a more positive perspective on future adversity (if we survived that we can survive anything!).

Law #5: Adversity helps prevent hubris, arrogance, and complacency.

Law #6: When things aren’t working, it forces you to look at more creative solutions. There is opportunity hidden in every single adversity if you have the strength and courage to search for it and to pursue it when you’ve found it.

Law #7: What you’ve fought to gain you’ll fight to keep and vice versa – easy come, easy go – but what you had to fight to gain you will fight doubly hard to retain.

Law #8: Without the valleys, you won’t appreciate the mountains.

Law #9: Adversity keeps teaching – it provides great stories for the grandchildren! Your setbacks can, if you’re committed to learning from them and teaching about them, be the source of great learning for others.

Law #10: Adversity is a quiet teacher; you have to probe carefully for its lessons.
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Joe Tye is America’s Values Coach. He is also the author of several books and audio programs on personal, career, and business success, and a popular motivational speaker. Visit www.JoeTye.com

-I’m a big believer that adversity and challenges don’t occur simply to try and keep us from the good things in life. My own experiences have shown me that life’s challenges are in many cases opportunities through which we can grow and gain the skills necessary to attain a higher level of success then would likely have been possible without the skill set acquired from having overcome the given adversity.

The key is we have to be willing to work through whatever adversities come our way (and keep in mind the basic understanding that there’s a lesson in every challenge we’re faced with).

What’s your opinion? Do you have any experiences you would like to share where by overcoming or working through a challenge you found yourself better prepared as a result?

Sometimes, we have to peer into the dim recesses of the past to visualize how bright the future can be.

Most of us remember watching Neal Armstrong, live or on videotape, as he stepped onto the surface of the moon.  We remember that grainy, shadowy, black and white image as he assured us that it was one small step for man but a giant leap for mankind.

History has proven that Neal Armstrong was right, but if his small step for man took place in July of 1969, I would submit for your consideration that the giant leap for mankind took place on May 25, 1961–more than eight years before Neal Armstrong struggled down the ladder of the Apollo landing craft.

In May of 1961, President John F. Kennedy spoke to a joint session of Congress.  On that day, he threw down the gauntlet that America should send a man to the moon and return him safely within the decade.  As we look back on a successful moon landing for that Apollo mission, it’s hard to imagine the audacity of President Kennedy’s statement in 1961.

As he uttered those words, no American had even been in earth orbit, much less approach the moon.  The moon landing would require rockets not yet designed, made of metals and alloys not yet conceived, flown using navigation, telemetry, and docking techniques not yet developed.

From 1969 through 1972, 12 Americans walked on the moon.  During that time, it became so routine to us back here on earth that moon landings didn’t even garner top headlines or interrupt the primetime TV schedule.  No one has been back to the moon since then.

As we look back on this awesome feat made possible through the committed efforts of literally thousands of people, we have to ask ourselves whether JFK already knew things were possible when he made the statement or whether, when he made the statement, the impossible became conceivable, and the conceivable became doable.

Having read historical accounts written by the best scientific minds of the 1960s and now the 21st Century, it is apparent that neither President Kennedy nor anyone else knew how we would get to the moon.

The most miraculous outcome of Apollo may not be the walk on the moon.  It may be the power of an idea clearly articulated with firm conviction.

Many scientific breakthroughs came out of those Apollo moon missions that made the world a better place; but these improvements pale in comparison to what we could do if we would practice a bit more audacity and a bit less practicality.

My friend and colleague, Dr. Robert Schuller, often says, “Never get the ‘How are you going to do it?’ mixed up in the ‘What are you going to do?’”  Dr. Schuller understands what President Kennedy understood which is that our capacity is much greater than our current situation or the sum total of our present abilities.

As you go through your day today, think audacious thoughts, and make a point of taking an evening stroll.  Look up at the moon, and imagine the possibilities.

Today’s the day!
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Jim Stovall is the president of Narrative Television Network, as well as a published author of many books including The Ultimate Gift. He is also a columnist and motivational speaker. He may be reached at 5840 South Memorial Drive, Suite 312, Tulsa, OK 74145-9082, or by e-mail at JimStovall@aol.com. Visit www.JimStovall.com

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You can create a Passion Quest to find your purpose, create new dreams and gain greater clarity. You don’t even have to put your whole life on hold.

You can take a day, weekend, week or year… the purpose is to find, discover or reconnect to what you love… and then to follow it.

Let life lead you to and through the unknown where amazing gifts and insights often await. Connecting with yourself on a deeper level will help you achieve your dreams so in order to do this; you might choose to go on a Passion Quest.

For a period of time, explore using passion as the barometer for deciding what you will and won’t do (when choice is an option).

Whether work-related or during personal time, notice what excites you versus what drains you. Re-ignite your passion by simply doing more of what you love.

It’s an amazing thing when we take a little precious time for our Soul. It can inform us of what it actually needs.

I was somewhat surprised that my Passion Quest started out with visits to doctors, the dentist, body worker and the likes of that. It seemed that there was overdue maintenance and tuning up required.

I rewarded myself with a visit to a nearby spa where I had a massage and a mud wrap (trust me, it sounds odd but was heavenly)… and swam and sunned.

I also took a journal and some markers with me to do a little Soul work. My Soul informed me that this Passion Quest would have three parts:

1. Prep – getting my proverbial house/body/heart in order.

2. Inner work – meditating, asking reflective questions, listening for answers, writing and art work.

3. Outer work – time to follow myself, explore and experiment.

I am opening to what I truly love and what has great meaning to me at this time of my life. It’s a bit scary to ask these kinds of questions, since the answers hold unknown potential and often require that we grow or change in ways we can’t imagine.

How do you Passion Quest or take time to connect with your deeper truth and wisdom? What are you passionate about? What one thing do you love doing that might be your non-negotiable for this week?

Taking quality time for our heart and soul is an act of generosity. If you think it’s selfish, consider this. Connected to your passion and dreams, you will have more love, joy and energy to share with the people you love and care most about.

You’ll also have extra resource for your dreams and projects. You can even use a Passion Quest to create some new dreams!
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Marcia Wieder is a motivational speaker, specializing in helping people make their dreams real! In addition to her speaking and coaching she is the author of several books, and programs including: Design You Dream Life (4 CD set). Reach her by visiting her website.

-What are some of the ways you go about taking the time to connect with your goals and dreams?

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Look at any person, past or present, who achieved truly great things. People you know. Behind their accomplishments you will undoubtedly find a passion and love for what they do.

That deep emotion can only be aroused by a compelling purpose…

…an idea about what their life is to stand for.

So few people ever take even a few minutes and think about their purpose. Hardly anyone ever asks himself or herself, “What am I here for?” I never asked myself that question until October 1996.

In building the largest business of its type in the world, I became a slave to it. Building that business was not my purpose. So I asked myself, “What would I really love to do if I didn’t have to work to make a living?” The answer allowed me to be able to talk to tens of thousands of people every day.

And I love doing it…

Here’s a great story about being led by a great purpose:

Back in the late 70’s three white Canadians, two men and a woman, met and got to know a black teenage boy at a series of conferences held in New York City. They saw that he was very smart and enthusiastic, but were amazed that he couldn’t even read. The school systems passed him through without regard to his future. His parents were both alcoholics. They couldn’t run their own lives, let alone raise a family.

These three warm and loving people were skilled at buying and selling real estate, so they earned a very good living.

They also had a lot of free time.

Something in their hearts made them want to help this boy succeed in life.

He had the mind and the desire, but no guidance. They were heartbroken with the thought that he could wind up in prison, like his brother.

With the blessing of the boy’s parents, they brought him to live with them, where they home-schooled him so that he might be able to go to college…

Soon after his arrival, at a used book sale, he bought his first book, “The Sixteenth Round,” about a boxer named Rubin Carter, a former number one boxing contender, who had been unjustly accused and convicted of murder in 1966.

Being exposed to this story, the Canadians and the boy let a great mission guide them. They moved from Toronto to New Jersey to help Rubin win another trial, and went about trying to uncover new evidence that would prove his innocence. They had tremendous opposition to the gathering of their facts, but their determination and belief in Rubin’s innocence kept them on course.

In 1988, through their persistence, and with the facts finally on the table, Rubin “Hurricane” Carter became a free man for the first time in twenty-two years.

Many had come before them in the fight to free Rubin. But only they had stuck it out to the end.

These three wonderful examples of love, passion and purpose helped Lesra Martin, the Brooklyn teenager, to ultimately gain a Masters Degree in Law. And together, those four people helped give Rubin Carter his life back.

Now I have some questions for you…

What could you achieve if you put in one tenth of the effort and energy they exercised to achieve your own outcomes?

What does your life mean now? What will it have meant years from now?

You don’t have to free the world.

You don’t have to stop world hunger.

But unless you have a larger purpose in life and a larger purpose for today, you’re open to all kinds of fears, worries… about small stuff. It’s too easy to get depressed about stuff that doesn’t mean anything in the big picture.

As Richard Carlson says, “It’s all small stuff.”

So start out small.

Make it your purpose to stay away from the refrigerator for the last 3 of your waking hours; to eat one raw vegetable today; to smoke one less cigarette today than yesterday; to send those e-mails; to make the call; to set a goal that will stretch you just a little bit.

And celebrate when you achieve it. Feel good about it. Then tomorrow do it again… Make your days blocks of time where you’re achieving 5-10 mini goals. And make sure you give yourself the credit you deserve. This will create tremendous momentum. Soon, you’ll look forward to each day with an enthusiasm you thought couldn’t possibly exist in you.

Lesra Martin couldn’t read before he went to Canada…

Little by little he learned and built upon his knowledge. He was encouraged to keep learning. The little he learned each day built up and allowed him to read a single book. He then changed the course of many people’s lives.

You can do the same.

What’s today going to mean for you?
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