Growth is a Process

Here is a wonderful video I came across that illustrates it takes time to grow to your full potential. Watch this video closely and examine how it pertains to you or someone you know. Enjoy.

I welcome your comments on this video.

20 Steps to a Meaningful Life

By Herm Allen

Build Your Steps

A life that is meaningful and fulfilling can be yours. All it takes is a little self-knowledge, a plan and some hard work. The work however doesn't seem as difficult if you are doing what makes you happy and allows you to be fulfilled.

Below is a twenty-step plan that will set you on your path to a life of fulfillment. Taking the time to follow this plan step by step will help you reach the life you want a lot quicker than just allowing life to take you where it will. Take a deep breath and get started.

Step 1: Find a purpose for your life.

Step 2: Figure out what bothers you most about the world and do something about it.

Step 3: Determine what is most important to you.

Step 4: Align your new goals around what is most important.

Step 5: Have a healthy perspective of yourself.

Step 6: Replace old beliefs that are no longer useful to you.

Step 7: Create new possibilities for your life.

Step 8: Figure out who you want to be when you grow up.

Step 9: Practice living the life you want now.

Step 10: Figure out what you are passionate about.

Step 11: Align your abilities and your interests.

Step 12: What would a perfect vocational day be for you?

Step 13: Write your autobiography five years from today.

Step 14: Downscale your lifestyle now to create the opportunities that you seek.

Step 15: Strengthen your relationships and support systems.

Step 16: Grow strong emotionally

Step 17: Give yourself permission to follow your heart.

Step 18: Laugh a lot and enjoy the ride

Step 19: Live with integrity as a path towards an authentic life.

Step 20: Eat well, exercise and get plenty of sleep.

But most of all...TRUST GOD!

ABCs of Motivation: The Heart of Personal Development

Pain may sometimes be the reason why people change. Getting flunking grades make us realize that we need to study.

Debts remind us of our inability to control our spending. Being humiliated gives us the ‘push’ to speak up and fight for ourselves to save our face from the next embarrassments. It may be a bitter experience, a friend’s tragic story, a great movie, or an inspiring book that will help us get up and get just the right amount of motivation we need in order to improve ourselves.

With the countless negatives the world brings about, how do we keep motivated? Try on the tips I prepared from A to Z…

A - Achieve your dreams. Avoid negative people, things and places. Eleanor Roosevelt once said, “the future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.”

B - Believe in yourself, and in what you can do.

C – Consider things on every angle and aspect. Motivation comes from determination. To be able to understand life, you should feel the sun from both sides.

D – Don’t give up and don’t give in. Thomas Edison failed once, twice, more than thrice before he came up with his invention and perfected the incandescent light bulb. Make motivation as your steering wheel.

E – Enjoy. Work as if you don’t need money. Dance as if nobody’s watching. Love as if you never cried. Learn as if you’ll live forever. Motivation takes place when people are happy.

F – Family and Friends – are life’s greatest treasures. Don’t loose sight of them.

G – Give more than what is enough. Where does motivation and self improvement take place at work? At home? At school? When you exert extra effort in doing things.

H – Hang on to your dreams. They may dangle in there for a moment, but these little stars will be your driving force.

I – Ignore those who try to destroy you. Don’t let other people get the best of you. Stay away from toxic people – the kind who hate to hear about your success.

J – Just be yourself. The key to success is to be yourself. And the key to failure is to try to please everyone.

K – Keep trying no matter how hard life may seem. When a person is motivated, eventually he/she sees a harsh life finally clearing out, paving the way to self improvement.

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Watch this short movie:
Inspiration 365 movie
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L – Learn to love yourself. Now isn’t that easy?

M – Make things happen. Motivation is when your dreams are put into work clothes.

N – Never lie, cheat or steal. Always play a fair game.

O – Open your eyes. People should learn the horse attitude and horse sense. They see things in 2 ways – how they want things to be, and how they should be.

P – Practice makes perfect. Practice is about motivation. It lets us learn how we can recover from our mistakes.

Q – Quitters never win. And winners never quit. So, choose your fate – are you going to be a quitter? Or a winner?

R – Ready yourself. Motivation is also about preparation. We must hear the little voice within us telling us to get started before others will get on their feet and try to push us around. Remember, it wasn’t raining when Noah build the ark.

S – Stop procrastinating.

T – Take control of your life. Discipline or self control is synonymous with motivation. Both are key factors in self improvement.

U – Understand others. If you know very well how to talk, you should also learn how to listen. Yearn to understand first, and to be understood second.

V – Visualize it. Motivation without vision is like a boat on dry land.

W – Want it more than anything. Dreaming means believing. And to believe is something that is rooted out from the roots of motivation and self improvement.

X – X Factor is what will make you different from the others. When you are motivated, you tend to put on “extras” on your life - like extra time for family, extra help at work, extra care for friends, and so on.

Y – You are unique. No one in this world looks, acts, or talks like you. Value your life and existence, because you’re just going to spend it once.

Z – Zero in on your dreams and go for it!!!

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Inspiration 365 movie
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How Do You Spend 86,400 Seconds?

That's the number of seconds in each and every day that you are alive. Have you ever said any of the following:

"I wish there were more hours in the day."
"Where did the time go."
"I don't have enough time to..."

I know I have. With the demands on our lives in this modern age of technology, economic uncertainty and just everyday life, time is our most precious commodity. The good thing about it however, is that we all have the same amount of time - EVERYDAY!

How do you spend your 86,400 seconds?

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To learn how, click here - How to Master Your Time by Brian Tracy
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Believe it or not, we have all the time we need. The problem comes in when we try to do more than we are capable of doing and doing more than we need to do. Don't misunderstand, I know there are things that must get done but how many of you actually prioritize what you must do?

Think of it this way. If you knew that there would be no tomorrow, for you, but what you need to do today will have an impact on those you love...

What would you do in those 86,400 seconds allotted to you for that last day?

Something to make you go, hmmmmm.

Things Don't Always Stay the Same

I can hear my mother saying this to me as if she were still alive. That's just how powerful these words are, at least to me. They can be powerful for you as well if you truly focus on what it is these words are saying to you.

A couple of days ago, I was speaking to a classroom of students discussing my F.O.C.U.S. principles and I, somehow, go on this subject. Many of us have probably, at one time or another, gone through something terrible in our lives. Heaven knows, I have. So I shared with the class a few personal "things" that occurred in my life that were not so positive. I won't share them in this forum, but my point to them was that those "things" are now gone.

Sure, there will be some residual effects of what has happened but the situation has changed. Furthermore, it is in the past. Remember a few months ago we had gas prices at $4.00/gallon (and higher in some places) and people were losing their minds almost.

Fast forward - are they still the same?

What we must realize is that even those things we have no control over don't always stay the same. So why do we panic when "things" happen? Because we do not trust that they won't stay the same; or maybe it is that we, deep down inside, want something to complain about or to have self-pity. Guess what? That won't change nothing.

Sometimes we will just have to ride it out or if it is within our control - create the change you desire. Many times "things" will take care of themselves. From my experience, I have found this to be the case. Eventually all that "stuff" will be behind you.

How many of you have quoted the 'Serenity Prayer'? You might even have it up on your mantel, wall or in your office. Well, you probably only have part of it - the most familiar part that goes like this:

God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change;
Courage to to change the things I can;
And wisdom to know the difference.

As the commercial says, "but wait, there's more":

Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
Taking, as He did, this sinful world
as it is, not as I would have it;
Trusting that He will make all things right
if I surrender to His Will;
That I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with Him
Forever in the next.
Amen.

Remember, it is a prayer. So the next time you experience "things" not going so well that "they don't always stay the same" and that the Serenity Prayer tells (and shows) us why.

Impossible Is Just A Word - Part 2

Are you ready to make the impossible possible? Of course you are. So without further ado, let's get to it.

Try this exercise. Take a piece of paper and write down some goals in your life. Under one header, list down things ‘you know you can do’. Under another header, write the things ‘you might be able to do.’ And under one more, list the things that that are ‘impossible for you to do.’

Now look at all the headers and strive every day to accomplish the goals that are under things ‘you know you can do’. Check them when you are able to accomplish them. As you slowly are able to check all of your goals under that heading, try accomplishing the goals under the other header-the one that reads ‘you might be able to do.’

As of the items you wrote under things I could do are accomplished, you can move the goals that are under things that are ‘impossible for you to do’ to the list of things ‘you might be able to do.’

As you iterate through this process, you will find out that the goals you thought were impossible become easier to accomplish. And the impossible begin to seem possible after all.

You see, the technique here is not to limit your imagination. It is to aim high, and start working towards that goal little by little. However, it also is unwise to set a goal that is truly unrealistic.

Those who just dream towards a goal without working hard end up disappointed and disillusioned.

On the other hand, if you told someone a hundred years ago that it was possible for man to be on the moon, they would laugh at you. If you had told them that you could send mail from here to the other side of the world in a few seconds, they would say you were out of your mind. But, through sheer desire and perseverance, these impossible dreams are now realities.

Thomas Edison once said that genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration. Nothing could be truer. For one to accomplish his or her dreams, there has to be had work and discipline. But take note that that 1% has to be a think-big dream, and not some easily accomplished one.

Ask any gym rat and he or she will tell you that there can be no gains unless you are put out of your comfort zone. Remember the saying, “No pain, no gain”? That is as true as it can be.

So dream on, my friend! Don’t get caught up with your perceived limitations. Think big and work hard to attain those dreams. As you step up the ladder of progress, you will just about find out that the impossible has just become a little bit more possible.

Impossible Is Just A Word - Part 1

Everyone, at some point of his or her life, has dreamed of being somebody special, somebody big. Who hasn't fantasized about being the one who hits the game-winning homer? Who hasn't dreamed of being the homecoming queen? And how many times have we dreamed of being rich, or successful, or happy with our relationships?

Often, we dream big dreams and have great aspirations. Unfortunately, our dreams remain just that – dreams. And our aspirations easily collect dust in our attic.

This is a sad turn of events in our life. Instead of experiencing exciting adventures in self actualization, we get caught up in the humdrum of living from day-to-day just barely existing.

But you know what? Life could be so much better, if only we learned to aim higher.

The most common problem to setting goals is the word impossible. Most people get hung up thinking I can't do this. It's too hard. It's too impossible. No one can do this.

However, if everyone thought that, there would be no inventions, no innovations, and no breakthroughs in human accomplishment.

Remember that scientists were baffled when they took a look at the humble bumblebee. Theoretically, they said, it was impossible for the bumblebee to fly. Unfortunately for the bumble, bee no one has told it so. So fly it does.

On the other hand, some people suffer from dreaming totally outrageous dreams and not acting on them. The result? Broken dreams, and tattered aspirations.

If you limit yourself with self-doubt, and self-limiting assumptions, you will never be able to break past what you deem impossible. If you reach too far out into the sky without working towards your goal, you will find yourself clinging on to the impossible dream. In part 2, I'll show you how to make the possible out of the impossible.

Change Is A Good Thing

We have all heard the old adage, change is constant. That means we and the world in which we exist are always in a constant state of changing. Though this may be the case, we only have control of change as it relates to us. We can’t change other people nor can we change other people’s minds.

There may be things we say or do and the end result is them “changing” their mind, however we didn’t change it - they had to consciously and actively do it themselves. So as you think about your current academic, vocational or personal situation, what are you consciously and actively doing to change the situation if it is not what you desire at this moment in time? Change that is planned has far more benefits than change resulting from a reaction. By reaction, for example, I mean quitting your job without seriously considering the consequences.

You should be preparing yourself daily for change. Something I ask my students is when opportunity knocks, will you be prepared to answer?

Even though there are some things you may not have control over (e.g. company closing), you do have control over how you respond to them. Here are a few suggestions to help you make change a “good thing.”

• Never allow yourself to become stagnant.
  
• Don’t let complacency stunt your growth.
  
• Seek out personal and professional development opportunities

Remember, still water freezes faster than moving water. If you are frozen in your current job or life situation, take a close look at what needs to move - i.e. what needs to change and what are you doing about it?

From The Inside Out

[Editor's Note: Repost from May '08]

If you are not where you want to be or should be, how are you looking at the situation? A friend of mine recently sent me a text message that really resonated with me. He said:

"Sight is what you see with your eyes; vision is what you see with your mind. What do you see?"

I want to take it a step further, are you looking at where you are with your natural eyes or can you visualize (in your mind) what you really want or should be doing? Whether it is a better job, wealth or a happy family, what is your ideal vision of it? The manifestation of all these things, among others, are usually created inside of us first. For example, anything that you say begins, first, as a thought - i.e. from the inside. Every action or behavior that we perform also begins, first, from the inside.

Hopefully you are beginning to "see" what I'm talking about. If not, let me break it down for you.

• If you want a better job, you have to see it first from the inside.


• If you want a better relationship with your spouse or significant other, you have to see it first from the inside.


• If you want to create and develop wealth you must first see it from the inside.


• If you want...you have to see it first from the inside.

Individuals like Walt Disney, Michael Jordan, Thomas Edison and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. saw things from the inside out. What do you see on the inside? Once you can see this, then take the necessary steps towards the manifestation of your vision. If you have no vision, then that's another story.

To help you begin the process, my book, F.O.C.U.S. On Your Future: 5 Simple Principles to Reach Your Goals will get you started. It will provide a foundation from which to build. If you can't see yourself doing what you want to do, from the inside, then you won't be doing what you want to do on the outside.

Remember, "sight is what you see with your eyes; vision is what you see with your mind."

In All Things Give Thanks

You woke up today and saw the sun shine. Give thanks!

You experienced history in the making on Election Day. Give thanks!

You have clothes. Give thanks!

The above mentioned statements are simplistic for a reason. Regardless of what you hear in the news, read in the newspaper or hear at the “water cooler,” you have a lot to be thankful for. We may not have everything we want; we may have even loss someone or something - but at the end of the day we should say thank you for being able to experience another day in the best country in the world.

I say best country in the world because where else can you have access to the opportunities that we have. An African-American can become President (Barack Obama); a woman can become a CEO (Meg Whitman-Ebay); and a first-generation college student from the inner city can become an author and start his own business (yours truly).

Yes, we are experiencing some trying times locally, statewide and on a national level. If I know my history, nearly 80 years ago, this country experienced similar economic trials. I believe it was called the Great Depression. Even through that “dark” period in our history, this country was able to move on and prosper though not without other trials:

-WWII
-Korean War
-Civil Rights Movement
-Assassinations
-Vietnam War
-70’s Oil Crisis

When going through a valley experience - i.e. trial - don’t pitch a tent. Go THROUGH it and make the necessary adjustments or changes within your control; and when you come out on the other side…GIVE THANKS!