If you could only accomplish one goal, yet it would only take 24-hours to achieve, which goal would have the greatest positive impact on your life?
What a great question! After you answer it, set a deadline to accomplish that goal … and (here's the important part) do something to work on it, or take you towards it, every day.
“In times of war or uncertainty there is a special breed of warrior ready to answer our Nation’s call. A common man with uncommon desire to succeed. Forged by adversity, he stands alongside America’s finest special operations forces to serve his country, the American people, and protect their way of life.
I am that man.
My Trident is a symbol of honor and heritage. Bestowed upon me by the heroes that have gone before, it embodies the trust of those I have sworn to protect. By wearing the Trident I accept the responsibility of my chosen profession and way of life. It is a privilege that I must earn every day.
My loyalty to Country and Team is beyond reproach. I humbly serve as a guardian to my fellow Americans always ready to defend those who are unable to defend themselves. I do not advertise the nature of my work, nor seek recognition for my actions. I voluntarily accept the inherent hazards of my profession, placing the welfare and security of others before my own.
I serve with honor on and off the battlefield. The ability to control my emotions and my actions, regardless of circumstance, sets me apart from other men. Uncompromising integrity is my standard. My character and honor are steadfast. My word is my bond.
We expect to lead and be led. In the absence of orders I will take charge, lead my teammates and accomplish the mission. I lead by example in all situations.
I will never quit. I persevere and thrive on adversity. My Nation expects me to be physically harder and mentally stronger than my enemies. If knocked down, I will get back up, every time. I will draw on every remaining ounce of strength to protect my teammates and to accomplish our mission. I am never out of the fight.
We demand discipline. We expect innovation. The lives of my teammates and the success of our mission depend on me – my technical skill, tactical proficiency, and attention to detail. My training is never complete. We train for war and fight to win. I stand ready to bring the full spectrum of combat power to bear in order to achieve my mission and the goals established by my country. The execution of my duties will be swift and violent when required yet guided by the very principles that I serve to defend.
Tradition. Brave men have fought and died building the proud tradition and feared reputation that I am bound to uphold. In the worst of conditions, the legacy of my teammates steadies my resolve and silently guides my every deed.
Heather Dorniden, from the University of Minnesota, races the 600m at the Big 10 Indoor Track Championships. What happens reminds what a race really is about … and, perhaps, what life is really about.
Heather Dorniden, from the University of Minnesota, races the 600m at the Big 10 Indoor Track Championships. What happens reminds what a race really is about … and, perhaps, what life is really about.
Imagine what was going on in the minds of the initial 50 Japanese workers who stayed behind (while everyone else was evacuated ) to try and fix things at the nuclear reactor after the earthquake …
Were they going to die, or become disabled from the exposure?
Imagine what was going on in the minds of the initial 50 Japanese workers who stayed behind (while everyone else was evacuated ) to try and fix things at the nuclear reactor after the earthquake …
Were they going to die, or become disabled from the exposure?
You never know where a spark of inspiration will come from. Sometimes you get it from a quote or a story; other times it might come from a question …
The truth is that sources of inspiration are always there for you. The question is whether you are looking for them or notice them when they show up.
Here's a source that I value for its practical wisdom and insights.
"Today Is Your Day to Win" is a series of 99 daily lessons, delivered by e-mail. On more than a few occasions, it brought me a message right when I needed it.
It is written by Mike Brescia of Think Right Now, and it doesn't cost a cent. Of course, to get the benefit, you will have to invest some time and mental cycles to consider the content.
Here is a sample from one of the messages.
Good Things Will Come To Me When I …
—————————— Today's Empowering Quote ——————————
"The best preparation for good work tomorrow is good work today." –Elbert Hubbard
—————————— Today's Empowering Question ——————————
"What can I do now that will prepare me for tomorrow?"
—————————— Today's Fast Session ——————————
Often the most frustrating thing that any of us feel on a regular basis is to want something really bad, and not be able to get it right away.
Yes, it's frustrating. But it's usually not realistic, is it? …
It's getting so that it's increasingly rare to find people who are truly willing to put in the requisite time necessary to get the traits or items they want. Our world today is trying to teach us that we must get what we want immediately; that it's our right. And that's why so many of us are jealous, smoke or drink, are overweight, use drugs, etc. …
Life is NOT like school.
In school, you can trick yourself into thinking you're doing great if you cram for exams and get decent scores. It is possible to get fairly good grades for a while that way.
But you don't learn it. You're likely to just remember it until the exam is over… maybe.
That's why new college graduates often find it difficult to find a decent paying job. Companies like successful work experience. In college, you can fool the system and yourself. In the professional world and in most other areas of life, it's a lot tougher. Almost impossible.
Real life is truly like a farm.
On the farm, you must move the rocks, buy seeds and all the other stuff, plant the seeds, buy and maintain the equipment, pull weeds, keep the pests away, water the crops, buy and sell the animals, feed them, nurse the sick ones back to health, fertilize, etc. And you need to keep up with it all everyday…
Or you won't have a crop at the end of the season.
Life is like this, too. Just like a farm, you can't "cram" in life. Don't be fooled. Don't believe the lies that others want you to believe. You want to believe it. I know you do. But think.
The people who have the things you want earned them. And don't believe they just got lucky. Luck takes work.
Put the effort in today and you'll get luckier and luckier. Will it be immediately? Probably not. Beat this into your head… Anything worth having takes time to get it.
When I'm tempted to believe that I should have something (before I've earned it), I think of my grandparents.
They owned a farm.
And I realize that life can be long and that I can't put tomorrow before today.
Then I look at my goal, put my shoulder down and keep going…
With a smile on my face.
—————————— Today's Winning Beliefs ——————————
— I'm at peace with my responsibilities. — I'm preparing myself for tomorrow today.
You never know where a spark of inspiration will come from. Sometimes you get it from a quote or a story; other times it might come from a question …
The truth is that sources of inspiration are always there for you. The question is whether you are looking for them or notice them when they show up.
Here's a source that I value for its practical wisdom and insights.
"Today Is Your Day to Win" is a series of 99 daily lessons, delivered by e-mail. On more than a few occasions, it brought me a message right when I needed it.
It is written by Mike Brescia of Think Right Now, and it doesn't cost a cent. Of course, to get the benefit, you will have to invest some time and mental cycles to consider the content.
Here is a sample from one of the messages.
Good Things Will Come To Me When I …
—————————— Today's Empowering Quote ——————————
"The best preparation for good work tomorrow is good work today." –Elbert Hubbard
—————————— Today's Empowering Question ——————————
"What can I do now that will prepare me for tomorrow?"
—————————— Today's Fast Session ——————————
Often the most frustrating thing that any of us feel on a regular basis is to want something really bad, and not be able to get it right away.
Yes, it's frustrating. But it's usually not realistic, is it? …
It's getting so that it's increasingly rare to find people who are truly willing to put in the requisite time necessary to get the traits or items they want. Our world today is trying to teach us that we must get what we want immediately; that it's our right. And that's why so many of us are jealous, smoke or drink, are overweight, use drugs, etc. …
Life is NOT like school.
In school, you can trick yourself into thinking you're doing great if you cram for exams and get decent scores. It is possible to get fairly good grades for a while that way.
But you don't learn it. You're likely to just remember it until the exam is over… maybe.
That's why new college graduates often find it difficult to find a decent paying job. Companies like successful work experience. In college, you can fool the system and yourself. In the professional world and in most other areas of life, it's a lot tougher. Almost impossible.
Real life is truly like a farm.
On the farm, you must move the rocks, buy seeds and all the other stuff, plant the seeds, buy and maintain the equipment, pull weeds, keep the pests away, water the crops, buy and sell the animals, feed them, nurse the sick ones back to health, fertilize, etc. And you need to keep up with it all everyday…
Or you won't have a crop at the end of the season.
Life is like this, too. Just like a farm, you can't "cram" in life. Don't be fooled. Don't believe the lies that others want you to believe. You want to believe it. I know you do. But think.
The people who have the things you want earned them. And don't believe they just got lucky. Luck takes work.
Put the effort in today and you'll get luckier and luckier. Will it be immediately? Probably not. Beat this into your head… Anything worth having takes time to get it.
When I'm tempted to believe that I should have something (before I've earned it), I think of my grandparents.
They owned a farm.
And I realize that life can be long and that I can't put tomorrow before today.
Then I look at my goal, put my shoulder down and keep going…
With a smile on my face.
—————————— Today's Winning Beliefs ——————————
— I'm at peace with my responsibilities. — I'm preparing myself for tomorrow today.
It turns out that it only takes minor misunderstandings to radically affect progress. Likewise, it only takes minor changes to put things back on the right track and "unlock" a situation.
Here's an example from a recent strategic planning session in my company.
On several occasions during the planning session, I said "I've already given you that", or "we agreed on that before".
However, if we really were communicating, then there wouldn't still be an issue. Clearly, something was getting in the way of true communication.
What Can Cause This?
One of the issues was "bandwidth". If someone feels so overwhelmed that they can't take in anything more, then what would have been signal turns out to be noise. Another way to say that is even a reasonable request can seem unreasonable if the person is overwhelmed and doesn't feel like they have the resources to accomplish what they need.
A related issue is understanding, but not agreeing. In other words, we can talk about an issue … but until someone says "yes" there isn't agreement. For example, in a car dealership there's a difference between saying "I really liked that car", or even "I really want to buy that car", versus "yes, I will buy this car."
The same dynamic plays out in a business meeting, and the stakes are often higher.
It turns out that it only takes minor misunderstandings to radically affect progress. Likewise, it only takes minor changes to put things back on the right track and "unlock" a situation.
Here's an example from a recent strategic planning session in my company.
On several occasions during the planning session, I said "I've already given you that", or "we agreed on that before".
However, if we really were communicating, then there wouldn't still be an issue. Clearly, something was getting in the way of true communication.
What Can Cause This?
One of the issues was "bandwidth". If someone feels so overwhelmed that they can't take in anything more, then what would have been signal turns out to be noise. Another way to say that is even a reasonable request can seem unreasonable if the person is overwhelmed and doesn't feel like they have the resources to accomplish what they need.
A related issue is understanding, but not agreeing. In other words, we can talk about an issue … but until someone says "yes" there isn't agreement. For example, in a car dealership there's a difference between saying "I really liked that car", or even "I really want to buy that car", versus "yes, I will buy this car."
The same dynamic plays out in a business meeting, and the stakes are often higher.
In school, you can trick yourself into thinking you're doing great if you cram for exams and get decent scores. It is possible to get fairly good grades for a while that way.
