Life Is Growth

Life is growth. If we stop growing, technically
and spiritually, we are as good as dead.

--Morihei Ueshiba


I believe that we are here to contribute love
to the planet--each of us in our own way.

--Bernie Siegel, MD


The only difference between a thought and physical
reality is time, passion (love or hate), and
physical activity.

--Peter McWilliams

Get Rich Quick With A Plan - By Raymond Burton

You get 1440 minutes at the start of each day, what you do with them is up to you. The rich use them wisely. It is often said that the only difference between the rich and the poor is what they do in their spare time and its true. Planning has a lot to do with this. The rich have the same amount of time in the day that you do, it's just that they use that time wisely. To get more done in the same amount of time allows you to have more free time and to get more money making activities done in that time.

Some people say they have no free time, they usually say this as they sit on the couch watching TV. At work when asked if they phoned back a client, the answer is no as you talk to them on the way back from the smoking area. There is time for those things that are important to you. If you want to get rich quick you must plan the use of your time. It doesn't matter if you get paid by commission or by flipping houses in a hot market. Planning allows you to get rich quick.

When you are planning you should take a broad stroke and a fine detail approach. Plan for today and also have a master plan for this week, month and year. Every successful and rich person I have met has some sort of planning method they use. The better you plan, the more people and deals you can close. The more deals and people you close, the quicker you get rich. I know for a fact that it is how you use your time based on educating yourself in the areas that you did not previously know anything about that over time will make you rich. The rich do not posses any special genetic ability that you do not have. They have simply learned more about getting rich than you and they plan to put it into use. Because they have made a plan and intend to stick to it, they get their money making work done without interruption and faster than someone else that is distracted from their main task. That is, to get rich quick.

To get rich quickly, you must sell. What you sell is ideas and feelings. People seldom buy based on product use alone. Some people earn money by the hour, which is great until you run out of hours and still want to make more money. Getting paid passively is the way to go. When each hour you work can create income for a lifetime, you realize that every hour not planned is a lifetime of wasted riches. Plan each day to do something that will continue to make money forever. Automated businesses systems are the key.

Maybe right now you do not realize the time that you actually waste every day and wekk. If you do not have a daily planner, this is probably the case. Your planner, like your financial statement will show you where your time was well spent as well as wasted on non-productive fiddling. Looking back at your planner every once in a while will show you in black and white where your turning points were so you can replicate them. You will also be able to see when goals are met or not met when the actual day arrives. There is no better feeling than setting a goal a year away and then, by chance going over your planner to see that you actually have accomplished that goal. You planned your way to the riches you now have, a year ago.

Planning The Work Week

If you are set on getting things together, the first thing you are going to need is a planner. In this you will plan your upcoming week in advance so that you can then break it down further into what needs to be done today. If you do not meet the weekly deadline, then you know you are behind schedule on your way to getting rich. Being able to see mistakes in your course as soon as possible is invaluable in the long run. Plan in days to meet with joint venture partners, cross promotions, sales meetings and to increase your education in areas you are lacking. If all this hits a nerve and you don't want to do it, you can look no further as to why you are not rich. You have failed to plan to be rich and as a result, you are not rich. The only way to get rich is to deal with other people and develop synergy. These other people can help make up for the talents you lack. Make sure you plan your personal development as well. This is just like adding tools to your get rich toolbox. The more tools you have, the more opportunities for riches that are available. Always look to yourself if you are not achieving what you have planned. It is either a problem with the plan or the planner.

The success of your get rich quickly plan will fall directly on the solidity of your experience with the components of that plan. The actual application of the knowledge needed to get the pieces of the puzzle put together. Because of this, if you do not have experience in the area you need, you can learn it from someone who has been there or hire someone who already knows how to do it. The route to getting the experience you need to achieve a goal depends on money and interests. If you like the task, maybe you should learn it for you own pleasure. If you hate it, you should hire another professional. The bottom line is to get the task done on time with your plan to get rich quickly. Pride, ego and any other emotion should take a back seat to the bottom line. Following the plan on time.

Hi, my name is Raymond Burton and living well is my passion. Join me at RaymondBurton.com for more like the above article. You can also read more articles about wealth and finances at http://www.writtenarticles.com/money/

What motivates you? - By Phil Grisolia

Ever find yourself in kind of a funk, faced with having to do something you don’t want to do? A project at work? A chore on that Honey-Do list your spouse keeps adding to. It happens every day. To millions of us. Life isn’t always fun. Neither are the things we’re expected to do.

Maybe it’s time for “The Motivators,” those dynamic forces of accomplishment who – through prodding, inspiration and the skilled use of rewards and punishment – set us reluctant dolts in motion during just such times.

What is it that motivates you? What gets your engine revving when you have to do something you’d rather not? It might help if we take a look at what motivation is – or is supposed to be.

Motivation is generally accepted to mean “having the desire and willingness to do something.” That’s all well and good, but we’re talking here about the UNwilling having to do the UNdesirable.

So, let’s see what The Motivators can do to help us. By the way, that’s just their stage name. In real life their known as the Needs Brothers. Allow me to introduce them. There’s the smallest of the Needs, Physiological. Next in line are the twins, Safety and Security, followed by Social Needs, then Self-Esteem. And, finally, there’s the biggest, most senior brother, Self-Actualization, said to be the grandest Need of all.

The father of these six was Abraham Maslow. Their mother? Psychology. The Needs came to life in 1943 as Maslow’s theory titled Hierarchy of Human Needs. But enough of science. What does this all mean to you and me? Simply put, we humans have wants and desires that influence our behavior. But, we’re told, only unsatisfied needs can influence what we do and say. Satisfied needs cannot.

So, let’s see what Self-Actualization can do to help us accomplish our dreaded tasks. Self-Actualization, to paraphrase Maslow, is the natural growth of a motivating force within each of us, but, more concisely, it’s our ability to grow from within, the very essence of who we are as individuals. Self-Actualization, then, is our Need to reach our fullest potential as individuals.

Moving from the world of psychology to something more real, what it all means is that each of us already has, deep within ourselves, what it takes to do those dreaded jobs. All we have to do is dig down, pull it out, and put it to use.

Oh, in case you’re interested, you’ll recognize Self-Actualization by the T-shirt he’s always wearing. He refuses to part with it because he wrote his favorite saying across the front with a big, fat marker: “Find a way!”

© 2006, Philip A. Grisolia, CBC

A respected authority on motivation, Phil Grisolia is the author of “Wise Words – 1,001 Truths to Inspire, Enlighten and Enrich Everyday Life,” available at http://xlibris.com and through major booksellers. A wordsmith by profession, Phil puts his motivational skills to use both as an educator and as an award-winning copywriter. Learn more about Phil, his book and his work by visiting him at http://PhilGrisolia.com

Drive Motivation by Understanding the Power of Reward Now! - By Shawn Doyle

Webster’s defines reward as, “something given or received in recompense for worthy behavior” and I think that is a pretty solid definition. I would define reward as, giving yourself a dividend for all the hard work you have invested, so that you have a validation that your hard work is paying off. This helps increase motivation so you will continue wanting to work.

Let me give you an example. My father, Jack is a successful man and has always been a person with an incredible work ethic. He grew up poor in a small town in the south and through grit and hard work; he literally pulled himself up from manual laborer, to factory worker, to highly paid sales executive. When he reached a certain point in his career, he went out and bought a brand new Cadillac. I was a kid at the time and I didn’t understand why he had bought the car, in my view at the time, “an expensive, gas guzzling” car. I asked him one day when we were driving, “Dad, why did you buy this car?” He smiled at me as we were driving down the road. He told me that when he was a kid, he always saw successful people driving big cars and made a vow to himself, that if he ever “made it” he would reward himself by getting a Cadillac. It had always been a dream of his and now it had happened. He smiled a lot that year.

The story illustrates a key point. It is very important to reward yourself for achieving your goals. It is important to reward your self for the following reasons:

• You will feel like you are making progress.

• To have a tangible reminder of why you are working so hard.

• To finalize the achievement of a specific goal.

• To help measure your progress and celebrate it.

• Because it feels great and motivates you even further.

Success Is A Blow Dryer

I once read an interesting story, about the author Steven King and his wife Tabitha. He and his wife struggled for years, as he tried to make a living as a writer. They didn’t as the saying goes, have “two coins to rub together”. He finally made it and signed a very lucrative book deal. He told his wife that they had finally “made it” and she asked “does that mean I can afford to buy a blow dryer now?” She had not been able to afford a blow dryer and now a blow dryer was in reach. She said that blow dryer, when she bought it, meant a great deal to her, more than anyone can imagine.

It is essential to have goals, both short and long term. It is also vitally important to tie to those goals, specific rewards.

Let’s say for example that you want to lose weight, you are making a commitment to a diet and exercise program. The first step would be to decide on the specific goals long term. Let’s say your goal was to lose 50 pounds. That would be the long term goal. Next, you would need to break it down, into specific short term goals. Let’s say, you decide that it is reasonable to lose 2 pounds a week. It is great to have the long and short term goal and to have the specific details in writing, but this is where most people stop. A missing part of the equation is the setting of long term and short-term rewards. It may be a trip, a special piece of clothing, or a new type of fitness machine that you have spotted in the stores (this is great choice because it is a reward but tied specifically to the goal you are trying to reach). The long-term goal and the long-term reward have now been set.

Next, it is time to establish a short-term reward, which is tied to the benchmarks that you have set along the way. For example, the first short term goal may be “to lose 10 pounds.” Maybe it is a trip to your favorite salon for a manicure, or the purchase of a small item. When you use this “carrot and stick” reward system you will be so fired up that nothing can stand in your way!

Every time I have been promoted, my family has taken me out to dinner to celebrate .Why? My wife and my daughter inherently understand the value of reward. I think that deep inside, we all understand the value of reward, because we all grew up in school systems that rewarded performance. We saw people get rewards for honor roll, athletic achievement and awards for other activities. I think that as adults, we forget that reward is important or we know it is important and just get too busy to reward ourselves.

I have had my eye on a very sophisticated and expensive fitness machine for a long time. I watched the commercials; I ordered the video and reviewed the literature. I just had a real hard time with the decision, because of the expense. I received a significant promotion at work, my wife ordered it for me as a reward and I was quite shocked when it arrived. I was grinning from ear to ear. When I see that machine I don’t see the machine. I see it as a symbol of my achievement! It is absolutely essential that you can see tangible results of your hard work.

There are people I know that are really into yard work. When I ask my buddy Bob about it, he says he likes yard work because he is outside, it is good exercise and he enjoys it. Here is a theory, I think the reason that most people enjoy yard work is simply this, when they are done they can see a tangible, visual result of their effort. In life, most goals attained don’t have as obvious or visible results that we can stand back and look at and say, “I did this!” That why it is so very important to reward the achievement of your goals.

A Mind Is A Terrible Thing Not To Reward

Let me make a very important point here. This is not about rampant materialism or greed, or selfishness. This is about psychological reward. As much as we would like to think we can’t be manipulated, we can be influenced easily. Human beings are raised, taught to crave appreciation, and reward. It is just the way we are “wired”. If the idea of material possessions as a reward bothers you, then you can decide on other kinds of rewards such as spending a weekend camping, or a visit to your favorite museum, or a visit with a friend who lives in another state. Because it is your reward system, it is entirely up to you to decide on the reward.

I believe that the reason people give up hope, lose their zest, and motivation is the lack of reward. They get up every day, go to work, work really hard, and at the end of the week they get a modest check. By the time they pay their bills there is nothing left. It’s the classic rendition of the Tennessee Ernie Ford song I owe my soul to the company store. There is an endless cycle of work hard, pay bills, work hard, pay bills. This creates an endless cycle with no reward. This creates a sense of hopelessness. Ironically, the very person that is caught up in the cycle creates this situation. The cycle is created by not having specific goals and reward mechanisms.

Now a word of warning many people will set goals both short and long term with a reward mechanism. They truly make a commitment to the process, and they reach the goals that they set. At that point, they stop short and back off of the reward that they had planned. They may say, “well this is kind of expensive” or “I will wait until later.” This is a huge error! By setting the goals and agreeing on a reward for achieving it you have programmed your subconscious. When you back off from the reward portion, you are setting yourself up for failure the next time. Your brain will say, “We are setting a goal and a reward”, another part of you will be saying “Yeah right, last time there was supposed to be a reward and it didn’t happen!” So in the simplest of terms, your subconscious mind will feel cheated and so will you.

I am very fortunate. As a child my parents were always reinforcing the work hard/ set goals/get rewards model. One summer at the age of ten, I worked really hard babysitting, mowing lawns and saving every penny for the apple of my eye a drum set! When I was 2/3 of the way to my goal, I was surprised by my parents who gave me the last 1/3 of the money to buy the drum set. Of course they enhanced the message, by buying the drum set and having it sitting in the living room when I came home from school. I will never forget what they said. “We are very proud of you and the hard work you have done this summer. We have been impressed that you saved every penny. This is the reward for all the hard work.” That reinforced the message for me in a very powerful way.

I also would suggest that as a parent, friend, manager or colleague that you use the mechanism of reward. The technique can work with other people and can help motivate and inspire them. As a manager, I have often taken team members to lunch as a reward, to thank them for their hard work. I also have found notes, letters or memos to be a very effective motivational tool. As a parent, it is essential to teach your children the value of setting goals, achieving them and being rewarded. This is a concept that they can carry with them to a successful future, and life.

There was an ad campaign in the past for Toyota, which was “Oh what a feeling!” If you practice the technique of setting goals and rewarding yourself, you will be using a motivational tool, which is the fuel that will drive your passion and motivation. With goals and rewards you will truly be unstoppable!

Shawn Doyle is the President of New Light Learning and Development
(http://www.newlightlearning.com) a company specializing in Leadership Developmentand motivation. He is a sought after motivational speaker and coach. Shawn has authored five books on leadership sales and motivation. His latest book The Manager’s Pocket Guide to Training has just been published by HRD Press. Sldoyle1@aol.com

The Secret to Motivation: Knowing What Gets You Motivated and Stimulated! - By Shawn Doyle

If you owned an expensive racehorse (by the way if you do, congratulations!) you would make every effort to determine under what conditions your horse performed at its best. When it won a race, you would try to monitor what it ate and when, the pre-race preparation, the environment, the trainer. You would want to know exactly what your horse did right before the race. Then you would try to replicate those conditions to the very best of your ability, in order to increase the chance of your horse succeeding.

Well, the good news is you are your own horse! You need to determine what gets you motivated and stimulated. If for some reason you are down or tired and had a rough day, the methods that you have identified, will get your horse up and running again.

One day my teenage daughter and I were driving down the road and she said “Guess my favorite movie?” After nineteen guesses, which were all completely wrong, I finally gave up. I said, “I don’t know I give up” and was ready to hear some obscure movie answer. My daughter then told me her favorite movie was Rocky starring Sylvester Stallone. This would be the last answer I would expect from a very pretty and feminine girl. The movie is a tough gritty story of a loser who rises from obscurity to box his way to the top. It is a movie that is dark, bloody and violent. So I asked her why she liked that movie. Her answer? “It gets me pumped!” The movie, for my daughter isn’t about boxing, it’s about inspiration!

Identifying Your Rocket Fuel

I have found like anyone, that there are certain books, magazines, music and people that really motivate me. I have also found certain books, people, music and magazines to be very draining and de- motivating, They “ rain on my parade” if you will.

What are some of the motivational tools and influences that can keep you going?

•Books

Have you ever read the story of someone who despite all the obstacles that they faced, were able to succeed beyond their wildest dreams? Weren’t you amazed and inspired? There are many books that I have read over the years that have inspired me. A biography, self help, historical, psychology books and even at times fiction has inspired me. You need to identify a list of books that have inspired other people and then find the ones that do the same for you. Then you will have them available, when they are needed.

What is great about some books is the fact that they are timeless. The classic books, because they are based on simple truths really don’t lose their relevance. I recently read Mans Search for Meaning by Victor Frankel. The book was written just after world war two, but the principles are timeless and just as relevant today.

Once you locate books, which are the ones that motivate you buy them. I know it is less expensive to get books at the library, but owning the books is a better solution, because they are there for reference when you need them. Invest in yourself!

•Movies/Videos/DVD’s

Have you ever thought about movies that inspire you? I have several that really get me pumped. The Elephant Man starring John Hurt is a remarkable film about the triumph of the human spirit. I also love Dead Poets Society, Tucker: A man and his Dreams, Rocky and several others. Identify the movies you like and add them to your library.

•Magazines and Trade Journals

There are several magazines and journals on the market that are about motivation or success, or that you would find motivational. If your dream is to someday own a yacht, then a yachting magazine might be motivational for you to read. A good magazine should, in my opinion be entertaining, motivating and a potential resource for ideas. I can pick up a magazine and read one article, which can be well worth the price of the magazine. I once picked up Fast Company and read an article by Tom Peters that keep my wheels spinning for days! I was so impressed; I subscribed to the magazine and read it every month.

•People

I really believe that the quality of your life is greatly affected by the kind of people that you associate with on a daily basis. You can and must pick your associations. Try to surround yourself with positive, motivated and upbeat people. Limit your contact with people who are continually negative, pessimistic or mean. You may say at this point “well, I can’t pick my friends and associations.” That is what you have decided to believe, but it is not the truth. The truth of the matter, is that you decide every day who to make friends with and to keep that friend who has driven you crazy for years!

What about your family? You can’t pick your family; they are the cards that you have been dealt in life. Most families have some jokers! However if you have members of the family, that are negative and continuously difficult, limit your contact to the proverbial thanksgiving dinner and pass the gravy.

I want you to think of negative people as “energy vampires” they just sneak up from behind and suck the positive energy and motivation right out before you even realize it!
My best friend is a gentleman named Dave. Unfortunately we live in different states. When I call Dave, he is always positive, upbeat and supportive. At the end of a call with Dave, I always feel better than before the call started. Friends should be the people who support and motivate you.
Will there be times when you feel less motivated? Times that you are down? Sure! The key in those times is to have a friend that you can call, to help bring you back up and give you a positive perspective when you are in a “funk”. Not the friend who will say will say, “Well let me tell you what happened to me,” and tell a sad tale of woe. If you surround yourself with positive upbeat people, you cannot fail!

•Exercise

No, this is not a misprint! I said exercise. Exercise is a superb tool to get you motivated and keep you motivated. If you want to be pumped, get in a great workout! In my mind there are two keys to exercise being a motivational activity:
1)Knowing that you have a long-term goal. (see chapter 1)
2) You need to find an exercise program that you enjoy and find rewarding. If it isn’t enjoyable and rewarding it won’t last long!

Here is another compelling reason to exercise. Aside from the fact that you will live a longer and healthier life, in surveys that have been done, only 16% of the people asked said they work out on a regular basis. That means that if you exercise, you will immediately separate yourself from 74% of people that you may be competing against. That is a competitive edge!
Exercise, as you have probably heard many times releases many chemicals such as endorphins, which are “natural highs”. I find that exercise gives me more energy and more confidence. Try it you will like it. If you don’t like it, try some other form of exercise until you find one that you really like.

•Music

Imagine the great movies of our age without music. Can you imagine Jaws with out music? Gone with the Wind? Star Wars? This proves that music can have a powerful impact on people, and it can have a powerful effect on you! When ever you are feeling “down” or feeling less than motivated, use music as a tool to help you get back up. Find out what kind of music gets you going. It may be music from a soundtrack, from a movie, or a play. It may be a specific kind of music like rock, country or rap. Here is the key guideline; it has to work for you.

•Role Models

It is a useful technique to identify people from the past and present that you admire, that you can use for role models. Reading and studying about other people, who have been highly successful, can help you become more motivated. I am a big fan of Walt Disney, and whenever I read about him and all that he achieved; I just get completely fired up. When I read about all of the adversity he overcame and succeeded in overcoming, in spite of everyone’s predications, it makes me want to work even harder at achieving my goals.

•Theatrical Shows

I think one of the reasons why Broadway shows are so popular, is that great musicals have always been inspiring. Maybe it is because I am of Irish descent, but whenever I see the show Riverdance my heart soars! Find what kind of shows get you going, whether it is musicals dramas or operas.

The Power of Other Environments

Find out what other kinds of environment get you going and get your wheels spinning. To get motivated, maybe a visit to your local museum, a visit to a certain store or a trip to your favorite coffee shop. Perhaps a nice walk in your favorite park, or a visit to the local luxury car dealer, to look at the car you are going to own!

The bottom line in this chapter is to really understand yourself well enough, to know what the keys are to your motivational lock. It is important to know the activities that get you motivated, keep you motivated and to be in an “up” mood instead of a “low” mood.
Don’t get me wrong everybody gets down on occasion and that is ok. What isn’t O.K. is to stay there! I don’t think someone in a foul mood has ever accomplished any thing productive. One proven method to get out of a down mood or frame of mind is to do something, call a friend, go for a walk, but do something!

If you work at identifying the activities that really help bring you up, then like a doctor, you write your own prescription to solve the problem.

One thing I can guarantee, it is almost impossible to stay down when you are doing one of your “mood lifter” activities. There are so many people who seem helpless, trapped in dull boring lives, that are “in a rut”. I think it is tragic, for if they only understood they are the ones who control the quality of the life they live. Don’t live “a life of quiet desperation!” Decide that you are going to lead an exciting productive life of motivation!

Shawn Doyle is the President of New Light Learning and Development
(http://www.newlightlearning.com) a company specializing in Leadership Development and motivation. He is a sought after motivational speaker and coach and he has also authored five books on leadership sales and motivation. His latest book The Manager’s Pocket Guide to Training has just been published by HRD Press. Sldoyle1@aol.com

I Define Love

I define love thus: the will to extend one's self
for the purpose of nurturing one's own or another's
spiritual growth.

--M. Scott Peck


Living a life of integrity is one of the greatest
missions we can undertake.

--Greg Anderson


Such to me is the new image of aging: growth in
self and service for all mankind.

--Ethel Percy Audrus

Maximum Motivation By Practicing Long Term Thinking - By Shawn Doyle

One of the key characteristics of highly successful and motivated people is that they practice the fine art of long term thinking. Donald Trump always has had a five year plan. Many successful athletes and business people have commented in interviews about their long-term plans. Many famous football coaches have five year plans that they discuss with the press when they are hired. Of course, most of them are on five year contracts!

I recently read of an Asian businessman who is a multimillionaire. He was being interviewed by a reporter about the plans for his company. The reporter was amazed that the man had a five year and a twenty year plan for his company. The reporter thanked him for the interview and as he was leaving the business man said “Yes, but you haven’t asked me about my “100 year plan”. The businessman had a 100 and a 300 year plan laid out for his company and we wonder why he is so successful?

Go Long

One of the essential ingredients for success and for staying motivated is to have a long-term plan. This will allow you to think long term instead of short term. Think of your life going forward as a giant chessboard. If you were able to stand above the board with a five-year view- would it affect the moves you made? Of course! Long-term thinking is the act of moving many moves ahead. This has an impact on your decisions because they get easier with an eye toward the results in the future not just the present.

Let me give you an example. My wife and I for many years ago wanted a house but we couldn’t afford a down payment on a standard house. Using long- term thinking we found a deal on a small modest townhouse. We made an offer and the offer was accepted. We didn’t want a townhouse at all, but we knew the townhouse was the road to a free standing home later down the road. A few years went by and we sold it and moved into a “regular” house. Using long-term thinking we were able to use the “trade up” theory to finally reach the destination we wanted in the first place. The first house was not the house we always wanted but it was a good step in the right direction. Finally we bought the home we live in today and we could live here the rest of our lives and be happy. The journey from townhouse to the house we really wanted was done in three moves. (Townhouse, House #1, House #2)

If you had to get up very early every day and in order to get the work done, and you had to work late every night in order to finish your work, after a while you would lose your motivation and it would start to fade. However if you know with absolute certainty that in only five years you would be paid one million dollars, you would be willing to do the hard work with that long term thought in mind. You would cheerfully and enthusiastically do the work. That is the magic and motivation of long-term thinking. It is the fuel that keeps you going when others stop.

Let’s take a look at Arnold. You know the Arnold that I mean- the muscle bound body building champion, actor, producer, director of drama and comedic films. He practices long-term thinking and always has. When he was growing up in Austria, he always told his friends “I am going to America to become Mr. Universe and then I am going to be a big movie star in Hollywood.” His friends all laughed at him of course, but Arnold practiced long-term thinking so he just smiled because he had a master plan. He moved to America, became a five time Mr. Universe and a star was born on the silver screen in Hollywood.

This was all accomplished despite hardships and great odds. He had to battle against the handicap of a heavy accent. Next he was told he was good in action films but couldn’t do comedy. Of course he defied all the odds and succeeded beyond all expectations, all because he practiced long-term thinking. Here are some tips on getting started with long-term thinking:

•Take a step back

Pick a quiet part of the day when you can really think without being rushed. Think about your life up to this point. Where have you been? What have you done? What was it that got you there? If you were to draw a map of your life up to this point- what would it look like? Now, look forward and ask yourself the same questions with a forward perspective. Where are you going? What do you want to do? After you answer these questions, use it to formulate a plan and start today.

•Start practicing daily long term thinking

When decisions come up on a daily basis, ask yourself the following question “Does this tie into my long-term plan?” Let’s say you get a call from an old friend who is starting a brand new business venture. He is looking for investors and needs about $20,000.00. The business is a great concept and if it succeeds you can triple your money in one year. If it fails you can lose all your 20K.The question must then be asked does this tie into your long-term plan? Does the money being made tie into your plan? If the money is lost does it affect other long-term plans that you have made? It may relate to a long-term financial plan, a long-term entrepreneurial plan or some other plan that you have. This makes the decision a little easier.

•Look at your life in bigger “chunks”

We have a tendency to calendar our days very tightly and that is a sign of excellent planning and preparation. However the problem with looking at a calendar is that we are looking at next week, next month, but rarely at next year or the next three years. I often ask people in a conversation if the opportunity presents itself about their “five year plan.” When I ask that most people look at me like I am balancing 50 plates on my head. Most people don’t have any idea and 9 out of 10 have never thought about the next five years. I believe that one of the keys to motivation is having the courage to ask the right questions and sometimes, difficult ones. The quality of the answer is only as good as the question.

•Just because you have a long term plan doesn’t mean you can’t change it

At one time in my life I decided I wanted to be an actor. I saw a play and I was truly inspired and decided to change my major to drama. I was in an acting class my senior year and I experienced what I will call a “Lightning Moment.” This is when the obvious strikes you like a powerful thunderbolt and you “get it”. I realized I was sitting in class being taught by a brilliant man who was a British academy award winner. It occurred to me at that very moment that if he couldn’t make a living acting then I knew I couldn’t make it, as an actor, and more importantly, I didn’t want to pursue it. It struck me like a huge universal truth and I changed my long-term plan then and there. It is O.K. to change you plans because after all it is your plan!

•This is messy

Practicing long term thinking and having a plan is messy and it is not perfect. It is a process. You will stumble and start over. You may change your mind, several times. But remember that in order to get motivated and stay motivated you have to be working from a long term thinking mindset. Do you remember the hidden pictures that became popular several years ago? The picture where you stare at it and a long time and eventually a picture “reveals itself?” Long-term thinking is like that. If you keep at it a picture will emerge.

•Be patient

Don’t get frustrated. The essence of long-term thinking is that it is LONG TERM. It is not a sprint, it is a marathon. I get frustrated because today as a society we are in the instant gratification mode and everybody wants everything… now. The reality is that nothing worthy happens quickly. The stars that we all see that are “overnight sensations” have worked for years before they hit the “big time.” As the old saying goes “Rome was not built in a day.” This also applies to a life and a career.

•Visualize

Practice long term thinking by constantly visualizing where you are going. If part of your long-term thinking is to own a big huge mansion, then visualize that big mansion. Where will it be? What will the architecture look like? How big is it? What color will it be? How about the carpet? How about the ceilings? The deck? The pool? You need to visualize that mansion over and over. Better yet find a picture of the mansion of your dreams, cut it out and display it where you can see it. Find a mansion in your town that resembles the dream home you want and drive by and see it every now and then. (just don’t go by too often, you may make them think you are a stalker!)

•Change your language

When you talk out loud or talk to yourself (I know you do) then make sure you are talking in a way that keeps you motivated. Instead of saying “If I become a manager” say, “when I become a manager.” Remember that your subconscious is listening to everything you say and everything you do. Create a positive self expectation that leaves no room for doubt. Just be careful about how you use this technique. Some of the negative people in the world would love to misinterpret what you are saying as “cocky” or as egotistical. Ignore them those people behind that curtain! They dare to question the great and powerful you?

•Set benchmarks

In order to stay motivated, it is important to set benchmarks along the way. If for example you wanted lose fifty pounds, you would be much more motivated if you set benchmarks along the way. It may be benchmarks relating to number of weeks working out, weight loss at the end of one month, number of days on the diet. These benchmarks will let you track your performance along the way; if you walk in baby steps you can be more motivated as you achieve each step. Another idea is to write down the steps to your goal. Let’s say there are 15 steps to reaching the goal. After you have achieved each step you can check it off the list.

So now you can see the utmost importance of long-term thinking. It is valuable and important for a very compelling reason. The reason is that practicing long-term thinking is really the way to make your life count. As most of us know, we only have and the idea is to squeeze it for all it is worth. Ideally when you are older and appreciating the golden years of retirement, you want to look back on your life and say, “Wow… what a life I had and I did some great things.”

To me the biggest tragedy of all is not when someone dies early. The biggest tragedy of all is when someone dies of old age having squandered their maximum potential.

Shawn Doyle is the President of New Light Learning and Development
(http://www.newlightlearning.com) a company specializing in Leadership Development and motivation. He is a sought after motivational speaker and coach.He has also authored five books on leadership sales and motivation. His latest book The Manager’s Pocket Guide to Training has just been published by HRD Press. Sldoyle1@aol.com

Love is a Medicine

Love is a medicine for the sickness of the world;
a prescription often given, too rarely taken.

-- Dr. Karl Menninger


Be patient with yourself. Self-growth is tender;
it's holy ground. There's no greater investment.
-- Stephen Covey


Acceptance of what has happened is the first step
in overcoming the consequences of any misfortune.
-- William James

On Greatness - By Jake Danger

It’s a long way from mediocrity to excellence. So common sense would seem to indicate that it’s just as long a road from excellence to greatness. But I believe that greatness is an entirely different road that bypasses both mediocrity and excellence. Greatness is no closer to excellence than it is to mediocrity. Bill Gates is excellent; Nelson Mandela is great. Bill was busy making his first billion and putting a PC on every desk while Nelson was languishing in prison. That’s the difference.

True greatness can only be born from personal tragedy. It’s not the only ingredient, but it is indispensable. Even tragedy won’t be enough without choosing the appropriate response – if you react by choosing caution and dedicating your life to avoiding further pain (as most people do), the world shrinks – you will find that you lack the imagination to find any risk worth taking, and lack the courage to take a risk even if you found it.

You could definitely call me a whiner. Sometimes, anyway. Life is just too difficult and there is just too much pain - especially the emotional kind. My heart gets broken, people betray me, my hopes get dashed time and time again, I climb towards the summit time and time again only to get knocked down once more. If life could just be a little bit easier...But in my heart I know that even if it got easier I still wouldn't be satisfied. I won't be satisfied until things are ... PERFECT. I guess we all long for a perfect world. Believers wait for one, agnostics long for one, and atheists wish they could stop thinking about it. So let's do a thought experiment here - what if the world was really perfect? What if there was no war, no poverty, everyone was beatiful and healthy, we all lived forever, nobody had acne, everybody loved each other and nobody picked their nose?

It's the ultimate challenge for a Professional Whiner - to find something wrong with a perfect world. But I accept the challenge. There is one thing that would be missing in a perfect word, one kind of person that heaven cannot produce.

A hero.

Heros are born of adversity, and since a perfect world would have no adversity, a perfect world would have no heroes, only soft, fuzzy whiners who wouldn't last 30 minutes in a Louisiana cotton field. Of course it could be argued that a perfect world would have no need of heroes. Well, this world has no real need for the Grand Canyon or the Himalaya mountains, but they sure are nice...

Without fear there can be no courage. Without the possibility of betrayal there can be no real devotion to another. And without being familiar with despair, we cannot know true joy. I find something surpassingly beautiful about a strong and noble character - a nail that refuses to be pounded down.

When I get depressed or upset about the way that life is treating me, I try to remember that someday I will have forever to take it easy and thrill as every dream I've ever dreamed comes true one by one. But who will I be by then? That is all being determined right now. This brief millisecond between birth and death is the only chance I'll ever have, in all of eternity, to stand strong and prove myself against adversity. I can only hope that when it's all said and done that I will have proven myself worthy.

Jake Danger is a mental patient currently residing in the cellar of Oakfield Institute of the Very, Very Nervous. His website is called Lunatic Wisdom: News From Beyond the Matrix. He has to sneak past the nice men in white coats to post articles. Don’t believe a word he says.

Pursue Your Inspiration

Get up the courage to play on a much larger
field and to pursue your inspiration where
ever it may lie.

--Jordan Ayan


There are few, if any, jobs in which ability
alone is sufficient. Needed, also, are loyalty,
sincerity, enthusiasm and team play.

--William B. Given, Jr.


Live a balanced life--learn some and think
some and draw and paint and sing and dance
and play and work every day some.

--Robert Fulghum