Your Commitment Needs to Defy Explanation

My mother lives in a retirement community in Rochester, New York next door to a woman who was once attacked by an axe murderer. This woman, one of my mother’s best friends, has been through one of the most horrific and unusual tragedies I can imagine. One day the woman’s husband woke up for work, took a shower, got dressed and went downstairs to prepare a cup of coffee. As he stood there making his cup of coffee he collapsed and died. Apparently he had been attacked with an axe while he slept, had [Read more]

Being in the Zone

Nothing is more important to your success in your career and life than being in the zone. The problem with most people, however, is that they are not in the zone; instead, they are merely doing what they and others think they should be doing. Most people are following a path that they believe will lead to happiness, wealth and achievement, rather than doing what comes naturally to them, what they are good at and the sort of work that makes them happy. You should not be doing anything as a career unless you feel you at least have a shot at being the best in the world at it. It does not matter what you do. Being a waiter might get you excited: if it does, try to be the best in the world at that job. Being a ski instructor might be your dream career–if it is, try to be the best in the world at it. Do not waste your time on earth doing something you do not enjoy, or something in which you know you cannot truly excel. Do what you love. You need to spend your time doing something [Read more]

Job Hopping: It is Always About You

Many people’s careers and lives are often held back by just one small thing. Your might also be holding yourself back in your career, but if you can fix this one small thing your career and life will change for the better. If you are not able to make this minor yet substantial adjustment, then everything will just continue in the same way as before, and you may never achieve all that you are capable of achieving. I have always believed that it is best to focus mainly on our strengths, not our [Read more]

Prosperity Through Thought – Force

Helpers and Non-Helpers

In the book All I Want is Everything, Marion Preminger discusses the viewpoint of her husband, a missionary doctor in Africa: “Albert Schweitzer says there are two kinds of people. There are helpers, and there are non-helpers. I thank God he allowed me to become a helper, and in helping, I found everything.” Preminger’s life is so instructive and inspirational because it discusses a woman who moved from being a non-helper to a helper, and how stunning this transformation was for her. In my experience, I would say the author is correct in saying that there really are two types of people in the world, helpers and non-helpers. Choosing to be a helper or a non-helper will have a major impact on the course of your life, no matter how much education you get, and no matter what sort of job you get. Life, in general, revolves around finding opportunity, making money, developing friendship, discovering love and moving towards those who help, and away from those who do not help. Whenever you look at the most successful and the happiest people out there, you will almost invariably find that these people are helpers, always making an effort to contribute and help others. In addition to doing this through physical actions, they also do this through their thoughts. They communicate and think positive messages about others. Being a helper is about more than just the things you do. It involves your intent, your spirit and where you are coming from, deep down. The deeper and more powerful your positive intent is, the more of a helper you will be. Conversely, the non-helpers are always more concerned about their immediate needs and what others can do for them. The non-helpers always make sure that their actions are calculated and that what they receive in return is more than what they put out. In addition, there [Read more]

Cheap Beer, Overpriced Chocolate, Being Visible and Approachable

For some reason, lately I have been receiving a lot of invitations from local stores to go and spend an evening looking at stuff–”new fall collections”, for example. It could be women’s shoes, beds, or other wares; however, the invitations just keep coming. They come by mail. The stores call our house. However, lest I think I am special, the stores usually advertise these same events in the paper as well, and promote these special events to the public at large, through their websites. I have only attended one of these events so [Read more]

Your Ability to be Free Will Determine Your Success

A very crucial part of your future success and happiness is having the ability to be free. The concept of freedom is difficult for most people to truly understand because hardly anyone is really free, in the deepest sense of the word. Most people are trapped by their own mental barriers, by obligations to others, by financial constraints, by habits and in many cases by actual physical barriers. Moving towards true freedom is something that will forever change your life and career, and will help you reach your full potential. The founding principles of the United States were largely based on the idea of freedom for all citizens, as exemplified by the First [Read more]

Managers, Idea People and Workers

I love watching Western movies. What fascinates me about them is that what typically occurs in Westerns occurs in any organization–and the success of this process is what determines the success or failure of the organization. In most Westerns, the plot line revolves around a powerful force that tests the will of a group, such as an evil banker taking away peoples’ land, or a group of outlaws terrorizing a town, and so forth. The beginning of the story typically entails people being devastated by this evil force, and then an individual steps forward and [Read more]

Detroit Car Washes, Cash, Drug Dealers and the Character of Your Goals

Several years ago I used to run an asphalt business out of Detroit, Michigan. I use the phrase “out of Detroit” loosely because in the eight years or so I was in the business I only did a few asphalt jobs in the City of Detroit. Most of my work was in the suburbs. The reason I did so few asphalt jobs in Detroit then is that the city was in ruins and very few people could afford to maintain their asphalt. I did, however, keep my equipment in the City of Detroit because it was much cheaper [Read more]

The Inner Voices, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Your Life

When you consider all that you are capable of achieving, nothing is more exciting than imagining who and what you can and will become in your life. In order to do this you must first learn to ignore that voice inside your head that may tell you otherwise.

You have the ability to become happier.

You have the ability to become more successful.

You have the ability to become healthier.

You have the ability to become a better friend.

You have the ability to become a better wife, or husband.

You have the ability to learn new things.

You have the ability to get a better job.

You have the ability to get a raise.

You have the ability to live where you want.

You have the ability to work how you want.

You have the ability to do what you want for a living.

You have the ability to do the hobbies you want.

In fact, pretty much whatever you want out of life [Read more]

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