Monday, January 01, 2007
 

CHANGE BEGINS WITH A CHOICE

You must take personal responsibility. You cannot change the circumstances, the
seasons, or the wind, but you can change yourself. That is something you have
charge of. You don't have charge of the constellations, but you do have charge
of whether you read, develop new skills, and take new classes.

Any day we wish; we can discipline ourselves to change it all. Any day we wish;
we can open the book that will open our mind to new knowledge. Any day we wish;
we can start a new activity.  Any day we wish; we can start the process of life
change. We can do it immediately, or next week, or next month, or next year.

We can also do nothing. We can pretend rather than perform. And if the idea of
having to change ourselves makes us uncomfortable, we can remain as we are. We
can choose rest over labor, entertainment over education, delusion over truth,
and doubt over confidence. The choices are ours to make. But while we curse the
effect, we continue to nourish the cause. As Shakespeare uniquely observed,
"The fault is not in the stars, but in ourselves." We created our circumstances by
our past choices. We have both the ability and the responsibility to make
better choices beginning today. Those who are in search of the good life do not need
more answers or more time to think things over to reach better conclusions.
They need the truth. They need the whole truth. And they need nothing but the
truth.

We cannot allow our errors in judgment, repeated every day, to lead us down the
wrong path. We must keep coming back to those basics that make the biggest
difference in how our life works out. And then we must make the very choices that
will bring life, happiness and joy into our daily lives.

And if I may be so bold to offer my last piece of advice for someone seeking
and needing to make changes in their life - If you don't like how things are,
change it! You're not a tree. You have the ability to totally transform every area
in your life - and it all begins with your very own power of choice.

THE SUBTLETY OF LANGUAGE

I have found that sometimes the subtle difference in our attitude, which of
course can make a major difference in our future, can be as simple as the language
we use. The difference in even how you talk to yourself or others. Consciously
making a decision to quit saying what you don't want and to start saying what
you do want. I call that faith.  Believing the best, hoping for the best and
moving toward the best.

A few examples could be, instead of saying "What if somebody doesn't respond"
you start saying, "What if they do respond?"  Instead of saying "What if someone
says no?" You say, "What if they say yes?" Instead of "What if they start and
quit?" say, "What if they start and stay?" or "What if it doesn't work out?" You
say, "What if it does work out?" and the list goes on and on.

I found that when you start thinking and saying what you really want then your
mind automatically shifts and pulls you in that direction. And sometimes it can
be that simple, just a little twist in vocabulary that illustrates your
attitude and philosophy.

Our language can also affect how others perform and behave around us. A
teenager says to a parent, "I need $10." And if the parents learn to say, "No
comprende. That kind of language doesn't work here. We've got plenty of money, but
that's not how you get $10." Then you teach your teenager how to ask, "How can I
earn $10?"

That is the magic of words. There is plenty of money here. There is money for
everybody, but you just have to learn the magic words to get them. For
everything you could possibly want. If you just learn the philosophy. How could I earn
$10? Because you can't go to the soil and say, "Give me a harvest."  You know
the soil smiles and says, "Who is this clown that brings me his need and brings
me no seed." And if you said to the soil, "I've got this seed and if I planted
it, would you work while I sleep?" And the soil says, "No problem. Give me the
seed. Go to sleep and I'll be working while you're sleeping."

If you just understand these simple principles, teaching them to a teenager (or
adult) is sometimes just a matter of language. It's like an investment account
instead of a savings account. Simple language, but so important. It is easy to
stumble through almost a lifetime and not learn some of these simplicities. 
Then you have to put up with all the lack and all the challenges that don't work
out simply from not reading the book, not listening to the tape, not sitting in
the class, not studying your language and not being willing to search so you
can then find.

But here is the great news. You can start this process anytime.  For me it was
at age 25. At 25 I'm broke. Six years later I'm a millionaire. Somebody says,
"What kind of revolution, what kind of change, what kind of thinking, what kind
of magic had to happen? Was it you?" And I say, "No. Any person, any six years,
36 to 42, 50 to 56. Whatever six years; whatever few years you go on an
intensive, accelerated personal development curve, learning curve, application curve,
and learning the disciplines.  Now, it might not take the same amount of time,
but I'm telling you the same changes and the same rewards in some different
fashion are available for those who pay that six year price.  And you might find
that whether it's in the beginning to help get you started, or in the middle to
keep you on track, that your language can have a great impact on your attitude,
actions and results.

NO COMPLAINING

Complaining. There's room for legitimate complaining, but if you let this
deadly disease of attitude - complaining - loose, it will conquer you. Complaining
can take over your life. Destroy you and leave you without anything. Nobody
wants to take along a complainer. Nobody wants to promote a complainer. Nobody
wants to live with one. Nobody wants to be a partner of one. Nobody wants to have
one around. Complaining leaves you out of more opportunities than you can
possibly imagine if you let it take over and grab you by the throat. If you don't
think complaining is bad ask the children of Israel of Old Testament fame. Now let
me say something right here, they are typical of us all (if we had ourselves in
a similar position); their story just happened to get in the Book.

The story says that the children of Israel are slaves in Egypt. God performed a
series of dazzling miracles and gets them out. Now they have their freedom and
are heading for the Promised Land. But... the tragedy of the story - they never
got there. Reason - from day one they started to complain.

They griped about the food - they had just been delivered from slavery and they
are complaining about the food?! They complained and cried and griped about the
water. In the desert they HAD water to drink, but... it didn't taste that
good?! They complained about the leadership... that had just delivered them from
slavery?! They complained that it was too hot, too cold, too far, too difficult,
too rocky. They cried for years - forty to be exact. Finally, God said I've had
it ??trip cancelled!

The story says that they died in the desert and never reached the Promised Land
- after all that trouble! I believe this story teaches two things:

1) Indulge in complaining long enough and you will get your future cancelled -
future promotions, future opportunities.

2) Even God himself can only take so much complaining.

I think you get my point. Complaining is not for the winners in life. You must
focus on what you can do, not what you cannot. And you must focus on the
opportunities not the difficulties. When you do this you will not only inspire
yourself but you will be an example for others to follow as well.

ITS A CHALLENGE TO SUCCEED

It is a challenge to succeed. If it were not, I'm sure more people would be
successful, but for every person who is enjoying the fruit from the tree of
success, many more are examining the roots. They are trying to figure it all out.
They are mystified and perplexed by what seems to be some strange, complex and
elusive secret that must be found if ever success is to be enjoyed. While most
people spend most of their lives struggling to earn a living, a much smaller
number seem to have everything going their way. Instead of just earning a living,
the smaller group is busily engaged in designing and enjoying a fortune.
Everything just seems to work out for them. While the much larger group sits in awe at
how life can be so unfair, complicated and unjust.

"I am a nice person," the man says to himself. "How come this other guy is
happy and prosperous, and I'm always struggling?" He asks himself, "I am a good
husband, a good father and a good worker. How come nothing seems to work out for
me? Life just isn't fair. I'm even smarter and willing to work harder than some
of these other people who just seem to have everything going their way," he
says as he slumps into the sofa to watch another evening of television. But you
see you've got to be more than a good person and a good worker. You've got to
become a good planner, and a good dreamer. You've got to see the future finished
in advance.

You've got to put in the long hours and put up with the setbacks and the
disappointments. You've got to learn to enjoy the process of disciplines and of
putting yourself through the paces of doing the uncomfortable until it becomes
comfortable. You've got to be prepared and willing to attack the challenges if you
want the success because challenges are part of success. Now that may sound like
a full menu of activities, but let me assure you that the process of going from
average to fortune isn't really all that difficult. Thinking about it is the
difficult part. Anticipating all the effort and the changes and the disciplines
is far worse in the mind than in reality. I can promise you that the challenges
you'll meet on the road to success are far less difficult to deal with than the
struggles and the disappointments that come from being average. Confronting and
overcoming challenges is an exhilarating experience. It does something to feed
the soul and the mind. It makes you more than you were before. It strengthens
the mental muscles and enables you to become better prepared for the next
challenge.

I've often said that to have more, we must first become more, and to become
more, we must begin the process of working harder on ourselves than we do on
anything else. But in addition to gathering new knowledge, new skills and new
experiences; it is also important to discover new emotions. It is how we feel about
what we know that makes the biggest difference in how our lives turn out. How we
feel about the chances we have and the choices we have determines the intensity
of our effort. Whether we try or don't try. Join or don't join. Believe or
don't believe.

I CORINTHIANS 13: 4 -8

4Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

 8Love never fails.