I will touch a life today

For any given cause, there is a result that is usually inevitable. If you let go of a book at waist height, it will fall to the floor. If you eat a diet rich in fat and sugar, you will gain weight. If you live with greed, anger and envy in your heart your life will be filled with lack and limitation. And when you seek to make a positive difference, to provide value and to be of service, your days will be rich and fulfilling. Though you can rarely change the cause and result relationship, what you can most certainly do is control the causes. That is the way to bring the results you desire. Wishing that you could get wealthy by following the latest get-rich-quick scheme will not bring about the wealth you desire. The result of material wealth comes from the cause of extended effort, innovation, persistence and the commitment to provide something of real value. Results don't happen randomly. They have specific causes. When you're not getting the desired results, p...

I really should finish that report... but there's always tomorrow. I need to start working out more often... but there's always tomorrow. I really should return her phone call... but there's always tomorrow. There's always tomorrow. And that is precisely the problem. If you put something off until tomorrow, guess what? There will always be another tomorrow, and another and another, ready and waiting for you to continue procrastinating. While there is always another tomorrow, there will never be another opportunity to make the most of today. Once today is over, it is history. No amount of regret or sorrow or excuses will change it. Today becomes a done deal in just a few hours. Right now is your golden opportunity to make it count.

Get ready. Here it comes! Another day. Another 24 hours in which to move forward, to get things done, to learn, to grow, to live and enjoy. In the next 24 hours someone, somewhere will move forward with a decision that will create great wealth. In the next 24 hours someone, somewhere will fall in love, and it will last a lifetime. In the next 24 hours someone, somewhere could make a discovery that will change the world. Plenty of great things will happen in the next 24 hours. It is a fertile period of time just waiting to be used. What do you have planned for it? Twenty four hours from now, how much farther along will you be? Will you have made the most of this great opportunity? Today is the day to act. If not today, when? It's a fabulous opportunity. No one anywhere in the world has more time than you do in the next 24 hours. It's plenty of time to plant the seeds for magnificent accomplishments. So get started right this minute, and have a great, productive...

Do you remember ever having a really great teacher in school -- someone who inspired you to learn and to do your best? If so, you'll probably recall that he or she challenged you to a much greater degree than most of your other teachers. At the time, the extra challenge may have seemed unfair, or even cruel. Yet looking back on it, you realize that it was not cruel at all, but rather was a true expression of respect for, and confidence in, your ability to learn and grow. Life outside of school has its great teachers, too. And the best ones often seem unfair, unkind and even brutal. Those teachers include disappointment, sorrow, confusion, loneliness, and frustration. They are all painful and yet some of our greatest learning and growth can come from them. They challenge us and compel us to reach higher. They help to reveal our true character, and by so doing build that character to be even stronger. Amidst despair, take heart. A loving, caring teacher is even now ...

Let me direct you to Eric Hamm who has laid it out completely for us amateurs to get the hang of the feed back we receive and how we should deal with it. "As human beings, we are affected by the feedback we receive from those around us. Whether good, bad or neutral, the words we hear and the tone in which they are seasoned, can have a powerful impact on how we feel about ourselves and how we see the world around us. From the time we first take notice of this double edge we call the tongue, we are keenly aware of its sting as well as its ability to uplift the somber soul." How To Stop Letting People Make Or Break Your Life! Let’s stop handing over the keys to other people’s opinions and bring stability to our personal perspective of ourselves. Tip #1: Determine the usefulness of the negative feedback. Tip #2: Beware of the dangerous Half-Truth Tip #3: Determine WHO you will listen to Tip #4: Accept your imperfections Tip #5: Take a breather Tip #6: ...

1. THE GIFT OF LISTENING... But you must REALLY listen. No interrupting, no daydreaming, no planning your response. Just listening. 2. THE GIFT OF AFFECTION... Be generous with appropriate hugs, kisses, pats on the back and holds. Let these small actions demonstrate the love you have for family and friends. 3. THE GIFT OF LAUGHTER... Clip cartoons. Share articles and funny stories. Your gift will say, "I love to laugh with you." 4. THE GIFT OF A WRITTEN NOTE... It can be a simple "Thanks for the help" note or a full sonnet. A brief, handwritten note may be remembered for a lifetime, and may even change a life. 5. THE GIFT OF A COMPLIMENT... A simple and sincere, "You look great in red," "You did a super job" or "That was a wonderful meal" can make someone's day. 6. THE GIFT OF A FAVOR... Every day, go out of your way to do something kind. 7. THE GIFT OF SOLITUDE... There are times when we want nothing better than to...

Rarely will you ever accomplish more than you expect to accomplish. So get in the habit of expecting the best. Your expectations by themselves do not create your reality, but they do indeed set the direction for it. What do you expect to achieve today, this week, or this month? How do you expect other people to relate to you? Expectations guide our actions. When we know what is expected it gives us a clear plan for exactly what to do. Whatever you sincerely expect, you will work for, you will nurture, you will persist for and give power to. Those things will serve to make it happen. Expectations powerfully influence both your conscious and subconscious actions. If you expect the day to be dreary and boring, most likely it will be. When you expect the day to be productive and fulfilling, you'll find yourself acting to satisfy those expectations. Make it a point to expect the best, and then commit to following those expectations.

We humans are explorers. We go places, just because we've never been there before. We explore new ways of expressing ourselves, new methods for doing business, new technologies. Exploration embodies some of the most positive qualities that we can attain. It is an act of faith, of courage, optimism, confidence, discipline and self reliance. Exploration is curiosity with commitment, with risk, and with the potential for great reward. The best explorers are serious and disciplined enough to survive, yet at the same time bold, open-minded and energetic. Explorers are highly resourceful, making the most use of what they have. Explorers are clearly focused, and yet always maintain a child-like wonder at the discoveries which are unfolding around them. Whatever you do, take time to explore. There is so much for you to discover -- places, people, ideas, techniques, perspectives. And your spirit of exploration will bring out the best in you.

No one would dare to drive down the highway without their hands on their car's steering wheel. Yet we often cruise down the highway of life with no hands on the wheel. The mind is like a steering wheel for living. Whatever way it is turned, life obediently follows. And when we fail to exercise control of our mind, life becomes reckless. Instead of keeping our hands firmly on the wheel, instead of purposefully directing our thoughts, we let our minds get turned in every which direction. The results are often disastrous. Our lives weave into oncoming traffic, and we get hit head on. We often leave the road completely, and head out over rough terrain, which jolts us and jars us until we finally break down. In life, as in driving a car, the swiftest, most reliable progress is made by staying firmly in control. To do that, we must know where we're going, we must plot a route to get there, and we must be disciplined enough to keep our hands firmly on the steering wh...

How much time do you spend working on something, after you've already finished it? Knowing when to stop, and having the discipline to move on to the next challenge, is a great way to get more accomplished. Overkill is a tempting way to procrastinate while still "looking busy." Changing the font of every heading in a report that you've already finished is far easier than picking up the phone and calling prospects. Yet which would make the best use of your precious time? Details are important. Doing your best is important. And results are vitally important. Achievement demands more than just being busy. Results count. Focus on being effective, rather than being busy. Direct your energy toward getting results, and you will achieve them.

We must avoid danger, though not to the extent that we avoid life. At some point, the fear becomes more damaging than the thing that is feared. There is some risk in everything. Life in this world simply cannot be risk free and fully guaranteed. Those who truly succeed are willing to accept the risk of failure. Those who find true love have risked a broken heart. There are risks to every action, and yet the risks of inaction can be far greater. When you hide yourself away from the world, what is it you are saving? What is left to protect? The world can be a dangerous place. Proceed with caution, but by all means do proceed. Take calculated risks. Put yourself on the line. Don't get left behind while waiting for a sure thing. Be a part of life, not afraid of it. The most stinging regrets are for things never attempted. When you participate, when you take action, there is indeed the possibility of failure and disappointment. Yet when you decline to take action, fai...

Where do we start? People tell me about their work, relationship, family, exams, etc., and how difficult it is to handle situations, emotions, and pressures. I too share my own ups and downs with my friends. We never could provide each other answers, but we sure know that ultimately we will overcome them or rather we have to. It is indeed important to plan for the future but it is important to also understand that achievements take time. As one proverb goes ".. a journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step..". I believe it is better to handle things at one's own pace then to plunge into it. We just have to concentrate on the building pieces of our lives, one at a time. Go through adversities, one at a time. Solve our problems, one at a time. Go through life, one step at a time. Beautiful paintings that have taken their place in history were not painted in a day, in a week, or in a month. It took time. Each brushstroke was just a little foundati...

If you knew for certain that you could cause something to happen by thinking about it, by focusing on it, day after day, moment by moment, what would it be? If you knew without a doubt that you could achieve anything you set out to do, what would you commit yourself to accomplish? If you knew that your life would be an exact out-picturing of your most deeply held beliefs, what would you believe? If you knew that it was impossible to think one way and live another way, what would you think? If you were convinced that there was opportunity in every situation, how would you live? If you knew for sure that every disciplined effort would bring multiple rewards, how diligently would you work? If you knew how to achieve success, what would you do -- right now?

Success. You say you want it. It sounds good. It sounds right. But do you really, truly want it? Do you even know what it is? "Success" is a vague and nebulous term. It is useful when dealing with principles but it falls short when applied to the reality of your life. The only attainable "success" is specific success. Generic success is impossible to achieve because it is impossible to clearly visualize and work towards. You won't ever be very highly motivated to achieve "success." Effective motivation comes from pursuing specific, clearly defined goals. What does success mean to you? Think it through. Write it down. Connect yourself emotionally to it. Make it real in your mind. Know exactly what you're going for. Do you really want it? Then determine exactly, precisely what it is and then go one step farther by clearly understanding why you want it. Hold on to that. Keep it at the forefront of your thoughts. And you will do what...