LIVING Your Best By GIVING Your Best!

LIVING Your Best By GIVING Your Best!

How have you done with the self-examination that has been a part of this short, 2-part discussion? If you're not sure what I'm talking about then be sure to go back and listen to the podcast from yesterday as well as today and also be sure to read the blog entry from yesterday on this topic.

Simply put, many of us get caught up in the negative influences that surround us and we end up giving anything BUT our best in many - if not all - areas of our life!

Now, remember that I have encouraged you to always listen to the podcast AND read the blog, right? Why? Because what I write here is many times similar - yet different - than what I discussed on the podcast. This will likely be the case today as my mind is running in a different direction this morning as I type this!

You see, here's the thing - when you really think about it, the reason many of us DON'T give our best - 100% - is due to the negative influences around us! Really think about it and see if you don't agree. At your job - what's the general attitude with those that you are around during the day? What kind of attitudes are exhibited about a good relationship with those that you spend time with? Do THEY have a good relationship or are they always griping and complaining about theirs?

I want to use the steps we just got through discussing in our recent series on making wise or stupid decisions and see if we can't apply these principles here as well.

First of all, let's consider the foundational principle of "mapping out our future" and determining what we want our lives to look like! This can ALSO apply in this situation!

Instead of griping and complaining and giving a sub-par performance (at work or in your relationships) why not look and consider what you'd LIKE it to look like? Picture it! Imagine it! Visualize it! And then, instead of listening and being influenced by the negative influences around you - LIVE IT! Decide NOW to go for what you WANT your life to be and not what you have SETTLED for your life to become! That's a BIG difference - wouldn't you say?

Step 1: WHO ARE YOU LISTENING TO? - Wow, this plays a BIG role in this scenario as well! Just like we talked about in the discussion of making wise decisions the same is true for us in this situation - you WILL become like those that you spend your time with! If you are spending your time with people that whine, complain and put out "half-effort" at best then, guess what? That's what you will do as well!

Now, step back and look at this picture for a moment. Really, try to picture yourself actually stepping back from this environment and picture those people and the atmosphere that is prevalent - DO YOU WANT TO BE A PART OF THAT? Do YOU want to become like one of THEM?

I hope not! But you WILL if you continue to allow this negative influence in your life!

Now, let's go to the same principle (who are you listening to?) in relation to those we spend time with in connection to our relationships. Is it the same group of people? If so, I can already tell you that all they do is gripe and complain about their spouses and/or their family. Am I right? I can tell you already that I am right about this!

How do I know? NEGATIVE PEOPLE WILL ALWAYS BE NEGATIVE!

Do you spend time with other people after work before going home? Why and who is it with? What kind of attitude do THEY have about their own relationship? What kind of advice might they give you concerning YOUR relationship?

Do you REALLY want to be taking advice or allowing this person to influence you in YOUR relationship? Again, I hope not!

You MUST shake these people off! I'm serious!

You CAN NOT allow these influences in your life! Yes, I know that if you work with them that you cannot totally separate yourself from them BUT you CAN limit the amount of "chit chat" time that you spend with them.

THIS IS A MUST!

Why should you allow others to determine your mindset and attitude toward your job and your family and/or other relationships?

If you have set out your map and you know where you want to go and you know what you want your life to look like then you MUST take control of your mindset!

Do not allow this negative influence to continue! You may want to try to change the subject and talk positive for a change - see what happens!

Instead of spending that time at the bar with that negative person who knows NOTHING about how to have a positive and healthy relationship - GO HOME and work on giving your best in that relationship!

You can only LIVE your best when you GIVE your best!

How can you feel good about your life otherwise? I don't believe you can! I know I don't feel good about my day if I feel like I have wasted it in any way - do you?

Now, let me once again clarify something that I said on the podcast that I don't want anyone to misunderstand. I suggested - and suggest here as well - that if you want your relationship with your spouse to improve - GIVE MORE! See what happens when you decide to give! ---- Here's the deal. Again, I KNOW that in some relationships one gives and gives and gives while the other does nothing but take. I understand that and I'm not talking about that type of situation - PLEASE HEAR ME ON THAT!

Here is what I mean though - for many of us in our lives and in all areas of our lives (work and home) we have become TAKERS and not GIVERS!

Do you remember one of my 7 Daily Affirmations being, "I am a GIVER not a TAKER!" ?

We have become a society that seems to think that everyone OWES us. And, with that thought in mind, we will sit back and wait to be served and then, MAYBE, we'll do something in return.

We have gotten this way in our jobs and we have gotten this way in our relationships and we MUST turn this around and become GIVERS instead of TAKERS!

LIVE your best by GIVING your best and you WILL BECOME your best!

Isn't that what we all are striving for with our lives?

Think about it. Put it into practice and...

"Make it an AWESOME day! (Who else is going to do it for you?)"

Mike

Living Your Best!

Living Your Best!

I really don't want to get into some sort of discussion and/or argument that is sports related when I share these thoughts with you today. I've heard them all debated over and over again and my mind has still not been changed. If you've already listened to the podcast then you already know what I'm talking about. If not...let me share as we begin today.

As this years NFL regular season began to wind down and teams already knew that they were going to the playoffs we saw some of them "rest their starters" so that they could be sure to have them healthy once they got to the playoffs. Sounds good on the surface right?

However, most of the time - if not all of the time - this ended up with these teams LOSING to their opponent. Here's the kicker - these teams could have rested their starters AND still won the game and, for one team in particular, ended with a perfect record for the season.

But, no. Instead of keeping their starters in the game until they got a lead that SHOULD NOT be able to be overcome and THEN taking their starters out, we saw teams take their starters our prematurely and lose the game.

The cameras were zoomed in on the face of the quarterback of the one team that could have gone undefeated and it looked like he had just eaten the most distasteful food possible - he looked absolutely sick!

I have watched for years as teams in the NBA seemed to have purposely lost games so that they might have a better chance at THE lottery pick for the best player available for the next year. As a matter of fact, a man that was an assistant coach a few years back said just recently that this was EXACTLY what had happened with the team for which he coached.

I'm sorry if you don't agree but, to me, that's just wrong.

What about the fans that pay the same amount of money for a ticket for a game when the teams play their best players and the players play their best as they do for one of the games like we're talking about in today's entry? They're not really getting their money's worth, are they?

Like I said, I really don't want to get into an argument or discussion about this - I've heard them all. What I usually here is how this makes sure the main players are healthy for the playoffs OR that the basketball team may increase their chances at the lottery pick.

Here's the deal - NEITHER of these are guaranteed!

I've seen NFL teams that have done this get knocked out in the first round of the playoffs - how did THAT work out for you? And, I've seen NBA teams NOT get the number one pick in the lottery. They were bad before and lost on purpose and they STILL were going to be bad and also lost a lot of respect of their fans.

Remember - TODAY is all we have!

NO ONE is guaranteed ANYTHING about tomorrow! It's just not there, my friend!

The problem is this (as I see it): This kind of approach and attitude is not just tied into these sports scenarios - it's widespread in our society!

I know this next example is meant for humor - really, I do understand that. But, it is an example of how many people think. We've all seen the t-shirts that read, "I'm #1!" right? I am also sure that most of us have seen the shirts that read, "I'm #3 - Why Try At All?".

The sad part is - many people live their whole lives this way.

Many in our society approach a job with the thought, "What's the least amount of work I have to do without getting fired?" instead of, "How can I do this job to the best of my ability?".

I was reading a true account in a book one day about a guy that went to work for a company and was doing his best each day. It didn't' take long before he was approached by someone that had been working there for a few years who said, "Hey, knock it off! Quit working so hard - if you keep this up then they're going to expect the rest of us to work like that! You need to just "act" busy, got it?".

Wow! My guess is that some of you have had this happen to you.

It seems that we have become a society of, "What do I have to do to get by?" instead of "What can I do to exceed expectations?".

My friend, this is not LIVING YOUR BEST. In my opinion, this is not living at all!

Do NOT fall into the trap of settling for less! Do not become "less" by adapting this attitude!

For example, many will say that a marriage is a 50/50 proposition, meaning that each gives 50%.

WRONG! Marriage is a 100/100 proposition and either person that gives less than 100% is not living up to their end of the deal!

IT IS UP TO YOU to make this happen in your life!

You can either be a thermometer OR a thermostat. Here's what I mean. A thermometer only registers the temperature around it. In other words, a thermometer only tells you "what is". However, a thermostat SETS the temperature that the thermometer registers. So, if you are a thermometer person - you basically just "go with the flow". But, if you are a thermostat person YOU set the pace!

It's so easy to slide into the thermometer lifestyle. Let me give you an example from my personal life. Back several years ago I was working for a company working a job just so that I could make ends meet. It wasn't the best job in the world but it helped put some food on the table. The good thing was that I was in the sales department so I had the opportunity to get out of the office - which was FULL of negativity - and mingle with the customers. The potential problem with this was the fact that most of these customers were very displeased with this company and the way that they had been doing business, so I usually got an ear full.

I was able to overcome that fairly easily - I was determined to giving them the best service possible! The problem was - those back at the office didn't seem to share my desire. It was a constant struggle to get the office to fulfill what needed to be done to give the customers the service that they were paying for!

I kept my positive attitude up for a while (I have to say that this was also before I was introduced to great men like Jim Rohn and other materials) but then began to hang around the office longer than I should. By doing so I began to hear and listen to the negativity that filled the air in that office. And, it wasn't long before I was joining right in and becoming a negative person myself. I had taken the path of least resistance and had become "one of them" instead of living the life of a thermostat!

Needless to say, it wasn't long before I quit this job to take on another one which was not a good one either.

Now, let me give you an example on the other side of the spectrum. This one is about my wife and her approach to situations like this. She lives the life of a thermostat and REFUSES to become a thermometer!

If you will actually notice, it just seems that most workplaces are full of negativity. People griping and complaining about what's not right and on and on. My guess is, your place of work is no different, right?

As my wife has begun a few of these jobs she would decide - from day one - that she was not going to give in to the negativity and that she was going to do her best to make everyone around her smile. Sounds kind of "wishful-thinking-like" doesn't it?

The best example is with one particular job at which everyone warned her about a particular assistant manager - a woman that was always in a terrible mood and was constantly griping at the other workers. My wife came home and told me about this and, with a gleam in her eye said, "I'm going to make sure that she smiles at least ONCE while I am working with her every day!" And, guess what? She did! Not only that, but the lady ended up smiling as soon as my wife would walk in the door and was pleasant with her - and the rest of the workers - the whole time!

Get this - the assistant manager even ended up knitting my wife a "throw" for the sofa!

My wife is a PRO at this and it's awesome to watch!

So, here's the thing for today: Are you LIVING your best by GIVING your best?

Think about it. Really be honest in your assessment of whether you are a THERMOMETER or a THERMOSTAT and understand that you CAN live a life of giving your best which, in turn, will cause you to LIVE your best!

And it begins today!

So, that being said, "Make it an AWESOME day! (Who else is going to do it for you?)"

Mike

Conclusion: KEY INGREDIENT in Recovery

The KEY INGREDIENT/PRINCIPLE

in Recovery from Unwise Decisions

All along I have been hinting at this "key principle" and today I will reveal it for those that find themselves suffering the consequences of making stupid decisions.

Our prisons are full of men and women - young and old alike - that are living with the consequences of stupid decisions. Yes, this is an extreme example, but it is a truth that we cannot ignore.

Think about this as well - apparently the possibility of serving prison time has not been that much of a deterrent for those on the verge of making a stupid decision. And, due to that lack of clear thinking - most of our prisons are overcrowded.

Let's look at this situation for a moment. After all, some of the examples that we used in our first podcast/blog entry dealt with some that either ARE spending time in prison or MAY be spending time in prison before it's all over. So, what happens with them now?


They have lost a lot of valuable time in their future as an athlete and may or may not be able to return to their career. Even those that MAY return will NEVER be the athlete that they were BEFORE making that unwise choice - that's just a fact of life and our physical bodies. They WILL have a record which will always be a part of their life history and will ALWAYS be something that potential employees will know about and want to get more information about.


The last part in the above paragraph will be true for anyone - athlete or not - that has served time in prison. This will also be true: there will be many people that will prejudge them due to the fact that they have been in prison.


Is this fair? It really doesn't matter if you think it is fair or not - it is another fact of life. And, honestly, it is an extended part of the consequences that come from making an unwise decision. "But I've paid my debt to society!" Yes, that may be true, but the consequences from unwise decisions can linger long past the time frame that we would wish.

Now then - for others that may not be spending prison time but still are feeling the hurt and pain of the consequences of making stupid decisions the road may be just as long. You may have lost your job, completely destroyed your relationship with your family and/or even lost your health due to an unwise decision.

Here's the thing for anyone and everyone that find themselves stinging from the consequences...you CAN make amends, but consequences will come and they WILL be paid!


You can say, "I'm sorry" - you can pay back money - you can serve prison time - but you can NEVER go back and undo what has been done. That, my friend, is an impossibility.


That's why it is SO important for all of us to think clearly BEFORE finding ourselves in a situation that will be controlled by emotions --- what happens next can NEVER be undone!


What then? Are you done? Finished? Worthless? Should you just "throw in the towel" and not even try now that your life seems to be ruined? If you feel that you have lost everything - is there any reason to try to improve or should you just let go and follow the path of least resistance?

It's up to you. It's YOUR choice. No one can make this decision for you, but it IS a decision that you WILL make. Yes, "doing nothing" IS a choice.


So, are you ready to find out the KEY PRINCIPLE that anyone in this situation MUST FOLLOW if they desire to live a productive, positive and successful life even AFTER making a stupid decision that has cost them dearly?

Here it is: "Understand that this is NOT the end!"

Hey, again, if you follow me regularly you know that I like to make things simple. The wording and the length of the sentence makes this KEY PRINCIPLE appear to be simple - but it's not as simple as it may appear!

One that finds themselves in this situation will have to fight, scratch and claw every step on the way to instill the positive influences necessary into their minds and then implement them into their lives. Negativity will want to rule and ruin your life - BUT YOU MUST UNDERSTAND THAT YOU CANNOT SURRENDER AND GIVE UP! This is NOT the end!

"As long as there is breath there is HOPE!" - See how important this quote is?

A quote from Jim Rohn really has great significance in this situation as well: "The major value in life is not what you get. The major value in life is what you become."

Now, I know this may sound a little silly to some, but think about it - especially if you find yourself in this situation... You now have the chance to start all over again! This CAN even be an exciting time for you if you approach it in this way!

YES, now you MUST go back and look at what I have covered in this series of discussions and realize that you now must approach things in a whole different way.

In other words - YOU MUST CHANGE! And that means you must change pretty much everything! You must change the so-called friends that you had in the past. You must change the places where you spent your time before. You must change your attitude and your mindset. YOU must change YOU!

If you don't then NOTHING will change for you and your life!

So now, wherever you are - you must "re-map" your life and decide where you want your life to go and how you want your "new life" to look! Along with that you MUST make decisions EARLY as far as what that means for your life!

This part - making decisions EARLY - is the part that tells you just change your environment as I discussed a couple of paragraphs earlier. Decide NOW how important it is for you to transform your life!

Will this be easy? Likely not.

Is this impossible? NO, it is not!

But is IS up to you!

And, believe it or not, there are many people that are willing to help you make the right steps along the way. Oh, you may never even meet these people - but through their books, podcasts and other materials you can gain GREAT strides in moving in the right direction.

Remember: "THIS IS NOT THE END!"

And, think about this - I close with this little quote every day...but now think about how important it is IF you are one that must begin rebuilding their life....it all happens one day at at time. So...

"Make it an AWESOME day! (Who else is going to do it for you?)"

Mike

Decisions - Part 5: "Yeah, Adults, Too!"

"Yeah, Adults, Too!"

Hopefully, as adults, we are wiser than when we were younger! I'm not sure who wrote the song but I know I've heard it sung by Rod Stewart with the words, "I wish that I knew what I know now, when I was younger!" Nice thought, right?

But, the fact is - it doesn't work that way....it works just the opposite. We know more now than we did earlier but the key question is this: Has it made a difference in our ability to make wise choices?

For some, yes and for others, apparently not!

Now, again, let me clarify something - even the "smartest" and "most prepared" people in the world still sometimes make wrong choices. As adults, we are not immune to such things.

But, we should be able to LIMIT these poor choices a lot better than we did before simply because of our experiences in living life.

Stupid decisions come in all forms, don't they? They don't always have to be centered around marital infidelity as was mentioned in the last example given in our first episode in this series. Don't you know - hopefully - that the pro golfer who's career is basically ruined for the moment and who's family life is apparently is in shambles really regrets his unwise choices?

The reason I say, "hopefully" is that - and we've all seen this from time to time - sometimes people still refuse to admit that they made a mistake! People with this mindset are doomed to repeat stupid mistakes over and over again.

Be sure to come back tomorrow as we talk about the one "key principle" that must be followed in order for us to recover and still be productive following these HUGE mistakes.

Now then, if we, as adults, SHOULD make better decisions now, due to our experiences, WHY DON'T WE?

I know that some people may think that I "over-generalize" on some of this and, if I do, it is not intentional. I know that not ALL young people are alike or act the same. There are MANY young people that DO think things through ahead of time and that DO consider the consequences and make wise choices.

However, for the most part - in general - young people DON'T think about consequences OR, if they do, they think that they will be the exception. Why? Some of it is simply the bravado of youth and some of it is the basic feeling of invincibility that young people feel. I remember not even thinking about the possibility that I could be killed or terribly injured OR kill or injure someone else when I drove WAY beyond my experience level. In other words, I drove like an idiot!

Some of this is what we LOVE about youth - RISK TAKING!

However, all of us - young or old - must remember that, "With every night comes a morning after!".

As we get older and take on more responsibility (family, for example) we tend to "tone down" some of these youthful exuberance and think a little more about consequences. Yes, I know sometimes this leads to us being SO CAREFUL that we fail to live life, but that is another topic for another time.

Our experience can also be our downfall at times. Let me explain what I mean.

As adults, sometimes we begin to feel wise beyond our years (kind of like me driving when I was a teenager!). As adults, we feel that, through observation and experience we have it all figured out and, due to that experience - and so called "wisdom" - we can avoid the possible consequences. We've figured it all out! It won't happen to us!

Wow, sounds a whole like how young people think, if you ask me! The difference is this - when you are young, you THINK you know, but you don't due to your inexperience that comes from being young! However, as an adult, you SHOULD know and you SHOULD know better! But, for whatever reason, when temptation comes our way - in WHATEVER form - we convince ourselves that we are invincible - not due to our youth, but due to our self-perceived "wisdom".

To me, this is much sadder than seeing a young person (teen or young adult) make some of these mistakes. Why? Because as a teen or young adult, it's part of the process and HOPEFULLY you wise up before you make the HUGE blunders!

But, for an adult - YOU SHOULD KNOW BETTER! You've seen countless lives ruined by making the same STUPID decisions...."but it won't happen to me!"

This applies to our relationships with our spouses and families but it also applies to ANY unwise choice that we are considering. Perhaps it has something to do with your work in some way that you have decided to cheat the company or take some sort of shortcut to bring you some financial reward.

THINK! THINK! THINK!

Remember the first basic principle that we talked about early on? First and foremost we must consider what we want our life to look like! Where do we want to go with our lives and what will that look like?

ADULT, WAKE UP! Regardless of your age, this is a process that we must STILL continue! We must STILL ask ourselves - especially when considering something that is unwise - what do want our life to look like on the other side of this? IF I choose to go through this, what might happen?

Instead of thinking, "It won't happen to me!" why not think, "What if I DO get caught and/or what if this backfires - what will happen then?"

I have talked with many an adult that felt absolutely foolish after having these unwise decisions backfire on them. And, yes, many times these are the words that come out of their mouths: "I can't believe I did that! What was I thinking? I just didn't think it would go this far and I just didn't think it would turn out this way."

But, guess what? It did. It does. YOU ARE NOT IMMUNE!

Honestly ask yourself this question....if you KNEW that after following through with this "thing" (whatever it is) that you know deep down is not wise, you would loose everything that you have - your family (ALL of your family), your job, your house and your dignity - would you still go through with it?

No, don't say, "But it won't!" - ask yourself what if you DO! No doubts - 100% sure that you will end up on the other side with nothing....would you still go through with it?

Here's the scary thought...many adults get up in the bravado of "experience" (as opposed to the bravado of youth) and still try to say that they WILL go through with it because they know nothing bad will happen. It won't happen to them.

Sad.

But it doesn't have to be IF we wake up and THINK long before we get to that situation -- this, again, is the FOUNDATIONAL principle we talked about first and foremost. It also goes along with what we discussed about making your decision EARLY instead of waiting until you are in the "heat of battle" or in the clutches of the temptation - whether sex, prestige, power or all three.

We, as adults, must also consider the point of, "Who are you listening to?". Seriously, pay close attention to this one as well!

I have been saying all along that everything that we have talked about in this series applied to adults just as much as it did to teens or young adults.

However, I felt the need to address this specifically BECAUSE ADULTS SOMETIMES FEEL THAT THEY ARE IMMUNE to the mistakes that they would make earlier on in their lives.

That, in itself, shows poor judgment, wouldn't you agree?

Again, be sure to join me tomorrow as I bring this discussion to a conclusion and talk about how ANYONE can recover from even the worst of decisions and live a productive life IF they follow this one key principle.

Until then...

"Make it an AWESOME day! (Who else is going to do it for you?)"

Mike

Decisions: "What If?"

Part 4: "Decisions: What If?"

I hope that this series has been beneficial for you - I know it is always helpful for me to revisit these thoughts and ideas for my own life. Why? Because we ALL - including myself - are susceptible to making unwise choices!

Each of us has the tendency to "get off course" from time to time and not follow the map we have plotted out for where we want to go.

Getting off course does not mean that we must give up!

Think about that and use the "travel and map" scenario that I have been using during this discussion. If you discover that you have taken a wrong turn on your journey (hey, men NEVER get lost - we just get temporarily turned around from time to time!) what do you do?

Imagine someone in that situation saying to his wife, "Well, we took a wrong turn and there's nothing we can do about it. We're stuck here and there's nothing we can do about it. So, wherever it is that we are right now - this is our new home whether we like it or not!"

The response: "ARE YOU CRAZY?"

Question: if you wouldn't do that in the scenario described then why would you do that with your life - something far more important than a trip in an automobile?

No, we would not do what is described above, would we? We would simply look at the map, try to figure out where we took the wrong turn (a very important step, especially for our lives) and then figure out how to get back ON the right course. Then, we follow our new plan to get back on course with our original plan.

It's really pretty simple to see when you look at it that way, isn't it?

Yet, it's not so easy in real life, is it?

It's NOT easy but, also remember - it's NOT impossible to recover from making STUPID decisions! It's hard to do and a lot of people will do all they can to convince you to give up (the negative forces will be working overtime on you!), but you CAN do it if you are determined to do so.

But, WHAT IF?

Let's stick to the same scenario that I've been using so far....WHAT IF you had never taken that wrong turn? Would there be a need to try to figure out what went wrong? Would you be stuck on the side of the road somewhere that you had not planned to be? Would you have to re-figure a way to get back on track? NO!

So it is with making poor choices and decisions. Each of us can go back - if we really want to figure this out - and find a point that can cause us to ask ourselves, "WHAT IF?".

Here's an excellent example about the first situation I discussed on Monday's podcast and on Monday's blog about the college football player seemed to make one bad decision after another. It's about the "what if" factor in his life. If you would, finish reading this blog and then click the link and go to the story - but here it is:

http://www.thefootballexpert.com/mauriceclarettwhatif080001.html

Here's the thing - we ALL make mistakes and will continue to make them as long as we live. HOWEVER, we CAN limit the situations that cause us to ask, "WHAT IF?".

Living a life full of "what ifs" is no way to live and it is no way to progress toward your goals and dreams.

----- We are coming closer to the conclusion of this discussion so be sure to join me back here for the next installment. Thank you for listening and/or reading and I'd appreciate any feedback that you may have. You can either comment directly on this blog OR send me an e-mail at: mike@futureyouuniversity.com

Thanks again and, always remember...

"Make it an AWESOME day! (Who else is going to do it for you?)"

Mike

Decisions - Part 3: "Make Them EARLY!"

"Decisions - part 3: Make Them EARLY!"

We've already talked about the very foundation of making wise decisions being the need to KNOW WHERE YOU WANT TO GO!

We also discussed that, after this first foundational principle, the first decision you must make is, WHO ARE YOU LISTENING TO?

This also really goes right into the point in today's discussion on decisions - if you want to make WISE decisions - MAKE THEM EARLY!

And, honestly, if you have made these two decisions already - you have done most of the work needed to accomplish point three. Why? How?

It's really quite simple - when you KNOW where you want to go with your life then this impacts all other decisions! Really, it does. Knowing where you want to go (which, out of necessity also means you have knowledge of where you DON'T want to go) should go a long ways in helping you make a wise decision as far as who it is that you listen to.

Again, here's the important thought about this third point: The time to make a decision is NOT in the heat of battle!

I'm not trying to oversimplify this, but - really - it IS quite simple when you look at it from a logical viewpoint....it really IS like following a road map!

If - notice this important word, "IF" - you have a specific destination at which you want to arrive within a certain time frame then you will either get out the map OR you will enter the information into your G.P.S. (we'll make a point about the G.P.S. in a moment).

If you "map out" your trip then you will KNOW which turns to make when there are choices to be made about different exits and highways. Knowing where you WANT to go helps you know where you DON'T want to go and, of course, which road you DON'T want to take.

You shouldn't have to sit on the side of the road at every intersection trying to decide which way to go - that decision has already been made IF you have mapped out your journey. (Hey, no comments about men and maps and directions, o.k.?).

IF you use a G.P.S. you have decided to TRUST this "voice" that comes from others tracking the path to the destination that you want to reach. You must enter your destination and then trust that the information that has been gathered is correct. Yes, this is choosing who to listen to.

But, you know what? Here's what I have found with my G.P.S. - I still have to use MY knowledge and common sense with that thing! And so it is with you! Even when you follow the advice of those that you consider to be wise you STILL must use your own knowledge and common sense at times. Never forget that!

Now, let me say this about today's podcast - YES I know that not every stupid decision is not going to end up with guns and drugs and prison. I know that! However, I mentioned that due to the examples that I shared with you on Monday.

But think about this - how wrong does a decision have to go for it to mess up your life?

Here are a few things I still want to talk about on this topic before I'm done and I encourage you to join me for these as we continue this important discussion:

- Every time you end up saying, "I can't believe I did that! What was I thinking?" it was preceded with you making an unwise choice before you got to that point.

- Adults are not immune to stupid decisions. I will talk specifically to some areas for adults to consider, especially in the area shared in the list on Monday that dealt with the pro golfer.

- Even if your life seems to be in shambles and ruined, you CAN recover and still live a productive life IF you follow this one principle.

Let me close with this thought for today. When you decide EARLY what direction you want your life to take and who it is you are going to listen to, you WILL be able to "SEE" things before they ever happen. What do I mean? You will always be looking ahead and thinking about results and consequences before anything ever happens.

This, my friend - regardless of your age - will put you far ahead of most of the other people around you!

And this is something you CAN do! It just means making decisions EARLY instead of trying to correct a wrong decision too late.

I hope this is helpful and beneficial for you - it is for me as I remind myself of these things.

And, as always, each and every day be sure to...

"Make it an AWESOME day! (Who else is going to do it for you?)"

Mike

Decisions - Part 2: Who Are YOU Listening To?

PART 2: "Who Are YOU Listening To?"

In today's podcast and blog entry I want to begin to discuss ways that ALL of us - regardless of age - can do to do better in making WISE choices and decisions. Adults are not immune to making HUGE mistakes!

Let's use this example to get started today...

You are traveling in your car and you come to a section of highway that splits off so that you have a choice of going one of two ways. What do you do? Which way do you go?

It depends on where you want to go, doesn't it? If you KNOW where it is you want to go you will KNOW which way to go!

In the same way, if you really don't care where you end up, one road is as good as the other - it really doesn't matter.

So, really, the beginning point in making the right choices is simply this:

WHERE DO YOU WANT TO GO?

What do you want to achieve in your life? What are your plans, hopes, dreams? Where do you want to be five years from now? You've heard all of that before, but perhaps now is the first time you've really seen the importance of thoughts like this.

You see, if it really doesn't matter to you where you end up, then ANY choice - wise or unwise - is as good as the other. However, if you KNOW where you want to go with your future then you will do better at making the RIGHT decisions that will help you get where you want to go and you will also do better at AVOIDING the WRONG decisions - or poor choices - that might take you off of your desired path.

So, what do you want for your life? You may not know EXACTLY what it is you want to accomplish in your future, but you should have some idea of what you want your future you look like. USE THIS AS YOUR MAP AND GUIDE as you travel this journey of life with it's twists and turns.

Now then, once you have taken a good look at this first, general principle that is necessary for ALL of us, then everything else you do should be an extension of it, right?

Where you want to go will also help you decide who it is that you listen to - whose voice you will hear. So, let's list it as the #1 deciding factor in making wise choices (again, the first part of this is the main foundation - it is THE starting point of all areas of your life!)...

Who Are YOU Listening To?

There are a lot of "voices" out there. There are a lot of people that are more than willing to give you "advice" on what to do with your future and, again, this for anyone at ANY age!

As you go back and look at the listing of people who made some TERRIBLE decisions from yesterday's podcast and blog you can KNOW that, with each of these situations there were those that were willingly giving "advice" or telling those involved "what to do".

Would you agree that, in those situations, those involved should NOT have listened to those voices?

Here's the deal - the best way to NOT hear those voices is to separate yourself FROM those voices!

It's just a fact of life - you will become like those that you surround yourself with. It's true! Regardless of how strong you think you are or what you think your ability is to "stand above" the crowd, you will become like those your surround yourself with.

So, if you hang around a bunch of losers, guess what? YOU WILL BECOME A LOSER!

"Oh no, not me!" Those words have been spoken by many a person headed for failure.

If you hang around people that make poor decisions - STUPID decisions - what do you think you will do?

You see, if you KNOW where you want to go with your life then you will also choose carefully those that you "travel" with along the way! Think about that!

Those that have NO DIRECTION in their life will try to persuade you to do the same and be the same. They DO NOT LIKE for anyone to have that kind of focus in their lives and they will do all they can to bring you down to their level - THIS IS A FACT!

Remember, "Life is a CHOICE - CHOOSE WISELY!"

Our friends are some of the biggest influences in our lives - think long and hard about that and consider the friends that you spend time with on a daily basis. Now then, regardless of where you THINK you are headed - based on these friends, where ARE you headed?

This is not always an easy task. Please know that from the beginning. Making necessary breaks is a very difficult thing to do and those "friends" will not allow that to happen without a fight.

But remember: this is YOUR life and YOUR future. That being so, it is up to YOU to make wise decisions beginning with those that surround you and have influence on you.

Too, take into consideration your ability to surround yourself with positive information through blogs and podcasts like this. Consider the fact that you can associate with many great and influential people without ever actually meeting them! I never got to shake Jim Rohn's hand although I did have the opportunity to hear him speak on a few occasions. HOWEVER, I can still be influenced by his words even though he passed away this past December.

Finally, remember this. Although we are talking about your future and the importance of you making plans for your future, remember that you make progress on that journey ONE DAY AT A TIME.

Just today. That's it. YES, know where you want to go! YES, make those plans. But understand these two things:

1. What you do TODAY affects all of your tomorrows!

2. TODAY is all you have. Make wise decisions TODAY - one day at a time!

And, please know this - I am here to help you in any way that I can and so are many others. Do not hesitate to contact me at any time by sending me an e-mail at: mike@futureyouuniversity.com

And as you travel along this journey, never forget to...

"Make it an AWESOME day! (Who else is going to do it for you?)"

Mike

Wise OR Stupid Decisions (Part 1)

"Wise OR Stupid Decisions?"

(Part 1)

Today I want to start a discussion concerning several things that have been very noticeable in the news over the past few years - particularly in the world of sports. It seems to have "exploded" over the past few months and been brought to "center stage".

It seems that there has been an "over abundance" of news concerning young men that have been making some really STUPID decisions with their lives!

Now, again, before I get started let me clarify a few things:

1. Yes, most of us -if not all of us - have made really bad and sometimes stupid decisions in and with our lives! Please don't take this as a person trying to sound like they have not seen the "stupidity monster" evident in his own life!

2. Yes, it IS possible to still live a very successful and productive life even after making a stupid decision! It does NOT have to mean that your life is ruined forever! (There is a KEY to making this happen that I will discuss in another podcast/blog entry on this topic still to come.)

3. But, at the same time, we MUST understand that there ARE some people that DO ruin their lives and NEVER live the successful and productive life that they could have lived if they had only made wiser decisions. Again, this usually happens because they failed to pay attention to the KEY that I mentioned in #2.

I didn't really get very far in my discussion of this in today's podcast so I won't go over or past that in this blog entry - but I will give you some of the same "background" situations that spurred my thoughts in this area. Again, I will not use names but you will still likely be very familiar with most - if not all - of these situations.

Example #1: First of all, I did a little extra research on this topic and found out a little extra information that actually starts before I realized it did with this one example. This actually began in 2003 when this college football player for a team in the Big 10 conference filed a false police report about some items he said was stolen from him. They weren't. It was all false. This resulted in him being suspended for the 2003 football season with this college team so he decided to sue the NFL to allow him to enter the draft for the 2004 season - the problem was that he was too young according to NFL rules. He initially won the suit but then it was later overturned. Another problem with this was the fact that he had hired an agent which then disqualified him for playing any further in college and, now, he had to wait until the 2005 NFL draft to have a chance to play football once again. When it came time for him to "show his stuff" to the scouts he was less than impressive. However, he was still signed by one NFL team but was cut in preseason.

Here's the really, really sad part - On January 1, 2006, the young man robbed two people with a .45 caliber handgun, the same night that his college team was playing in a bowl game - one in which he COULD HAVE been involved. In September 2006, he was sentenced to seven and a half years in prison, but could apply for early release after three and a half years.

Example #2: In November of 2009, three college football players from an SEC school were arrested for an incident that stemmed from an attempted robbery outside a convenience store near campus. A powered pellet gun was recovered in the players' car after they were stopped by police. I couldn't find the actual results of what happened with this case, but I do know I heard talk of how at least one of these young men had a very promising career waiting for him in the NFL and that now all of that was likely gone. I DO know that there were charges filed and that there will be legal problems for these three young men for some time to come.

Example #3: Four basketball players from this same SEC school mentioned in #2 were pulled over for speeding and then arrested when guns and drugs were found in their vehicle and charged with gun possession and other counts on January 1, 2010. Obviously, there is still much to come with this situation but the impact to the basketball future of these young men is now definitely up in the air and uncertain - not to mention their personal lives.

Example #4: A prominent NFL player was sentenced to two years in prison in the summer of 2009 after carrying a gun into a night club and having it accidentally fire, wounding him in the leg. This player had been in a Super Bowl game in 2008 and now sits in prison.

Example #5: A prominent NBA player has been suspended without pay indefinitely and now faces legal issues after bringing and displaying several guns to his teams locker room on Christmas Eve, 2009.

Example #6: The most well-known golfer in the world at this time has seen his career collapse - at least temporarily - after news of marital infidelity with several women came out following an early morning automobile accident right outside of his home in late November, 2009.

I DO understand that the sixth example is different than the other five, but it is still BIG NEWS and still shows the major IMPACT of making stupid decisions.

I guess I feel the need for a couple of more clarifications before I close this blog entry for today (again, I don't' want to go further with my thoughts that I did in today's podcast) to make sure you don't misunderstand what I am doing here.

I am not "picking on" anyone or any particular university, etc. PLEASE UNDERSTAND THAT! These are some of the MAJOR news stories that have come out in the world of sports over a very recent and short time span - THIS SHOULD GET OUR ATTENTION - shouldn't it?

I think we can all be in agreement that, in each of these situations, some very STUPID decisions were made. What will happen for each of the people involved in these situations? It depends.

It will all depend on what decisions and choices that make next.

Bottom line - LIFE IS A CHOICE. CHOOSE CAREFULLY!

Join me tomorrow as I continue this discussion and, as always...

"Make it an AWESOME day! (Who else is going to do it for you?)"

Mike

Success Is A Journey (connect this to the affirmations)

I found it very interesting how things "work together" as I experienced this first-hand once again this morning.

I have had the January issue of "SUCCESS" magazine for over a month (yeah, they get them out to you early) and have read most of it. As a matter of fact I had it marked on page 90 of 96 pages - that's how close I was to being done reading this issue.

Now, jump to what I did this morning concerning the completion of my "7 Daily Affirmations" with the last one being, "I CAN! I WILL! I MUST!".

I had some extra time this morning and remembered to bring this January issue of "SUCCESS" with me today to try to get it finished since the February issue has already arrived.

On page 96 of this issue is an article entitled, "Success Is a Journey" from the archives. It is an excerpt from the March 1979 issue of "SUCCESS" and was written by Ben Sweetland. (I checked to see if this article was available at success.com but it isn't or I would have simply directed you there for this information).

First of all, here is a great quote that I highlighted as I read, "Here is a little understood fact: You are a success the moment you start on the road to success. Therefore, you do not have to wait until you have money in the bank or your bills all paid before you are a success. You can be a success right now."

Now, that's an awesome quote! But get this - the next heading in the article reads, "I CAN versus I WILL". (Are you kidding me???)


Here is the second paragraph under that heading:

"To be successful, you must KNOW that you can be successful. This is important - might important. In fact, it is absolutely necessary. But knowing you CAN do a thing is no indication that you WILL do it."

I have mentioned it before in some of my past studies when this has happened before. I was behind by two or three months in my reading of this magazine yet, it seemed that when I DID read a particular article, the TIMING was perfect for that article in my life!

Accident? I don't think so.

Neither do I feel that reading this article today was an accident.

Again, this article can not be found at success.com BUT if you subscribe to this magazine (even if you have read this article already) I ask that you read it in connection to what I have talked about with these daily affirmations.

You may not even believe that I didn't read the article first! But I didn't!

I continue to be amazed at such happenings in my life and wanted to share this with you.

"Make it an AWESOME day! (Who else is going to do it for you?)"

Mike

" I CAN! I WILL! I MUST!

#7: "I CAN! I WILL! I MUST!"

Well, here we are on the last of my 7 Daily Affirmations....wait a minute, let me get that whole, wonderful title I have for these on here:

"7 Life-Changing, Life-Directing, Powerful, Daily Affirmations!"

There, that's better! I purposely created the "heading" for these daily affirmations to be full of life and vitality because I believe them to be exactly that!

Again, if you don't have the complete listing in front of you, go to the archives on the right column of this blog and click on the January link and go back to Monday, January 4th. I have listed all 7 of them there.

Remember, too, that I have strongly suggested that, even if you do "tweak" these and adapt them for your own life, you leave the first one as is and in the position of first. I feel that it is the very foundation of my own affirmations as well as any that you may work with for your life.

And, as you will see, it plays a significant part in this last of my 7 daily affirmations: "I CAN! I WILL! I MUST!"

I CAN!

As I mentioned on the podcast, this last affirmation is designed to send me out into the day with a burst of energy and belief! So, even after affirming all of the other things (#'s 1 - 6) I want to end on a powerful affirmation of what I intend to do with these affirmations.

First of all, I want to affirm that I CAN do the things that I have determined to do! Again, go back to the very first affirmation, "I AM Somebody Special!" and this is the very reason I CAN do what I have set out to do!

Because I AM somebody special, I CAN accomplish great things and I CAN touch and change many lives for the better! I CAN "stick to my guns" concerning the size of my dreams. I CAN brush off the negative remarks that may come my way when the "dream stealers" try to tell me that I can't! I CAN be a giver and not a taker even though it seems that most of the world would tell me to do and be otherwise!

You MUST have this belief - or at least be developing this belief in your life. If you don't believe you can (or if you are not working on instilling that belief in your life) you will have a hard time accomplishing your dreams and goals. NO ONE ELSE can do this for you.

I WILL!

We can say anything we want. We can make big plans and talk about them all day long. We can share them with others and tell them all of the great things we are going to do. We can tell ourselves that as well. However, unless we put ACTION behind the words and plans they will amount to absolutely nothing!

So, for me, this part of this last affirmation is just as important - if not more so - than just believing that I CAN! Not only is it important for me to acknowledge and affirm that I do have the ability to carry this out, I must now determine that I WILL do so!

Stop talking about what you PLAN to do and start doing it! To say that you WILL do this doesn't mean that you will "someday" but that you WILL "take steps on this journey TODAY!" (#6).

I MUST!

I'm not sure how you feel about your plans, dreams and goals and the NECESSITY of them in your life. (Might I suggest that if you don't find an urgency and a necessity to your dreams and goals that, perhaps, you have the wrong dreams and goals?).

For me, these daily affirmations are things that I CAN do, I WILL do and I MUST do! These are not just cute little sayings that I put together. These must be things that go beyond "feel good" words. These are things that I have determined are ABSOLUTE NECESSITIES in and for my life!

I MUST do these things! I MUST establish these truths ("I AM Somebody Special!) in my life and then I must also live out these truths in my life!

In order for me to move on toward my dreams and goals (#6) I must have the feeling and knowledge that, in order to do so, I MUST incorporate these truths into my life and I MUST actively purse them as well.

There is NO OTHER WAY for me.

What about YOU?

Again, only YOU can decide these things for your life. Only YOU can know the determination that you have or the determination that you must develop in order to take steps on this journey each and every day.

But, here's the great news. YOU ARE NOT ALONE! Not only do I believe that my podcasts and blog will help you, but there are countless other quality materials available for you out there as well. You have all the help you need if you search for it.

So, again, bottom line: WHAT'S YOUR EXCUSE?

Let's all stop making excuses and start making progress in our lives....TOGETHER!

Agreed? AGREED!

And, never forget to...

"Make it an AWESOME day! (Who else is going to do it for you?)"

Mike

A Sneak Peek at an Upcoming Topic

(next week, as a matter of fact!)

I wanted to give you a "heads up" on something that I will be discussing on my podcast as well as posting on my blog entries next week. I'm not sure how many episodes/entries will be involved - we'll just "play that by ear".

But, for sure, on Monday, January 18th, I will be talking about some things that have been in the headlines - especially in the sports world - recently.

No, this won't be "sports commentary" - that's not what this is about. I won't even be naming the names of the people involved even though you will be very familiar with some of the stories.

But I guess here's what has caused me to decide to talk about some of these things:

STUPID DECISIONS CAN RUIN A LIFE!

It doesn't mean that your life has to be ruined for ever. It doesn't mean that a person cannot have a successful and productive life AFTER being involved in some stupid decisions (aren't we all glad for that?).

But it just seems that lately - by lately, I mean even over the past 5 or 6 years - there have been so many young men involved in making really stupid decisions that will impact them for many years to come, if not for the rest of their lives.

Here's what I ask of you in advance - LISTEN TO THE PODCAST(S)! Then, if you feel it worth sharing I really ask that you share it with some young people that you know - perhaps even your own children.

Just think about the impact that you can help me have - you and me together - by sharing this information with just one or even two young people that you know (yes, even young adults!). Especially when you consider the possibility of several of you doing this and then not knowing what they may do with it or who they may share it with.

Remember the ripples on the pond?

So, be sure to join me for this "at-least-one-day" special podcast. I have a feeling it will spill over into more than one day.

As always, thanks for being here!

"Make it an AWESOME day! (Who else is going to do it for you?)"

Mike

I WILL Take Steps on This Journey TODAY!

#6: "I WILL Take Steps on This Journey TODAY!"

Daily affirmations are a wonderful thing and something that I believe can help set us up with the right mental attitude as we begin each day.

Yes, sometimes what we say is not quite 100% true - YET! However, by repeating these things over and over again we can convince our subconscious mind that it IS indeed, true and then our subconscious mind will begin to feed it back to us as truth. Pretty amazing, isn't it?

So, even in our daily affirmations, we must ACT upon them! What do I mean? Well, let's take a quick look back on what we have talked about and apply it to each of the affirmations so far.

1. I AM Somebody SPECIAL! -- How do you act on that? LIVE it as if you BELIEVE it! Yes, I do understand that sometimes we don't feel special. However, we must begin to do our best to act and live with the knowledge that we ARE somebody special. It does take work and it does take action on our part! One of the ways we can do this is by doing exactly what you're doing right now - putting positive influences into our daily activities!

2. I AM ABLE to Accomplish GREAT Things! -- Again, we must put into practice this belief! Don't "wish" that you were able - KNOW that you ARE able! Why? Again, this one is tied directly back to the first affirmation - because you are somebody special! There is no one else like you and you are a mighty creation! "Great things" can have a lot of different meanings - what does it mean for YOUR life? Start making it happen in your life - don't just talk about it and wait for someone to knock on your door and ask you to fill some great role in our society. YOU CREATE IT AND DO IT IN YOUR OWN LIFE!

3. I AM ABLE to Touch and Change Many Lives for the Better! -- Again, stop talking about it and start doing it! Yes, say this daily as part of your daily routine - but then make sure you put action behind it by being aware of the opportunities that surround you and DOING something about them and with them! How many have passed you by already on this day as you read this?

4. I Will Not Allow ANYONE to Determine the Size of My Dreams - THEY ARE MINE! -- What's the action here? Believe it to the point that you begin to live it. How? Well, for one, take a look back at the third affirmation! If you truly believe that you can change many lives for the better - do it and don't worry about those doubters that tell you that you can't! You don't have to prove anything to anyone else! These are YOUR dreams and YOU are the one that will make them happen in your life, right? RIGHT!

5. I AM a Giver - Not a Taker! -- Again, don't just say the words, but actively pursue making this a reality in your life. One day at a time. And, yes, once again, look for the opportunities that come before you during this one day and seize the moment to be a giver in those situations!

So, you see, it is important for us to make sure we take steps on the journey of our daily affirmations! We can talk about this, repeat this and even memorize this BUT, if we don't ever move on to DOING them - they really don't mean much, do they?

Now, in the podcast, I take a whole completely different approach to this affirmation. It deals with our responsibility of moving toward our goals and dreams each and every day. Again, one day at a time.

One day - that's all we have! So, make the progress that you can make today (don't sell yourself short on this one!). Take the steps that you can take today but make sure you take them TODAY!

I often have told you that the blog and the podcast often have different thoughts in them since they are done at two different times. This is one of those times and I want to encourage you to be sure to listen to the podcast too and soak in the thoughts that I share there.

Here's a teaser: Are your dreams "show dreams" or are they the kind that can drive you into your future? Check it out!

And, as you put these daily affirmations into practice on a daily basis...

"Make it an AWESOME day! (Who else is going to do it for you?)"

Mike

"I Am a GIVER - Not a Taker!" (Part 2 - on relationships)

#5: "I Am a GIVER - Not a Taker!"

(Part 2 - on Relationships)

In today's podcast and on this blog entry I want to go into a different area in part 2 of the discussion on my 5th Daily Affirmation.

First of all, a "disclaimer" or "clarification": I am not a psychologist or psychiatrist. I don't pretend to be and I will never attempt to be. HOWEVER, I have worked with people for years and have noticed a lot of things about people during this time that helps me as I continue to share positive information.

O.k.? Good!

Let's take this idea of being a GIVER and not a TAKER and apply them to our relationships. "What relationship?" you ask? ANY and ALL of them!

This is important to consider with your spouse, "significant other", your children, your parents, your family as a whole, your friends and co-workers and any other relationship that you have.

One of the things I state in today's podcast (which, obviously I believe to be true) is that most of the problems we have in our relationships comes from us wanting to be a TAKER instead of a GIVER.

Many times, often without even realizing it, we slip into the "what's in it for me" mode. Anytime this happens, that relationship is headed for trouble! Yes, it can be stopped and repaired - IF we recognize the problem soon enough and are willing to do something about the problem.

However, the problem with this problem (too many problems?) is that we are often the last to want to admit that WE might be the problem!

In any of the relationship listed above this can - and often does - come into play. Perhaps your friend, spouse, etc. is not spending as much time with you as before for some reason. Even if it is a very good reason we often get our feelings hurt and begin to express the thought of, "You don't love me anymore!" or "You don't care about our friendship like you used to!".

Broken down and interpreted: "You're not giving me what I want!" We have become a TAKER.

CLARIFICATION #2: I do understand that there are people that can be a giver and/or a taker to the extreme and that both are unhealthy! I have known people that were givers to the point that they became "enablers". Sometimes people in this category work so hard on trying to please everyone (is that even possible?) that they drive themselves to misery. I also understand that there are those that are 100% TAKERS! They have no concern for anyone else and all they want is what they want! They do nothing but take, take, take and, often, prey on those that we just talked about -- the "ultimate givers" in our world. Again, I understand that these situations exist and I also know that both of these extremes are very unhealthy!

However - today I am trying to talk about our general attitudes about our relationships and NOT about the extremes.

Let's just admit it? We ALL can and DO get jealous from time to time! This jealousy doesn't even have to have anything at all to do with another person. ANYTHING that takes an important person away from us sometimes makes us jealous! So, although this is fairly normal, let's be careful not to accept it as o.k.!

Here's the bottom line - in ANY relationship if BOTH parties are trying to be a GIVER instead of a TAKER, guess what happens?

One, it's going to be an awesome thing to experience because your focus is no longer on yourself - but on the other person! ANY time we remove ourselves from the center of our universe, good things can happen!

Two, when both are focused on begin givers, each WILL receive in the process! Awesome, isn't it?

How much should each person contribute to the relationship? Many will say it's a 50/50 proposition - each should contribute 50% equally!

I don't agree! I believe it to be a 100/100 proposition - each should give 100% and nothing less!

You see, this idea of, "I'll do this IF you will agree to do something for me" is a bunch of HOG WASH! (Look it up).

We should NEVER put conditions on being a GIVER. We GIVE simply because it is what we desire to do and be!

Don't keep score! "I've been GIVING for three days now and he/she hasn't done anything to give back to me yet!" If you're keeping score then you are not being genuine in your giving.

Just try it. See what happens. Just imagine what would happen in all of our relationships if we all had the thought, "What can I do for you?" in our minds instead of, "What can you do for me?".

In all areas of your life - both in relationships talked about in today's podcast and blog as well as with yesterday's thoughts - seek to be a GIVER and not a TAKER and see what happens!

I think you'll be glad you did.

And, as always...

"Make it an AWESOME day! (Who else is going to do it for you?)"

Mike

I Am a GIVER - Not a TAKER!

#5: "I Am a GIVER - Not a TAKER!"

In some areas, it seems that we are taking a turn in the right direction. There seems to have been a surge in the idea of service over the past several years. The youth of our world seem to have more of a desire to be of service in whatever they do.

And, although this is true in some instances, there are still FAR TOO MANY "TAKERS" in this world and not enough "GIVERS".

So, I wanted to remind myself everyday of the need to be a GIVER and not just another TAKER!

As I go through my life one day at a time - that's all we have, right? - I need to focus on ways that I can serve/help those people with which I come into contact. Perhaps it is something small like opening a door for someone who has their hands full. Perhaps it's handing a dollar to the person in front of you in the check out line who, embarrassed, seems to be a few cents short of the total.

Whatever it is - I am convinced that if we will open our eyes to these opportunities around us that we may even be surprised how many opportunities present themselves to us!

Whatever your position in life, decide to be GIVER and not a TAKER!

If you OWN a business - don't seek to get as much money as you can out of your customers - seek ways that you can give them MORE than they thought they'd receive for the price. Also, treat those who work for you with this attitude and I do believe that, more often than not, you will find a work force that is more productive and working with a better attitude.

Whatever you do for your job - approach it with this attitude and see what happens! You may be surprised to find that your day is more enjoyable AND that, possibly, your attitude is noticed and you get some sort of promotion. Who knows?

Here's the thing - wouldn't you agree that, regardless of the "outcome", it's a better way to live?

Sure it is!

Tomorrow I'm going to do a "Part 2" of this affirmation and talk about it concerning our relationships. Come back and join me for that one if you can.

And, all along the way...

"Make it an AWESOME day! (Who else is going to do it for you?)"

Mike

"I Will Not Allow ANYONE to Determine the Size of My Dreams!

#4: "I Will Not Allow ANYONE to Determine the

Size of My Dreams - THEY ARE MINE!"

How big are YOUR dreams?

WHY are they as big (or little) as they are?

Have you ever had anyone say anything to you about your dreams that caused you to reconsider them? Did you become more determined or begin to doubt?

Our dreams, goals and plans for our lives are some of the most precious things that we own (get that? WE OWN THEM!) and yet they are some of the "least-protected" things that we own!

At least for most of us. Right?

Think about it and see if what I say is not true.

Many times, due to some negative remark, we will dump them in the trash pile without a moments hesitation. WHY? Are they not more valuable than that?

SURE THEY ARE! So, isn't it about time that we (you, me, EVERYONE) began to PROTECT them as the precious commodities that they are?

Our dreams are NOT a "one size fits all" either! Think about that for a moment.

Our dreams are VERY personal and personalized. They are OUR dreams and, that being said, they fit US and no one else!

Oh, I understand that we may have similar dreams as someone else - but there are little things that make them uniquely ours.

So, with all of this in mind, think about today's affirmation - "I Will Not Allow ANYONE to Determine the Size of My Dreams - THEY ARE MINE!" - and say it with confidence, determination and tenacity!

Only YOU can determine the size of your dreams. HOWEVER, let me add this - don't sell yourself short and dream "itty bitty" dreams! Don't be afraid to "reach for the stars" and dream BIG dreams!

As I have often read, why not shoot for the moon? If you miss, you'll still land on a star!

Protect your dreams! They are uniquely YOURS and they belong to no one else but you!

And, as you do so, be sure to remember to...

"Make it an AWESOME day! (Who else is going to do it for you?)"

Mike

I AM ABLE to Touch and Change Many Lives for the Better!

#3: "I AM ABLE to Touch and Change Many Lives for the Better!"

(Right off let me apologize for the way the format on this blog comes out so much of the time. I do it exactly the same way each day and, at times, there ARE separations between paragraphs as I have planned to have and, on other days, no separations at all. So, I apologize - I can't seem to figure out any way around this no matter how many times I try to edit it, etc.)

I hope you are enjoying the podcasts and blog entries on my daily affirmations. I also hope that you are using them, initially, to get yourself in the habit of affirming these truths in your own life. There is just something powerful about verbalizing these things and, again, according to what we read in Napoleon Hill's classic, "Think & Grow Rich" (available on my website for only the S/H charge) this is how our subconscious mind begins to accept these affirmations as TRUTH. Then, our subconscious mind feeds it back to us as truth even at those times when we may not necessarily feel that way. ISN'T THAT POWERFUL?

Why not try these for at least a week and then, if you find that some don't "fit" you, start adapting and "tweaking" them a little bit so that they DO fit you and your plans, goals and dreams.

If you notice, the second affirmation as well as today's affirmation both start out with the three words, "I AM ABLE..."

This is very important and is not by mistake!

So many times we have been told, "You can't" about things we may have as our goals and dreams by many people over the years. After a while, we begin to believe those voices and decide - before we even try - that we CAN'T do something.

Again, all of this ties in with the first affirmation, "I am somebody special!" THIS is what makes all of this special - YOU and the special person that YOU ARE! Because of the wonder of your being - you CAN accomplish great things and you CAN (and will) touch and change many lives during your life!

What does this mean?

Well, for some, it means touching lives on a grand scale! There are some of you that have such dreams and goals for your life and you need to understand - regardless of how large the dream - you ARE able to accomplish them and you ARE able to touch and change many lives for the better!

However, for the majority of us, our dreams and goals may not be as "grand" BUT this does not diminish the fact that we CAN touch and change many lives anyway. It will simply be done in a DIFFERENT way.

In today's podcast I talk about the ripples on a pond. We all know the concept, right? Do not lose the significance of this concept in your own life. You have the ability to touch many lives right from where you are!

Let's start with the basics. Your family. For example, how many lives will you touch through the lives of your children? You have no idea and, my guess is, if you had a way of truly knowing the number of people impacted in this way, you would be totally amazed! You love your child and treat them in a positive and loving way. You teach them how to be considerate of others and how to be kind in their dealings with others. Your child does this with their classmates at school and makes an impact on - let's say just for numbers sake - ten others. Those ten are impacted in such a way that they naturally treat others the same way. Let's say those ten impact ten others in the same way - we are already up to one hundred people. Get the picture?

On today's podcast I used a quote that my friend, Jim Ferguson sent to me in an e-mail. Here's what it said:

"Resolve to make at least one person happy every day,
then in ten years you will have made approximately
three thousand, six hundred and fifty persons happy,
or brightened up the equivalent of a small town
by your contribution to the fund of general enjoyment."
-- Sydney Smith

I mentioned that I don't truly believe we have it within our power to MAKE someone else happy, BUT we do have the ability to bring some happiness into the lives of others! Even just doing something that will bring a smile to the face of another will have a HUGE impact on many.

I would also suggest that the number given above - 3,650 - is not a true number of those that will be impacted. That number represents the impact ONLY IF the one impacted does not then, in turn, impact another. See what I mean? If each one of the people represented by this number were to impact only ONE other person each, then this number is DOUBLED to 7,300 only IF that "second layer" of impacted people do not continue the "ripple".

Think about that. One person per day, every day. Yes, this is ANOTHER way that you ARE ABLE to touch and change many lives for the better.

Look around you. It can - and SHOULD - begin today if it hasn't already.

Oh, and too, if you haven't ever watched the movie, "Pay It Forward" you need to be sure to see it. If you have, then you know what I'm talking about when I say to you...."Pay it Forward"!

Regardless of what our plans and goals are - we ALL have this great ability within us! It simply requires each of us to look outside of ourselves and see the opportunities that surround us each and every day.

Thank you for allowing me to touch your life today. Now, pass it on!

"Make it an AWESOME day! (Who else is going to do it for you?)"

Mike