Mike's Quotes #35: Whatever Happened To...

“History is not full of stories of those who quit and gave up.” - Mike Spillman (07.08.14)

I love inspirational stories of those who, even after suffering great setbacks, have persevered and succeeded in their quest. Stories of people like Abraham Lincoln, for example that experienced many failures along his way to success...becoming President of the United States. 

Recorded history is FULL of stories of those who never gave up. True, not all of them experienced the success which they sought but, they still never gave up!

However, do you know what you will NOT find? You WILL NOT find stories of those that decided to quit and give up. My guess is that there could not be enough books written to contain such stories of those who simply have given up over the course of history. 

Would YOU be in one of THOSE books? 

In my last blog article I shared a quote from a lady that had lost her job and was facing some struggles in her future. In relation to that scenario she said, "I hear a train coming and I'm either ON IT or IN FRONT OF IT." As I said in the last article, I'm not sure what she ended up doing but, based on our conversation, she didn't give up and found a way to "get on that train".

Again, you don't become a failure by "falling short" of your goals. You fail when you decide to quit and give up. You fail at that point because you have decided to give up on the path which you were on that could, eventually, have led you to success. But now? Now you have abandoned that journey and, likely, any other possible way to achieve what you seek. Quitting IS failure!

What will the legacy be that YOU leave behind?

I will do all that I can to encourage you along the way but, at the same time, you must APPLY the things that you learn here. You MUST involve yourself in a daily diet of positive information to help you because, friend, you WILL face obstacles and setbacks.

I wanted to leave you with a couple of graphics on the topic. One will hopefully inspire you while the other should put a smile on your face. Then, after the smile, you should decide that you do NOT want to be the winner of the "Who Can Quit First" game!

I'd love to hear from you and your thoughts on this article or any other article that you have read. The best way to do so is to stop by my Facebook page (see link below). Be sure to join me in the next article as I discuss the need to separate yourself from "the stink". 

Until then, whatever you do, always be sure to...

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

Mike

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Happy?

"Most folks are as happy as they make up their minds to be." - Abraham Lincoln

 

 

So, are YOU happy?

Look at what "Honest Abe" has to say about that topic. In other words, it's a CHOICE!

You want to be happy? Then get DETERMINED to be happy and get STUBBORN about being that way! Sounds odd, right?

Have you ever seen anyone that, from what you could see, seemed like that had every reason in the world to be on top of the world and yet acted as if they were miserable?

Yeah, me too.

I give an example on the podcast (click the link below) of a group of people that I had the privilege to spend time with a few years back that, from what you might think from what you could see, seemed as if they had every reason in the world to be down in the dumps and miserable. But, guess what?

THEY WERE SOME OF THE HAPPIEST PEOPLE I'VE EVER MET!

It's your choice. YOUR choice. Your CHOICE.

So, as Bobby McFerrin sang at one time, "Why worry? Be happy!" :)

Get stubborn about it and enjoy!

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

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

Mike

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The POWER of ONE DAY! (part 6: The Day of Your Death)

In this series we have talked about many things. We have talked about events in history that most anyone would know due to the impact that it had in history. I talked about the assassination of John F. Kennedy but we could also talk about the assassination of Abraham Lincoln.

 

We have talked about the importance in understanding the IMPACT that each of us - YOU and I - have on those around us. What we do, either good or bad, positive or negative, can make all the difference in the world FOR the world of those that cross our paths every day.

 

We have discussed this idea and how it relates to the problem of bullying. I hope and pray that this part of the series, in particular, will be something that will help SOMEONE along the way.

 

In our last blog post I even talked about the POWER of the day of your BIRTH! Go back and read it if you haven't done so already.

 

As a matter of fact, if you haven't had the chance, take some time and read each of these that have been posted so that you can "feel" the thought behind everything that has been shared.

 

Now, today is going to be a little different. Today we are going to discuss the POWER of ONE DAY with that day being the day that you die.

 

Sounds morbid, I know but I hope you will stay with me and follow along with my reasoning.

 

Can I share something personal first? As I type this out on a Monday I do so following news that my Dad passed away last night. He had been battling with cancer and I got to visit with him last Tuesday. I'm not going to say much more about it but, please know that when I speak on this topic it is FRESH in my mind and in my thoughts, okay?

 

Yes, more than likely, the day that you die may be a sad day for those that know you. I mean, YOU HOPE SO, RIGHT? I have actually been to a few funerals where there were no more than two or three "mourners" which, to me, is a sad thing to see.

 

In reality, what I'm talking about is not actually the fact that the day of your death is so powerful as much as it is a marking of your LEGACY that is so powerful!

 

Did you notice that the picture of the tombstone at the top of this entry is BLANK? And so it is with your life, friend. Sure, you could go ahead and have your name and the date of your birth put on ahead of time - you know those. However, you do not know the day that you will die and, even though this is not "written" on the tombstone, what is said ABOUT you with that tombstone has not been written - or FINISHED being written - yet.

 

A person's death can do many things. I've seen many times where a person's death actually brought a family back together when there has been separation due to arguments or other division. Even if not that, a family is brought together and, even though the situation may be sad, the family gets to visit and catch up with what has been going on in the lives of those gathered.

 

Here's the main thing I want to address and I am not going to spend a lot of time on it: THE POWER OF THE DAY OF YOUR DEATH POINTS TO YOUR LEGACY!

 

There is POWER in what is possible to live on through the lives of your children and grandchildren. There is POWER in the influence that you are able to leave on and in the lives of those that you have had contact for a period of time.

 

Friend, we NEVER know the full impact of the lives that we have touched and we will NEVER know. However, this kind of influence and impact is often seen when people gather to remember one who has passed.

 

What about YOU?

 

Are you leaving a legacy of positive impact? Or are you leaving a legacy (yes, it is still a legacy) of "well, I'm glad to see him gone!"? That's sad, but it's real!

 

As I talked about in yesterday's entry, each and every day that you wake up and take a breath YOU have the chance for a "do-over". YOU have a chance to correct what may need to be changed concerning your legacy. Each and every day!

 

Every day YOU have the opportunity to allow your LEGACY to grow and expand to those that you may not ever even meet. It is called "the ripple effect".

 

Yes, the POWER of ONE DAY!

 

But do NOT miss this point. The one day that is being discussed in this post is a combination of each and every day that has come BEFORE the day of your death.

 

That's how this works.

 

I did not see eye to eye on a lot of things with my Dad. But I am thankful that my Dad - my father - instilled many strong and powerful characteristics that have served me well and have actually been passed along to my own sons.

 

And I believe they will be continued to be passed along and instilled for generations to come.

 

THAT'S AWESOME!

 

So, friend, take advantage of TODAY so that "that day" - the day of your death - will show "the POWER of ONE DAY" as those gathered remember your life that came before that final day.

 

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

 

Mike

 

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