Tag: motivation

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morning people motivation

Good Morning!… Or Is It?

“When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive – to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love.” Marcus Aurelius

The other day, I had a busy morning ahead of me. Then again, most mornings are busy! A coworker came into my office and I said, “Good morning!”

The coworker isn’t always the most chipper guy. He replied with a dour, “Is it?”

I smiled and thought of the reasons why it was a good morning. So I replied with, “Yes!” That didn’t convince him. And it’s okay. I have come to the conclusion how we start our day sets the tone for the rest of the day. A quote by Marcus Aurelius drove this home to me.

“When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive – to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love.”

Marcus Aurelius Via BrainyQuote.com

It is too easy to take for granted that each morning belongs to us. It does not! We are not entitled to one more day on this earth any more than we are entitled to a comfortable, trouble-free life. Each day is a gift. Each breath, thought and loving gesture is a present to enjoy.

Creatives and Mornings

Creative employees can be notorious for making it clear they are not morning people. They shuffle in with a sour look on their face and implore everyone not to talk to them until at least 10:00 AM. The classic battle between night owls and early birds plays out in most offices across the world.

However, I ask you to consider this: what would mornings look like if we began each one with gratitude? What if we consider how blessed we are that we have one more day?

Some days can be a challenge for that frame of thinking. As I write this, it is a rainy Monday. I know the day will begin for me with some hot deadlines and challenges. Yet, I am thankful for one more breath and a day to think, enjoy and love. Today is a good morning!

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motivation

Keep a Dream Alive!

Keep a dream alive

Dreams are important. They are crucial to change. I was thumbing through my notebooks and found this quote from 2012. I don’t see anywhere online where this Zig Ziglar quote is attributed, but it sounds like something he would say.

The reason the Israelites wandered forty years in the wilderness because they lost their dream.

Zig Ziglar

What a powerful quote! If you don’t know the story of the Israelites’ forty-year detour, it began when twelve spies venture out to assess the land they were about to conquer. Ten came back with a report that the land was fertile, but the occupants were too much to conquer.

Two spies reported with God’s help, they could conquer the land. The people listened to the ten spies with a negative report instead of the two that had faith. As a result, It took another forty years before they could return and conquer the land.

God gave Moses the dream and he cast that dream to the people. They thought they were ready until they faced opposition. As a result, it took forty more years of vision casting before the people were ready.

It reminded me of a dream I had six years ago that ended badly. When that happens, the temptation is to give up, lick my wounds, and coast. But a life without a dream is like being in a barren, dry wilderness. The wrong lesson is to learn to be comfortable in the wilderness

Yes, keep a dream alive!

Keep dreaming! Maybe the last couple of years have been hard on you too. Resist the temptation to just live in comfortable discomfort. If a dream ended badly, consider how that dream can be modified. Or dream a new dream! There is reason to keep hope alive and move forward.

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Attitude motivation

Courage and Mindset

Courage and Mindset: KevinSpear.com

Courage takes a positive mindset. Whoever said, “This is going to go badly. It inspires me to do more!” No, that kind of thinking inspires no one.

We get inspired by the story of the person who marches on against all odds. Is it because they’re the smartest or most talented? No, it’s because that person can envision a better outcome than everyone else. The odds may not be in their favor, but they move ahead with courage and faith.

Mindset matters! If you are certain the project will go badly, what’s the point? If you know there will be obstacles, but believe they can be overcome and there will be a payout, you are much more likely to do what is required to make that project a success.

Are you negative about something that must be done? Change your mindset! Look for ways that could make the project successful. Find a way through the obstacles. Look at the obstacles as challenges that can be overcome. You may be surprised to find the answer was there all along but a pessimistic mindset blinded you… until now!

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motivation

The Successful Fail

scientist working in laboratory
Photo by Chokniti Khongchum on Pexels.com

Yes, successful people fail. Not many people want to acknowledge that, including this author. It’s uncomfortable. Successful people are willing to work at mastery, even if it is ever elusive. It’s not that the successful never fail, it’s that they know how to keep going when failures and setbacks take down other people.

I was reminded of this when I read the Inc.com article, Mastery: What it Takes to Be on Top by Tanya Prive. The article says success takes mastery. And to master something takes these three requirements:

  • It’s not about the destination, it’s about the process
  • Get comfortable with being uncomfortable
  • Be willing to fail forward

Do the Successful Fail?

Trying something and failing isn’t easy. In 2015, my wife and I took a risk that ended up hurting us emotionally and financially. I said then that I had no regrets, and that holds true today. That risk has made us stronger and caused us to depend on our faith and each other. We are better people for it.

What we have learned from the event is crucial to our next steps. Does the setback make us want to never try to make a move again, or do we learn from it and try something different the next time? In effect, do we learn from the experiment or just quit?

Across the world, scientists and medical professionals are developing a vaccine for COVID-19. There have been many failures, I’m sure. But I am thankful for the lab technicians that are discovering what doesn’t work and then experimenting to find what will work. It takes persistence and a willingness to fail in order to eventually be successful.

We wouldn’t want these professionals to give up before they find a cure. Nor should we give up if we have a calling or ambition that fires us up. If you haven’t reached mastery yet, if success has been elusive for you, keep learning from your past mistakes and failures. You never know what good it may do for you and others in the future.

scientist working in laboratory
Photo by Chokniti Khongchum on Pexels.com
Categories
motivation

Obstacles and Goals

Quote: Obstacles are what a person sees when he takes his eye off his goals." E. Joseph Cossman

There are obstacles, and there are goals. Obstacles are all around us and easy to spot.

  • They can be the construction zone that makes you late for work.
  • It can be a little virus that shuts down the world for a few months.
  • They can even be something good like kids or parents that need care or a challenge at work.

Nobody has a problem spotting obstacles.

Goals are harder to see. They require some trailblazing. Yes, may ask you to boldly go where no one has gone before. They can be part of a vision that is unique to you, your family, and your situation. Goals make us reach for something that may feel out of reach. And they may inspire you to go around, over, or through an obstacle.

We will always have obstacles. But not everyone has goals. We will always have things that frustrate us. But not everyone has a vision that will help them see beyond today.

Obstacles are things a person sees when he takes his eye off the goal.

E. Joseph Cossman

E. Joseph Cossman

Mr. Cossman was an interesting guy. He would see an opportunity, then act on it. He perfected mail-order marketing and pioneered infomercials. He sold such items as “shrunken heads,” spud guns, and ant farms. Later in life, he would teach and inspire others to sell and market their products.

He saw an opportunity where others saw obstacles. That’s what a goal will do for you and me. It’s too easy to see the problems and bad news in the world. You don’t even need to look for it. It will come to you. It takes special effort to define goals and look beyond the everyday obstacles of life.