Thursday, June 30, 2011

Motivation of the Day

On a gloomy, rainy morning, it came little eight-year-old Tommy's turn to say the blessing at breakfast. "We thank Thee for this beautiful day," he prayed.
His mother asked him why he said that when the day was anything but beautiful.
"Mother," said he, with rare wisdom, "never judge a day by its weather. "

Monday, June 27, 2011

Motivation of the Day

"Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; begin it well and serenely and with too high a spirit to be cumbered with your old nonsense."

~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Saturday, June 25, 2011

Motivation of the Day

"The value of life lies not in the length of days, but in the use we make of them …"

~Michel de Montaigne

Friday, June 24, 2011

Motivation of the Day

Some men go through a forest and see no firewood.
~English Proverb

Thursday, June 23, 2011

Motivation of the Day

Learn to smile at every situation. See it as an opportunity to prove your strength and ability.

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Motivation of the Day

"Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all."

~
Dale Carnegie

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Motivation of the Day

"Don’t limit yourself. Many people limit themselves to what they think they can do. You can go as far as your mind lets you. What you believe, you can achieve."

~
Mary Kay Ash

Monday, June 20, 2011

Motivation of the Day

"Go for it now. The future is promised to no one."

~
Wayne Dyer

Sunday, June 19, 2011

Motivation of the Day

"We would accomplish many more things if we did not think of them as impossible."

~
C. Malesherbes

Saturday, June 18, 2011

Motivation of the Day

"What you do speaks so loud that I cannot hear what you say."

~
Ralph Waldo Emerson

Friday, June 17, 2011

Courage Vs. Fear

Michigan teen, Angeline Levasseur, has spent most of her 18 years of life in a wheelchair as a result of spina bifida. Refusing to believe that she has a disability, Angeline set a goal for herself of which her classmates were unaware. Sunday, June 5, 2011, with the help of a full body brace and leg and arm braces, high school senior Angeline surprised all attendees as she walked across the stage at her Pinckney Community High School graduation ceremony. Acting on courage, Angeline cast all fears aside to reach her goal. (Source: ClickOnDetroit.com)

Being courageous does not mean you will have no fear. It simply means you will conquer fear, not allowing it to consume you. When life presses you down and you struggle to stand strong and suppress fear, know that God tells us in Isaiah 41:13, "For I am the LORD your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you." Moments before that, in verse 10 of the same chapter, he said, "So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."

Believe in yourself. If anyone can conquer this situation, you can. None of us were created to be better than any others. We all have the ability to push through hardships and to stand courageous in the face of fear. The difference lies in how you choose to handle it. Will you master the fear courageously as Angeline did, or will you back down, say "I can't," and let fear win?

Motivation of the Day

"Courage is resistance to fear; mastery of fear – not absence of fear."

~
Mark Twain

Thursday, June 16, 2011

What Doesn't Kill You Only Makes You Stronger

Have you ever encouraged your child to play ball against his older, more skilled brother to help make him a better player? Or maybe you remember as a kid playing pick-up games at the neighborhood playground with some players whose skills were more developed than yours. You knew the purpose was to make yourself better by giving you tougher competition. Yet many of us have failed to translate that into our adult lives.

If you get a new coworker who outperforms you, do you get frustrated and discouraged? Or maybe your company's competitor comes out with a new product or service that you feel puts your company to shame. Do you feel defeated? In these tough economic times, perhaps your spouse was laid off and you were forced to cut your budget and watch your spending... maybe even get rid of some luxury items.

You could easily view any of these as setbacks, or you can welcome them as challenges that only serve to make you better. If that coworker outperforms you, step up your game. Evaluate your current standards, and then work hard to improve them. When your company's competition trumps what you offer, put on your thinking cap and come up with something new and unique to entice your customers. When money troubles arise, learn to appreciate the finer things in life and to do more with less.

Throughout the Bible, God tells us to not be discouraged. Deuteronomy 31:8 proclaims, "The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” In Joshua 1:9 we are told, "Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”

For further reading, check out:
Deuteronomy 1:20-22
Deuteronomy 31:7-9
Joshua 1:8-10
Joshua 10:24-26
1 Chronicles 22:12-14
1 Chronicles 28:19-21
2 Chronicles 20:14-18

Motivation of the Day

Smooth seas do not make skillful sailors.
~African Proverb

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Motivation of the Day

"When I hear somebody sigh that life is hard, I am always tempted to ask, 'Compared to what?'"
~Sydney J. Harris

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Motivation of the Day

"Dreams come true; without that possibility, nature would not incite us to have them."

~John Updike

Monday, June 13, 2011

Choose Life

"Hypochondriac: A person who has hypochondriasis, a disorder characterized by a preoccupation with body functions and the interpretation of normal body sensations (such as sweating) or minor abnormalities (such as minor aches and pains) as portending problems of major medical moment. Reassurance by physicians and others only serves to increase the hypochondriac's persistent anxiety about their health." (Source: MedicineNet.com)

Do you know somebody like this? Somebody who is so afraid of dying that they constantly look for a medical problem within themselves? All the while, they are missing out on the opportunities open to them here on earth.

Hypochondriacs are the extreme case of this problem, but how many times have you been so preoccupied with death that you didn't really live? Look at your life now. Can you honestly say that you are living, or do you catch yourself thinking, "As soon as ___________ happens, I will really live." How about, "I will be so happy when ____________ happens." Or "I'm just passing time until _________."

What is holding you back from truly living? Do you think it's money? Fame? The perfect relationship? Success in business? A promotion? A child? Retirement?

If you answered yes to any of these, then you will never truly live. If you are not living, the only thing holding you back is your attitude. As the saying goes, "Get busy living, or get busy dying." Which do you choose?

Motivation of the Day

"Don’t be afraid your life will end; be afraid that it will never begin."

~Grace Hansen

Sunday, June 12, 2011

Overcoming Roadblocks

In the book of Genesis, Jacob sought the approval of his brother, Esau. Determined to earn his praise, Jacob gathered a host of gifts for Esau, and he set them on the path before him en route to his brother. After hearing that Esau was on his way with 400 men, Jacob was scared. He divided his men and livestock into two camps. At night, he ushered his wives, maidservants and children across the brook to safety, but he remained behind. A man wrestled with him all night. Jacob did not give up because he wanted to earn the man's blessing. By daybreak, the man was tired of wrestling with Jacob, so he deliberately threw Jacob's hip out of joint. He asked Jacob to just let him go. Jacob continued to wrestle, determined to not let the man go until he had blessed him. The man asked him his name, and when he responded with, "Jacob," the man claimed, "But no longer. Your name is no longer Jacob. From now on it's Israel (God-Wrestler); you've wrestled with God and you've come through." And he blessed Jacob.

Even after a painful injury, Jacob was so determined to earn the man's blessing that he persevered until he achieved it. His determination was rewarded. God says that He will "fight this battle for you" (2 Chronicles 20:15) and "equip you with divine power" (2 Corinthians 10:4).

Roadblocks are bound to happen. Often times, they will pop up when you least expect them. Regardless of what you are struggling with right now, if you will put your faith in God, He will "be your power in weakness" (2 Corinthians 12:9). He can turn mountains into molehills, and He will do it if you are following His plan and guidance. Nothing is too difficult to overcome when you have Him by your side.

Motivation of the Day

"Determination gives you the resolve to keep going in spite of the roadblocks that lay before you."

~Denis Waitley

Saturday, June 11, 2011

Enthusiastically Failing

In baseball history, there has not been a man strike out any more than Babe Ruth. Ninety-nine percent of all major league baseball players struck out fewer times than Hank Aaron. Thomas Edison failed over 14,000 times at perfecting the incandescent light... and that's on top of his teacher calling him a dunce. Albert Einstein flunked math. By age 40, Henry Ford was broke. At age 43, Vince Lombardi was a line coach at Fordham University. He went on to become one of the most respected football coaches in history. Abraham Lincoln lost his job, failed in business, and was defeated in eight different elections and nominations before being elected President of the United States.

Everybody, even the most successful people in history, have failed at some point. Some have failed more than others. The difference lies in how you handle those failures. If you let it knock you down and you do not get back up, nobody will pull you to your feet. But if you remain enthusiastic, learn from your mistakes and let it motivate you to try harder next time, you have no choice but to succeed.

Motivation of the Day

"Success is the ability to go from failure to failure without losing your enthusiasm."

~Winston Churchill

Friday, June 10, 2011

Enthusiasm or Fuddy-Dud?

Who is more fun to encounter: an enthusiastic person or a fuddy-dud? Enthusiasm makes life more fun, and it adds meaning to activities and tasks. Test today's motivation on your kids, co-workers, spouse or friends. For example, if your child is struggling with learning her multiplication facts, it may not be fun for you to sit down with her and work on them. She may argue and complain. Now for the test: Try to teach her 6 x 6 by simply doing flashcards, having her write it over and over again, and any other traditional method. Move on to 6 x 8. Make it fun, exciting and enthusiastic. Dance around singing a rhyme of "six times eight is forty-eight!" See which one she learns better. Meanwhile, you will find that you are enjoying the task much more, too.

Enthusiasm is a choice. If you choose to be enthusiastic about a situation, you will truely become enthusiastic about it. Sometimes you may have to fake yourself into it (as our previous post on 06/07/11 taught), but you will not have to fake it long. Enthusiasm is contagious, and you'll be surprised at how easily you'll catch it from yourself.

Motivation of the Day

Enthusiasm is the electricity of life. How do you get it? You act enthusiastic until you make it a habit."

~Gordon Parks

Thursday, June 9, 2011

Pessimism Not Allowed

Have you ever heard the saying, "If you think you can, you can. If you think you can't, you can't. Either way, you're right." Believing you can accomplish a goal will put you on the right path to achievement. As General Eisenhower's quote says in today's motivation, pessimism is not likely to get you the win. You must think positively and believe you can. Your results follow your actions, and your actions follow your thoughts. Think like a winner, and you will play like a winner. Play like a winner, and you will be a winner.

Motivation of the Day

"I never saw a pessimistic General win a battle."

~General Dwight D. Eisenhower

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Motivation of the Day

"Attitude is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than what people do or say. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill."

~ Charles Swindoll

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Faking Yourself into Success

How about a little challenge for today? If you get down, depressed, angered or any other negative emotion today, pretend for 30 minutes that you are in an excellent mood. Fake it. Giggle, cut up, be energetic... just make yourself do it for 30 minutes. How do you feel after your time is up? Are you in a better mood than you were before faking it?

Many times we can convince ourselves to be happier than we previously were. If you act in a good mood for a period of time, you can actually change your own attitude. The same holds true for challenges, competitions and difficulties. Muhammad Ali believed that if you fake yourself into believing that you are the best, you will be the best. Our actions follow what our minds think. Changing your attitude to positive - whether it is in relation to work, school, kids, parenting, a disability, or just your general mood - will put you on the road to success.

Try it! I'm willing to bet you won't have to fake it very long before the positive attitude becomes a reality.

Motivation of the Day

"To be a great champion you must believe you are the best. If you're not, pretend you are."

~ Muhammad Ali

Monday, June 6, 2011

Motivation of the Day

"Never be satisfied with what you achieve, because it all pales in comparison with what you are capable of doing in the future."

~ Rabbi Nochem Kaplan

Sunday, June 5, 2011

Motivation of the Day

"You see things; and you say, 'Why?' But I dream things that never were; and I say, 'Why not?'"

~ George Bernard Shaw

Saturday, June 4, 2011

Motivation of the Day

"Really great people make you feel that you, too, can become great."

~ Mark Twain

Friday, June 3, 2011

Motivation of the Day

"Motivation is getting people to do what you want them to do because they want to do it."

~ Dwight D. Eisenhower

Thursday, June 2, 2011

Motivation of the Day

"You are the only person on earth who can use your ability."

~ Zig Ziglar

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Motivation of the Day

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."

~ Mark Twain