How To Avoid Success

Ok hockey fans, today’s quote is from the best of all time, Wayne Gretzky. He once said “you miss 100% of the shots you don’t take”.

How true is this? I know as a hockey fan, my biggest pet peeve is when players don’t shoot the puck. Instead, they try to be too fancy or make too many passes. I always say it…you can’t score if you don’t shoot.

I apply this to life in general. Opportunities to shine and succeed are presented to you more than you realize. However, as Gretzky says, you won’t make it if you don’t take the shot. Too many times, people either wait for the perfect situation, pass the opportunity to someone else, or simply sit back and wait. I know it happens, because in the past, I’ve passed up opportunities in all three ways I just mentioned.

My title is a bit ironic, but you can easily avoid and pass up success if you don’t take the shot. To turn it to a positive, I will challenge you to keep your mind focused on success, and take as many shots as you need in order to score the goal. Unfortunately, you don’t score every time you shoot, but your chances at success increase dramatically the more shots you take.

Please don’t avoid success today or any day. When the opportunity presents itself, don’t pass up the shot. Take it yourself (and with assists from others) all the way to the goal. If you persist, you will surely score! Enjoy the blessings : )

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You’re Worth More Than Gold

I take the above title from a song of one of my favorite Christian music artists, Britt Nicole. She has released many inspirational songs about faith, rising above difficult circumstances, and living life to the fullest.

This current song is about a topic that I frequently discuss. Too many people do not realize their worth. They don’t realize that life is a gift and meant to be lived to its fullest.

I am here to remind you that you are a precious creation of God. He is proud of every one of His creations, and wants only the absolute best for you. In His eyes, you are worth more than the largest bar of gold or the hugest suitcase of money. He has wonderful plans for your life and treasures the opportunity to help you reach your goals and live life in abundance.

I recommend you keep consciously aware of the main lyrics of this song…

This, this is for all the girls, and boys all over the world
whatever you’ve been told, you’re worth more than gold
so hold your head up high, it’s your time to shine
from the inside it shows, you’re worth more than gold

Once again I remind you that you are a precious creation of the Creator of everything. His spiritual guidance is with you wherever you go, providing unlimited power to live the life you are supposed to live…one of joy and abundance. Life can be as good as gold. Your worth is far greater. Enjoy the blessings : )

How To Be A Great Conversationalist

There are several people I know that I consider to be great conversationalists. People seem drawn to them and they are never short on people to talk to. Many people would be honored to be called a great conversationalist. I have had people tell me they enjoyed conversations with me, and I cherish that feeling.

You may ask, is there a simple formula to be or become someone people want to talk to? Can you become one of the people I mentioned above, where people crave your company? I believe anyone can be a great conversationalist. In fact, it’s so simple to do, I can provide one word of advice. Are you ready?…..

The simple key is to….LISTEN!!! The best conversationalists are those that listen well and let the other person do most of the talking. The fact is, every human being thinks what they have to say is important. If you’re the one who lets them say it, and demonstrate sincere interest in what they are saying, you will have a friend for life. Those people will continuously seek your company. I’ve seen it with other people, as well as myself. I’ve had conversations where I did very little talking, and listened intently on what the other person had to say. I was told how much they enjoyed talking to me, and how they couldn’t wait to do it again. I barely said a word!

I will say it again. People cherish the opportunity to express themselves and say things they believe to be important. They also long for anyone who is willing to listen and appreciate them. When you listen well and allow people the opportunity to express themselves, you won’t have to say anything. People will automatically seek your company, and you will never be short of friends.

This philosophy works extremely well in business as well. For years I worked as a customer service supervisor, handling complaints from angry customers. In almost all cases, the situation was resolved much easier when, instead of preaching our company’s policies, I listened and let the customer express their frustrations and concerns. They appreciated that opportunity, and were much more workable for a mutual solution.

I challenge you to monitor your conversations today. Let the other person do most of the talking. Listen intently, demonstrate sincere interest, and encourage them to talk even more. I can almost guarantee they will think very highly of you, and will tell you and others how much they enjoy your company.

I think it’s time for me to practice what I preach. I’m doing too much of the talking here, so I turn it over to you. Please share your valuable opinions. I am listening intently!

The Value Of A Holiday Time Out

It is amazing how refreshing and valuable a simple one day holiday can be. Here in the U.S. we celebrated Memorial Day on Monday. It is labeled the unofficial start to summer. I enjoyed a beautiful, relaxing weekend with my own family, along with my parents, siblings, nephews, and nieces.

This holiday allowed only one extra day off from my stress-filled job. However, it feels like I’ve had an entire week. Just this short time away from all the negativity has completely energized me, cleared my head of the negative cloud, and has me thinking once again that I can accomplish anything.

This all leads me to the point of this post. That is…why wait for the next holiday? I will provide some advice that I’ve written about regularly, yet sometimes get so caught up in the rat race that I forget it myself. The key is to take several mental time-outs throughout the day. When you take these short breaks and get away from the business and any negativity you may encounter, it has the same energetic effect as the day off I described. When you take those short mental time-outs, it helps you re-charge, re-focus, and fill your mind with positive, empowering thoughts. Even when it’s just for a few minutes, it can have amazing effects.

Here’s an example…during my lunch period, I would spend time grading or planning, and doing as much school work I could cram in during that time. Now I have learned to take that time period to write, read, pray, or whatever I feel moved to do at that time. I may not be getting as much done at that time, but it actually makes me more productive as the day goes on. This is because my mind is refreshed, and it is filled with positive thoughts. I have a greater faith that I will succeed, and my tasks are done with a much more positive mind-set. I try to do this throughout the day as well. There are times when I only have an extra minute, but it does wonders when I take that minute to take a few deep breaths, thank God for the successes of the day, and know that God’s presence is as close as that breath I take.

I challenge you to take that “holiday” break as much as you can during the day. You will make every day feel like a holiday because the day will get easier and more positive. After all that’s the way a holiday should be…easy and positive. Enjoy the blessings : )

Enjoying The Small Moments

Don’t wait for extraordinary opportunities. Seize common occasions and make them great.  – Orison Swett Marden

I love this quote for several reasons. The main reason is that I am often guilty of waiting for “the big one”. The earth-shattering event that finally sets my life in motion towards the greatness I seek.

It is when we follow the advice of this quote that life is at its best. Enjoy the beautiful little moments that are often ignored. Take those small occasions and make them big and exciting ones. It’s all in the perspective of the mind.

Here in the U.S. we have a holiday weekend that is often spent with family and friends. Whether you are celebrating a holiday or not, I recommend you take the small, beautiful moments this weekend, and cherish them. Make them as memorable as possible, and share them with as many people as you can. Enjoy the wonderful blessings : )

Driving Home The Point of Law of Attraction

I will start by saying that I am a very patient person(sometimes to a fault). I am generally kind and good-hearted. This has always been true. However, up until a couple of years ago, it was a totally different story in one place…the car. Behind the wheel, I turned from an angel to a devil. I was nasty, didn’t give an inch, and had the attitude that it was my road and everyone else needed to get out of my way.

I am certainly not proud to share that information. It also occurred that, the more frustrated I became at the other drivers, the more negative situations I encountered. In the 25 minute drive to work, I dreaded that I would get stuck behind a slow driver. Sure enough, at some point, I encountered a delay which became worse as I expressed my frustration at that person.

There came a time where I made a conscious effort to stop this behavior. It was so different than my regular personality, and it caused inner conflict as a result. I finally felt God speaking to me when in a short period of time, I had a minor accident, and I received my first ever speeding ticket.

The above events had an immediate impact. I began doing things like leaving earlier for work and other destinations, being more courteous to other drivers, and deliberately driving slower. As I did this, an amazing thing happened. I encountered far less of those negative situations. I wasn’t getting stopped at every traffic light. When I didn’t get upset for someone turning in front of me, they went faster than me, and I didn’t get stuck. I felt much better because my true positive personality came out, even behind the wheel.

I share this because it is a classic case of the law of attraction at work. When I focused on the negativity of the driving experience and showed anger and frustration towards other drivers, I encountered more of the negative. When I instead showed patience and love, the drive became a positive and pleasant one.

This is an important lesson to keep in mind for any situation. Focus on the positive aspects of the events and people around you. Demonstrate a positive attitude and love. You will see the positive quickly thrown back at you. In fact, the good will accelerate, and you will gain more confidence as a result. Pay attention to where you focus your thoughts, and be sure to keep them as positive as possible. You will see immediate results. Enjoy the blessings : )

How Should Life Be?

People often wonder how life is supposed to be. It may be a difficult question to answer because circumstances in life change so quickly. Sometimes it seems like just when things start going well, something happens to turn the tide the other way.

I am learning more and more that life is supposed to be wonderful. God intended that we live an abundant life. The Bible says He has great plans for us to prosper. A great quote I read from “The Secret” says, “life can and should be phenomenal..and it will be when you consciously apply the Law of Attraction”.

Let me repeat that…life is supposed to be phenomenal! It can be, regardless of reasons you can come up with that it isn’t. The key is at the end of the quote. Applying the law of attraction means maintaining positive thoughts and emotions. It means seeing the world as an abundant, ever-growing place, and acting as if you already have what you want or need.

Can I say it again? Life is supposed to be phenomenal. I challenge you to focus on the goodness of every circumstance, even if it doesn’t go your way. There is at least some good in everything. Do your absolute best to focus on the greatness of yourself and those around you. It’s amazing how, when you focus your mind on the highest things, the phenomenal life begins to manifest.

The phenomenal life is made and ready for all of us. Will you see it and be it? Enjoy the phenomenal blessings God provides for you today : )