Working toward excellence
Are you working toward excellence? Only 20% of workers are top achievers. Personal performance surveys show this over and over again. The top 20% earn a bigger salary, earn the respect of their employers and co-workers, and are happy at what they do.
What can put you in that top 20%? The most important key is to do something you like to do. When you work at what you love, the time and effort you put into your work makes it worth the hard work. Surveys show that about 60% of Americans hate their job. We spend so much of our life working; it makes no sense to do what we hate. Next, the people in the top 20% decide early on that they are going to be the best at what they do. They work toward excellence all the time. They go the extra mile. They seek out the information and people that can help them get there. They continue to work on themselves daily. It has been said that we work 40 hours a week for maintenance and any hours over that we work for excellence. Most people work just enough to keep their job and the employer pays them just enough to keep them there. When the top 20% are not working on their job they are working on themselves by investing time studying, reading and listening to educational material.
The great thing about being in the top 20% is that you will never be without work or employment for very long at all. The top 20% are in demand and will always be in demand even when the economy is slow.
Start today to strive for excellence. Find the work you love and decide to be the best at it. If you are in a job or career you hate, get out now and start working on what you love to do. Life is much to short to live in mediocrity and miserably. Strive to be on top, it’s the bottom that’s over crowded.
Dare to be Great!
R. Lynn Lane
Speaker-Trainer
www.LynnLane.net
(c) 2007
Get your free e-book at www.LynnLane.net
Thursday, September 20, 2007
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Forgiveness
Forgive Yourself And Others
"Forgiveness Is The Key To Action And Freedom" ---Hannah Arendt
Without the ability to forgive yourself and others you are bound to that baggage. That is like putting your car in drive and stepping on the accelerator with the park brake on. You can't go forward and if you do, it's not going to be very far. But, once you release that brake you'll move forward feeling unencumbered. The same is true with your life. Once you drop the baggage and release the brakes, you're on your way.
Forgiving others can be difficult. Sometimes the person who has wronged you has no idea what they have done. Many adults in their 30s, 40s, and even 50s still hold some type of grudge or negative emotion toward the parents. Yet the parents have no idea they have done anything at all. When you harbor negative emotions like guilt, resentment, jealousy, and anger you set the stage for failure, bad health, and ruined relationships. If you can't forgive, you help your body create side effect and diseases that run from headaches, heart attack, hypertension, stroke and cancer.
Let it go so you can grow! You have no need to pay that same price over and over again. Let it go! You have no need for it; it does not serve you now. You are now maturing and learning from the past. Negative emotions serve you only when you learn from them. When you feel guilt, that serves you by letting you know that you have violated a core value. Once you realize that violation, make the choice to never do it again. And let it go.
One great way to release the guilt and anger is to use the letter. Sit down and grab a pen and paper and begin to write. Write all the guilt you may feel, write all the hate and anger you feel. Just allow it to flow from your pen. Forgive yourself in that letter, and forgive all the others you feel negative emotions about. Put it aside for about 24 hours. Then pick it back up and start to write more if you need to. Take your time and make sure you have it all down. Then take it to a place that you can burn it, and watch it burn and just let it go up in smoke. Notice how much better you feel after you finish.
"Forgiveness Is The Key To Action And Freedom" ---Hannah Arendt
Without the ability to forgive yourself and others you are bound to that baggage. That is like putting your car in drive and stepping on the accelerator with the park brake on. You can't go forward and if you do, it's not going to be very far. But, once you release that brake you'll move forward feeling unencumbered. The same is true with your life. Once you drop the baggage and release the brakes, you're on your way.
Forgiving others can be difficult. Sometimes the person who has wronged you has no idea what they have done. Many adults in their 30s, 40s, and even 50s still hold some type of grudge or negative emotion toward the parents. Yet the parents have no idea they have done anything at all. When you harbor negative emotions like guilt, resentment, jealousy, and anger you set the stage for failure, bad health, and ruined relationships. If you can't forgive, you help your body create side effect and diseases that run from headaches, heart attack, hypertension, stroke and cancer.
Let it go so you can grow! You have no need to pay that same price over and over again. Let it go! You have no need for it; it does not serve you now. You are now maturing and learning from the past. Negative emotions serve you only when you learn from them. When you feel guilt, that serves you by letting you know that you have violated a core value. Once you realize that violation, make the choice to never do it again. And let it go.
One great way to release the guilt and anger is to use the letter. Sit down and grab a pen and paper and begin to write. Write all the guilt you may feel, write all the hate and anger you feel. Just allow it to flow from your pen. Forgive yourself in that letter, and forgive all the others you feel negative emotions about. Put it aside for about 24 hours. Then pick it back up and start to write more if you need to. Take your time and make sure you have it all down. Then take it to a place that you can burn it, and watch it burn and just let it go up in smoke. Notice how much better you feel after you finish.
Monday, September 10, 2007
Pushing Forward
Has this year been hard for you? Have you had to endure some bumps in the road of life?
We all will at some piont. That's just a part of life. Murphy's Law says that what ever can go wrong will go wrong and when you don't need it. We all will have a visit from Murphy. I heard Les Brown once say that the only people that never have problems are the ones in the graveyards.
The bad thing about problems is that people let problems stop them from going forward. For some people it's the best excuse to stop in life. To stop pushing forward toward a goal or a dream.
I keep a quote in my office by Babe Ruth that says...Don't let the idea of striking out keep you from swinging. Babe Ruth always swung as hard as he could. At times he swung so hard he would hit the ground. He held a homerun record that took years to break. On the other hand he struck out many many times.
The great thing about problems or "situations" is that we have a chance to learn from them and change our approach if needed. The most successful people on the planet will tell you that to succeed you have to fail in the process. You don't have one without the other.
Check out this poem by Jill Wolf:
Don't quit when the tide is lowest, For it's just about to turn; Don't quit over doubts and questions, For there's something you may learn. Don't quit when the night is darkest, For it's just a while 'til dawn; Don't quit when you've run the farthest, For the race is almost won.
Don't quit when the hill is the steepest, For your goal is almost nigh; Don't quit, for your not a failure Until you fail to try.
Rodney Lynn Lane (c) 2007
www.LynnLane.net Get your free e-book today!
Dare to be Great!
We all will at some piont. That's just a part of life. Murphy's Law says that what ever can go wrong will go wrong and when you don't need it. We all will have a visit from Murphy. I heard Les Brown once say that the only people that never have problems are the ones in the graveyards.
The bad thing about problems is that people let problems stop them from going forward. For some people it's the best excuse to stop in life. To stop pushing forward toward a goal or a dream.
I keep a quote in my office by Babe Ruth that says...Don't let the idea of striking out keep you from swinging. Babe Ruth always swung as hard as he could. At times he swung so hard he would hit the ground. He held a homerun record that took years to break. On the other hand he struck out many many times.
The great thing about problems or "situations" is that we have a chance to learn from them and change our approach if needed. The most successful people on the planet will tell you that to succeed you have to fail in the process. You don't have one without the other.
Check out this poem by Jill Wolf:
Don't quit when the tide is lowest, For it's just about to turn; Don't quit over doubts and questions, For there's something you may learn. Don't quit when the night is darkest, For it's just a while 'til dawn; Don't quit when you've run the farthest, For the race is almost won.
Don't quit when the hill is the steepest, For your goal is almost nigh; Don't quit, for your not a failure Until you fail to try.
Rodney Lynn Lane (c) 2007
www.LynnLane.net Get your free e-book today!
Dare to be Great!
Saturday, September 8, 2007
The secret to passion
The Secret To Passion
Tony Robbins is famous for saying; “Live with passion.”
Benjamin Disraeli said “Man is only great when he acts from passion.”
What is passion? What does the word passion mean to you? To some people it means enthusiasm; to others it means a deep desire. The word passion comes from the Greek word pathos which means “to suffer” or emotion. We use the word passion as something that drives us. When you say you have a passion for a goal or for a purpose usually you have a burning desire, a longing for it. And just like the word pathos means to suffer, you will suffer through almost anything for it.
Oliver Wendell Holmes said;
“Many people die with their music still in them. Why is this so? Too often it is because they are always getting ready to live. Before they know it, time runs out.” That happens to people without purpose and a passion to move toward a desired goal. Passion makes the impossible possible.
Passion is what Martin Luther King Jr. had when he moved a nation to change. Passion is what the Write Brothers had when they pursued their vision of flight and went on to pioneer air travel when the experts said it couldn’t be done.
Passion has always been the underlying force behind all great things in this world. Passion creates power deep within that makes you take action and move forward.
It’s passion that defies the odds, that gives you faith and the drive to see your dreams through, in the face of hardships, which are bound to happen as you step out of the mediocre into your greatness. Passion is what gets you up when you get knocked down. Passion is the emotion that keeps you focused on your vision and purpose. Passion will get you up early and keep up late. Passion will give you that extra boost of energy when your battery runs low.
Imagine for a moment that you were out in the middle of the ocean on a yacht. Then all of a sudden you got pushed over the side and fail into the water. Then you felt a hand holding you down, keeping you under the water. With all your effort you try to push to the top. You’ll try every possible means to reach the top. You would be enthusiastic, excited and full of action. That is the type of passion I’m talking about. That’s the kind of passion that makes the difference in your life.
With passion and purpose you will always encounter some risk. Along with risk you will have some fear of the unknown. You may ask yourself what if this never works out. Instead ask yourself what if it did work out. Don’t die with your music still in you.
So, how do you create that passion that we’re talking about? How do you find that one thing that stirs you deep down in your soul?
1. To begin with you must have a vision. You must have a vision of a definite goal or purpose. Purpose has to come first. That’s why I put it first in this series Purpose, Passion and Power. The bible tells us that “those without vision parish.” The vision you hold constant in your mind is the vision that helps create the passion that pushes you forward. James Lane Allen said; “Your vision is the promise of what you shall one day be; your ideal is the prophecy of what you shall at last unveil.”
2. Have faith in yourself and for the things you strive for. Faith + Belief = Courage. Mark Twain said; “Courage is not the absence of fear but the control of fear.” Create the habit of knowing that you can handle any challenge that comes along. A positive knowing that you can learn and grow as you go forward. You don’t need all the answers when you start. Anything worth doing is worth doing badly in the beginning. When we learn to walk as babies we crawl, stand, fall and then we walk. We never stop when we fall, that’s why we’re all walking around today. The falls from your past doesn’t equal your future.
When Bill Gates sold his software idea to IBM he didn’t have any software to offer. He persuaded IBM to use his software and then he started to work to find it and become the richest man on the planet. He didn’t have all the answers that day, but he new he could find them.
The wake of a ship is only an indication of where it’s been. You don’t captain a ship by looking behind you. At lest the captains I know never do. You can’t direct your life in the direction you want to go by looking behind you either.
3. Seek wisdom. Ben Franklin once said; “Genius without education is like silver in the mine.” Any fool can become passionate and highly motivated, and then you only have a passionate highly motivated fool. Work on yourself daily. Read books and quotes that keep you on fire and passionate. Listen to audio programs that feed your mind with good motivational messages that inspire you. Inspire means to be in-spirit which means breath. If your not inspired then you have no breath, if you have no breath you have no life. Stay inspired.
4. Create the habit of discipline. Re-center yourself every morning or when you find yourself getting off track. Morning is the best time of day to get your self centered and on course for the day. Take the first half hour to an hour of the morning to get your mindset in order. When you first wake in the morning you’re still in alpha state, the same state you go into during hypnosis. This is the best time to help program your mind for success. Go over your goals list. List all the reasons why you’re passionate about this vision or goal. Imagine the successful outcome and how you and the people you serve will benefit. Make your blueprint for the day.
5. Look for the circumstances you want and take action!
George Bernard Shaw said;
“The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want and if they can't find them, make them.”
To often people let circumstances stop them dead in their tracks. When you find your passion you will find the circumstances you want.
“If thought is the seed of creation then action is the doorway to results.” …R. Lynn Lane
R. Lynn Lane
Speaker - Trainer – Seminars
www.LynnLane.net Get your free e-book Twelve steps on the pathway to greatness.
(c) 2007
Tony Robbins is famous for saying; “Live with passion.”
Benjamin Disraeli said “Man is only great when he acts from passion.”
What is passion? What does the word passion mean to you? To some people it means enthusiasm; to others it means a deep desire. The word passion comes from the Greek word pathos which means “to suffer” or emotion. We use the word passion as something that drives us. When you say you have a passion for a goal or for a purpose usually you have a burning desire, a longing for it. And just like the word pathos means to suffer, you will suffer through almost anything for it.
Oliver Wendell Holmes said;
“Many people die with their music still in them. Why is this so? Too often it is because they are always getting ready to live. Before they know it, time runs out.” That happens to people without purpose and a passion to move toward a desired goal. Passion makes the impossible possible.
Passion is what Martin Luther King Jr. had when he moved a nation to change. Passion is what the Write Brothers had when they pursued their vision of flight and went on to pioneer air travel when the experts said it couldn’t be done.
Passion has always been the underlying force behind all great things in this world. Passion creates power deep within that makes you take action and move forward.
It’s passion that defies the odds, that gives you faith and the drive to see your dreams through, in the face of hardships, which are bound to happen as you step out of the mediocre into your greatness. Passion is what gets you up when you get knocked down. Passion is the emotion that keeps you focused on your vision and purpose. Passion will get you up early and keep up late. Passion will give you that extra boost of energy when your battery runs low.
Imagine for a moment that you were out in the middle of the ocean on a yacht. Then all of a sudden you got pushed over the side and fail into the water. Then you felt a hand holding you down, keeping you under the water. With all your effort you try to push to the top. You’ll try every possible means to reach the top. You would be enthusiastic, excited and full of action. That is the type of passion I’m talking about. That’s the kind of passion that makes the difference in your life.
With passion and purpose you will always encounter some risk. Along with risk you will have some fear of the unknown. You may ask yourself what if this never works out. Instead ask yourself what if it did work out. Don’t die with your music still in you.
So, how do you create that passion that we’re talking about? How do you find that one thing that stirs you deep down in your soul?
1. To begin with you must have a vision. You must have a vision of a definite goal or purpose. Purpose has to come first. That’s why I put it first in this series Purpose, Passion and Power. The bible tells us that “those without vision parish.” The vision you hold constant in your mind is the vision that helps create the passion that pushes you forward. James Lane Allen said; “Your vision is the promise of what you shall one day be; your ideal is the prophecy of what you shall at last unveil.”
2. Have faith in yourself and for the things you strive for. Faith + Belief = Courage. Mark Twain said; “Courage is not the absence of fear but the control of fear.” Create the habit of knowing that you can handle any challenge that comes along. A positive knowing that you can learn and grow as you go forward. You don’t need all the answers when you start. Anything worth doing is worth doing badly in the beginning. When we learn to walk as babies we crawl, stand, fall and then we walk. We never stop when we fall, that’s why we’re all walking around today. The falls from your past doesn’t equal your future.
When Bill Gates sold his software idea to IBM he didn’t have any software to offer. He persuaded IBM to use his software and then he started to work to find it and become the richest man on the planet. He didn’t have all the answers that day, but he new he could find them.
The wake of a ship is only an indication of where it’s been. You don’t captain a ship by looking behind you. At lest the captains I know never do. You can’t direct your life in the direction you want to go by looking behind you either.
3. Seek wisdom. Ben Franklin once said; “Genius without education is like silver in the mine.” Any fool can become passionate and highly motivated, and then you only have a passionate highly motivated fool. Work on yourself daily. Read books and quotes that keep you on fire and passionate. Listen to audio programs that feed your mind with good motivational messages that inspire you. Inspire means to be in-spirit which means breath. If your not inspired then you have no breath, if you have no breath you have no life. Stay inspired.
4. Create the habit of discipline. Re-center yourself every morning or when you find yourself getting off track. Morning is the best time of day to get your self centered and on course for the day. Take the first half hour to an hour of the morning to get your mindset in order. When you first wake in the morning you’re still in alpha state, the same state you go into during hypnosis. This is the best time to help program your mind for success. Go over your goals list. List all the reasons why you’re passionate about this vision or goal. Imagine the successful outcome and how you and the people you serve will benefit. Make your blueprint for the day.
5. Look for the circumstances you want and take action!
George Bernard Shaw said;
“The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want and if they can't find them, make them.”
To often people let circumstances stop them dead in their tracks. When you find your passion you will find the circumstances you want.
“If thought is the seed of creation then action is the doorway to results.” …R. Lynn Lane
R. Lynn Lane
Speaker - Trainer – Seminars
www.LynnLane.net Get your free e-book Twelve steps on the pathway to greatness.
(c) 2007
Friday, September 7, 2007
A Life of Purpose
The Secret To Purpose
Victor Frankl psychologist and author of man’s search for meaning said; “Everyone has his own specific vocation or mission in life; everyone must carry out a concrete assignment that demands fulfillment. Therein he can not be replaced, nor can his life be repeated, thus, everyone’s task is unique as his specific opportunity to implement it.
As a young boy I had a poster on the wall in my room. It was a picture of a very busy and crowded city street. The city was full of confusion. People everywhere, crowded streets, with signs and billboards. The words across the top of the poster ask the question. Why am I here?
My question to you is why are you here? What is your purpose on this earth? Maybe you’ve ask yourself that question before. Maybe you know your purpose but you’ve never made the decision to act on it.
Peter Drucker says; “The best way to predict the future is to create it.”
The majority of people never live a life of purpose because it takes hard work and discipline. Most people just settle for what comes along. They live the life of quiet desperation. They talk about what they should do and dream big dreams, but never go forward. A life without action is a life without purpose.
Success has been studied and researched for years. We have more information on success today than ever before and one outstanding similarity is that the winners in life all have a major definite purpose. You see, it’s your purpose that keeps you in a forward motion. Your purpose gives you momentum. We need to know that we are growing and making a contribution. Each time you reach a goal your self-esteem will grow and then you’ll build on that accomplishment, like an avalanche it will grow as it pushes forward. That’s why winners have goals and a major purpose for their life.
Tony Robbins says, “People are not lazy. They simply have impotent goals – that is, goals that do not inspire them.”
Some people have a goal to get up and go to work. Go back home set down in front of the television have a couple of beers and go to bed, only to do the same thing the next day and the next day and the next day.
If you don’t have a major purpose in your life, you will always be bound under the power of the people who do.
I believe that many people that you find in hospitals, prisons, and in the court systems are without a major definite purpose. Without purpose you have no compelling future to look forward to. Without a compelling future you give up on life and find yourself in a state of mind that’s not productive. And through the law of attraction you attract more depression and more of the things you really don’t want. Without a compelling future, people turn to drugs and alcohol to change their state of mind which is only a temporary solution and the reason it’s repeated over and over.
I worked as an EMT in my twenties and witnessed people without a compelling future many times. On one occasion we got a call to a railroad crossing in a little out of the way country town. The call was a train hit a man on the track. As I was driving to the scene I was trying to imagine what to expect. I was thinking of different scenarios in my mind. We didn’t know if this person was alive, if they were in a vehicle or what. So I was trying to prepare myself for action. When we got there I could see the end of the train way down the track and a figure of a body laying on the track about thirty away from the crossing. Then I realized that it was a man that had been ran over by this train. We later found out by a witness that this man had set there on the tracks for hours drinking beer waiting on this train. And just at the last second as the train was roaring down the track this man stood up in front of the train and his life ended in a tragic way. I have no doubt that this man had no definite purpose in his life to look forward to.
If you’re not growing in this life you’re dying. This world will eliminate you just as nature eliminates plants and animals. Think about all the things in your world that at one time served a purpose that you no longer have. You’ve gotten rid of those things because they no longer serve your needs.
If you don’t know your major purpose in life, that’s ok. Most people don’t know what their purpose is. It has been estimated that only about three percent of the population ever have clear goals in life. As you learn to set small goals that are consistent with your values you will begin to see your purpose unfold. Some people decide on a purpose at an early age, some wait much later. Col. Sanders started Kentucky Fried Chicken or KFC as they call it today in his sixties. He said; “I made a resolve then that I was going to amount to something if I could. And no hours, nor amount of labor, nor amount of money would deter me from giving the best that there was in me.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson said; “The value of a principle is the number of things it will explain.”
Here are twelve principles and action habits that have worked for me and many others that you can apply to help you find your major goal or purpose.
1. Some people never set goals because they feel they don’t deserve them. They have a low self-worth and low self-esteem. They don’t believe in themselves and feel no one else does either. I can tell you until the end of time that you must believe in yourself, but if you have low self-esteem that’s not going to happen. The only way to raise your self –esteem is to start small with small goals and build your momentum. Start by serving others in a positive way. That will also build your esteem. Start by volunteering at a local church, civic group, or a hospital. A person once ask Einstein, why are we here? He paused and said we are here to serve others.
2. Pursue your passion not your profits. Some people never have a definite purpose because of the mindset that their purpose wouldn’t pay much money. I have found if you do the thing you love the money makes no difference. The money will come. If you love what you do you’ll work hard at it and you won’t mind. You love it so much you would do it for free, but you’re so good at it you get paid for it.
3. Know what you value. When you start to set goals you must be congruent with your values. Make a list of your values and place a number from one to ten next to it. Number one, being the most important value and so on. If you value your relationships the most put number one there. If you value your health the most put a number one there. Only you know your highest value.
4. Surround yourself with successful, positive people. Be willing to ask questions, you’d be surprised at how eager successful people are to help you with answers. King Solomon said; “Better to be rebuked by a wise man than praised by a fool.” Don’t be surprised that as you begin working on this area that you may give up the old negative friends you may have in your life. Don’t be surprised if your old friends don’t see you as a successful person. Some so called friends don’t want good things for you because they want you to be as miserable as they are. Don’t let them hold you back.
5. Write your goals down. Most people never write down their goals because they say they know what they are and don’t need to. The winners in life write down their goals in a clear focused manner. Just by writing down your goals you start the law of attraction to working for you. You will start to attract the things you focus on the most. You should have one major goal or purpose then smaller goals to support that one big goal or purpose. When I started on my black belt in kenpo karate I knew the big goal was the black belt, but the most important belt is the first belt. The smaller goals will always support the big goals. Write your goals down in the present tense as if they were already here. Write your goals down with a deadline. Give yourself a time limit to accomplish each goal. Make sure each goal is measurable. For example you can measure a salary increase or losing weight.
6. Determine the price you’ll have to pay for it. I know you’re saying what? Pay for it? Yes, here’s what I’m saying. What are you going to have to learn to reach your goal? How hard do you need to work for it? What are you willing to sacrifice for it? Are you willing to stay up late at night and get up early for it? Are you willing to sweat hard for it? If you can’t answer these questions, then you are not committed to your goal. You must pay the price. There’s no free lunch in this life. You must pay in advance.
7. Write down every reason you can to support your major goal or purpose. Why is it you are working toward this goal? Through research we know that if we have reasons for our goals we tend to stay focused on the goal at hand. I myself do what I do because I had people in my life that said I couldn’t do the things I said I wanted to do. They would laugh or just roll their eyes and walk away. Some were of my own family too. So think of reasons that will inspire you. Reasons that will get you re-fired for action when you need it.
8. Create a plan and make it happen. Write out your plan in detail. Go back about every three months and reevaluate where you are. You can’t build something that will last without a plan. Start were you are now and think about were you’re going. Start from the foundation up. Just like a giant skyscraper. Zig Ziglar says you can determine how high a building is going to be by how deep the foundation is. Get your foundation deep by preparing yourself for action with a good plan.
9. Make sure your major goal serves people in a virtues way. When you do this you will respect yourself and gain the respect of the people around you. Be kind, patient, and generous to others. Remember the law of sowing and reaping. When you sow a good seed you reap the good rewards every time. The greatest gift you can ever give is the gift of yourself. When you have the virtues of kindness, patients and generosity you build your character and your inner strength.
10. Be bold. We come into this world without fear of new adventures, without the fear of what others may say or think. Our brain is designed for greatness, but as we grow we become programmed for failure. We are born with the fear of falling and the fear of loud noises. All other fears we learn as we get older. The good thing is that our fears are learned and conditioned responses. That means we can unlearn them and recondition our habits. The best way to defeat fear is through action. Make action a habit every day. The action habit will help you grow in confidence and lift you self-esteem.
11. Take action. Take some type of action toward your goals as soon as you finish all the other steps. Action will help you gain momentum. We all learn in school from Isaac Newton that once an object is set in motion it remains in motion until acted upon from an outside source. So get in motion now. Now if some outside source shows up to throw you off course, and it will. Gather more information, reevaluate your options and change your approach if you need to. When a plane takes off from Dallas and has a destination of New York, it’s off course most of the time. The pilot is always adjusting the plane to keep it on course. The pilot knows where the plane is going and keeps moving in that direction. The same is true when you’re working on your major goals in life. You’ll be off course from time to time, but if you know where you’re going and you have the self-discipline to adjust your path and keep in a forward motion you will get there.
12. Read your goals list daily. We know that we can only hold one dominant thought in our mind. Emerson said; “A man is what he thinks about all day long”. The bible tells us that “As a man thinks than that also shall he be.” When you review your goals daily you begin the process of attraction. You’ll begin to notice things that will lead you nearer to your goal. People will show up to help. You’ll find resources that didn’t exist before. The universe will be on your side. The things you’re seeking are also seeking you.
Now will it be hard? Yes! Will there be times when you’ll want to give up and quit? Yes! Will there be times when people will turn their backs on you and let you down? Yes!
Will it all happen over night for you? No! But, if you follow these steps and stay persistent, and continue to learn and grow from the successful people in life you will arrive at your goals much quicker.
“Far better is it to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure…than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much, because they live in a gray twilight that knows not victory nor defeat.”
..Theodore Roosevelt
When you find your purpose, you find who you are, what you are and most important why you are.
In the end it’s not what you say, what you plan, what you intend or what you hope for; it’s what you do that makes the difference. A life without action is a life without purpose. Live your life on purpose. Ask the question; why am I here? To expand on this topic go to www.LynnLane.net and get your free e-book, twelve steps on the pathway to greatness.
© All rights reserved by Rodney Lynn Lane.
R. L. Lane
Speaker-Trainer-Seminars
P.O. Box 741
Vass, N.C. 28394
www.LynnLane.net
Victor Frankl psychologist and author of man’s search for meaning said; “Everyone has his own specific vocation or mission in life; everyone must carry out a concrete assignment that demands fulfillment. Therein he can not be replaced, nor can his life be repeated, thus, everyone’s task is unique as his specific opportunity to implement it.
As a young boy I had a poster on the wall in my room. It was a picture of a very busy and crowded city street. The city was full of confusion. People everywhere, crowded streets, with signs and billboards. The words across the top of the poster ask the question. Why am I here?
My question to you is why are you here? What is your purpose on this earth? Maybe you’ve ask yourself that question before. Maybe you know your purpose but you’ve never made the decision to act on it.
Peter Drucker says; “The best way to predict the future is to create it.”
The majority of people never live a life of purpose because it takes hard work and discipline. Most people just settle for what comes along. They live the life of quiet desperation. They talk about what they should do and dream big dreams, but never go forward. A life without action is a life without purpose.
Success has been studied and researched for years. We have more information on success today than ever before and one outstanding similarity is that the winners in life all have a major definite purpose. You see, it’s your purpose that keeps you in a forward motion. Your purpose gives you momentum. We need to know that we are growing and making a contribution. Each time you reach a goal your self-esteem will grow and then you’ll build on that accomplishment, like an avalanche it will grow as it pushes forward. That’s why winners have goals and a major purpose for their life.
Tony Robbins says, “People are not lazy. They simply have impotent goals – that is, goals that do not inspire them.”
Some people have a goal to get up and go to work. Go back home set down in front of the television have a couple of beers and go to bed, only to do the same thing the next day and the next day and the next day.
If you don’t have a major purpose in your life, you will always be bound under the power of the people who do.
I believe that many people that you find in hospitals, prisons, and in the court systems are without a major definite purpose. Without purpose you have no compelling future to look forward to. Without a compelling future you give up on life and find yourself in a state of mind that’s not productive. And through the law of attraction you attract more depression and more of the things you really don’t want. Without a compelling future, people turn to drugs and alcohol to change their state of mind which is only a temporary solution and the reason it’s repeated over and over.
I worked as an EMT in my twenties and witnessed people without a compelling future many times. On one occasion we got a call to a railroad crossing in a little out of the way country town. The call was a train hit a man on the track. As I was driving to the scene I was trying to imagine what to expect. I was thinking of different scenarios in my mind. We didn’t know if this person was alive, if they were in a vehicle or what. So I was trying to prepare myself for action. When we got there I could see the end of the train way down the track and a figure of a body laying on the track about thirty away from the crossing. Then I realized that it was a man that had been ran over by this train. We later found out by a witness that this man had set there on the tracks for hours drinking beer waiting on this train. And just at the last second as the train was roaring down the track this man stood up in front of the train and his life ended in a tragic way. I have no doubt that this man had no definite purpose in his life to look forward to.
If you’re not growing in this life you’re dying. This world will eliminate you just as nature eliminates plants and animals. Think about all the things in your world that at one time served a purpose that you no longer have. You’ve gotten rid of those things because they no longer serve your needs.
If you don’t know your major purpose in life, that’s ok. Most people don’t know what their purpose is. It has been estimated that only about three percent of the population ever have clear goals in life. As you learn to set small goals that are consistent with your values you will begin to see your purpose unfold. Some people decide on a purpose at an early age, some wait much later. Col. Sanders started Kentucky Fried Chicken or KFC as they call it today in his sixties. He said; “I made a resolve then that I was going to amount to something if I could. And no hours, nor amount of labor, nor amount of money would deter me from giving the best that there was in me.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson said; “The value of a principle is the number of things it will explain.”
Here are twelve principles and action habits that have worked for me and many others that you can apply to help you find your major goal or purpose.
1. Some people never set goals because they feel they don’t deserve them. They have a low self-worth and low self-esteem. They don’t believe in themselves and feel no one else does either. I can tell you until the end of time that you must believe in yourself, but if you have low self-esteem that’s not going to happen. The only way to raise your self –esteem is to start small with small goals and build your momentum. Start by serving others in a positive way. That will also build your esteem. Start by volunteering at a local church, civic group, or a hospital. A person once ask Einstein, why are we here? He paused and said we are here to serve others.
2. Pursue your passion not your profits. Some people never have a definite purpose because of the mindset that their purpose wouldn’t pay much money. I have found if you do the thing you love the money makes no difference. The money will come. If you love what you do you’ll work hard at it and you won’t mind. You love it so much you would do it for free, but you’re so good at it you get paid for it.
3. Know what you value. When you start to set goals you must be congruent with your values. Make a list of your values and place a number from one to ten next to it. Number one, being the most important value and so on. If you value your relationships the most put number one there. If you value your health the most put a number one there. Only you know your highest value.
4. Surround yourself with successful, positive people. Be willing to ask questions, you’d be surprised at how eager successful people are to help you with answers. King Solomon said; “Better to be rebuked by a wise man than praised by a fool.” Don’t be surprised that as you begin working on this area that you may give up the old negative friends you may have in your life. Don’t be surprised if your old friends don’t see you as a successful person. Some so called friends don’t want good things for you because they want you to be as miserable as they are. Don’t let them hold you back.
5. Write your goals down. Most people never write down their goals because they say they know what they are and don’t need to. The winners in life write down their goals in a clear focused manner. Just by writing down your goals you start the law of attraction to working for you. You will start to attract the things you focus on the most. You should have one major goal or purpose then smaller goals to support that one big goal or purpose. When I started on my black belt in kenpo karate I knew the big goal was the black belt, but the most important belt is the first belt. The smaller goals will always support the big goals. Write your goals down in the present tense as if they were already here. Write your goals down with a deadline. Give yourself a time limit to accomplish each goal. Make sure each goal is measurable. For example you can measure a salary increase or losing weight.
6. Determine the price you’ll have to pay for it. I know you’re saying what? Pay for it? Yes, here’s what I’m saying. What are you going to have to learn to reach your goal? How hard do you need to work for it? What are you willing to sacrifice for it? Are you willing to stay up late at night and get up early for it? Are you willing to sweat hard for it? If you can’t answer these questions, then you are not committed to your goal. You must pay the price. There’s no free lunch in this life. You must pay in advance.
7. Write down every reason you can to support your major goal or purpose. Why is it you are working toward this goal? Through research we know that if we have reasons for our goals we tend to stay focused on the goal at hand. I myself do what I do because I had people in my life that said I couldn’t do the things I said I wanted to do. They would laugh or just roll their eyes and walk away. Some were of my own family too. So think of reasons that will inspire you. Reasons that will get you re-fired for action when you need it.
8. Create a plan and make it happen. Write out your plan in detail. Go back about every three months and reevaluate where you are. You can’t build something that will last without a plan. Start were you are now and think about were you’re going. Start from the foundation up. Just like a giant skyscraper. Zig Ziglar says you can determine how high a building is going to be by how deep the foundation is. Get your foundation deep by preparing yourself for action with a good plan.
9. Make sure your major goal serves people in a virtues way. When you do this you will respect yourself and gain the respect of the people around you. Be kind, patient, and generous to others. Remember the law of sowing and reaping. When you sow a good seed you reap the good rewards every time. The greatest gift you can ever give is the gift of yourself. When you have the virtues of kindness, patients and generosity you build your character and your inner strength.
10. Be bold. We come into this world without fear of new adventures, without the fear of what others may say or think. Our brain is designed for greatness, but as we grow we become programmed for failure. We are born with the fear of falling and the fear of loud noises. All other fears we learn as we get older. The good thing is that our fears are learned and conditioned responses. That means we can unlearn them and recondition our habits. The best way to defeat fear is through action. Make action a habit every day. The action habit will help you grow in confidence and lift you self-esteem.
11. Take action. Take some type of action toward your goals as soon as you finish all the other steps. Action will help you gain momentum. We all learn in school from Isaac Newton that once an object is set in motion it remains in motion until acted upon from an outside source. So get in motion now. Now if some outside source shows up to throw you off course, and it will. Gather more information, reevaluate your options and change your approach if you need to. When a plane takes off from Dallas and has a destination of New York, it’s off course most of the time. The pilot is always adjusting the plane to keep it on course. The pilot knows where the plane is going and keeps moving in that direction. The same is true when you’re working on your major goals in life. You’ll be off course from time to time, but if you know where you’re going and you have the self-discipline to adjust your path and keep in a forward motion you will get there.
12. Read your goals list daily. We know that we can only hold one dominant thought in our mind. Emerson said; “A man is what he thinks about all day long”. The bible tells us that “As a man thinks than that also shall he be.” When you review your goals daily you begin the process of attraction. You’ll begin to notice things that will lead you nearer to your goal. People will show up to help. You’ll find resources that didn’t exist before. The universe will be on your side. The things you’re seeking are also seeking you.
Now will it be hard? Yes! Will there be times when you’ll want to give up and quit? Yes! Will there be times when people will turn their backs on you and let you down? Yes!
Will it all happen over night for you? No! But, if you follow these steps and stay persistent, and continue to learn and grow from the successful people in life you will arrive at your goals much quicker.
“Far better is it to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure…than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much, because they live in a gray twilight that knows not victory nor defeat.”
..Theodore Roosevelt
When you find your purpose, you find who you are, what you are and most important why you are.
In the end it’s not what you say, what you plan, what you intend or what you hope for; it’s what you do that makes the difference. A life without action is a life without purpose. Live your life on purpose. Ask the question; why am I here? To expand on this topic go to www.LynnLane.net and get your free e-book, twelve steps on the pathway to greatness.
© All rights reserved by Rodney Lynn Lane.
R. L. Lane
Speaker-Trainer-Seminars
P.O. Box 741
Vass, N.C. 28394
www.LynnLane.net
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