Satisfaction is a forever moving target. We are never truly satisfied. But with an attitude of reflection, I think we can learn to appreciate the lessons learned and the struggles overcome. Let's face it, like it or not, we are in our present situations because of our past choices. And the places we will be tomorrow will be because of where we decided to go today. Whatever your status I feel that we can gain contentment from a proper focus on our past. In the end, success isn't always about what we have accomplished but more about who we've become on the journey there. Let's look at three points to reflect on pursuing. 1. Values – Our attitudes reflect our values. Each day we spend countless hours thinking and doing things that we consider important. I believe that if we were told we had 24 hours to live we could sum up our values on one hand. We would probably find ourselves trying to maximize those final moments with specific people, places, and things. Those are the people and things we should be content with reflecting and building on daily. Work to pinpoint your values so you can have clear reflections and directions. Clear values will be those strong physiological guides that are needed to make it through life's difficulties. Your true values might not be lengthy or complex but they will be those simple precise principles that enable you to push through frustrations. Once found, reflect and build strength there. 2. Beliefs - What we believe about life is what we reflect on often. These crucial thoughts cause us to respond productively or unproductively with our lives. Whether by choice or not we formulate our attitudes on the outcomes we believe are going to happen. We find ourselves talking about it, dreaming about it, and ultimately living it. Direct your beliefs to reflect the truth. Clear and purposeful beliefs that's accurate will escalate you into a clearer focus for success. Pursue what you believe. But know the facts behind them. A solid foundation that you believe is a good reflection to look to during the difficult times of life. 3. Expectations - What we expect is a gauge that determines the direction of our future. High goals result in an attitude that pushes for them to happen. Low goals result in an attitude that's satisfied with whatever happens. We can't have a positive reflection if we have negative images of ourselves and our goals. Make your expectations realistic but big enough to push your limits. Then set your attitude to reflect positively about reaching your goal. You are the one that determines your outcome. If success is what you expect, settle for nothing less. Summary - Having a positive teachable attitude is key to succeeding on all levels. Make sure your attitude is focused on what you value the most, rooted in true beliefs and set with realistic expectations that reflect an ultimate objective of long-term goals. You will arrive at the place where you reflect your attention, so reflect positively.
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Life is full of delays, denials, and devastations. If we live we will encounter all of them at some point. However, back-to-back problems tend to make us question life's purpose. This month's challenge gives you a boost to stay positive in the face of challenges. Let's look at some ABC tips to help boost your attitude in the face of adversity. 1. Attention – It may be a secret to some but an extra boost is given to the things that demand your attention. When something grabs your attention you tend to loose focus on all surrounding things for that moment. For example, if you were walking on a straight line and put your eyes in another place other than the line, you would drift in the direction of your focus. The same is true in life. Your delays, denials, and devastation could be due to distractions that are holding your attention. Be smart. Boost yourself by regularly realigning your attention to your goal. Remember, your reality will only convert to becoming the destiny you desire because you have given your undivided attention to your goal. 2. Believe – Every now and then you and I can get into the "I can't help it" mode. But I've come to realize that if my behavior is missing the mark, I need to check what I really belief. You see, your actions always flow from what's believed. If you believe you can, you probably will. Your goals won't happen if you don't believe in yourself. Don't wait for someone else's approval to act on what you know is 100% right for you. It's your goal that you're required to fulfill not theirs. Be confident in your strengths but be humble enough to know your weaknesses and ask for help. Remember, life works on principles. So continue to turn the odds in your favor with a persistent effort of doing the right things. 3. Character – Who you really are is the person you display in the absents of opposing consequences. And striving to do what's right when no one else agrees is the epitome of good character. An Albanian Proverb says, “Ability will enable a person to get to the top, but good character is what will keep them from falling.” Experience a boost in your character by deciding to be consistent in all areas, not because it's easy but because it's right. Continue to work on your character being top notch in the face of life's challenges. It's those tough times that the true you is seen and your character is developed. Summary – Getting a boost to overcome life's obstacles can be as simple as ABC. Put your attention in the right spot, believe that you can accomplish your goal, and make sure your character aligns itself to what's right. It's doing what you should on the days you don't feel like it that count and position you for long term success. You can't be successful with the weight of negativity pulling you down at every step. You and I must work to have a forward focus mentality about ourselves at all times. This doesn't mean reality is ignored. It's just not where we have put our focus. To be successful requires us to focus on accomplishing the future goal over the real current problems. Here are three tips to help push the cancer of negativity out, to obtain the destiny you envision. 1. Ungrateful – It can be easy to think things should be okay without showing appreciation for the small things. But recognizing what happen or was done with appreciation is a sign that you value others and you need their part in succeeding with your goal. One writer put it this way, “It is not happy people who are appreciative; it is appreciative people who are happy.” Have a grateful attitude by showing that you value others time and efforts they give to your successes no matter how small. 2. Chaotic – Life is full of stressful situations but your attitude doesn't have to display a messed up demeanor to go along with it. Each day has a new set of opportunities and challenges. Focus on maximizing your energy on being a problem solver, not a problem finder. Who you become on the journey is always more valuable than just arriving at the end. Turn your chaos into order by reach beyond the problems and seeing the strength that comes from persevering through. "Pain is temporary. It may last for a while but eventually, it will be replaced by something else." (Lance Armstrong) Keep a positive attitude through the chaos of life, it will help you make better decisions and build personal value for a successful future. 3. Complaining – Life will always have problems. So to achieve the next level of success work on what your mouth says about problems. Choose words that build up instead of tear down by looking for the good in every situation. Confront your problems with optimism and hope. Don't be so quick to throw in the towel with your words. Keep your negativity low, no matter how big the problem. Growth comes from finding ways to overcome life's problems with connection before correction. Summary - Negativity is like cancer, it will take over if not dealt with. Work to be grateful for the small things, look for the solutions in the chaos, and keep your words encouraging. This is the medicine that can combat the cancer of negativity. The way you and I perceive things is the way we make it through the day. However, when our attitudes are not stable we tend to live in chaos every day. I believe that if we are rooted in truth we can see our lives succeed in all circumstances of life. It is said that our “attitudes determine our altitude”. In other words, the way we view life and handle it determines where we go and how successful we can be at it. Here are some tips to help you be stable. 1. Learn – Your attitude is a learned behavior that you have picked up from your surroundings - parents, friends, teachers, etc. Like it or not, you act like someone that you know. The good news is, although you might have learned how to have a negative attitude you can learn how to have a positive attitude too. Maya Angelou said it this way, "If you don't like something change it if you can't change it change your attitude." Break the negative attitude by learning from positive examples. Learn how they deal with the stresses of life. Ask them questions - "How do you stay positive during tough times?" Learn how to implement stability into your life by making positiveness a requirement. 2. Clarify – What you see might be your reality but if your sight is blurred your reality is also blurred. To clarify a blurred vision of reality requires a perception that doesn't change like the wind. That universal perception is the truth. When you clarify your reality based on truth it can give you an attitude that's stable in the midst of sensitive feelings and emotions. Keep in mind that your reality is real, full of real emotions and real feelings. But that's information, not instructions of how to react. Clarify your attitude to resemble what is true. With that clarity, you will possess an attitude for success. 3. Forward – Success requires you to keep hope alive for the future, even in the midst of tough mess ups and challenges. Learn how to grow from setbacks. Be optimist about another chance to get it right. Your failures aren't your destiny they are just a step required for you to make it to your goal. Control what you do with failure. Position it to work for you instead of against you by framing your mind to learn how to move forward from a knockdown. Always have the will to get back up no matter how hard you're hit. Stability comes from never quitting. Summary - Stabilize your life by learning how to stay positive from others with positive attitudes, gain clarity by looking truthfully into reality, and getting up to move forward after every fall. The stability of your attitude will determine the level of your success. Keeping some things under wrap is a necessary part of life. There's always going to be private things that shouldn't be fully disclosed. But times will come when you will be faced with a choice of telling a secret lie or an honest secret. Here are some ways to keep your secrets truthful and between the lies. 1. Consider – Know that your actions today will always impact your tomorrow. Consider your motives before moving forward in any direction. Examine what's guiding your thoughts. All emotions are temporary so it's good to think about your desired destiny and base your actions from that perspective. In the end, its truth that seals your past not a lie. Base your decisions on sound logic and reasoning. Know that being honest might not feel good for the moment but it will always put you in a better position for the future. 2. Creative – There are different ways, to tell the truth. Don't box yourself into thinking that there's no other way but to lie. Always look for ways to express the truth tactfully and respectfully. Believing that you can be truthful is the first step in expressing secrets honestly. Be creative in developing the habit of telling the truth. It's available just like constructing a lie. The choice is always in your hands. Remember, "Being honest is more than not lying. It is truth telling, truth speaking, truth living and truth loving." - Hurst 3. Consistent – Being truthful can feel like a burden when you're in the moment of pressure. It seems as if the benefits of telling the truth aren't worth the effort. But be encouraged it will be seen later if you don't give into the lie. Tell the truth can be like lifting weights. You don't see it the results right off. But keep on pushing. If you are consistent your body will one day reflect what you've been doing. Each day work to handle every situation truthfully. The more you are honest the easier it will become. It's an ongoing endeavor that will benefit your entire life. Summary - Yes you can be honest with your secrets. Always consider the big picture of your desired destiny, be creative in telling the truth over a lie, and develop a consistent routine that reflects honesty. Work at it and know the more time you spend sharing the truth the less time you have to explain a lie. Achieving success is never an accident. It's the result of precise planning followed by specific actions. On your road to success, you must know where you are, where you are going, the reason why you are going there, and is it something you can afford. With a well-designed plan, you can achieve any goal you set out to accomplish. Here are some tips to help your plan succeed. 1. Alignment - Unclear objectives will never produce an effective plan, it will always create chaos. To have a great plan comes from research and carefully thought out methods that can give you the structure needed to reach your goal. Work to specifically define what you want to achieve at the onset. Make sure to align the foundation of you plan to your core values (honesty, a teachable attitude, respect, diligence, self-control, responsibility, wisdom, etc.). A proper alignment to your values helps your plan be more effective in achieving success. 2. Vision - A destination is almost impossible to reach when you don't know where you are going. To have a vision comes from taking time out to have forethought of what the end should look like. Knowing the desired end is the first step in creating a good plan. Be specific and realistic about where you want to go. Make a scheduled task list instead of a to-do list of how your vision should be uncovered. Your vision should be detailed enough to be broken into specific dates when things must happen. Creating an action plan is more effective in bring a vision to life. 3. Collaboration - Successful plans are inclusive of others thoughts and ideas on the matter. Other perspectives can help your plan have depth and a wider view on its objectives. At the same time connecting with others with similar goals can help build momentum in the direction you desire to go. Develop a team of like-minded people to inspire you to carry out your plan. It's through their strengths that you can gain the intensity needed to succeed over your weaknesses. Summary - A successful plan comes from aligning it with core values, having a focused vision, and collaborating with other like minds. Design your plan to achieve success. |
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December 2020
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