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Showing posts from 2015

Gratitude Unlocks the Fullness of Life

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“Gratitude can transform common days into thanksgivings, turn routine jobs into joy, and change ordinary opportunities into blessings.” William Arthur Ward (Writer). I believe that gratitude changes how we look at life and the opportunities that it offers. Life can always be better, however, gratitude shows an appreciation for the way it is now.   Gratitude allows a person to understand that there is good in life in every situation. I have found that looking at the positives of life improves my success in it more times over. If you have two people who are in the same situation of a lost job. One person looks at the current situation and beats themselves up. And another person who looks at their current situation and find ways to appreciate this moment in life. I find that the person who has a high level of appreciation always go further in life than one who continuous to beat themselves up. Melody Beattie, an author, put it best, “gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It

Streamlining your path to success

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  In this world where there is a high demand for people’s time and energy, some may find it difficult to focus on the aspects of life that matter. Often times, people say that the most important things in life are family, their spiritual walk, money, etc. However, their actions rarely line up with these beliefs. I have found that simply matching one’s belief with their actions provides abundance of success in all areas of my life. Several ways one can match their belief with their actions are to (1) meditate on desired goals; (2) create goals; and (3) reward yourself or those around you after completing those goals.   Meditating on your goals simply involves sitting still (literally) and thinking about where you want your life to be for about five minutes a day. Some call this a form of prayer. However, I think prayer is a little different as it is a conversation between you and God where He does the talking. One can incorporate meditation into prayer. Next, creating a go

Investing your money, your time, and knowledge builds the world around you.

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 Investment is one of those concepts that is usually associated with money. However, I think it should be stretched to every aspect of a person's life. First, I think everyone should learn how to investment their money in the stock market, business venture, and other people. In my short period of time, I have come to find out these three areas provides the biggest return on investment. Their effects can go on for generations. Warren Buffett ’ s states, “Only buy something that you ’ d be perfectly happy to hold if the market shut down for 10 years.” I think this is true in all aspects of life. If you invest into a marriage, a friendship, or an employer-employee relationship with this thought, many more people will be successful. When the world shuts down on you; you will continue to grow and become more successful. Benjamin Franklin states that "an investment in knowledge pays the best interest." I would like to go a step further to state that the application

Life is like a bicycle. In order to keep your balance you must keep moving. ~ Albert Einstein.

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Life is like a bicycle. In order to keep your balance you must keep moving. ~ Albert Einstein. This is a statement that has stood the test of time. Achieving your goals and becoming more successful depends on you moving forward through ups and downs of life. Three ‘mantras’ help me move successfully through life:   (1) March 4 th ; (2) Energy is neither created nor destroyed; and (3) Be real with yourself. March 4 th :   Les Brown mentions in his speeches about a lot of his friends dying on March 4 th . He suggests this is a way for his friends and family members to encourage us to March forward in life. Through the seemingly adverse times in life, it is essential to keep moving forward. Keeping thine eyes set on the positives and advantages of life gives your ability to capitalize on life’s opportunities. Energy is neither created nor destroyed. Maintaining your energy, i.e. emotions is imperative when maintaining your balance. One way to maintain your energy is to keep foc

Standing in the Gap

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I’ve always heard of this while going to church when I was younger. However, I’m learning the importance of it as I’m older. For those who may not know, ‘standing in the gap’ stems from the biblical scripture Ezekiel 22:30. However, I have extended ‘standing in the gap’ to mean to speak up for and to defend someone. Often times, there are people who may be going through difficult times and simply need someone to speak for them and/or defend them. Sometimes, this includes people who are wealthy, highly educated, and operate in the lime light. Two ways to stand in the gap for someone is to (1) speak nicely of people even if they offended you; and (2) stand up for those who can’t speak for themselves. Always speaking nicely of person forces one to look at that other’s strength. Speaking nicely about a person allows you to see opportunities to grow that other person. Also, standing up for those who can’t speak for themselves allows room for progress. People who can’t speak for t

Keep Good People Around You

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"We want people where ... every aspect about their personality makes you want to be around them. ... Trust first, ability second." – Charlie Munger Pay people through time, wisdom, money, etc. This shows a respect level for that person’s experience, time, and being. Everyone has something to say, but only listen to the ones who have something worth to say. I’ve came into contact with so many people who has inspired me to become more successful. The key to meeting and listening to them was paying them through my respect of who they are and the amount of wisdom they possess. Stand in the Gap. This is something you hear in a lot of Southern Baptist Churches. However, it applies in everyday life. Help those who may or may not have helped you in the past. Everybody has fallen in life. On the other hand, there is a thin line between helping and needing to be help; recognize the difference. " Develop into a lifelong self-learner through voracious reading; cultiva

Don't wish it was easier ... wish you were better; ... for more skills; ... & for more wisdom. - Jim Rohn

“Don't wish it was easier wish you were better. Don't wish for less problems wish for more skills. Don't wish for less challenge wish for more wisdom” ~ Jim Rohn Many times, people wish that some area in their life would fit into their life plan or simply become easier. However, embracing life’s difficult times actually makes people better. Jim Rohn, a great motivational teacher and author, put it best stating that wishing for skills and wisdom in those tough times will help us become more successful in life. “Life is simply a collection of experiences; our goal should be to increase the frequency and the intensity of the good experiences.” – Jim Rohn. When learning this thought we are putting ourselves on a high speed highway to increased success. As we learn to hone our skills and gain more wisdom, our life become easier. And becoming more successful become a habit. Aristotle states it best, “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then is not an act, but a ha

Satori (悟り?): Awakening and understanding

Satori ( 悟り ?) (Chinese: 悟 ; pinyin: wù; Korean: 오 o; Vietnamese: ngộ) is a Japanese Buddhist term for awakening, "comprehension; understanding". Also, satori refers to the experience of kenshō, "seeing into one's true nature". ~ Wikipedia After a long discussion with a fellow law school colleague, I realized that he had a high level of understanding in an area that many people need:   Single-mindedness. He described this high level of understanding as “getting into your head,” meaning removing oneself from their actual physical environment (mentally) and placing oneself into a place of greater purpose. I think this is a great practice as we all have a lot of responsibilities and duties to achieve on a daily basis. As such, it is important to obtain as much experience and value out of each minute of the day. As one experiences the various events of life, it is essential to focus deeply on our goals and service to others. Experiencing satori may allow us to

Take ownership of your life

Taking control of your life means giving yourself the power and switch to determine the outcome of it. Do away with excuses and believing someone else determines your future. As more people come to this conclusion, the world will become a better place. Often times, a person’s current situation simply rest upon their actions in the past and present. Becoming more successful includes a high level of autonomy, accountability, and "stick-to-itness." Life is what you make it. And the way you make it depends solely upon the individual's vision and purview. Our vision is shaped by the music we listen to, the television we watch, and people we hang around. Even though these influences may seem arbitrary, a person can simply look at a person’s lifestyle to determine the negative stimuli in their lives. Try listening to something different for a week and see the desires of your heart change drastically. Go one more step forward and listen to something positive for the whole week

Labor Day: A call to improve the workplace and yourself

Labor Day in the United States is a public holiday celebrated on the first Monday in September. It honors the American labor movement and the contributions that workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of their country. ~ Wikipedia As we all enjoy Labor Day, it is important to remember that we should continue to make the work environment and/or our businesses a great place to work. Finding various ways to steadily improve the work environment is not only a great call by leaders, but a great call to the employees as well. The people make up the organization. So the people control the climate and culture of the organization. One can improve their organization is several ways such as encouraging others who are going through personal trials, going beyond the job description to ensure efficient management of the company, and actually doing your job. Infusing this belief in your daily activities in your job, business, and volunteer organization will ensure your succ

Your “why”: Achieving your desired goals

In order for one to achieve a desired goal, one must know their ‘why’ for achieving that goal as well as the actual goal. Your ‘why,’ or your purpose, is simply your reasoning for wanting to change your situation. This can include wanting to increase your income, help others, become a better person overall, etc. One’s purpose when achieving something of great magnitude has to be so significant, heartfelt, and emotionally that it is virtually impossible for a circumstance to stop them. I have found that some people simply do not achieve their goals because their ‘why’ is not good enough. Their why is not sufficient for them to continue to move forward in achieving their goals. Life has seasons, meaning there will be ups and downs. Achieving your goals when life is great is not difficult at all. However, striving towards your goals become difficult when everything around you seems to be turning downward. At this point, a person’s ‘why’ helps motivate them to continue onward with their

Who kicked your cat?

There once was an executive who was fussed out by the owner of the company for not performing at a level that the owner thought he should be. The executive went out of the owner’s office and under his breathe complained about always making the big deals for the firm over the past 10 years with the company. At that moment, his secretary came up and gave him letters that he requested earlier this morning. All of sudden, the executive fussed out the secretary for not sending them sooner and demanded her to step her game up before she gets fired. Then the secretary became angry because she has dedicated some much time and effort with the company for the past 5 years. The secretary out of frustration fussed out the switch board operator for not sending another set of letters out because the secretary thought the switch board operator was never busy. The switch board operator mad as steaming pipeline at the secretary all day went home to find her son’s skateboard in the foyer of her home