SILENCE THE NAYSAYER

"If you hear a voice within you say 'you cannot paint,' then by all means paint and that voice will be silenced." - Vincent Van Gogh

SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE

"Successful people are simply those with success habits." - Brian Tracy

NEVER GIVE UP

"Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up." - Thomas Edison

REPS

"Whether you're doing a bicep curl in a chilly gym or talking to world leaders, there are no shortcuts - everything is reps, reps, reps." - Arnold Schwarzenegger

NO GUTS NO GLORY

"The last three or four reps is what makes the muscle grow. This area of pain divides the champion from someone else who is not a champion. That's what most people lack, having the guts to go on and just say they'll go through the pain no matter what happens." - Arnold Schwarzenegger

COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS

"The sun shines and warms and lights us and we have no curiosity to know why this is so; but we ask the reason of all evil, of pain, and hunger, and mosquitoes and silly people." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

ACTION = LESS DISAPPOINTMENT

"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

DO SOMETHING!

"In any situation, the best thing you can do is the right thing; the next best thing you can do is the wrong thing; the worst thing you can do is nothing." - Theodore Roosevelt

REQUIREMENTS TO CHANGE

"Energy and persistence alter all things." - Benjamin Franklin

HOW TO GO FAR IN LIFE

"How far you go in life depends on your being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving, and tolerant of the weak and the strong. Because someday in life you will have been all of these." - George Washington

SUCCESS REQUIRES UNCOMMON DISCIPLINE & PERSISTENCE

"Success is not a matter of mastering subtle, sophisticated theory, but rather of embracing common sense with uncommon levels of discipline and persistence." - Patrick Lencioni

Patrick Lencioni's book The Five Dysfunctions of a Team gives great insight into leadership and teams. It's also a quick and easy read. Follow this Amazon Affiliate link to get your own copy: http://amzn.to/2dwVtFM

HAVE A PURPOSE

"...The dividing line between success and failure is found at the stage where aimless drifting ceases." - Quoted by Napoleon Hill

TRY!

"Where there is nothing to lose by trying and everything to gain if successful, by all means try.  Do It Now!" - Success Through a Positive Mental Attitude

Get your own copy of 'Success through a Positive Mental Attitude' by Napoleon Hill and W. Clement Stone at your local library, bookstore, or by following this Amazon affiliate link: http://amzn.to/2hVjUNJ

FAILURE IS STEPPING STONE TO SUCCESS

"Develop success from failures. Discouragement and failure are two of the surest stepping stones to success." - Dale Carnegie

MY TOP 3 MOTIVATIONAL THOUGHTS

I’m sometimes asked how I am able to stay so positive, even during obviously trying times.  So this week I’m going to share my “secret” to staying positive.  Of course I try to drown myself in daily motivational sessions, but sometimes life can really eat away at your confidence.  So these are the three quotes or thoughts that flash through my mind during my most trying moments.  After taking a moment to dwell on these, I am ready to conquer the world…again:

“Every adversity, every failure and every heartache carries with it the seed of an equivalent or a greater benefit.” - Napoleon Hill

The first thought that enters my mind during the most trying times, is the Napoleon Hill quote above.  It reminds me that there is always something to learn or benefit from in every obstacle I face.  So when I start realizing I am really struggling, I sit down and ask myself, “What am I learning from this?”  It’s surprising how quickly my attitude is re-focused when I remind myself that every obstacle carries a benefit greater than the obstacle itself.

“You were born to be a champion, and no matter what obstacles and difficulties lie in your way, they are not one tenth so great as the ones that have already been overcome at the moment of your conception.” - Napoleon Hill

I recently wrote a blog post titled “Against the Odds,” which was specifically devoted to this Napoleon Hill quote.  This quote, and the story behind it, was absolutely life changing.  It becomes painfully clear that you can overcome anything when you really sit and ponder everything that had to happen to bring you into existence.  Here’s the link to my blog post about this topic: "Against the Odds".

The last quote is actually three, but I always read them together.  It is the most special and motivating to me.  Despite remembering that every problem carries a solution and a benefit, and remembering that I have already conquered life’s greatest battle, sometimes I need even more help to keep positive.  The following comes from the greatest book ever written, The Bible.  In all honesty, you could get through all of life with only this book as your guide.  Although there are numerous verses that will provide strength and motivation, I find the following three to be the most powerful for me during times of great struggle:

“Behold the birds of the air, for they neither sow, nor do they reap, nor gather into barns: and your heavenly Father feedeth them.  Are not you of much more value than they?” - Matthew 6: 26

“Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and not one of them shall fall on the ground without your Father.  But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.  Fear not therefore: better are you than many sparrows.” - Matthew 10: 29-31

“Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God?  Yea, the very hairs of your head are all numbered.  Fear not therefore: you are of more value than many sparrows.” - Luke 12: 6-7

These three scriptures were my key to getting me through my life’s greatest struggles, and I turn to them frequently to constantly remind myself of their message.

So there you have it, my top 3 motivational thoughts.  What are your greatest motivational reminders?  If you don’t have any, start looking.  You will be amazed at the strength you can develop by having a warehouse of mental motivators.

FAILURE CARRIES A SEED

"Every adversity, every failure and every heartache carries with it the seed of an equivalent or a greater benefit." - Napoleon Hill

TAKE STEP # 1

"I've discovered that in 100% of the cases, no exceptions, people who won't take step #1 never take step #2." - Zig Ziglar

STRENGTH

“Strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strengths. When you go through hardships and decide not to surrender, that is strength.” - Arnold Schwarzenegger

I constantly recommend that people study Arnold Schwarzenegger's life and writings. If you still haven't read his book 'Total Recall: My Unbelievably True Life Story,' then you need to go to your library today and check it out. You can also find your own copy at your local bookstore, or by following this Amazon affiliate link: http://amzn.to/2gFfg1T

YOU CAN'T FAIL FOREVER

“Good things don’t happen by coincidence. Every dream carries with it certain risks, especially the risk of failure. … You cannot fail forever. If you try ten times, you have a better chance of making it on the eleventh try than if you didn’t try at all.” - Arnold Schwarzenegger

I highly recommend the study of Arnold Schwarzenegger in your pursuit of success. His life is full of examples of acquiring success through the application of desire, persistent action, and positive thinking. I highly recommend you read his book, 'Total Recall: My Unbelievably True Life Story.' You can find a copy at your local library or bookstore, or at Amazon by clicking on this affiliate link: http://amzn.to/2eiVuv5

FAILURE BECOMES SUCCESS THROUGH PERSISTENCE AND AN OPTIMISTIC ATTITUDE

It can be so easy to let failure be your ending.  I know there have been times when I’ve started to doubt my ability to accomplish something.  But it’s important to see your failure, accept it, learn something from it, and then keep pushing forward.  It’s important because success is often right around the corner of Failure Street and Pessimism Avenue.  A quick internet search will reveal countless examples of success won after numerous failures.

Kevin Cronin, singer for REO Speedwagon, frequently relates his experience trying to get signed by a record label.  The music executive that listened to the demo tape turned Cronin down.  With persistence and optimism, Cronin kept pushing on.  Eventually, 3 of the 5 songs on the demo tape became top 10 hits, two of which hit #1.  It is entirely possible that Cronin’s demo tape and musical abilities were not worthy of a record label.  But instead of calling it quits he pushed forward with determination and an optimistic attitude, and made success happen.

I am a huge advocate of starting an exercise program as the first step towards success.  A regular exercise routine teaches us that failure can ALWAYS be overcome.  If you want to bench press 300 pounds you will fail numerous times.  But each failure will most certainly bring you closer and closer to 300 pounds.  You probably will start with 100 pounds, lift it a few times, add more weight, lift it a few times, and eventually get all tired out well before 300 pounds arrives.  Wait a week and try again.  Odds are you will be able to lift a little bit more weight than the last time.  Maybe you start with 110 pounds instead of 100.  The fact is that every time you are benching less than 300 you are failing, but without that failure you will never gain the strength needed to reach 300 pounds.  This same principle applies to all exercises.  It truly even applies to ANYTHING you do.

Start seeing your failures as bringing you closer to success.  Start seeing them as essential, because if you are not failing you are probably not really trying anyways.  Instead of giving up when you fail, look at it the way Henry Ford suggests: 

“Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently.” 

So next time you find yourself at the corner of Failure Street and Pessimism Avenue, turn onto Optimism Way and proceed with determination.

FAILURE = OPPORTUNITY

“Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently." - Henry Ford

FAILURE OR SUCCESS?

"During my 18 years I came to bat almost 10,000 times. I struck out about 1,700 times and walked maybe 1,800 times. You figure a ballplayer will average about 500 at bats a season. That means I played seven years without ever hitting the ball." - Mickey Mantle

SITS UP FRONT = CONFIDENT

"Sitting up front builds confidence.  Practice it.  From now on make it a rule to sit as close to the front as you can.  Sure, you may be a little more conspicuous in the front, but remember, there is nothing inconspicuous about success." - David J. Schwartz

Check out David Schwartz's book 'The Magic of Thinking Big' at your local library, or find your own copy at your local bookstore or online through this Amazon affiliate link: http://amzn.to/2e0RbEc

EXCELLENCE IS A HABIT

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act, but a habit.” - Aristotle

YOU WERE BORN A CHAMPION

“You were born to be a champion, and no matter what obstacles and difficulties lie in your way, they are not one-tenth so great as the ones that have already been overcome at the moment of your conception.  Victory is built in to every living person.” - Success through a Positive Mental Attitude

Get your own copy of 'Success through a Positive Mental Attitude' by Napoleon Hill and W. Clement Stone at your local library, bookstore, or by following this Amazon affiliate link: http://amzn.to/2hVjUNJ

AGAINST THE ODDS

In 2005 I picked up Success through a Positive Mental Attitude by Napoleon Hill and W. Clement Stone.  I didn’t expect this book to completely change my perspective on life, and my ability to conquer anything I set my mind to, but it did.  I read that I was “born a champion.”  That seemed awfully easy to say, and I didn’t quite believe it until I read the next couple paragraphs.

The authors explained that my life’s greatest battle had already been won: the battle for existence.  They reminded me that of tens of millions of sperm competing for one egg, only one succeeded: “the one that made me.”  They convinced me that I “had become a champion over the most staggering odds [I] will ever have to face.”

This fact had never manifested itself in my thinking before.  I was well aware of this process, but never caught on to the plain truth that I was born to be a champion.  My entire perspective on life changed the minute I read the words: “over the most staggering odds you will ever have to face.”  Why didn’t I ever realize that before?  I suddenly felt incredibly confident in my abilities to overcome any obstacle that presented itself in my life.  I could have used that confidence boost a long time before.  Well, it was better late than never!

I remind myself of this simple truth every time I am faced with hardship in my life.  The moment I think I can’t do something, my mind thrusts this story back into my thoughts and inspires me to keep pushing on.  I repeat in my mind the words of Success through a Positive Mental Attitude: 

“You were born to be a champion, and no matter what obstacles and difficulties lie in your way, they are not one-tenth so great as the ones that have already been overcome at the moment of your conception.  Victory is built in to every living person.” 

So next time you feel like you can’t do something, remember you are already a champion. Remember that you have already conquered.  The next time you feel like your family, or team at work, can’t accomplish something; remember that they are all champions too.  With the right perspective and attitude you can accomplish anything.  Your existence is the proof.