Continuous improvement- Make daily steps your habit.

You are what you continually do. Your life is a series of habits that you have created and if you are like most people you would like to change some aspect of your life. Most people only think of a habit as being bad- like "she has a bad smoking habit", or "his drinking habit is getting serious". The truth is that we have hundreds of habits that we don't even notice. Like saying please and thank you, or holding the door open for someone else. We originally started doing them out of kindness, but we have done them for so long that they have become a habit. Like if someone asks you if you locked the door before you left the house. You may not remember because it is a habit! 

Anything that you do consistently over time can become a habit. That is why professional sports athletes train doing things the exact same way over and over. They want the perfect technique to become a habit. Football kickers aways take a certain number of steps backward and then to the side so they are in the exact same place for kicking the ball. You may have driven a car for so long that you don't have to think about all the aspects of driving. They have become a habit- your unconcious handles all the details now.
We all know this, it isn't something new.

So why don't we use this knowledge to our benefit?
Because we try to do it all at once.
Here's an example- New Years Resolutions... We say something like "Man I gained so much weight over the holidays... I resolve to loose 20 pounds by Febuary". Then we start jogging. The first day we run around the block...and almost have a heart attack! Day 2 we find that our muscles are sore so we dont run. Day 3 we start around the block but end up walking most of the way. By the time we get home we say the heck with it, I'm destined to be this way. We then justify it by saying "my weight is genetic, most of my family is overweight".
The resolution was good, but the results were a failure! Why? It's obvious- we tried to do it all at once! If you try to eat a whole steak at once you will choke!  We should start slow and easy. So easy in fact that you don't even notice any results. The point is to make MINUTE changes EVERY DAY!

If you want to improve some aspect of your life, then make a consious decision to turn it into a habit.
You eat every day, brush your teeth every day, Shower.... breathe! See how easy it is!

If your happiness isn't worth having then why breathe?

If you want something, then make it a matter of survival. Do it like you breathe - every day!
Do you remember breathing for the last 10 minutes? Do you have to think about it? Of course not!
Try holding your breath.... pretty soon you start feeling uncomfortable... then you can't stand it any longer and you have to breathe. Make your goal feel the same way. Do it so often that if you skip it you feel pain.

Let's say that you want to be more optimistic because you heard someone at work say you were "Such a pessimist"! After thinking about it you realize it is true. Every time something happens you complain, even if the change is a good thing. You have a habit and it is BAD!

You decide that from now on you want to be known as the most optimistic person in the world. But how do you go about making it happen?

The main thing is to understand that changing a habit (by making a new one) is done consistently and over time. It isn't done tomorrow, it is done NOW, in this moment. Remember that you don't have to be optimistic ALL DAY LONG! You only have to be optimistic RIGHT NOW! Just for one minute. You can easily make it for one minute can't you? Sure you can!

When you get up in the morning start by thinking of all the good things you are going to do. If you don't like your job, find the good things (like it pays my bills, I'm learning to use the computer...) whatever you can find. I have a friend who says "My job may stink but I am the best at it"! He is happy with himself!

You can start by doing this twice a day-
once when you wake up, and just before you go to sleep.

If you make it for one minute then tell yourself "YES I AM THE MOST OPTIMISTIC PERSON I KNOW!"
Then try for another minute!... and another. After doing this for a week or two you can add doing this at lunch for a minute or two. Every couple of weeks you add a time. set your cell phone to remind you with a beep every time you want to do your "Optimist Training minute". When you hear the beep ask yourself "am I being optimistic right now" If so SMILE because it is working! If not then NO  BIG DEAL! YOU ARE IN TRAINING RIGHT! You are training for the Olympics!

You could also go HARD CORE with your training if you are one of those "No pain no gain" kind of people. How about putting a loose rubber band around your wrist. Any time you catch yourself thinking a pessimistic thought you... SNAP! Popping yourself with the rubber band causes a little pain, and you are associating that pain with the pessimistic thought. In fact, Draw the letter "P" on the rubber band (stands for Pessimist) and any time you catch yourself being pessimistic you look at the "P", snap yourself, and say "I just "P'd on myself! Can't do that anymore!"

Some people find it difficult to change somethings because they are "results oriented" and it is hard to see the change they are making. If you are loosing weight then all you need to do is step on a scale and see how much you weigh but this can also be misleading. As you exercise you loose fat weight but you also gain muscle weight. Muscle weighs about 7 times what fat does, so you may not actually loose weight, but you are loosing fat- and getting fitter in the process.

If you want to track your progress you can, but track the right things in the right way.
A weight lifter can easily track weight and repetitions and over time can see that he can lift more weight and do more reps but what about tracking Optimism?

On a scale of 1 to 10, how optimistic do you feel right now?
Write it down on a slip of paper that you date, or in a notebook. The idea is to record it every day, but you don't look at the previous data for a while. After a month or so you can go back and chart the data.
This is a simple daily activity for improvement. It uses the scientific method to quantify and qualify results in order to chart progress. It helps answer the question: "How do I know if I am improving?"
You can measure anything!

What you are looking for is improvement.
It is like having to move 1,000 bricks. You can't lift them all at once, so you pick up one and move it. Then you go back for another and do it again.
You can't see the pile getting smaller at first, but you can see the ones you moved turning into a bigger pile.

The average American earns a million dollars in their lifetime, but they also end up broke because they spend it all and don't save! If they had just saved one dollar a day they could retire in style!

A dollar a day (or any amount) adds up. This is called "Continuous Improvement". Add to that the power of Compound interest and you have a winning combination.

Continuous improvement calls for continuous involvement. It is done every day.

But let's say that I want to give the excuse that "I'm weak and can't do it every day.....waaah!"
Well then what I need is a little help. If we are talking about money, then I can have my employer take a certain percentage out of every check and put it into a 410 account. That way I am saving money on a daily basis - and because I never touch the money my weakness is thwarted!
But what about something like loosing weight? I could get a friend to help me. We could walk together and turn it into something fun. If I try to skip a day my friend could help me to keep my commitment.

The point is to make continuous improvement work for you. Make it so easy and so fun that you want to do it. If you feel like you gotta do it you are being a pessimist and SNAP that rubber band! Turn "I gotta do" into "I GET to do"! Find out what motivates you and GET MOTIVATED!

Get rid of the negatives in your life!

STOP being Eyore!

You don't want people feeling sorry for you! Nobody wants to be around a complainer!

If you like a list, then here is the WORLD FAMOUS SEVEN STEP PROCESS!!!!!

1. Choose your GOAL (who you want to be)!

2. Identify what you need to do to become that person.

3. Plan out the steps you need to do to get you there.

4. Choose a data collection method to chart your progress.

5. START doing the plan!

6. Periodically check your progress. Is it working? Do you need to alter the plan? Do you need help (like resources, a coach, or a partner)?

7. Celebrate your victories!

You can have, do, or be almost anything you want IF you follow the simple steps outlined above.

So what are you waiting on... go and BECOME!

With Determination, Anything is possible

You can tell some people a thousand times that if they want to improve their life they need to CHANGE, but for some reason it never happens. They are so conditioned to doing the same thing over and over that change is something they just don't seem to be capable of.
They only change when it is forced upon them. Why? Because they take from life whatever comes along. They say that they are "waiting for their ship to come in", but when it does they will probably be at the bus station!

They have built up a habit of being where they are- it is simple - and much less work than doing something different. It is hard to break a habit that you spent your whole life building ti up and making it strong.

Change seems too... complicated.
The best way to break the habit is to make a small change- daily!

A habit is nothing more than something you do so often that you don't even think about it anymore.
Do you brush your teeth every day? comb your hair? Go to work? BREATHE?......

Start a new habit.

Let's say that you want to learn to draw.
Start by getting a small artist notebook that will fit in your pocket and a pencil.
Carry them with you all the time,
Your goal is to draw at least 1 page a day. It can be a simple doodle, or something you see, but the goal is to draw EVERY DAY. The more you draw, the more your mind and body will become "used to" the new habit.

I have a friend who started doing this in high school. He drew on everything. He was the "Doodlemaster"! You should see his pictures now! He is a fantastic artist (and in high school he couldnt even draw a decent stick figure man)!

It doesn't matter how bad you think the picture is, you will improve over time. The point is to make drawing a habit.

Michael Jordan did not become the worlds greatest basketball player by just shooting hoops on the weekend! He is the best because he worked the hardest. He did it EVERY DAY! Basketball was his habit. He didn't stop when he missed a shot! He just kept on shooting!

One simple way to remember how to keep focused on your change is to make yourself a personal mantra.

Something simple you can say to yourself.... something like:

"If you want to keep getting what your getting,
 keep doing what your doing".

Is there something you want to improve in your life?
Well if you don't do something different, you will never improve it!

Figure out what you are doing that you want to change.
Decide what you want to be different, then change what you do!

GET CREATIVE! Go after what you want with a purpose.

Silly example?
Maybe, but at least the lion is trying!
How about you? Are you trying?
Or are you just taking what comes along?

I know I was doing the same thing over and over for a very long time. I didn't expect anything different or better.
I was hoping, but hope without action gets you nothing!
It wasn't until I decided to act that things began to change.

I decided that I HAD to change.
Then I decided what I wanted.
Then I made a plan- how to get there.
Then I put the plan into ACTion!

So it is time for YOU to ACT.
CHOOSE your life!
Make a PLAN!
Get started NOW!

GOD's handiwork

What is your purpose?
Most people spend their whole life running away from who they are supposed to be.
What a waste of time and effort!
You have a mission here, and it is the most amazing thing you could ever imagine!
The only problem is you don't know what it is!

Your life is like driving on a mountain highway in the fog. You can only see a short distance ahead of you so you must focus on the part you can see -the here and now.
This road has many twists and turns and many side streets.
You have so many choices- which road do you take? You can easily get lost and end up on a dirt road that leads... nowhere. Then you will just have to turn around and backtrack- wasting valuable time.

If only you had a map!
Well guess what, you do have one! The best part is that you get to make it yourself. Plan your future. Don't just drive along blindly! You can be on a fantastic journey! A QUEST of immense importance... but only if you choose to. So what are you Waiting for... CHOOSE!



GOD's Handiwork
The homebuilder shapes walls of wood
and a floor of stone he pours
yet he leaves holes in his handiwork
for windows and for doors.

Is his work unfinished you say,
because there is a hole?
Then consider GOD's handiwork
and his construction of a soul.

GOD built us strong yet left a hole
for what we are to be.
We choose our future and walk the path,
our usefullness to see.

Our future is an opening,
like a window or a door,
it's often the invisible
which gives us so much more.

Why read? .... Are you kidding!

When I was a kid I spent a huge amount of time reading, and Science fiction was my favorite. I read everything from Azimov to Zelzany! Because of this I experienced far more as a kid than most adults would ever see. Azimov, Bradberry, Clarke, Heinlein, James P. Hoogan.... the list of masters is long and I their apt pupil learned at a furious pace. My imagination was stretched past it's former limits until I could see beyond my old horizons. I could see a future of my own, one that I chose to build- one of my own making!

When I wasn't reading I was acting out the things I imagined. Making spaceships out of cardboard boxes, exploring the galaxy- saving the world!... (think Calvin and Hobbes)!

What a glorious childhood!

If you don't read, you are being less than you could be. Expand your horizons. Live an ADVENTURE!

Use your imagination. READ!

OR- if you don't like reading, then LISTEN to the book!

Get yourself an audio book!  I have listened to hundreds of audiobooks while I drive to and from work.  What a great use of your time!

Best selling audiobooks on iTunes

I am a huge Calvin and Hobbes fan!

Invictus

I am always looking for inspiration, and I found a healthy measure in the movie “Invictus”.

Morgan Freeman plays South African President Nelson Mandela. The movie shows the story behind the country’s rugby union team (the Springboks) and how they went from a failing team to winning the 1995 Rugby World Cup in less than one year. Nelson Mandela saw that racial hatred was tearing his country apart, and through the greatest act of forgiveness imaginable led his country toward reconcilliation. His support of the team inspired them to change who they were and how they thought.

One of Nelson Mandela’s inspirations was the poem “Invictus”.

The English poet William Ernest Henley wrote this poem in 1875. It was first published in 1888 in Henley's Book of Verses. It was one of a series of poems entitled Life and Death (Echoes).

Interstingly enough, the poem was not titled untill Artur Quillen-Couch included the poem in The Oxford Book Of English Verse (1900).


Invictus
Out of the night that covers me,
black as the pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
for my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
my head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
looms but the Horror of the shade,
and yet the menace of the years
finds and shall find me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,
how charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.

I hope you find the inspiration you need to change your life.
"The mind is not a vessel to be filled, but a fire to be ignited"-Plutarch (46-120 AD)

Inspiring photos by Darvin Atkeson

I LOVE inspirational photos!
I just ran across some of the most fantastic photos by Darvin Atkeson. check out his work on flickr!


http://www.flickr.com/photos/liquidmoonlightcom/sets/72157615156109458/show/

Build a better boat

Noah was chosen to build the ARK for specific reasons.
To make a long story short - he was the best man for the job.
If you want the job done right - if you want the best - then go to the best.

If you're looking for the best fishing boat on the market, then you need a GHEENOE!
This boat is designed for enjoyment!
You want optimum performance? Get a GHEENOE.

Superior engineering for maximum functionality? Get a GHEENOE!

This is Intelligent Design!
Where divine inspiration meets down to Earth engineering!

Check one out today!
http://www.gheenoe.net/

I am known for taking candid pictures of friends and co-workers and turning them into funny cartoons!

The above cartoon was made for my father Harley Gheen

   (inventor of the Gheenoe boat).

It had been raining for a few days and… well, I just couldn’t help myself!

You just gotta learn to laugh at yourself if you want to make it in this world

(I mean make it HAPPILY in this world)!

Enjoy life and it will make a place for you!

HAVE FUN!

Face your fear or fail

Have you ever chosen not to do something because you were afraid?

Take a look at this picture. the surfers are having fun and enjoying the day. Do they know of the danger? The shark is jumping right behind the one surfer!

But he is not afraid of sharks. How would I know? He is my son! He told me he sees sharks all the time and that them jumping around is no big deal.

He has even had one jump over him!

They are not a threat to him. He does not fear them (and the shark feels the same). That is because they are both in their element.

It is what they do.

Several people have told me that they would never get in the water now that they saw this picture. What a mistake!
My son knows that you have a better chance of getting hit by lightning AND winning the lottery than getting bit by a shark. Why... sharks don't like the taste of humans! Good thing!

Am I worried about him getting bit - NO. I am more concerned about him driving!
Even then I don't worry because he is not afraid.
He knows what is going on around him, so he knows that the shark is there and can deal with it.

If you can face a fear and understand it, then the fear will be replaced with something wonderful. Find the beauty in what you experience. See it for what it really is.

So what happens if you don't face your fear? You fail!

Will you fail because you weren't good enough... no
Will you fail because you weren't strong enough... no

You will fail because you didn't try.
Don't let fear stop you.


If you would like to see the other pictures of the jumping shark, then click on the link below.
The photographer who took the pictures is Kem McNair. He is a very talented artist, photographer, and musician. Check out his story! Prepare to be amazed!
http://www.kemmcnair.com/

Love what you do.

Do you love your job?

If not, then you can do one of 3 things:

1. Find a job that you do love - Why be unhappy doing what you don't want?!

2. Change the way you think about your job- LEARN TO LOVE IT.

3. Stay unhappy and unfulfilled. If you choose this one then youve got a serious mental problem! (so fix it)!

1. If you choose to get another job, be sure to figure out what kind of work will make you happy. There is no certainty that you will love "just another job" any more than the last one. BUT- just by choosing something that you think you will like better, you are changing your attitude. THAT is the key point.

2. Keep your present job, just throw out the bad attitude you have about your work. I know, YOU don't have a bad attitude, you have a bad boss (or work conditions, or coworkers...) right?

Well even if you do have a bad boss and he makes you feel inferior you need to remember one thing: "Nobody can make you feel inferior without your permission"! (quote from someone famous- you get to look it up)!

If you have a "little Hitler" for a boss, then be thankful! I had one for many years and the training I received from him was invaluable! And YES, I did leave his employ (after many years of INTENSE training)and found another job. But I realize that the job itself wasn't really that different.

Do I see my present job as better than the last one? YOU BET! I have the best job in the world!

My work is challenging, my boss and coworkers treat me like I'm gold, and I am performing important work. As I usually tell someone who asks me "how it's going" I say "ANY BETTER AND I COULDN'T STAND IT"!

Do I always feel this optimistic... actually- no. But I do realize that my view of the situation ... my attitude... is what creates my reality. I choose to see opportunities- not problems. It often takes people back a bit when they tell me they have a big problem, and I say "GREAT! Tell me about it"!

Einstein said that you cannot fix a problem with the same mindset that created it. In other words, you need to change your point of view. The person that brings me a "problem" usually finds that they come up with the solution only after I help them think about the situation in a different way.

If you hate your job, then try looking at it differently. I am sure you can find a way to make it better.

3. If you choose to stay unhappy, then there is only one reason: you get something out of being unhappy. You get pity from others, or you get to brag about your day to your buddies at the bar... whatever the reason - it isn't very healthy.

Find a better way.

Being a martyr may be cool to some people, but living in pain is... well... painful!

Wouldn't you rather have people say how great you are, instead of how pitiful you are?

It is time to GET OVER IT!

Remember that old saying:

"I'M MAD AS HELL AND I'M NOT GONNA TAKE IT ANY MORE!"

Well... what are you waiting for! GET MAD!

Get your life on track.

CHOOSE a better life right now!

Make whatever it is that you are doing YOUR CHOICE!

Tell yourself:

I CHOOSE to go to work and perform my best.

I LOVE my job, Nobody does it better!

I ENJOY my work-No matter what I do, I do it well!

Quit wasting your valuable life, and start living!

Stand for something greater than yourself

For many people, self improvement means only one thing: ME.

"Making ME better",

"Improving MY life".

You can become stronger, faster, smarter and richer, and still be missing something. What I mean is that you can be the best you can be as an individual, but if you are not fulfilling your true purpose then there is a huge hole in who you are supposed to be.

Horace Mann said that you should "Be ashamed to die until you have won some victory for humanity". You were put on this earth for a reason.

You have a purpose which is greater than yourself. If your self improvement plan does not include this, then you are missing the most important aspect of your life!

Make the world a better place.

How?

That is something you will need to figure out for yourself. Ghandi said "We must be the change we wish to see in the world".

So what do you want to see changed? What do you see out there that bugs you?

Self improvement means becoming who you were meant to be, not just who you can be. You can become anything you choose - the trick is in choosing to become the right thing. Don't spend your whole life climbing the ladder of success only to find that the ladder is leaning against the wrong building!

Anyone can earn a living, your goal should be to earn a life!

Who do you want to be?

What is important to you?

Where do you want to end up?

The greatest people in history stood for something greater than themself. THAT is how they came to be known as great!

Think about the people that you know. Which ones are important to you? Are they important because they are selfish and live only for themselves? Of course not! The heroes in your life are those that put others first. They live to help someone else. They live for an ideal. They have a "Mission".

So what will your mission in life be? What is your ideal?

Let's say one of your goals is to be a millionare. Great! Now the big question - how will you get it? You can make the money helping other people, or you can get it by being dishonest and stealing from others. Either way will get you the money, but only by doing good in the process will the money be of true value to you.

Choose your goals carefully, and your methods even more so. Your methods should be in alignment with your goals, and your goals should also align with your mission. If not - well you won't like the results!

Do you know anyone who got rich at other peoples expense? Someone who chose to get rich by others misfortune? Do you look up to this person? I doubt it.

Choose to be someone that others will admire and respect.

Choose to be the hero - not the villan.

Make you life one that is worth living.

Choose a life of significance.

Dare something worthy!

No is a four letter word

When we are children it seems like "NO" is the first word we learn. Inquisitive children hear it so much that it is a wonder any of them retain any of their basic ability to discover anything! As a parent I understand the need to protect a child- but we overdo it. Let the kid learn! Let them stretch their horizons. Let them find out what they can do. Obviously you don't want your toddler playing on the interstate, but if they are playing on the jungle gym, then leave them alone!

Parents need to protect, not smother. Sometimes this is a very hard thing to do. After all, it is hard to watch a child fall down! If you let them, then they will learn to get back up all by themself. If you say "NO" every time they "might" do something wrong, then it will be like the boy who cried wolf. Pretty soon they will not even hear the word "NO" because it has lost any significant meaning. I know I am guilty of using the word "NO" WAY too often.

When we went to Germany for vacation, a little boy started calling my son "Notyler". When the childs father told him that my son's name was actually "Tyler", the little boy said "Then why does his papa call him "Notyler"? I was always afraid my son would either get hurt or break something so I was always saying "NO Tyler"! Talk about bad parenting! I am pretty ashamed of this, and thank the wisdom of a child to show me my error. I made it a point from that moment on to let go. I soon found out that my son didn't break things, and didn't get hurt as often as I thought. Thank goodness I quit stifling his inquisitiveness.

How many times has someone told you "no"?

How many times has someone told you that you couldn't do something?

How many times have you told yourself.....

You can accomplish just about anything that you put your mind to, and yet you will crush the opportunity with one little syllable. Two little letters can spell doom to all your hopes and dreams.

This is the one time you should listen to someone who tells you "NO".

I am telling you "NO, do not listen to anyone (even youself) when they tell you that you can't do something that you want to do".

Only you can free yourself.

Only you can take the leap into the unknown and achieve what others think impossible.

Only you can do this...but only if you ignore the word "NO".

Take a chance.

Make the choice to go for your dreams, because only YOU can give them life.

Say YES!

Innovation: Get the job done!

Innovation is just another word for "get the job done".
Eienstein once said that you cannot fix a problem with the same mind set that created it.  Most people don't see this, so their solutions to a problem usually just cause more problems.  If you want to really fix something you need to think "outside the box".
Looking at the world a little differently is all that is required.

I have invented several tools - not because I wanted to, but because we were faced with a problem and no tool to fix it!

My father used to give me a job to do and then walk away.  I was expected to figure it out on my own if possible. Usually my method was not what he expected, but the result worked.  Thanks to my father, I can always find a way to solve my problems.... usually in what other people call "creative ways".

The technicians I worked with at Kennedy Space Center nicknamed me "MacGyver" because of this ability.  I have recieved numerous awards for these innovations, including 2 Space Act Awards, and have been published in the NASA Tech Briefs magazine, and Cutting Tool Engineering Magazine.

This is not because I am smarter - HA- far from it! I know that most of the people I work with are far smarter than I am.  They have just been trained to look at things from a certain point of view.  So why can I do things they can't?  I just learned to look at a "problem" in different ways.  Anyone can do it- it is something you can easily learn.

Creativity isn't something you have to be born with- don't you believe that! The people who are not creative have made themselves that way.  Look at any kid and you will see a creative genius!  Unfortunately, over time that kid is squeezed and molded into a tight little box where imagination is stifled by the "real world".  This is a self limiting belief that you need to change.  Anyone can be a MacGyver if they choose to be!

Check out the link below to a NASA Tech Briefs article.  This is an example of where a problem was turned into a new technology by simply thinking in a different direction! (how do you cut perpendicular to the hole?)

http://www.techbriefs.com/content/view/1384/34/

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Become who you were meant to be

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.

Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.

It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us.

Your playing small does not serve the world.

There is nothing enlightened about shrinking,

so that other people won't feel insecure around you.

We are all meant to shine as children do.

It's not just in some of us; it is in everyone.

And as we let our own lights shine,

we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.

As we are liberated from our own fear,

our presence automatically liberates others.

Don’t hold back.

Become who you were meant to be.

(The above is a partial quote from a very inspirational movie - do you know which movie?)

You must CHOOSE who you are to become

Most people go through life just being who they think they are. They never give thought to who they want to become. As a result, they never achieve the real objective: to become who they were MEANT to be!

You can be a hero, or a monster, or anything in between. You just have to choose. Many people don’t make this an active choice, so life’s situations tend to “Make them”. They are often surprised by the person they become. “How did I get to be this way” is a phrase I have heard a thousand times by well meaning people who just let life choose for them. They ended up knowing that the person they became is not who they should be. Don’t let yourself fall into this trap.

The sad thing is that the process of improvement is so simple. You don’t have to change overnight. Think of it this way: you don’t put ten dollars in the bank every day and then expect to have a million dollars next week. Growth takes time. It takes commitment. And sometimes you will make a needless withdrawal along the way. SO WHAT!
Start today - right NOW! The sooner you begin the better chance you will have of achieving your goal.

So start with the end in mind.
Where do you want to end up?
Who do you want to be?
What Character traits do you want to have?
Do you want to be respected, admired, loved… for what?

Ask yourself questions till you get the answers you want.
Then plan out how you will get there.

This is just like planning a vacation, so don’t freak out.

Lets say that you want to be more optimistic, in fact, you want to be known for being THE most positive person your friends know. How do you get there from here?
You PLAN it!
1. Commit: Write “I am THE most positive person my friends know!” down on a card that you carry with you every day.
2. See It: Read it out loud several times a day (actually read the card, don’t just say it- you need to SEE it). Visualize yourself being this way right now- as if you already ARE that person.
3. Put it into practice: Try to see something positive in every situation you encounter. Let’s say you get stuck in traffic, realize that you might just finish that great book on tape you are listening to today!
4. Small steps: You don’t have to be positive ALL DAY LONG! Your goal is to be that way for the next 5 minutes. Then try for the next 5… and so on.
5. Stay on target: If you find yourself being negative, just stop yourself and ask why. There may be a good reason for it… or you could just be slipping back into your old habit. Look at the situation again and see if you can find the positive side.
6. Forgive and let go: Don’t beat yourself up over falling down. Get back up and move on. It will get better with practice.

This method works for anything you try to change in your life. You just have to make the choice.

Don’t go through life wearing a blindfold! If you don’t choose your path, someone else will. You are in control of your life- but only if you want to be! CHOOSE WHO YOU ARE TO BECOME!

Over The Rainbow video

This video is a compilation of inspirational images set to the song "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" sung by Israel Kamakawiwo'ole. It was made using Windows Movie Maker.

Hope you like it!