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!