A Compelling "Why" by Denis Waitley

I have a suitcase for you. In that suitcase there is $1 million in cash. The suitcase is sitting in a building that is about an hour’s drive from where you are now.

Here is the deal: All you have to do is get to this building in the next two hours. If you get there before the end of the two hours, I will hand you the suitcase, and you will be a million dollars richer.

There is one catch, however. If you are even one second late, our deal is off, and you will not get a dime. No exceptions! With that in mind, what time would you like to leave?

Most people would respond to that scenario by saying that they would leave right now. Wouldn’t you?

So off you go. You jump into your car and start driving for the building. You are excited and are already starting to plan how you are going to spend your million dollars. Then, suddenly, the traffic comes to a complete stop. You turn on the radio and find that there has been a series of freak accidents between you and the building and there is no way to get there!

Now what would you do? Would you give up and go back home? Or would you get out of your car and walk, run, hire a helicopter, or find some other way of getting to the building on time?

Now let’s suppose for a minute that you are driving to an appointment at your dentist’s office. The traffic again comes to a stop. Amazingly, there have been freak accidents between you and your dentist’s office. What would you do then? Probably give up, go home, and reschedule!

What is the difference between these two situations? It all comes down to why. If the why is big enough; the how is usually not a problem. This compelling why is connected to your personal objectives, mission statement, or magnificent obsessions. It is the basis of your motivational support beam. Truly motivated people are able to identify and tap into the power of a compelling why in everything they do.

Seeds of Communication: Ask and Listen by Denis Waitley
It is better to earn the trust and respect of one of your children, than to gain notoriety and adulation of the masses.

If you must speak, ask a question.

Unless what you say benefits the other person, don’t say it.

It’s not what I think that counts, nor is it what you think that counts. It’s what I think you think and what you think I think, that really counts.

No one listens to a person operating out of self-interest alone.

Sin has many tools, but a lie is the handle that fits them all.

If you attack another person’s beliefs, you are creating an enemy.

Moderation in temper is always a virtue. Moderation in principle is always a vice.

Emperors are overthrown. Empowerers are revered.

Before you state your case, gather the evidence, especially what motivates the other person.

Marriage is not total agreement. It is looking in the same direction together.

Listening without bias or distraction is the greatest value you can pay another person.

The Opportunity Clock by Chris Widener
When I was in college, I heard someone say something that has been with me ever since. It was something that demonstrated to me a positive attitude and the choice to take something that most people dread, and change it into a motivating factor.

He called the alarm clock the “opportunity clock.”

When does an alarm go off? When something bad is happening! Well, waking up isn’t bad. Waking up is good! In fact, waking up is an opportunity. Each new day brings with it the opportunity to enjoy our families and other people. It enables us the opportunity to work hard, and earn a living that will enable us in turn to provide for others and ourselves.

Each day brings us the opportunity to help others and serve them in such a way to make our communities better places. We get the opportunity again to dream and achieve those dreams. We have the opportunity to bask in the glory at the top of the mountain or learn valuable lessons as we walk through the valley. What opportunities!

It’s all in the perspective and attitude, folks. I bet you can’t wait to go to bed tonight and set your opportunity clock for tomorrow morning!

Goals Get You Going by Les Brown
Goals give you a purpose for taking life on. People who live without goals have no purpose and it is obvious even in their body language. They are on permanent idle, they slouch, they list from side to side. Their conversations dawdle. They telephone you: “Hey, I'm just calling. I wasn't doing anything, so I thought I'd call you.” Well, don't call ME. I'VE got things to do.

Many people just muddle through life. They don't read informational material, they don't even pay attention when they WATCH television. If you ask them what they are watching, they mumblemouth, “Nothin', I'm just lookin'.”

What are your goals for your career? For your relationships? For your spiritual life? Develop a schedule for the next month, the next six months, the next year, five years and ten years. Write it all out.

Let's take one of the most common goals: You want to make more money. If that is your goal, then take some practical steps toward realizing it.

First, determine specifically how much money you want to make. Then, double that amount and make THAT your goal. Even if you don't reach the higher amount, you will probably still find yourself making more than your original goal.

Second, decide the amount of energy you are willing to expend to reach your goal. How many hours are you willing to work a day? How many jobs are you willing to hold down? What sort of work are you willing to do?

A third step in this process is to develop a practical plan of action and get started immediately. Chart out where you want to be in relation to your goal in the next month, six months, one year, five years and ten years. Get started today. Go apply for that second job NOW! Go enroll in that career training program NOW! Ask for that raise NOW!

And finally, make sure that you have all of this written down so that you can review it every morning and every night and envision yourself taking these steps, DOING THEM and SUCCEEDING!

The Future

“Tomorrow is the most important thing in life. Comes into us at midnight very clean. It’s perfect when it arrives and it puts itself in our hands. It hopes we’ve learned something from yesterday.” —John Wayne

“A clear vision, backed by definite plans, gives you a tremendous feeling of confidence and personal power.” —Brian Tracy

“The future belongs to charismatic communicators who are technically competent.” —Patricia Fripp

“We are made wise not by the recollection of our past, but by the responsibility for our future.”
—George Bernard Shaw

“Goals are a preview of future events and experiences in your life.” —Mark Victor Hansen

“Fear not for the future, weep not for the past.” —Percy Bysshe Shelley

“Light tomorrow with today!” —Elizabeth Barrett Browning

“Don’t take the casual approach to life. Casualness leads to casualties.” —Jim Rohn

“I have always been delighted at the prospect of a new day, a fresh try, one more start, with perhaps a bit of magic waiting somewhere behind the morning.” —J. B. Priestly

“My interest is in the future because I am going to spend the rest of my life there.” —Charles Kettering

“The best thing about the future is that it only comes one day at a time.” —Abraham Lincoln

“The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” —Eleanor Roosevelt