Life isn’t as complicated as we sometimes make it. Take Monday for example. Here we are. The start of the work week. Most of what makes Monday so dreadful is a the psychology. We begin to dread the day the night before. The end of our weekend. Back to the grind.
What if we took a few steps to make Monday a lot more successful? The photo above is a great start. Stay focused on your goals. In other words, think of the big picture. Maybe you have a vacation coming up in a few months? Maybe you are saving up for a gift for someone you love. Think of everything your job allows you to do.
Next is keeping a positive attitude. That can be made a lot easier by thinking of what your job allows you to do. Would we rather be able to make money sitting on the beach? Sure, but the next best thing is to earn money to take that beach vacation. Not to mention keeping the lights and power on until then.
Lastly is work hard. I’ve said it before. Hard work cures a lot of ills. When you work hard you have little time to waste on petty drama so many worry about. When you work hard you earn your sleep. Hard work builds character and self-confidence.
This Monday, focus on your goals, stay positive and work hard. Friday will be here before you know it!
It would seem that far too many people are complaining about where they are in life without working to change it. Maybe it is having a year of isolation that has people forgetting they are not entitled to anything. You get what you earn in life. If you want more, or something better, the solution is simple – work harder.
Another important aspect to remember about this is entitlement leads to a lack of control. When you are waiting for the world to change for you, essentially you are putting control of your life in the world’s hands. The world, in this case, is everyone and everything else. Is that who you want controlling your life? Everyone and everything else? Not me! I want to control my own fate. Working hard and having ownership over your decisions and mistakes is what makes life yours.
I am not taking to you, I’m talking with you. I have been there. Complaining the world wasn’t fair. It often isn’t. Waiting for others or my situation to change. It never did. Do you know where that got me? Nowhere! It actually had me falling behind those who accepted life as it was and then worked to change themselves and improve for the better.
What did you feel when you read the quote on this picture? Did it make you smile? It was just a simple greeting, but it warms the heart. Can you imagine how others would feel if you sent them a message like this?
In a world filled with divisive messages and fear and hate, why not send more messages like this? Each one is a little do of positivity. It might be just what someone needs to brighten their day. I encourage you to send out several cheerful greetings daily. See how people respond.
People are looking for the secret to an amazing life. That is the purpose of this website. Part of an amazing life is keeping your mood up. Doing so with pharmaceutical products leads to side effects and other undesirable aspects.
Working out not only outperformed many of these products, but it also helps you physically. A two-for-one if you like. Certainly every form of therapy has its purpose, but if you can take one actin that will help you in many ways, why not do it?
How many of us kick ourselves over mistakes we have made years ago? If you are human, most likely you do. We all have things we wish we would have said or done differently. Sadly, no amount of self-torture will allow us to go back in time and correct our mistakes.
Here is what we can do to at least modify those actions and words that were less than our best. We can use that regret to fuel our improvement in the present. I am not a fan of hanging on to regret. A little bit of pain upon reflection can keep us from making those same mistakes.
Today, take any pain and regret you have about the past and use it to turn your mistakes into lessons! It is the only way you can help fix the past as well as set the future up for success!
This is a rather simple phrase from one of the smarter, more accomplished men of our day. Leo did a lot in his day. Inventions, painting, and some science. He had a well-spent life. This seems like one of those phrases that are a little too big for most of us to figure out. How does one lead a well- spent life?
As usual, we make it a little more complicated than need be. What kind of life we are living is not something we stop and contemplate on a daily basis. What we can do is ask ourselves, at the end of each day,“Did I spend this day well?” Were we productive? Did we take actions towards our goals?
A well-spent day is about far more than productivity. We should ask ourselves, “Did I inspire and encourage anyone today?” How did we treat the people we came in contact with? Did we practice self-care? A productive day can look different to everyone.
If we put enough of these days together, it will have us feeling peaceful when the end of our life is drawing near. Ask yourself, did you spend your day well today?
I think this is one of the keys to an amazing life. How does one not grow old? Mr. Einstein gave us a clue in this quote. Stay curious. In this age of Google, learning things has never been easier. A question pops in your mind and in mere seconds you can be flooded with articles, videos and a multitude of other resources to explore.
This isn’t like giving yourself homework, it is learning about things that spark your curiosity. This website is a source of endless things for me to learn. Every time we get a new follower or viewer in a country I do not know enough about, I spend time reading and learning about the land and it’s culture.
Another thing is to explore and learn more about things you think you may already know all about. A few posts earlier, I mentioned our museum and how it is closing and moving to a new location. One of the things I’ve always enjoyed are these dioramas. They show different cultures. I learned they were made during the great depression by local artists. Sadly, many will not be featured in the new museum.
You want to stay young? Stay curious and keep learning!
If you have read any of my books or have followed this blog for any amount of time, you know that I often use fitness to describe certain aspects of personal development. That is because improving your physical body shares many of the same skill requirements as improving yourself as a person. It also serves up many of the same lessons. As we struggle on the journey we develop character. The same is true in the world of self-improvement. In both, nobody can do it for you. You can‘t pay someone to workout for you and expect the results. Just as you can’t buy that self-improvement book, or even attend that course, and expect any result if you are not willing to put in the work.
What do you get from all of this hard work? In a word – respect. Not only respect from others, but respect from yourself! Even long before you reach your fitness goals, you respect yourself and your efforts. The same is true with self-improvement. It is the act of improving ourselves that gives us self-respect. It is a lifelong journey. Everyday that we work on becoming the best versions of ourselves, whether that is physical or with our character, we earn respect for ourself. That is why we must endeavor to improve. Let us use this to keep us motivated when times are tough.
How little we give value to some of the most important things in our life. Our house, our car and our jewelry are notthe most valuable things we own. As someone who has the unique perspective of facing death, and briefly experiencing it, my view changed dramatically. It is something that is very difficult to convey in words. All I can do is share my story and hope you can gain something from it. When I knew that there was a possibility of death in my life with my heart surgery, you take stock of your life. You ask yourself the question, “What would life be like if I were not here?” It is much like the experience that George Bailey has in the movie It’s a Wonderful Life.
Have you ever asked yourself this question? Have you ever looked around at those closest to you and asked how their life would be affected if you were not around anymore? How would they feel? Would they know how you truly feel? You may not be facing a serious and dangerous surgery like I was, but you do not need to be. We can be the healthiest, most cautious person and our day could be right around the corner. Have you seen the way people drive these days? This is not to sound fatalistic, but to stress that time is not our ally. It is fleeting at best and we never know when it will run out. I heard someone say recently, “You are one phone call, one diagnosis away from a completely different life.” That is frighteningly true.
Enough of these sobering thoughts! Look at those around you and try to picture their life if you were gone tomorrow. What would they be like? When I began to picture this, I realized many things. First of all, memories are the greatest gifts that we give each other. There is a cliche that people may forget what you say or do, but they will never forget how you made them feel. This is so true. I shifted my focus on the feelings I was trying to share. Realizing the greatest moments of my life consisted of memories I shared with the people I love, my focus was on creating as many as possible. People leave our life for a variety of reasons all of the time. Seldom do we see it coming. We are all there one day and the next, one of us is not. It can be friends moving away, loved ones passing or a terrible misunderstanding.
One of the things I enjoy reminding people of is that although our time on this earth is finite, the impact we create does not have to be. Some of the people that inspire me the most have been dead. Some of them for many years. When I think of Margie, if I were to be gone, I would want her heart to fill with love every time a thought of me arose. When I think of my friends, I would want memories of our times together to make them smile. Wishing and wanting are great, but we need to take actions now to make that a reality. It is sharing these little things with each other that mean the most. If I had a bad day, a hug from Margie would mean a lot more than if she bought me a cup of coffee. Staying with me when I feel sick means more than any grand gesture she could make. It is the little things that create the big amount of love that will live on long after we are gone.
Have you ever stopped to think of the purpose of the interactions you have with people? Like meeting a friend for coffee. Was the point to vent about your crummy job and car that is constantly braking down? How about that dinner with your spouse? The other night Margie and I were having dinner when we noticed a couple across the restaurant. The entire time they were out together, he was on his phone and she was reading a book. They scarcely knew each other was there.
I’m not saying we need a minute by minute plan for every personal interaction. Some organic development is what keeps life interesting. I’m reminded of a new project in working on with a friend of mine. We have a framework of what we would like to accomplish, but leave room for some magic to happen.
Life is much like that. When meeting a friend, think to yourself “While we are having coffee, I’d really like to make each other laugh.” Before heading out for that romantic dinner with your spouse, maybe plan to share how much they mean to you while enjoying a delicious meal. Have a positive purpose in your interactions. It will help you have an even more amazing life.
SECRET 2 AN AMAZING LIFE 