Even the Longest Journey Must Begin Where You Stand

"A journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step." - old Chinese proverb

I recently reread a "kid's" book on basic logic...Joseph Spider and the Fallacy Farm by David B. Grant. Chapter Seven is about a snail named Shawn, who believed he could never begin a journey because he had no hope of ever completing it...so why even start.

How many of us suffer from this same state of mind? How many of life's awesome journeys have we sacrificed for fear of taking that first step? Once, many years ago, I took a client on a midnight hike on Bryce Canyon's Navajo Trail. As we hiked under the full moon, the light was awesome. We took some really exciting photographs. In addition to the night sky, one thing was especially clear that night.....as crowded as that popular hiking trail was in the daylight, nobody else took that same journey and nobody else enjoyed the same rewards. If you fail to take that first step, you cannot hope to enjoy the great outcome which lies at the other end of the adventure!
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What FALLACIES do we allow to rob us of our life aventures?

We Are Expected to Prosper!

A few years back I published this story. I wanted to revisit the concept in light of current political undertones........

Somehow there is an undertoe in our society today that "social justice" teaches us that it is evil to succeed financially. I recently reviewed a story that leads me to believe that it not only OK to succeed and prosper......it is expected by God that we do so. Most of us have heard the parable shared in Matthew 25, regarding the servants caring for their Master's resources. Have you ever considered the meaning and application in today's world?
A talent is, in this regard, a unit of weight approximately 80 pounds. In normal usage of the time, it was typically a measure of silver, equivalent to one's earnings over a 16 year period.
The Master, knowing the abilities of his servants, called upon three of them to manage things in his absence. He placed an amount of his resources under the control of each, according to that individuals's capabilities.
In reviewing these events, I don't see any specific instructions regarding how to manage things. I suspect that the servants knew their Master well enought to figue the details on their own.

The three sevants proceeded to deal with their stewardships as they saw fit......two of them doubling their investments through prudent business practices. The third servant was not as confident. Worried more about the possibility of losing in his efforts, he buried his treasure.
After a long time the Master came home. The time of reckoning had arrived.

Point to ponder here.... Which of the three sevants do each of us most closely resemble?

As the servants met individually to report on their stewardships, the Master was very pleased with the initiative of the first two, that he rewarded them with control over some of his businesses! In effect, they became partners with him.Sadly, number three, having made no effort to improve that which his Master had placed in his care, lost what he had and was sent away!

Are You Motivated More By the Carrot or the Whip?

Whether you realize it or not, motivation is a huge force in your life, and it needs to be harnessed in order to excel and actually enjoy whatever it is that you’re doing on a daily basis. If you find yourself thinking, “I need motivation,” there are specific steps you can take.....
Unfortunately, we often overgeneralize the word motivation. We think of being either motivated or unmotivated as a simple “yes” or “no” state of being. But motivation is not a switch. Motivation is a process. To feel motivated, you need to move beneath the surface. Just reading a motivational quote, being encouraged by your friends, or writing out cute affirmations won’t help you build sustainable motivation (they do help in the process!)
You can think of the motivation that we want to achieve like the Sun (self-sustaining and long-lasting), which supplies a constant influx of energy to all life on Earth. Just like the Sun, our “motivation engine” has different layers, starting from the core and spreading out to the surface. The surface is what you see, but the real process is driven from the core (your internal motivation); and that’s the most important part. Once we can create a self-sustaining motivation engine, we’ll be able to find more meaning to our lives and enjoy every minute of what we’re doing, which will make our roles and responsibilities less of a chore.

Let's examine the motivation process to better understand it by breaking it down into 3 parts:
1 ~ Core – Purpose
2 ~ Support – Enablers
3~ Surface – Acknowledgement

Let's look first at the Third Layer, the Surface

The outermost layer, also known as Acknowledgement, encompasses any type of external recognition or reward (the "Carrot") that might give you motivation. It may come in the form of respect or recognition, such as compliments and praise. Or it could be emotional support through encouragement, feedback, and constructive criticism. It could also be affiliation, where you have mutual companions or buddies sharing the same goal or burden with you. Unfortunately, it is at this same layer that the opposite force can engage! Both the "carrot" and the "whip" are only temporary motivators. The carrot (reward) must continue to increase in size. The whip (threat of negative consequence) will cause a calous to eliminate the pain, thus becoming ineffective! The carrot is more of a “pull” approach to motivation, while the whip is more of a “pain, push, or prod” approach. With the carrot you move towards something, while with the whip, you move away from something. The resulting behaviour is the same!

The seond layer comes into play here! In essence, this layer of the motivation engine (also known as Enablers) is what supports your goals. It can magnify the motivation core you are developing, or speed up the momentum as you build. Basically, it can create favorable circumstances for things to go smoothly. This could include friends and family, affirmations, uplifting literature or any support network you’ve created in life!

The true driving force behind your motivation process, is the innermost core, your Purpose. Your purpose is what differentiates the motivated from the unmotivated, the achievers from the underachievers, the happy from the unhappy. Your motivational core is your Purpose, and it is sustained by two things: having meaning, and forward movement. With these two as a foundation, you’ll have a power source that will feed you motivational energy indefinitely and without the "carrot" or the "whip"!


To learn to motivate yourself, ask yourself a question..."WHY?"

Who Sets Your Opportunity Clock?

I recall hearing Zig Ziglar many years ago, discussing the "alarm clocks" in our lives.
Ziglar, being a salesman, was never lacking for a catchy slogan. The difference though is that he used his skills to change people’s lives. When you listen to Zig, you will walk away inspired and riveted. I even remember an occasion when he advised his audience not to come up after his presentation just to tell him of the "nice warm feeling" his words provided you! His reply would likely be to recommend going home and taking a nice warm bath! He would certainly rather hear of the actions inspred by his words!

As I consider Zig’s view of alarm clocks, he points out that alarms are intended to caution us, to warn of dangers, like fire alarms, burglar alarms and such! The alarm goes off when something bad has happened, right? Why think of the beginning of your day as a bad thing? The beginning of your day is an Opportunity to do great things! The function of an alarm clock is to scare us into punctuality, a fairly negative way to begin the adventures ahead for us today!

As an opportunity clock, it signals a new dawn in our life and sets the day in motion. The fact that we go to bed at night and wake up in the morning is nothing short of a miracle. Where was the guarantee that we would wake up? Should we not make the best use of the outcome of this miracle?

When we apply the "opportunity clock" metaphor, it can change our lives. We will no longer wake up in the morning cursing at the clock for disrupting our sleep, pounding the snooze button, or throwing the clock across the room!. Personally, it has helped me to see life from a new perspective. Here are 3 suggestions to follow as a matter of discipline on waking up to the opportunity clock:

*Acknowledge the divine – The miracle could have happened only through some divine intervention. Our first order of business is to acknowledge the divine who continues to breathe into each of us life and makes the connecteion to the surrounding universe.

*Smile – For me, this was not difficult. I began practicing this aspect of smiling at everyone I encounter! Many folks practice smiling into a mirror as soon as they wake up.We each must understand that our health and wealth, knowledge and power are all in our hands. Wake up knowing that you are not alone but connected to a powerhouse of abundance.

*First things first – Perhaps we could map out three or four activities to be done in the first couple of hours of the day. Even if they are routine, we should go through a mental review. This action gets us on our feet and also puts the much needed mental energy needed for the initial surge. It gives us confidence and interest to pursue the activities and then go for it.



Each day brings opportunity to do great things!

Are You a Go-Getter?

Many years ago I encountered a story about being a "go-getter". It's story about a man named Bill Peck, a former soldier, who is put through a test of obtaining a “blue vase” by his new employer. The story relates how Cappy Ricks, the retired owner of Ricks Logging and Lumber Company, encourages the new President of the company, Mr. Skinner, to hire Bill Peck after discovering that Mr. Peck is a go-getter. Against his will Mr. Skinner agrees to hire Mr. Peck, all the while believing that Mr. Peck will not be able to carry the load of the job. In the beginning of the story Mr. Peck proves Mr. Skinner wrong and gives Cappy Ricks and Mr. Skinner reason to believe that he may be worth a promotion.

To verify that their instincts are correct about promoting Mr. Peck, Cappy Ricks decides to put him through the test of the “blue vase”, the ultimate test of the go-getter. The four promary lessons to be gained from the test of the Blue Vase are:
*Believe in yourself. Mr. Peck provides a great reminder that we all need to believe in ourselves. If there is anyone who could consider themselves down and out it is a war vet with a leg limp and only half of an arm on one side. However, Mr. Peck does not let this get him down. He approached his first meeting with Cappy Ricks with all the belief in the world, and sold himself to the business owner by refusing to take no for an answer.
*Act with determination. Throughout the book Mr. Peck displays his determination time and time again. From the beginning of the book when he was so determined to get the job that he had already had business cards made, to later in the story when he refuses to take no for an answer and vows to do whatever it takes to obtain the “blue vase” for Cappy. Mr. Peck is a man on a mission, determined to deliver the “blue vase” to his employer.
*Don’t take “No” for an answer. Time and time again Mr. Peck reaches a point where it seems as if he is being told “no.” He meets resistance in many situations in his pursuit of the “blue vase”, but rather than packing it in and going home he finds ways to rethink his approach and create a new path towards the “blue vase.”
*Tell yourself “It Shall Be Done.” This is the saying that Mr. Peck shares with Cappy, a saying that he picked up from his commanding officer, who just happens to be an old employee of Cappy Ricks. It is the belief that even in times when you don’t know how to do something, you say “it shall be done” and then work to find a solution to the problem. It may not be easy, but if you truly believe you can achieve something your mind will help you create a plan to achieve it.

There is in this breif writing more wisdom in these few pages than there are in many books of much greater length. It would e great to make it a habit to re-read this book on a regular and basis and pickup new lessons from each reading.


"How could I reject a person who simply would not be rejected?"

How to Remain Motivated Even After a Failure…

Failure is something which we have all have experienced over time! Many are very well acquainted with it. Failure's something we have faced or are facing in our life.

But, what actually matters the most is keep going, even after failing, motivating yourself to finding new ways to solve the problem even after failing at it.

Failure is often more than just embarrassing to us, it brings back us to the beginning, from whence we started. But, this step should be used to teach us some great lessons. Failing and giving up is NOT the best action to follow here, rather finding new ways to succeed must be the path to follow! Failing is OK if follwed by GETTING UP...not giving up!

Many very successful examples easo;y demonstrate the benefits of gettong up and keeping moving forward. I like the story of J. K. Rowling! Before the Harry Potter series, J.K. Rowling was actually clinically depressed. Rowling spent a few years struggling to meet essential needs!

“I was jobless, a lone parent, and as poor, as it is possible to be in modern Britain, without being homeless,” — she said in her commencement speech at Harvard. There came a period, when her depression took a dark turn, and she considered herself a big failure. She felt stuck. She even contemplated suicide. But she did not stop finding the solution and found something which actually changed her life. The idea for the Harry Potter came to her, and she struck gold. Today she is one of the best selling authors.

Don't let your failures define you! You are not what your failures show. If you once failed in doing your work, it’s not necessary that you will fail again. Falling once or twice in your work, doesn’t make you a failure. But we must try to find ways to build from our failures. The failures that you go through, are, in reality, actually the beginning of your new journey, the journey to success. Failure is nothing but a part of success. It is the stepping stone which takes you one step forward to success. It is a process to begin with. After facing failure, you start fresh with a positive mindset, with a new thinking, new tools to work with!
What others think of you should not detour your thoughts and actions! Their perception of you is not what you are, so let go off their thinking for you. Never let the judgement of others, deviate you from your path to success. Criticism is something which everyone faces, all you need to do is keep moving forward rather than paying attention to all the critics.
Michael Jordon is quoted as telling us, "I can accept failure, everyone fails at something. But I can’t accept not trying."

I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.
~~ Thomas A. Edison~~

What Legacy Are You Building?

Let's talk about LEGACY. Legacy is about life and living. It's about learning from the past, living in the present, and building for the future. Legacy is fundamental to what it is to be human. Research shows that without a sense of working to create a legacy, adults lose meaning in their life. Exploring the idea of legacy offers a glimpse not only into human relationships and building strong communities, but also the human spirit.

Michael and I were running errands few years back, one of them was to photograph "Big Daddy" Roth's headstone. While at the Manti, Utah cemetery, I asked Michael to provide a brief and extemporaneous talk on Legacy. This video was the result!

The concept of legacy is a powerful life tool for all ages and a catalyst for change! The world isn't connected by molecules. It's connected by stories, traditions, memories, hopes, and dreams. We are connected by the legacies passed down from those who came before us and the legacies we pass down to those who come after us.
"Paradoxical as it may seem, to believe in youth is to look backward; to look forward, we must believe in age." said English writer Dorothy Sayers,

For children, legacy means learning from the past. It separates the timeless from the transient. Children have a feeling of security and continuity that comes from knowing that there are adults who care about them. They come to realize that we all face choices in our lives, often difficult ones, which helps them prepare for whatever may come. They start developing a life plan as they see their life as a whole. Learning about the whole of life as well as its end also helps them establish their values and priorities. And instead of directly telling children all of this, we need to tell them our life stories and our choices and how we made our decisions. That's the way you get children to learn from you and about you.

For adults, legacy means hoping for the future. It means developing and passing on a timeless part of yourself. We feel valued and useful no matter how old we get. We remember our priorities and make life choices based on them. We come to terms with our accomplishments and our disappointments. We create personal meaning and purpose. We realize that as we do our bit in the grand scheme of things, our tiny gestures multiply in significance. We understand that the world we leave behind is the world our children and children's children inherit. We know that we have an obligation to help make the future a little bit better than the past. For both young and old, the power of legacy enables us to live fully in the present. You understand that you are part of a larger community, a community that must remember its history to build its future. There is caring combined with conscience. There is also wisdom to be found in each other – linking action and reflection to deal with complex problems.

Legacy is very much about life and living.