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21
August 2007 |
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have a purpose that is worthwhile, and that is steadily
being accomplished, is one of the secrets of a life that
is worth living.
Herbert
Casson
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Patience and
tenacity of purpose are assets
of infinitely greater value than cleverness.
There is great strength in patiently waiting.
The sun, having set, comes up. The tide ebbs,
but always flows in again.
Fred van Amburgh
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All
people ought to begin with themselves, and make their own
happiness first, from which the happiness of the whole
world would at last unquestionably follow.
Johann
Wolfgang von Goethe
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Autograph
Your Career and Your Life with Excellence
Denis Waitley
In
1644, a child was born. He lived to be 93 at a time in
history when the average life span was but 35 to 40. He
taught himself his trade and began his career. He often
worked alone with primitive tools, but his focus every day
was to put the best he had into his work. The man made
violins. He labored over each and every process and step
to ensure that he had "autographed" them with
excellence and the best that was in him. He created his
own personal standard of excellence for his craft, and he
actually signed his name on each instrument that passed
the test.
Today, some three hundred years later, the name of this
craftsman who was committed to excellence is the benchmark
for the best in musical instruments. His name? Antonio
Stradivari! His Stradivarius violins sell for hundreds of
thousands of dollars because they are the best.
When Stradivari labored, he did not know of the legacy he
was creating. He was doing his best, day in and day out,
to reach his standard of excellence. He didn't spend the
extra time and care to get the accolades of upper
management or to be the top producer in the company. He
did it because excellence was part of his focus, mission,
and obsession.
It is easy to do world-class work when a boss is looking
or a supervisor is around. But the test is in what you do
when no one is looking.
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High
achievers have developed the ability to stay focused when
no one else is around. Does your quality or performance
fluctuate based on who is in the office or which customer
you are serving? Excellence is not something that you can
just turn on and off whenever you feel you need it. It is
a habit rooted in your attitude about your life and
career.
Are you just going through the motions day to day, or are
you creating a masterpiece? Autographs are valuable
because they are rare and are tied to excellent
performance. In today's world, superior effort and service
are becoming endangered species. Is the autograph you
place on your work and service each day a Stradivarius or
a Michael Jordan? Or is it unknown, with little value?
Autograph your career and your life with excellence.
Having a firm commitment to excellence, like Stradivari,
has an amazing effect on your achievement motivation. When
people who are simply going through the motions or who are
just working for a paycheck hit a challenge or obstacle,
they often run to their boss and get him or her to do it,
or they procrastinate by getting a cup of coffee or
shuffling the papers on their desk. On the other hand,
when individuals who are committed to excellence hit a
similar challenge, they immediately bounce back with
energy, and they are actually exhilarated by the chance to
stretch themselves to overcome the problem. A commitment
to excellence will create focus, and focus will assist you
in maintaining your positive motivation and in creating a
balanced life.
So, start today and autograph your work with excellence!
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Living
Life Fully, the e-zine
exists to try to provide for visitors of the world wide web a
place
of growth, peace, inspiration, and encouragement. Our
articles
are presented as thoughts of the authors--by no means do
we
mean to present them as ways that anyone has to live
life. Take
from them what you will, and disagree with
whatever you disagree
with--just know that they'll be here for you
each week. |
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Passion
is a Pair Of Ruby Slippers
Helaine
Iris
It's
been said that behind every successful entrepreneur
is a passion - a passion to create, a passion to
express, a passion to fulfill a dream. Do you know
your passion? If so, good for you, If you don't,
I'll bet my question generates a sinking feeling in
your gut - like you're missing out on some luscious
gift every other entrepreneur experiences - but you.
Fear
not, I'll tell you a story about a woman who
couldn't find her passion either. Doreen wanted to
start her own business. She longed to be
self-employed and independent. She loved the idea of
building something of value from the ground up. She
was convinced that she could use her vast network of
connections to thrive in the business community -
yet Doreen worried she'd never know what type of
business she felt passionate enough to start.
Nothing was clicking for her.
She
went to career counselors, subscribed to franchise
newsletters, even explored the business classifieds
- and still, no glimmer of passion would be stirred.
Doreen told me she just couldn't settle on a
business venture to start. She was beginning to
think she'd never find her passion and realize her
dream.
When
Doreen asked me what I thought, and if there was
hope for her, I flashed on Dorothy from the Wizard
of Oz. I reminded Doreen about the part of the story
where Dorothy was in OZ and kept saying, "I
want to go home". She was homesick, scared and
frustrated as she traipsed through OZ, hoping the
Wizard would send her home.
Doreen,
like Dorothy was looking for an answer outside of
herself - hoping it would magically connect her with
the answer to fulfill her longing. At the end of the
story when the Wizard left for Kansas without
Dorothy, the good witch appeared and told Dorothy
she had the power to go home all along. On her feet
she was wearing the ruby slippers. All she had to do
was click her heels three times and say,
"there's no place like home"...
Doreen
has ruby slippers on her feet too. Her passion is
alive inside her. All she has to do is click her
heels three times to realize and remember.
There
are two kinds of passion - the passion of doing and
the passion of being. The passion of doing can seem
easier to wrap your arms around. Some people know
exactly what they're passionate about doing in life:
practicing medicine, helping the poor, or designing
buildings. This kind of passion is easy to
articulate.
The
passion of being on the other hand is just as deeply
satisfying as the passion of doing, yet more elusive
to connect with and realize. The passion of being is
about identifying and living the "yum" of
who you are as a person.
What
makes you joyful from the inside out? Is it finding
excitement and intensity connecting with people,
expressing your creativity, or focusing on bringing
your deepest values into whatever you do?
Both
kinds of passion are important and needed. Sometimes
you have to access and focus on one before the other
becomes clear to you.
Doreen
ultimately found her missing passion, clicking her
ruby slippers together three times - by simply being
her - she found the entrepreneur she already was on
the inside. She now has the opportunity to create a
business in alignment with her true gifts, skills
and values. And she's well on her way.
You
have ruby slippers on too. What will be your answer
when you click your heels together three times and
ask: What is your passion?
It's
YOUR life...imagine the possibilities!
Helaine
Iris is a certified Life Coach, writer and teacher
that loves her life. She
works with
individuals, and self-employed professionals, who
want to thrive in their business while crafting a
life that's in absolute alignment with their highest
ideals, deepest values and gracefully masters the
complexities of modern living. For a solution
focused complimentary session visit her
website http://www.pathofpurpose.com or e-mail her
at
helaine@pathofpurpose.com
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If we fight
against the waves that pass
over us in life, we are
overpowered.
If we move with the waves in life
as they roll over us, the wave passes on.
Pesikta Zurtarti
The
happy and efficient people in this world are those
who accept trouble as a normal detail of human life
and resolve to capitalize it when it comes along.
H.
Bertram Lewis |
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10 Brilliant Methods to Move from
Blechhh to Breakthrough
in 5 Minutes or Less
Julie Jordan Scott
Ever have one of those days? Seems as if the
cloudy murkiness holds over your head sort of like
the cloud of dust is continually hovering around Pig
Pen's feet in the Peanuts cartoons.
At last, a simple combination of tips will
completely lift the Blechhhs quickly! Simply try on
one or more of these methods the next time your life
is taken over by a malaise of ickyness.
Let's Begin!
1. Talk it over. Make a five-minute
phone call to a friend in order to sort out
"what's up" in the situation.
Sometimes all that is needed is a quick vent
session. Set the intentional that the venting
will completely erase the negative feelings.
Speak. Let go.
2. Get a breath of fresh air. If you have been
sitting at your desk indoors, go outside and move
around. Take ten big breaths and stretch
completely lifting your arms up over your head. For
once, know that no one is paying any attention.
(They are thinking about themselves the majority of
the time.) I am actually writing this on my laptop
sitting my porch. This way I get the benefit
of the outdoors and I can keep a close watch over my
little girl on her tricycle.)
3. Collect and prepare affirmations to use at times
of distress. Keep these affirmations on
notecards or in a special book so when you need
them, they will be right there. You may choose
to either write them out a few times. Maybe
speaking them works more effectively for you.
Perhaps a combination is best. Try various
methods on to see what works best for you.
4. Whenever you get a nice note or commendation from
an associate or a colleague, keep it in a file
folder. I call mine my "atta girl"
file. This is a great painkiller at times when
blecch is overflowing. It reminds me (in the
memorable words of Sally Fields so many years ago)
"They like me! They really, really like
me!"
5. Take a moment to review what you are thankful for
in your life and work. Before you groan,
simply try it the next time blechhs creep in.
You can start a Gratitude or Thankfulness notebook
where you actually keep a written record or you may
want to just close your eyes and think of those
special things (or simple things) you are thankful
for. (As I was working on this article, I got
up and worked in my gratitude garden. It
quickly refocused me so I was able to complete my
task at hand.)
6. Subscribe to one or more email quote services so
you will have an ongoing list of inspiring quotes to
read and reflect upon at a moments notice. I
have found it works best to copy and paste the
especially good ones into a separate file folder.
I have my quotes separated by topic, as well, in
case I run into a challenge in one specific area.
7. Write a thank you note or two. This is quickly
becoming a lost art; keep a pack of notecards in
your desk. When the blechhs arrive, simply jot
a quick, heart felt thank you to someone. It
can be anyone who positively impacts your day.
(The mail carrier, an author, a member of your house
of worship who greets you each Sunday, your son's
scout leader.) By putting the thank you out
into the universe, not only are you adding to the
positive energy or yourself and the recipient, you
are having a domino effect upon others as well.
So simple AND so significant.
8. Do a 27 Fling Boogie. I learned this
technique from the Flylady who is an online
organizational-time-management-hero for "Stay
Home Executives." If you feel the
symptoms of blecch beginning to surface, grab a
trash bag and get busy. Collect 27 items as quickly
as you can, throw them in the trash bag, close
the trash bag and take it outside immediately.
This is VERY energizing. And somehow I never
am unable to find 27 assorted items...you may
surprise yourself!
9. Do a "Gifts Shift". This came in
handy when I used to work in local government.
As the blechhs came upon me, I would shift my task
from something outside of my giftedness to something
inside my giftedness. For me that meant
writing something (I wrote some of the most readable
memos in the department!) or working with my clients
in the field. It always worked so that
returning to doing my original task was much, much
easier.
10. Finally, give something away. This may be
something as simple as giving a heartfelt
compliment. It may mean starting or expanding
on a hobby specifically as a method for combating
the blechhs (one idea is to sponge paint small terra
cotta pots and put a plant in them. One
bigger plant can be the source for many little
plants.)
Use this list as a starting point. Print it
out and add your ideas as they come to mind.
Finally, you will be prepared to create positively
the next time you don't feel so great.
Your breakthroughs WILL come. Guaranteed.
Julie Jordan Scott is a Certified Life Purpose
Coach who works with action- oriented, creative
people who are ready to live each moment with
passion. Dare to Discover Your Passion, Decide
to live YOUR Destiny by subscribing to Julie's daily
ezine. Visit her website at http://www.5passions.com |
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We've
been looking for a way to recommend many of the books
and movies that inspire us to live our lives more fully, and
Amazon
finally has provided it. Check out our new bookstore,
which is full
of inspirational and motivational material. We'd also
appreciate any
suggestions you might have of what to stock it with--please
visit
our feedback page
to make recommendations! |
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Alone
in his car heading west, it's easy for Jason to feel sorry
for himself and mad at the world. But then he gives
a ride to Hector and learns life isn't as negative as we
sometimes see it. The friendship between this young
man and his 70-year-old passenger is an inspiring story of
love and of dealing with obstacles in life. It's a
story that you'll treasure long after you've finished
reading. Three
Cavaliers, Tom Walsh's second published novel, is now available in book form! Click
on the image to the left to order! |
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So Many Dreams Are Waiting To Be Realized
Josh Hinds
So many dreams are waiting to be realized - Maybe it's a
business
you've wanted to start, perhaps it's something as simple as
growing a
home garden, even still maybe it's a trip to another country
you've
always dreamed of visiting. Whatever it is you owe it to
yourself to
do what you have to make it a reality!
I'll readily admit that it's not always going to be an easy
row to
hoe. Anything worth doing in life rarely is. Pursuing your
dream
might require you doing without a few things (especially if
the goal
requires money to do it). It might require taking time away
from
other things. However, rest assured that when you commit to
your goal
and achieve it, the doing without you had to go through is
well worth
it.
What kind of a commentary would this be if I simply said go
for your
dreams and left it at that without even offering a tip to
achieve the
dream? Not a very good one for sure. So here's what I do
when I want
to see a goal manifest itself in my life. First I write down
what I
want. I don't just write it down and shuffle it away though.
I post the goal clearly on the night stand that sits right
next to my
bed. I make a copy of it and stick it on my computer monitor
(since I
am always at the computer... lol). I find that keeping my
'dream' in
plain site allows me to be better focused.
Keeping what we want fresh in our minds allows us to move
quickly
towards achieving it. Possibly even more importantly I make
a clear
mental picture that I can carry around with me. I don't
simply
say, "I want to go to the beach". That approach
doesn't paint the
kind of picture that will move us towards our goal. Instead
I would
say, "I will go to the Gulf Shores, AL on the week of
(insert date).
I will be sure to visit my grand parents that live there.
I'll enjoy
some good seafood at such and such a restaurant". Do
you see the
difference here? It's all in the way we visualize things. If
we want
to achieve our goals we simply have to be able to fully see
ourselves
accomplishing them... Your friend in cyberspace, Josh Hinds
:-)
_______________
Need Motivation? Visit http://www.GetMotivation.com
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Please
make this week a beautiful one. . . . |
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The biggest secret of self-esteem is this:
Begin to appreciate other people more, show respect
for any human being merely because he or she is
a child of God and therefore a "thing of value."
Maxwell Maltz |
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