The Current State of You

Your self-image; who you think you are, is the current state of you. But it does not have to be the final state of you unless you make it so. Visualize a higher performing you. Think only about what you want in your life, and be careful not to think about what you don’t want.

Be the person you want to be in your mind – rehearse it over and over. Don’t think about the person you are now, and mistakes and problems – think about your ideal life, your best performance, and what you want.

It doesn’t matter what is real now. Think about what you want and who you want to be. Be that person in your mind first, over and over.

The Problem with Democracy

The problem with democracy is that it wasn’t designed for the ignorant.  People that don’t know what the important issues are and don’t know what they are talking about, or even worse believe something that is false, have a vote just as powerful as the most accurately informed and educated.

The politics of today are not to educate people on the facts, but to take advantage of the people’s ignorance by filling the gaps with falsehoods and fear and sending them to the voting booth.

Can we be good citizens of a democracy if we are ignorant?

The struggle makes it worth it

Imagine an activity where you can win very easily – like if you played Scrabble with first graders. When you win, does it have value and improve your self-esteem?  

Now imagine a challenge that is tough, takes a lot of what you’ve got, and goes on for months or years; imagine fighting that one. It’s maybe…like the struggle you have right now.

It’s the struggle that makes us, even if we don’t win.  

We get better and stronger by struggling.

Complete this sentence –

“My greatest strength is ____________________________”

Most of your creative work is crap

That’s ok.  That’s why it’s called creative work.  It’s like a half developed photograph, or a partially built sculpture.  Keep working on it.  Even stuff you thought was “finished,” isn’t.

It’s like an iceberg. All your not so good work is under that waterline – holding up the percentage of finished work you finally put out to the world.

Keep working!

Pleasing Everybody

That’s not going to happen.  There will be people who give unfair commentary because they want to build themselves up by tearing someone else down.  And people who aren’t face to face with you – on the internet or gossiping to each other have looser lips.  Ignore them.

“The trick is not caring what EVERYBODY thinks of you, and just caring about what the RIGHT people think of you.”  – Brian Michael Bendis

When we go away, we get to come back.

Living in the box of a small world – a triangle between home and work and the mall, is going to limit our world view and our inspiration.

Go away for a while every now and then.  Experience new places and new things. When we come back, we are different, and so is that triangle.

Are you a master of something?

Great!  Congratulations!  

Now go be an amateur and learn something new.

"I thought I was the only one…"

No, you’re not.  There’s nothing wrong with you.

Work through it, strive to improve, and go out there and give your best today.

You’re doing great!

Obituaries are written before we're dead

What they say about you depends on what you are doing and who you are being right now.

Right?