Was "misfortune" really bad for you?

“If it takes apparent misfortune to turn us into true philosophers and doers of good to receive good, then apparent misfortune is our greatest fortune.”  -Vernon Howard

Most “bad things” that have happened to me turned out to be good.  I didn’t realize it at the time and this cause great pain, especially on the big ones – and there were big ones.  

But now, the next time something “really bad” happens, I feel like I’ll resist it less, and look for the good sooner.

In order to have a breakthrough, something’s got to break.

Keep going. 

There are many wonders waiting for you if you don’t give up.

It's not "who can", it's "who will".

Today, “getting ahead” is easier than ever.  

How to do it is known.

This is good news.  In America, anything is available to anyone.

It’s not the “have’s and the have nots”, like some would like you to believe. 

It’s the “wills” and the “will nots”.

Will you?

Be courteous to people you've never met.

Put good deeds and energy into the world – and it will come back to you.

That’s how it works.

How to change your life

“You cannot change your life until you change something you do everyday” – John Maxwell

You can learn something new.

You can hang around with different people.

You can go to new places.

You can do different things.

You can stop doing some of the things you are doing now.

What should you change?

Have you traded risk for certainty?

Have you sacrificed growth, adventure, and realizing your potential for safety and the certainty of knowing how the next week/month/year is going to go?

Are you sure you want to make that trade?

"I don't know how". Really?

People make excuses for why they don’t do things they should.

“I don’t know how” is no longer a valid one. 

Back in the day, people in power/high positions/the highly educated/ the rich had access to information that most people did not have.  Today that is not the case.

“I don’t know how” – If you have a smartphone and an internet connection, it’s an excuse.

Your future is spotless

The past is past.

You can choose to make now an extension of it, or use it to make a new life.

No matter how messed up your past is, you have a spotless and unlimited future.  

Everyday is a choice.

You go first

If you want respect – give it first.

If you want to be listened to – listen first.

If you want courtesy – give it first.

If you want people to recognize you, recognize them first.

If you want love, give it first.

Be a leader in your life – you go first.

Keep your promises

There’s a (not-so) funny short film called “A Piece of Cake” produced by the Moving Picture Institute (thempi.org) – a group I support with monthly donations.  They make pro-freedom films that get a message across.

In this movie, a little girl tells her Dad that she wants a birthday cake with the little silver balls on it for decoration.  Her Dad promised.  The little girl said, “The last time you promised, you broke your promise.”  

The Dad, normally a very busy guy at work, was taken aback, felt like he had failed his daughter, and was determined to do as he said and get a cake with the little silver balls.  One problem.  When he goes searching for the little silver balls, he finds out they are illegal in the State of California. (The movie is really about government overreach).

The Dad finds himself searching all over the state for anyone who has the silver decorations.  Finally, he finds himself in the dimply lit basement of an abandoned building paying an outrageous price to an illegal dealer in the silver balls – all to keep his promise.

Have a high say-do ratio.  When you make a promise, keep it.  When people figure out that they can’t believe you, nobody wants to be around you or deal with you.  When people know they can rely on your words, your life will be better.  

Self-Discipline

I really do not like when people who don’t know me assume I have to be disciplined.  Being Lorded over by some authority figure is one of my pet peeves.  

To make sure that is not necessary, I do all I can to avoid it, and I exercise self-discipline.  I hold myself to a higher standard than is expected of me so someone else doesn’t have to discipline me.  

Self-discipline is doing what you must do, when you must do it, whether you feel like it or not.

Are you your own master?  Or do you spend your days dodging another one?