Tough Times Do Not Last But Tough People Do

Ninety-five percent of all new businesses go out of business within the first five years or less. Why do they fail? There are many starters in life, but very few finish what they start. When the going gets tough, most people fold. They do not persist hard enough or persevere long enough.They do not have a red hot burning desire to succeed or make it their definite major purpose. Nor do they take enough personal initiative to make it happen, or go the extra mile. They do not want it bad enough or have sufficient self control and discipline. Shall I go on? A book could be written on why so many people fail, but, let us rather talk about those who do succeed.

There are three kinds of people: people who make things happen -- people who watch someone else make it happen -- and people who do not know what is happening.

The Make It Happen People

Thomas Edison persisted through 4,999 different attempts to invent and perfect the incandescent lamp. He finally succeeded on his 5,000th attempt. This is a recorded fact. What do you suppose he had that others did not have? Successful people keep moving. They make mistakes, but they do not quit. Success seems to be largely a matter of hanging on after others have let go.

"Never, never, never, never give up" --Winston Churchill

"The majority of people meet with failure because of their lack of persistence in
creating new plans to take the place of those which fail" --Napoleon Hill

What is persistence? It is the power to hold on in spite of everything, to endure. This is the winner's quality. Persistence is the ability to face defeat again and again without giving up, to push on in the face of adversity. Persistence means taking pains to overcome every obstacle, to do all that is necessary to reach your goals. To go on resolutely, in spite of difficulties with the power of endurance. Having a fixed purpose, free from doubt or wavering. Firm in adherence to whatever one is bound to by duty or promise. Stubborn, unyielding, never giving up or surrendering. Be willing to die for the goal. Unyielding to physical force, even when tortured and would rather die than betray or give up information. Refusing to relent. To be steadfast in purpose. To prevail, endure, remain, last.

The Greatest Tragedy In Life

Millions of people come into this world and leave this world and never realise or develop their full powers and potential. They bargained in life for a penny, and life would pay no more, not realising that any wage they would have asked of life, life would have gladly paid. Some of those people never even tried, they just settled for mediocrity. Others had a dream, an idea, a desire or goal, and decided to go for it, but then dropped out when the going got tough. There are many starters in life, but very few finish. Too many people give up on their dreams too soon in life.

No matter what the level of our ability, we have more potential than we can ever develop in a lifetime. Deep within every man and woman dwells those slumbering powers; powers that would astonish them, which they never dreamed of possessing. Forces that would revolutionise their life if aroused and put into action.

Potential means: undeveloped and unrealised powers, possibilities, and capabilities that can but, have not yet come into being. In other words, the best is yet to come! You have powers and talent you have not yet developed or used. You also have dreams and fantasies you have not yet realised. Your unlimited possibilities are still alive, just waiting for you to give them power.

Tough Times Never Last But Tough People Do

How would you like to see a permanent end to all of your problems? We all have problems, and our problems only end when we do. The only people without problems are in the cemetery. I would like to stick around, problems and all. How about you?

No matter what problems you have to face today, there is a solution, because you have nothing to deal with but your own thoughts. As long as you think that your destiny is in the hands of other people, the situation is hopeless. You will need to confront your problems with courage, boldness and action.

There is an old Chinese saying that goes, "If you live with a problem long enough, it could eventually become a blessing." Within every adversity in life, there is always a seed of an equivalent or greater benefit". We just have to look for it, find it, and act on it.

We learn courage when we face danger. We learn patience when we endure suffering. We learn tenderness when we taste pain. We learn to prize true friends when false ones forsake us. We treasure health when illness strikes. We learn to prize freedom when we are in danger of losing it. Without trouble we would be like plants that have sprouted, grown and been nurtured in the overprotected shelter of a hothouse, too tender ever to live in the open. How can you possibly become a strong person, if you have an easy life? The tougher it is, the tougher you have a chance to become, if you choose to fight back.

When you see a highly decorated military person all dressed up with rows of battle ribbons and awards on their chest, you are looking at someone who courageously faced and conquered danger, hardships, adversities, problems, life threatening situations, torture, injury, and heartbreak, watching their buddies die agonising deaths. These people had fortitude, the ability to endure and last. They would not quit, give up or run away. Yes there were times, I am sure they knew, when they bit off more than they could chew, but through it all when there was doubt, they ate it up and spat it out. The records show, they took the blows, and did it their way.

We do not just get the sweet out of life without the bitter, even though we would like to, but we do not. The sun does not always shine; sometimes there are storms, tornadoes, earthquakes, car accidents, fires and death. No one escapes the problems of life. If it does not happen sooner in life, it will happen later. We can overcome just about any problem, obstacle, or adversity that life deals us, if we have a strong enough will. Where there is a will, there is a way. Create a "bulldog" determination and a "burning desire," that will eventually mow down all opposition.

"Success is not measured by what a person accomplishes, but by the
opposition they have encountered, and by the courage with which they have
maintained the struggle against overwhelming odds" --Charles Lindberg

Do not pray for an easy life, without problems, pray to become a strong person. The higher you go in life, the more problems you will have to deal with.

"A quitter never wins and a winner never quits" - Napoleon Hill

With thanks to Rick Gettle https://trans4mind.com/counterpoint/index-success-abundance/gettle.shtml

Get Out Of Your Own Way

The unthankful heart discovers no mercies; but the thankful heart will find, in every hour, some heavenly blessings. - Henry Ward Beecher

Does it sometimes feel as though life’s richest blessings are passing you by? Do you ever feel like everyone around you is blessed and that you have been singled out and overlooked? It is very easy to feel a little cheated when you look at how much your friends and family members have. Their happiness seems to know no bounds. And every venture they undertake always yields success.

You feel as though you deserve all those blessings too. And, you are more than able to get them. All it takes is a little knowledge of how to make room for them in your life. Once you get into the habit of using these suggestions, you can expect to see things turn around in your life:

Grudges Be Gone

One of the easiest ways to prevent yourself from receiving blessings is to hold on to grudges. Avoiding forgiveness only clouds your heart with negative energy. Pretty soon, even the blessings in your life seem like burdens to you.

Give it a try. Make an honest attempt at forgiving your co-worker for portraying you in a less than flattering light. As hard as it is, you will instantly feel lighter when you allow yourself to forgive.

If an issue is beyond resolution, make up your mind that you will take the high road. Agree to disagree and move on to better things.

Always Be Kind

You can always rely on the fact that kindness to others results in kindness coming back to you. What you throw out to those around you has an interesting way of returning! Make every effort to be kind today.

There are many opportunities to be kind each day. How about that homeless person on the corner you pass by every day? Avoid holding your head straight when you pass. Smile and say good morning as you hand him a few coins.

Commit to only saying kind words about others today. Let this apply to even the people who have offended you.

Show Gratitude For The Smallest Blessings

Sure, you have your mind set on huge blessings. But have you taken the time to express gratitude for the small ones? Even though they are small, they are valuable. Avoid overlooking them if you want to continue receiving them!

Being able to see the sunrise each day is a blessing in itself! Consider how many people cannot enjoy that luxury.

Bring Your A-Game Every Time

Everything you are tasked to do is worth doing well. The onus is on you to produce the best quality work you can. And it is also your responsibility to put in maximum effort. The rewards are sure to come when you do.

Overlook the fact that there has not been a pay increase for the last six months. Keep working anyway. When you got the job, you committed to performing at a certain standard.

Stick to your commitment. You will be rewarded with awesome blessings at the right time.

You Cannot Carry Old Baggage Into New Blessings 

Baggage can come in the form of sadness or depression. Perhaps you have just left an unhealthy relationship. Or you are at odds with your oldest friend. Whatever it is, let it go so you can focus on being a happier, healthier you.

Wallowing in sadness may feel good for now. But consider how it is affecting your ability to see greater opportunities.

If all you can see is darkness, you will likely only receive negativity in your life. Free yourself of the weight of baggage.

As you allow yourself to implement each of these changes, you can expect wonderful blessings to flow. Take the time to build your pool of blessings. You have the key to open the door to the best that life has in store!

With thanks to Martina McGowen MD

http://martinamcgowan.com/2014/07/get-out-of-your-own-way-to-make-room-for-new-blessings/

Conquer Your Limiting Beliefs

Sometimes, it can feel like everyone else is achieving his or her goals in life, while you are left struggling to figure out who you are meant to be or what you want to do. You just cannot seem to make the leap from where you are to where you want to be.

If this sounds familiar, you are not alone. Luckily, there are methods to identify what is holding you back. Whether it is fear, limiting beliefs, or the unconscious mind. Then eliminate each obstacle to reach your goals.

Remember, that you are the only one who has the power to either move forward or hold yourself back.

How To Identify The Obstacles

Excuses, which are often driven by fear, insecurity, or complacency, can hold you back.

Limiting beliefs, which can be influenced by an event or circumstance in your past that made you feel powerless, can also hinder your progress in life.

These beliefs exist on an unconscious level and they drive your every thought, word, and action. They are, in large part, what creates your reality. They are also responsible for creating the discrepancy between what we say we want and what we actually do.

Imagine that embedded deep in your unconscious mind you are following an internal set of instructions that determines how you think and behave in every moment of every day. This programming was installed in your unconscious mind as a result of experiences and the meaning you placed on them.

If the experiences you had were positive, you created an empowering internal representation. If your experiences were negative, you more than likely made them mean something negative about yourself, others, or the world. This is how your limiting beliefs were formed.

Sometimes, it can be easy to spot a pattern of negative emotions, excuses, or limiting beliefs because it permeates your conversations or thoughts. Other times, it can be more difficult to pinpoint the obstacles because there is often a layer of truth in an excuse. It can be particularly difficult when there is evidence that proves the limitation you are arguing for.

Steps To Work Through Limiting Beliefs

Think of something you want and then ask yourself why you do not have it. This will begin to reveal negative emotions and limiting beliefs, which end up being some form of resistance and excuses. Then, try journaling about an area of your life where you are experiencing some frustration or where you have not been able to achieve something you desire.

Next, become aware of the negative voice that tells you that you are not good enough, or that you cannot have it all. Notice the feelings that arise within you, and begin to write about them.

Take a moment to consider the earliest time in your life when you first experienced these feelings. It will probably be sometime before you turned 11 years old, a time known as imprinting years. What happened? Who was there? Let yourself see that you made a negative decision about yourself or others based on what happened. How did this decision affect you at the time? How has it limited you since then, and how is it holding you back now? Spend a few minutes writing about this.

Consider what you learned from this event to help you see this negative experience as something more positive and even empowering.

Once you have chosen an empowering statement or belief to replace the old one, write it down, and come up with a commitment that you will make in the next two days to move you toward what you truly desire. This should be a specific action or a behaviour that another person would be able to recognise as having accomplished. 

You may also want to talk with a friend or work with a coach to help you see beyond your perceived limitations.

You should expect other obstacles to pop up as you move towards your goals. These could be a tendency to assign negative meaning experience, trepidation, or an inability to take a risk. Here is how to handle some of the most common obstacles you might encounter.  

Assigning Negative Meaning

Like most people, you probably have a negative voice that tries to tell you what you can and cannot do. 

When you listen to the voice of negativity, you may tell yourself that “because such and such happened, it is just not be meant to be” or “I will never have that.” You listen to the voice, and give up.

Look at where you have made assumptions or created a story around something that may not be true. Challenge yourself to assign a new, empowering meaning to the experience or situation.

Wait And See Syndrome

Have you ever been excited to jump on an opportunity because it felt right and it made logical sense but there was something screaming at you to just hold off and think about it longer? The “wait and see” approach is based on fear and is filtered through a person’s negative emotions and limiting beliefs.

When you take the wait and see approach, you will eventually stop seeing the opportunities that are right in front of you.

When opportunity knocks, you are being asked to heed your call. Evaluate the pros and cons. If only fear remains at the end of this evaluation, then jump. Do nat wait for the perfect moment; it might not ever come. Perfect moments are made.

Test The Water Tactic

Can you think of a time when you wanted something, but decided it would be best to just dip one toe in to test the water?

Hanging out in the gray zone creates confusion and conflict. The Universe responds to how much you put in. This is the law of cause and effect, which states that every action generates a force of energy that returns to it in like kind. What you put in is what you will get out of any situation. Make sure you are contributing positively.

Obstacles are a cause for celebration because they are mile markers on the path. Think about it, you would not come up against an obstacle unless you were closer to achieving your goal. Obstacles are your friends because they help you make strides, learn, and, ultimately, experience a level of pride after successfully getting through.

With thanks to Tris Thorp http://www.chopra.com/articles/how-to-identify%E2%80%94and-conquer%E2%80%94what-is-holding-you-back