HAPPINESS
Are you waiting for good things to happen to you? We all want good things to happen. There are some good things that just happen and some bad things that just happen, so it's natural to want the good things to happen.
But most things, good and bad, are in our hands. Waiting for happiness is a very inefficient strategy, because happiness is not something to wait for. It's something to chase after and grab with both hands. It is what we catch when we reach out to other people. It is what we catch when we decide to enjoy our situation, without worry whether it is the exact situation we were hoping ofr. It is what we catch when we stop waiting for good things and start doing good things.
Catch some happiness today.
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Subject: Two Horses - Why We Need Each Others
Two Horses
Author - unknown
Just up the road from my home is a field, with two horses in it.
>From a distance, each horse looks like any other horse. But if you stop your car, or are walking by, you will notice something quite amazing....
Looking into the eyes of one horse will disclose that he is blind. His owner has chosen not to have him put down, but has made a good home for him.
This alone is amazing.
If you stand nearby and listen, you will hear the sound of a bell.
Looking around for the source of the sound, you will see that it comes from the smaller horse in the field.
Attached to the horse's halter is a small bell.
It lets the blind friend know where the other horse is, so he can follow.
As you stand and watch these two friends,
you'll see that the horse with the bell is always checking on the blind horse,
and that the blind horse will listen for the bell and then slowly walk
to where the other horse is,
trusting that he will not be led astray.
When the horse with the bell returns
to the shelter of the barn each evening,
it stops occasionally and looks back,
making sure that the blind friend isn't too far behind to hear the bell.
Like the owners of these two horses,
God does not throw us away just because we are not perfect
or because we have problems or challenges.
He watches over us and even brings others into our lives
to help us when we are in need.
Sometimes we are the blind horse
being guided by the little ringing bell of those who God places in our lives.
Other times we are the guide horse, helping others to find their way....
Good friends are like that you may not always see them, but you know they are always there.
Please listen for my bell and I'll listen for yours.
And remember...
be kinder than necessary-
everyone you meet is fighting
some kind of battle.
Live simply,
Love generously,
Care deeply,
Speak kindly....
Leave the rest to God
IN THAT FAITH U WOULD SEE GOD IN ACTION
QUOTE FOR TODAY
LOVE & RELATIONSHIPS | |
| Be slow in choosing a friend, slower in changing. | |
| LEADERSHIP & SUCCESS | |
| I never worry about action, only inaction. | |
| INSPIRATION & MOTIVATION | |
| The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, |
think about this
Forgiveness is like the summer rain
It washes away the hatred
and bitterness in our hearts
And when the sun comes out again
Everything feels fresh and clean
It's like a new beginning, a chance to start anew
Don't spend your life in bondage
holding on to past hurts
Let go and live!QUOTE FOR TODAY
Fear less, hope more; eat less, chew more; whine less, breathe more; talk less, say more; hate less, love more; and all good things are yours.
-- Swedish Proverb
-- Swedish Proverb
Monday, February 25, 2008
THINK ABOUT THIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I think everybody should get rich and famous and do everything they ever dreamed of so they can see that it's not the answer.
-- Jim Carrey
-- Jim Carrey
try this
HAPPINESS
Tips to make today the happiest day ever.
Turn off the TV and the computer.
Find someone to help.
Smile a little wider.
Call someone you miss.
Exercise
Refuse, absolutely refuse to argue.
Take a moment to just be happy in your skin.
Tips to make today the happiest day ever.
Turn off the TV and the computer.
Find someone to help.
Smile a little wider.
Call someone you miss.
Exercise
Refuse, absolutely refuse to argue.
Take a moment to just be happy in your skin.
QUOTE FOR TODAY
LOVE & RELATIONSHIPS | |
| Saying something helps you believe in it. | |
| LEADERSHIP & SUCCESS | |
| Confidence is a habit that can be developed by acting | |
| INSPIRATION & MOTIVATION | |
| Follow the ways of the rose that sprouted from concrete. |
QUOTE FOR TODAY
LOVE & RELATIONSHIPS | |
| Forget past mistakes. Forget failures. Forget everything | |
| LEADERSHIP & SUCCESS | |
| When defeat comes, accept it as a signal that your plans | |
| INSPIRATION & MOTIVATION | |
| It is our duty to proceed as though the limits |
choices
CHOICE
If it is cold, you have choices: you can light a fire or curse the weather.
If you are hungry, you have choices: you can eat or curse your stomach
If you are tired, you have choices: you can rest or you can curse your fatigue.
If there is hatred, you have choices: you can love or you can curse other people.
If it is congested, you have choices: you can tune your radio or you can honk and curse others stuck in traffic with you.
If the store clerk is having problems, you have choices: you can show patience or you can curse her.
Everything in life is about choice. Everything you do and everything you say is a choice you make. Make good choices.
If it is cold, you have choices: you can light a fire or curse the weather.
If you are hungry, you have choices: you can eat or curse your stomach
If you are tired, you have choices: you can rest or you can curse your fatigue.
If there is hatred, you have choices: you can love or you can curse other people.
If it is congested, you have choices: you can tune your radio or you can honk and curse others stuck in traffic with you.
If the store clerk is having problems, you have choices: you can show patience or you can curse her.
Everything in life is about choice. Everything you do and everything you say is a choice you make. Make good choices.
QUOTE FOR TODAY
LOVE & RELATIONSHIPS | |
| What love we've given, we'll have forever. | |
| LEADERSHIP & SUCCESS | |
| Follow effective action with quiet reflection. | |
| INSPIRATION & MOTIVATION | |
| The great use of life is to spend it for |
Sunday, February 24, 2008
QUOTE FOR TODAY
LOVE & RELATIONSHIPS | |
| Love always creates, it never destroys. | |
| LEADERSHIP & SUCCESS | |
| Intelligence is the ability to adapt to change. | |
| INSPIRATION & MOTIVATION | |
| Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakes. |
QUOTE FOR TODAY
Your happiness is not determined by weather. It is determined by whether or not you choose it.
-- Alan Cohen
-- Alan Cohen
SELF-IMAGE
SELF-IMAGE
Many people suffer from low self-esteem. Some are aware of this and some are not. Low self-esteem is generally related to a poor self-image. Our self-image is not always what we might wish. We might like to have a self-image of Superman or Wonderwoman, for example, but we might feel that we not only lack super powers but pretty much any power at all.
The funny thing is that we can control our self-image. Every one of us does super things and every one of us should feel like we are absolutely wonderful, remarkable people. If we don't, it is usually because someone else is controlling our self image.
Shake them off! Your self-image is yours alone. Decide how you wish to see yourself, and let that be your self-image. Then start living that image, because that is who you are and who you want to be.
Many people suffer from low self-esteem. Some are aware of this and some are not. Low self-esteem is generally related to a poor self-image. Our self-image is not always what we might wish. We might like to have a self-image of Superman or Wonderwoman, for example, but we might feel that we not only lack super powers but pretty much any power at all.
The funny thing is that we can control our self-image. Every one of us does super things and every one of us should feel like we are absolutely wonderful, remarkable people. If we don't, it is usually because someone else is controlling our self image.
Shake them off! Your self-image is yours alone. Decide how you wish to see yourself, and let that be your self-image. Then start living that image, because that is who you are and who you want to be.
Thursday, February 21, 2008
think about this
HAPPINESS DOESNT MEAN THAT YOU HAVE A PERFECT WORLD IT ONLY MEANS THAT YOU ARE WILLING TO LOOK BEYOND THE IMPERFECTIONS
QUOTE FOR TODAY
LOVE & RELATIONSHIPS | |
| A single rose can be my garden... | |
| LEADERSHIP & SUCCESS | |
| Success is to be measured not so much by the | |
| INSPIRATION & MOTIVATION | |
| Life lived for tomorrow will always be |
think about this
There is a road from the eye to the heart that does not go through the intellect.
-- Gilbert Keith Chesterton
-- Gilbert Keith Chesterton
think about this
HAPPINESS
Rerun - rerun - rerun ...from 2003:
Do you smile with invisible ink? I mean, do you feel good about things and not share that feeling with others? How will they, too, smile if they don't know you are smiling inside?
One of the best ways to boost our own happiness is to surround ourselves with people who are happy themselves. Happiness is contagious.
And one of the best ways to make people around us happy is to be happy, because happiness is contagious.
So to boost our own happiness, we need to shine happiness on people around us, because -- you guessed it -- happiness is contagious.
Rerun - rerun - rerun ...from 2003:
Do you smile with invisible ink? I mean, do you feel good about things and not share that feeling with others? How will they, too, smile if they don't know you are smiling inside?
One of the best ways to boost our own happiness is to surround ourselves with people who are happy themselves. Happiness is contagious.
And one of the best ways to make people around us happy is to be happy, because happiness is contagious.
So to boost our own happiness, we need to shine happiness on people around us, because -- you guessed it -- happiness is contagious.
something to contemplate
For me, one of the most exciting things about business and life,
is that one great idea can change our life forever.
~Mac Anderson~
is that one great idea can change our life forever.
~Mac Anderson~
quote for the day
LOVE & RELATIONSHIPS | |
| Criticize the act, not the person. | |
| LEADERSHIP & SUCCESS | |
| Nothing is an obstacle unless you say it is. | |
| INSPIRATION & MOTIVATION | |
| Live out of your imagination, |
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Friendship is a network that need no recharge, no roaming, no activation, no signal problems, Just make sure you don't switch off your heart Friendship is like standing on a wet cement... the longer you stay, the harder its to leave and you can never go without leaving your footprints... One of the best moments of life is to meet an old friend after years and feel that things haven't changed and you realise how much you missed having him around... Friendship is needless, like philosophy, like art it has no survival value, rather it is one of those things that give value to survival Friendship is like a tennis match; To win, you have to serve well, and always remember it begins with love all This message has no fat, no cholestrol and no additives. Only natural flavours of care and love and joy it contains sweetness but not as SWEET as you
With Love from, shamugam to: all my fans |
| ||||||||
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
learning
LEARNING
I always find it amusing when a publication asks politicians what they are reading these days, and it's almost always a book about politics. The fact is that most politicians don't have time to read, and if they did I wonder whether they might not rather escape into some sci-fi fantasy.
Most of the rest of us would quickly name some work of fiction as the book we are currently reading, although biographies are often popular, too (perhaps because, like fiction, they are stories we can follow. As wonderful as it is to read stories, we should also be reading to learn. For instance, there are so many books on science and on the environment and on how things work and on other cultures and on learning another language and on health and on so many fascinating topics.
Never, ever stop learning.
I always find it amusing when a publication asks politicians what they are reading these days, and it's almost always a book about politics. The fact is that most politicians don't have time to read, and if they did I wonder whether they might not rather escape into some sci-fi fantasy.
Most of the rest of us would quickly name some work of fiction as the book we are currently reading, although biographies are often popular, too (perhaps because, like fiction, they are stories we can follow. As wonderful as it is to read stories, we should also be reading to learn. For instance, there are so many books on science and on the environment and on how things work and on other cultures and on learning another language and on health and on so many fascinating topics.
Never, ever stop learning.
QUOTE FOR TODAY
LOVE/RELATIONSHIPS:
Hate the sin, love the sinner.
--Mahatma Gandhi
LEADERSHIP/SUCCESS:
Divide and rule, a sound motto.
Unite and lead, a better one.
--Goethe
MOTIVATION/INSPIRATION:
I'm a great believer in luck, and I find
the harder I work, the more I have of it.
--Thomas Jefferson
Monday, February 11, 2008
something to ponderrrrr
WALK
Things are not going just the way you want? Maybe you are losing patience or feeling anxious or getting frustrated.Take a break. That probably means leaving the house or the office, and leaving the people who are part of the frustration. I don't mean to leave them forever, just long enough to take a walk.
A short walk around the block once or twice might be all you need to let loose of the negative feelings, to pull yourself together and to decide how you want to react to the situation. Sometimes, you can't pull yourself together while in the situation, and you have to go to remove yourself from the location and the people that are part of it.It's a good thing somebody invented shoes
Things are not going just the way you want? Maybe you are losing patience or feeling anxious or getting frustrated.Take a break. That probably means leaving the house or the office, and leaving the people who are part of the frustration. I don't mean to leave them forever, just long enough to take a walk.
A short walk around the block once or twice might be all you need to let loose of the negative feelings, to pull yourself together and to decide how you want to react to the situation. Sometimes, you can't pull yourself together while in the situation, and you have to go to remove yourself from the location and the people that are part of it.It's a good thing somebody invented shoes
something to ponderrrrr
When trying to get your own way, remember that kisses are sweeter than whine. . -- Source unknown
quote for the day
LOVE/RELATIONSHIPS:
Never part without loving words to think of during your absence. It may be that you will not meet again in this life.--Jean Paul Richter
LEADERSHIP/SUCCESS:
No man is good enough to govern another man without that other's consent.--Abraham Lincoln
MOTIVATION/INSPIRATION:
The best way to prepare for life is to begin to live. --Elbert Hubbard
Never part without loving words to think of during your absence. It may be that you will not meet again in this life.--Jean Paul Richter
LEADERSHIP/SUCCESS:
No man is good enough to govern another man without that other's consent.--Abraham Lincoln
MOTIVATION/INSPIRATION:
The best way to prepare for life is to begin to live. --Elbert Hubbard
quote for the day
LOVE/RELATIONSHIPS:
Never part without loving words to think of during your absence. It may be that you will not meet again in this life.--Jean Paul Richter
LEADERSHIP/SUCCESS:
No man is good enough to govern another man without that other's consent.--Abraham Lincoln
MOTIVATION/INSPIRATION:
The best way to prepare for life is to begin to live. --Elbert Hubbard
Never part without loving words to think of during your absence. It may be that you will not meet again in this life.--Jean Paul Richter
LEADERSHIP/SUCCESS:
No man is good enough to govern another man without that other's consent.--Abraham Lincoln
MOTIVATION/INSPIRATION:
The best way to prepare for life is to begin to live. --Elbert Hubbard
Friday, February 08, 2008
QUOTE FOR TODAY
LOVE/RELATIONSHIPS:
Never lose a chance of saying a kind word.
--William Thackeray
--William Thackeray
LEADERSHIP/SUCCESS:
Let he him who would be moved to convince
others, be first moved to convince himself.
--Thomas Carlyle
others, be first moved to convince himself.
--Thomas Carlyle
MOTIVATION/INSPIRATION:
Life is a pure flame, and we live by
an invisible sun within us.
--Sir Thomas Brown
an invisible sun within us.
--Sir Thomas Brown
QUOTE FOR TODAY
quotes by Emerson: “The wise man in the storm prays to God, not for safety from danger, but for deliverance from fear.”
QUOTE FOR TODAY
It's not who you are that holds you back, it's who you think you're not.
-- Source unknown.
-- Source unknown.
daily inspiration
VIEWPOINT
Rose colored glasses, good or bad?
Well, some say they are good because you see everything as you would like it to be and you are happy about what you see. Others say that it is important to see things as they really are, in order to properly react to them and fix things that are broken.
I vote for rose colored glasses. They just tint things. They don't change what you see, just how you see them. You still see famine and earthquakes and disease. But instead of feeling despair, you see hope. Instead of wailing over the misery of it all, you look for solutions.
So don't be shy to put on those rose colored glasses any time you wish.
Rose colored glasses, good or bad?
Well, some say they are good because you see everything as you would like it to be and you are happy about what you see. Others say that it is important to see things as they really are, in order to properly react to them and fix things that are broken.
I vote for rose colored glasses. They just tint things. They don't change what you see, just how you see them. You still see famine and earthquakes and disease. But instead of feeling despair, you see hope. Instead of wailing over the misery of it all, you look for solutions.
So don't be shy to put on those rose colored glasses any time you wish.
Rise Early and Catch the Golden Worm-By Michael Masterson
"Early morning hath gold in its mouth."
- Benjamin Franklin
Rise Early and Catch the Golden Worm
By Michael Masterson
I zonked out at 10:00 last night and woke up seven hours later. I got up and stepped into the shower. Forty-five minutes later, I was in the office. It's 7 o'clock now, and I've already done 16 things.
For me, going to bed before midnight had always been unthinkable. It was capitulating to a dull life. But as someone's mother once told me, nothing good happens after midnight. And it's true. Ask yourself: Name one thing that you do and/or enjoy more after midnight that you can't do/enjoy better the following morning? No - not even that!
Every successful businessman I know (or have read about) gets up and gets to work early. It's such a universal trait of accomplished individuals, I'm tempted to say it is a secret for success. "Early to bed and early to rise," Ben Franklin said, "makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise." I used to think that was propaganda from a Puritan. Now, I think it's an observation from a very wise man.
Healthy, wealthy, and wise. Today, let's talk about how getting up and getting to work early helps you achieve those goals - since my guess is that's the primary reason you read ETR every day.
In my experience, there is no better time to collect your thoughts and plan your day than early in the morning when the office is quiet. Not only are you undisturbed by phone calls and interruptions, but ahead of you is the potential of an unopened day. The solitude promotes a kind of relaxed, contemplative mood. You feel free to think in an expansive way. Later on, when the place is noisy and the pressure is on, it's difficult to pay attention to what's important. You feel your attention drawn in several directions at once. You feel the pressure of deadlines. And you may be hit with bad news, which could put you in a bad, unproductive mood.
A Near-Perfect Morning Routine
Over the years, I've studied hundreds and experimented with dozens of time-saving techniques and organizational systems. The simple four-step program that follows is the best of the best.
Step One: Getting Healthy (6:30 to 7:00)
The first thing I do every day is run sprints. After a four- or five-minute warm up, I run eight fifty-yard dashes, with 30 seconds of rest in between. Then I do a serious 10-minute stretching routine (Yoga moves, mostly). Finally, a cold shower and a fresh set of clothes. The whole routine takes about 30 minutes but it will completely renew and invigorate your health. This workout is a condensed version of everything I've learned about health and fitness for the past 45 years (I got interested in the subject when I was 10!). It has dramatically improved my health. For example, I no longer have back, shoulder and neck pain that troubled me for so many years. I am as strong as I was when I was playing football in college. And I rarely get sick. (You'll learn all about this program and why it works so well from ETR's health expert, Jon Herring.)
Step Two: Planning the Day (7:00 to 7:30)
I didn't always plan my days. I managed to get rich before I developed this habit. But since I've learned how to plan, my productivity has quadrupled. If you use this system, I'll bet you see the same improvement in your own life. I begin each day with a list of "to-dos" that I've usually created the night before. I add to that list by going through my inbox and selecting any items that are important enough to make it to my daily list. After my list is completed, I highlight all tasks that help me accomplish one of my major long-term Life Goals.
I used to scan my email for things to do, but found that I couldn't resist the lure of trying to "knock off" a bunch of little things that wasted my time and drained my energy. Now I scrupulously avoid email in the morning. In fact, I don't even open it up.
I check phone messages and faxes and add any important items to my daily task list. Again, I don't respond to anything at this point. My job is simply to organize it all, to figure out what you will do today and what you can delegate or do later.
Now, comes the fun part. Get out a clean sheet of paper - or even an index card - and write the date on top. Referencing all the inputs you have just gathered, select 15 to 20 that you intend to accomplish before the end of the day.
Be realistic. There is no way you can do more than 15 or 20 significant things in a 10-hour day. And you don't have to work more than 10 hours a day to accomplish everything you need.
Of the 15 or 20 items, highlight four or five of them. These should all be important-but-not-urgent tasks. (The urgent tasks you have to do. The important-but-not-urgent tasks are the ones that will advance your Life Goals. They are critical to your success, but you will almost certainly fail to do them unless you make them a priority. That's why you are highlighting them.)
To the right of each item, you might want to indicate how much time you think it will take. (I run a subtotal of the accumulating times to the right of that so there is some relationship between what I want to do and how much time I have to do it.)
As a general rule, it's a good idea to structure all of your tasks so that none lasts more than an hour. 15-minute and 30-minute tasks are best. If you have something that takes several hours to do, break it up into pieces and do it over a few days. It will be better for the extra time you give it and you won't get crushed on any one day.
This whole process takes less than fifteen minutes, yet it saves me hours of wasted time every day and - more importantly - helps me focus on what is truly important to my career. (At the beginning of the week, when I'm creating a weekly task list in addition to a daily one, I allocate a half-hour. Once a month, I create a monthly list that takes an additional half hour.)
If you adopt this simple organizing and planning system every morning, you will see how well it works. Before your colleagues, competitors and coworkers are even sipping their first cup of mocha, you'll have figured out everything you need to do that day to make you healthier, wealthier and wiser. You will know what to do, you will know what your priorities are and you will already be thinking about some of them. You will not have to worry about forgetting something important. And you will have a strong sense of energy and excitement, knowing your day is going to be a productive one.
Step Three: Give Your Day a Boost. (7:30 to 8:30)
Here's the best step. Select the single most important task of the day - the one, highlighted task that will best help you accomplish your most cherished life goal - and get to work on that.
Don't worry about if something else is more pressing. Don't pay any attention to what everyone else wants you to do. Heck, it's not even nine o'clock yet. It's your time, so spend it on yourself!
If you are having trouble figuring out what is the most important task, ask yourself this question: If I knew I was going to die in a week, which task would be most important to me now?
Start with that task and get to work on it. Chances are, it will be something that moves you toward a goal that you have been putting off for many years. There is something in your mind that has so far made it difficult for you to accomplish it.
Don't worry about the negatives. As I said, this time is for you.
If you spend the first working hour of every day working on something you deeply care about, it will give you more energy and a better feeling than you can possibly imagine. How do I know this is true? Because it's how I feel every time I do it.
This little three-step program is a truly health-giving, wealth-making, life-changing routine. It has totally transformed my life. I am sure it can do the same for you. Remember, the entire three steps will take you only two hours. If you start working at seven (and you should!) then you'll have done more by nine o'clock than your friends, colleagues and competitors do all day!
Try it tomorrow and tell me if it doesn't work wonders for you!
A Clever Way to Keep Track...
This system can be complemented by a file-indexing system that a famously organized newspaper publisher showed me several years ago. It requires two accordion folders. One with a pocket for each month and another with pockets for 31 days.
As you go through your e-mail or read correspondence and memos, put aside anything you want to follow up on. Place it in the pocket of the month in which you intend to address it. When that month arrives, there will probably be 30 or 40 sheets of paper stuffed inside. You sort through them and place them in some kind of manageable order in each of the days of the month. Then, as each day arrives, you simply extract from that day's pocket the material you've filed there. This is a very easy way to keep track of all your vital data and correspondence without resorting to large, messy stacks of paper.
Success Is What Happens When You Do a Little Bit Extra Each Day
I suppose it's possible for success to come in a single windfall, but most often it arrives bit by bit. My three-step morning routine is a way for you to make yourself super healthy and give yourself a significant advantage over the people you compete with.
It actually gives you four advantages. You are smarter, fresher and more enthusiastic which makes you feel better and enjoy your work. You get a whole lot more accomplished than you would otherwise. You drastically reduce or (some days) eliminate emergencies that interrupt you and drain your energy. And, most important, you spend a much greater percentage of your time doing things that move you along toward the goals you desire.
There is something about getting to work earlier that seems wiser, nobler, smarter, or just plain more industrious than working late. Getting to work earlier says something about being energetic, organized, and in control. Staying late leaves the opposite impression: You are diligent but disorganized, earnest but erratic, hardworking but a drudge.
In How to Become CEO, Jeffrey J. Fox puts it this way:
"If you are going to be first in your corporation, start practicing by being first on the job. People who arrive at work late don't like their jobs - at least that's what senior management thinks. ... And don't stay at the office until 10 o'clock every night. You are sending a signal that you can't keep up or your personal life is poor."
So here's your Action Plan for today. I want you to figure out, on the average, what time you have been getting to work each day. And I want you to promise yourself that you'll get there at least 15 minutes earlier from now on.
Don't fool yourself. If you've been trying to get to work by 8:00 but get there at that time only two days a week, admit that your starting time is 8:15 or 8:30. Then fix your new objective.
Fifteen minutes a day multiplied by 50 weeks is 62.5 hours of extra work. That gives you more than a full week's advantage over those you are competing against. You can accomplish a lot in a week, so don't underestimate what this will do for you.
It's not just about doing extra stuff. It's about getting a jump on things. Getting in early makes you better prepared, more thoughtful, better organized, and more effective in every area of your life.
Early to bed, early to rise. It will make you healthier this year ... and wealthier and wiser too.Thursday, February 07, 2008
how to accomplish all your important goals.....without fail
How to Accomplish All Your Most Important Goals ... Without Fail
By Michael Masterson
Every January, I write down a set of goals. Some are financial. Some relate to my business. And some are personal. When I put my new list down on paper, I feel powerful and confident. Here are the things I will accomplish this year. Clean and simple. I imagine how I will feel when they are completed, and that feeling is good.
Start Today by Selecting Your Goals - the Rest Is Easy
Take out a sheet of paper. Title it "Life's Goals" (if you have no shame) or "Stuff to Do Before I Croak" (if you are afraid someone will see it).
Now make a list of everything you want to accomplish. Everything. Making a lot of money. Writing books. Traveling to Rome. Learning to tap dance. Write till you are done.
Next, you need to convert that list into long-term Life Goals. One of them, of course, will be to build wealth - not in order to accumulate money, but because of what that money can help you accomplish in terms that are more important. After all, financial independence gives you the ability to help other people, provide for your family, pursue your intellectual and artistic interests, and become an inspiration to members of your community.
Narrow your list down to four. Think in terms of a long-term wealth-building goal, a long-term health goal, a long-term personal-relationship goal, and a long-term personal growth and development goal.
These are your top priorities, your bottom-line objectives.
Of the four, pick one that is numero uno. On a separate sheet of paper - or perhaps on an index card - write down your four Life Goals with the top choice on top. Highlight that one.
The plan you are about to learn will pretty much guarantee that you will achieve all four of these objectives. It will definitely allow you to complete the first one. How good is that? Consider this: If you haven't done these things yet and you're over 30, there is an 80% chance that you won't accomplish them ... ever.
Unless you follow this program.
Okay. Here's what you need to do now. Convert those four goals into five-year mid-term objectives. For example, let's say that one of your Life Goals is to have a net worth of $10 million by the time you retire. And let's say you want to retire in 10 years. You might make "having a $5 million net worth" your five-year goal.
Now, use this five-year list to create a one-year list. To have a net worth of $5 million in five years, you will have to have a net worth of $1 million at the end of one year. Figure out what you have to do to - invest in real estate, start a new business, save more - to reach that one-year goal. Then move on to year two, year three, and so on.
Setting Monthly, Weekly, and Daily Objectives
After you've developed yearly goals, you need to break them down into manageable, bite-sized monthly objectives.
Let's say one of your yearly objectives is to get a business started. So you would break that down into 12 monthly goals - what you need to do each month to get your business up and running, from doing the initial research to the grand opening.
Then, break each of those 12 monthly goals into four weekly goals. For instance, if your first monthly goal in getting a new business started is to identify a good business opportunity, perhaps each of your four weekly goals will be to research at least 10 possibilities.
Finally, you work your way down to the action you will take each day to fulfill your weekly objectives. If you have made a commitment to research 10 business opportunities each week, one of the top priorities on your daily "to-do" list will be to research two possibilities.
Expect to spend a good chunk of time planning out your year. Once a month, you'll sit down for two or three hours to map out your goals for the next four weeks. Once a week, you'll spend one hour establishing your goals for the next seven days. And you'll spend about 30 minutes each morning organizing your day.
I know that sounds like a lot, but you're really spending no more than the equivalent of a few days a year to map out your strategy for achieving your long-term Life Goals.
This is how I establish my own goals, focus my objectives, and set daily tasks. It's not, by any means, an entirely original system. It's a patchwork of systems that have been developed by others and added to by me. But there is something about this particular system that seems to work.
It works so well, in fact, that I encourage everyone who works for me to use it. Those who do find that it works very well. I think you will too.
Today's the day that you take the first step toward guaranteeing your success by defining your long-term Life Goals and breaking them down into mid-term five-year objectives. (Finish the job of breaking those objectives down further - into yearly, monthly, and weekly objectives - during the coming week.)
Before you get started, here are two tips to make the job easier.
1. When I first started using goal setting as a means to success, I made one big mistake: I was too specific. Since then, I have learned that goals are best that govern least. When you set specific goals, as I used to, you set yourself up for disappointment. Plus, you are likely to miss out on what it is that you really want or need.
So here is what I do now...
After writing down the specific goal I want to accomplish, I ask myself what it is, in general, that I am trying to do by achieving it. Say, I write down "learning Spanish." I ask myself, "What is it about learning this language that interests me? Is it just the learning of Spanish per se? Do I need it for my work? For my travels?" The answer, of course, is "no." But for me, learning Spanish means I am becoming smarter - and being smart is very important to me. I want to feel as if I'm always in the process of self-improvement, and learning Spanish, or any foreign language, is just one way to do that.
So next to my specific goal of learning Spanish, I might write a broader alternative that reads something like, "Learn something big that makes you feel smarter." That "something big" might turn out to be French or wine tasting or the history of the Roman Empire.
By recognizing and articulating my larger, vaguer, and often unspoken desires, I am able to set specific goals that can be changed, so long as they generally adhere to my main objective.
2. You not only need to be specific with your goals, you also need to be realistic. For example, if your lifetime financial goal is to have a net worth of $10 million and you are currently 45 years old and broke, it's probably not realistic for you to set a medium-term goal of $5 million in five years.
There are no absolute rules when it comes to this type of goal setting. You want your goals to be ambitious ... but you also want them to be achievable. But keep in mind that you don't have to go at it alone. Early to Rise is full of techniques I've developed that will give you an 80% or better chance of accomplishing the goals you set for yourself.
By Michael Masterson
Every January, I write down a set of goals. Some are financial. Some relate to my business. And some are personal. When I put my new list down on paper, I feel powerful and confident. Here are the things I will accomplish this year. Clean and simple. I imagine how I will feel when they are completed, and that feeling is good.
Start Today by Selecting Your Goals - the Rest Is Easy
Take out a sheet of paper. Title it "Life's Goals" (if you have no shame) or "Stuff to Do Before I Croak" (if you are afraid someone will see it).
Now make a list of everything you want to accomplish. Everything. Making a lot of money. Writing books. Traveling to Rome. Learning to tap dance. Write till you are done.
Next, you need to convert that list into long-term Life Goals. One of them, of course, will be to build wealth - not in order to accumulate money, but because of what that money can help you accomplish in terms that are more important. After all, financial independence gives you the ability to help other people, provide for your family, pursue your intellectual and artistic interests, and become an inspiration to members of your community.
Narrow your list down to four. Think in terms of a long-term wealth-building goal, a long-term health goal, a long-term personal-relationship goal, and a long-term personal growth and development goal.
These are your top priorities, your bottom-line objectives.
Of the four, pick one that is numero uno. On a separate sheet of paper - or perhaps on an index card - write down your four Life Goals with the top choice on top. Highlight that one.
The plan you are about to learn will pretty much guarantee that you will achieve all four of these objectives. It will definitely allow you to complete the first one. How good is that? Consider this: If you haven't done these things yet and you're over 30, there is an 80% chance that you won't accomplish them ... ever.
Unless you follow this program.
Okay. Here's what you need to do now. Convert those four goals into five-year mid-term objectives. For example, let's say that one of your Life Goals is to have a net worth of $10 million by the time you retire. And let's say you want to retire in 10 years. You might make "having a $5 million net worth" your five-year goal.
Now, use this five-year list to create a one-year list. To have a net worth of $5 million in five years, you will have to have a net worth of $1 million at the end of one year. Figure out what you have to do to - invest in real estate, start a new business, save more - to reach that one-year goal. Then move on to year two, year three, and so on.
Setting Monthly, Weekly, and Daily Objectives
After you've developed yearly goals, you need to break them down into manageable, bite-sized monthly objectives.
Let's say one of your yearly objectives is to get a business started. So you would break that down into 12 monthly goals - what you need to do each month to get your business up and running, from doing the initial research to the grand opening.
Then, break each of those 12 monthly goals into four weekly goals. For instance, if your first monthly goal in getting a new business started is to identify a good business opportunity, perhaps each of your four weekly goals will be to research at least 10 possibilities.
Finally, you work your way down to the action you will take each day to fulfill your weekly objectives. If you have made a commitment to research 10 business opportunities each week, one of the top priorities on your daily "to-do" list will be to research two possibilities.
Expect to spend a good chunk of time planning out your year. Once a month, you'll sit down for two or three hours to map out your goals for the next four weeks. Once a week, you'll spend one hour establishing your goals for the next seven days. And you'll spend about 30 minutes each morning organizing your day.
I know that sounds like a lot, but you're really spending no more than the equivalent of a few days a year to map out your strategy for achieving your long-term Life Goals.
This is how I establish my own goals, focus my objectives, and set daily tasks. It's not, by any means, an entirely original system. It's a patchwork of systems that have been developed by others and added to by me. But there is something about this particular system that seems to work.
It works so well, in fact, that I encourage everyone who works for me to use it. Those who do find that it works very well. I think you will too.
Today's the day that you take the first step toward guaranteeing your success by defining your long-term Life Goals and breaking them down into mid-term five-year objectives. (Finish the job of breaking those objectives down further - into yearly, monthly, and weekly objectives - during the coming week.)
Before you get started, here are two tips to make the job easier.
1. When I first started using goal setting as a means to success, I made one big mistake: I was too specific. Since then, I have learned that goals are best that govern least. When you set specific goals, as I used to, you set yourself up for disappointment. Plus, you are likely to miss out on what it is that you really want or need.
So here is what I do now...
After writing down the specific goal I want to accomplish, I ask myself what it is, in general, that I am trying to do by achieving it. Say, I write down "learning Spanish." I ask myself, "What is it about learning this language that interests me? Is it just the learning of Spanish per se? Do I need it for my work? For my travels?" The answer, of course, is "no." But for me, learning Spanish means I am becoming smarter - and being smart is very important to me. I want to feel as if I'm always in the process of self-improvement, and learning Spanish, or any foreign language, is just one way to do that.
So next to my specific goal of learning Spanish, I might write a broader alternative that reads something like, "Learn something big that makes you feel smarter." That "something big" might turn out to be French or wine tasting or the history of the Roman Empire.
By recognizing and articulating my larger, vaguer, and often unspoken desires, I am able to set specific goals that can be changed, so long as they generally adhere to my main objective.
2. You not only need to be specific with your goals, you also need to be realistic. For example, if your lifetime financial goal is to have a net worth of $10 million and you are currently 45 years old and broke, it's probably not realistic for you to set a medium-term goal of $5 million in five years.
There are no absolute rules when it comes to this type of goal setting. You want your goals to be ambitious ... but you also want them to be achievable. But keep in mind that you don't have to go at it alone. Early to Rise is full of techniques I've developed that will give you an 80% or better chance of accomplishing the goals you set for yourself.
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