Defining Success

As we start to figure out our journey we must rely on someone other than ourselves. For some that may be multiple contact points, for others it may be just one. I have found that if I do not include multiple contact points for reference that I am out of balance so to speak. Your point of contacts do not make the decision but are there to act as a sounding board or a constant reminder of who you want to become. I have always said to my now adult children that "they can be anything they want to be", but it has to be what they want. It cannot be what mom or dad wants, or friends or a spouse. In order to make sure that you can drive yourself to through the journey, it must come from within.
There is One that I always use as a point of contact and that is because He has never let me down. I have often let Him down but He has always kept His commitments and blessed me throughout my life. Heavenly Father has always been the main point of contact for me. If that does not work for you, that's okay, find something that will. However, if it is not Him you are missing out on a glorious guide, mentor, an honest contributor to your life. He will not make decisions for me, but having given me a guide he confirms my decisions, my goals, my life. For what is a house? No matter how a house is built, whether on stone or sand - without Heavenly Father in it, as the foundation, as the roof, as the door in and out, a home is just a shell with people inside. You may have the warmth of a heater, the coolness of air conditioning, the cleanliness of water, but until He is in your house and part of you the true waters will not be tasted nor used to clean.

Bring him into your life now and your journey will become more clear, your path more strong and your life so full.

Thought For Today

As we travel through life we find that it is much easier to make a friend for a day then to prattle through our life in mindless activities. For a friend for a day has the possibility to be a friend for life while mindless activity just makes your mind less.

What Is Success

Each person must determine what success is to them. Is it money, toys, family, job, church? Is it a combination of many things. I firmly believe that if you are not in balance with many things determining your success, it will be hard for you to be in total success. Some know what it means at a very early age, others take years and years to find their balance for total success. The critical point is it has to be determined by you, it may encompass many others but they do not determine TS for you - you do. You cannot change others and they cannot change you. You determine your traits of TS, they cannot. Others can create an environment for change and assist in you developing TS - but you and you alone drive it. Think about it!

When was the last time someone forced you to agree with them or do something that you really did not want to do, were either of you happy? I say neither of you could be happy. They had to force you to do something which made them feel less successful then they could have been, you did something that you did not want to do and in doing that you felt cheated or less in success. Help them find their traits and let them help you find yours, but never force your will or traits for TS on them - it does not work (part of the unrighteous dominion thing).

Thought For Today

In every person who comes near you look for what is good and strong;honor that; try to imitate it, and your faults will drop off likedead leaves when their time comes.

-- John Ruskin (1819-1900) English Art Critic

Succeeding

I have been reading a book in a journey to find how we can all succeed. I find that the overriding factor is TRUST. In order to maximize who we are we need to create and nurture trust with others but before we do that we really have to build trust in ourselves. It is the single most important trait to creating relationships and team.
My daughter who seems to always want to challenge me by buying me books to read so that I may continue on my journey to find total success (not money). A book that changed my life she had given me 4 years ago and helped me along my journey. The book was titled "Leadership and Self Deception." It is a book on leadership but it is really a book on trust and relationships. It is in paperback and is written by the Arbinger Institute. It taught me a value that I knew was needed but I did not realize how much I needed it. It was total trust! What an amazing concept! If you are interested in being the best you can be I highly recommend this book. I found that often I trusted people, but they did not understand the trust by the way I was presenting issues around other people. If you are in a meeting or with friends and you tear down others you have lost the ability to be in total trust. Not only did you lose the ability to be in total trust, those around you who you trust now wonder if you really trust them. Strange concept to understand, but true. Saying trust is not living trust.

If you live in total trust you can do just about anything and you can have others with you who want to be around you and be part of the success you are creating - whether socially, in work or as a friend or neighbor.

Nietzsche once said "He who has a why to live can bear any how to live." To better assess how to live in these difficult times we must understand the why of who we are. Not the Spiritual why, but our life's purpose "why." Once you can encircle your "why" you can then take on anything and can serve anyone. Until you find your why you may be out of balance in success. You can still be successful, in fact very successful, but without your "why." you will never be totally fulfilled as a person. Find your why. Take your journey. Stop, look, read, listen, fail, support, be wrong, praise others and you are then on your road to your "why."

Have You Ever Thought

At times when we least expect it we receive insight from the most unlikely place. If we are open we will receive the insight, process it and then move forward in our effort to become something different. Different from the thing you were before you received the insight. As we look at the pictures of our lives we find that we ignore so many opportunities to grow and progress. Either through our pride, self esteem, our ignorance, we ignore bytes of progressive thought, which in turn actually minimizes our value to ourselves and to others. If we open up our receptors to information and learn to evaluate versus shut out, we will gain so much in our lives. How do I become the best "ME" I can become? By listening and learning from our environment.

I knew a man once that told me "there will always be people who are smarter than you and those who are not as smart as you" he continued "that only makes you you and them, them. At no time are you better or worse of a person, student, worker, brother, sister, parent or friend." "What makes you different from them is how you process what they send you and what you choose do with it." Wow and he never graduated from high school. I never learned what he meant until many years later.