It is Up to You by Jim Rohn

One of the first  things successful people realize is the old adage, "if it is to be, it is  up to me." That is, for you, the fact that your success and your course is  up to you. This doesn't mean that you do it all alone. It simply means that you  take responsibility for your life and your career. Too many people today  look at opportunity and figure it is up to someone else to make sure they get  it. They look at financial security and hope that the government will make sure  they live safely in retirement or in case of disability. They wait and wait,  figuring that it is up to someone else. And then the wait is over, and it is  too late to do anything. Their life is over and they are filled with regret. This isn't true for  you however. You know that you must take responsibility for your life. It is up  to you. The fact is that  nobody else is going to do it for you “you must do it yourself. Now, some people may  say, "Jim, that's a lot of responsibility." Friends, that is the best  news you can ever hear. You get to choose your life. Hundreds of millions of  people all around this world would give anything to live in the situation you  do “just for the chance to have the opportunity to take control of their  destiny. "It is up to you" is a great blessing! Here's why: 1. You get to chart  your own destiny. Maybe you want to start a small business and stay there.  That's great because you can choose that. Maybe you want to create a small  chain of stores. Maybe you want to have a net worth of $100 million. That's  okay too. The idea is that you get to choose. You can do whatever you like.  Different people have different dreams and they should live them accordingly. 2. You can reap what  you sow. Sleep in and go to work late and reap the return. Or get up early and  outwork the others and earn a greater return. Place your capital at risk and  earn a return “or place it at greater risk and perhaps reap a greater  return. You decide what you will sow and thus what you will reap. 3. No one else can  stop you from getting your dream. Yes, there will always be things that come up  and people who may not like what you are doing, but you can just move on and  chart your own course. There is great freedom in that. 4. You experience the  joy of self-determination. There is no greater pride than knowing you set your  mind on something and accomplished it. Those who live with a victim mentality  never get to experience the joy of accomplishment because they are always  waiting for someone else to come to the rescue. Those who take responsibility  get to live the joy of seeing a job well done. Let me ask you a  question: Where will you be in 5 years? 10 years? Or 25 years? Do you know? DO  you have an idea? Have you ever dreamed about it or set a goal for it? Are you  willing to take responsibility and recognize that, "It is up to you?" You will be wherever  you decide to be in those timeframes. You decide. It is up to you.   And that is very exciting! — Jim Rohn

Time

If you had a bank that credited your account each morning with $86,400—with no balance carried from day to day—what would you do? Well, you do have such a bank...time.

Every morning it credits you with 86,400 seconds. Every night it rules off as "lost" whatever you have failed to use toward good purposes. It carries over no balances and allows no overdrafts. You can't hoard it, save it, store it, loan it or invest it. You can only use it—time.


Here are six terrific truths about time:

First: Nobody can manage time. But you can manage those things that take up your time.

Second: Time is expensive. As a matter of fact, 80 percent of our day is spent on those things or those people that only bring us two percent of our results.

Third: Time is perishable. It cannot be saved for later use.

Fourth: Time is measurable. Everybody has the same amount of time...pauper or king. It is not how much time you have; it is how much you use.

Fifth: Time is irreplaceable. We never make back time once it is gone.

Sixth: Time is a priority. You have enough time for anything in the world, so long as it ranks high enough among your priorities.


So, how are you going to use your time today?  How about trading your time for EQUITY, build your network, then let the EQUITY, your network work to create all the income you need to achieve your dreams?

People Do What People See

When the Philistines were at war again with Israel, David and his servants with him went down and fought against the Philistines; and David grew faint. Then Ishbi-Benob, who was one of the sons of the giant . . . thought he could kill David.  But Abishai the son of Zeruiah came to his aid, and struck the Philistine and killed him.  2 Samuel 21:15-17
According to Albert Schweitzer, "Example is not the main thing in influencing others . . . it is the only thing." Part of creating an appealing climate is modeling leadership. People emulate what they see modeled. Positive model, positive response. Negative model, negative response. What leaders do, the potential leaders around them do. What they value, their people value. Leaders set the tone. Leaders cannot demand of others what they do not demand of themselves.

As you and I as leaders grow and improve, so will those we lead. We need to remember that when people follow behind us, they can only go as far as we go. If our growth stops today, our ability to lead will stop along with it. Neither personality nor methodology can substitute for personal growth. We cannot model what we do not possess. Begin learning and growing today, and watch those around you begin to grow. From John Maxwell ~ Developing the Leaders Around You

Change/Choice/Decision

One of the best places to start to turn your life around is by doing whatever appears on your mental "I should" list.

Indecision is the thief of opportunity.

Every life form seems to strive to its maximum except human beings. How tall will a tree grow? As tall as it possibly can. Human beings, on the other hand, have been given the dignity of choice. You can choose to be all or you can choose to be less. Why not stretch up to the full measure of the challenge and see what all you can do?

You cannot change your destination overnight, but you can change your direction overnight.

Decision making can sometimes seem like inner civil war.

I used to say, "I sure hope things will change." Then I learned that the only way things are going to change for me is when I change.

Don't say, "If I could, I would." Say, "If I can, I will."

It doesn't matter which side of the fence you get off sometimes. What matters most is getting off! You cannot make progress without making decisions.

We generally change ourselves for one of two reasons: inspiration or desperation.

If you don't like how things are, change it! You're not a tree.

Your Daily Agenday by John Maxwell

How would you describe your life? Are you achieving what you desire? Are you accomplishing the things that are important to you? Do you consider yourself a success? How do your prospects look for the future?
If I could come to your house and spend just one day with you, I would be able to tell whether or not you will be successful. You could pick the day. If I got up with you in the morning and went through the day with you, watching you for 24 hours, I could tell in what direction your life is headed.

When I tell this to people at conferences, there’s always a strong reaction. Some people are surprised. Some get defensive because they think I would be making a snap judgment about them. A few get ticked off because they think my claim sounds arrogant. Others are intrigued and desire to know why I make such a statement.

Here is why: I believe that the secret of your success is determined by your daily agenda. If you make a few key decisions and then manage them well in your daily agenda, you will succeed.

You will never change your life until you change something you do daily. You see, success, doesn’t just suddenly occur one day in someone’s life. For that matter, neither does failure. Each is a process. Every day of your life is merely preparation for the next. What you become is the result of what you do today. In other words…
You are preparing for something.

The question is, What are you preparing for? Are you grooming yourself for success or failure? As my father used to tell me when I was growing up, “You can pay now, and play later, or you can play now and pay later. But either way, you are going to pay.” The idea was that you can play and take it easy and do what you want today, but if you do, your life will be harder later. However, if you work hard now, on the front end, then you will reap rewards in the future.

Think about it: What are you preparing for today? Success or failure? Does your daily agenda indicate that you make a habit of paying before you play? Answering these questions is a good predictor of what you will become tomorrow and in the future.

One Choice

Think about this for a moment...one choice, just one, can change your life forever. Simply put, your life today is what your choices have made it, but with new choices, you can change directions this very moment. For me, that idea alone is highly motivational because it offers tremendous hope, regardless of circumstances, for a better tomorrow.

 If you have the courage to do so, you could make any one of those choices, or others, today. And you would change your life.  Sometimes it's a different kind of choice. It can be to not quit, to not give up in the face of adversity. We've all been there. 

Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen received 77 rejections for their idea, Chicken Soup for the Soul. They had to make a decision each time...should they throw in the towel and say enough is enough, or should they keep trying to pursue their dreams? You know the rest of the story. The 78th publisher said "Yes" and they went on to sell over 100 million books.

• Choose to Take Back Your Life
• Choose to Start Your Own Business
• Choose Financial Freedom
• Choose to Change Your Environment
• Choose to Take a Chance
• Choose to Be Happy

Never forget...You are One Choice from changing your life!  Go and be great~

Evaluating Your Associations by Jim Rohn

If you were to evaluate the major influences in your life that have shaped the kind of person you are, this has to be high on the list: the people and thoughts you choose to allow into your life. Mr. Shoaff gave me a very important warning in those early days that I would like to share with you. He said, "Never underestimate the power of influence." Indeed, the influence of those around us is so powerful! Many times we don't even realize we're being strongly affected because influences generally develop over an extended period of time.
Peer pressure is an especially powerful force because it is so subtle. If you're around people who spend all they make, chances are excellent that you'll spend all you make. If you are around people who go to more ball games than concerts, chances are excellent that you'll do the same thing. If you are around people who don't read, chances are excellent that you won't read. People can keep nudging us off course a little at a time until finally, we find ourselves asking, "How did I get here?" Those subtle influences need to be studied carefully if we really want our lives to turn out the way we've planned.
With regard to this important point, let me give you three key questions to ask yourself. They may help you to make better analyses of your current associations.
Here is the first question: "Who am I around?" Make a mental note of the people with whom you most often associate. You've got to evaluate everybody who is able to influence you in any way.
The second question is: "What are these associations doing to me?" That's a major question to ask. What have they got me doing? What have they got me listening to? What have they got me reading? Where have they got me going? What do they have me thinking? How have they got me talking? How have they got me feeling? What have they got me saying? You've got to make a serious study of how others are influencing you, both negatively and positively.
Here's a final question: "Is that okay?" Maybe everyone you associate with has been a positive, energizing influence. Then again, maybe there are some bad apples in the bunch. All I'm suggesting here is that you take a close and objective look. Everything is worth a second look, especially the power of influence. Both will take you somewhere, but only one will take you in the direction you need to go.
It's easy to just dismiss the things that influence our lives. One man says, "I live here, but I don't think it matters. I'm around these people, but I don't think it hurts." I would take another look at that. Remember, everything matters! Sure, some things matter more than others, but everything amounts to something. You've got to keep checking to find out whether your associations are tipping the scales toward the positive or toward the negative. Ignorance is never the best policy. Finding out is the best policy.Perhaps you've heard the story of the little bird. He had his wing over his eye and he was crying. The owl said to the bird, "You are crying." "Yes," said the little bird, and he pulled his wing away from his eye. "Oh, I see," said the owl. "You're crying because the big bird pecked out your eye." And the little bird said, "No, I'm not crying because the big bird pecked out my eye. I'm crying because I let him."
It's easy to let influence shape our lives, to let associations determine our direction, to let pressures overwhelm us, and to let tides take us. The big question is, are we letting ourselves become what we wish to become?
—Jim Rohn