Humble Inspiration

May 31

A Constant Battle with Yourself

“The resistance is the voice in the back of our head telling us to back off, be careful, go slow, compromise.” -Seth Godin

There is something or someone always telling you not to go on. You could look to external sources to blame but my guess it is that voice in your head telling you not to.

Don’t succumb to it. You know taking that action you want to is the choice that will bring you closer to your goals and dreams. It isn’t easy but if you take these necessary steps, you will accomplish it.

When you are aware of the ‘resistance’ then you know better how to fight it. Don’t let it win the war.

I recommend you to read Linchpin by Seth Godin or Do the Work by Steven Pressfield. Both are excellent books.

May 23

Look in the Mirror

“Richard Branson mentioned that when he was a kid, if he criticized someone, his mother would make him stand in front of the mirror at home and say, “what you’re seeing in others is really what you’re seeing in yourself. So look in the mirror.” -Robin Sharma

I got this from Robin Sharma’s blog today and I thought it was great. I think many people, myself included, are quick to say something about someone but really, perhaps we are talking about ourselves. How often have you looked at the mirror and asked that person you see how you would like to be treated? Probably not often. Be polite.

May 18

Little by Little

“You have to apply yourself each day to becoming a little better. By becoming a little better each and every day, over a period of time, you will become a lot better.” John Wooden

You can do it. You know you can becuase others around you are doing it.

Check yourself at the end of the day on what you accomplished. I like this quote from Carol Dweck on the growth mindset, “What did you learn today? What mistake did you make that taught you something? What did you try hard at today?”

If you don’t track your progress, you won’t know how far along you are.

Track > Get Feedback > Create Action Plans > DO > Achieve your Goals

As Darren Hardy often says, “work hard”.

Perseverance

Great works are performed, not by strength, but by perseverance. Samuel Johnson

Just because things aren’t going your away doesn’t mean you should give up. These are definitely tough times and unlikely to get better overnight. Don’t let that stop you though. You are you and you will take yourself to the places you think and work for. If you let that outside negativity eat at you then you aren’t going achieve that dream. Resistance is the enemy. Keep at it.

Apr 05

When to settle?

“Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking, and don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart,…you’ll know when you find it.” -Steve Jobs

Two people are at the office. Both are do their job day in and day out. From time to time they drift off to day dream. One thinks about his boss and how annoying and demanding he is. He is full of anger and frustration. The other drifts off to thinking about how he can improve processes through automation.

Both employees then discuss their thoughts with others. The employee who was fraustrated ends up only more fraustrated as his word gets around back to their boss. On the other hand, the other employee is praised for their creativity, which then his idea is implemented to help the business.

If you are not happy, then do something different. Change only comes when you decide to change. Life after all, is very short.

Apr 02

Accelerate

“You have everything you need to build something far bigger than yourself.” -Seth Godin

People wallow in their sorrows blaming others rather than looking to themselves for the source of the problem. It is easier after all not to take responsibility. Is this really a good thing? Not really.

But! Here is the thing, you can improve yourself if you do look to yourself by questioning your actions. Was what I have done in the best interests of myself and the people around me? What can I do to improve? How can I catch myself next time?

There are many great role models, books, and tools out there to help improve yourself. You can BE so much more.

Start working on yourself. Improve. Help others.

Mar 28

Wonder

“Wisdom begins in wonder.” -Socrates

Do you ever just wonder about something? Once you start thinking of it you begin to drift off from one idea to another idea and it just seems to go on endlessly.These are the moments when new ideas and breakthrough are made.

You must make time for these moments and have a paper handy to jot down what crosses your mind (without distracting your though process)! Act on the ideas too! Einstein was great at this. Look at what he came up too! Wow!

Mar 27

Your Aim

“If you do not change direction, you may end up where you are heading.” -Lao Tzu

Do you like what you are doing? Are you achieving what you want? Are you moving towards your dreams? Are you succeeding?

If not, you may want to review what you are doing then because if you don’t, you will continue to drift away.You don’t necessarily need to make giant leaps but at least take small steps to redirect yourself.

Want that dream job? Are you skilled for it? Is your resume built for it? Are you talking to people in that business? Are you blogging know-how about it? Are you studying materials to get you closer? Or are you just doing what you have always been doing and your self-talk is “I hope”, “I wish”, “My dream is”?

Take action. The clock is ticking.

Mar 22

The Pursuit

“Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all.” -Dale Carnegie

Times get tough. Real tough. You are thinking to yourself WTF. You start to compare yourself to others and  try to figure out what you are doing wrong or what you aren’t doing enough. You may think about your past, where you F-ed up. The list goes on.

These thoughts are likely to add to the fire of your stress and situation. Get a grip, focus on what needs to be. Sort your priorities. Break them apart and start taking simple steps towards the goals. Slow and steady wins the race. Stay the course and you will get to the finish line. Then you may look back and go wow, I feel good.

Mar 08

Decisions

“Stay committed to your decisions, but stay flexible in your approach.” -Tom Robbins

Lately I have been finding myself floundering around. Each time I side with one choice, I find myself moving towards another one. In this variating state, it is unlikely I will find success. Making a choice that can impact your future and your family’s is never an easy one but never making a choice has an even greater impact and it is probably not for the better.