Every Artist Was First An Amateur.

quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson

Very often we look at actors, artists, athletes, musicians, business people, or anybody who has excelled at anything, and we think to ourselves how great they are or how lucky they are. We look at them in awe. But we forget the thousands and thousands of hours of practice that these people went through to get to where they are at now. We see the finished product, but we don't see the blood, sweat and tears. We don't see all the creative thought, visualizing, planning, goal setting, meditation, discipline, sacrifice, and dedication that these people experienced to get to where they are at now.

Mastery takes time, but it is possible. The truth is, the same greatness that anybody has experienced or achieved is also available to any of us if we would only take the time to study these people, do what they have done, think how they think, and not quit. Tony Robbins calls this mirroring and matching. Let's not forget that we can master anything we so desire.

Life Begins At The End Of Your Comfort Zone.

quote by Neale Donald Walsch

When I think back on my life, some of my greatest memories were times when I was doing something that was a little scary (starting a business, relocating, quitting smoking, etc). Must of us have things we want to do with our lives, dreams we want to make happen, and goals to accomplish. Most likely, there is going to be discomfort in doing these things. We must take action. We must work to become comfortable with discomfort. This is the only way we can grow. When was the last time we had butterflies in our stomach because we were about to do something that we were a little uncomfortable with? Those butterflies are a good thing. Chances are when we look back on our life we will remember those moments more then our "playing it safe and sound at home watching TV" moments.

Living a comfortable life is OK for some people, but for those of us who desire something greater, we need go beyond this. Let's push ourselves to take action today.

"Some Will. Some Wont. So What. Someones Waiting." - Jack Canfield

There is another version of this quote which is as follows: Some will, some wont, so what, next!

This quote can apply to a lot of aspects of our lives. Certainly if we are in sales it applies. Selling is a numbers game. If one person we present an offer to blows us off, so what. Next! We need to remember that not everybody is going to be on our team, so to speak. If we are selling ourselves, whether that would be in the dating world or the business world, some people are going to buy our product, and some people will not. Who really cares if one person is not going to buy from us, invest in our business, go on a date with us, etc. There are too many other people out there who are waiting for us who would be on board with us. But we must remember that we have to ask. We have to show up. Like Woody Allen says: "80% of success in life is simply showing up." We have to put the work in and put the best available product on the market.

Let's remember today the word "Next." There will always be another person, job, business, opportunity right around the corner. If one situation isn't working out, move on.

Today's Blog Topic: Vince Lombardi's Time Principle

Vince Lombardi, the great coach of the Green Bay Packers, invented a concept called: "Lombardi Time." This simply means showing up ten minutes early for an appointment, for work, for a meeting, etc. I believe that this is an awesome part of a code of ethics we all should strive to adapt in our lives. If we say that we are going to do something, we need to honor our word and do it. Period. There are no ifs, ands or buts. We need to be true to our word. Our word should be treated like gold. The truly mature person is one who respects other people and treats them the way they would like to be treated.

The Lombardi Time Principle is something that we all can adapt immediately in all aspects of our lives. What an awesome feeling knowing that we can be counted on. We will then in turn attract rock solid people into our lives who we can also count on. This is just another aspect of becoming an outstanding human being, something we all should be striving to do daily.

"In the absence of clearly-defined goals, we become strangely loyal to performing daily trivia until ultimately we become enslaved by it."

quote by Robert Heinlein, American Novelist

I believe that it is vitally important that we should develop the habit of writing out our goals daily and reviewing them as often as possible. At the very least twice a day: first thing in the morning and right before bed. This will direct our mind towards the things that we want to accomplish. I'm a big fan of the 3x5 note cards. I write down quotes, affirmations, and goals on these cards and I read them as often as I can. Repetition deepens the impression.

Without doing this, as the quote says we will get sidetracked. The "daily trivia" could be lots of things, but I think if we know in our heart that we are wasting time, then I believe that we should make efforts the correct our behavior and spend more time on our goals. One of my fundamental beliefs is we should read and study as much as possible in the areas that we want to excel in. This is a good place to start.

If we are going to live this life, why not life to the fullest? Why not strive to become better everyday in all of our affairs? Let's strive today to get as much out of our time here on earth as possible.

"It is in your moments of decision that your destiny is shaped.

quote by Tony Robbins

Everybody makes decisions every single day of their lives whether we realize it or not. If we have made a decision to do nothing, we have still made a decision. We come to those forks in the road where we need to make a decision to go down one road or another, but very often we do not realize the impact that these decisions will have years down the road in our lives. We need to ask ourselves: what am I trying to accomplish long term? What are my dreams and goals? What will it mean if I start this business? How am I going to feel about myself if I stop eating badly and get my body looking fabulous? Maybe I should start dating this person/maybe I should leave this particular relationship. Is this what I really want?

The real meaning of decision is: "to cut off from any other possibility." We should gain confidence in knowing that once we have made a decision, that's it. We need to burn our bridges and commit to that decision. Everyday is our day. Every decision is going to have an effect on our lives, positive or negative. The decision is ours.