Wake Up

"If you want to make your dreams come true, the first thing you have to do is wake up." ~J.M. Power

A friend of mine, David Spell recently wrote a great article titled A Season of Change that talks about setting goals.

Its a pretty darn good reflection as this year starts coming to an end and a new year is preparing to begin. What goals did we set this year and what goals are we preparing along with the new year?

I would confess that I'm better at setting work goals then I am for my own personal life. That probably sounds odd coming from someone that writes motivational articles. But I am no different then each of you. I need to remind, encourage and inspire myself to a great life.

That journey includes needing to set goals. As we age though, we tend to lose the ability to dream like a child. I don't mean dreaming childish dreams, but dreaming of the impossible like a child does.

If you dream the impossible, you also have to plan and prepare by setting goals to achieve those dreams. Whether the dream is large or small, dream like children, never grow out of that ability. Dream big things all of your life.

Then set goals to achieve those dreams. Prepare yourself because simply dreaming won't get you there. And then the only thing left to do is to WAKE UP and get moving.

Solid Foundation

“Character is like the foundation of a house - it is below the surface.”

There are stories many of us have read regarding failed character of others. There are stories of ponzi schemes run by people whom on the surface were charitable and seemingly very good hearted people. There are the stories of people leading a double life of cheating on a spouse. Or one of many other stories in which a person's underlying character is finally revealed.

You could think of it as a very nice looking home. A new paint job, new roof and a well maintained lawn. You enter the home and enjoy dinner parties with your host. The fireplace always seems to have the right glow to it and everything seems so perfect.

Yet laying just beneath the surface is a poorly laid foundation. Loose rock, cracked blocks and bricks along with poorly prepared soil. It is a foundation that with heavy rain, strong wind or a small earth rumbling will fail.

A house built upon a poor foundation will crumble when trouble occurs.

A life built upon a poor character will crumble when trouble occurs.

The foundation of our life is built upon our character. Others may not at first see what lay beneath but eventually the stones fall away. The facade crumbles and your true character is revealed. The true essence of whom you are will be exposed for all to see.

If you build a strong character, your foundation will last a lifetime and beyond. Your character is what determines who you really are. Paint fades, a book cover weathers away but your character can last forever if the foundation is solid.

Build a strong character as your foundation for a great life. An article describes five things to think about.

1. Understand what character and Integrity are.

The definitions of these words are often stretched or misrepresented. Learn what they truly mean:

Character is the sum of qualities show up in a person or group, moral or ethical strength, and the description of a person's attributes, traits and abilities.

Character is who you are. It defines you and guides your actions, hopefully in a positive way.

Integrity is steadfast adherence to a strict moral or ethical code, being unimpaired, sound, whole and undivided; completeness.

Integrity can be summed up simply as doing the right thing for the right reason even when no one is watching.

2. Choose a set of rules, morals, or principles that you believe will lead to a happy, satisfying, and righteous life, as well as a better world.

3. Look at the choices you've made in your past, and observe how much you have or haven't lived by those principles. Don't waste time feeling regretful or guilty.

4. Decide what you must change in your behavior to align your life more closely to what you believe.

5. Be conscious every day of the decisions you make, however big or small, and how close they bring you to being the person you really want to be.

Your character is a huge part of your life's foundation. Build it strong and your life will be strong and lasting. A rock solid foundation that will withstand even the hardest of times. And should your foundation crumble from a weakness, then rebuild your life repairing those areas of your life that need strengthening. Repair and maintain a balanced wheel of life that will roll on and on and on.

Live the Journey

Over the course of our lives, there are the naysayers that enter into our world. Those are the people that seem to always be negative and have a negative effect upon your life.

Why not try getting around some positive people that will lift you up? Why not try some encouragement? Why not read some stories that will inspire you along your journey to a great life?

My newest book, LIVE THE JOURNEY is a roadmap of stories to help guide you. Every day it will inspire you to take one more step.

If you believe in achieving a great life, then act upon that belief. You can and will realize your best life. LIVE THE JOURNEY can change the way you think about yourself, your life and those around you. Live the journey of a great life and find out just how much you really can achieve.

Counting Steps

"Take the first step, and your mind will mobilize all its forces to your aid. But the first essential is that you begin." ~Robert Collier

For those that know me, I have a little quirk that some think is problematic. Others find it amusing and find ways to cajole me. I have never found it to be a problem and the humor cast upon me is neither bothersome or hurtful, so on I go.

The quirk is that I count things. I count stairs, steps, ceiling tiles, and other things. To me it fits in perfectly with my compulsion to have have things in order. You could call it my Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) that is defined as a Counter and Arranger. People such as I are supposedly obsessed with order and symmetry.

I don't have any superstitions about colors and such, but mostly in making sure that I get the counts correct. I have even been described in the same vein as a television character called Monk. That urge to straighten and line up everything does get a few comments from time to time.

But what I really look at is the counting of things. The number of steps from where I park at work to the entry door, (26). The number of steps up from my living room to the upper floor, (10). And many other ones that I do repeat and have to ensure that I count correctly each time.

Of course I do this in my mind and it isn't problematic...honestly.

The interesting part isn't the total count. It isn't that there are ten steps here or twenty-six there. It is the first step that counts. That you move forward and begin at the number one. One step leads to a second step, a third, fourth, and so on.

Without that first step, we will never make progress on our journey of life. And isn't that how one should 'Live the Journey' after all? The cliches' and quotes abound about how a journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step.

But it really is that first step followed by many more that will lead to a great life. So keep moving forward and I will keep counting.

One, two, three, ...