In-Between Bits

"Between you and every goal that you wish to achieve, there is a series of obstacles, and the bigger the goal, the bigger the obstacles. Your decision to be, have and do something out of the ordinary entails facing difficulties and challenges that are out of the ordinary as well. Sometimes your greatest asset is simply your ability to stay with it longer than anyone else." -Brian Tracy

There you stand at the start line, anticipation and excitement building up inside of you. Those around you are murmuring the same thrill of the race to begin. The general tone of the crowd begins to build in crescendo, everyone waiting for the starting gun to go off.

Bang!!

Away everyone takes off and immediately they cross the finish line. That finish line tape breaks as all of the runners shout in joy. The band plays and the crowd cheers in approval.

Think of what it would be like to get rid of all the bits in-between the start and finish line. What if we set a goal in life, started and could finish it right away without having to deal with all of the ups and downs in-between? What if you could snap your fingers and you would be done?

I'm not sure we would really gain all that much. The first couple of times would be pretty cool one could suppose. But we would lose our ability to grow, to learn from all that happens in-between. Pretty soon I'm sure you would become bored with life in general. We are born and than we die; no sense messing about with all of that stuff in-between right?

It is great though that life isn't that way. It is great that we have to live all of the in-between bits. We have to struggle in order to appreciate the success. We have to endure some pain in order to experience the joy. We get to live life and all that happens from start to finish.

While the start of something is exciting and crossing the finish line is exhilarating, the tough part is what happens between the two. We can easily allow discomfort to takeover and allow us to abandon our dreams. You are running the race and someone yells "free ice cream" and we pull off course, distracted from the finish. Well, you get my point.

All of that stuff in-between is the really important part of achieving any goal or dream. Starting is easy and crossing the finish line is easy. Keeping yourself motivated and inspired is the hard part. It will be a roller-coaster ride, painful, joyful, easy, hard, and you name it.

You will finish though, you will break the finish line tape. The band will strike up a song, the crowds will cheer, the trophy will be presented and pictures taken. But before you get there, keep moving forward, keep advancing, keep overcoming anything that stands between your start line and that glorious finish line.

A Glass

"Optimists find joy in small things. They enjoy sunsets, a good conversation with a close friend; and they enjoy life in general. They are more concerned with having many small joys rather than having one huge joy." -Robert M. Sherfield

Not too long ago, I read an article written by Jane Pauley in which she writes how she does tend to be a 'doubter' as opposed to an optimist. She indicates that if she could choose, she would choose to be an optimist. And she really kind of thinks that she is more of a realist as opposed to being a pessimist.

My thought is that a pessimist believes the grass is dry and dead. An optimist believes the grass is always lush and green. The realist simply knows where the fence is that divides the patches of earth. I believe you can be a optimistic realist, which means there can be pessimistic realists as well. So I choose the optimistic side of the fence.

I guess what this gets down to is do you fret over the little obstacles in life? Do you wait and wait, worrying until the time is perfect to get past these obstacles? After all is said and done, most experts agree that once you have gathered information and mulled it over for some amount of time, just do something.

So here I am telling you to just do something, but it takes a positive attitude to give you that courage. The optimist is more likely to jump in the boat, oars in hand and try. A pessimist is unlikely to give it the old 'trial and error' college try.

In order to try and think more positively, here are three tips:

1. Give Thanks: Terry Paulson, Ph.D., author of The Optimism Advantage: 50 Simple Truths to Transform Your Attitudes and Actions into Results, says to tell others what you're grateful for. When you share positively, the whole energy of your attitude changes.

2. Keep Moving: Moods can spiral downward, therefore you need to stay physically and mentally active according to Margie Warrell, author of Find Your Courage: 12 Acts for Becoming Fearless at Work and in Life.

3. Focus Forward: If you set lofty goals, they improve your outlook in life. Martin E. P. Seligman, Ph.D., and author of Flourish: A Visionary New Understanding of Happiness and Well-being. He recommends to live in the future with short- and long-term goals to keep yourself positive.

The glass can be whatever you want it to be. Just keep filling it each day with good things, good thoughts and a good life; your best life.

Big Idea

"Believe in something larger than yourself... get involved in the big ideas of your time." -Barbara Bush

The thought of coming up with one big idea is daunting to most people. We sit and think and think some more about one big idea. The sitting around thinking all day never accomplishes anything. All we end up doing is just thinking.

There are those of course that have a big idea every day. They rush out and each big idea fails. The problem is that those big ideas are self centered. How to make the next big dollar, millions mind you. But when you look only selfishly at the next big idea, failure will normally occur.

When you look to connect yourself with a big idea that helps others it changes the game. Even your own idea, outwardly, unselfishly, sacrificial will grow into a big idea. Your big idea will impact and change peoples lives without even realizing it is going to happen.

Where is your big idea going to go?

A Day Filled With Happiness

"Your living is determined not so much by what life brings to you as by the attitude you bring to life; not so much by what happens to you as by the way your mind looks at what happens." -Khalil Gibran

You have been given a wonderful opportunity. You have been given a life to live. You have been given the greatest gift and it is your life to live. I always wonder why people do not see the wonder in it and choose to live a negative and unhappy life.

Is not life a vanishing resource to us, from the moment we are born the years, days and minutes are numbered? I believe we should be happy in living those moments we call our life.

Reverse the unhappiness, let go of what burdens you and live your life to a full extent.