Don't Hold Back

"Don't hold back - jump in every day with a great attitude. Now is the time." -Travis Brown

Not everyone has to go through traumatic or large life changing issues to get to a point of choosing a better life. For many people though it surely seems that way. I have no figures or colorful graphs to illustrate my point. But the human mind is such that it tends to take a very large knock in the head to make change.

I would tend to believe it has to do with our 'hard-headed' mindset when it comes to staying with one particular way of doing things. I was one that went through life with a single thought on how things worked and my path through it. I felt that positive attitude was the only thing I needed along with working hard. Just keep doing what I'm doing and it will all work out.

The thing we forget is that things change. Ways of getting through life need to constantly be evaluated, adjusted and different paths adopted. When we wear blinders, so much opportunity and possibility get missed.

Having a great and positive attitude is important. It also means looking for new ways, seeing potential in new ways. Being open to change will give you new opportunity for keeping your life on track. You adjust and change when finding life going the wrong way. Allow yourself to see new ways of doing things. Change causes movement and with movement the possibility of a better life.

Stay inspired my friends.

Overcoming Obstacles

Benjamin Franklin by RadmanRB

"Although the world is full of suffering, it is also full of the overcoming of it." -Helen Keller

Benjamin Franklin left us with many great things that have endured and remain relevant even today. Many see him as one born into greatness and a life of ease. But this is far from the truth of the obstacles he had to overcome.

One of the things he did was serve as an apprentice in a print shop to his older brother. Now you have to understand the time and place this occurred. This would be in Boston back in 1718 and was basically indentured to perform the menial tasks while learning the trade. His brother who was much older and would take out his frustrations on Benjamin by beating him.

He persevered and was able to see that there was another way. During these times it would mean trying to gain his freedom from his apprenticeship only to find that no one would hire him as his brother had put the word out. So it was through various means he set off for New York, nearly penniless and no letter of recommendation in order to get hired.

To read of the obstacles or 'rocks within his wagon' is quite astounding to read. But I will not say that his trials and tribulations were any more then what someone else may have endured. As I have said before, tell me your sad story and I'll tell you a hundred sadder stories.

As I read about Benjamin Franklin, he didn't let these issues deter him or lessen his enthusiasm to better himself in life. Much like you need to do in life, continue with a positive attitude to overcome whatever confronts you. Benjamin Franklin said when writing his autobiography, "as I reflect on my current happiness, I can honestly say that if I were given the opportunity to live my life over again from the beginning I would do so."

He goes on to say that he would like to correct certain things in life...but knowing if he could not he goes on to say, "nonetheless, even if both requests were denied, I would still accept the offer." Make what you can of life in such a manner so that you can say without pause that you would accept the offer to live it all over again.

Stay inspired my friends.

Your Integrity

"Character is doing the right thing when nobody's looking. There are too many people who think that the only thing that's right is to get by, and the only thing that's wrong is to get caught." -J.C. Watts

Here is a favorite article from JLM and Associates called "The Importance of Integrity" which I present to you today.

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The Importance of Integrity

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The single most important quality you can ever develop that will enhance every part of your life, is the value of integrity. Integrity is the core quality of a successful and happy life. Having integrity means being totally honest and truthful in every part of your life. By making the commitment to become a totally honest person, you will be doing more to ensure your success and happiness in life than anything else you can ever do.

Integrity is a value, like persistence, courage, and intelligence. It is your choice of values and resolution to live by those values that form your character and personality. And it is integrity that enhances all your other values. The quality of person you are is determined by how well you live up to the values that are most important to you. Integrity is the quality that locks in your values and causes you to live consistent with them.

Integrity is the foundation of character. A person who has integrity also has an unblemished character in every area of his or her life. One of the most important activities you can engage in, is developing your character. And one of the best ways to develop your character is by consistently doing the same things that a thoroughly honest person would do in every area of his or her life.

To be totally honest with others, you first have to be totally honest with yourself. You have to be true to yourself. You have to be true to the very best that is in you. Only a person who is consistently living a life with the highest values and virtues is a person truly living a life of integrity. If you are always honest and true to yourself you cannot be false to anyone else.

The mark of people who have high integrity is, they always do the highest quality of work in everything they do. They are the people who are always totally honest with themselves in everything they do, and strive to excellent work on every occasion. People with high integrity realize that everything they do is a statement about who they are as a person.

The Universal Law of Attraction says that you inevitably attract into your life the people and circumstances that are in harmony with your dominant thoughts and values. This means that everything in your life you have attracted, because of the person you are. If there is anything in your life, your relationships, or your work that you are not happy with, you need to begin changing the person you are, so that you stop attracting those people and situations into your life.

Your integrity is manifested in your willingness to adhere to the values that are most important to your. It's easy to make promises but often very hard to keep them. But every time you keep a promise that you've made, it is an act of integrity, which in turn strengthens your character. As you act with integrity in everything you do, you will find that every part of your life will improve. You will begin to attract the best people and situations into your life. You will become an outstanding person as well as a success in everything you do.

Joe Love draws on his 25 years of experience helping both individuals and companies build their businesses, increase profits, and achieve total success. A former ad agency executive and marketing consultant, Joe's work in personal development focuses on helping his clients identify hidden marketable assets that create windfall opportunities and profits, as well as sound personal happiness and peace.

For Joe, success in life is the comprehensive product of greater wealth and income, better personal relationships, and productive attitudes and environments. He started his personal development services because he sensed a strong need for caring, personalized, and flexible mentoring to individuals from all backgrounds and professions.

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Live your life with integrity; in your personal and business life. And stay inspired my friends.

Boston Marathon Thoughts

"We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light." -Plato

There is a sense of wondering this morning about the terrible bombings during the Boston Marathon on Monday, April 15. A sense of pain and bewilderment exists for those scarred from injuries to horrible suffering. And a deep grief has fallen over the relatives of those who died.

In a world that experiences tragedy on a daily basis, we must not allow that tragedy to bind us in fear and sorrow. The time for mourning and healing exists and must be taken. Never should we allow darkness to win the battle. There will be judgment in time but for now we must help heal the wounded and grieve for those that lost their lives.

Stay strong my friends, grieve for the lost and pray for the wounded but emerge into the light of day standing confident.