Real Achievement

DESPAIR.COM

We all have our own doubt regarding events that may or may not have happened. A close friend of mine has always questioned whether we actually landed on the moon on July 20, 1969. He doesn't doubt the later landings, but that first one still makes him wonder. When you accomplish anything in life, chances are there will be those that question it. And the picture above is 'tongue-in-cheek' of course regarding accomplishment. I look beyond the obvious statement and note that we can fool others but we can not fool our self.

As hard as you try, you know the truth of your own accomplishments in life.

Which leads us to being truthful about self. I have known people that repeat an untruth about themselves for so long that they begin to believe the legend. The stage is theirs and the audience becomes them self as well. It soon becomes a problem knowing what is the real truth and what isn't. But deep inside, you really know which one it is.

The truth eventually catches up with you.

The paper walls that you built will crumble around and leave you naked before all. And it is in the depths that you must rebuild the truth within yourself before anyone else will ever return as an audience. Which means you will be on stage, all alone, no audience.

Accomplishment becomes a label that others put on you. It is not something we place upon ourselves. You will know accomplishment inside and be able to pursue even more when it is truthful. Others may question it at first, but eventually they will see it for real in your purpose and action.

Be truthful to yourself and your accomplishments will shine on their own.

Stay inspired my friends!

The Right Target

“Fear is a habit; so is self-pity, defeat, anxiety, despair, hopelessness and resignation. You can eliminate all of these negative habits with two simple resolves: I can!! and I will!!” -Unknown

The message is simple, if you believe you can never succeed, you will never succeed.

We doubt, we worry and we spend energy holding up that target on our life. I am not immune to it and neither are you. I can work my hind end off and produce wonderful results, but find myself at times doubting the work. Being self critical has certainly held me back at times. It has probably held you back at times also. The energy expended on those negative habits drains your ability to do so much more in life.

You can liken it to the picture shown above by imagining your "self doubt" as a bullseye or target. Both hands firmly grip it and steadfastly position it in front of you. Your arms may weaken, but you hold onto that target ever tighter.

Now imagine if you simply threw it to the ground. Two free hands that could accomplish so much more are now available.

It is not easy to do because self doubt can be part of the "yin and yang" in our lives. Self doubt will keep you grounded in stagnation. And all too many times we let it take over and become a heavy rock in our wagon to carry through life.

What we must do is set aside the target of self doubt and believe in you. Free yourself to do greater things and let your dreams and goals become the target.

Stay inspired my friends.

Painting a Life

"Painting is silent poetry, and poetry is painting that speaks." -Plutarch

From time to time, I take time off from work as many of you do, to get some much needed maintenance done around our home. I grew up on a farm and have a hard time hiring others to come in and do this kind of work. Doing the work myself is a release from the normal kind of job I get paid to perform. So it is both 'therapy' and 'enjoyable' to perform this kind of work; plus it saves money...always a good thing.

One big project I completed not long ago was painting our previous house. There were tall and short ladders, lots of paint and dodging rainy weather kept me quite busy. Yet the work progressed and slowly became a work of art so to speak. Okay, so maybe it was not a Van Gogh or Picasso painting but I did have a canvas and used both brushes and paint. I like to think of it as a minimalist painting style. I would also like to think that Dali might have been amused by the bizarre connection between a painted work of art and a house painted.

Yet painting itself is not just the applying of color to a surface such as a house or canvas. Painting is also what each of us do in creating our life. The actions and thoughts we create each day paints the type of life we have.

The canvas is your life while the paint and brushes are your actions and thoughts. If negativity pervades your mind, then your life's picture will probably contain darkness and depressing images. A positive one will create a life full of color and wonder. The images created are yours and no one else can paint the picture for you.

No one but Leonardo da Vinci could paint the Mona Lisa.

No one but Monet could have painted Water Lilies.

And no one but you can paint your own life. Only you have the ability to make your life what you want it to be.

Paint a wonderful life for yourself and those around you. Even if the picture has already been started, you have the ability to repaint; to reshape the life that has already sprung forth from you. Grab your ladders, paint cans and brushes. Your canvas is awaiting you.

Stay inspired my friends!

Start and Run

Start by starting." -Meryl Streep

Okay, so you have made that decision to create change in your life. Your dream has been transformed into a set of goals. There are pieces of paper hung in those places to remind you of the vision. You are really going to do it this time you have reminded yourself a multitude of times.

You click on the 'START' button and all of a sudden you have choices. You had thought it was as simple as starting. The act of starting is a big step towards your goal, but the goal doesn't just happen. There are going to be decisions to make, changes to the plan and needed help along the way.

Think of the different choices presented to you;

- NEW DOCUMENT
- OPEN DOCUMENT
- SET PROGRAM ACCESS AND DEFAULTS
- UPDATE
- PROGRAMS
- SETTINGS
- SEARCH
- HELP AND SUPPORT
- RUN
- LOG OFF
- SHUTDOWN

And get the SHUTDOWN and LOG OFF options off your list now.

These are the options that say quit or end the journey towards a goal. It doesn't mean an end to life, it means you have decided not to pursue your dreams any further. That is why there is a HELP AND SUPPORT option available to you. A place to go that will help give you direction and assistance along the way. We each need help once in a while and don't be afraid to use it.

There are PROGRAMS that will work with you along the way and when you can not find your way, then the SEARCH feature of your life is available. Use those people in your life that build you up with real advice. Surround yourself with positive people and learn from the success of others.

You can UPDATE your goals along the way as well. You will OPEN the DOCUMENT that describes your goals. You read these constantly and try never to close it. When the time to update the goal comes, create a NEW DOCUMENT with the updated goals. Save and never lose the document; make copies and read them often.

As you get things figured out, you can SET PROGRAM ACCESS AND DEFAULTS that put those things into an automatic mode so that your energy can be focused on the goal. Just don't forget that even these items need to be reviewed and updated on a regular basis.

Finally, an important choice you can make.

The choice is to RUN towards a vision. You have been talking and dreaming of it for so long. Now is the time to reach out towards that thing you want.

It all "starts by starting" and you are on your way.

Stay inspired my friends!