Archive for the ‘Motivation’ Category

Persistence Grows Your Root System

August 26, 2010
Grow Your Root System

Grow Your Root System

By Vic Johnson. Edited by Jared Houser

It is the great equalizer for all of those reaching for success.  It overcomes lack of education, money, talent, intelligence, looks and all other seeming advantages.  President Calvin Coolidge said nothing could take its place: “Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.”

I cannot think of one victory I’ve ever had that won without persistence.  For a while I just thought that I had to work harder and longer than anyone else in order to achieve because nothing has ever come easy for me.  Then I really looked around and noticed that everyone else was just like me.  Every mentor I’ve ever had and every successful person I’ve ever known has their own story of how persistence was the key to their success.

Here’s what Bob Proctor teaches on one of the Universal Laws called the Law of Gender:  “This law decrees that all seeds (ideas are spiritual seeds) have a gestation or incubation period before they manifest.  In other words, when you choose a goal or build the image in your mind, a definite period of time must elapse before that image manifests in physical results.”

One of my most favorite inspirational examples about persistence is the story of an Asian Bamboo species that even after five years of watering, weeding and fertilizing is barely visible.  Then, in a span of about six weeks, it grow two and a half feet a day to 90 feet and higher.  It grows so fast that you can literally “hear” it growing.  The question to ask is did the bamboo grow 90 feet in six weeks or did it grow 90 feet in five years?

Obviously it grew 90 feet in five years, for all the time when growth wasn’t visible it was developing a massive root system that would later support its magnificent growth.

Can you see where the current circumstances in your life are developing your massive root system?  Can you see where you must continue to “fertilize” and “water” yourself even though maybe you can’t see any visible changes today?

Napoleon Hill thought that persistence was such a key to success that he devoted an entire chapter to it in the classic Think and Grow Rich.  He writes, “Persistence is a state of mind, therefore it can be cultivated….Before success comes in any person’s life, he is sure to meet with much temporary defeat, and, perhaps, some failure.  When defeat overtakes a person, the easiest and most logical thing to do is to QUIT.  That is exactly what the majority of people do.  More than five hundred of the most successful people this country has ever known told the author their greatest success came just one step beyond the point at which defeat had overtaken them.”

Can you think of some examples of uncompromising persistence?  I can.  The city of New Orleans continues to fight for the richness of their culture and heritage.

And that’s worth thinking about.

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Create Your Own Circumstances

August 22, 2010
Wine and Cheese

Would you like some cheese with that whine?

by Vic Johnson edited by Jared Houser

“A person only begins to become the person he/she wants to be when he ceases to whine and revile, and commences to search for the hidden justice which regulates his life.” – As A Man Thinketh

I had to look up the meaning of the word revile because I’ve never seen it used.  It means to condemn, despise, berate.  I didn’t have to look up the meaning of the word whine.  In fact, I’m sure some of my friends have sometimes wanted to ask me if I “wanted some cheese with that whine?” (Thanks, Mike!)

When we whine and revile we gie power to that which we revile and whine about.  We cease to be in charge of our life.  I love the way that Wanyne Dyer describes it in You’ll See It When You Believe It.  He says, “I no longer view the world in terms of unfortunate accidents or misfortunes.  I know in my being that I influence it all, and now find myself considering why I created a situation, rather than saying, “why me?”  This enlightened awareness directs me to look inside of myself for answers.  I take responsibility for all of it, and the interesting puzzle becomes a fascinating challenge when I decide to influence areas of my life in which I previously believed I was not in control.  I now feel that I control it all.”

One of my favorite quotes on this subject is from George Bernard Shaw.  “People are always blaming their circumstances for what they are.  I don’t believe in circumstances.  The people who get on in the world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want, and if they can’t find them, make them.”

So how do we develop the necessary character to make our circumstances instead of allowing our circumstances to make us.  Emmet Fox tels us that “you can build any quality into your mentality by meditating upon that quality every day.  If you seem to yourself to be lacking in certain necessary qualities, if your  character seems to lack strength, ask God to give you what you need – and He will.”

And that’s worth thinking about.

Image captured from http://www.gooddeedaday.wordpress.com

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Decide To Grow

August 21, 2010
Flawless Diamond

Decide To Grow

by Vic Johnson, edited and reposted by Jared Houser

The classic book Acres of Diamonds is the story of a person who sold his home and land to travel far and wide in search of diamonds, only to die penniless.  As the story goes, the new owner discovered diamonds on the very property that the old owner had ignored.

A lot of times I think we act the same way when we’re trying to “fix” something in our life.  Whether it’s happiness or self-esteem or love that we seek, many times we look outside of ourselves to find the answer.  We look to a spouse, a friend, a child or a parent to fill the void.  Perhaps we expect the answer to come from our pursuit of our occupation or other interests.  Or we expect a new home, a new car or a new boat to satisfy our “hunger.”

But, alas, like the poor farmer in Acres of Diamonds, our search comes up empty handed.  And just like the story, diamonds are waiting to be discovered in our own back yard.  As James Allen points out, the only way to find the gold and diamonds is to “dig deep into the mine of the soul.” It is here, he says, that we will find EVERY TRUTH connected to our being.

One of my most favorite authors, Jim Rohn, says, “The greatest source of unhappiness comes from inside.”  Conversely, that’s also where the greatest (and only) source of true happiness comes from.

Instead of searching far and wide, spend some time every day searching inside.  Instead of expecting something outside to fill you up, learn to fill yourself from within.  Make a commitment to read more of the material that will help you discover who you are.  Make a decision to grow.  As Jim Rohn also says, “What you become directly influences what you get.”

And that’s worth thinking about.

Image comes from www.topnews.in.

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Be Blind To Failure

August 20, 2010
Keynote Address by Erik Weihenmayer

Image by gary j wood via Flickr

Erik Weihenmayer Time Magazine Cover

Blind Faith

As told by Vic Johnson and edited by Jared Houser

There was an incredible story in the June 18, 2001 issue of  Time magazine about Erik Weihenmayer who had recently climbed Mt. Everest.

Now there’s been quite a few people who have climbed the world’s highest summit since Sir Edmund Hillary first did it in 1953.  But no one had ever climbed Mt. Everest that was blind, until Erik Weihenmayer did.

What’s even more amazing is that on September 5, 2002 he reached the top of Mt. Kosciusko, the highest peak in Australia.  That made Erik the first blind climber to reach the top of the traditional Seven Summits, the most challenging peaks in the world.

Erik can’t see like most of us can, but he knows, like James Allen knew, that if we settle for what we can see today, we’ll never live the life of our dreams.  We have to have a vision for our life, for what we want to become.  Most importantly, we have to cherish it and hold on tightly to it when circumstances are telling us that we’ll never see our vision.

If you read Erik’s story you’ll discover that Erik stumbled into the Camp on the first floor of Mt. Everest bloodied, sick, and dehydrated.  And he was still 9,ooo feet (almost two miles) from the summit.  But Erik had cherished and lived with his vision for years and would not be denied. Live the title of the story says, Erik was “blind to failure.”

The ancient writer tells us in Proverbs that “Without a vision, the people perish.”  So we must take the time to determine the vision for our life.  But once we’ve settled on our vision, then it’s important that we take James Allen’s advice to cherish it in our heart.

And, as Erik says, “Success is not just the crowning moment, the spiking of the ball in the end zone or the raising of the flag on the summit.  It is the whole process of reaching for a goal and, sometimes, it begins with failure.”

And that’s worth thinking about.

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Good Thoughts Bear Good Fruit as told by Vic Johnson and edited by Jared Houser

August 19, 2010
Fruit Bowl Image from Hayesphotoweb.com

Good Thoughts Bear Good Fruit

My friend once posed a very enlightening question to a telephone audience, “Are you thinking about what you’re thinking about?” Read that sentence again and read it carefully.  It’s a not a play on words.

Most people give very little thought to what occupies their thinking and even fewer people understand that “good thoughts bear good fruit, bad thoughts, bad fruit.”  Most of us understand the law of sowing and reaping in other aspects of life, but we fail to understand that this same law is just as potent when our thoughts are involved.

A June 1997 story in the Wall Street Journal said that HMOs reported that as much as 70 percent of all visits to a primary care physician are for a psychosomatic illness — a disorder that involves both mind and body.  According to Dr. David Sobel, a primary care physician and author of the highly respected Mind-Body Health Newsletter, only 16 percent of people who visit their physician for common maladies like nausea, headache and stomach upset are diagnosed with a physical, organic cause.  That means that a whopping 84% are suffering from an illness that originated in THOUGHT!  Moreover, according to Dr. Ronald Buescher, a family practice physician in Houston, Texas, when people perceive that they can make choices in the kind of treatment they receive, outcomes improve significantly.

These statistics tell us that the majority or people literally think their way to sickness.  If you’ve never trained yourself in “right thinking,” I challenge you to spend today monitoring and recording your thoughts.  If you understand the power of thought in your life, at the end of the day you won’t be surprised at why your life is where it is today, be it good or bad.

In Make Your Life Worthwile, Emmet Fox wrote, “The more you think about lack, bad times, etc., the worse will your business be; and the more you think of prosperity, abundance, and success, the more of these things will bring into your life.

The more you think about your grievances or the injustices that you have suffered, the more such trials will you continue to receive; and the more you think of the good fortune you have had, the more good fortune will come to you.”

And that’s worth thinking about.

Photo comes from Hayesphotoweb.com

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Definitely Directed Thought as told by Vic Johnson

August 18, 2010
University of Texas at Austin Library

Studying For Success

How many times have you heard the expression that most people spend more time planning their vacation than they do planning their life.  I would expand that expression by adding that most people spend more time thinking about their vacation than they do thinking about what’s important in their life.

The power of “definitely directed thought” (the power of purpose) is why I love the story of John Goddard so much.

When he was fifteen years old, Goddard was inspired to create a list of 127 “life goals.”  By one count, the young seventy-something has accomplished 109 of these PLUS 300 others he set along the way!

Here’s just a few of the ones he reached:

He climbed the Matterhorn, Ararat, Kilimanjaro, Fiji, Rainier, and the Grand Tetons.  He retraced the route of Marco Polo through all of the Middle East, Asia and China and was the first man to explore the length of the world’s longest river, the Nile.  He also boated down the Amazon, Congo and others.  He has been to 120 countries, explored the underwater reefs of Florida, the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, the Red Sea, visited the Great Wall of China, the Okefenokee Swamp in Georgia, and the Everglades of Florida.

He has flown 47 different types of aircraft, and set several civilian air-speed records including one at 1,500 miles an hour.  He flew an F-106 to an altitude of 63,000 feet, making him the only civilian to pilot an aircraft that high, a record which he still holds.

And I’m just getting started.  But I think you get the point.

Okay, maybe it’s been awhile since you were fifteen, and maybe coming up with 127 life goals is a bit intimidating at this point.  But how about 10?  How much would the quality of your life improve if you accomplished just one life goal in each of the next ten years?

You won’t ever know if you don’t start now — and you don’t WRITE them down.

More than just one of the greatest adventurers the world has ever known, Goddard is an incredibly wise person, as this quote of his demonstrates: “If you  already know what you want out of life, it’s amazing how opportunities will come to enable you to carry them out.”

And that’s worth thinking about.  Thinking back to your early years, what were some of the things you wanted to accomplish? As a child? As a teenager?  As a college student?  As a newlywed?  As a professional?

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Persistance as told by Vic Johnson

August 17, 2010
Make it Rain

Make it Rain

If I had to pick one character trait that I think is a “must have” in order to be successful in any endeavor, it would be persistence.  In fact, it seems to be the one trait that is the dominant trait in every single, super-successful individual I know.  I believe it to be the one trait that any ordinary person can use to become extraordinary.

Napoleon Hill, who wrote Think and Grow Rich, devoted an entire chapter to Persistence and said that the only thing that was different about Henry Ford and Thomas Edison was their persistence.

I’ve long since forgotten where I read it, but I’ve never forgotten the story of the tribe in Africa that confounded all of the anthropologists.  It seems that this tribe had for centuries enjoyed a 100% success rate with its rain dance.  In comparing this tribe to other tribes who did rain dances but who didn’t always experience success, the experts couldn’t find anything that differentiated the one tribe.  They performed the same rituals, praying the same incantations to the same gods, in the same costumes.  Like all tribes, they sometimes danced for days, even weeks on end.  Finally an astute observer noticed something very telling.  The successful tribe did one thing – and only one thing – different than than the other tribes.  It ALWAYS danced UNTIL it rained!

If your head is hanging low today as mine has done on many a day, I hope you’ll find the encouragement to know that you really only need to do one thing at this point —- PERSIST.  And that means taking just one step in the right direction —-even a half step in the right direction.

Yes, maybe you need to review your plan or change your plan or maybe you even need to create a plan in the first place :-)   But the one way you can ensure that you will meet with success (it’s absolutely guaranteed) — is to “dance until it rains!”

And that’s worth thinking about.  Now go out there, and make it rain!

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