What will you paint today?

It's your life. You are holding the paint brush. You can design your life to be whatever you would like it to be. It's your choice.

"You select the colors of your thoughts; drab or bright, weak or strong, good or bad.
You select the colors of your actions; cold or warm, fearful or daring, small or big.

Through your creative imagination you create a vision- your dream.
Each moment of your life is a brush stroke in the painting of your own career.
The little touches are the ones that add the stamp of character." ~Wilfred Peterson

What will you paint today? Don't just paint it, make it a Masterpiece.

"The choices that you make today will determine your future of tomorrow."

Quote of the month: "A true friend is someone who thinks you are a good egg even though the know that you are slightly cracked." ~Bernard Meltzer

Determination or Frustration

"Some are destined to succeed, some are determined to succeed."
H.H. Swami Tejomayananda

How many people actually Go All out in their quest for success. The secret is to hold on until others let go. Can you hold on a little longer then everyone else. The average person will allow their frustrations to get in the way of their determination. Determination is a mind set that constantly strives on getting to the next level. Life is not how hard you hit, but how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. Go after what you believe. For the only person standing in your way might be you.

Rocky IV
Adrian: It's suicide. You've seen him, you know how strong he is. You can't win.

Rocky: Oh, Adrian. Adrian always tells the truth. No, maybe I can't win. Maybe the only thing I can do is just take everything he's got. But to beat me, he's going to have to kill me. And to kill me, he's gonna have to have the heart to stand in front of me. And to do that, he's got to be willing to die himself. I don't know if he's ready to do that.

"The difference between the impossible and the possible lies in a person's determination."
~Tommy Lasorda

Quote of the month: "A true friend is someone who thinks they are a good egg even though he knows that you are slightly cracked." ~Bernard Meltzer

2 Most Powerful words for Success

Special Hello and a Happy Birthday to the Compassionate and Considerate Shannon Ashe

"You can't. You're not good enough. Are you crazy? Well don't ask me to help you." How many
times have you heard these responses from others. People will try to keep you down where they are. You only need to follow 2 words to get where you desire to be.

Failure is seldom fatal. Failure means, try again, try harder and do whatever it takes to get by the problem. Your ability to succeed depends on your personal Determination and Perseverance.

Determination- a fixed purpose or intention

Perseverance- steady persistence in a course of action, a purpose, a state, etc., esp. in spite of difficulties, obstacles, or discouragement.

Determination and Perseverance are attached to your gift that may have yet to be found.

What is your purpose in life?
"Find your gift and give it away."

Quote of the month: "A winner is a dreamer who just won't quit."

His greateest weakness became his greatest strength

He developed a blood clot in his arm at age 8. By age 16 he had 25 operations in his left arm and hand. His left hand is atrophied, which made it a little difficult to talk to girls. So as a sophomore in high school, he began juggling to get girls. Soon he fell in love. Not with a girl, but with his true passion in life, Juggling. But because of his disabled left arm, he could only juggle with one hand. His older brother had trouble getting a good nights sleep because he practiced all night. He pushed through boredom and frustration.

Today Dale Jones is the world's greatest one arm juggler. He travels around the world performing. He can juggle 6 balls at once. Dale has been featured in People magazine, CBS Evening News, Entertainment Tonight, and several other publications. He has worked with Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey Circus.

His Biggest Weakness became his Greatest Strength.
Once we accept where we are, then we can get to where we desire to be.

During lunch with Dale yesterday, he explained how he dealt with frustration.
"The more frustrated I got, the more determined I became." ~Dale Jones

Quote of the month: "A winner is a dreamer who just won't quit."

Worth the struggle!

Did you struggle today?

Did you know that Geese fly in a "V" formation? This is so they can fly higher and faster. It allows all the geese to face adversity and build strength. They all work together. The lead goose has the hardest job because it takes the brunt of the headwinds. The last goose has the easiest position. However, the geese rotate around and take turns at all the different positions, so they can all face adversity by being the lead goose.

Small challenges create small muscles, while big challenges create big muscles.
We all need challenges in order to grow.

"Adversity challenges and pushes us to accelerate the development of our greatest potential."
~Art Mortell

Quote of the month: "Most of life's failures are those people who didn't realize how close they were to success when they gave up."

The Mountain of Adversity

How do you expect to get anywhere in life without going through the struggle to get there?

3 Levels of Adversity (Mountain)
Quitters- Abandon the climb. "It's too hard. Look how high it is."

Campers- Start a difficult task and don't finish. They start climbing up the mountain and as it gets difficult they just camp out. This becomes their home. Living in mediocrity.

Climbers- Keep moving in spite of obstacles. Are willing to face adversity and keep climbing. Climbers grow from their challenges and realize that adversity builds Emotional Intelligence (EQ).

Campers see change as a problem and Climbers see change as an opportunity.

"Success is not a destination; it is a journey." ~Willie Jolley

Quote of the month: "Most of life's failures are those people who didn't realize how close they were to success when they gave up."

How to Kick FFUD Out?

FFUD
Fear
Frustration
Uncertainty
Doubt
Gotta have Faith!

Faith means to have Confidence and Trust in something.

Faith sees the invisible,
Believes the incredible and
Receives the impossible.
(Given to me by The Sweet Shannon Ashe)

"Faith will mold and make you. FFUD will bust and break you"

FFUD~ Ed Agresta

Quote of the month: "Most of life's failures are those people who didn't realize how close they were to success when they gave up."

Is IQ overrated as a contributor toward success?

Are you a genius?
Well Ted Kacynski is. His IQ is off the charts. However he lacked social skills and couldn't handle the pressures of life and eventually became the "Unabomber".

See, our IQ will take us places, but how long we last there will depend on how high our EQ and AQ are.

The key ingredients to success!
What is your EQ? That's right, your Emotional Intelligence- ability to work and empathize with others, control impulses and have high self esteem. People with a high Emotional Intelligence tend to excel in life, relationships, jobs, school and life's everyday challenges. IQ will help you get the job, but your Emotional Intelligence (EQ) will help you excel in it.

Now your determination of success is AQ- Which is how you handle Adversity. Building up your Emotional Intelligence, will depend on how you handle your Adversities = how successful you are.

"When Adversity jumps in the way of success, how well you handle it will determine if you're standing on top of the mountain or looking up from the bottom."

Quote of the month: "Most of life's failures are those people who didn't realize how close they were to success when they gave up."

Discover your "why."

Accomplish your Goals!
Stop thinking about it and start doing it. If we spent more time doing and less time thinking about it, imagine all the goals we would've achieved.

Randy was in desperate need of losing weight. No matter what the doctors told him, he still did not lose weight, until a tragedy struck his family. Randy's young daughter was going to die unless she received a kidney. Randy gave up his kidney, but the doctors refused it because he was too overweight. Randy then did the unthinkable. He lost 100 lbs. in 8 months and saved his daughter's life. Randy said, "It was easy because I had a tremendous incentive to save my daughter's life."
~Oprah Winfrey Show

"If you have a big enough "why," you'll always discover the "how."
~ Dr. Gilbert

Quote of the month: "Most of life's failures are those people who didn't realize how close they were to success when they gave up."

What do you want?

Do you spend most of the day thinking about all the things you want in life?

"Money won't make you happy. But everyone wants to find out for themselves."
~Zig Ziglar

"It's not having what you want, it's wanting what you've got."

"Why should God give us anymore if we don't appreciate what we already have."

Quote of the month: "Most of life's failures are those people who didn't realize how close they were to success when they gave up."

What are you doing with your shots in life?

Dedicated to a basketball athlete, who is one of the most Composed players and person that I know, Bobbi Aker.

The Greatest Hockey Player of all time once said, "The only shot you miss is the one you don't take" ~ Wayne Gretzky

Being afraid to make a mistake is the worst mistake, you can make.

Life is full of shot opportunities. Sometimes you make 'em and sometimes you miss 'em. If you miss,
SO WHAT! Take Another Shot.

"While those hesitate because they feel inferior, others are busy making mistakes and becoming superior."

Quote of the month: "Most of life's failures are those people who didn't realize how close they were to success when they gave up."

Whose life will you touch today?

Dedicated to a person who brings energy and enlightenment when she walks into a room, Lorraine Ferro.

"You are fulfilling a life exactly as you are and exactly as you are needed because you're willing and open to follow your heart! That is so rare, and with your help, those qualities will be much more visible in many more people, because your path includes lighting up the whole world!"
~ written to someone in a birthday card

The world needs us and it is our job to find out HOW?

"Your gift is wrapped in the box of desire."

Quote of the month: "Most of life's failures are those people who didn't realize how close they were to success when they gave up."

Has someone told you NO?

When someone tells you NO, it's only temporary, until you find a way to get them to say yes. Find your way around your circumstances. NO should push you where you need to go.

This woman divorced her husband, after spending years of being physically abused. This singer tried to get a record contract, but was told NO by numerous companies because she was washed up. But if you want something bad enough, then the word NO is only a small bump in the road. So she went to Europe and recorded a song called "Let's Stay Together". She then came back to America and recorded an album called "What's Love got to do with it". She is now one of the all time highest grossing concert artists of all time.
-Tina Turner

"Your Greatest Rejection is your Greatest Direction."
~Joel Osteen

Quote of the month: "Most of life's failures are those people who didn't realize how close they were to success when they gave up"

Do you get frozen by the fear of failure?

Dedicated to a Professor whose motivational style, has touched many students at Montclair State University, Lisa Sargese.

understand that the brain resists change; takes time to get your system to effectively change for the better

Positive Failing
1) Results may not come as fast as you would like= SO WHAT
2) Keep putting in the effort until "Breakdowns become Breakthroughs"
3) How do you know you're pushing yourself hard enough? When you are making mistakes
4) Don't stop until successes outnumbers mistakes

"Some people throw a chlorine tablet in a swamp and expect a swimming pool to appear."
~Lisa Sargese

"When you find the energy for total nonstop effort, by giving your best no matter what the circumstances are, then you are acting as if it were impossible to fail."

Quote of the month: "Most of life's failures, are those people who didn't realize, how close they were to success when they gave up"

Get in the wheel barrow!

A tight rope walker walked across the Niagara Falls while thousands of fans looked on. After jumping and jogging across the rope, he did something even more amazing that would stun the crowd. He put a wheel barrow on the rope and put his dog in it. Then his son and eventually his wife. He took all of them across to the other side and back. While signing autographs, he was approached by an ecstatic fan. The fan asked "can you go across there one more time so I can get a picture (as the wind started to pick up)." The tight rope walker asked him, "Do you believe that I can walk across with the wind blowing?" The fan replied, "There is no doubt in mind that you can." The tight rope walker then said, "O.k. then get in the wheel barrow," as the fan then walked away.

Are we walking with a belief system that has not been tested.

"Once you conceive it in your mind, you must believe it in your heart."

Quote of the month: "Most of life's failures, are those people who didn't realize, how close they were to success when they gave up."

Do others dictate your mood?

Isn't it nice to receive great compliments? Doesn't it make you feel great about who you are? But are we constantly relying on others to lift our spirits? If so then are we allowing others to pull us down? We might be giving power over our emotions to others, putting us on this wild roller coaster ride of emotions. - Compliments bring us up and insults brings us down -

It is time that we start taking charge of our lives.
How?

Don't allow others' poor character to infect your own.
"I am already happy with who I am and there is nothing anyone can do to change that."

Quote of the month: "Most of life's failures are those people who didn't realize how close they were to success when they gave up."

Are you a gazelle or a lion?

Dedicated to the most inspiring teenager Andy Hernandez. Every morning Andy wakes up he is always ready to face what God has in store for him today.

Did you know, if you listen or watch something positive in the first twenty minutes of your day, you're productivity has a chance of doubling.

Every morning in Africa a gazelle wakes up,
And knows that it must run faster than the fastest lion, Or it will be eaten.
Also every morning in Africa a lion wakes up,
And knows that it must outrun the slowest gazelle, Or it will starve to death.
It doesn't matter whether you are a lion or a gazelle...
When the sun comes up you'd better be running.

"What will you be thankful for tomorrow that you will do today."

Last Quote of the month: "Don't allow the pains of the past to poison your future. Where you're going is more important than where you've been."

What does your future hold?

Your future is happening right now. So stop trying to figure everything out.

I have only just a minute, Only sixty seconds in it
Forced upon me, can't refuse it,
Didn't seek it, Didn't choose it
But it's up to me to use it
I must suffer if I lose it
Give account if I abuse it
Just a tiny little minute
But an eternity is in it!
-Dr. Benjamin Mays

Quote of the month: "Don't allow the pains of the past to poison your future. Where you're going is more important than where you've been."

Lets Procrastinate!

Dedicated to a person who always finishes what he starts.
A Hard Worker- Jimmy Deakyne

There is only one thing, you are allowed to procrastinate.

"Procrastinate Procrastination" ~Dr. Gilbert

Quote of the month: "Don't allow the pains of the past to poison your future. Where you're going is more important than where you've been."

What if they saved your life?

Let's take a positivity test.
Just for today I want you to wright down every time you point the finger at someone else and then jot down how many times we lift someone's spirits. What would your ratio be? (you may hit me back tonight with your answer).

How would you treat someone if they saved your life?
So how is the finger pointing going? Are there some people in this world who would have to save our lives, to get our respect?

"If we would feel sorrowful over their non existence tomorrow then it's time to make peace with them today."

Reminder: "God has already forgiven those who have done wrong to us. Why haven't you? "

Quote of the month: "Don't let the pains of the past poison your future. Where you're going is more important than where you've been."