Early Morning

Before dawn
As the rest of the world
Lay sleeping

We stood
Silent
On top of the hill

And slowly
The day awoke
In deep blue
Optimism

by Marcus Edward John Cross

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Leadership Quote

If it's a good idea, go ahead and do it. It is much easier to apologize than it is to get permission.

Admiral Grace Hopper
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Clarity Is Key

"Most people do not get what they want because they do not know what they want."

Never was a truer statement uttered. The sad thing is most believe they know what they want. Yet, when they are questioned, it is realized they have no idea. Their life is spent expending effort energy chasing a moving target. It is little wonder that most fail miserably.

What do you truly want? This is the question from which all your success comes. Without answering this clearly, you will be mired in an endless loop. All great achievements stem from the clarity that comes with making a decision. It is now time to decide what you want.

Focus is an important aspect of success. I find that it is impossible to focus completely when there is a lack of clarity. Concise ideas are much easier to follow. A builder cannot construct a home without accurate blueprints. The same is true for your life. Without the clarity that comes from knowing exactly what you want, your masterpiece will be substandard.

Get clear about what you want. Spend some time writing the type of relationships that you want. Set a path for your life. This is a fantastic journey. It gets better when you get concise about how you want things to transpire.
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What You Have

We are a generation of insatiable wants. It seems that no matter what people have, they always want more. This is a conditioning that we are accustomed to. Advertisers are experts at striking the emotional cords within us that makes us crave a particular product. It gets to the point where people cannot distinguish between wants and needs.

This conditioning has made people unhappy. Regardless of what one has, it is never enough. The "more" syndrome becomes an endless cycle. We have an appreciation level of about 3 minutes. This causes us to continually look forward at what we are going to get next.

Gratitude is an emotion that many philosophies teach is central for lifelong happiness. It also is something that we lost as a culture. If you want to be happy in this moment, get grateful for all the things that you have now. You are blessed in so many ways. Recognize that and be grateful for it.

This is true no matter what your present situation is. Regardless of your struggle, there is always a worse situation you could find yourself in. The old saying is "I was unhappy about my shoes until I met a man with no feet". This insight provides the shift in perspective necessary to be grateful.

Here is an exercise: instead of comparing yourself to those who have something you want, begin to compare yourself to those less fortunate. We tend to envy the neighbors for the new car, house, or pool. This puts a sense of longing within us. The problem is that we are overlooking what we have when we do this. We are not grateful with this mindset.

We take things fro granted until we lose them. This seems to be a fact of human nature. Here is an example: are you grateful for your car battery. Most fail to think about it until they go out and the car won't start. Then we wish we had a battery that worked. The same can be said for anything in our life.

Remember this little exercise when you are beginning to feel down. If financial circumstances are beating you up, go online to view some pictures of life in Africa. This will give you an instant shift in perspective. We think we know what poor is in the western world. Not really. The continent of Africa takes poverty to a level that most of us cannot imagine. Those people would most likely sacrifice parts of their body to be in our shoes. Yet we complain because those shoes are not the latest Nikes. It is time to get appreciative for all that we are given.
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Broke Versus Poor

I was speaking with a friend of mine yesterday who is going through some rough times financially. His business is off 90% from it's peak a couple of years ago. As you can guess, he is in the mortgage arena. During our discussion, he mentioned how "poor" he is. That is the basis for today's lesson.

My friend was incorrect. He is not poor. At the moment, he is broke. There is a major difference between the two. Understanding how these two concepts differ is what allows one to transform the circumstances.

Being broke is a reflection of a situation. It is temporary in nature and can be reversed. Circumstances sometimes go unfavorably which leads us to go broke. Many wealthy people experienced this in their life.

Poor, on the other hand, is not a situation. This is a state of mind. And most who are poor remain there. It is something that is not changed based upon financial circumstances. Many wealthy people remain poor which eventually reflects in the physical world. In the end, they lose whatever money was accumulated.

The only way to stop being poor is to change one's mindset. Getting back to my friend, he is broke because his circumstances are temporary. He still has the mindset to go out and create. Wealth building is something that he did not lose. I am certain there will be a time when he will reverse his fortunes.

Donald Trump went broke a few times. Yet he maintained his ability to create wealth. Also, the inner belief that he would rebound remained. That internal self confidence is common among those who alter these types of circumstances. They have the persistence to succeed in spite of the present difficulties.

It is easy to see how being poor is greatly different from being broke. If you are experiencing a rough time financially, remember this idea. Having the proper mindset is the first step to changing the physical circumstances.
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The Big Picture

Do not worry. This is not a suicidal note or anything like that. However, periodically, I think about death. It usually occurs upon the anniversary of somebody's death who I was close to. This occurred over the weekend since I lost a buddy of mine a little over a year ago.

What I often dwell upon is "what does it all mean?". We spend our days dealing with the trials and tribulations only to wake up dead. Many plan for life in their later years only to pass on long before ever reaching it. It makes me wonder what the point is.

This is a rather pessimistic view. The flip side is there is a perspective which we need to adhere to. How important is it all? Consider the last time you were enraged. Was it worth it? What was it over and how important is it really? These are questions which will help you keep things in perspective.

Many philosophies teach that there are no big deals. This is true. Another way of looking at it is "what will this matter in 100 years?". If something is not lasting, is it really a big deal? Probably not.

So where does this leave us? I really do not have the answer to that. I guess it all comes down to individual faith or belief system. However, I can tell you whatever you are upset about is not worth it. In the grand scheme of time, we are only here a short while. It is best to make the most of it.

This begins by concentrating on what is important in life. Too often people spend their waking hours pursuing things that are of little relevance. Remember this while you are angrily plugging along at your "to do" list. Most of what is on their is absolutely inconsequential.

Ask yourself "what can I create that will have a lasting impact?". While few ever are remembered past the people who knew him/her, there is a chance you will create something that has impact. Books, businesses, paintings, and organizations all can outlive their originators. People who look to build something lasting often do.

Begin today by shifting your mindset. If it is important, pursue with complete vigor. In the end, even if you fail to create something lasting, you will have led a fulfilled life. And, that should be the goal of each person.
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No Limits

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