We are all gifted with a unique set of skills and abilities. With those abilities we can make extra-ordinary things happen in the world around us, or not.

It is completely up to you whether you want your life to make a difference and what difference you want your life to make.

Many people set lofty goals for their lives and want to be remembered as visionaries, they want to change and save the world.

Others want to be remembered as the kind man or women down the street who always helped and always listened if you needed help.

Who do you think is the better person?

The one who changes the world or the one who saves the individual?

Do what not have to do incredible things; just being there for the people around you can save someone from a meaningless life and help them lead the life they were meant to live.

Small things matter

Changing the life of another person is an incredible feeling and it is completely within your grasp. You can do this by deciding to become a mentor for a young ambitious person. You can help them avoid the mistakes you have made and help them learn from the ones they will inevitably make themselves.

Fight for someone’s rights

You will often see someone get treated unfairly. It happens both professionally and socially, individuals who deserve recognition do not get it.

By taking up the fight and making sure others get what they deserve and earned you will be a true hero. You will make a lasting impact on their lives and you will be rewarded with love and help in the future when you are in need.

The law of karma says that whatever you do you will get back three fold, helping others is therefore a selfish act, but still a good act, one that you should do without fear, with love and with the knowledge that you will one day be rewarded.

Go the distance

Compromise is the enemy of long term commitment, if you have committed to helping someone by being their mentor or by fighting for their rights, doesn’t stop half way. Go the distance and see it through. Make sure something happens so all your work doesn’t end up as only talk.

Conclusion

In truth we might all be here to help each other, we might all be a part of a machine that fosters cooperation, or were not. We might just be here to make the best of the situation for ourselves.

In any case, helping others brings happiness and prosperity into your own life, so for whatever reason you chose to help others, it will always help you in return.

The difference between stopping half way and finishing isn’t much in terms of the work you put in, but worlds apart in the difference for the individual you are helping.

Focus On Whats Most Important

It seems the world is moving faster and faster these days. You constantly have information streaming to you from people in the office, meetings, email, voice messages, texts. You’re trying to keep on top of it all and it can sometimes feel practically impossible. So what do you …

History abounds with tales of experts who were convinced that the ideas, plans, and projects of others could never be achieved. However, accomplishment came to those who said, “I can make it happen.”

The Italian sculptor Agostino d’Antonio worked diligently on a large piece of marble. Unable to produce his desired masterpiece, he lamented, “I can do nothing with it.” Other sculptors also worked this difficult piece of marble, but to no avail. Michelangelo discovered the stone and visualized the possibilities in it. His “I-can-make-it-happen” attitude resulted in one of the world’s masterpieces – David.

The experts of Spain concluded that Columbus’s plans to discover a new and shorter route to the West Indies was virtually impossible. Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand ignored the report of the experts. “I can make it happen,” Columbus persisted. And he did. Everyone knew the world was flat, but not Columbus. The Nina, the Pinta, the Santa Maria, along with Columbus and his small band of followers, sailed to “impossible” new lands and thriving resources.

Even the great Thomas Alva Edison discouraged his friend, Henry Ford, from pursuing his fledgling idea of a motorcar. Convinced of the worthlessness of the idea, Edison invited Ford to come and work for him. Ford remained committed and tirelessly pursued his dream. Although his first attempt resulted in a vehicle without reverse gear, Henry Ford knew he could make it happen. And, of course, he did.

“Forget it,” the experts advised Madame Curie. They agreed radium was a scientifically impossible idea. However, Marie Curie insisted, “I can make it happen.”

Let’s not forget our friends Orville and Wilbur Wright. Journalists, friends, armed forces specialists, and even their father laughed at the idea of an airplane. “What a silly and insane way to spend money. Leave flying to the birds,” they jeered. “Sorry,” the Wright brothers responded. “We have a dream, and we can make it happen.” As a result, a place called Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, became the setting for the launching of their “ridiculous” idea.

Finally, as you read these accounts under the magnificent lighting of your environment, consider the plight of Benjamin Franklin. He was admonished to stop the foolish experimenting with lighting. What an absurdity and waste of time! Why, nothing could outdo the fabulous oil lamp. Thank goodness Franklin knew he could make it happen. You too can make it happen!

It Couldn’t Be Done

Somebody said that it couldn’t be done, But he with a chuckle replied That maybe it couldn’t, but he would be one Who wouldn’t say so “till he tried.” So he buckled right in with the trace of a grin On his face. If he worried, he hid it. He started to sing as he tackled the thing That couldn’t be done, and he did it. Somebody scoffed: “Oh, you’ll never do that; At least no one ever has done it.” But he took off his coat and took off his hat And the first thing he knew he’d begun it. With the lift of his chin and a bit of a grin, Without any doubting or quiddit, He started to sing as he tackled the thing That couldn’t be done, and he did it. There are thousands to tell you it cannot be done. There are thousands to prophesy failure. There are thousands to point out to you, one by one, the dangers that wait to assail you. But just buckle right in with a bit of a grin, then take off your coat and go to it; just start in to sing as you tackle the thing that cannot be done, and you’ll do it.

From Candles to Soap

In 1879, Procter and Gamble’s best seller was candles. But the company was in trouble. Thomas Edison had invented the light bulb, and it looked as if candles would become obsolete. Their fears became reality when the market for candles plummeted since they were now sold only for special occasions.

The outlook appeared to be bleak for Procter and Gamble. However, at this time, it seemed that destiny played a dramatic part in pulling the struggling company from the clutches of bankruptcy. A forgetful employee at a small factory in Cincinnati forgot to turn off his machine when he went to lunch. The result? A frothing mass of lather filled with air bubbles. He almost threw the stuff away but instead decided to make it into soap. The soap floated. Thus, Ivory soap was born and became the mainstay of the Procter and Gamble Company.

Why was soap that floats such a hot item at that time? In Cincinnati, during that period, some people bathed in the Ohio River. Floating soap would never sink and consequently never got lost. So, Ivory soap became a best seller in Ohio and eventually across the country also.

Like Procter and Gamble, never give up when things go wrong or when seemingly insinuations problems arise. Creativity put to work can change a problem and turn it into a gold mine.

A Ten-Cent Idea

When young F. W. Woolworth was a store clerk, he tried to convince his boss to have a ten-cent sale to reduce inventory. The boss agreed, and the idea was a resounding success. This inspired Woolworth to open his own store and price items at a nickel and a dime. He needed capital for such a venture, so he asked his boss to supply the capital for part interest in the store. His boss turned him down flat. “The idea is too risky,” he told Woolworth. “There are not enough items to sell for five and ten cents.” Woolworth went ahead without his boss’s backing, and he not only was successful in his first store, but eventually he owned a chain of F. W. Woolworth stores across the nation. Later, his former boss was heard to remark, “As far as I can figure out, every word I used to turn Woolworth down cost me about a million dollars.”

Time To Think

Henry Ford hired an efficiency expert to go through his plant. He said, “Find the nonproductive people. Tell me who they are, and I will fire them!”

The expert made the rounds with his clipboard in hand and finally returned to Henry Ford’s office with his report. “I’ve found a problem with one of your administrators,” he said. “Every time I walked by, he was sitting with his feet propped up on the desk. The man never does a thing. I definitely think you should consider getting rid of him!” When Henry Ford learned the name of the man the expert was referring to, Ford shook his head and said, “I can’t fire him. I pay that man to do nothing but think – and that’s what he’s doing.

Conclusion

If an impulse comes to say some un-thoughtful word today that may drive a friend away, don’t say it! If you’ve heard a word of blame cast upon your neighbor’s name. That may injure his fair fame, don’t tell it! If malicious gossip’s tongue some vile slander may have flung on the head of old or young, don’t repeat it! Thoughtful, kind, helpful speech,” ‘Tis a gift promised to each – this, lesson we would teach”!

Motivation and enthusiasm manifest as desire and interest, and as a driving force that pushes to take action and pursue goals. Lack of motivation and enthusiasm denotes absence or deficiency in desire, interest and driving force.

Lack of motivation and lack of enthusiasm are two of the main reasons for failure

What have you done today to move you closer to your dreams? Are you expecting to wake up one morning and suddenly do everything to achieve your dream in just that one day? Aristotle said, “We are what we repeatedly do.” Success is a daily habit. It’s the little things you do every day that will get you to your destination.

Developing time management skills is a journey that may begin with this Guide, but needs practice and other guidance along the way. One goal is to help yourself become aware of how you use your time as one resource in organizing, prioritizing, and succeeding in your studies in the context of competing activities of friends, work, family, etc.

Put first things first

It does not have to be a huge thing. Neither does it have to be something that requires a huge investment of time, energy or resources on your part. It just has to be something that you can do consistently. You will discover that you will eventually be doing more of that one thing than you could have thought possible when you started. Over time, it will make a huge difference. Stephen Covey, the leadership guru further adds that “it’s usually not the dramatic, the visible, the once-in-a-lifetime, up-by-the-bootstraps effort that brings enduring success. Empowerment comes from learning how to use this great endowment in the decisions we make every day.”

We subordinate our dreams for our jobs, our bosses, our friends, our parents and a whole lot of other people and activities. We should instead place our hopes and dreams as the most important thing every day.

The time management matrix

Most people spend their time doing things that are neither urgent nor important. One thing that immediately comes to mind is the person that spends every bit of his free time at the bar hanging out with the guys and just having a good time. I would not be very mistaken to say that such a person is not only drinking their income away, but also their dreams.

Television is another not urgent and not important activity which, unfortunately, most of us spend a lot of our most productive time on. It is amazing how television sets in most homes are perpetually on and people are fixed on them like zombies, watching everything that is dished out to them! TVs have invaded our lives and crippled our dreams.

Do the important things

What we need to do is concentrate on the things that are most important. The hard part is that these are usually the things that are not urgent. Yet they are things that will make the biggest difference to our lives.

Why not turn off the television set tonight and read an inspiring book? Why not take a quiet moment to sit down and write down what you want to do with the rest of your life? Why not spend some time with your kids rather than with the guys at the bar?

It is not always fun

As you can see, the important things are usually not the most fun or exciting things to do always. However, they must be done. There is a price to be paid for attaining greatness and at times that means doing things we don’t necessarily enjoy or want to do.

But you must do those things because you realize that your future depends on it. Think about this: if you only had to do the things that are fun and exciting at work would you get anything done? No. But you do it anyway, for the sake of that paycheck at the month-end. Why then, won’t you do the things that matter most for your own life?

Given are some quick tips that will help you to learn the art of Time Management better.

Schedule Your Day.

If you want to learn how to improve your time management skills, then you need to have a concrete schedule for the day. Don’t get out of bed thinking that you’ll just wing it, because it often leads to a lot of time wastage.

It would be best to schedule and plan your tasks the night before, because your subconscious mind will help process their fulfillment while you’re sleeping.

Create A Check List.

If you have deadlines coming up, then you need to create a list arranged according to priority. This helps keep you on track and even encourages you to do more as fast as possible. There’s nothing like a list to keep you motivated and pressured to do your job.

Stop Wasting Time.

Spacing out for even just five minutes is a waste of time. Not taking a shortcut is also a waste of time. If you want to learn how to improve your time management skills, then you need to cut down on the activities that aren’t related to work.

Chatting with your co-workers is fine; but perhaps you need to cut down on that too, especially if you have a deadline to meet.

Learn To Multi-task.

Multi-tasking is not always advisable, especially if the tasks you’re doing need your full concentration. In smaller tasks, however, I’m sure you can do more than one thing at a time. Want some examples?

How about reading a book while waiting for the food you’re cooking to boil? Perhaps one of the best multi-tasking activities you can do is listening to motivational CDs while on the go.

Conclusion

If you have not done anything today to get you closer to your dreams you are not a dreamer, you are a wisher. Wake up and do something about it or watch the dreamers take hold of their dreams, one little step each day.

In the words of Jim Rohn, “Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going,” Develop the habit of putting first things first today. Work on your dreams each and every day. You are all you can be. Go on and be it!

Our thoughts generate our actions and our actions eventually become the reality that we live out.

A dream doesn’t have to mean some far off and impossible to achieve ideal. Rather a dream is like a seed, which if watered and fed with your thoughts and actions can grow into something more wondrous and beautiful than anything you can begin to imagine. There is such a truly amazing power in dreaming.

Are you still not sure what is your own special dream?

Here is a wonderful exercise which will inspire you to discover your own true destiny.

• • Find a quiet place where you will not be disturbed for at least ten minutes. This exercise can take much much longer, but you need to devote at least ten minutes to this.

• • Just imagine you have a magic bottle and when you rub it out will pop this amazing genie who will ask you what is your wish. You can have as many wishes as you like. No limitations on money, no limitations on distance, educational background or time. You can have anything at all. Let your mind roam free. Use your imagination. Start to dream.

• • The most important part of this exercise is to not dream too small. Having an easily achievable dream is not much fun at all. What is the point in having a dream that you will pay the rent on time next week ? Where’s the fun in that ? How about a dream that you own a really beautiful house on the water in some special place ? That’s a lot more fun. Isn’t it ?.

• • One of the greatest tragedies of humankind is not that people’s dreams are too big that they cannot achieve them, but that they are too small to inspire them. So dream BIG. Get yourself inspired.

• • Write it all down. Have fun, just pretend that this magic genie is going to grant you anything you ask. Want to be a famous singer or writer? Write it down. Want to travel to far off places? Write it down. Want a meaningful and loving relationship with someone really special? Write it down…… You have to give the genie some instructions to work with!

Now, ten minutes isn’t really much time to spend doing this, so take the next week to really think about what fun experiences you would like to have during this precious life of yours. Remember, it can be anything at all. No limitations. Carry a notebook with you, and when at some odd moment a thought pops into your head that you would really like to do something, take out you notebook and write it down. The most important step in bringing your dreams into reality is to first really think about them, and then write them down. Make your life sketch and you can fill in the details later. The important thing is to have fun while you are doing it.

Eventually, a pattern is likely to emerge which will indicate to you what is your true desire and dream for life. Even if it doesn’t emerge, the mere fact that you are “thinking” about your true dream and passion will work to draw this dream to reveal itself to you.

Conclusion

We all have a true goal and purpose in life. Something which goes beyond a mere occupation and enters the realm of the divine. Not everyone wants to be an artist or musician, not everyone wants to be an astronaut or a world famous athlete. Your profession doesn’t really matter so long as you are pursuing it with love and inspiration. When you are truly living your dream, every day is a new adventure. You will awake full of energy and filled with excitement because whatever happens, it is part of your dream.

So over this coming week, have fun doing this exercise because in order to take this wonderful journey on the path of life, it helps to know where you want to be going.

May your life be filled with love, happiness and inspiration!

“An actor and a waiter, not just job descriptions. For everyone I know Is one or the other. Life’s waiter’s wait. They blame other people. Or even fate itself when nothing happens. Life’s actors act To make things happen believing that even fate needs a helping hand. I have been both at times that is how I know that being either Is better than being a nowhere Person.”

Colin Edwards – The Star Process

Samuel Jackson was once asked if he took jobs as a waiter during his struggle to become an actor. Samuel’s response was actors act, waiters wait.

Samuel Jackson was able to twist an innocent question about jobs into an answer that was more to his liking and quite profound. This is no way to besmirch anyone who did other jobs before they became who they were born to be. I have done the same throughout my journey and continue to do so today. What he meant by the statement is the only way to become what you want to be, is by making things happen.

Like many people, I have a diversity of interests and I have a broad range of skills. Currently, I am a psychotherapy student, a personal trainer, fitness instructor, nutrition and a life coach. Often people have asked me why such a long description of titles. I have wondered if I should narrow everything down to one job. But after coming to terms with who I am and what I have to offer, why narrow things down at all?

All of my titles are parts of who I am and what excites me about life. I have and always wanted to help people lead their best lives. Various people need different tools to get to become who they are destined to be. Some people need coaching. Others want fitness, while others would require a referral to another professional for things beyond my scope. By pursuing whatever interests me the most I’ve been able to carve out an existence that is stimulating and rewarding, even though it is quite hectic.

Each time I found something that interests me, I found a way to pursue it and made it a part of who I am. The waiting game was never my strong suit. Why wait until the right moment to be what I wanted to be? The right moment rarely seems to come. There are only a few vocations where a high level of expertise is needed to perform the duty.

There is no sense in delaying who you want to be. Delaying is another form of procrastination. As long as you choose to do something that is in alignment with who you are, you should start wherever you are at. Do not settle for one title or role, if there are many things you want to do. In life we are parents, children, husbands, wives, sisters, brothers, nieces, nephews, aunts and uncles. We have never been defined by one thing alone.

You are worthy, so follow your passions. You should not feel guilty for pursuing your dreams. You do not need anyone’s permission to make a contribution to this world. We are all born for a specific purpose and it takes time to figure out how we can contribute to make this a better world.

Continuously take action as you figure things out. As action is taken, the universe will conspire to ensure your success. The only way to become an actor is to act. The only way to be a writer is by writing. The only way to become great is to be great. The journey may be arduous but it is an important step in the road to becoming your best self. Remind yourself daily who you are destined to be.