Great minds must be ready not only to take opportunities, but...

"Great minds must be ready not only to take opportunities, but to make them." -– Colton

The secret of success in life is...

"The secret of success in life is for a man to be ready for his opportunity when it comes." -– Benjamin Disraeli

What have you always wanted to do but been afraid to attempt? Whatever it is, it may be your...

"What have you always wanted to do but been afraid to attempt? Whatever it is, it may be your greatest opportunity in life." -– Brian Tracy

The richness of life, the love and joy and exhilaration of life can be found only with...

"The richness of life, the love and joy and exhilaration of life can be found only with an upward look. This is an exciting world. It is cram-packed with opportunity. Great moments wait around every corner." -- Richard M. DeVos

We spend January 1 walking through our lives, room by room...

"We spend January 1 walking through our lives, room by room, drawing up a list of work to be done, cracks to be patched. Maybe this year, to balance the list, we ought to walk through the rooms of our lives...not looking for flaws, but for potential."
-- Ellen Goodman

The only limitation in your life is...

"The only limitation in your life is the limitation of your own thinking."
- James A. Ray

You are capable of going on to greatness in performance -- and you are also in great danger of...

"You are capable of going on to greatness in performance -- and you are also in great danger of sliding back into average performance. It's your choice. Which do you choose to do today?" -– Tom Hopkins

He who has a why to live for...

"He who has a why to live for can bear almost any how."
- Friedrich Nietzsche

If you don’t set goals for yourself, you are doomed to...

"If you don’t set goals for yourself, you are doomed to work to achieve the goals of someone else."- Brian Tracy

Nothing happens unless first...

"Nothing happens unless first a dream."- Carl Sandburg

All who have accomplished great things have...

"All who have accomplished great things have had a great aim, have fixed their gaze on a goal which was high, one which sometimes seemed impossible."- Orison Swett Marden

Success in life comes not from holding a good hand, but...

"Success in life comes not from holding a good hand, but in playing a poor hand well."- Kenneth Hildebrand

He is free who knows how to keep in his own hand...

"He is free who knows how to keep in his own hand the power to decide."- Salvador De Madariaga

Each player must accept the cards that life deals him or her...

"Each player must accept the cards that life deals him or her. But once in hand one must decide how to play the cards in order to win the game."- Voltaire

You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face...

"You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face... The danger lies in refusing to face the fear, in not daring to come to grips with it... You must make yourself succeed every time. You must do the thing you think you cannot do."

- Eleanor Roosevelt

Reduce your plan to writing... The moment you complete this, you will have definitely...

"Reduce your plan to writing... The moment you complete this, you will have definitely given concrete form to the intangible desire."
- Napoleon Hill

The only way to discover the limits of the possible is to...

"The only way to discover the limits of the possible is to go beyond them into the impossible."- Arthur C. Clarke

Our thoughts and imaginations are the only real...

"Our thoughts and imaginations are the only real limits to our possibilities."
- Ralph Waldo Trine

The successful person has the habit of doing the things failures don't like to do...

"The successful person has the habit of doing the things failures don't like to do. They don't like doing them either necessarily. But their disliking is subordinated to the strength of their purpose."
- E.M. Gray

Most success springs from an obstacle or failure...

"Most success springs from an obstacle or failure. I became a cartoonist largely because I failed in my goal of becoming a successful executive." Scott Adams

It is no sin to attempt and fail...

"It is no sin to attempt and fail. The only sin is not to make the attempt." SueEllen Fried

Keep in mind that neither success nor...

"Keep in mind that neither success nor failure is ever final." Roger W. Babson

Failure is the opportunity to...

"Failure is the opportunity to begin again more intelligently." Henry Ford

Having a positive attitude, WINNING...

"Having a positive attitude, WINNING, having a "poor me" attitude, LOSING." Catherine Pulsifer

Failure is more frequently from...

“Failure is more frequently from want of energy than want of capital.” Daniel Webster

Success is going from failure to failure without...

"Success is going from failure to failure without losing your enthusiasm." Winston Churchill

I wasn't afraid to fail...

"I wasn't afraid to fail. Something good always comes out of failure." Anne Baxter

Do not look where you fell...

"Do not look where you fell, but where you slipped." African Proverb

Success doesn't mean the absence of failures...

"Success doesn't mean the absence of failures; it means the attainment of ultimate objectives." Edwin Bliss

You build on failure. You use it as...

"You build on failure. You use it as a stepping stone. Close the door on the past. You don't try to forget the mistakes, but you don't dwell on it. You don't let it have any of your energy, or any of your time, or any of your space." Johnny Cash

The value of making the most of our experiences is that...

"The value of making the most of our experiences is that they teach us lessons about life- about failures, successes, and everything in between." Dean Pennicott

I don't know the key to success...

"I don't know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody." Bill Cosby

Failures don't plan to fail...

"Failures don't plan to fail; they fail to plan." Harvey Mackay

If you want to increase your success rate...

"If you want to increase your success rate, double your failure rate." Thomas Watson, Sr

Today's opportunities erase...

"Today's opportunities erase yesterday's failures." Gene Brown

There are two kinds of failures...

"There are two kinds of failures: The man who will do nothing he is told, and the man who will do nothing else." Perle Thompson

A man can fail many times, but he isn't a failure until...

"A man can fail many times, but he isn't a failure until he begins to blame somebody else." John Burroughs

Persistent people begin their success...

"Persistent people begin their success where others end in failure." Edward Eggleston

Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs even though...

"Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs even though checkered by failure, than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much because they live in that gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat." Theodore Roosevelt

Preparation for success means that any failure you meet is...

"Preparation for success means that any failure you meet is seen as an opportunity to learn from mistakes. Remember that failure is your best teacher." Byron Pulsifer

Fall seven times...

“Fall seven times, Stand up eight.” Japanese Proverb

There is no failure except in...

"There is no failure except in no longer trying." Elbert Hubbard

For every failure, there's an alternative...

"For every failure, there's an alternative course of action. You just have to find it. When you come to a roadblock, take a detour." Mary Kay Ash

Indecision and delays are...

"Indecision and delays are the parents of failure." George Canning

A minute's success pays...

"A minute's success pays the failure of years." Robert Browning

There is the greatest practical benefit in...

“There is the greatest practical benefit in making a few failures early in life.” T.H. Huxley

If you don't accept failure as a possibility, you don't...

"If you don't accept failure as a possibility, you don't set high goals, you don't branch out, you don't try -- you don't take the risk." Rosalynn Carter

Our greatest glory is not in never failing, but...

"Our greatest glory is not in never failing, but in rising up every time we fail." Ralph Waldo Emerson

Results! Why, man I have gotten a lot of results...

“Results! Why, man I have gotten a lot of results. I know several thousand things that won’t work.” Thomas A. Edison

There is always another chance...

"There is always another chance...This thing called 'failure' is not falling down, but staying down." Mary Pickford

The only thing failure should do is...

"The only thing failure should do is to provide you with valuable lessons so you don't make the same mistake again." Byron Pulsifer

Many of life’s failures are people who...

“Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.” Thomas Edison

Success is failure...

"Success is failure turned inside out." Edgar A. Guest

Failures are only failures if...

"Failures are only failures if we look at them that way!" Catherine Pulsifer

A Stress Thought
Preparation Equals Success
By Byron Pulsifer, © 2007

Preparation is one of the most important elements to success. Preparation also has the internal benefit of reduced stress. How does this work?

Countless people worldwide wish that they were successful, or, at the very least, able to do something they like to do. You may have heard the phrase "do what you love to do and you'll never work a day in your life". Well, you can, but not without preparation.

1. Preparation for success enables you to take advantage of opportunities when they are available. You won't have to let the opportunity pass you by. This preparation may be in the form of higher education, specialized training in an area where you want employment, sufficient money in the bank to buy into a business, or it may be in the form of people partnerships that can help you attain a position that requires sponsors.

2. Preparation for success means also that you have detailed an action plan to accomplish what you want. This includes the basic goal setting exercise that denotes exactly what you want to achieve, and when you want to reach the end result. Goal planning removes the stress associated with flying by the seat of your pants not knowing exactly where you are going and what you have to do to get there.

3. Preparation for success means you are emotionally equipped with the right attitude to see you through obstacles that you will no doubt encounter along the way. This means that you are prepared to meet each obstacle as no more than a necessary stepping-stone. That each obstacle encountered is just waiting for a solution to help you further your goal.

4. Preparation for success means that any failure you meet is seen as an opportunity to learn from mistakes. Remember that failure is your best teacher. These lessons learned would provide you with a clearer pathway to accomplish what you want.

5. Preparation for success also means that with every success will come the desire to proceed further. You must be prepared to define what ultimate success you want in any given area, and be prepared to look at new horizons.

6. Preparation for success may also mean that you will eventually encounter stress - that is stress associated with too many demands on your physical or overall wellbeing. This level of success means that you will need to be prepared to step back, step away, or reduce your involvement. At this level of success, you may end up re-defining your next steps that will serve to bring you happiness and joy. This could entail everything from retirement, to the selfless act of volunteering your knowledge to help others less fortunate. There is no better feeling than being able to help others overcome what you have with the benefit of knowledge, and experience.

Don't let lack of preparation be your obstacle to attain success.

Start today.

The Difference Between Winning and Losing

An Inspirational Poem
The Difference Between Winning and Losing
By Catherine Pulsifer

What makes a winner? What qualities does a winner have in comparison to a loser. There are many differences that determine a person's success. Below is a short poem that shows the differences between winners and losers:

Hanging on, persevering, WINNING Letting go, giving up easily, LOSING

Accepting responsibility for your actions, WINNING Always having an excuse for your actions, LOSING

Taking the initiative, WINNING Waiting to be told what to do, LOSING

Knowing what you want and setting goals to achieve it, WINNING Wishing for things, but taking no action, LOSING

Seeing the big picture, and setting your goals accordingly, WINNING Seeing only where you are today, LOSING

Being determined, unwilling to give up WINNING Gives up easily, LOSING

Having focus, staying on track, WINNING Allowing minor distractions to side track them, LOSING

Having a positive attitude, WINNING having a "poor me" attitude, LOSING

Adopt a WINNING attitude!
No matter what happens in your life there is good in it. We sometimes have to really look for the good, but it is there.

The key to success and less stress in your life is YOUR ATTITUDE!

Reading the biographies of many successful people shows that they faced many challenges, challenges that caused stress. Many of them failed over and over again, but they never gave up.
They dealt with the stress of failure and stayed focused on their goal. Their attitude and determination lead them to success.

To quote Thomas Edison, "Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up."

Never leave that till tomorrow...

"Never leave that till tomorrow which you can do today."
- Benjamin Franklin

When your desires are strong enough you will...

"When your desires are strong enough you will appear to possess superhuman powers to achieve."
- Napoleon Hill

Do your work with your whole heart and you will succeed...

"Do your work with your whole heart and you will succeed-there's so little competition."
- Elbert Hubbard

In the end, we do battle only with ourselves...

"In the end, we do battle only with ourselves. Once we understand this and focus our energy on what we can do to control our lives... we begin to gain important insights into how life works."
- J. Stanley Judd

I found that I could find the energy...

"I found that I could find the energy... that I could find the determination to keep on going. I learned that your mind can amaze your body, if you just keep telling yourself, I can do it...I can do it...I can do it!"
- Jon Erickson

Success...My nomination for the single most important ingredient is...

"Success...My nomination for the single most important ingredient is energy well directed."
- Louis Lundborg

Think of yourself as on the threshold of unparalleled success...

"Think of yourself as on the threshold of unparalleled success. A whole clear, glorious life lies before you. Achieve! Achieve!"
- Andrew Carnegie

Let go of the past and go for the future...

"Let go of the past and go for the future. Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you've imagined."
- Henry David Thoreau

For every failure, there's an alternative course of action...

"For every failure, there's an alternative course of action. You just have to find it. When you come to a roadblock, take a detour."
- Mary Kay Ash

The meeting of preparation with opportunity generates...

"The meeting of preparation with opportunity generates the offspring we call luck."
- Anthony Robbins

The future is not in the hands of fate...

"The future is not in the hands of fate, but in ours."- Jules

Never accept the proposition that just because a solution satisfies a problem...

"Never accept the proposition that just because a solution satisfies a problem, that it must be the only solution."- Raymond E. Feist

If you decide to go for it, do it with spirit...

"If you decide to go for it, do it with spirit: Sometimes success is due less to ability than to zeal."
- Charles Buxton

You, too, can determine what you want...

"You, too, can determine what you want. You can decide on your major objectives, targets, aims, and destination."
- W. Clement Stone

Movement without direction will create...

"Movement without direction will create a hole in the ground."
- Sophia Bedford-Pierce

Our greatest glory consists not in never falling...

"Our greatest glory consists not in never falling... but in rising every time we fall."
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Happy people plan actions, they don't...

"Happy people plan actions, they don't plan results."
- Denis Waitley

The obstacles that others put in our path...

"The obstacles that others put in our path can be pushed aside in any number of ways.

The obstacles that you put in your own way can be removed only by the same hands."
- Sophia Bedford-Pierce

Look at a stone cutter hammering away at his rock...

"Look at a stone cutter hammering away at his rock, perhaps a hundred times without as much as a crack showing in it.

Yet at the hundred-and-first blow it will split in two, and I know it was not the last blow that did it, but all that had gone before."- Jacob A. Riis

When You Believe You Can....

"When you believe you can-you can!"
- Maxwell Maltz

Do a little more each day than...

"Do a little more each day than you think you can."
- Lowell Thomas

What Do You Allow To Enter Your Mind?...

Your own mind is a sacred enclosure into which nothing harmful can enter except by your permission."
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Five Steps That Will Help You Realize Success...

Author: Anonymous

If a person is working toward a predetermined goal and knows where to go, then that person is successful. If a person does not know which direction they want to go in life, then that person is a failure.

The only person who succeeds is the person who is progressively realizing a worthy idea. The person who says, "I'm going to become this"… and then begins to work toward becoming it.

Here are five steps that will help you realize success:
1. Establish a definite goal.
2. Stop running yourself down.
3. Do not think of all the reasons why you cannot be successful -- instead think of all the reasons why you can achieve success.
4. Trace your emotions back to childhood -- discover where you first got the negative idea you would not be successful -- face your fears.
5. Renew your self-image by writing a description of the person you want to become -- Act the part -- You are that person!

"People are always blaming their circumstances for what they are. I don't believe in circumstances. The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want, and if they can't find them, make them."
- George Bernard

Well, that is pretty apparent, isn't it? And every person who discovered this believed – for a while – that he was the first one to work it out. We become what we think about.

Now, it stands to reason that a person who is thinking about a concrete and worthwhile goal is going to reach it, because that's what he's thinking about. And we become what we think about.

Conversely, the man who has no goal, who doesn't know where he's going, and whose thoughts must therefore be thoughts of confusion and anxiety and fear and worry, becomes what he thinks about. His life becomes one of frustration and fear and anxiety and worry.

And if he thinks about nothing…he becomes nothing.

So decide now. What is it you want? Plant your goal in your mind. It's the most important decision you'll ever make in your entire life. All you've got to do is plant that seed in your mind, care for it, and work steadily toward your goal, and it will become a reality.

How do you begin?

First: It is understanding emotionally as well as intellectually that we literally become what we think about; that we must control our thoughts if we're to control our lives. It's understanding fully that…"as ye sow, so shall ye reap."

Second: It's cutting away all fetters from the mind and permitting it to soar as it was divinely designed to do. It's the realization that your limitations are self-imposed and that the opportunities for you today are enormous beyond belief. It's rising above narrow-minded pettiness and prejudice.

Third: It's using all your courage to force yourself to think positively on your own problems, to set a definite and clearly defined goal for yourself. To let your marvelous mind think about your goal from all possible angles; to let your imagination speculate freely upon many different possible solutions. To refuse to believe that there are any circumstances sufficiently strong to defeat you in the accomplishment of your purpose. To act promptly and decisively when your course is clear. And to keep constantly aware of the fact that you are, at this moment, standing in the middle of your own "acres of diamonds."

And fourth: Save at least 10 percent of every dollar you earn.

It's also remembering that, no matter what your present job, it has enormous possibilities – if, you're willing to pay the price by keeping these four points in mind:
1. You will become what you think about.
2. Remember the word "imagination" and let your mind begin to soar.
3. Courageously concentrate on your goal every day.
4. Save 10 percent of what you earn.

Finally, take action – ideas are worthless unless we act on them.

The Person Who Always Fights One More Round Is Never Whipped...

"Fight one more round. When your arms are so tired that you can hardly lift your hands to come on guard, fight one more round. When your nose is bleeding and your eyes are black and you are so tired that you wish your opponent would crack you one on the jaw and put you to sleep, fight one more round – remembering that the man who always fights one more round is never whipped."
- James Corbett

You May Have A Fresh Start Any Moment You Choose...

"You may have a fresh start any moment you choose, for this thing that we call “failure” is not the falling down, but the staying down."
- Mary Pickford

Your Own Resolution To Succeed Is More Important Than...

"Always bear in mind, that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any other thing."
- Abraham Lincoln

Visualize this thing you want...

Visualize this thing you want. See it, feel it, believe in it. Make your mental blueprint and begin."- Robert Collier

In The Power To Change Yourself Is The Power To...

"In the power to change yourself is the power to change the world around you."
- Anwar Sadat

Let Me Not Pray To Be Sheltered From Dangers...

"Let me not pray to be sheltered from dangers, but to be fearless in facing them. Let me not beg for the stilling of my pain, but for the heart to conquer it."
- Rabindranath Tagore

A Difficult Time Can Be More Readily Endured If...

"A difficult time can be more readily endured if we retain the conviction that our existence holds a purpose - a cause to pursue, a person to love, a goal to achieve."
- John Maxwell

How Valuable Is Your Time?...

"Time is our most valuable asset, yet we tend to waste it, kill it, and spend it rather than invest it."
- Jim Rohn

STOP PRACTICING FEAR!!!

“We must practice the art of being consciously fearless instead of mindlessly practicing the thoughts and feelings that tell us to justify the fear we feel.”
- Guy Finley

Aim for success not perfection...

"Aim for success not perfection... Remember that fear always lurks behind perfectionism. Confronting your fears and allowing yourself the right to be human can, paradoxically, make you a far happier and more productive person."
- Dr. David Burns

How Do You Accomplish Great Things...

"All who have accomplished great things have had a great aim, have fixed their gaze on a goal which was high, one which sometimes seemed impossible."
- Orison Swett Marden

The Only Thing That Stands Between You And What You Want From Life Is...

"The only thing that stands between a man and what he wants from life is often merely the will to try it and the faith to believe that it is possible."
- Richard M. DeVos

The Quality Essential To Success Is...

I do not think there is any other quality so essential to success of any kind as the quality of perseverance. It overcomes almost everything, even nature."
- John D. Rockefeller

The first step to becoming is...

"The first step to becoming is to will it."
- Mother Teresa

FACING THE ENEMIES WITHIN

FACING THE ENEMIES WITHIN by Jim Rohn

We are not born with courage, but neither are we born with fear. Maybe some of our fears are brought on by our own experiences, by what someone has told you, by what you've read in the papers. Some fears are valid, like walking alone in a bad part of town at two o'clock in the morning. But once you learn to avoid that situation, you won't need to live in fear of it.

Fears, even the most basic ones, can totally destroy our ambitions. Fear can destroy fortunes. Fear can destroy relationships. Fear, if left unchecked, can destroy our lives. Fear is one of the many enemies lurking inside us.

Let me tell you about five of the other enemies we face from within.

The first enemy that you've got to destroy before it destroys you is indifference. What a tragic disease this is. "Ho-hum, let it slide. I'll just drift along." Here's one problem with drifting: you can't drift your way to the top of the mountain.

The second enemy we face is indecision. Indecision is the thief of opportunity and enterprise. It will steal your chances for a better future. Take a sword to this enemy.

The third enemy inside is doubt. Sure, there's room for healthy skepticism. You can't believe everything. But you also can't let doubt take over. Many people doubt the past, doubt the future, doubt each other, doubt the government, doubt the possibilities and doubt the opportunities. Worse of all, they doubt themselves. I'm telling you, doubt will destroy your life and your chances of success. It will empty both your bank account and your heart. Doubt is an enemy Go after it. Get rid of it.

The fourth enemy within is worry. We've all got to worry some. Just don't let it conquer you. Instead, let it alarm you. Worry can be useful. If you step off the curb in New York City and a taxi is coming, you've got to worry. But you can't let worry loose like a mad dog that drives you into a small corner. Here's what you've got to do with your worries: drive them into a small corner. Whatever is out to get you, you've got to get it. Whatever is pushing on you, you've got to push back.

The fifth interior enemy is over-caution. It is the timid approach to life. Timidity is not a virtue; it's an illness. If you let it go, it'll conquer you. Timid people don't get promoted. They don't advance and grow and become powerful in the marketplace. You've got to avoid over-caution.

Do battle with the enemy. Do battle with your fears. Build your courage to fight what's holding you back, what's keeping you from your goals and dreams. Be courageous in your life and in your pursuit of the things you want and the person you want to become.

To Your Success,

Jim Rohn

Change Everything...

This one step, choosing a goal and sticking to it, changes everything."
- Scott Reed

Take A Leap In The Dark...

We must walk consciously only part way toward our goal and then leap in the dark to our success."
- Henry David Thoreau

The First Step To Getting What You Want Out Of Life Is...

"The indispensable first step to getting the things you want out of life is this: decide what you want."
- Ben Stein

People with goals succeed because...

"People with goals succeed because they know where they are going... It's as simple as that."- Earl Nightingale

Our attitudes control our lives...

"Our attitudes control our lives. Attitudes are a secret power working 24 hours a day, for good or bad. It is of paramount importance that we know how to harness and control this great force."
- Tom Blandi

What Deters You?

"Man is not deterred by things but by the view he takes of those things."
- Philosopher Epectetus

The secret to productive goal setting...

"The secret to productive goal setting is in establishing clearly defined goals, writing them down and then focusing on them several times a day with words, pictures and emotions as if we've already achieved them."
- Denis Waitley

The proven way to end ninety-nine percent of those heart-heavy feelings...

“The proven way to end ninety-nine percent of those heart-heavy feelings that drag you down each day is to stop thinking about yourself !
-Guy Finley

You must begin to think of yourself...

"You must begin to think of yourself as becoming the person you want to be."
- David Viscott

Control your destiny...

"Control your destiny or somebody else will."
- Jack Welch

You become what you...

"You become what you think about the most."
- Earl Nightingale

You must be single minded...And possess this one quality to win...

"You must be single minded. Drive for the one thing on which you have decided."
- George S. Patton

"There is one quality that one must possess to win, and that is definiteness of purpose, the knowledge of what one wants, and a burning desire to possess it."
- Napoleon Hill

Learn to see things as they really are...

"Learn to see things as they really are, not as we imagine they are."
- Vernon Howard

Our greatest battles are...

"Our greatest battles are that with our own minds."
- Jameson Frank