Christine Casey ~ Change Begins with Choice

I thought I’d have a little fun this week with my post, and share some of the sayings I’ve collected from fortune cookies…what I like to refer to as “Fortune Cookie Wisdom”.

Do you know where the Fortune Cookie originated from? Much to most American’s surprise, it is not a Chinese invention ~ fortune cookies were actually invented in California. One legend is that in the 1900’s, a plan was created to transform San Francisco’s Chinatown from a ghetto into a cute tourist attraction, to promise visitors a real Oriental experience. Supposedly, increased tourism led to the invention of the fortune cookie to fill the void of a dessert item. In the 1930’s, in order to fill the visitors demands for a dessert, a worker in San Francisco’s Kay Heong Noodle Factory invented a plain flat cookie, and while still warm, was folded around a little piece of paper on which a hand-written prediction or piece of Chinese wisdom would be found.

One of my favorite restaurant’s is Pei-Wei’s, and with as frequently as I visit there (wish they offered something similar to “frequent flyer miles”…ha~ha), I have tons of “Fortune Cookie Wisdom” to choose from (lol!) ~ here are some of my favorites that I’ve kept:

• Good luck is the result of good planning.
• The simplest answer is to act.
• Advancement will come with hard work.
• Your love of life can carry you through any circumstance.
• Always surround yourself with true friends.
• There will be many surprises: unexpected gains are likely.
• Adventure can be a real happiness.
• A great man never ignores the simplicity of a child.
• Be assertive when decisive action is needed.
• You are a lover of words, someday you should write a book.
• The courage to be great lies deep within each of us.
• The love of your life will appear in front of you unexpectedly!
• The problems of today will soon be buried by the sand of time.
• Honesty and friendship bring you fortune.
• Learning is a treasure which accompanies us everywhere.
• Take the advice of a faithful friend.
• Luck will visit you on the next new moon.
• You will soon emerge victorious from the maze you’ve been traveling in.
• Do not let great ambitions overshadow small success.
• Happier days are definitely ahead of you.
• A quiet evening with friends is the best tonic for a long day.
• The respect and help of influential people will soon be yours.
• Many successes will accompany you this year.
• You are never selfish with your advice or your help.
• Set the right example. It will inspire others.
• Endurance and persistence will be rewarded.

Yes, I know…a couple of them are rather “silly”, yet quite a few do make you s top and think ~ so much so, that I’ve shared some of them on my Facebook page ~ do any of them seem familiar? 

I hope you’ve enjoyed my “off the beaten path” post this week…and BTW, my blog’s byline is from a fortune cookie

P.S. I appreciate you stopping by and would enjoy hearing your personal thoughts about these various fortune cookie sayings, how about you, have you ever come across a fortune cookie wisdom that really had significance or special meaning for you? Please feel free to share in the comment box below. And, if you have found my post to be of value to you, and feel it would also be to others, then please free free to share it with your friends on Twitter, Facebook, etc.

“What separates those who will become successful from those who will maintain the status quo is the ability to choose to find the inner motivation to conquer their complacency.” ~ Chris Widener

Finding motivation is not an easy thing to do especially when you don’t “feel” like doing anything. From time-to-time, we’ve all been there. If you’re experiencing “lack of motivation”, there are numerous things you can do to get past this point and back into activity…

First, evaluate whether or not you need a break. If you have been working non-stop, sometimes the inactivity we feel is our body (and emotions!) telling us we need some downtime. Okay, so how do you know if you really do need a break vs. our mind “telling us” we do!? Using exercise as an example, I know that to achieve the kind of results I want for my body and health, I must workout several times a week…yet I don’t always “feel” like it. Most times when this happens I know I’m just being lazy however, sometimes my body really does need a rest — such as if I’ve had a vigorous workout in the previous day or two. This short break will allow my body to regenerate itself…and after a couple of days, as I usually do miss my workout, returning to my exercise routine seems a lot easier!

Start small. Have you ever had times when you know something will take longer than you “feel” like doing it for that day? My workout primarily consists of an interval walk/run for about 40+ minutes five to six days a week (this is a pace close to 5 m.p.h.), and on days when I find myself “feeling” like I would rather skip my workout, I talk myself into doing a little less…perhaps only 20 to 30 minutes of walking. The point is that I am still making my commitment to exercise, even if I’m only doing a smaller workout — great because I got some exercise for the day and I keep myself from falling into a cycle of giving up on days I don’t “feel” like moving into action.

Change your routine. Have you ever heard of burnout? Sure you have…everyone has, and one reason this occurs is because you’ve become “bored” with a set routine. When this happens with my workouts, I will do something to “change it up” every now and again. Maybe I’ll find a different place to walk and explore, or perhaps I’ll see how much longer I can sprint during my intervals.

Reward yourself. Ahhh, here is one area that I bet most of us neglect…and one way to motivate yourself to do something when you don’t “feel” like it is to give yourself a little reward. Maybe I’ll allow myself to go to Sonic and get a small Cherry Slush if I not only go for my workout that day, yet also push myself just a little…making it worth my while.

And lastly, remember to reconnect the action with pleasure rather than pain. A concept that Anthony Robbins has popularized in the last several years has been what he refers to as Neural Associations — we humans tend to connect every action with either a pleasure or pain. When we find ourselves lacking motivation, most likely it’s due to connecting that action with pain rather than pleasure. With my busy schedule, there are some days I just don’t “feel” I have the time or energy to devote to working out. What I can do to get past this line of thinking is to re-associate, think about how good I will “feel” by working out that day, the weight I will lose, and being in better health, etc.

The next time you know you need to take some action yet just don’t “feel” like it, try some of these simple techniques…if you do, I believe you’ll not only “feel” better about yourself, you might just be surprised at what you can accomplish!

*In addition to staying motivated for success, in his book, Chris Widener also shares nine other rock-solid principles that will absolutely, positively, turn your Dreams into Realities!

P.S. I appreciate you stopping by and would enjoy hearing your personal thoughts about finding motivation (when you don’t feel like doing anything!) ~ please feel free to share in the comment box below. And, if you have found my post to be of value to you, and feel it would also be to others, then please free free to share it with your friends on Twitter, Facebook, etc.

In order to make your future bigger than your past, you first have to believe that it’s possible to have a bigger future, no matter what stage you’re at in life or what your circumstances are.  Often, this belief alone is enough to keep you growing.

It takes courage to think big and act upon it — start by making the decision to have a bigger future, no matter what circumstances may come your way.  Obstacles are an inevitable part of life, yet it’s how you respond that counts.  As Zig Ziglar said, “When obstacles arise, you change your direction to reach your goal; you do not change your decision to get there.”

Did you know that small steps keep you growing? Well…what exactly does this mean? After you have written down your goal(s), an example might be to take action every day toward your them.  A simple way to do this is break down your goal(s) into smaller “bite-sized” tasks that you can complete without becoming overwhelmed…remember, it’s by doing the small tasks that eventually lead to the big picture!

A bigger future is not necessarily about how much time you have left in your life, it’s about what you choose to do with the time you have left.  Regardless of  your circumstances, you can always choose to make your future bigger than your past — it’s simply a matter of choice and priorities.  Always use what you’ve learned to build upon a bigger future for yourself, and never stop learning.

Okay, so you may wonder, “Where do I start?” That’s a great question! Ask yourself a future-focused question. An example might be, “Where do I see myself in three years?” And follow with,  “What will need to change for me to make that possible?” And you continue to build from there…I think you get the point

Set goals: Creating goals for yourself will take you out of the past and creates a bigger future.  If you find it difficult to come up with meaningful goals, a great place to start is think of a few of your accomplishments from this past year and then what would represent a further achievement in each of these. By doing this simple exercise, you will begin to see what has been done, and what you need to do next!

A bigger future includes anything you want to see that’s improvement on what exists now.  Your future is your property…dream big!!!

If you’ve enjoyed what you’ve read here, find out more about how to make your future bigger than your past in Dan Sullivan’s book, “The Laws of Lifetime Growth”, from which this post shared about Law One of the book.

P.S. I appreciate you stopping by and would enjoy hearing your personal thoughts about making your future bigger than your past ~ please feel free to share in the comment box below. And, if you have found my post to be of value to you, and feel it would also be to others, then please free free to share it with your friends on Twitter, Facebook, etc.

“Slow and steady wins the race.” It’s not glamorous, but it’s true.  The tragedy is that most people never even get in the race, and many of those who do hope that success comes easily and swiftly. And, when it doesn’t, they’re out of the race before it really begins.

Setbacks are inevitable.  In fact, they’re evidence that we’re doing something right.  The more mistakes we make, the greater our chance of success.  Failures indicate a willingness to experiment and take risks.  Those who have shared in this journey have learned that each failure brings wisdom and insight that will take them one step closer to achieving their dreams.  When we focus on one moment at a time and stay the course, the end result will take care of itself.

It’s important to remind ourselves that failure is an event, not a person. If you don’t achieve your 30, 60, 90-day goal, does that make you a failure? If you don’t get a promotion at work, does that make you a failure? If you get married and then divorced, does that make you a failure?  Of course not!

Failure doesn’t characterize who you are. It is simply an event that happens to you.  And when you continue to move forward, despite difficult experiences, you have already won!

ACTION: Find the gift in the setback

The next time the outcome you had hoped for doesn’t transpire, look for the gift. Ask yourself the following questions:

1. What can I learn from what happened?
2. What am I grateful for about this experience?
3. What are the potential benefits of this experience?
4. What is the best way for me to move forward?

Commit to finding the gift in any setback.   And tell yourself that you will never, never, never quit…no matter what.   Think about it, if you don’t give up, you simply cannot fail. Not only will you achieve your dreams, but the combination of your commitment, courage, and faith will rise as the greatest triumph of all.

P.S. I appreciate you stopping by and would enjoy hearing your personal thoughts about setbacks ~ please feel free to share in the comment box below. And, if you have found my post to be of value to you, and feel it would also be to others, then please free free to share it with your friends on Twitter, Facebook, etc.

* This post was originally published on May 16, 2010.

If you study successful people, you’ll find one trait they all have in common is consistency.

Consistency creates habits.  Habits make the difference between success or failure.  Did you know that quitting is a habit?  And, every time you quit, you risk damage to your self-esteem, and send your subconscious a message that you’re helpless.  You are not helpless.  If you’ll take action every time you feel like quitting, you will gain confidence that seems to make your next step easier. Consistency takes discipline and for some, this just isn’t an easy task.  Sometimes, just doing those small, often mundane tasks on a daily basis can make all the difference in driving you forward.

Being consistent is a tough job for most people, especially if it will be asking for major efforts and participation. Think about this: Unless you are willing to try to do something beyond what you have been doing, you will never receive the maximum growth that you need for your growth. Expand your expertise. No matter what you do, being consistent will lead you toward success!

Life happens and sometimes, the routine demands of life will overload you, or unexpected events will blow in from nowhere and threaten to drive you off course.  When such things do occur, confront the urge to give up.  From time to time, you’ll be tempted to rationalize, “Well, I’ll quit for now, but I’ll get back on track tomorrow or next week”  Don’t do it!  Instead, take immediate action to get you working toward your task before the temptation to quit gets too strong.

If you happen to own your own business, what can you do to ensure you stay consistent (in your business)?  One would be to make the decision to be consistent. Another would be to establish a daily schedule and set specific time to work on your business.  If your business is more than a hobby, realistically, you need to plan to work on your business a minimum of 4-5 days a week, for at least a couple of hours a day.  Keep in mind, it’s okay to work a business part-time or full-time, but never sometimes.

P.S. I appreciate you stopping by and would enjoy hearing your thoughts on consistency,  so, please feel free to share in the comment box below. And, if you have found my post to be of value to you, and feel it would also be to others, then please free free to share it with your friends on Twitter, Facebook, etc.

* This post was originally published in May 2010.

In your quest for excellence, have you ever found yourself stuck (or worse quitting!) because you just could not figure out how to do something perfect?

Do you wonder what is the difference between the two?  Excellence is an attempt to perform a task in the best possible way, whereas perfection is the definite 100% right way of doing anything.  Excellence is something that all of us can aspire to ~ Perfection is seldom achievable by mankind.

Another way to think about it: excellence allows for occasional mistakes, yet perfection eliminates that possibility.  For example, if I expect perfection from myself, I’ll most likely fail every time!

Have you ever thought about how the two relate in our everyday lives?  Perfection is throwing one interception and losing confidence and Excellence is throwing five interceptions, yet coming back to lead your team to victory.  Perfection is performance based.  Excellence is always based upon improvement.  Perfection can make a victory become a failure. Yet, Excellence can turn a failure into victory.

What are some key differences between excellence and perfection:

• Excellence is willing to be wrong.  Perfection is being right.
• Excellence is risk.  Perfection is fear.
• Excellence is powerful.  Perfection is anger and frustration.
• Excellence is spontaneous.  Perfection is control.
• Excellence is accepting.  Perfection is judgment.
• Excellence is giving.  Perfection is taking.
• Excellence is confidence.  Perfection is doubt.
• Excellence is flowing.  Perfection is pressure.
• Excellence is journey.  Perfection is destination.

To best sum it up:  Perfection is not a goal, it is a fantasy.  Perfection can never be attained. Perfection is not part of our human world. ~ Excellence is attainable, and a very healthy goal for each of us to pursue.

Do you have a clear picture for what excellence looks like for you? Action steps you can take once you have your clear picture is to hold onto that image and take steps daily in that direction ~ whatever excellence is for you!

A great quote to leave you with, “No one is perfect…that’s why pencils have erasers.” ~ Unknown

P.S. I appreciate you stopping by and would enjoy hearing your thoughts on excellence or perfection,  so, please feel free to share in the comment box below. And, if you have found my post to be of value to you, and feel it would also be to others, then please free free to share it with your friends on Twitter, Facebook, etc.

A couple of weeks ago, I received in my email inbox an article from Darren Hardy, Publisher of Success Magazine, titled, “2011: How to Live Your Best Year Ever”. And, although I receive numerous links to articles in my email each day, I have to admit, this one caught my attention.  Why, you might ask…

Well…it’s not because the title refers to leading into this new year, or the general nostalgia that one might feel this time of the year.

No…it simply captured my attention because the initial contents struck upon a familiar cord, “Are you feeling a little bummed or even disappointed in where you are in life right now?”  Okay, you’ve got my attention, I thought.  The article touched upon specific thoughts such as, “Did you think you would be doing a little bit better and be a little bit further along in life by now?”   Regardless of the usual “New Year” type topics that one might expect to read, this one hit a little too close for comfort for me…

2010 was truly a wonderful year for me personally and professionally, filled with personal growth and new friendships, yet as the year was coming to a close, I did find myself a bit overwhelmed with “life” and, as far as “growth” may have been concerned, found myself at a personal “standstill”.  And, so yes, (unfortunately???) this article and subtopic points posed by Darren truly hit home.

And, it actually brought to my mind another book by Dr. Shad Helmstetter titled, “Who Are You Really, and What Do You Want?”, a title that has for many years stood out in my mind…not necessarily because of the very catchy title, yet rather because of the premise behind the title, WHO are you REALLY…and WHAT do YOU WANT.  To me, this seems to go hand-in-hand with the concept of personal development (actually hitting the nail on head), and makes me truly ponder about on the concept of who I am, where I am in my life (at present) and what direction I am really going (in my life). And, again I’m sure I’m not alone in this feeling.

I’m a bit embarrassed to admit that it’s been a little over four months since my last blog post, and during this time I’ve felt “stuck” and a bit in limbo because I allowed myself to become overwhelmed, “changed train tracks” on my personal direction, and well, basically, let life get in the way of my momentum.  The great thing about a New Year is that it is a traditional new beginning, and “an allowable turning point”, and a time to try something different.  Hey, you never know if it works unless you try, right?

In the scheme of the Big Picture of Life, something that I’ve learned and would like very much to share is that  you have to KEEP IT SIMPLE. Meaning, you still have to have a plan, yet it’s so important to break tasks down into “bite sized pieces”,  few important ones to strive to do each and every day I have my ‘Six Most’ list that I utilize each day, and, with that in mind, I also keep track of the items that I have accomplished, and note these as completed every day.  What a feeling!!!

I would very much enjoy hearing from others who may have had similar “ah-ha”moments and the things you’ve learned along the way of personal growth (especially at a New Year) that you’d like to share

P.S. If you have found my post to be of value to you, and feel it would also be to others, then please do me one favor and share it with your friends on Twitter, Facebook, etc.