As I think a great many people do nearly every day now, I was surfing through some social media posts and I came across this image. Courtesy of @addicted2success, the image shows Superman in handcuffs and accompanied by four soldiers in body armor, etc. It’s an image from the movie “Man of Steel.”  The phrase on it is what caught my attention: How it feels when you’re stuck in your day job and you know your true potential. (more…)

In today’s computer age, days where you can’t look around without seeing someone on their “smart” phone, and times of everyone being connected nearly full time, the word “hack” has come to take on a whole new meaning.  It is essentially used to mean “something that makes your life easier or an easier and faster way of doing something.” I’ve seen some pretty cool hacks posted online but I often wonder how come nobody ever shares TRUE “life hacks:” hacks that actually make your life easier in the way(s) that count most.  So… I had to.  I considered it a challenge I couldn’t back away from. (more…)

Near the end of every calendar year… or in the first few days of a new year… huge numbers of people make resolutions with the goal of improving their life. Some of those resolutions are very specific and equally unrealistic.  For example, after someone has been a cigarette smoker for years (if not decades), they decide that starting January 1^st of the New Year, they’re going to quit smoking… cold turkey.  Now, they’ve decided to quit a dozen times before and they’ve stopped smoking for several days at a time, made themselves miserable, and then come up with a reason why they just HAVE to have a cigarette. My own father stopped smoking for a year after he had heart surgery and then someone offered him a cigarette at a bar and he thought, “One won’t hurt.”  Another year later he had to go through the misery of quitting again. (more…)

From dictionary.com, the definition of “Warrior:” A person engaged or experienced in warfare; soldier. A person who shows or has shown great vigor, courage, or aggressiveness, as in politics or athletics. I would submit to you that all too often in today’s society the term “warrior” is too narrowly applied to a profession and inadequately used to describe individual outlook. However, the value of seeing one’s self as a warrior and acting accordingly is grossly undervalued and that’s what I wanted to discuss today. (more…)

One of the greatest compliments I’ve ever been paid was when a longtime friend of mine posted on a social media site that I had inspired him. I hadn’t, until that point, considered that I might inspire anyone to anything, but reality is that we ALL inspire someone to something. If we’re jerks, we might inspire them to dislike us. If we’re courteous we might inspire them to smile. Some people spread a positive message and inspire others to do the same. This entry is about seeking out such people and focusing on their message to offset or replace the negativity that seems to exist in each day. (more…)

Every year people make resolutions to do something or some things that they believe will somehow alter their life for the better.  They resolve to quit smoking. They resolve to lose weight. They resolve to get in shape. They resolve to cut back on eating fatty foods. They resolve to drink less alcohol. They resolve to find a different job that they’ll like more than the one they have.  Resolve.. resolve… resolve.  As I thought about it, reviewing a few motivational snipits I had come across, it occurred to me that maybe what some folks need to do is make just one resolution: the resolution to GIVE UP.  “Give up what?” you ask.  Let me share… (more…)

I feel that this saying goes along with, “Quitters never win; winners never quit.”  We all know people who just never seem to get ahead in anything they attempt and when we look at their efforts objectively, we realize it’s because they never really finish what they’re attempting.  Their failure isn’t because they can’t accomplish the task at hand; it’s because they voluntarily choose to stop trying before reaching the goal.  And then, inevitably, they offer up an excuse as to why they weren’t successful.  More often than not, the excuse places responsibility somewhere else or on someone else.  “So and so distracted me,” or “So and so kept me out partying too late last night,” or “So and so didn’t tell me I need to have that to complete this task.”  It’s always “so and so’s” fault OR there were some outside uncontrollable circumstances to blame.  The person who habitually fails at anything they attempt typically finds an excuse as to why, and (although this is a guess) I’d estimate 75% or more of the time, they don’t accept responsibility for themselves in their excuse.
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If you look back at the first two posts in the motivational category (where you’re reading this too), you’ll see the first two: Just Don’t Quit and You Don’t Have To Like It (You just have to do it).  This one?  Ignore the distractions; focus on the goal! One of the most respected military units in the WORLD today is the Navy SEALs.  They are considered the elite of the elite.  They are smart, fit, imaginative and simply don’t know how to quit.  Do you know what one of their secrets is?  Ignoring distractions.  What distractions you ask?  Things like fatigue, hunger, pain, home sickness, etc.  One of the reasons they are so successful in their missions is because they stay focused on the mission until it’s complete. (more…)

For ten years now the show NCIS has been a fairly popular show.  Leroy Jethro Gibbs or more simply “Gibbs” has been quoting rules and teaching them to his team all that time.  Some I agree with; some I don’t, but “Gibbs’ Rules” finally inspired me to write out some of my own.  Rule number 1: Just don’t quit. (more…)