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15 of the Best Motivational Quotes

Mr.SelfDevelopment — Tue, 24 May 2011 05:52:28 +0000

The power of words never fails to inspire.

Below are 15 of the best motivational quotes and a much needed early week pick-me-up. I hope you enjoy:

A #2 pencil and a dream can take you anywhere.

Joyce A. Myers

It is during our darkest moments that we must focus to see the light.

Aristotle Onassis

Judge each day not by the harvest you reap but by the seeds you plant.

Robert Louis Stevenson

The best way out is always through.

Robert Frost

The questions you ask determine the quality of your life.

Mr. Self Development

Believe you can and you’re halfway there.

Theodore Roosevelt

Change your thoughts and you change your world.

Norman Vincent Peale

It is by acts and not by ideas that people live.

Harry Emerson Fosdick

Happiness is not something you postpone for the future; it is something you design for the present.

Jim Rohn

Mankind is made great or little by its own will.

Friedrich Schiller

Nothing is impossible; the word itself says ‘I’m possible’!

Audrey Hepburn

Put your heart, mind, and soul into even your smallest acts. This is the secret of success.

Swami Sivananda

Give light and people will find the way.

Ella Baker

Ideas shape the course of history.

John Maynard Keynes

There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it.

Edith Wharto

Thank you for reading, please pass along or add your favorite quote below.

Mr. Self Development is an author who teaches a motivational and practical guide to success. Please visit him at Mr. Self Development.com.

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The 5 Keys to Success

Mr.SelfDevelopment — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 05:43:52 +0000

Someone once said, “The key to happiness is having dreams. The key to success is making your dreams’ come true.” Today I want to talk about making your dreams come true. I want to talk about five keys that will help turn your dreams into reality.

Without further adieu….

5 Must Read Keys to Success:

1. Preparation

“The secret of success in life is for a man to be ready for his opportunity when it comes.”

~Benjamin Disraeli

Success loves preparation. If the perfect opportunity presented itself today, would you be ready? It’s better to be ready and not have an opportunity, then to have an opportunity and not be ready.

To succeed, you must be ready when opportunity comes. Spend your time preparing for success, when your opportunity comes, you’ll be glad you did.

2. Work

“Success is simply a matter of luck. Ask any failure.” ~Anonymous

All failures know that success is simply a matter of luck, they know it’s just a matter of being at the right place at the right time, they know with assurance that success is directly linked to good ole fashion chance.

However, those who have succeeded know that success is directly and proportionally linked to work. Even an amazing strategy can’t guarantee success. Zig Ziglar said, “The most practical, beautiful, workable philosophy in the world won’t work – if you won’t.”

You have to put in the time. However, when you put in the time, it makes success all the more sweet. When you come from “behind” and do the impossible, it makes success as sweet as a honeycomb. John H. Johnson said, “I believe the greater the handicap, the greater the triumph.”

3. Remember the Golden Rule

“Success is still the constant application of the Golden Rule.” ~Anonymous

Never forget the golden rule, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” That’s the key to success. Serve your clients as you would have them serve you. Meet their needs as you would have them meet your needs. Give them prices that you would want to pay, exceed their expectations in a way that you would want your expectations to be exceeded.

When you follow the golden rule, you open the door to success.

4. Confidence

“Confidence is the companion of success.” ~Anonymous

If you don’t believe in your abilities, don’t be surprised if no one else does either. Your negative thoughts about yourself send a signal throughout the world that others pick up on and respond accordingly. If you’re broadcasting the station “Depression 108.7” then others will treat you like you’re depressed.

But, when you believe in yourself and your potential, people pick up that signal, and they will treat you according to how they believe, you believe, you should be treated. Did you get that?

5. Lead

“A most important key to successful leadership is your ability to direct and challenge the very best that is in those whom you lead.” ~Anonymous

To be successful you must be a great leader. There’s probably nothing more difficult than being a great leader. It’s easy to be selfish, it’s easy to only be concerned with your needs, your wants and your desires. But to succeed you have to lead! You have to do what’s best for the people; you must bring the best out of those in whom you lead.

When you really lead, you will succeed.

Thank you for reading and be sure to pass this article along.

Mr. Self Development is an author who teaches a motivational and practical guide to success. Please visit him at Mr. Self Development.com.

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5 Incredible Success Lessons

Mr.SelfDevelopment — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 06:15:58 +0000

Laing Burns Jr. said, “Success often comes to those who have the aptitude to see way down the road.” It’s important that you read articles like this one because they increase your insight and give you the ability to see further down the road. Let this article help motivate you on your path to success. Without further adieu…

5 Incredible Success Lessons:
1. Hard Work

“God gives every bird a worm, but he does not throw it into the nest.” –Swedish Proverb

Success requires hard work. If you’re not working very hard, you’re probably not on the path to success; you may be on a treadmill. It takes hard work to succeed. It takes enough discipline to create the right habits, an attitude that doesn’t relent, and a work ethic that few are willing to bear.

2. Take Responsibility

“Possession of the ball is the key to winning in football, basketball, and the game of life.”
–Laing Burns, Jr.

In the game of life you have the ball. Don’t try to give the ball to fate, luck, or chance. Take the ball and play the game.

Can you even decide the game you play? You have the ball, you decide the game, life has been set up for you to win!

3. Act Like You Can’t Fail

“Act as though it is impossible to fail.” –Anonymous

I didn’t say failure was impossible, but you should act like it is. I didn’t say you wouldn’t fail, but you should act like you won’t. Why? Because your attitude will ultimately determine your altitude. If you see yourself as a success, you will eventually succeed. Act like the successful do, don’t be timid or shy; play like you’re going to win the game.

4. Fail Miserably

“Unless you’re willing to have a go, fail miserably, and have another go, success won’t happen.” –Phillip Adams

It’s okay to fail; it’s even okay to fail miserably. The only way to success is on the path of failure. When you fall, pick yourself up, dust yourself off, learn from your mistakes and keep moving. You have time to succeed. If you stay focused in an area where you’re passionate, and where you have a natural advantage, you will succeed.

5. Plan and Succeed

“An Unfailing Success Plan: At each day’s end write down the six most important things to do tomorrow; number them in order of importance, and then do them.” –Anonymous

This is the recipe for success. Plan your days and then complete your plans. I would be remiss not to mention that you should complete the most important tasks first. These are the ones you usually don’t want to do because they require you to leave your comfort zone. But growth only occurs when you’re uncomfortable, get accustomed to being uncomfortable. Get comfortable being uncomfortable, soon you will grow, soon you will succeed.

In Closing

Dell Crossword said, “Success is not permanent. The same is also true of failure.” If you’ve failed in the past, that doesn’t mean you have to fail in the future. If you follow the steps in this article you will begin to succeed. Make sure you work in an area that makes you happy, ensure you work towards your passion, and one day, that which you seek, you will find.

Thank you for reading and be sure to pass this article along!

Mr. Self Development is an author who teaches a motivational and practical guide to success. Please visit him at Mr. Self Development.com.

11 More Motivational Quotes for 2011

Mr.SelfDevelopment — Sun, 20 Mar 2011 07:48:52 +0000

In my last article we looked at eleven motivational quotes and we discussed how 25 percent of people abandon their New Year’s resolutions after one week, and 60 percent of people abandon their New Year’s resolution within six months.

Today I want to look at 11 more motivational quotes. Why? Because motivation is something you need daily.

I like what Zig Ziglar said about motivation, he said, “People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing – that’s why we recommend it daily.”

11 More Motivational Quotes for 2011:

“Our plans miscarry because they have no aim. When a man does not know what harbor he is making for, no wind is the right wind.”

–Seneca

“The more difficulties one has to encounter, within and without, the more significant and the higher in inspiration his life will be.”

–Horace Bushnell

“Winning isn’t everything, but wanting to win is.”

–Vince Lombardi

“In absence of clearly defined goals, we become strangely loyal to performing daily acts of trivia.”

–Author Unknown

“Don’t bunt. Aim out of the ballpark.”

–David Ogilvy

“There is only one success–to be able to spend your life in your own way.”

–Christopher Morley

“Hold fast to dreams, for if dreams die, life is a broken winged bird that cannot fly.”

–Lanston Hughes

“The ability to convert ideas to things is the secret to outward success.”

–Henry Ward Beecher

“The ability to concentrate and to use your time well is everything if you want to succeed in business–or almost anywhere else for that matter.”

Lee Iacocca

“Success is sweet: the sweeter if long delayed and attained through manifold struggles and defeats.”

–A. Branson Alcott

“Failures do what is tension relieving, while winners do what is goal achieving.”

–Dennis Waitley

Please tweet or stumble to motivate someone else!

Mr. Self Development is an author who teaches a motivational and practical guide to success. Please visit him at Mr. Self Development.com.

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11 Motivational Quotes for 2011

Mr.SelfDevelopment — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 06:34:35 +0000

Do you know that 25 percent of people abandon their New Year’s resolutions after one week, and 60 percent of people abandon their New Year’s resolution within six months? According to Tony Schwartz, the average person makes the same New Year’s resolution ten separate times without success.

So today I want to give you 11 motivational quotes to keep you motivated in 2011, and help inspire you to achieve your goals.

11 Motivational Quotes for 2011:

“There is no happiness except in the realization that we have accomplished something.”

–Henry Ford

“Men’s best successes come after their disappointments.”

–Henry Ward Beecher

“Men do less than they ought, unless they do all they can.”

–Thomas Carlyle

“Do not wait to strike till the iron is hot; but make it hot by striking.”

–William B. Sprague

“First say to yourself what you would be; and then do what you have to do.”

–Epictetus

“They can because they think they can.”

–Virgil

“Every artist was first an amateur.”

–Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Keep steadily before you the fact that all true success depends at last upon yourself.”

–Theodore T. Hunger

“A failure is a man who has blundered, but is not able to cash in on the experience.”

–Elbert Hubbard

“The greatest results in life are usually attained by simple means and the exercise of ordinary qualities. These may for the most part be summed in these two: common-sense and perseverance.”

–Owen Feltham

“Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out.”

–Robert Collier

Please tweet or stumble to motivate someone else!

Mr. Self Development is an author who teaches a motivational and practical guide to success. Please visit him at Mr. Self Development.com.

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5 Must-Read Success Lessons from Michelangelo

Mr.SelfDevelopment — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 06:45:51 +0000

Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni, commonly known as Michelangelo, was an Italian Renaissance painter, sculptor, architect, poet, and engineer. His work in each of these fields was absolutely ingenious.

When you take into account the quantity of correspondences, sketches, and reminiscences that currently exist, Michelangelo is the best documented artist of the 16^th century.

Two of his most popular works, David and the Pietà, were sculpted before he turned thirty.

As an artist he created two of the most influential works in the history of Western art: the scenes from Genesis on the ceiling and The Last Judgment on the altar wall of the Sistine Chapel in Rome.

As an architect, Michelangelo pioneered the Mannerist style at the Laurentian Library. When he was 74 he succeeded “Antonio da Sangallo the Younger” as the architect of Saint Peter’s Basilica.

One of the qualities most admired by his contemporaries was his sense of awe-inspiring splendor. It was the attempts of subsequent artists trying to imitate Michelangelo’s highly personal and passionate style that resulted in “Mannerism,” the next major movement in Western art after the High Renaissance.

5 Must Read Success Lessons from Michelangelo:

1. Work Hard

“If people knew how hard I worked to get my mastery, it wouldn’t seem so wonderful at all.”

It’s true; it takes hard work to succeed!

The idea that “people succeed because they’re lucky” may make you feel better, but it’s simply not true.

The reality is that success is the result of hard work. Are “you” working hard? Are you giving your all to this game called life? You won’t succeed on a half-effort; to succeed you must give your all.

2. You Have to See It

“A man paints with his brains and not with his hands.”

What you can see you can do! If you can’t see it, you can’t do it. So what do you see for your life? Do you see more of the same, or do you see greatness just around the corner!

Before you arrive you must see it; what you see is “exactly” what you’re going to get. So what do you see?

3. Carve Out the Angel

“I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free.”

Michelangelo said, “Every block of stone has a statue inside it, and it is the task of the sculptor to discover it.” Every person is like that block of stone, there’s greatness inside, but it has to be carved out. It has to be carved out through hard work; it has to be carved out by the individual who can perceive their own greatness. To succeed, you must carve your greatness out of the block.

4. Have Faith

“Faith in oneself is the best and safest course.”

To succeed you must believe in your ability! You must be the first member of your fan club. As the famous poem goes, “If you think you’re outclassed, you are, you have to think high to rise, you must be sure of yourself, before you can ever win a prize, think big and your deeds will grow, think small and you’ll fall behind, think like you can and you will, it’s all just a state of mind…”

Do you believe in you?

5. Aim High

“The greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short; but in setting our aim too low, and achieving the mark.”

You can do more than you’re presently doing! You’re capable of accomplishing things that you can not currently perceive, things that would astonish you. There lies dormant in you potential that has yet to be tapped; you have to aim high in order to unlock that potential. Greatness is inside of you, but it’s up to you to release it.

Thank you for reading and be sure to pass this article along!

Mr. Self Development is an author who teaches a motivational and practical guide to success. Please visit him at Mr. Self Development.com.

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5 Must-Read Life Lessons from Alexander Graham Bell

Mr.SelfDevelopment — Mon, 22 Nov 2010 08:30:38 +0000

Alexander Graham Bell was a prominent scientist, inventor, engineer and innovator who is credited with inventing the first “practical” telephone, although some believe he stole the idea from Elisha Gray.

Bell’s father, grandfather, and brother were all involved with work on speech and elocution, and both his mother and wife were deaf, profoundly influencing Bell’s life’s work.

Bell’s research on hearing and speech further led him to experiment with hearing devices. These experimentations eventually resulted in Bell being awarded the first U.S. patent for the telephone in 1876. Interestingly enough, Bell considered his invention an interference with his “real” work as a scientist and refused to have a telephone in his study.

Bell is also known for many other landmark inventions including his work in optical telecommunications, hydrofoils and aeronautics. In 1888, Bell became one of the founding members of the National Geographic Society.

5 Must-Read Life Lessons from Alexander Graham Bell:

1. Development

“A man, as a general rule, owes very little to what he is born with – a man is what he makes of himself.”

You are what you make of yourself!

This is why self-development is so important; you are “exactly” what you have spent your time developing into. You decide what you become. You can develop into success or failure. You can get better or worse, you decide. A man, or woman, is what they make of themselves.

2. Preparation

“Before anything else, preparation is the key to success.”

Les Brown said, “It’s better to be prepared for an opportunity and not have one, then to have an opportunity and not be prepared.” Are you prepared to succeed? If the opportunity you’ve been waiting for suddenly appeared, would you be ready for it?

The first step to success is to be prepared.

3. Concentration

“Concentrate all of your thoughts upon the work at hand. The sun’s rays do not burn until brought to a focus.”

Alexander Graham Bell said, “What this power is I cannot say; all I know is that it exists and it becomes available only when a man is in that state of mind in which he knows exactly what he wants and is fully determined not to quit until he finds it.” Are you concentrating? Are you focusing all of your power on the work at hand? You’ll never know your potential if you don’t focus your power.

4. Look for Open Doors

“Sometimes we stare so long at a door that is closing that we see too late the one that is open.”

Every time a door closes another one opens, look for the open doors, look for the opportunities that are in front of you.

Are you looking for opportunities? It’s hard to find an opportunity if you’re not looking for it. With every closed door there is a seed for something greater.

5. Steady Progress

“The most successful men in the end are those whose success is the result of steady accretion.”

Most people want overnight success, however, those who succeed, succeed as a result of many years of steady progress. Are you making progress? Are you closer to your goal this year in comparison to last year?

To succeed you have to make progress, you have to be consistent to win the race. As the quote goes, “The race is not given to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, but to the one who endures until the end.

Please tweet or stumble to motivate someone else!

Mr. Self Development is an author who teaches a motivational and practical guide to success.
Please visit him at Mr. Self Development.com.

5 Must-Read Life Lessons from Gandhi

Mr.SelfDevelopment — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 06:12:17 +0000

Mohandas Gandhi was the pre-eminent ideological and political leader of India during the Indian independence movement. He pioneered Satyagraha; which is defined as resistance to tyranny through mass civil disobedience. This is a philosophy based on complete non-violence.

This idea assisted India in gaining its independence, and provided motivation for civil rights and freedom all across the world.

After assuming leadership of the Indian National Congress in 1921, Gandhi led nationwide campaigns to ease poverty, expand women’s rights, build religious and ethnic amity, end “untouchability,” and increase economic self-reliance.

Gandhi lived very modestly in a self-sufficient residential community. He wore the traditional Indian dhoti and shawl that he hand-spun. He ate vegetarian food, experimented with a fruitarian diet, and fasted as a means of self-purification and protest.

…Without further adieu, I present to you the 5 must-read life lessons from Gandhi:

5 Must-Read Life Lessons from Gandhi:

1. Be the Change

“You must be the change you want to see in the world.”

Be the example, be the leader. If you lead properly people will follow, and together you will change the world. Anyone can complain, anyone can blame, and most do, but if you desire to change, then “you” be the change.

2. Ask the Right Questions

“The power to question is the basis of all human progress.”

The quality of your life is in direct proportion to the quality of the questions that you dare to ask. Are you asking the right questions? Are you asking the right people? You can’t get answers, without questions; you can’t make progress, without an inquiring mind.

3. Always Act

“Have a bias towards action – let’s see something happen now. You can break that big plan into small steps and take the first step right away.”

If you’re going to be biased, be biased towards making something happen today. Tomorrow never comes, any progress to be made, must be made today. It must be made right now!

If you don’t act now, you don’t have a future, just a longer today. Gandhi said, “The future depends on what we do in the present.”

4. Forgive

“The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.”

It’s not “weaklings” who are quick-to-forgive; it’s those who are strongest. The ability to forgive quickly is a sign of strength. How strong are you?

If you’ve been weak in the past, you can begin today to be strong.

5. Monitor Your Beliefs

“Your beliefs become your thoughts. Your thoughts become your words. Your words become your actions. Your actions become your habits. Your habits become your values. Your values become your destiny.”

In short, your beliefs will create your destiny. What do you believe? What do you believe about yourself, your future, and your potential? What you believe, you will surely become.

Thank you for reading and be sure to pass this article along!

Mr. Self Development is an author who teaches a motivational and practical guide to success. Please visit him at Mr. Self Development.com.

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7 Amazing Life Lessons from Ralph Waldo Emerson

Mr.SelfDevelopment — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 06:12:40 +0000

Ralph Waldo Emerson was an American philosopher, lecturer, essayist, and poet. He’s probably most known for leading the Transcendentalist movement of the mid-19th century. His work has influenced nearly every generation of thinker, writer and poet since his time.

So without further adieu, today I want to talk about some of the profound life-lessons we can learn from Emerson. Sit back, relax, and enjoy the show.

7 Amazing Life Lessons from Ralph Waldo Emerson:

Lesson 1: Aim Above The Mark

“We aim above the mark to hit the mark.”

To hit the mark, it’s necessary to aim above the mark. If you want to do $100,000 in sales next year, create a plan that allows you to do $150,000. To hit the mark you have to aim higher!

Do you aim high when setting your goals? Things seldom go exactly as you plan them, aiming allows you to hit the target with the inevitable occurs.

Lesson 2: What You Always See, You Stop Seeing

“If the stars should appear but one night every thousand years how man would marvel and stare.”

What you constantly see, you stop seeing! You forget the wonders of your spouse, the reliability of your car, the warmth of your home, because you experience them too often. This is just a reminder, to stop, and marvel and the things you wouldn’t want to live without.

Lesson 3: Conquer Daily

“He who is not everyday conquering some fear has not learned the secret of life.”

Life is a battlefield; to succeed you must “divide and conquer.” Conquer your fears daily; stretch yourself daily. Do something you don’t want to do, something you’re afraid of doing because you might get rejected or you might fail. Do that thing today, and then conquer another fear tomorrow. If you can create the habit of conquering your fear, you can move from the land of impossibilities to the land of possibilities.

Lesson 4: Work on Yourself

“The sum of wisdom is that time is never lost that is devoted to work.”

If there’s a secret to success, it’s work, but not just any work. I’m talking about working on yourself. Time spent working on yourself will yield you many dividends. Commit to work on yourself everyday, to become a little better, a little smarter, and in time the best version of you will be realized.

Lesson 5: Repair Your Character

“No change of circumstances can repair a defect of character.”

Your thoughts determine your feelings, your feelings determine your actions, and your actions determine your character. A defected character comes from defective thinking and can only be corrected via accurate thinking: Thinking that is in-line with where you want to go and who you want to be. Better circumstances won’t change a defected character; only “better” thinking can do that. If you don’t decide to think “better,” your way-of-thinking will eventually drag you down exposing your defected character.

Lesson 6: Think Bigger

“In art, the hand can never execute anything higher than the heart can imagine.”

You are only limited by what your heart can imagine. If you can imagine big things, if you can somehow stretch your mind to see the impossible, if you can catch a glimpse of what could be, then you can go there. You must believe in what’s never been done before, you must believe that you can do what’s never been done before; you must be committed to realizing the impossible. If you can see it, you can have it.

Lesson 7: Make Yourself Necessary

“Make yourself necessary to somebody.”

If you didn’t learn anything from this article, please take this final point. Make yourself necessary! Not just to somebody, but to a host of people. When you work on yourself, and grow yourself, and spend years sharpening your skills, you will become valuable; you will become necessary to somebody.

Thank you for reading and be sure to pass this article along!

Mr. Self Development is an author who teaches a motivational and practical guide to success. Please visit him at Mr. Self Development.com.

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