Every single year most people get stuck in the same cycle regarding fitness. As the days grow shorter and colder we exercise less. When you add in holiday laziness and indulgence, along with an over abundance of delicious food, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out why so many of us start adding extra pounds.  So should you wait until spring to start losing weight or just look for ways to not add it during the winter?

An ounce of prevention

As Ben Franklin said, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” While I doubt he was talking about keeping a trim waistline, the saying is very accurate. It is extremely easy to gain excess weight and fat. Simply add a few extra helpings of dessert each week and watch those pounds add up. But conversely you have to burn 3500 calories of energy to lose a pound of fat. That equals 3 1/2 hours of hard cycling, over 4 hours of step aerobics, or 5 hours of jogging.

Where to start?

Psych yourself up for staying in shape! One of the more overlooked aspects of weight gain and weight loss is the proper mindset. If you aren’t focused on a particular goal then you won’t reach that goal. For staying in shape the easiest way to forge that focus is by placing attention firmly on your abdominals. Far too many people think the all-mighty scale is the best tool. They will agonize over every little pound. But honestly, a scale gives a raw number which does not consider how you actually look. Overwhelmingly when people consider being ‘in-shape’ they think of a trim midsection.

• Work out your abdominals every other day. Do it in the morning before breakfast.
• Before you get in the shower, take a good look at your stomach. Consider how it is now compared to how you want it to look.
• Use your morning visualizations and ab soreness as motivation during the day to eat right and avoid the bad foods.
• Always bring a water bottle with you and drink frequently.
• Find some sort of easy exercise to do a few times a week and stick to it. The goal is to offset any extra calories you might consume.
• Keep a picture with you of the type of shape you want to be in. Use it for motivation when a food craving hits.

Mind over body

People can accomplish any number of goals in life if they have the proper mind set. A focused attention can easily overcome obstacles. By looking at your midsection as a point of focal point and using that as your motivation, you can avoid the roller coaster weight gain most people go through over the winter months. Then when spring arrives you will be ready to hit the ground running for fun instead of spending all of those hours working off excess weight.

Nick Walden is a fellow fitness enthusiast who enjoys a healthy and active lifestyle while developing mind and intelligence.

A baby is a gift which enriches your feelings and emotions, but a baby can also be an inspiring teacher as well.

How?

In fact, she can be your biggest motivator if you pay close attention to her activities.

Let me share with you some interesting observations that I believe serve as great motivational lessons.

1. Innocence

Just look at the innocent activities the baby does. Sometimes, they may not make any sense to others but the baby get’s herself involved in those small happiness activities.

That’s innocence. Happiness has its root in innocence.

We, adults on the other hand are getting drowned in information, bath in knowledge pools. With every information on our fingertips, we have lost our innocence to overload of information.

Can we turn OFF the information channel for a moment and live and experience happiness in innocent ways?

2. Curiosity for learning new things

A baby has amazing curiosity to see, explore and for understanding how things work. She interprets the lip moments, learns entirely new language, and understands mannerisms at a stage of life where she still does not have any base language. Isn’t it incredible?

We, adults, why are we so rigid when it comes to learning new things? Why we let our curiosity factor die even though it’s still green inside us?

Aren’t we equipped with so many tools for learning?

3. Live life in present

A baby always lives the life in present. No neither has worries of yesterday, nor plans of tomorrow. Isn’t it a beautiful way to live? Live in the present moment.

Why do we adults surround ourselves with past regrets and future plans? Why do we miss to live in today, in the present moment? Let’s enjoy the “now”. Bring back your mind from past regrets and future worries and sync it with today.

4. Struggle is natural

Baby struggles to crawl, she fails. She holds the edge of door to stand, but she slips and falls. She cries for help but she continues her struggle to stand. Baby finally succeeds and the victory is clearly visible in baby’s sparkling eyes.

That’s the way the things are learnt, methods are explored and victories are enjoyed. Struggle is natural. It’s the way we humans have always created amazing things.

Why we adults run away from struggle? Why do we look for shortcuts? Let’s all of us get inspired and realize our goals by putting hard work. Struggle keeps you moving, no matter what the speed is. Struggle is beautiful.

5. Forgiveness

A baby never keeps anything in heart though you might have showed your irritation to her. She might have felt bad at that moment and that’s the end of story. Next time, when you meet her, she is a breeze again. She has forgiven you already. What a wonderful example of human element.

This is something, we all need to practice and implement in our own lives. Have a great heart, consciously ignore minor mistakes of others and give them a chance to correct, excel and grow in the life. When you help others grow, you grow even more.

6. Trust

Baby completely trusts you. The trust is always 100%. She is fearless; she believes that you are always there for her. When you throw her up in the air for play, she laughs instead of crying. That’s the beauty of trust. She trusts you that you will hold her anyways when she is falling back

So, if you trust someone, trust them 100%. There is no mid-way here. Complete trust can create wonderful and long lasting relationships.

7. Laugh From The Heart

When was the last time you laughed loudly? We can surely get inspiration from the baby from the way she laughs when she feels good. She laughs from heart.

Aren’t we so busy in life that we don’t even have time for laughing loudly? See the humor in small things, laugh and relieve stress,. Laughter is the best medicine, indeed.

8. Unconditional love

Baby loves you unconditionally. In the heart of the little baby, resides the greatest wealth on the earth, love.

I am leaving this space intentionally blank for you….

—————-

Naveen Kulkarni writes about personal development and shares winning ideas for living a wonderful life on his blog www.planetnaveen.com. You can also get his free eBook Winning Ideas for a Wonderful Life.

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Last week I asked the Miracle Question from Solution-Focused Therapy. The Miracle Question is simply, “If while you slept a miracle occurred tonight that solved all of your problems, how would you know when you woke up in the morning that a miracle occurred? What would be different?” The first step, of course, is answering the question, but if you just stopped there you might be left feeling a bit frustrated. There are generally two reactions to the Miracle Question. Some people are already living their “miracle life,” and by answering the question, they simply reinforce how happy and content they are. Good for them, but what about everyone else?

What if your current reality is completely different from your miracle life? What if by answering the Miracle Question you discover that the life you are living is not at all the life you want? I call this divide between what is and what is wanted the gap. The gap can be painful. It can cause frustration and paralysis . . . or it can spur excitement, fortitude, and action.

So you have a choice to make. Continue living as you have been and hope a miracle occurs that fixes all of your problems and gives you the life you want, or decide that you will be your own miracle? The Miracle Question is just the first step. It’s only designed to get you thinking about what you want to be different. The next step is a crucial one. It’s discovering what you need to do to start living those differences.

Let’s look at an example. Let’s say your current reality is that you live alone, work at a job you don’t like, and feel disconnected from your friends and family. But upon waking after a miracle has occurred, you are lying next to the love of your life, driving into a job that you love, and finishing preparations for a dinner party you are hosting at your house that evening.

In this example, the gap between what currently is and what is desired is wide, but is it impossible to bridge? I don’t think so. Coert Visser, a psychologist an expert in Solution-Focused Therapy, recommends asking what parts of the miracle you can already start doing. Could you host a dinner party for your friends and family? What about just calling a friend and taking them out to lunch? Could you start night classes in the other 8 hours to move closer to your dream job? Doing any of these things helps you start — even in a small way — living your miracle.

Maybe that example was too simple. Let’s take this to the extreme. In the aftermath of losing a loved one, the survivor’s miracle is usually that they wake up and their loved one is alive again. This would require a miracle indeed, but if you dig deeper, there might be some small way to start living this miracle. What is missing now that the loved one is gone? Maybe companionship, security, someone to talk to, a shoulder to cry on, a comfortable routine, or a travel partner? What small steps could this person take to start realizing this miracle? How about to spend more time with friends, join a Meetup group, start a book club, participate in a survivor’s group, etc. No change is too small.

One of the founding beliefs in Solution-Focused Therapy is that small changes can lead to big results. It’s the butterfly effect for personal development. A small and seemingly insignificant change can create profound consequences that sometimes defy logical explanation. Jeffrey Guterman, Ph.D., and author of Solution-Focused Counseling writes, “A small change can result in a snowball effect that, in turn, leads to bigger changes and the resolution of bigger problems.” No change is too small.

What is the smallest step you can take today to start living your miracle?

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Do you remember those magical times in your childhood when you could lose yourself in your imagination? You could become anything and anyone, and life was full of infinite possibilities and exciting potential. Logic didn’t get in the way, blocking your sense of freedom and joy. And if life was miserable, you could escape from it all through the creative, imaginative world you made for yourself.

It’s no accident that as children we practice all sorts of situations and personas, trying them on for size and preparing ourselves in a safe and harmless way for whatever life might have in store for us. And that free-thinking, creative imagination is more than just a trial run at real life. It’s an invaluable tool when it comes to the resilience and creativity needed to solve life’s problems as they arise, and it’s a huge aid in remaining positive and avoiding or combating depression and negative patterns of thought.

But as we become adults, most of us let “reality” put us in straight-jackets. We let our thinking get into a rut, and allow our beliefs to become fixed and inflexible. If we’re lucky, we’ll find some kind of outlet, through our work or hobbies that will let us flex our creative muscles. But for many of us, those muscles are allowed to become stiff and unused, which in turn leaves us feeling stale and quite possibly bored with our humdrum existence.

So why not decide, today, to try to reawaken that creativity? It’s time to dust it off, stretch those wings, and access the light-hearted joy that comes from remembering that anything’s possible. The tips below can help to re-ignite your creative thinking, or can be consciously used to try to help you come up with new and different solutions to problems you may be “stuck” in. They’re all designed to get your creative unconscious mind firing, to help you think a little differently and have some fun. So take your pick, or if you’re feeling bold, why not try them all, and see how this rediscovered, creative “you” feels!

1. Allocate one day each week for a month as “taste something new” day, and commit to trying something you’ve never eaten before. It could be as simple as buying and tasting a new kind of fruit, or if you enjoy cooking, seek out new recipes you’d like to try. Or try out that new restaurant that just opened. Whether you like what you try or not doesn’t matter. Simply opening yourself up to new experiences helps you to feel less in a rut.

2. Think of a person you really admire. Someone you think is creative, exciting, strong and positive. They should have many attributes you aspire to. They can be a real person or a fictional character. Jot down on a piece of paper what it is that you admire so much about this person. In what ways do you wish you were like them? Now think of a problem you have, or a situation you’re not sure how to handle, and think to yourself, “If I were that person, with the resources I have available, what would I do about this?”

3. Take a familiar photograph, painting or image of any kind and turn it upside down. Spend a few minutes studying it from this new perspective. What details, shapes, patterns or thoughts do you notice that you never noticed before?

4. Think of a traditional fairy tale that you heard as a child, a story that you’re so familiar with that you know it thoroughly. Now pick either the antagonist (the “baddie”) or one of the minor characters (e.g. one of the seven dwarves), and think about or preferably write down how the same story might look from that character’s point of view. You might even want to change the ending of the story completely so your new protagonist is the one the wins out in the end, or just take that character and make a whole new story focussing on them… let your imagination run riot!

5. Take a problem or situation you have to think about, and imagine you are a child, about 6 years old. Children’s thinking can be refreshingly straightforward. What would a child say about this problem? Try to get into the simple, “why not?” frame of mind of a young child. We often overlook obvious, simple solutions and over-complicate our thinking.

6. Give something creative a go. When was the last time you drew something? Painted? Danced? Sang? Played an instrument? Acted? Made something from modelling clay? Carved something in wood? Knitted, embroidered or sewed? Took artistic photographs? Sign up to some evening classes, or get some good books out of the library and allocate an hour or two of your time once a week to rediscovering some creative pursuits.

7. Do you meditate? Regular meditation can be surprisingly effective in relaxing us and getting both halves of our brain (the creative and the logical parts) working in harmony with each other. Perhaps you’ve often thought about meditating but don’t think you’ve got the time? What if I said that just 5 minutes a day is all you need to get started? You can begin with a classic awareness meditation. Just close your eyes, and begin to notice your breathing. Notice how the air when you breathe in is cool and dry at the back of your nose and throat, but when you breathe out it’s warm and soft. Just continue to focus on your breath coming in and out, until you begin to feel yourself relax a little. Then just spend a few minutes noticing where your awareness takes you. You should feel calm and relaxed after just a few minutes of this, and doing this exercise regularly simply oils the wheels of your relaxed, creative mind, keeping it ready for use

8. Pick an image which includes people or a landscape. Look closely at the details in the image. Then imagine stepping into the image and exploring it. Who does your imagination decide these people are? Why are they doing what they’re doing? What are they thinking? Where does that path lead to? What is on the other side of that gate, door, river, etc. Allow yourself to roam free inside that photograph or image, and see what your unconscious comes up with.

9. Creative visualisation, a form of self hypnosis, can be used to tap in to your inner creativity. Get yourself really relaxed, then imagine yourself in a beautiful, natural place… exactly where is entirely up to you and your creative unconscious. Use all your senses to really feel yourself there. Somewhere in this place is a buried chest. Enjoy exploring your inner landscape until you find the buried chest. Inside the chest will be a gift, which symbolises a solution or an idea for the problem you set yourself (writers can use this to overcome a difficulty with plotting). Sit down and examine the gift in great detail, before coming back to the room, opening your eyes, then writing down all the ideas that come to you about what this gift could symbolise.

10. Try silence… the power of silence is very profound. We often run away from silence because in silence we only have our own thoughts for company, which can sometimes be quite a frightening prospect! But silence creates the space for truly creative thinking. Try sitting somewhere quiet – as quiet as possible – with no access to phones, tv, books, music or any other form of stimulus or distraction. Set a timer for one hour, and try to remain in silence with just your own thoughts for the full hour. If you haven’t done this before, it’s quite a challenge! At the end of the hour, grab a pen and paper and write down any significant thoughts that came up during that hour, or even just your thoughts on spending an hour in silence!

So there you go – plenty of ways to make space for the amazing, creative thoughts we can all have if we allow ourselves. Enjoy!

Donna Lee is a hypnotherapist with years of experience in helping people to empower themselves. She is the author of many hypnosis downloads (including one on creativity), which you can find over at HypnoShop.com. They have a large number of hypnotherapy sessions covering a wide range of topics.

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There are many famous quotes out there, but there are only a few with the power to touch your heart.

In this article, I’ve gathered 9 famous quotes that will not only supercharge your day and make you wise, but also inspire you to go after your wildest dreams and aspirations.

The truth of the matter is that you can become and have anything you want in this world. The only person stopping you is yourself.

With all that said, let’s jump right into the famous quotes, shall we?

1. ‘Worrying is like a rocking chair. It gives you something to do but it doesn’t get you anywhere.’ – Van Wilder

We all worry more than we have to. When you think back in your life to the times when you worried excessively, did your worrying actually solve anything?

If you really think about it, I think you will find that worrying doesn’t help nor does it solve anything. In fact, it often makes things much worse and it makes you feel bad.

Whenever you start worrying, instantly shift your focus to what you can do about the problem right now. If there’s nothing to do, let it go.

2. ‘It’s your thinking that decides whether you’re going to succeed or fail.’ – Henry Ford

Most people are more than happy to make excuses and give reasons for why they can’t do something.

It is in their thoughts that most people fail. One of the most common characteristics of successful people is that they are optimistic, positive, and they never give up.

They constantly imagine themselves succeeding and they face and overcome challenges easily. If you want to go after your dream life, you first have to get your thinking in order.

3. ‘Remember that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any other.’ – Abraham Lincoln

It is your own resolution and determination which decides whether you succeed or not.

It doesn’t matter if you’ve failed dozens or even hundreds of times, because if you don’t give up, your success is inevitable.

You can be a success, live a life full of passion, and have everything you desire, if you will just make the decision.

4. ‘You can do anything, but not everything.’ – David Allen

You can do anything you want, but not everything at the same time. You have to pick a few primary goals in your life that you want to pursue right now.

Or even better; just pick one.

This will not only help you make more progress, but it will make you feel motivated and inspired to take action.

When you focus on as few things as possible, you give your subconscious mind a solid target to aim at.

5. ‘You miss 100 percent of the shots you never take.’ – Wayne Gretzky

How many regrets do you have? How many times have you wished that you would’ve had the courage to do something?

If you’re like most people, it’s pretty often.

Take that feeling and use it to take action right now. Go after what you want, even though you may not believe that it is possible.

Go take that new yoga class, try painting because you always wanted to try it, or start your online business today.

6. ‘We are what we repeatedly do; excellence, then, is not an act but a habit.’ – Aristotle

Courage, self-discipline, and the ability to get things done is not something you’re born with. You can cultivate the habit of being productive and achieving your goals by constantly doing so.

The people that are living their dream lives are able to do so because they have taken action. They have been where you are, and they have overcome their inertia and started moving forward.

And they have kept moving forward despite their fears and despite any challenges that stood in their way.

You can do the same. You can always make excuses but the truth is that you can always do something, so begin with that.

7. ‘Work like you don’t need money, love like you’ve never been hurt, and dance like no one’s watching.’ – Unknown Author

When you find work that you would do for free, you have found your passion and calling in life. When you have no expectations, your life will be like dance.

Most people love because they want to be loved. And most people don’t dance, because they fear embarrassment.

I say, love because it feels good, and dance even though you may look like a complete idiot if that is what you want to do.

Life is meant to be an adventure full of fun, passion, and meaning. You are the only one that can create that for you.

8. ‘Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere.’ – Albert Einstein

Use your imagination to create the life of your dreams. You’ve heard of the law of attraction, which is excellent, but what most people often forget is that there’s also a law of action.

Use your imagination to plant the seed in your subconscious mind about what you want, but after that start taking massive action.

You can have what you want, if you will only go after it. I repeat this over and over because it is true and I want you to understand that.

9.’The journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step.’ – Lao Tzu

No matter what you want to accomplish in life. And no matter how long you think the journey is, it all begins with a single step.

For example, building a profitable online business begins with a single step. You can take that step today if you choose to, or you can put it off until another day.

And that day may never come, so you as well get started now.

If you want more information on how to change your life for the better, Henri writes at Wake Up Cloud, where you can get his FREE life-changing course: Find Your Passion in 5 Days or Less.

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Thomas A. Edison failed 10 000 times before he invented the light bulb.

Henry Ford had to overcome many obstacles before he could succeed, for one he had only had up to 6^th grade schooling in his life and still he become one of the most successful men of his time.

Napoleon Bonaparte met with temporary setbacks time and time again, but each time he was able to turn it into a benefit earning him more love from his followers.

People often forget the path that successful people have taken, forget all of the temporary setbacks that they have had to overcome.

As you can see, no success is made over night; no success is a straight arrow. Time and time again we fall. The question is, do we have the courage to pick ourselves up again?

You control your destiny

Just like these famous men, you control your destiny.

Every attempt you make to succeed will most likely begin in failure, but if you press on, your trip will end in success.

Each obstacle is a gift in disguise

In sports we say that you learn the most from loosing.
In loosing you learn what it takes to win. After each game the coach will gather the players and analyze what went wrong, what went right and what can be done differently.

If we only did this in life!

Every time we hit a failure; if we asked ourselves;

“Why?

What can I do better?

What can I do differently?

And what should I not do at all?”

By losing, you learn what went wrong and how to do it right. You learn how to turn challenges into successes.

Use this in your everyday life

Some days go by quickly, easily, everything goes your way.

Other days are tough. You have to fight for every step.

Learn to practice persistence in your everyday life and you will quickly find that your minimum output level quickly improves, making you one of the top people in your industry.

3 steps to improving your persistence

1. Face your Fears
Facing your fears takes a lot of courage, the brother of persistence, and by overcoming your fears you will make yourself a much stronger person.

2. Repeat to yourself “Back to work, Back to work, Back to work”
The sister of persistence is discipline, everyday do your best. Do more than your peers and stick with it. This will train your ability to face hard times and will help you produce much better results.

3. Be objective
In every failure, try to be objective;

“Why did you fail? Is this a bad idea to continue with? “

If it is a bad idea, give up on it, have the courage to start on something new.

If it is a good idea though and the only reason it failed was because of mistakes you made, keep on. Learn, improve and adapt. Use your new found knowledge and make your venture a success.

Conclusion

Just like the most famous men in the world, you can decide to be successful.

Take charge of your life and don’t let anything get you down. Press on, until you reach your goals and before you know it, you will have accomplished the impossible.

This was a guest post by Daniel M. Wood a well-known speaker and writer on Personal Development, Sales Technique and Motivation. Visit his blog Lookingtobusiness.com and download your copy of his free e-book, Double Your Income.

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Why You Should Read Personal Development Books

The number of great posts here about the importance of reading the classics to improve oneself made me think that I should share with your some of my favorite motivational quotes by some of my favorite classical authors. If the classics can help us educate ourselves, then their authors, many of whom have struggled and persevered in the writing of these massive cultural books, can certainly help us motivate ourselves.

Here is a selection of five quotations from my quotebook; I often turn to many of these quotes when I find myself in the midst of an enormous challenge or when my spirits flag on some of the more stressful days. I hope they can be of some use to you.

“I was working on a proof of one of my poems all the morning, and took out a comma. In the afternoon I put it back in.” –Oscar Wilde

This quote by the famous playwright Oscar Wilde motivates me to constantly pay close attention to the details of all aspects of my life, especially my writing and blogging. At first glance, the quotation speaks to the frustrating nature of writing; however, I believe it also shows that without being extremely motivated, one could never have the patience to succeed in the face of so many annoying, seemingly trivial details. However, ultimately, those details are just as important in life as the overall flow of things.

“I admit that twice two makes four is an excellent thing, but if we are to give everything its due, twice two makes five is sometimes a very charming thing too.” –Fyodor Dostoyevsky

I very much enjoy this quotation because it reminds me that creativity can be a great motivational agent. All too often we remained trapped in the status quo; we don’t think to look for the pleasures that can come from imagination and the unknown. Dostoyevsky reminds me here to look for and thrive on the unexpected, to be charmed by things I cannot control or that seem impossible. By seeking impossibility, I can overcome my own limits.

“Life is a luminous halo, a semi-transparent envelope surrounding us from the beginning.” –Virginia Woolf

I love this quote because it speaks to how delicate and beautiful life can be. This quote motivates me to constantly enjoy the envelope of my life, to ‘stop and smell the roses,’ so to speak. Woolf was well know for her writing about the passage of time, how it often can speed incessantly forward or slow to a near stop as we pass through each life’s experience. This quotation reminds me that, regardless of how quickly or slowly each moment passes me by, it is a beautiful thing and I must appreciate it.

“Why not seize the pleasure at once? How often is happiness destroyed by preparation, foolish preparation?” –Jane Austen

Many times I have failed to take advantage of a wonderful opportunity because I delayed in order to make sure I had carefully evaluated all of my options. Such evaluation is a good thing, usually, unless it takes the form of subconscious procrastination. Austen encourages us to seize the moment of our happiness. First we must learn to recognize that opportunity, and then we must act. I still struggle with this to this day; however, I have gotten better as time has passed.

“It seems to me we can never give up longing and wishing while we are alive. There are certain things we feel to be beautiful and good, and we must hunger for them.” –George Eliot

Finally, this quotation by Eliot keeps me dreaming and yearning for good in my life. This desire motivates me to do everything I can to achieve my goals and to succeed. Without this desire, I would remain stagnant and anxious. But, because I have something to look forward to each day I wake up, I am an active person who feels confident that I’m actively living a better live.

–

This guest post is contributed by Kitty Holman, who writes on the topics of nursing colleges.  She welcomes your comments at her email Id: kitty.holman20@gmail.com.

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.

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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You never know when you may be the lucky recipient of an inspirational moment, something that causes you to take pause and think and really appreciate what you have and the incredible resilience of fellow human beings.

Last night I went with my wife to a local hole-in-the-wall pizza parlor where we heard rumor live jazz was going to be played. As our neighborhood is sadly lacking in after-hours-entertainment of this type, we showed up early and got a good seat, close to the action but not so close that you had to shout to be heard. It was a small place, probably seating about 50 people max so the setting was very intimate so we were just a few feet away from the live performers.

Within twenty minutes, the first musician climbed the stage with saxophone in hand. He did a wonderful job playing two soulful songs with the background provided by a drummer, keyboard, and bass player. He finished his second song, accepted his light applause, and returned to his table where a well deserved adult beverage awaited him.

We learned that this was how the evening was going to progress with numerous musicians of all ages and proficiencies stepping up to play a few songs and then making way for the next performer. There was a small whiteboard on a stand and whoever wanted to play just signed up, with ages ranging from what looked like about 20 to what was definitely at least 65. What fun – we were in store for some talent-filled times over the next two hours.

Enjoying our pizza, I observed the other members of the audience as they filtered in to find a seat. A pair of twins took a table next to us, an older gentleman sat at the nearby bar air-drumming along with the music, and students from the local college joined the growing ranks. I noticed a man who came in on a pair of crutches, struggling a bit to navigate the narrow path between booths and tables, but with a big smile on his face. He sat down with the twins and listened to the trombone performer currently wailing on stage. The young brass player finished his first song, took a breath, and started his second and final rendition.

About this time, I noticed the man on crutches working his way up to his feet and then carefully to the booth in front of us. I was rocking out to the jazz and assumed he just wanted to get a little closer to the action. I saw him raise a small suitcase from the floor and carefully place it on the table top. He opened it and took out a mouthpiece that was to fit on the end of the saxophone stored within. Holding it carefully while balanced on the end of the seat, he adjusted the reed and wetted it and fiddled with it, preparing for his performance.

The trombone player finished, took a bow, and headed back to his seat. The man with the crutches carefully rose with his saxophone suspended around his neck. With one crutch on his left side, he started forward, his free hand moving from chair to chair to keep him stable. The stage was about 10 feet away but it took him a few minutes to manage the distance. He was offered a chair to sit on but turned it down, instead leaning against the booth closest to the stage. Once situated, he turned to his right to face the audience and share a brief smile. The song to play was agreed upon and with a one and a two and a three, they began. And he was good. Not just good, but GOOD! Crisp, clean notes rolled from his instrument, tight harmonies with the others on stage, smooth transitions, just pure sweet music. I may have imagined it, but I swear he had a smile on his face while he was playing. He finished his first song and was heartily applauded by the audience and his fellow musicians. A quick breath and he started in on his second song which was equally as beautiful. Inside of me, I felt a pride for what he had done and admiration for what it must have taken to get here.

How difficult must it have been to focus on playing such beautiful music when at any moment you might slip from your perch and end up on the floor?

How much effort and commitment and never-say-die attitude did it take to get that good despite his physical challenges?

How much faith in himself was needed just to participate and excel amidst a group of generally younger, universally talented, and physically fit fellow musicians?

You never know where you will find inspiration. You never know when someone’s strength may become your strength. And you never know just what you might find at your local pizza parlor on an average-every-day week night.

Inspiration is everywhere if you just tune in to hear it. Now that’s music to my ears…

David Bernard is a guest blogger for PickTheBrain. He is the founder of the blog Love Being Retired.

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