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"Once upon a time, there was a wise man who used to go to the ocean to do his writing. He had a habit of walking on the beach before he began his work.
One day, as he was walking along the shore, he looked down the beach and saw a human figure moving like a dancer. He smiled to himself at the thought of someone who would dance to the day, and so, he walked faster to catch up.
As he got closer, he noticed that the figure was that of a young man, and that what he was doing was not dancing at all. The young man was reaching down to the shore, picking up small objects, and throwing them into the ocean.
He came closer still and called out "Good morning! May I ask what it is that you are doing?"
The young man paused, looked up, and replied "Throwing starfish into the ocean."
"I must ask, then, why are you throwing starfish into the ocean?" asked the somewhat startled wise man.
To this, the young man replied, "The sun is up and the tide is going out. If I don't throw them in, they'll die."
Upon hearing this, the wise man commented, "But, young man, do you not realize that there are miles and miles of beach and there are starfish all along every mile? You can't possibly make a difference!"
At this, the young man bent down, picked up yet another starfish, and threw it into the ocean. As it met the water, he said, "It made a difference for that one."
This story has appeared all over the web in various forms, usually with no credit given to Mr. Eiseley. Sometimes it is a little girl throwing the starfish into the ocean, sometimes a young man, once even an elderly Indian. In any form it is a beautiful story and one that makes you think.
Loren Eiseley was a anthropologist who wrote extensively. He was the 'wise man' in the story, and he was walking along a beach after a storm and encountered the fellow throwing the starfish back. I have not had a chance to read the original book yet myself but will post more background info here after I do."
Via email
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"The Star Thrower" (or "starfish story") is part of a 16-page essay of the same name by Loren Eiseley (1907–1977), published in 1969 in The Unexpected Universe. The Star Thrower is also the title of a 1978 anthology of Eiseley's works (including the essay), which he completed shortly before his death.
The original story describes the narrator walking along the beach early one morning in the pre-dawn twilight, when he sees a man picking up a starfish off the sand and throwing it into the sea. The narrator is observant and subtle, but skeptical. He has the last word, a pessimistic conclusion.
Some excerpts:
“ In a pool of sand and silt a starfish had thrust its arms up stiffly and was holding its body away from the stifling mud.
"It's still alive," I ventured.
"Yes," he said, and with a quick yet gentle movement he picked up the star and spun it over my head and far out into the sea. It sunk in a burst of spume, and the waters roared once more.
"There are not many who come this far," I said, groping in a sudden embarrassment for words. "Do you collect?"
"Only like this," he said softly, gesturing amidst the wreckage of the shore. "And only for the living." He stooped again, oblivious of my curiosity, and skipped another star neatly across the water. "The stars," he said, "throw well. One can help them."
..."I do not collect," I said uncomfortably, the wind beating at my garments. "Neither the living nor the dead. I gave it up a long time ago. Death is the only successful collector."
—The Star Thrower, p. 172
Later, after some beautiful thoughts on our relationships to other animals and to the universe, the narrator says:
"On a point of land, I found the star thrower...I spoke once briefly. "I understand," I said. "Call me another thrower." Only then I allowed myself to think, He is not alone any longer. After us, there will be others...We were part of the rainbow...Perhaps far outward on the rim of space a genuine star was similarly seized and flung...For a moment, we cast on an infinite beach together beside an unknown hurler of suns... We had lost our way, I thought, but we had kept, some of us, the memory of the perfect circle of compassion from life to death and back to life again - the completion of the rainbow of existence" (The Star Thrower, p.181).
From Wikipedia
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The story evolves around the concept of making a difference in this world. Which goes to show that even the smallest act of kindness and charity can make a difference afterall!
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
The Key to Happiness
[Posted] by Brian Tracy on Mar 4, 2008
"Your ability to achieve your own happiness is the key measure of your success, of how well you are doing as a person.
Your ability to achieve your own happiness is the key measure of your success, of how well you are doing as a person.
You learn the key to happiness that has been the same through all of history. You learn how to dispel the two myths that may be holding you back and how to achieve more happiness in everything you do.
Dedicate Yourself to Your Best Talents
The key to happiness is this: dedicate yourself to the development of your natural talents and abilities by doing what you love to do, and doing it better and better in the service of a cause that is greater than yourself.
This is a big statement and a big commitment. Being happy requires that you define your life in your own terms and then throw your whole heart into living your life to the fullest. In a way, happiness requires that you be perfectly selfish in order to develop yourself to a point where you can be unselfish for the rest of your life.
Please Yourself First
In Edmond Rostand’s play Cyrano de Bergerac, Cyrano is asked why he is so intensely individualistic and unconcerned with the opinions and judgments of others. He replies with these wonderful words: "I am what I am because early in life I decided that I would please at least myself in all things."
Your happiness likewise depends upon your ability to please at least yourself in all things. You can be happy only when you are living your life in the very best way possible. No one can define happiness for you. Only you know what makes you happy. Happiness is an inside job.
Your Happiness is Up to You
The biggest myth about happiness is when people say that it is not legitimate or correct for you to put your happiness ahead of everyone else’s. Throughout my life, I’ve met people who have said that it is more important to make other people happy than it is to make yourself happy. This is nonsense.
The fact is that you can’t give away to anyone else what you don’t have for yourself. Just as you can’t give money to the poor if you don’t have any, you can’t make someone else happy if you yourself are miserable.
The very best way to assure the happiness of others is to be happy yourself and then to share your happiness with them. Suffering and self-sacrifice merely depress and discourage other people. If you want to make others happy, start by living the kind of life and doing the kind of things that make you happy.
Action Exercises
Here are three steps you can take immediately to put these ideas into action.
First, define for yourself the activities that you really love and enjoy, at home and work, and then organize your life so you do more of them.
Second, believe in yourself and trust your own feelings. Then, please at least yourself in all things.
Third, determine what it is that you do that brings the most happiness to others and then organize your life so that you can do more of it."
This was posted in 2008, how come I haven't come across it? Thanks to Aga for posting a snippet on FB. Now I can start being happy! ;0)
"Your ability to achieve your own happiness is the key measure of your success, of how well you are doing as a person.
Your ability to achieve your own happiness is the key measure of your success, of how well you are doing as a person.
You learn the key to happiness that has been the same through all of history. You learn how to dispel the two myths that may be holding you back and how to achieve more happiness in everything you do.
Dedicate Yourself to Your Best Talents
The key to happiness is this: dedicate yourself to the development of your natural talents and abilities by doing what you love to do, and doing it better and better in the service of a cause that is greater than yourself.
This is a big statement and a big commitment. Being happy requires that you define your life in your own terms and then throw your whole heart into living your life to the fullest. In a way, happiness requires that you be perfectly selfish in order to develop yourself to a point where you can be unselfish for the rest of your life.
Please Yourself First
In Edmond Rostand’s play Cyrano de Bergerac, Cyrano is asked why he is so intensely individualistic and unconcerned with the opinions and judgments of others. He replies with these wonderful words: "I am what I am because early in life I decided that I would please at least myself in all things."
Your happiness likewise depends upon your ability to please at least yourself in all things. You can be happy only when you are living your life in the very best way possible. No one can define happiness for you. Only you know what makes you happy. Happiness is an inside job.
Your Happiness is Up to You
The biggest myth about happiness is when people say that it is not legitimate or correct for you to put your happiness ahead of everyone else’s. Throughout my life, I’ve met people who have said that it is more important to make other people happy than it is to make yourself happy. This is nonsense.
The fact is that you can’t give away to anyone else what you don’t have for yourself. Just as you can’t give money to the poor if you don’t have any, you can’t make someone else happy if you yourself are miserable.
The very best way to assure the happiness of others is to be happy yourself and then to share your happiness with them. Suffering and self-sacrifice merely depress and discourage other people. If you want to make others happy, start by living the kind of life and doing the kind of things that make you happy.
Action Exercises
Here are three steps you can take immediately to put these ideas into action.
First, define for yourself the activities that you really love and enjoy, at home and work, and then organize your life so you do more of them.
Second, believe in yourself and trust your own feelings. Then, please at least yourself in all things.
Third, determine what it is that you do that brings the most happiness to others and then organize your life so that you can do more of it."
This was posted in 2008, how come I haven't come across it? Thanks to Aga for posting a snippet on FB. Now I can start being happy! ;0)
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Ralph Marston on Hard Work
"Don’t avoid the hard work. That’s where the greatest value is created.
Don’t be afraid of the difficult, complicated, challenging tasks.
Once you get past the fear, you’re already past the most difficult aspect.
Relish the opportunity to do the hard work. For it is an opportunity to experience yourself being fully alive and effective. Find real enjoyment and satisfaction in doing the difficult work. Get yourself hooked on how good it feels to make a meaningful positive difference.
It’s often assumed that hard work is best avoided. Yet when you avoid hard work, you cheat yourself out of the joy of accomplishment.Seek out the hard work and you’ll find it’s not bad at all.
Do the hard work, and transform each day, each moment and each effort into great value."
— Ralph Marston
Don’t be afraid of the difficult, complicated, challenging tasks.
Once you get past the fear, you’re already past the most difficult aspect.
Relish the opportunity to do the hard work. For it is an opportunity to experience yourself being fully alive and effective. Find real enjoyment and satisfaction in doing the difficult work. Get yourself hooked on how good it feels to make a meaningful positive difference.
It’s often assumed that hard work is best avoided. Yet when you avoid hard work, you cheat yourself out of the joy of accomplishment.Seek out the hard work and you’ll find it’s not bad at all.
Do the hard work, and transform each day, each moment and each effort into great value."
— Ralph Marston
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
A kind of friend we all should be...
"I can’t give solutions to all of life’s problems, doubts, or fears.
But I can listen to you and together we will search for answers.
I can’t change your past with all its heartache and pain,
Nor the future with its untold stories.
But I can be there now when you need me to care.
I can’t keep your feet from stumbling.
I can only offer my hand that you may grasp it and not fall .
Your joys, triumphs, success, and happiness are not mine;
Yet I can share in your laughter.
Your decisions in life are not mine to make, nor to judge;
I can only support you, encourage you, and help you when you ask.
I can’t prevent you from falling away from friendship, from your values, from me.
I can only pray for you, talk to you, and wait for you.
I can’t give you boundaries which I have determined for you,
But I can give you the room to change, room to grow, room to be yourself.
I can’t keep your heart from breaking and hurting,
But I can cry with you and help you pick up the pieces and put them back in place.
I can’t tell you who you are.
I can only love you and be your friend!"
Anonymous
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Ego trips have a dangerous destination
By Harvey Mackay
Talent is God-given, be humble. Fame is man-given, be thankful. Conceit is self-given, be careful.
This anonymous saying is often attributed to legendary college basketball coach John Wooden. And he surely hit the nail on the head.
I have a different way of talking about conceit in my speeches. If you think you're indispensable, I tell my audiences, stick your finger in a bowl of water and watch the hole it leaves when you pull it out.
This lesson was drilled into my head by my parents, who made sure their brash son knew what they thought about conceited people. Perhaps this is where my fondness for aphorisms comes from! I can still hear them saying: "Don't hang your hat higher than you can reach." "Swallow your pride occasionally, it's non-fattening! " And my dad's stern advice, "It is far better to have other people say how great you are."
Like many kids, I was known to be a little cocky. But I stopped short of the ego trip of one of my childhood friends, who used to send congratulatory messages to his parents on his birthday.
Throughout my life, I have observed what happens when heads swell and egos exceed capacity. The "me-first" attitude is met with "not you again" resistance. Conceit and success are not compatible. There is no shame in taking pride in achievements or position. But nobody gets to the top alone. It's only lonely at the top if you forget all the people you met along the way and fail to acknowledge their contributions to your success.
My son is a film producer and director in Hollywood, the land of large egos and monumental conceit. He shared a story about a movie actor who had bored the ears off his lunch companion by talking incessantly about his recent movie. Suddenly the actor stopped and said, "But I'm talking all about myself. Let's talk about you. How did you like my latest movie?"
Ouch! Is that the best he could do?
Then there's the story about the self-important chief executive officer who arrived at the hotel ballroom where his company's annual meeting was being held, only to be stopped at the door by a burly uniformed guard.
"Just wait here," said the guard, "until I check the list."
"But," sputtered the CEO, "don't you know who I am?"
"No, sir," said the guard, "but I will go and find out and let you know."
I can tell you right now who the fellow is -- a person whose universe is very small, because it has no room for others.
"A person completely wrapped up in himself maks a small package," wrote Harry Emerson Fosdick, an American clergyman. "The great day comes when a man begins to get himself off his hands. He has lived, let us say, in a mind like a room surrounded by mirrors.
"Every way he turned he saw himself. Now, however, some of the mirrors change to windows. He can see through them to objective outlooks that challenge his interests. He begins to get out of himself -- no longer the prisoner of self-reflections but a free man in a world where persons, causes, truths, and values exist, worthful for their own sakes. Thus to pass from a mirror-mind to a mind with windows is an essential element in the development of a real personality. Without that experience no one ever achieves a meaningful life."
Think of it this way: When business is good, who gets the credit? When the chips are down, whom do you blame?
Start by looking in Fosdick's mirror! If you see only yourself, keep looking. Look closely, and see if you don't recognize people who shaped you as a young child, throughout your education, and at every step in your career.
My list is very long. I am fortunate that these people cared enough to provide me with a reality check when they saw me getting a little too big for my britches.
The conceited new rookie was pitching his first big league baseball game. He walked the first five men he faced, and the manager took him out of the game. The rookie slammed his glove on the ground as he walked off and yelled: "Can you believe it? The jerk takes me out just when I have a no-hitter going." Time to look into the mirror!
Mackay's Moral: Conceit is a strange disease. It makes everyone sick except the person who's got it.
Talent is God-given, be humble. Fame is man-given, be thankful. Conceit is self-given, be careful.
This anonymous saying is often attributed to legendary college basketball coach John Wooden. And he surely hit the nail on the head.
I have a different way of talking about conceit in my speeches. If you think you're indispensable, I tell my audiences, stick your finger in a bowl of water and watch the hole it leaves when you pull it out.
This lesson was drilled into my head by my parents, who made sure their brash son knew what they thought about conceited people. Perhaps this is where my fondness for aphorisms comes from! I can still hear them saying: "Don't hang your hat higher than you can reach." "Swallow your pride occasionally, it's non-fattening! " And my dad's stern advice, "It is far better to have other people say how great you are."
Like many kids, I was known to be a little cocky. But I stopped short of the ego trip of one of my childhood friends, who used to send congratulatory messages to his parents on his birthday.
Throughout my life, I have observed what happens when heads swell and egos exceed capacity. The "me-first" attitude is met with "not you again" resistance. Conceit and success are not compatible. There is no shame in taking pride in achievements or position. But nobody gets to the top alone. It's only lonely at the top if you forget all the people you met along the way and fail to acknowledge their contributions to your success.
My son is a film producer and director in Hollywood, the land of large egos and monumental conceit. He shared a story about a movie actor who had bored the ears off his lunch companion by talking incessantly about his recent movie. Suddenly the actor stopped and said, "But I'm talking all about myself. Let's talk about you. How did you like my latest movie?"
Ouch! Is that the best he could do?
Then there's the story about the self-important chief executive officer who arrived at the hotel ballroom where his company's annual meeting was being held, only to be stopped at the door by a burly uniformed guard.
"Just wait here," said the guard, "until I check the list."
"But," sputtered the CEO, "don't you know who I am?"
"No, sir," said the guard, "but I will go and find out and let you know."
I can tell you right now who the fellow is -- a person whose universe is very small, because it has no room for others.
"A person completely wrapped up in himself maks a small package," wrote Harry Emerson Fosdick, an American clergyman. "The great day comes when a man begins to get himself off his hands. He has lived, let us say, in a mind like a room surrounded by mirrors.
"Every way he turned he saw himself. Now, however, some of the mirrors change to windows. He can see through them to objective outlooks that challenge his interests. He begins to get out of himself -- no longer the prisoner of self-reflections but a free man in a world where persons, causes, truths, and values exist, worthful for their own sakes. Thus to pass from a mirror-mind to a mind with windows is an essential element in the development of a real personality. Without that experience no one ever achieves a meaningful life."
Think of it this way: When business is good, who gets the credit? When the chips are down, whom do you blame?
Start by looking in Fosdick's mirror! If you see only yourself, keep looking. Look closely, and see if you don't recognize people who shaped you as a young child, throughout your education, and at every step in your career.
My list is very long. I am fortunate that these people cared enough to provide me with a reality check when they saw me getting a little too big for my britches.
The conceited new rookie was pitching his first big league baseball game. He walked the first five men he faced, and the manager took him out of the game. The rookie slammed his glove on the ground as he walked off and yelled: "Can you believe it? The jerk takes me out just when I have a no-hitter going." Time to look into the mirror!
Mackay's Moral: Conceit is a strange disease. It makes everyone sick except the person who's got it.
Friday, April 29, 2011
Ovarian Lottery: Life lessons from Warren Buffet
Warren Buffet on the Lottery of Birth by Robert Brokamp
"It’s 24 hours before your birth, and a genie appears to you. He tells you that you can set the rules for the world you’re about to enter — economic, social, political — the whole enchilada. Sounds great, right? What’s the catch?
Before you enter the world, you will pick one ball from a barrel of 6.8 billion (the number of people on the planet). That ball will determine your gender, race, nationality, natural abilities, and health — whether you are born rich or poor, sick or able-bodied, brilliant or below average, American or Zimbabwean.
This is what Buffett calls the ovarian lottery. As he explained to a group of University of Florida students, “You’re going to get one ball out of there, and that is the most important thing that’s ever going to happen to you in your life.”
According to the world’s third-richest man, that’s a good perspective to have when setting the rules for our world. We should be designing a society that, as Buffett says, “doesn’t leave behind someone who accidentally got the wrong ball and is not well-wired for this particular system.” He points out that he is designed for the American system — and he was lucky to be born into it. He can allocate capital, and he lives in a place and at a time when those skills are well rewarded. (His pal Bill Gates is quick to point out that if Buffett had been born in an earlier time, he’d be some animal’s lunch because the Oracle of Omaha can’t run fast or climb trees.)
When Buffett talks about this lottery, he often concludes by asking:
"If you could put your ball back, and they took out, at random, a hundred other balls, and you had to pick one of those, would you put your ball back in? Now, of those hundred balls … roughly five of them will be American. … Half of them are going to be below-average intelligence, half will be above. Do you want to put your ball back? Most of you, I think, will not. … What you’re saying is, “I’m in the luckiest 1% of the world right now.”
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Warren Buffet on life & success
"Basically, when you get to my age, you'll really measure your success in life by how many of the people you want to have love you actually do love you.
"I know people who have a lot of money, and they get testimonial dinners and they get hospital wings named after them. But the truth is that nobody in the world loves them. If you get to my age in life and nobody thinks well of you, I don't care how big your bank account is, your life is a disaster.
"That's the ultimate test of how you have lived your life. The trouble with love is that you can't buy it. You can buy sex. You can buy testimonial dinners. You can buy pamphlets that say how wonderful you are. But the only way to get love is to be lovable. It's very irritating if you have a lot of money. You'd like to think you could write a check: I'll buy a million dollars' worth of love. But it doesn't work that way. The more you give love away, the more you get."
Warren Buffet, p761, 'The Snowball & The Business of Life"
"I know people who have a lot of money, and they get testimonial dinners and they get hospital wings named after them. But the truth is that nobody in the world loves them. If you get to my age in life and nobody thinks well of you, I don't care how big your bank account is, your life is a disaster.
"That's the ultimate test of how you have lived your life. The trouble with love is that you can't buy it. You can buy sex. You can buy testimonial dinners. You can buy pamphlets that say how wonderful you are. But the only way to get love is to be lovable. It's very irritating if you have a lot of money. You'd like to think you could write a check: I'll buy a million dollars' worth of love. But it doesn't work that way. The more you give love away, the more you get."
Warren Buffet, p761, 'The Snowball & The Business of Life"
Friday, March 11, 2011
Obey the 24-hour rule
By Harvey Mackay
"Don Shula is a legend -- an incredibly successful professional football coach. Some years ago I negotiated a contract for a first-round National Football League draft choice with Shula, and I've been closely following his career since.
He holds the NFL record for most career wins, 347 over 32 seasons. He led the Miami Dolphins to two Super Bowl victories, including the one that capped the only perfect season in NFL history.
How did he do it? By not dwelling on the past. Shula had a "24-hour rule," a policy of looking forward to the next challenge instead of dwelling on the previous victory or failure. The coach allowed himself, his coaching staff and his players a maximum of 24 hours to celebrate a victory or brood over a defeat. During those 24 hours, Shula encouraged them to feel their emotions of success or failure as deeply as they could.
But the next day, it was time to put it all behind them and start concentrating their energy on preparing for their next game. His philosophy was that if you keep your failures and victories in perspective, you'll do better in the long run.
What a difference a day makes! I absolutely agree with Shula's philosophy. Let me explain why.
Let's start with a colossal failure. How often have you been tempted to throw in the towel after losing a big sale or watching a million-dollar deal fall through, only to have your luck turn a day or two later?
Every morning brings new potential, but if you dwell on the misfortunes of the day before, you tend to overlook tremendous opportunities. Instead of seeing the possibilities for success, you hesitate, concentrating on the dark clouds rather than the silver lining.
Next step in the downer process is the vibes you send out to your customers. Your usual enthusiasm is seriously compromised because you are waiting for rejection. And that's exactly what you'll deserve.
Snap out of it! You've had plenty of success before. This episode was just a bump in the road. Don't turn it into a detour.
Buck Rogers, former vice president of marketing at IBM and author of Getting the Best Out of Yourself and Others, has this advice to stay motivated: "To be successful, you have to believe you can change the conditions in your life. You have to get out of the back seat of someone else's car and get behind your own steering wheel. You can't wish away the things in your life that make you unhappy and you can't daydream your hopes into reality . . . Make things happen."
On the opposite end of the spectrum is the spectacular victory -- the referral that turned into your biggest account, the employee of the month award, the amazing idea that turned your company around. Do you think now is a good time to coast or to rest on your laurels?
Absolutely not! Celebrate with your co-workers, go home and take the night off, and then come back to work in the morning ready to do an even better job the next day. You are on a roll. Don't waste the momentum.
Your bragging rights expire after 24 hours. It's fine if others want to congratulate you. Be gracious, thank them and get back to work. A great accomplishment shouldn't be the end of the road, just the starting point for the next grand destination. Success breeds success.
My friend Zig Ziglar says he is often challenged by people who want to know what motivation is. He relates a great example: "There are those who say that when someone goes to a motivational session they get all charged up, but a week later they're back where they were before they attended the session. In short, motivation isn't permanent, right?"
"Of course motivation isn't permanent. But then, neither is bathing; but it is something you should do on a regular basis."
Make that "regular basis" every 24 hours. The 24-hour rule allows you to look at each new day as a blank slate. Take along lessons from the past. You can learn as much -- or more -- from failure as from success. But don't live in the past. Build on what you know so that you don't repeat mistakes. Resolve to learn something new every day. Because every 24 hours, you have the opportunity to have the best day of your life."
Mackay's Moral: If you live in the past, you won't have much of a future.
"Don Shula is a legend -- an incredibly successful professional football coach. Some years ago I negotiated a contract for a first-round National Football League draft choice with Shula, and I've been closely following his career since.
He holds the NFL record for most career wins, 347 over 32 seasons. He led the Miami Dolphins to two Super Bowl victories, including the one that capped the only perfect season in NFL history.
How did he do it? By not dwelling on the past. Shula had a "24-hour rule," a policy of looking forward to the next challenge instead of dwelling on the previous victory or failure. The coach allowed himself, his coaching staff and his players a maximum of 24 hours to celebrate a victory or brood over a defeat. During those 24 hours, Shula encouraged them to feel their emotions of success or failure as deeply as they could.
But the next day, it was time to put it all behind them and start concentrating their energy on preparing for their next game. His philosophy was that if you keep your failures and victories in perspective, you'll do better in the long run.
What a difference a day makes! I absolutely agree with Shula's philosophy. Let me explain why.
Let's start with a colossal failure. How often have you been tempted to throw in the towel after losing a big sale or watching a million-dollar deal fall through, only to have your luck turn a day or two later?
Every morning brings new potential, but if you dwell on the misfortunes of the day before, you tend to overlook tremendous opportunities. Instead of seeing the possibilities for success, you hesitate, concentrating on the dark clouds rather than the silver lining.
Next step in the downer process is the vibes you send out to your customers. Your usual enthusiasm is seriously compromised because you are waiting for rejection. And that's exactly what you'll deserve.
Snap out of it! You've had plenty of success before. This episode was just a bump in the road. Don't turn it into a detour.
Buck Rogers, former vice president of marketing at IBM and author of Getting the Best Out of Yourself and Others, has this advice to stay motivated: "To be successful, you have to believe you can change the conditions in your life. You have to get out of the back seat of someone else's car and get behind your own steering wheel. You can't wish away the things in your life that make you unhappy and you can't daydream your hopes into reality . . . Make things happen."
On the opposite end of the spectrum is the spectacular victory -- the referral that turned into your biggest account, the employee of the month award, the amazing idea that turned your company around. Do you think now is a good time to coast or to rest on your laurels?
Absolutely not! Celebrate with your co-workers, go home and take the night off, and then come back to work in the morning ready to do an even better job the next day. You are on a roll. Don't waste the momentum.
Your bragging rights expire after 24 hours. It's fine if others want to congratulate you. Be gracious, thank them and get back to work. A great accomplishment shouldn't be the end of the road, just the starting point for the next grand destination. Success breeds success.
My friend Zig Ziglar says he is often challenged by people who want to know what motivation is. He relates a great example: "There are those who say that when someone goes to a motivational session they get all charged up, but a week later they're back where they were before they attended the session. In short, motivation isn't permanent, right?"
"Of course motivation isn't permanent. But then, neither is bathing; but it is something you should do on a regular basis."
Make that "regular basis" every 24 hours. The 24-hour rule allows you to look at each new day as a blank slate. Take along lessons from the past. You can learn as much -- or more -- from failure as from success. But don't live in the past. Build on what you know so that you don't repeat mistakes. Resolve to learn something new every day. Because every 24 hours, you have the opportunity to have the best day of your life."
Mackay's Moral: If you live in the past, you won't have much of a future.
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