“Do not be afraid of enthusiasm. You need it. You can do nothing effectively without it.”Francois Pierre Guillaume Guizot - French Historian.

You’d have to be enthusiastic with a name like that!

If we are ’shy’ of being enthusiastic because of what others may think of us - then we need to overcome that reluctance to show enthusiasm - before all the built-up energy inside of us explodes at the wrong time and in the wrong place !!!

Enthusiasm is contagious - so by showing it openly - you will help to spread some positive energy around you - and the ‘right’ people will be drawn to it - and they too will spread it even further !!!

So - get out there and have an enthusiastic day/week/month/year  !!!

Go out on a limb - dare to be yourself !!!

Something a bit different today.

Enjoy these gems - and perhaps you may find just the right thing to fit something going on in your life that requires something a little bit ‘outside the square’ as the answer.

Enlightened Perspective

They’re written by Andy Rooney, a man who has the gift of saying so much with so few words.

I’ve learned…. That the best classroom in the world is at the feet of an elderly person.

I’ve learned…. That when you’re in love, it shows.

I’ve learned…. That just one person saying to me, “You’ve made my day!” makes my day.

I’ve learned…. That having a child fall asleep in your arms is one of the most peaceful feelings in the world.

I’ve learned…. That being kind is more important than being right.

I’ve learned…. That you should never say no to a gift from a child.

I’ve learned…. That I can always pray for someone when I don’t have the strength to help him in some other way.

I’ve learned…. That no matter how serious your life requires you to be, everyone needs a friend to act goofy with.

I’ve learned…. That sometimes all a person needs is a hand to hold and a heart to understand.

I’ve learned…. That simple walks with my father around the block on summer nights when I was a child did wonders for me as an adult.

I’ve learned…. That life is like a roll of toilet paper. The closer it gets to the end, the faster it goes.

I’ve learned…. That we should be glad God doesn’t give us everything we ask for.

I’ve learned…. That money doesn’t buy class.

I’ve learned…. That it’s those small daily happenings that make life so spectacular.

I’ve learned… That under everyone’s hard shell is someone who wants to be appreciated and loved.

I’ve learned…. That the Lord didn’t do it all in one day. What makes me think I can?

I’ve learned…. That to ignore the facts does not change the facts.

I’ve learned…. That when you plan to get even with someone, you are only letting that person continue to hurt you.

I’ve learned…. That love, not time, heals all wounds.

I’ve learned…. That the easiest way for me to grow as a person is to surround myself with people smarter than I am.

I’ve learned…. That everyone you meet deserves to be greeted with a smile.

I’ve learned…. That there’s nothing sweeter than sleeping with your babies and feeling their breath on your cheeks.

I’ve learned…. That no one is perfect until you fall in love with them.

I’ve learned…. That life is tough, but I’m tougher.

I’ve learned…. That opportunities are never lost; someone will take the ones you miss.

I’ve learned…. That when you harbor bitterness, happiness will dock elsewhere.

I’ve learned…. That I wish I could have told my Dad that I love him one more time before he passed away.

I’ve learned…. That one should keep his words both soft and tender, because tomorrow he may have to eat them.

I’ve learned…. That a smile is an inexpensive way to improve your looks.

I’ve learned…. That I can’t choose how I feel, but I can choose what I do about it.

I’ve learned…. That when your newly born grandchild holds your little finger in his little fist, that you’re hooked for life.

I’ve learned…. That everyone wants to live on top of the mountain, but all the happiness and growth occurs while you’re climbing it.

I’ve learned … That it is best to give advice in only two circumstances; when it is requested and when it is a life threatening situation.

I’ve learned…. That the less time I have to work with, the more things I get done.

“When in doubt - make a fool of yourself.  There is a microscopically thin line between being brilliantly creative, and acting like the biggest idiot on earth.  So - what the hell - leap.”

Cynthia Heimel - American Feminist Writer.

How true !!!

Dare to be different!!!

What others think of you is none of your business ….. It’s their stuff !!!

“The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.”

Eleanor Roosevelt - First Lady.

‘Dreams’ refers to those we have during our waking hours (our passions) rather than those we have when we are sleeping.   I realise that this will be so obvious to most of you - but just perhaps there is someone who needs to read that - so I have stated the obvious

Makes sense to me - believe in your passions - and you will create them in your future !!!

Most important ….. don’t let anyone sway you from your passions or your dreams ….. ever !!!

Wow - what a great recipe for creating a brilliant future !!!

“If the creator had a purpose in equipping us with a neck - he surely meant us to stick it out” !!!

Arthur Koestler - Hungarian-born writer.

It is amazing how many of my personal business friends are in the process of starting something new - or thinking about new directions.  This almost always requires us to take risks - to ’stick our necks out’ in some way.

The more we stick our necks out - the closer we come to reaching our ‘vision’.

“We gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which we really stop to look fear in the face ….. We must do the things we cannot do.”

Eleanor Roosevelt - First Lady of the United States.

What a great message. After all - courage really is the ability to firstly acknowledge our fear - look it in the eye - then tell it ‘you’re coming right through the middle of it’. You’ll win every time !!!

Next time then becomes a little easier - and so on.

When we don’t do this - fears completely control us !!!

Which would you rather ??

“All successful people have goals. No one can get anywhere unless they know where they want to go - or what they want to be - or what they want to do.”

Norman Vincent Peale - American Writer

Right now is a good time to reflect on our goals.  Don’t wait - have a good look at them now !!!

Haven’t really got any huh ?   Then get some - they will change your life - guaranteed !!!

Be specific (down to the last fine detail) when creating goals.  We can never have too much detail when we are creating them ….. get down to the tiny little things that you want to create.   Put time limits on them - get passionate about achieving them - tell someone close to you about them - don’t be afraid to share them just in case you might fail and then you’ll look like a ‘loser’ - just trust that all will be OK. 

Visualise them - dream about them - believe in them - and they will happen !!!

A very important thing to know about goal setting is this ….. sometimes they won’t happen exactly as you hoped they would - sometimes they won’t happen in the exact time-frame that you wished for - sometimes they just don’t ’seem’ to happen at all - but there is ALWAYS a very good reason if they don’t - you just need to trust that !!!

“We act as though comfort and luxury were the chief requirements of life - when all that we need to make us really happy is something to be enthusiastic about.”

Charles Kingsley - English Writer and Clergyman.

Enthusiasm is catching - so spread as much of it as you can on a daily basis - without the fear of criticism.   It is easy to hold ourselves back at times for we may think that our enthusiasm is ‘over the top’ for some people - and there are times when that may be right …. sure.   But essentially - if we are genuine in our desire to uplift people with our positve energy - it will rearely be the case.

If you have trouble getting enthusiastic about anything at all - then that is probably because someone has taught you to ‘never get too excited about things because they always go wrong and then you only end up disappointed’  ….. shame on them !!!   That is what is known as a negative belief system - and it’s time you learned to shatter it - and change it completely.

How, you say ?   Become enthusiastic and learn to take risks - and if it happens to go ‘wrong’ - learn to value the experience and learn from it - rather than feeling disappointed !!!

Another great idea of you’re not necessarily an enthusiastic person - is to hang around with someone who is - you may just catch some !!!

Good wishes and good fortune - you all deserve the best in life !!!

“Whenever you see a successful business - someone once made a courageous decision.”Peter Drucker - American Management Consultant.

Decisions and courage are really good partners - particularly during the ‘life-changing’ times that we all regularly experience . When we look back in reflection - the challenging times are when we have really grown - developed emotionally - become wiser - all that great ’stuff’ that comes with being around long enough to value our experiences.

It is so true that whenever we see anything at all that is successful (not only a business as mentioned above) some courage was involved in the decision-making process that led to the success.

Let’s stay focused on the business concept - for the sake of encouraging someone who may read this article at a time in their life when they are contemplating taking that huge step of starting their own business.   It may be you?

You need to believe in yourself - in your capability to be successful - and that success is measured by the amount of effort made - not necessarily the end results.   You need courage to take this ‘leap of faith’ - and you need determination - and you need persistence to get you through the rough times when doubt may easily deter you !!!

Go ahead - make that courageous decision - and you too will end up with a successful business.

This could also relate to a new relationship - a new friendship - a new job ….. just do it !!!

“To avoid criticism - do nothing - say nothing - and you will be nothing.”

Elbert Hubbard - American Writer.

How true.   If we hold back until we know that anything we do will definitley not be criticised or fall under the scrutiny of anyone who may want to pull us down - we will never do anything constructive.

The opposite of that ‘numbing’ way of allowing life to slip by without any fear of ever being criticised is about going out on a limb - because that’s where the ‘fruits of life’ really are …. out there at the ends of the branchs - out there where it gets pretty shaky at times !!!

Commonly known as risk taking ….

There’s no fruit in around the trunk of the tree of life - where it’s so easy to sit and watch life pass us by.  It is however - really ’safe’ - and boring - and unrewarding - and stagnant - without daily purpose. Ultimately - you will end up in a rutt …. guaranteed !!!

My definition of a rutt - ‘a grave with the ends kicked out’.

So – get out there – get out on a limb - take some risks !!!

The rewards are sensational ….. and you will end up surrounded by the fruits of life !!!