You've got to work for it

You've got to work for it

If you are waiting for Lady Luck to come by and drop success on your lap, you're going to wait for a very long time, perhaps forever. Success doesn't just happen, it is made to happen by those who are willing and able.

You would be surprised to know how many people sit back and decide not to do better for themselves because they suspect that forward movement will be hard work that they are not prepared to do.

The great Thomas Edison was a relentless genius who slept in his laboratory when he was hot on the trail of a new invention. He knew that success is mostly about sweat. A thousand good ideas are thought about every day, but remain in the mind and never see the light of day because of fear and reluctance to work hard.

"Opportunity," said Edison, "is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work."

"Words without actions" writes John Mason, "are the assassins of dreams. The smallest good deed produces more than the greatest intention. You will find an empty dream if you put nothing into it. Everytime one person expresses an idea, he finds 10 others who thought of it before but took no action. Ideas times nothing equals nothing. It takes work. Even a mosquito doesn't get a slap on the back until he starts to work."

We are all born lazy. In the first years of life, people do most things for us. We get used to it. We soon learn that work isn't at all pleasant and we do what we need to in order to avoid it as best as we can.

But success and ultimately happiness will depend on work and on how much we are willing to take it upon ourselves. Even solid and mature loving makes many demands on us and calls for sacrifices that few are willing to make.

In fact, we have this Hollywoodish thinking that love just happens effortlessly. Great lovers make it look easy, not because it's easy but because they work together so well.

If you want to succeed, roll up your sleeves and get down to work. Forget playing the Lotto and hanging around casinos hoping to make it big in an instant. The words of the manager of a casino should keep ringing in your ears. "You might beat the house tonight," he said, "but you'll return tomorrow and we will get it all back. . . and then some."

It should be an encouragement to you to know that nobody is immune to problems. "Even the lion," says Mason, "has to fight off flies."

Expect difficulties, and don't run from them. Instead, you should welcome them because you will find success somewhere there hidden among them. You will rarely find Lady Luck in the stories of successful people. If she does appear, it is only for an instant and then she is gone. Success can be found among obstacles and difficulties and is given to those who are brave enough to venture among them.

Your Own Best Friend

Most people report that they do not usually feel confident. But exciting things can happen when we actually believe in ourselves.

Here is a man who believed in his own ability even as a boy, and that confidence helped shape his adult life. At the turn of the last century, a young boy quit school to help with the family expenses.

When he was fifteen, he became interested in automobiles and worked in a garage. He subscribed to a correspondence home study course on automobiles and, after a long day in the garage, studied at the kitchen table by lamplight.

When he felt ready, he walked into the Frayer-Miller Automobile Company of Columbus, Ohio. When Mr. Frayer noticed him, he asked, "Well, what do you want?"

"I just thought I'd tell you I'm coming to work here tomorrow morning," the boy replied. "Oh! Who hired you?" "Nobody yet, but I'll be on the job in the morning. If I'm not worth anything, you can fire me." (Try that in TODAY'S market!)

Early the next morning the young man returned to the plant. Noticing the floor was thick with metal shavings and accumulated dirt and grease, the boy got a broom and shovel and set to work cleaning the place.

Because of his self-confidence and work ethic, Eddie Rickenbacker's future was predictable. He went on to excel in many fields, including automobile racing, piloting World War 1 planes and founding what was to become one of America's largest airline companies - Eastern Airlines.

There is no magic bullet to instantly become a self-confident person. But it begins with one of the most important relationships in your life - your relationship with yourself.

People who become more confident habitually encourage themselves. They become their own best friend.

Rob Bremer asks the question, "If you had a friend who talked to you like you sometimes talk to yourself, would you continue to hang around with that person?" If the answer is "Yes!" you are on the track to becoming more self-assured.

Without confidence, you are not likely to move far in the direction of your dreams. But become your own best friend and almost anything will be possible.

Is it time to FORGIVE?

I got this from Yahoo recently. Is it time to forgive?

Forgive for Your Best 2007
Posted by Dr. Laura Berman

Alexander Pope famously wrote: "To err is human; to forgive is divine."

It couldn't be truer -- and forgiveness is the way to your best year ahead.
Forgiveness is good for you, for your relationships and for your world. How?

When you let go of anger, your body registers the difference. Cortisol levels drop off. Your blood pressure goes down, your heart works more efficiently, your immunity goes up and your brain works better. Cortisol is the agent of much disease and aging. One simple choice can lower it.
Cleaning out your resentment and bitterness also perks up your emotional health. Study after study finds that people who master forgiveness feel less negative, less angry and more in control than those who replay and hold fast to their hurt.

When we remove one thing from our lives, we always make room for another. It's a law of nature or karma or religion. Whatever you believe, when anger is gone, love flows in. Research has shown that those who forgive a significant wrong from their past experience more loving and committed relationships now.

The future is here. Learn to forgive and discover a better life. For help with forgiving, visit a licensed therapist, take guided meditation and yoga lessons, or connect with your priest or rabbi. Forgiveness takes work-you can't just say it, you have to live it. But once you've let the sentiment in, you won't want to stop.