Holy Envy

I was allowed into the most private rooms of peoples lives.

James perry

Nothing will make you happier than serving people. We are social creatures, and we are meant to be together and help each other. If you want to dream life, make a dream life for someone else.

Fish in a Tree

Everybody is smart in different ways. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its life believing it is stupid."

Outward Mindset

Mindset is more than a belief about oneself. It’s refers about how they see the world. Behaviors are informed and shaped by one’s mindset. 

Focus to Change mindset not behavior. 

Think and grow Rich

“The secret” is mojo. An energy, conviction, assurance, knowledge, faith, surety. you can see it. Taste it. Feel it. Before you have it. 

The most success occurs between ages 40-60. 

Think tank, power cabinet of heroes (prophets and their wives)

Frankl

Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.” And there were always choices to make. Every day, every hour, offered the opportunity to make a decision, a decision which determined whether you would or would not submit to those powers which threatened to rob you of your very self, your inner freedom; which determined whether or not you become the plaything to circumstance, renouncing freedom and dignity...

Those who have a 'why' to live, can bear with almost any ‘how.’

In some ways suffering ceases to be suffering at the moment it finds a meaning, such as the meaning of a sacrifice.

It did not really matter what we expected from life, but rather what life expected from us. We needed to stop asking about the meaning of life, and instead to think of ourselves as those who were being questioned by life—daily and hourly. Our answer must consist, not in talk and meditation, but in right action and in right conduct. Life ultimately means taking the responsibility to find the right answer to its problems and to fulfill the tasks which it constantly sets for each individual.

Happiness cannot be pursued; it must ensue.

Life is never made unbearable by circumstances, but only by lack of meaning and purpose.

The pessimist resembles a man who observes with fear and sadness that his wall calendar, from which he daily tears a sheet, grows thinner with each passing day. On the other hand, the person who attacks the problems of life actively is like a man who removes each successive leaf from his calendar and files it neatly and carefully away with its predecessors, after first having jotted down a few diary notes on the back. He can reflect with pride and joy on all the richness set down in these notes, on all the life he has already lived to the fullest. What will it matter to him if he notices that he is growing old? Has he any reason to envy the young people whom he sees, or wax nostalgic over his own lost youth? What reasons has he to envy a young person? For the possibilities that a young person has, the future which is in store for him?

No, thank you,' he will think. 'Instead of possibilities, I have realities in my past, not only the reality of work done and of love loved, but of sufferings bravely suffered. These sufferings are even the things of which I am most proud, although these are things which cannot inspire envy.

If there is meaning in life at all, then there must be meaning in suffering. 

I do not forget any good deed done to me & I do not carry a grudge for a bad one.

A man who becomes conscious of the responsibility he bears toward a human being who affectionately waits for him, or to an unfinished work, will never be able to throw away his life. He knows the "why" for his existence, and will be able to bear almost any "how".

By declaring that man is responsible and must actualize the potential meaning of his life, I wish to stress that the true meaning of life is to be discovered in the world rather than within man or his own psyche, as though it were a closed system. I have termed this constitutive characteristic "the self-transcendence of human existence." It denotes the fact that being human always points, and is directed, to something or someone, other than oneself--be it a meaning to fulfill or another human being to encounter. The more one forgets himself--by giving himself to a cause to serve or another person to love--the more human he is and the more he actualizes himself. What is called self-actualization is not an attainable aim at all, for the simple reason that the more one would strive for it, the more he would miss it. In other words, self-actualization is possible only as a side-effect of self-transcendence.

The point is not what we expect from life, but rather what life expects of us. 

 

Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.

A human being is not one thing among others; things determine each other, but man is ultimately self-determining. What he becomes - within the limits of endowment and environment- he has made out of himself. In the concentration camps, for example, in this living laboratory and on this testing ground, we watched and witnessed some of our comrades behave like swine while others behaved like saints. Man has both potentialities within himself; which one is actualized depends on decisions but not on conditions.

Dostoevski said once, "There is only one thing I dread: not to be worthy of my sufferings." These words frequently came to my mind after I became acquainted with those martyrs whose behavior in camp, whose suffering and death, bore witness to the fact that the last inner freedom cannot be lost. It can be said that they were worthy of the their sufferings; the way they bore their suffering was a genuine inner achievement. It is this spiritual freedom—which cannot be taken away—that makes life meaningful and purposeful.

The attempt to develop a sense of humor and to see things in a humorous light is some kind of a trick learned while mastering the art of living.

We cannot, after all, judge a biography by its length, by the number of pages in it; we must judge by the richness of the contents...Sometimes the 'unfinisheds' are among the most beautiful symphonies.

Everyone has his own specific vocation or mission in life; everyone must carry out a concrete assignment that demands fulfillment. Therein he cannot be replaced, nor can his life be repeated. Thus, everyone's task is unique as is his specific opportunity to implement it.

What man actually needs is not a tensionless state but rather the striving and struggling for some goal worthy of him. What he needs is not the discharge of tension at any cost, but the call of a potential meaning waiting to be fulfilled by him.

It is well known that humor, more than anything else in the human make-up, can afford an aloofness and an ability to rise above any situation, even if only for a few seconds.

Man is originally characterized by his "search for meaning" rather than his "search for himself." The more he forgets himself—giving himself to a cause or another person—the more human he is. And the more he is immersed and absorbed in something or someone other than himself the more he really becomes himself.

Ironically enough, in the same way that fear brings to pass what one is afraid of, likewise a forced intention makes impossible what one forcibly wishes... Pleasure is, and must remain, a side-effect or by-product, and is destroyed and spoiled to the degree to which it is made a goal in itself.

Even though conditions such as lack of sleep, insufficient food and various mental stresses may suggest that the inmates were bound to react in certain ways, in the final analysis it becomes clear that the sort of person the prisoner became was the result of an inner decision, and not the result of camp influences alone.

If there is meaning in life at all, then there must be a meaning in suffering. Suffering is an ineradicable part of life, even as fate and death. Without suffering and death human life cannot be complete.

To be sure, man's search for meaning may arouse inner tension rather than inner equilibrium. However, precisely such tension is an indispensable prerequisite of mental health. There is nothing in the world, I venture to say, that would so effectively help one to survive even the worst conditions as the knowledge that there is a meaning in one's life. There is much wisdom in the words of Nietzsche: "He who has a why to live for can bear almost any how

For success, like happiness, cannot be pursued; it must ensue, and it only does so as the unintended side-effect of one's personal dedication to a cause greater than oneself or as the by-product of one's surrender to a person other than oneself. Happiness must happen, and the same holds for success: you have to let it happen by not caring about it.

The crowning experience of all, for the homecoming man, is the wonderful feeling that, after all he has suffered, there is nothing he need fear anymore—except his God.

Thus it can be seen that mental health is based on a certain degree of tension, the tension between what one has already achieved and what one still ought to accomplish, or the gap between what one is and what one should become. Such a tension is inherent in the human being and therefore is indispensable to mental well-being. We should not, then, be hesitant about challenging man with a potential meaning for him to fulfill. It is only thus that we evoke his will to meaning from its state of latency. I consider it a dangerous misconception of mental hygiene to assume that what man needs in the first place is equilibrium or, as it is called in biology "homeostasis", i.e., a tensionless state. What man actually needs is not a tensionless state but rather the striving and struggling for a worthwhile goal, a freely chosen task. What he needs is not the discharge of tension at any cost but the call of a potential meaning waiting to be fulfilled by him.

When a person can't find a deep sense of meaning, they distract themselves with pleasure.

The meaning of life is to give life meaning.

Being human always points, and is directed, to something, or someone, other than oneself—be it meaning to fulfill or another human being to encounter. The more one forgets himself—by giving himself to a cause to serve or another person to love—the more human he is and the more he actualizes himself. ... What is called self-actualization is not an attainable aim at all, for the simple reason that the more one would strive for it, the more he would miss it. In other words, self-actualization is possible only as a side-effect of self-transcendence.

For what then matters is to bear witness to the uniquely human potential at its best, which is to transform a personal tragedy into a triumph, to turn one’s predicament into a human achievement.

What was really needed was a fundamental change in our attitude toward life. We had to learn ourselves and, furthermore, we had to teach the despairing men, that it did not really matter what we expected from life, but rather what life expected from us. We needed to stop asking about the meaning of life, and instead to think of ourselves as those who were being questioned by life--daily and hourly. Our answer must consist, not in talk and meditation, but in right action and in right conduct. Life ultimately means taking the responsibility to find the right answer to its problems and to fulfill the tasks which it constantly sets for each individual.

These tasks, and therefore the meaning of life, differ from man to man, and from moment to moment. Thus it is impossible to define the meaning of life in a general way. Questions about the meaning of life can never be answered by sweeping statements. “Life” does not mean something vague, but something very real and concrete, just as life’s tasks are also very real and concrete. They form man’s destiny, which is different and unique for each individual. No man and no destiny can be compared with any other man or any other destiny. No situation repeats itself, and each situation calls for a different response. Sometimes the situation in which a man finds himself may require him to shape his own fate by action. At other times it is more advantageous for him to make use of an opportunity for contemplation and to realize assets in this way. Sometimes man may be required simple to accept fate, to bear his cross. Every situation is distinguished by its uniqueness, and there is always only one right answer to the problem posed by the situation at hand.

When a man finds that it is his destiny to suffer, he will have to accept his suffering as his task; his single and unique task. He will have to acknowledge the fact that even in suffering he is unique and alone in the universe. No one can relieve him of his suffering or suffer in his place. His unique opportunity lies in the way in which he bears his burden.

It is a peculiarity of man that he can only live by looking to the future.

The way in which a man accepts his fate and all the suffering it entails, the way in which he takes up his cross, gives him ample opportunity — even under the most difficult circumstances — to add a deeper meaning to his life. It may remain brave, dignified and unselfish. Or in the bitter fight for self preservation he may forget his human dignity and become no more than an animal. 

Woe to him who saw no more sense in his life, no aim, no purpose, and therefore no point in carrying on.

Human potential at its best is to transform a tragedy into a personal triumph, to turn one's predicament into a human achievement.

In some way, suffering ceases to be suffering at the moment it finds a meaning, such as the meaning of a sacrifice.

Live as if you were living already for the second time and as if you had acted the first time as wrongly as you are about to act now!" It seems to me that there is nothing which would stimulate a man's sense of responsibleness more than this maxim, which invites him to imagine first that the present is past and, second, that the past may yet be changed and amended.

On the average, only those prisoners could keep alive who, after years of trekking from camp to camp, had lost all scruples in their fight for existence; they were prepared to use every means, honest and otherwise, even brutal force, theft, and betrayal of their friends, in order to save themselves. We who have come back, by the aid of many lucky chances or miracles - whatever one may choose to call them - we know: the best of us did not return.

Sigmund Freud once asserted, "Let one attempt to expose a number of the most diverse people uniformly to hunger. With the increase of the imperative urge of hunger all individual differences will blur, and in their stead will appear the uniform expression of the one unstilled urge." Thank heaven, Sigmund Freud was spared knowing the concentration camps from the inside. His subjects lay on a couch designed in the plush style of Victorian culture, not in the filth of Auschwitz. There, the "individual differences" did not "blur" but, on the contrary, people became more different; people unmasked themselves, both the swine and the saints.

It is the very pursuit of happiness that thwarts happiness.

The way in which a man accepts his fate and all the suffering it entails, the way in which he takes up his cross, gives him ample opportunity -even under the most difficult circumstances- to add a deeper meaning to his life. It may remain brave, dignified and unselfish. Or in the bitter fight for self-preservation he may forget his human dignity and become no more than an animal. Here lies the chance for a man either to make use of or forgo the opportunities of attaining the moral values that a difficult situation may afford him. And this decides whether he is worthy of his sufferings or not.

a man’s suffering is similar to the behavior of gas. If a certain quantity of gas is pumped into an empty chamber, it will fill the chamber completely and evenly, no matter how big the chamber. Thus suffering completely fills the human soul and conscious mind, no matter whether the suffering is great or little.

When a man finds that it is his destiny to suffer, he will have to accept his suffering as his task; his single and unique task. He will have to acknowledge the fact that even in suffering he is unique and alone in the universe. No one can relieve him of his suffering or suffer in his place. His unique opportunity lies in the way in which he bears his burden.

We have absolutely no control over what happens to us in life but what we have paramount control over is how we respond to those events.

It is a peculiarity of man that he can only live by looking to the future - sub specie aeternitatis. And this is his salvation in the most difficult moments of his existence, although he sometimes has to force his mind to the task.

Humor was another of the soul's weapons in the fight for self-preservation.

We must never forget that we may also find meaning in life even when confronted with a hopeless situation, when facing a fate that cannot be changed. For what then matters is to bear witness to the uniquely human potential at its best, which is to transform a personal tragedy into a triumph, to turn one’s predicament into a human achievement. When we are no longer able to change a situation—just think of an incurable disease such as inoperable cancer—we are challenged to change ourselves.

Each of us has his own inner concentration camp... We must deal with, with forgiveness and patience-as full human beings, as we are and what we will become.

[T]here are two races of men in this world, but only these two -- the "race" of the decent man and the "race" of the indecent man. Both are found everywhere; they penetrate into all groups of society. No group consists entirely of decent or indecent people.

When we spoke about attempts to give a man in camp mental courage, we said that he had to be shown something to look forward to in the future. He had to be reminded that life still waited for him, that a human being waited for his return.

In the past, nothing is irretrievably lost, but rather, on the contrary, everything is irrevocably stored and treasured. To be sure, people tend to see only the stubble fields of transitoriness but overlook and forget the full granaries of the past into which they have brought the harvest of their lives: the deeds done, the loves loved, and last but not least, the sufferings they have gone through with courage and dignity.

A positive attitude enables a person to endure suffering and disappointment as well as enhance enjoyment and satisfaction. A negative attitude intensifies pain and deepens disappointments; it undermines and diminishes pleasure, happiness, and satisfaction; it may even lead to depression or physical illness.

Saints 1

Think of land and inheritance as a stewardship given to their families as a means to helping the poor and to build Zion and the temple. 

Overcoming dyslexia:

Lifelong condition. 

Andrew can learn to read, though it’s not easy and may take some time. 

Early identification, diagnosis, intervention. 

Overall. Dyslexic children require a lot of individual attention and practice. Small group and intense and specific instruction. 

15-20 min 3/week. No weekends. Fun!!!

Practice and reinforcement. Not teaching new things. 

“Weekends are for enjoyment and not to play catch-up.”

Encourage sounding out. 

Read out loud together 4 to 5 times a week, but I read to them and they were read to me. 

Play word detective/spy

Vocabulary cards; 10 new /week

Hey fixes, prefixes, Latin roots. Top 20 most popular (inter, sub, fore)

Academicwordlists. Com

Ch. 20 Comprehension strategies 

6 trait writing

Library cards 

Write frequently 

90 min/day fluency, phrases, texts with 4 kids

45 min/ day resource/ integration with subjects 

Tutor!

Instruction must be relentless and amplified in every way possible so that it penetrates and takes hold. 

Intervention, integration, & frequent monitoring.

Intervention: content, timing, duration, setting/environment,

INTENSE, calibrated, direct instruction. Help him make the leap to catch up. Change pacing, find alternate ways of explanation. Groups of 4-5. 

High quality instruction: interactive, active, engaged, meaningful; using effort to keep his attention, ask him questions.

Reading consumes huge amounts of attention and energy. 

“Requires an extra 150-300 hours of intensive instruction (60-90 min 5/days/week) for 3 years if he is going to close the reading gap between he and his peers.”

Specialized schools make a difference. School should address dyslexic needs and make the child feel welcome.  

Ch. 21 Wilson Reading system and program (and foundations)

“Spell Read”

“Read 180” LIPS

What words clearinghouse and lips

Sound partners, phonics-based

Success furlough

What works clearinghouse

All are effective evidence-based programs

Andrew knowing how to read should be my expectation. And he should know that. 

It is not a sprint but a marathon.

After the marathon, there will be a sense of profound relief. And a knowledge that Andrew can handle anything. He can move onto the highest level of education and succeed in his career and life. 

be Andrews champion who offers hope and a bright vision of the future

First two elements are phonemic awareness and phonics. Say what’s dyslexia screeningSpire do codable readers. Scholastic the codable readers  

What worksclearinghouse.com

Orton Gillingham as a multi sensory approach

Example tap each finger with your thumb as you say a word. Use all five senses. 

45 to 90 minutes three days a week

Practice oral reading, practice reading connected texts over and over again and provide ongoing feedback as a child reads. 

—Repeated oral readings. Poetry. 

Less than 200 words. 

—Song lyrics; choral reading. 

—Paired readings, read aloud WITH parents. 

—Fluency: readers theater, paired reading, peer tutor to younger child

—Make “little books” OU/ OW

Vocab: “fear” brainstorming Play 

Place Emphasis on the child’s strengths. The isolated phonetic weakness is only one small part of a much larger picture. Too often the focus is only on the weakness. Focus on the child’s strong capabilities and potential. Whatever those strengths are. Utility to reason, analyze to conceptualize, To be creative, to have empathy, To visualize, to imagine, or to think in novel ways. It is imperative that the strengths be nurtured and are to identify the child. 

Dyslexics must be allowed extra time for testing. 

Our number one priority needs to be preserving Andrew’s self-esteem. The extraordinary amount of work he has to put forth just to keep up requires understanding, patience, positivity, and encouragement. Help him to develop a positive sense of himself. 

Regularly remind Andrew of his value as a person. Having an understanding thing of their disability helps them to open their vision to their future and their possibilities and abilities. Help him to continually grow and maintain his self-esteem help him to learn how to self advocate. Help him to turn take the long 

View. Help him to keep in mind that there can be a pot of gold at the end of this rainbow. Let him know dyslexia is a problem that intelligent people have with reading. Surrounded by a sea of strengths. It has nothing to do with how smart he is, in fact, some of the brightest people have dyslexia. His problem is and part has difficulty in pulling apart sounds in words. Sticky sounds. Reassure him that these are common problems. 

Don’t underestimate Andrew or his future possibilities. Aim high. Have confidence in him. Convey that belief and make sure that any academic paths are not prematurely closed off. Don’t lower expectations. 

1. College prep 101.

Paradox of dyslexia. With both strengths and weaknesses. “Diamonds in the Rough”

Role-play questions and conversations with admin, boss, etc. 

CBT-cognitive behavior therapy

Mindfulness. Paying attention without giving judgement. 

Help unlock the creativity, innovation, invention, and ingenuity. 

A student come expect to gain one grade level after every 100 hours of reading instruction. 

Dyslexics, all too familiar with failure, have developed a growth mindset. 

While dyslexia is part of Andrew, it will never define him. 

Miracle morning

What is my life’s purpose?

“Keep in mind that you’re not supposed to “figure out” what your purpose is, you get to make it up, create it, decide what you want it to be.’

We don’t figure it out. We create it. 

Discipline creates lifestyle. 

Remember, the moment you accept total responsibility for everything in your life is the moment you claim the power to change anything in your life.

Love the life you have while you create the life of your dreams. Don't think you have to choose one over the other.

There is nothing to fear, because you cannot fail—only learn, grow, and become better than you’ve ever been before.

Research has shown that we virtually become like the average of the five people we spend the most time with. Who you spend your time with may be the single most determining factor in the person you become and in your quality of life. If you are surrounded with lazy, weak-minded, excuse-making people, you’ll inevitably become like them. Spend time with positive, successful achievers and inevitably their attitudes and successful habits will reflect on you. You’ll become more and more like them.

Life begins at the end of your comfort zone. —NEALE

Our outer world will always be a reflection of our inner world. Our level of success is always going to parallel our level of personal development. Until we dedicate time each day to developing ourselves into the person we need to be to create the life we want, success is always going to be a struggle to attain.

Your entire life changes the day that you decide you will no longer accept mediocrity for yourself.

How you wake up each day and your morning routine (or lack thereof) dramatically affects your levels of success in every single area of your life. Focused, productive, successful mornings generate focused, productive, successful days—which inevitably create a successful life—in the same way that unfocused, unproductive, and mediocre mornings generate unfocused, unproductive, and mediocre days, and ultimately a mediocre quality of life. By simply changing the way you wake up in the morning, you can transform any area of your life, faster than you ever thought possible.

Every time you choose to do the easy thing, instead of the right thing, you are shaping your identity, becoming the type of person who does what’s easy, rather than what’s right.   On the other hand, when you do choose to do the right thing and follow through with your commitments—especially when you don’t feel like it—you are developing the extraordinary discipline (which most people never develop) necessary for creating extraordinary results in your life.  As my good friend, Peter Voogd, often teaches his clients: “Discipline creates lifestyle.”   For example, when the alarm clock goes off, and we hit the snooze button (the easy thing), most people mistakenly assume that this action is only affecting that moment. The reality is that this type of action is

We must embrace the fact that if we don’t commit to thinking and living differently than most people now, we are setting ourselves up to endure a life of mediocrity, struggle, failure and regret—just like most people.

Rearview Mirror Syndrome One of the most crippling causes of mediocrity in life is a condition I call Rearview Mirror Syndrome (RMS). Our subconscious minds are equipped with a self-limiting rearview mirror, through which we continuously relive and recreate our past. We mistakenly believe that who we were is who we are, thus limiting our true potential in the present, based on the limitations of our past.   As a result, we filter every choice we make—from what time we will wake up in the morning to which goals we will set to what we allow ourselves to consider possible for our lives—through the limitations of our past experiences. We want to create a better life, but sometimes we don’t know how to see it any other way than how it’s always been.   Research shows that on any given day, the average person thinks somewhere between 50,000 and 60,000 thoughts. The problem is that ninety-five percent of our thoughts are the same as the ones we thought the day before, and the day before that, and the day before that. It’s no wonder most people go through life, day after day, month after month, year after year, and never change the quality of their lives.   Like old, worn baggage, we carry stress, fear, and worry from yesterday with us into today. When presented with opportunities, we quickly check our rearview mirror to assess our past capabilities. “No, I’ve never done anything like that before. I’ve never achieved at that level. In fact, I’ve failed, time and time again.”   When presented with adversity, we go back to our trusty rearview mirror for guidance on how to respond. “Yep, just my luck. This crap always happens to me. I’m just going to give up; that’s what I’ve always done when things get too difficult.”   If you are to move beyond your past and transcend your limitations, you must stop living out of your rearview mirror and start imagining a life of limitless possibilities. Accept the paradigm:  my past does not equal my future. Talk to yourself in a way that inspires confidence that not only is anything possible, but that you are capable and committed to making it so. It’s not even necessary to believe it at first. In fact, you probably won’t believe it. You might find it uncomfortable and that you resist doing it. That’s okay. Repeat it to yourself anyway, and your subconscious mind will begin to absorb the positive self-affirmations. (More on how to do this in Chapter 6:  The Life S.A.V.E.R.S.)   Don’t place unnecessary limitations on what you want for your life. Think bigger than you’ve allowed yourself to think up until this point. Get clear on what you truly want, condition yourself to the belief that it’s possible by focusing on and affirming it every day, and then consistently move in the direction of your vision until it becomes your reality. There is nothing to fear, because you cannot fail—only learn, grow, and become better than you’ve ever been before.   Always remember that where you are is a result of who you were, but where you go depends entirely on who you choose to be, from this moment on.

Always remember that where you are is a result of who you were, but where you go depends entirely on who you choose to be, from this moment on.

You are just as worthy, deserving, and capable of creating and sustaining extraordinary health, wealth, happiness, love, and success in your life, as any other person on earth.

Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body and prayer is to the soul. We become the books we read. MATTHEW KELLY

We must realize that the real impact and consequence of each of our choices and actions—and even our thoughts—is monumental, because every single thought, choice, and action is determining who we are becoming, which will ultimately determine the quality of our lives

Silence is one of the best ways to immediately reduce stress, while increasing your self-awareness and gaining the clarity that will allow you to maintain your focus on your goals, priorities, and what’s most important for your life, each and every day.

when you are committed to a life purpose that is bigger than your problems, your problems become relatively insignificant and you will overcome them with ease

The moment you take 100 percent responsibility for everything in your life is the same moment you claim your power to change anything in your life. However, the crucial distinction is to realize that taking responsibility is not the same thing as accepting blame. while blame determines who is at fault for something, responsibility determines who is committed to improving a situation. It rarely matters who is at fault. All that matters is that you are committed to improving your situation. 

If we’re talking about brain performance, the best predictor of brain speed is aerobic capacity—how well you can run up a hill is very strongly correlated with brain speed and cognitive shifting ability,

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.

The degree to which you accept responsibility for everything in your life is precisely the degree of personal power you have to change or create anything in your life. 

The purpose of setting a goal is not to hit the goal. The real purpose of setting a goal is to develop yourself into the type of person who can achieve your goals, regardless of whether you hit any particular one or not. Some goals you’ll reach, and some you won’t. It is who you become by giving it everything you have until the last moment—regardless of your results—that enables you to develop the mindset and behaviors that will help you achieve bigger and bigger goals for the rest of your life.

I am letting go of the limiting belief that I have a horrible memory. My brain is a miraculous organism capable of healing itself, and my memory can improve, but only in proportion to how much I believe it can improve. So, from this moment on, I am maintaining the unwavering belief that I have an excellent memory, and it’s continuing to get better every day.

Don’t place unnecessary limitations on what you want for your life. Think bigger than you’ve allowed yourself to think up until this point. Get clear on what you truly want, condition yourself to the belief that it’s possible by focusing on and affirming it every day, and then consistently move in the direction of your vision until it becomes your reality. There is nothing to fear, because you cannot fail—only learn, grow, and become better than you’ve ever been before.

*Every day, think as you wake up, ‘Today I am fortunate to have woken up, I am alive, I have a precious human life, I am not going to waste it. I am going to use all my energies to develop myself, to expand my heart out to others. I am going to benefit others as much as I can.’ —DALAI LAMA

Remember, when you change your inner world—your life—then your outer world—your life situation—will improve in parallel. 

If you want to attract, create, and sustain extraordinary levels of success and income, you must first figure out how to become the person that is capable of easily and consistently attracting, creating, and sustaining the extraordinary levels of success and income that you desire.

Our pain disappears the moment we find something to be grateful for, even within the context of what is causing us pain. 

The only exercise most people get is jumping to conclusions, running down their friends, sidestepping responsibility, and pushing their luck. —UNKNOWN

The biggest adventure you can ever take is to live the life of your dreams. 

I believe it is crucial for us to embrace the perspective that anything another person has overcome or accomplished is simply evidence that anything—and I mean anything—you need to overcome or want to accomplish is possible for you, no matter what your past or current circumstances. It begins with accepting total responsibility for every aspect of your life and refusing to blame anyone else. The degree to which you accept responsibility for everything in your life is precisely the degree of personal power you have to change or create anything in your life.

Your level of success will seldom exceed your level of personal development, because success is something you attract by the person you become.

From that point on, having also added the belief that affirmations really work, not only did my memory continue to improve, but I created affirmations for every area of my life that I wanted to advance I began using affirmations to improve my health, finances, relationships, overall happiness, confidence, as well as any and all beliefs, mindsets and habits that needed an upgrade. Nothing was off limits. There are no limits!

By repeatedly articulating and reinforcing to yourself what result you want to accomplish, why accomplishing it is important to you, which specific actions are required to produce that result, and, most importantly, precisely when you commit to taking those actions, your subconscious mind will shift your beliefs and behavior. You’ll begin to automatically believe and act in new ways and eventually manifest your affirmations into your reality.

Give up the need to be perfect for the opportunity to be authentic. Be who you are. Love who you are. Others will too.

Replace your judgments with empathy, upgrade your complaining to gratitude, and trade in your fear for love.

We all get one chance, as far as we know, to write our life’s story. Make today the day that you proactively and consciously decided to write the story you are proud of!

It’s the repetition of affirmations that leads to belief. Once that belief becomes a deep conviction, things begin to happen. —MUHAMMAD ALI

One of the most critical skills entrepreneurs needs to master is the ability to clarify and communicate their vision so everyone around them can see what they can see. 

Focused, productive, successful mornings generate focused, productive, successful days – which inevitably create a successful life – in the same way that unfocused, unproductive, and mediocre mornings generate unfocused, unproductive, and mediocre days, and ultimately a mediocre quality of life.

*Don't worry about trying to impress people. Just focus on how you can add value to their lives. 

Set Your Intentions the Night Before. This is the most important step. Remember:  your first thought in the morning is usually the last thought you had before bed, so take responsibility for creating genuine excitement for the next morning, every night before bed. 2.  Keep Your Alarm Clock Across the Room. Remember:  Movement creates energy! 3.  Brush Your Teeth. Use an antiseptic mouthwash to add extra umph! 4.  Drink a Full Glass of Water. Hydrate yourself, ASAP! 5.  Get Dressed. Or jump in the shower.

Whether it's our routines or our relationships, it's our responsibility to actively and continuously make them the way we want them to be.

Visualize yourself effortlessly enjoying the process of achieving your goals. 

 Your life is made up of the physical, intellectual, emotional and spiritual parts that make up every human being – or PIES for short

Everything is difficult before it's easy. Everything is uncomfortable before it's comfortable. 

Make bold moves toward your dreams each day, refuse to stop, and nothing can stop you. 

Ordinary people believe only in the possible. Extraordinary

people visualize not what is possible or probable, but rather what is impossible. And by visualizing the impossible, they

begin to see it as possible. —CHERIE CARTER-SCOTT

a simple meditation to get you started: • Meditation • Prayer • Reflection • Deep Breathing • Gratitude

Be grateful for all that you have, accept all that you don’t, and actively create all that you want.

If you really think about it, hitting the snooze button in the morning doesn’t even make sense. It’s like saying, ‘I hate getting up in the morning—so I do it over… and over… and over again.’ —DEMETRIUS MARTIN