"I Did It All By Myself"

"I Did It All By Myself"

I heard an amazing story about an interesting conversation between a self-made millionaire and his pastor.

The self-made millionaire said, "I started out with nothing.My parents were broke and didn't give me a thing. I put myself through school. And from the time I was a kid till now, nobody's ever given me anything."

The pastor asked, "You did it all by yourself?" The man said,"That's right." The pastored asked, "And nobody's ever given you a thing?" The man replied, "Not a thing."

Well, let me ask you this," said the pastor. "Who gave you life? Who gave you your marvelous brain, your talents, your natural abilities? Who changed your diapers and put food on your table as a child? Who taught you how to read and write? Who spent hours, weeks, and years educating you?"

The pastor continued, "Who gave you your first job? Who mentored you in business? Who lent you money to start your own business? Who raised a little girl and nutured her into a woman who could give you herself, her love, and your children?"

Still the pastor questioned him, "Who buys your products? Who takes care of your customers and manages your offices?" Who gave you your health? Who cleans your home, your office buildings, and the toilets?"

The pastor finished by saying, "If you can still look me in the eye and tell me you've done it all by yourself and that nobody has ever given you anything, then my last question is: Who has blinded your eyes and given you such a foolish, arrogant, and ungrateful heart?"

The self-made millionaire was silent for a few moments. It was one of those eureka moments.

He said, "What do I have that I haven't been given?"

Footnote: This self-made million started a letter writing campaign. He wrote to everyone who had influenced his life and said, "Thank you!" This man's name is John Marks Templton and he said in his autobiography, "For more than 30 years my family sent Thanksgiving cards rather than Christmas cards to our friends, desiring to spread our gratitude for the many gifts of life."

C.S. Lewis Quote

"Never, never pin your whole faith on any human being: not if he is the best and wisest in the whole world. There are lots of nice things you can do with sand; but do not try building a house on it. " - C.S. Lewis

John A. Shedd-Ships

A ship in harbor is safe, but that is not what ships are built for. - John A. Shedd

Life is Constantly Testing Us!

"I believe life is constantly testing us for our level of commitment, and life's greatest rewards are reserved for those who demonstrate a never-ending commitment to act until they achieve. This level of resolve can move mountains, but it must be constant and consistent. As simplistic as this may sound, it is still the common denominator separating those who live their dreams from those who live in regret." - Tony Robbins

Look Ahead-Steve Brunkhorst

"Look ahead; envision the beautiful blessings waiting on your distant shores. If you follow your personal stepping-stones with joy, love, faith and gratitude, the swiftest currents will not impede your journey. " - Steve Brunkhorst

The Mountain story

The Mountain Story

A son and his father were walking on the mountains.Suddenly, his son falls, hurts himself and screams: "AAAhhhhhhhhhhh!!!"To his surprise, he hears the voice repeating, somewhere in the mountain:"AAAhhhhhhhhhhh!!!"Curious, he yells: "Who are you?"He receives the answer: "Who are you?"Angered at the response, he screams: "Coward!"He receives the answer: "Coward!"He looks to his father and asks: "What's going on?"

The father smiles and says: "My son, pay attention."And then he screams to the mountain: "I admire you!"The voice answers: "I admire you!"Again the man screams: "You are a champion!"The voice answers: "You are a champion!"The boy is surprised, but does not understand.

Then the father explains: "People call this ECHO, but really this is LIFE.It gives you back everything you say or do.Our life is simply a reflection of our actions.If you want more love in the world, create more love in your heart.If you want more competence in your team, improve your competence.This relationship applies to everything, in all aspects of life;Life will give you back everything you have given to it."YOUR LIFE IS NOT A COINCIDENCE. IT'S A REFLECTION OF YOU!

Author Unknown

Wayne Dyer Quote

"You'll see it when you believe it." - Wayne Dyer

A Healthy Mind

"The optimism of a healthy mind is indefatigable." - Margery Allingham

Break the Hypnotic and Damaging Hold

"We must become acquainted with our emotional household; we must see our feelings as they actually are, not as we assume they are. This breaks their hypnotic and damaging hold on us." - Vernon Howard

Good Ideas-Uncommon People

"Good ideas are common - what's uncommon are people who'll work hard enough to bring them about" - Ashley Brilliant

Achievements

"All achievements, all earned riches, have their beginning in an idea." - Napoleon Hill

Clear Thinking 101

Clear Thinking 101
by: Steve Gillman

Want clear thinking? Resolve your "mind irritations," by watching what's going on in your head. It takes practice, but you can start right now. Sometimes a phone call you need to make quietly bothers you all day, just below consciousness. Maybe you're worried about an upcoming meeting. How do you find and resolve these things?

Take a deep breath, close your eyes for a moment, and tune in to your mind. As you become aware of these stressors, do something to let them go. Make that phone call, or put it on your "to do" list, and your mind will let go of the concern for now. Sometimes bringing a problem to full consciousness and telling yourself, "There is nothing I can do about this until Friday," will stop the unconscious worrying.

Start tuning into your mind, and you'll find it becomes easier to recognise what is just below the surface, irritating you and sapping your brain power. Take care of those things, and clearer thinking is automatic. This is a powerful technique if you use it regularly.

More Tips For Clear Thinking

1. Have clear space. It's rare that a person can work better in clutter. An organised home or office space means you won't have the thought "where is that..." distracting your mind.

2. Get enough good sleep. Sleep requirements vary greatly, but the bare minimum for almost everyone is somewhere around five hours. Many of us suffer if we sleep less than seven hours. Research, however, seems to indicate that after some minimum quantity, the quality of sleep is more important for normal brain function.

3. Try meditating. Close your eyes, relax, and watch your breath. Your mind will wander endlessly, but just continually return your attention to your breath. Do this for even five minutes, and you'll feel better and think more clearly.

4. Walk. I think the research will eventually show this to be one of the best things you can do to improve the quality of your thinking. But don't wait for the proof. There are enough other reasons to take a walk anyhow.

5. Avoid sugar. Eat a large piece of sugary cake on an empty stomach, then try to do math problems twenty minutes later. You'll understand "brain fog," or the "sugar blues."

6. Breath deeply through your nose. Three deep breaths through your nose is like a mini-meditation. Nose breathing uses your diaphram more, drawing more air in, and therefore pumping more oxygen into your bloodstream and brain.

7. Don't drink alcohol. A beer or two may help your creativity, but in general, alcohol is a hindrance to clear thinking.

About The Author

Steve Gillman has been studying brainpower enhancement, creative problem solving, and related topics for years. Subscribe to his free Creative Problem Solving Course, and get a free gift at: http://www.ProblemSolving101.com

Forgiveness-A Lovely Idea

"Every one says forgiveness is a lovely idea, until they have something to forgive." - C.S. Lewis

Determination

"Determination gives you the resolve to keep going in spite of the roadblocks that lay before you." - Dennis Waitley

Tie a Knot-Thomas Jeffrerson

"When you reach the end of your rope, tie a knot in it and hang on." - Thomas Jefferson

When One Closes Another Opens

"When one door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has been opened for us." - Helen Keller

Laugh at Yourself

"Laugh at yourself and at life. Not in the spirit of derision or whining self-pity, but as a remedy, a miracle drug, that will ease your pain, cure your depression, and help you to put in perspective that seemingly terrible defeat and worry with laughter at your predicaments, thus freeing your mind to think clearly toward the solution that is certain to come. Never take yourself too seriously." - Og Mandino

Always and Never

Always and never are two words you should always remember never to use. - Wendell Johnson

Will Rodgers Quote

Never miss a good chance to shut up. - Will Rogers

Dale Carnegie Quote

Remember, today is the tomorrow you worried about yesterday. - Dale Carnegie

What Makes You Come Alive?

"Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive." - Howard Thurman

Just One Step Beyond

"Most great people have attained their greatest success just one step beyond their greatest failure." - Napoleon Hill

A Quote Beautiful in It's Irony

"If you want things to stay as they are, things will have to change" - Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa

Marie Curie Quote

"Nothing in life is to be feared. It is only to be understood." - Marie Curie

Goal Minus Plan Equals Wish

"A goal without a plan is just a wish." - Larry Elder

Walt Disney Quote

Or heritage and ideals, our code and standards - the things we live by and teach our children - are preserved or diminished by how freely we exchange ideas and feelings. - Walt Disney

How To Make Your Dreams Come True

How To Make Your Dreams Come True
By Carol Pagan

“Anything you can conceive and believe, you can achieve.”

BUT
Yeah, they don’t tell you about the BUT. It doesn't sell well.

What’s the BUT?

It takes time and effort.

Ouch!

All those magic seekers just clicked away en-mass. Oh well. For those of you who are still here, take heart. You can achieve almost anything if you are willing to pay the price. The bigger the dream, the bigger the price.

Say you want to be a millionaire, but right now you don’t have 2 quarters to rub together. Is becoming a millionaire impossible? No. Is it probable? No.

Why?

It takes time and effort. It may take 1 year, or 2, or 5, or 20.

I read somewhere that the average millionaire took 20 years to get there. And that may seem like an impossibly long time.

Let’s take another perspective. If you are 40 or over, you have most likely worked 20 years. And you are facing at least another 20 years of work still. If you were to become a millionaire anytime within that 40-year period, that would be great, wouldn’t it?

Since Bill Gates is a prime example in today’s world, let’s talk about him for a minute. How long did it really take him to accomplish what he did? How many years did he putter with computers before he set out to make it his life’s work?

There was another secret buried in that last paragraph. Did you catch it?

All dreams are born out of something you love. If you are chasing money for the sake of money, you will never be happy. But if you are working with something you love, then the money is a nice bonus.

You’ve heard story after story about people who’ve goneafter their dream. Walt Disney, Fred Astaire, Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Edison, Billie Holiday, Usher, Tiger Woods … the list is endless.

And dreams aren’t always about making money. You might like to help starving kids, or survivors of natural disasters, or abused women. You might love boats, or cars, or golf, or bowling.

When you’re doing something you love, you can do it for 20 years if that’s what it takes.

What is one thing you would really love to do in your lifetime? Do it. No matter how long it takes.

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Mary Pickford Quote

If you have made mistakes, there is always another chance for you. You may have a fresh start any moment you choose, for this thing we call 'failure' is not the falling down, but the staying down. - Mary Pickford

Clint Eastwood Quote

I don't believe in pessimism. If something doesn't come up the way you want, forge ahead. If you think it's going to rain, it will. - Clint Eastwood

Life is Like a Grindstone.....

"Life is like a grindstone. Whether it wears you down or polishes you up depends upon what YOU are made of" - Zig Ziglar

Excellence Not Perfection

Strive for excellence, not perfection. - H. Jackson Brown Jr.

Advice-Erica Jong

Advice is what we ask for when we already know the answer but wish we didn't. - Erica Jong

William Blake Quote

I myself do nothing. The Holy Spirit accomplishes all through me. - William Blake