Happy New Year

Happy New Year!

I hope that it is off to a great start.

News
No new updates for this week.

Quote
“Another fresh new year is here . . .
Another year to live!
To banish worry, doubt, and fear,
To love and laugh and give!

This bright new year is given me
To live each day with zest . . .
To daily grow and try to be
My highest and my best!

I have the opportunity
Once more to right some wrongs,
To pray for peace, to plant a tree,
And sing more joyful songs!”
-William Arthur Ward

My Thoughts
I like to spend some time reflecting on New Year's eve or day about the year that has passed and the year that is coming.

What have I learned? Where have I grown? What areas of my life could use some work? What is my intention for this year?

I also take time to forgive myself (or at least try to). Could I grow in more areas, or could I have handled situations differently? Of course.
But it's very important to remember that you did your best at the time. Try to learn the lesson that life is giving and move on, there is no need to constantly beat yourself up over the past.
Similarly, worrying about the future is a futile activity. Generally speaking the vast majority of our fears and worries will never come to pass. And even if some of them do, you can't really do anything about them now.

I set my intention for the year and try to use that as my guidepost. Personally, I like to have an overall intention and set intentions in multiple areas of my life (business, finance, education, etc...) and I use them as guideposts as well.

Remember though, sometimes we get too focused on goals and we lose sight of what's most important. This is why I like to use them as markers and if for some reason I should miss that mark, I evaluate what happened.

I really have learned that life is about the journey not the destination.

I wish you all the best in 2012.

Have an amazing week.

Responsibility

Quote
"The best day of your life is the one on which you decide your life is your own. No apologies or excuses. No one to lean on, rely on, or blame. The gift is yours - it is an amazing journey - and you alone are responsible for the quality of it. This is the day your life really begins."
-Bob Moawad

My Thoughts
Do you take responsibility for all of your results? Or only for your successes? Do you find yourself blaming other people for your setbacks or failures? We all may find ourselves doing this from time to time.

When we decide to take 100% responsibility for our results we will start to see things change.
We will then be in control of our future. This is a very big step for most people to take because it is certainly easier to blame other people for the situations we find ourselves in.

I encourage all of you to become more aware of excuses. Start eliminating them from your life. You'll be amazed at how much more control you have.

Until next time...

Change

Here is a quote to think about:
"Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself."
-Leo Tolstoy

My Opinion
I think this is something we all can forget at times. All of us have these big ideas: To end poverty, stop world hunger, put an end to racism, etc...But we so often forget to look at ourselves.

Change begins with you.

If you want to end poverty, does it make sense for you to remain in poverty and try to change it?
Or would a better approach to be lift yourself out of poverty and be an example to those around you?

Here is a quick story that I hope helps illustrate my point.

One of my close relatives has been in and out of jail for the last six years. He was heavily involved in drug dealing. I used to try and reason with him.
A few years ago, I would tell him about how much I was making (which was a very decent amount) and he would say "So, I can make that in half the time it takes you.".
He was right, he could do that. He didn't care that he was getting people hooked on all sorts of things.

The last time I was back in the US, I visited him in prison. I hadn't seen him in over six years. It was certainly emotional.
This time, I talked to him from a different angle.

When he found out that I walked away from an incredible job to pursue a dream. He respected that. When I told him the goal for One Amazing Life. He thought I must have gone crazy. He didn't think it would be possible to achieve such a large goal.
I did some coaching with him on the phone when he was released from prison.
During that time he realized that anything is possible.

For the last six months he has been working hard to change his life. He now sees that he is in control of his future. Do I know what will happen in his future? No, of course not, only he can determine that.
The person I am talking about in this story is my younger brother.

What is the point of this story?
When I tried to talk to him before, he wasn't relating to me very well. The fact was he wouldn't have been able to get the job I had. Therefore, he was perfectly fine making as much money as me illegally.
It wasn't until I changed, until I walked away from the normal path, that he realized maybe he could change.

In conclusion, if you are tired of your current situation, stop sitting around complaining - I know this can be difficult for all of us.
Get up, get out, and do something about it.
Change.

Until next time...

Thinking

Do you think?

What I mean here is do you just go through the motions of life, not really thinking?
Maybe you drive the same way to the office everyday and sometimes you "space out" and when you arrive you think "wow, I don't even remember the drive".

In 2006, I stopped and had a thought "Where do I see myself in five years?". The only answer I could come up with was I don't know. I had no clue.

This is when I decided that I really needed to think about my future. So gradually I spent more time thinking. It took a while but I eventually made some serious changes in my life.
This is what lead me to be where I am today and I have never felt so alive.

I would encourage all of you to go somewhere where you will not be disturbed and think.
You can start out small, maybe ten minutes a day and work you way up.

Until next time...