YOU Can Become Extraordinary

   

What do Martin Luther King Jr., Nelson Mandela, Ronald Reagan, Mother Theresa, Steve Jobs, Jim Rohn, and Princess Diana all have in common? They were all extraordinary people in different ways. All of them impacted the world in an extraordinary way. Whether it’s as a civil rights leader, business philosopher, lover of the poor, tech genius, or as president of the United States.

   They each had a definite major purpose in life and pursued it with all their hearts. Nothing was going to stop them. You may be thinking right now as you read this that these people were different. That they had certain qualities that allowed them to achieve extraordinary results. However, that is complete fiction.

   Anyone can achieve the same extraordinary results they did. You can have the same impact on the world around you. No? All of these people were in the same position you are. They may not have set out to move mountains in the beginning, but they became the type of person capable of doing it. Extraordinary performance occurs when you are the best person you are capable of becoming.

   It doesn’t matter if you are a homemaker, teacher, pastor, mechanic, or if you bag groceries at the supermarket. Extraordinary performance can happen anywhere. All of it depends on what you do. If you spend time being negative and complaining all the time then you can bet that becoming extraordinary will take a lot longer. But if you have a positive mental attitude then you can get there much faster.

   A positive attitude will get positive results and a negative attitude will get……It really is that simple. You must live your life finding ways to be positive because negativity destroys everything it touches and it’s a slow death. Negativity causes pain, stress, anxiety, and health problems. One myth about being positive is that you see no weeds in the garden. Well, if you are that way then you better pull the weeds because they will take your garden. A positive person doesn’t see sunshine in the rain, they just enjoy the rain.

   Many people also fail to become extraordinary because they lack confidence. Lack of confidence is the root cause of laziness. When you don’t have confidence then many times you will do nothing. This doesn’t mean you won’t have a job, or pay your bills. It just means that without confidence you will fail to take the steps necessary to do what you want to do with your life. People without confidence will make excuses why they can’t do something. They will never become extraordinary. Do you think extraordinary people lack confidence?

   Another reason is that you have a poor philosophy. If your philosophy is to do as much work as you get paid for then you will always get paid that much. If your philosophy is to sit and watch television instead of reading a book that could change your life then you can expect to stay right there on the couch. Or is it to spend time partying instead of getting a second job to pay off your bills?

   What is your philosophy on life? It’s very important to know this. Think long and hard about what you do daily, and the decisions you make, and have made. Then you will figure out what your philosophy is.

   Who are the people you spend time with? Are they extraordinary? You say, “Well all my friends and family can’t be extraordinary.” That’s true, but it doesn’t mean you have to spend a lot of time with them either. What happens when you spend time with extraordinary people? Two things; either you end up jealous and complain about them to other people who aren’t extraordinary and it brings you down further, or you feel uplifted and energized.

   The reason you feel great when you spend time with them is because extraordinary people do extraordinary things for others even if you just had a cup of coffee. Who in your life right now do you consider extraordinary? Model their behavior. Do what they do. Sound crazy? It really isn’t because when you learn about people that you admire you may try to do what they did to get there.

   Here’s the thing. It doesn’t matter who it is that you admire. They don’t have to be world renowned to be extraordinary. They can be the person next door, a co-worker, or your parents. Makes no difference.

   Now it is possible that you don’t have anyone in your life that you consider extraordinary. That was my issue. So I thought about who I thought was extraordinary, and I read, and read, and read about them. I looked to books for my extraordinary people and had no problem finding them. If you don’t read, then start. Read about the extraordinary people I mentioned above, or find other people you can model your life after.

      You can become extraordinary. It takes work on your part to analyze your life and see what you can do differently to change it. There is definitely something because if you don’t find anything then you aren’t being honest. The one major thing that sets extraordinary people apart is that they are constantly working to improve. You can start today. Make today the day you decide to become extraordinary, and have an impact on the world around you. It’s up to you!

Difficulty is Necessary

 

 I am a big fan of Winston Churchill. I believe he is the greatest leader of people since Abraham Lincoln. This quote came across my desk the other day and surprisingly I had never read it before. The quote read, “Difficulties mastered are opportunities won.” It got me thinking about the past year in my life, and the difficulties I have faced over the year. At times I felt like my life was over and that nothing good would ever happen to me. What bothered me most about this type of thinking is that it isn’t what I believe or how I live.

   Fortunately this thinking wasn’t common, but when I read the Churchill quote it opened my eyes and thoughts in a new way. Difficulties are necessary in life. You cannot grow without them, or achieve any degree of success. Read a biography of a person you deem successful and see how easy their road was to get there. Anyone who has succeeded has gone through many difficulties. Churchill for example had a speech impediment his entire life despite his amazing ability to communicate to his people. He also left government as a failure due to the Galipoli Campaign, but then became Prime Minister and led his country through World War II. Inexplicably he was beaten in the 1945 election, but rebounded to win election again in 1951.

   Difficulties are a very important part of life. You MUST go through them to get where you want to be. They give you the opportunity to grow, get stronger, and become more. Instead of facing difficulties with apprehension and fear try welcoming them because despite how challenging they are you will be given an opportunity to become more in the process. The person who gets swallowed up by difficulty and challenge is the person who remains the same. Whatever difficulties and challenges you are going through today look at them as an opportunity to become better than you were before they happened.

Fear can be Your Friend

 

 Fear can be a killer. It can cause anxiety, stress, and health problems. Fear can also be your friend. This is a different view of fear. Fear is a warning that something may be wrong. It is a reaction to something you are facing. When you are starting something new, going somewhere, or doing something that makes you uncomfortable it causes fear.

   They key to dealing with fear is to do just that……deal with it. You have to do something about it. Sometimes fear means that you need a plan. Usually fear comes when you haven’t planned or prepared. Having a detailed plan can keep fear at bay and can build your confidence. When you use courage and fight the fear you are dealing with can take you to a new place with your confidence.

   Courage is needed to deal with fear. You need to be courageous to do certain things. It can be a small amount of courage or a large amount, but whatever it is your confidence will grow. Fear also comes when you lack confidence. If you are starting a new project that you may not have a lot of experience in can cause a great deal of fear.

   When you plan and prepare your fear will go away because you have shown courage and built confidence. When you avoid starting projects because of fear it can cause unnecessary stress. All you will do is find reasons why you shouldn’t start the project. This is because you have allowed fear to control you.

   Babe Ruth said, “Never let the fear of striking out get in your way.” I love that quote. He is known for his legendary home runs, but he struck out more than he hit home runs. You may too. The key here is to focus on the success you can attract by showing confidence and courage. Instead of expecting the project to fail you should focus on what can be done.

   Every person experiences fear on a daily basis. When this happens figure out what is causing it. Remember that fear is a warning that something needs to be done. When you figure it out then go for it. Andrew Jackson said, “One man with courage makes a majority.” Show courage and it will build your confidence. Don’t let fear dominate you. Allow fear to be your friend.

What will You Sacrifice?

  

This Charles DuBos quote had a massive impact on my life. It put into perspective what was required to experience total life change. Here is the quote:

“The important thing is this: To be willing at any moment to sacrifice what you are for what you would become.”

   The phrase sacrifice what you are really hit me between the eyes. I had never thought of it this way before. For the first time I realized that sacrifice was a major part of the life change process. Webster’s defines sacrifice as: Giving something up for the sake of something else; act of giving up. When you make the decision to sacrifice something that void has to be filled in another way. For something else.

   As I meditated on that quote for days I began thinking about what I needed to sacrifice. Sacrifice to me means giving up things you may enjoy that are not valuable for something that is. Are you willing to sacrifice happy hour each night and read life changing material instead? Will you sacrifice watching bad re-runs and watch an inspirational video? Will you sacrifice a donut to go for a walk around the block?

   What you sacrifice has to be important to you otherwise it isn’t a real sacrifice. Also, if you sacrifice one thing that isn’t valuable for another then you will get nowhere. You have to be willing to make real changes to become who you want to be. People think that their life will be over if they seriously cut back on watching television. As if their life would be over if they didn’t watch Seinfeld every night. That of course is nonsense.

   If you are really serious about life change then you should be more than willing to make real sacrifices otherwise you need to examine what you really want. I replaced television with reading and study, or writing. I thought it would bother me, but to be honest I don’t miss it at all. I find now that when the television is on I get irritated because I find it to be a tremendous waste of time. I’m not saying I never watch TV, but it has to be something that provides value to me.

   Take the time to write down everything you do on a regular basis. Whatever it is. Then on another piece of paper make two columns and label one side valuable and another one not valuable. You know the difference. The key with this exercise is to be honest with yourself. You know a reality show isn’t really valuable no matter how you spin it. Look at your original list and begin to fill the columns. Then decide what you will sacrifice and what you can do instead that will help you grow.

   If you find seven things you need to sacrifice don’t try to stop them all at once. This can be very difficult and discouraging. Try one a month at first. Make a point of not doing this one thing for a month and doing something else. Then write down how that worked for you. What you will soon see is that if you’re honest with yourself you won’t miss it at all. The reason is because you have gained so much from replacing it with something valuable.

   When you fill your life with things that help you make life changes and you see the results you will be more than willing to make more sacrifices. You need to take your life seriously and not do things just because they are fun. I have found as much enjoyment from personal growth then I ever did from watching TV or other things I have sacrificed over time. Invest in yourself. Be willing to do whatever it takes to have the life you dreamed of. What are you willing to do?

  

Experiencing Total Life Change

  

 

What does it mean to experience total life change? For me it started when my former wife was diagnosed with leukemia. I wanted to be a better person than I was and that I needed to change. What I found out early was that she needed as much encouragement and positivity that I could give her. I was very negative at the time, but I learned that the more I helped her the more I helped myself. The total life change for me when I started a website called Fight CLL to help people with Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL).

   As I began writing articles to try to inspire people on Fight CLL I inspired myself. My life was changing by trying to change other people’s lives. I started practicing life changing principles and everything I had done before was changing. Then I read Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill. This book changed it all for me. I learned how to think about my life and what I could do to continue the changes I had already made. Napoleon Hill taught me that the way I viewed my life was flawed. It had to change.

   I have devoured the book several times. It moves me any time I study it. I found new gold nuggets whenever I read it. The book was truly life changing for me and began my obsession with personal development. I have a beautiful copy of it and it’s one of my most prized possessions. That was how life change began for me.

   How can life change begin for you? It starts with figuring out how you do things in your life. Eric Hoffer said, “To become different from what we are, we must have some awareness of what we are.” You have to figure out what you do wrong and start changing it. If you continue to do the same things you’ve always done you will continue to get the same results. It needs to change. If you want to know how the next five years of your life are going to go? Look at the last five unless you change. Don’t repeat the same mistakes you made during the previous five years. Make the next five different.

   I sat down and listed all the things I did wrong, and believe me it was a long list, and I was determined not to do them again. It isn’t easy and I still struggle in certain areas, but I am always working towards changing it. Life change doesn’t happen overnight. The epiphany to desire life change was instant for me, but the changes have taken years.

   You have to be committed to make the changes in your life to get the results you want. When you make real changes to your life the results are immediate. That’s what I have found. The more I commit to doing the right things then more often the right things happen. One of my favorite quotes is this gem by Charles DuBos, “The important thing is this: to be able at any moment to sacrifice what we are for what we would become.” I couldn’t have said it better.

   There are sacrifices that need to be made to affect life change. You have to be willing to give things up that are not valuable to your life. Surround yourself with things and people who bring value. There will be things that you don’t want to give up and it can be difficult. It was for me. However, having the discipline to do it will allow you to reap the rewards of the sacrifice. What you will find is that what may seem difficult to give up wasn’t difficult at all. Why is that? Because you will see the results. It’s easy to make changes when you see how making the changes improve your life.

   When you see your life changing you will want more. That’s what happened to me. As good things happen in your life then nothing will be able to stop you. This may surprise you, but achieving life change isn’t the ultimate goal because you will never achieve perfection. The key to life change is the person you become in the process. The changes you make will impact you and the others around you. When you become more from making life changes that’s when you have truly achieved.