I love to coach and inspire people to achieve the success they seek. I believe life is a playground and look at how to blur the lines of work and play each and everyday!
// September 29th, 2008 // 1 Comment » // Daily Insight
“Throughout all history, the great wise men and teachers, philosophers, and prophets have disagreed with one another on many different things. It is only on this one point that they are in complete and unanimous agreement. – We become what we think about.”
Earl Nightingale
1921-1989, Author of “The Strangest Secret”
// September 26th, 2008 // No Comments » // Personal Development, Success Tips
Today’s post is by our friend Michael Jordan Segal. He brings some light to what we experience in life good or bad and to always look at what is good and what we can learn. The story is a great reminder to me and I hope to you, look around and see all the good that is there and focus on it to bring more of it to you.
There is a famous saying: “The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence.” At times, human beings are not satisfied with what they have. People seem to do well until, unfortunately, they experience a loss. Then, usually, they want to be better – to experience the “green grass.” It’s human nature to always want to be better, to have more. Isn’t that what is meant by the phrase “dream big?” At times, dreaming big might be great; however, at other times one should be thankful for what one has.
Consider the story of the 85 year old grandmother taking her 5 year old grandson, Johnny, to the beach for the first time. She was so excited. She bought Johnny a brand new complete outfit for his first time at the beach: new cap, new swimsuit, new t-shirt, new shoes and a new sand bucket with a shovel.
They walked to the beach holding hands. As they got to the sand, Johnny said, “Grandma, because I can’t swim I won’t go near the water; so I’ll just dig up the sand with my new shovel far from the sea.”
However, Johnny had difficulty digging up the hard sand far from the water. Therefore, he said, “Grandma, this sand is too hard. Can I get close to the water where the sand is easier to dig?” Johnny quickly added, “But I promise I won’t go in the water.”
Hesitantly, the grandmother looked into Johnny’s begging big eyes and said, “Okay, but promise you won’t go in the water.”
Johnny screamed with glee, “I promise.” As he was close to the ocean he was having such a good time, digging and digging with ease in the soft sand. Unfortunately, a huge wave came on the shore and swallowed up little Johnny, taking him out to sea.
With her vigilant eyes, watching him from afar, his grandmother screamed, “Oh my God! Oh my God! Help me God!”
Just then, another huge wave thundered onto the beach from the ocean and “spit forth” little Johnny safely back on the shore.
Elated, the grandmother ran toward the boy and tightly hugged her 5 year old grandson. Wiping tears from her eyes she cried out as she looked toward the heavens, “Thank you God! Thank you so much!”
She then looked back down at her little sweet Johnny. She once again quickly looked back at the heavens and screamed, “Hey…Where’s his new cap!?”
—–
Life is full of people who are not satisfied and not thankful for what they have. Many times people are constantly dwelling on what they have lost, rather than being satisfied and thankful for what they still have left. Believe me, I speak from experience.
When I was 19 and well on my way to fulfilling my life-long dream of becoming a surgeon, I walked into a convenience store which was in the process of being robbed. One of the thieves shot me in the back of my head, leaving me for dead. However, I fooled everyone. Sure, I have my disabilities and I used to constantly dwell on the many things I had lost, being negative, saying, “Before I was shot I was athletic, now I can barely walk (with a significant limp), my arm is very weak, I speak somewhat slowly, my voice is hoarse. Before I was shot I could do 500 things really well, after the shooting, I can do only 200 things well. For a long time, I was constantly dwelling on the 300 things I had lost.” However, eventually I began focusing on the 200 things I could still do. It wasn’t easy and it took me a long time, but refocusing one’s attitude is crucial – not merely for people shot in the head, not merely for people who are sick, but for everyone. Having a more positive attitude is vital and essential.
One of my friends had a stroke. I would always try to encourage him by trying to get him to refocus on the positive. It was not easy but it was slowly working and he was improving. He still had a long way to go but he was getting there. He was always asking, “How long did it take you to walk? I hope I will be able to walk again.”
I would say to him, “Everyone is different. Even though I have problems walking, my hopes and prayers are that one day you’ll be able to walk.” With that statement I limped out of the hospital room.
When I visited my friend the next week I immediately asked him to “tell me something good.” He started by saying he had walked 60 feet with a cane in therapy, but just then his doctor (whom I knew) came in and asked how he was doing.
“Fine,” replied my friend, “but I just want to be able to walk perfectly again – just like Mike.” I stood there, a little shocked, but I said to myself, “He’s just started on the road to recovery. He’s beginning to think positive.”
Another friend of mine once told me that he used to feel sorry when he would see people who needed walkers. However, I will never forget what he said after that: “I would give anything if my daughter (diagnosed with a possible brain tumor and currently needing a wheel chair) could progress to the point where she just needed a walker.” He prays for that; I pray for that; and many other people are praying for that.
Again, “Be thankful for what you have, and set your goals for higher things.” The world is full of many horrible things, as well as many wonderful things. Sometimes a person is constantly looking at the “horrible” things. However, my hopes are that they will be able to find the beauty in life. It’s there – if you look for it!
Michael Jordan Segal, MSW
Shot in the head during a robbery, Michael Jordan Segal defied all odds by first surviving and then returning to college. He then earned two degrees with honors, married his high school sweetheart, Sharon, and became a father to their daughter Shawn. Mike is a social worker at Memorial Hermann Hospital in Houston and an author (currently he has two book projects he’s working on: an autobiography and an anthology of his short stories – as well as very soon he will have a CD of some of his best stories available). He also is a popular inspirational speaker sharing his “recipe” for recovery, happiness, and success. For more information please visit www.InspirationByMike.com
// September 26th, 2008 // No Comments » // Daily Insight
“We lift ourselves by our thought. If you want to enlarge your life, you must first enlarge your thought of it and of yourself. Hold the ideal of yourself as you long to be, always everywhere.”
Orison Swett Marden
1850-1924, Author and Founder of Success Magazine
// September 24th, 2008 // No Comments » // Daily Insight
“In times of change, learners inherit the earth, while the learned find themselves beautifully equipped to deal with a world that no longer exists.”
Eric Hoffer
While looking for today’s Daily Insight when I found this quote I also found the following article from my mentor and coach Bob Proctor. It gives a great insight to today’s quote and the power it holds.
Contrary to popular belief, there is no such thing as an educated person. You are either learning or you are not. In today’s world, it is vitally important that you see the truth in Eric Hoffer’s statement. The win or loss, which is waiting in the wings for every person, is enormous. You get to choose which you will experience.
Examine what Mr. Hoffer said. There are two obvious parts to his statement. The first part is very clear; how well it is understood is another subject.
“The learners will inherit the earth.”
That’s pretty straightforward. I want to come back and elaborate on that statement because it is exciting, full of promise and possibility. However it would probably be wise to look at the second part of his advice first. Then, if you happen to fall into the category Eric Hoffer referred to, you can change your situation and win.
“The learned find themselves beautifully equipped to deal with a world that no longer exists.”
In virtually every country of the world you can find individuals, thousands of them, walking the streets with degrees in their hands…degrees from prestigious universities. They cannot find work. Why? These individuals view the conditions and circumstances that surround them as very frightening. They are the people who Eric Hoffer referred to who “are beautifully equipped to deal with a world that no longer exists.”
Look around, the world is definitely changing, and it will never be the same again. Power is slipping away, disappearing from some circles, and reappearing in others. Countries, companies and individuals who have held the power in the past are quickly losing it, if in fact, they have not already watched it melt in their hands. Their often smug, sometimes selfish, domineering, complacent attitude has cost them dearly. They are confused and this confusion is frequently fueled by their own ignorance. When that happens it ultimately leads to anger or resentment – sometimes both. This negative energy is then quite frequently misdirected, possibly at their loved ones, which then causes an entirely new set of problems.
These people are clutched by an unseen enemy and their frustration is endless because they are not sure what has happened or what is happening. Their world seems to be turning upside down.
The entire world is in the midst of a paradigm shift, which is unprecedented. There have been transitions in the past but nothing to equal what we are presently experiencing. The world is moving from an intellectual to a spiritual vibration. The rules for winning have changed dramatically and the majority of the populations are still living with the old rules. There are an enormous number of people in every community who have worked hard and disciplined themselves to follow the only rules they know…still they are losing. They are bewildered, confused and in many cases, angry and most feel their anger is justified, whether it is or not matters little. They are doing what they were taught by their parents, teachers, and employers. Unfortunately they too, were working with the old rules.
In the past, individuals were recognized and rewarded for what they knew. Corporations waited on the sidelines dangling monetary rewards attempting to attract the graduates from the big name universities of the world. There were the multi-million dollar MBA management development programs that corporations placed their hope in for years. Most everyone was conditioned to deify the intellect. Individuals were not properly recognized and rewarded for what they did.
Rather than focusing on what is or was wrong, we should let it go. Let the dead bury the dead. The world I grew up in is gone, forever. The world has changed. We live in the new era. This is a spiritual world governed by exact laws. Everyone who studies these laws and incorporates them into every aspect of their life will be richly rewarded. I believe we would be wise to go back to the promise Eric Hoffer shared, “In times of change, the learners inherit the earth.”
The learners are continually preparing themselves to adapt to the changes. Rather than reacting they are responding to these changes and they are responding in an appropriate manner. The learners are excited with the prospects of what this paradigm shift is bringing.
// September 22nd, 2008 // No Comments » // Daily Insight
“One day at a time – this is enough. Do not look back and grieve over the past, for it is gone: and do not be troubled about the future, for it has not yet come. Live in the present, and make it so beautiful that it will be worth remembering.”
Ida Scott Taylor
1820-1915, Author
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