You can’t control others’ acts, but you can control your reaction to their acts, and that is what counts most to you.

No one can make you feel any negative emotion — fear, anger, or inferiority — without your express permission. There will always be people who find perverse enjoyment in upsetting others, or who simply play upon your emotions so that they can use you for their own selfish purposes. Whether or not they are successful depends entirely upon you and how you react to their negative behaviors.

When you are forced to deal with such people, recognize from the outset that they are trying to upset you, not because of something you may have done to them, but because of some problem they have with themselves. Tell yourself, “This isn’t about me. I will not allow this person to upset me. I am in control of my emotions and my life.” 

This is a fine world for the person who knows precisely what he or she expects from life and is busy getting it.

We are happiest when we are striving to achieve a goal. When we achieve one goal, it’s a natural human tendency to set another, usually bigger, one. W. Clement Stone calls it inspirational dissatisfaction — the letdown one experiences after a goal has been achieved and before the next step toward a new one has been taken. When you begin to experience that nagging feeling, it’s time to get into action! Make sure you have a long-range plan in place so that when one short-term goal has been achieved, there is a natural progression toward the next.

Isn’t it peculiar that some people are so clever at inventing alibis and so dull at doing the job that would make alibis useless?

If folks did their jobs with half the effort and creativity they waste in a vain attempt to deceive others, they could achieve great success at anything.

Going the extra mile can give you insight and a good reputation, both of which attract opportunity.

Many obvious opportunities are found in places no one else has bothered to venture. If you put in the extra effort to make a good project an even better one, or you get to know your equipment better than anyone else on your shift, you will see things others overlook and be in a position to make use of them.

Leaders who need a job done think first of people they know who will do it well. If other people respect you for the quantity and the quality of your work, you will find yourself advancing past others who regard their jobs as drudgery. For all the extra service that you’ve rendered, you’ll find yourself more than amply compensated by opportunities others never grasp.

Envious people sometimes attribute success primarily to luck. Nothing could be more wrong. As coach Darryl Royal once observed, “Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.”

Success occurs when you have a definite purpose for your life and you take the initiative to follow through with action. You may make mistakes occasionally — everyone do. Have the confidence to take actions and strengthen your decision making skills. Willpower is the outgrowth of these persistent action….the Will to wait for success!

You can tap into unlimited power when you connect your thoughts and actions with others in a spirit of perfect harmony for the attainment of a definite purpose.

A Master Mind alliance involves two or more people working together in perfect harmony toward the attainment of a common purpose. Such a partnership creates a superpower that enables each of its members to do far more than either would have been able to achieve separately.

Choose your Master Mind partners carefully. Align yourself with people whose strengths complement yours. If you are a right brain person, for example, a logically-driven left brain person may be a perfect counterbalance to your creative bent. Above all, choose to associate only with people who share your positive values and your commitment to similar levels of achievement.

Any job contains opportunities for personal growth if you approach it as a positive learning experience. Just as every business is required to adapt to new technologies, new competitors, and countless other changes that routinely occur, so is every individual. If you are not learning and advancing, you are stagnating and falling behind. It is impossible to stand still.

View each day as an opportunity to learn something new, to improve yourself, and then do one thing better than you have ever done it before. In a dynamic organization, it is impossible to master every task; just when you think you have everything figured out, things change.

Accept such changes as a necessary aspect of business, one that makes life interesting and exciting. You will find your job much more enjoyable when you do, and you will indeed find that it does more for you than you do for it. If you devote yourself to making small decisions promptly, you will find it much easier to be decisive when the stakes are much bigger. Most important, you’ll find making decisions and acting on them far easier if you act promptly.

Our strength grows out of our weakness, said Ralph Waldo Emerson.

“Not until we are pricked and stung and sorely shot at, awakens the indignation which arms itself with secret forces.” Strife and struggle can inspire you to overcome adversity and to propel yourself to real achievement. View every struggle as an opportunity for personal growth. It is the struggle itself, not the result that builds character. If you know you are right, stay the course even though the whole world seems to be against you and everyone you know questions your judgment. When you prevail — and you eventually will if you stick to the job — they will all tell you that they knew all along you could do it.

The best recommendation is the one you give yourself by rendering superior service — with the right mental attitude.

What others think of you is important, as long as it coincides with what you think of yourself. If you are recognized by others as a positive person who always makes an important contribution, you will be in demand, for there are never enough such people in any organization. Your co-workers will value you, your customers will appreciate you, and your boss will recognize and reward you if you stick with it. You may not become an overnight success, but neither will you fail instantly and permanently. Your achievement can be no greater than your plans are sound.

Make it a habit to go the extra mile with a Positive Mental Attitude.

Opportunity never sneaks up on those who straddle the fence of indecision.

Successful people are decisive people. When opportunities come their way, they evaluate them carefully, make a decision, and take appropriate action. They know that indecision wastes time that could be spent on more productive tasks. They also avoid unnecessary risks by implementing their decisions gradually. They don’t attempt to make every decision at the beginning. Each action is contingent upon the success of the one that preceded it.

Benjamin Franklin, one of America’s wisest men, is said to have used a simple method to make difficult decisions. He drew a line down the center of a sheet of paper, and on one side he listed the “pros” of the decision; on the other, he listed the “cons.” In addition to simplifying the decision-making process, the list also served as a graphic illustration of the advantages and disadvantages of any decision, regardless of its complexity. The impact of the decision could then be quickly and easily assessed.

No individual has sufficient experience, education, native ability, and knowledge to ensure the accumulation of a great fortune, without the cooperation of other people.