Focusing On What Matter’s – Page 15 – With the wisdom of the Matter Meter

Are you a Fault Finder?

Why can we so easily overlook in ourselves the faults we are quick to spot in others?

It is easy to be objective when it comes to criticizing our friends, family members, and business associates, but it is far more difficult to be honest about our own shortcomings. Only when we recognize that we are all human, with the same faults and failings, do we begin to develop that wonderful quality of tolerance that enables us to accept others as they are and ask nothing in return.

Replacing faultfinding with “goodfinding” is never easy. But when you become one who always compliments instead of criticizes, you become the kind of friend we would all like to have. Remember that the faults of humankind are pretty evenly distributed among all of us.

Those who create good fellowship among others will never be short of friends.

If you have a friend who goes out of his way to help cement friendships between others, consider yourself fortunate indeed. In today’s frantic, mobile, throwaway society, such individuals are exceedingly rare. With the demands placed upon us by our careers, our families, and the hectic pace of daily life, most of us have little time for ourselves, and even less for our friends.

Yet we know that friendship freely given and gratefully received is one of life’s greatest gifts.

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November 14

Stress – make sure its worth it!

Have you ever noticed that some people thrive on conflict and drama? These people tend to also be the f0lks who talk the most about stress and pressure. The two tend to be connected, so please make sure its worth it.

You may spend your time and your energy — both physical and mental — in pursuits that yield the greatest return on your investment, or you may fritter it away on activities that will never bear fruit. Since your mind is entirely your own domain, you may choose to use it to constructive ends, or you can waste mind power and time on useless arguments that go nowhere.

There is a vast difference between a spirited intellectual debate and a petty argument. When you discuss concepts, your own knowledge is expanded through the interaction with another thinking person. When you allow yourself to be dragged into arguments about insignificant things, the result will be a dulling of both the mind and the spirit.

Your mind is the only thing you control exclusively. Don’t give it away too freely through useless arguments.

It gets distracted and may miss the real opportunity!

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November 13

It may look Easy!

Have you ever noticed that some people make life look really easy and seem to have all the great things in life?

If we examine the lives of these successful people, and we will find that they have paid a price that is in direct proportion to the amount of success they have earned. Close examination will almost always reveal years of study and preparation before great success is achieved.

This principle is consistent in virtually every field of individual achievement — in the arts, medicine, science, or business. Nothing worthwhile ever comes easily. As you consider your own goals, also consider what you are willing to sacrifice for what you expect to receive.

Many years ago, the commencement speaker at a prestigious university asked all members of the graduating class who had a definite plan for their lives to hold up their hands. As he looked around the room, only three hands were raised.

Twenty-five years later, when the class held a reunion, the combined net worth of those three individuals exceeded that of the remainder of the class. People who know where they are going always achieve far greater levels of success than those who merely drift through life, expecting circumstances to create opportunities for them.

Successful people create their own opportunities by focusing on goals with an intensity that borders on obsession. In this way, every action moves them toward their goal. Many “overnight successes” labored in obscurity for many years before they were finally recognized for their achievements.

A burning desire to be and to do is the starting point from which the dreamer must take off.

Be sure about what you want from life and doubly sure of what you have to give in return.

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November 12

Do you feel Lucky?

The only luck in the world is the luck you create for yourself.

Only in the casino are the odds in favor of the house. In real life, the odds always favor those who use their time wisely to pursue their goals constructively, to fill every day with a full measure of honest work. Bad luck befalls those who waste time and mental energy hoping for the big break that will propel them to greatness. We all have the same 24 hours available to us in each day. Most of us spend eight hours working and eight hours sleeping . What you do with the remaining eight hours will have a tremendous influence on the level of success you achieve in your life.

Most misfortunes are the result of misused time. That is one of the tricks of opportunity. It has a sly habit of slipping in by the back door, and often it comes disguised in the form of misfortune, or temporary defeat. Perhaps this is why so many fail to recognize opportunity.

Are you waiting for success to arrive, or are you going out to find where it is hiding?

If you are waiting for success to seek you out, you are headed for a big disappointment. Success is rarely forced upon anyone, and it will never overtake you unexpectedly. You must prepare for it and actively seek it out if you ever plan to achieve any measure of success in your life. Constantly be alert to changes in your business or profession. Subscribe to trade magazines and professional journals, join industry associations or professional societies, and get to know the experts in the field in order to keep abreast of new developments

True riches of life are far more likely to accrue to those who actively go out and seek them. Seldom does success come marching in accompanied by a brass band in full regalia. More often, it’s achieved by those who labor long and hard. Take the initiative, and you will create your own opportunities. There is no substitute for action backed up by a well-thought-out plan.

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November 10

No N in Team!

It is virtually impossible to win when your mind is full of negativity …

Our muscles listen intently to our mind so it is essential for you to encourage the positive emotions as dominating forces of your mind, and to discourage — and eliminate — negative emotions. Try this if you do not believe; shoot a basketball free throw when thinking, “ouch my leg hurts”….good luck~

This is even more important to team efforts. Football players quickly learn that no member of the team can be a star in every play. Teamwork is a “cooperative effort by the members of a team to achieve a common goal.” The key words in the definition are cooperative effort. Without the support of the entire group, no team can long endure. Most moments of glory are built upon a long series of plays, each won by committed, determined, bone-jarring blocking and tackling.

A winning team is one whose members recognize that when one member of the team is successful, the entire team wins.

Conversely, a sure way to develop a losing formula is to create an environment in which team members compete with one another instead of the opponent. When all members give their best in every situation — whether they are carrying the ball or clearing the way for someone else — the team wins, and so does each individual member of it.

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November 2

Strong Character – Great Decisions!

Sound character is our greatest asset because it provides the power with which we may ride the emergencies of life instead of going down under them. Without Positive Mental Attitude, life might be described as long periods of uncertainty punctuated by occasional emergencies that shake you to the very core of your being. The emergencies may be financial, personal, or health related, but each must be dealt with separately and swiftly. The surest way to deal with any crisis is to focus on solutions, not on the probable cause of the problem or who should be blamed for it. It is much more productive in your circumstance to conduct a quick damage assessment. Think through various alternatives and their consequences. Then act to implement the best solution. If you deal with life’s emergencies as they occur — on your own terms — you will be a stronger, better person for having looked them in the eye and conquered them. Faith is the head chemist of the mind. When faith is blended with thought, the subconscious mind instantly picks up the vibration, translates it into its spiritual equivalent, and transmits it to Infinite Intelligence, as in the case of prayer.

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October 3

What would Santa Say about You?

Don’t blame children who are bad. Blame those who failed to discipline them.

Ralph Waldo Emerson once observed, “Our chief want in life is somebody who will make us do what we can.” Although children typically do not recognize it at the time, they crave discipline, particularly early in their life. Discipline defines boundaries, provides security, and trains us to know what actions we should take to make to move down our life purpose. Most important, it prepares them for the challenges of adulthood.

If your childhood was less than perfect, you are in good company. Most of us have experienced difficulties at one time or another, and we all make mistakes from time to time. The good news is that while your environment as a child will have a profound influence upon the person you become, it is not the sole determinant. The person you choose to be is entirely up to you. Only you can decide who and what you will become in life.

Those who think they can get by in life without providing the same amount of value for value received will eventually find themselves working harder than ever to deceive others and receiving very little in return. Life has a funny way of evening the score.

In the long run, you will get in the same measure you give. Spend your time on productive, positive efforts; give generously of your time and talents, and you will stand out from the great multitudes whose primary goal in life seems to be to get something for nothing.

The one who tries to get something for nothing generally winds up getting nothing for something.

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September 9

Are you Rusting your Brain?

You are more apt to “rust” out your brain from disuse than you are to wear it out from use.

Unlike a mechanical device that eventually wears out and must be replaced if it is used continually and consistently, the mind grows only stronger when it is active. The more you exercise and stretch your brain, the more proficient it becomes. Disuse, however, will have the same effect upon your mind as it will upon a machine.

The most intricate, most powerful machine in the world and the greatest minds will rust away unless they are used. Unless you manage your schedule to permit time for study and learning, it is easy to yield to the temptation to spend your free time in thoughtless, mind-numbing, escapist pastimes. Relaxation is important, but so is gaining new knowledge. Make sure your daily schedule includes an allotment of time for both.

You never know who your real friends are until adversity overtakes you and you need cooperation.

Everybody loves a winner, it has been said, but nobody knows you when you’re down and out. One of the often unappreciated benefits of adversity is that it accelerates the process of identifying your true friends.

Most of us have many acquaintances and associates, but we are indeed fortunate if we have a handful of real friends. You will very quickly identify yours when you ask them for help. The wise individual is the one who, when asked for assistance, recognizes that he may one day find himself in the same situation.

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September 8

If you want BAD – Worry

Please read this slowly and really think about it. Human beings attract what we think about! So if you want Bad in your life, then Worry!

Some people are never free from troubles, mainly because they keep their minds attuned to worry. The mind attracts what it dwells on.

Worry serves no useful purpose and can have a serious adverse effect upon your mental as well as your physical health.

Charles Mayo, who with his brother William founded the famous Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, said, “I have never known a man who died from overwork, but many who died from doubt.”

Because worry is directed at some vague, uncertain threat, it is difficult to deal with it logically. The best way to get rid of your worries is to take positive action to eliminate their source.

When you develop a plan for dealing constructively with problems and get to work implementing your plan, you will no longer be troubled by worries.

Isn’t this an intereting comment?

“Television won’t last because people will soon get tired of staring at a plywood box every night.”
— Producer for 20th Century Fox (1946)

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September 6

Actions speak the Loudest!

Boastfulness is generally an admission of an inferiority complex.

Really capable people don’t have to boast about their achievements; they let their actions speak for them. When you boast about your accomplishments, you are telling others that you are unsure of yourself and your value in the world. Baseball manager Tommy Lasorda once noted that there are those who watch things happen, those who wonder what happened, and those who make things happen. Strive to be one of those who make things happen. If you show others what you can do, they will respect you far more than if you had simply told them what you’d done. Anyone can quarrel with words, but actions speak for themselves.

The most insidious problem with drugs is that the human body develops a tolerance for them and requires larger and larger doses to achieve the same effect. The same is true with self-pity. The more you allow yourself to indulge in it, the more you will require. Soon, self-pity will become a habit, one so debilitating that you will rob yourself of all the potential you possess.

Happily, there is a cure. If you truly analyze the situation, most often you will find that the problems that have driven you to pity yourself are mostly of your own creation. It follows, then, that the best person to remedy the problem is the person who created it: you, yourself.

Self-pity is an opiate…..kick the habit!

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