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Make Today Count

July 13th, 2009

This short, but profound series of thoughts were sent to me by Ben Collinsworth from Native Land DesignBen is someone who really walks the talk.  Spectacular results follow in his business and life.

Thanks for sharing, Ben…

Make Today Count

By: John Maxwell

You will never change your life until you change something you do daily.  You can make everyday of your masterpiece. 

  • Good decisions – Daily discipline = a plan without a payoff
  • Daily discipline – Good decisions = regimentation without reward
  • Good decisions + daily discipline = a masterpiece of potential

Happiness is something you decide upon ahead of time.  It is how we have to arrange our minds. 

John Wooden said, “Things turn out best for the people who make the best of the ways that turn out.”

It is important to spend 80% of our time in our area of strength. 

Three key questions that we need to answer:

  1. What is required of me?
  2. What gives me the greatest return?
  3. What gives me the greatest reward?

By answering these questions you will be able to bring priorities into focus.

Amy Vanderbilt said, “When we learn to give thanks, we are learning to concentrate not on bad things, but on good things in our lives.”

One third of the people in America have a schedule and only 9% of people actually work the schedule that has been planned.

It is hard to find motivation in the moment when there is no hope in the future.  A sense of purpose helps a person to make a decision to change and then to follow through with the discipline required to make the change permanent. 

Focused thinking – removing the distractions and clutter from our minds.  Creative thinking is the ability to break out of our box and limitations to explore new ideas.  Possibility thinking is all about unleashing enthusiasm.  Reflective thinking is the ability to revisit the past in order to gain a true perspective and think with understanding.

Spend time with good thinkers and you will see how this exposure sharpens your thinking.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow said, “The heights by great men reached and kept were not attained by sudden flight, but they, while their companions slept, were toiling upward in the night.”

True leadership starts with the heart.  It is not to act differently, but to become different.  Not to ask honestly, but to become an honest person.  It will become the core of who you are and how you lead.  People desire a better tomorrow so show them hope.  People need to be understood so listen to them.  People have a tendency to get low so we need to encourage them. 

Commit yourself to adding value to others.  This can only happen by treating everyone with respect. 

  • Look for ability in others
  • Help others discover their ability
  • Help others develop their ability

Benjamin Franklin started his day by saying, “What good will I do today?”  Then he ended each day by asking “What good did I do today?”

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