Life’s Full Stops

When we are born we are issued with a life sentence.

Now there are two ways that we can approach this. We can either treat our  life as if we have been imprisoned into a set path of drudgery, restricted living and repetitive doldrums, or else we can treat it like writing a book.

Yours and my book of life is made up of a whole collected group of sentences. And each of these sentences are denoted by punctuation such as commas, colons, semi-colons, the occasional exclamation mark, lots of question marks, hyphens, and the inevitable appearance of the full stop.

And it is in this treatise that I particularly want to take a look at – the full stop.

The good news is this, that just because you have reached a full stop in your life, and you’re still living and breathing, you are presented with the opportunity of simply writing the next sentence.

For a book, much like a life, is made up of paragraphs. Paragraphs include a combination of sentences. And each sentence contains a group of words. So don’t see a full stop as ‘the end’. But rather view a full stop as a ‘new beginning’.

One sentence leads to another. One phrase to another phrase. And one completed chapter can unfold a whole new exciting chapter to your life.

As sure as the seasons appear each year – so to do the seasons of life.  Learn to identify them , and learn to flow through them. At times there is a pause. At times a delay. At times a surging forward, and at times a drawing aside. But no matter what punctuates your life at this present time – know this – that you are always moving forward – for time ticks on, age adds on, and life goes on – no matter the punctuation we are currently facing.

Your life is a journal – a book filled with words, pictures and illustrations connected by punctuation marks. It’s the very nature of life lived on planet earth.

Don’t be surprised by them. Flow with them. For they have been given to you so that your character can be developed and your life’s mission can be fulfilled. And at the end of your days – what a story it will read to inspire all of us who follow in your footsteps.

From Disappoint To Re-Appoint

Life is filled with the scheduling of appointments.

In fact, every time that you set a goal you have set up an appointment. Why? Because you have established something that you wish to achieve and have had the courage to attach a date to it.

But what if the date comes and the date goes, and nothing has changed? Don’t allow your disappointment to be your destination. Don’t set up a memorial on that deflating spot in your life. Simply reset the appointment, and reappoint the time and place that you are going to achieve that goal – and go again.

Remember this, that any great success consists of a succession of failures. Put each failure under your feet, and before you know it you will find yourself reaching that which you have dreamt of – the heights of outstanding success.

The Longevity Of Positivity

What our world needs now, more than ever, are positive role models and the continued dispersion of the positivity philosophy.Too many live their lives in a constant and unending cycle of despair and regret.This does not have to be so.

By simply changing our perspective we can gain a whole new slant on the world in which we live and on the future that lies before each and every one of us.

The world is as you see it. Just like the person who looks at a glass of water that they declare is half full or half empty. It just depends on which way you perceive it and how you respond with your mind and your mouth.


I personally believe in the longevity of positivity. Why? Because I have made it my life’s purpose to study mankind and in finetuning my study I have also become a student of success.

Through all the suffering that mankind has been subjected to, throughout the thousands of years that man has inhabited the earth, the light of positivity has continued to always shine through.

It is a fact: that which is positive ultimately outlives and outlasts that which is negative. Good conquers evil. Love destroys hate. Peace reigns supreme over war. Positivity nullifies the power of negativity.

Oh there will still be those who will seek to destroy. But we must not be moved by this. We must stand firm and strong on the foundations of our positive belief.

History confirms that there is a law of sowing and reaping in place. This law cannot be broken. Those who seek to sow destruction will be destroyed. However, those who sow positivity will ultimately reap a positive life that will have a positive impact on the entire world.

When you consider the 2nd World War, when the free world faced one of its most harrowing hours, there was one man who stood out amongst them all. His name? Sir Winston Churchill.

For all his fine qualities, he was not a faultless man. He had, throughout his career, made some terrible errors of judgment. And the empire that he represented had committed some horrific blunders when dealing with the vastness of the empire that they had created.

But that aside, when the darkness of despotic government sought to snare Europe and all its surrounds, there was one man who stood firm as he gave resounding speeches that stirred the hearts of the oppressed multitudes. He made it very clear that he would never give up until freedom was won for all.

Where there was darkness he saw light. Where there was negativity he could only visualise positivity. Where there was fear there was demonstrated faith. Where there was doubt there was supplied hope.

It was that spirit of determination that gripped the hearts of men and women, both in his own homeland and amongst the allies, that eventually, after many years of struggle, brought about the crushing defeat of the enemy.

We too can make the longevity of positivity a reality in our lives by simply determining in our hearts that it will be so.

Here are five keys to help you:

1. BE POSITIVE

“To be positive is not to ignore the presence of negativity in our world, but rather to believe in the power of the positive and in the knowledge that that positive power has the greatest and longlasting energy to overide any negative power in the final hour.” – Peter Sinclair

It’s a fact. There is an abundance of negativity that fills our world. Turn on the television, read the newspaper or simply listen to some of the conversations in your local supermarket and you will find little positive being discussed.

But the great news is that you and I do not have to partake of the morsels of negativity that are passed our way. There is another menu available and if you eat of that, you will develop into a far more healthier and wealthier individual.

Feed on positive materials. Surround yourself with positive friends. Submit your ears to the wisdom of positive mentors, and allow only positive statements to flow from your mouth.

By all means deal with the negative, but always keep your major focus on the positive. Do it all your life and you will live well and you will live long.

2. BE POSITIVE ABOUT WHO YOU ARE

“What I must do, is all that concerns me, not what the people think. It is easy in the world to live after the world’s opinion; it is easy in solitude to live after our own; but the great man is he who in the midst of the crowd keeps in perfect sweetness the independence of solitude.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

Never allow another to rain on your parade. Be confident in who you are. Know this, that there is only one you and that you have been created for a purpose.
What other people think is totally irrelevant.

You must always be true to yourself and to your conscience, for it is you that you must live with for the rest of your days.

Be grateful for your peculiar gifts that make you different to everyone else around you. You are ‘a unique’ and that means simply one thing: you are extremely special.

3. BE POSITIVE ABOUT WHAT YOU DO

“Let every man be occupied, and occupied in the highest employment of which his nature is capable, and die with the consciousness that he has done his best - Sydney Smith

There are no small tasks. There are only those who do tasks with small minds and because of that have created small tasks.

Approach every task you undertake with a BIG attitude and that is the attitude that you should always carry with you as you continue to discover the gift that lies within you.

Not all of us can arrive at our point of self-discovery immediately, but we can make the journey a worthy training ground by performing every task that we
undertake with the spirit of excellence.

The development of that habit will definitely prepare you for your greatest hour when it does finally arrive.

4. BE POSITIVE ABOUT WHERE YOU’RE GOING

“Who shoots at the midday sun, though he be sure he shall never hit the mark, yet as sure he is he shall shoot higher than who aims but at a bush.” – Sir Philip Sidney

Live your life with purpose. Have a goal. Write it down. At least if you have a target in place you will be more likely to hit the bullseye. Develop the ability to dream on a regular basis. Make it a pattern of your personal path. Dream BIG, live BIG, believe BIG.

The BIGGER you dream, the BIGGER you will become. Those who choose to expand their mind with a dream will ultimately expand their lives.

First the dream, then the goal, then the plan plus applied action and finally the reality.

5. BE POSITIVE ABOUT HOW YOU’RE GOING TO GET THERE

“Every citizen of our state ought to apply himself to that one thing to which his genius most inclines him.” – Plato

When you have discovered the what, it is then time to plan the how.

How do you do that?

Start asking yourself some questions:

• What do I want to do?
• How can I do it?
• Who can help me get it done?
• What do I need to help me get it done?
• Where can I do it best?
• How much will it cost to do it?
• Where will I get the money?
• How long before I can earn it back?
• Set goals. Put in place the tasks that you must perform to achieve those goals. Put a date on it. Spend time talking to a mentor about your plan.

And while you’re at it shout, “Long live positivity!”

Bill Marriott’s Twelve Rules Of Success.

Bill Marriott’s Twelve Rules Of Success (Marriott Hotel Group)

He wrote: My father often said, “Success is never final.” After hearing the stories of our Marriott associates, it’s easy to see why this is a great company. Their spirit to serve and passionate pursuit of excellence are the reasons we’re successful.

Based on the core values that formed the foundation since the early days of our company, coupled with my experience, I’ve adopted what I refer to as the “Twelve Rules of Success”. These management philosophies are a simple but powerful part of our culture and create a living tradition of values and beliefs that we share with our associates all around the world.

1. Continually challenge your team to do better.

2. Take good care of your employees, and they’ll take good care of your customers, and the customers will come back.

3. Celebrate your people’s success, not your own.

4. Know what you’re good at and mine those competencies for all you’re worth.

5. Do it and do it now. Err on the side of taking action.

6. Communicate. Listen to your customers, associates and competitors.

7. See and be seen. Get out of your office, walk around, make yourself visible and accessible.

8. Success is in the details.

9. It’s more important to hire people with the right qualities than with specific experience.

10. Customer needs may vary, but their bias for quality never does.

11. Eliminate the cause of a mistake. Don’t just clean it up.

12. View the problem as an opportunity to grow.

The Master Idea

I just read an inspiring article in a magazine I picked up recently….here is an excerpt from that article….with a few of my added notes…

“Nothing else in the world….is so powerful as an idea whose time has come” Victor Hugo

A corporate Master Idea has the power to ignite and propel a company in the direction of its fullest potential.


Core Values

Trust, Optimism and Resilience work

In one survey, professionals who considered their company’s core values to be “crucial and part of everything we do” were:

300% more likely to believe their work is continually challenging;
200% more likely to feel energized when thinking about the job;
600% more likely to say they work for a superbly led organization;
200% more likely to report customer service as the driving force behind the organization

Those who believed their company’s values are unimportant, not motivating, not articulated or inconsistent were:

500% more likely to say they plan to leave their current job as soon as possible.

Source: Based on interviews with 750 professionals, with results to be published in ‘Business at the Speed of Molasses’ by Joey Reiman and Andrea Hershatter (Crown Business 2007)

A Higher Purpose

Working toward a higher purpose that captures a company’s soul is an idea whose time has come. Some of the most successful companies have realized the value of providing employees with meaningful aspirations.

Values First

By putting values and principles before money, the capacity of the organization can be harnessed in service of both a greater good and a profitable future. Master Ideas offer the promise that the deeper you look inside an organization, the more passion and celebration you will find. This translates into a bond with a marketplace that increasingly demands authenticity along with every transaction.

Companies that identify their Master Idea create corporate missionaries who contribute to its success. When an organization excavates its Master Idea, it harnesses a power that results from a clear, pure purpose. It provides a new way of thinking that invigorates and guides all aspects of the business.

The great news is that the Master Idea already lives inside your company. When you discover it, it will give depth to your culture, define your policies, guide your tactics and give rise to a strategy that holds it all together.

Many wonder, “If my company were to fold, would the world miss a beat?” If you have defined your company’s heart, the world most certainly would.

Ten Tests of a Master Idea

1. Do you know the founding sentiments that made your organization thrive?
2. Does the vision or purpose feel authentic? Distinctive? Enduring?
3. Can you articulate meaningful organisational values shared and lived by all?
4. Do you feel inspired to go to work each day?
5. Are creativity and innovation part of everyone’s job description?
6. Does your organization leave its communities better off than it found them?
7. Do you create something more significant than products and services?
8. Is your company on a heroic mission?
9. Do you earn profits in a way that is consistent with your purpose?
10. Does working toward your purpose enable you to earn profits?

Excellence

I recently had the following information shared with me at a seminar on how to live a life of excellence. So let me pass it on to you…

1. Build with purpose and passion.
2. Identify problems and search for answers.
3. Be original by learning from others successes. But at the same time pursue your own.
4. Help build community wherever you go.
5. Venture from your comfort zone.
6. Respect each other and yourself.
7. Think out of the box.
8. Deliver more than you promise.
9. Take risks and have fun.

And as Earl Nightingale said, ‘Excellence always sells.’

The Master Idea

I just read an inspiring article in a magazine I picked up recently….here is an excerpt from that article….with a few of my added notes…

“Nothing else in the world….is so powerful as an idea whose time has come” Victor Hugo

A corporate Master Idea has the power to ignite and propel a company in the direction of its fullest potential.


Core Values

Trust, Optimism and Resilience work

In one survey, professionals who considered their company’s core values to be “crucial and part of everything we do” were:

300% more likely to believe their work is continually challenging;
200% more likely to feel energized when thinking about the job;
600% more likely to say they work for a superbly led organization;
200% more likely to report customer service as the driving force behind the organization

Those who believed their company’s values are unimportant, not motivating, not articulated or inconsistent were:

500% more likely to say they plan to leave their current job as soon as possible.

Source: Based on interviews with 750 professionals, with results to be published in ‘Business at the Speed of Molasses’ by Joey Reiman and Andrea Hershatter (Crown Business 2007)

A Higher Purpose

Working toward a higher purpose that captures a company’s soul is an idea whose time has come. Some of the most successful companies have realized the value of providing employees with meaningful aspirations.

Values First

By putting values and principles before money, the capacity of the organization can be harnessed in service of both a greater good and a profitable future. Master Ideas offer the promise that the deeper you look inside an organization, the more passion and celebration you will find. This translates into a bond with a marketplace that increasingly demands authenticity along with every transaction.

Companies that identify their Master Idea create corporate missionaries who contribute to its success. When an organization excavates its Master Idea, it harnesses a power that results from a clear, pure purpose. It provides a new way of thinking that invigorates and guides all aspects of the business.

The great news is that the Master Idea already lives inside your company. When you discover it, it will give depth to your culture, define your policies, guide your tactics and give rise to a strategy that holds it all together.

Many wonder, “If my company were to fold, would the world miss a beat?” If you have defined your company’s heart, the world most certainly would.

Ten Tests of a Master Idea

1. Do you know the founding sentiments that made your organization thrive?
2. Does the vision or purpose feel authentic? Distinctive? Enduring?
3. Can you articulate meaningful organisational values shared and lived by all?
4. Do you feel inspired to go to work each day?
5. Are creativity and innovation part of everyone’s job description?
6. Does your organization leave its communities better off than it found them?
7. Do you create something more significant than products and services?
8. Is your company on a heroic mission?
9. Do you earn profits in a way that is consistent with your purpose?
10. Does working toward your purpose enable you to earn profits?

Discretion Preservation

There is an ancient proverb that says: ‘When wisdom enters into your heart, and knowledge is pleasant to your soul; discretion will preserve you and understanding shall keep you.’

When you combine both wisdom and knowledge you get common sense. But then add to that formula discretion.

Discretion means the quality of being discreet; circumspection;having judgment that is sound, being prudent, tactful;having the ability to make such judgment; individual freedom of decision or choice.

Let’s take a look at the word circumspection. Circumspection simply means to examine carefully all the circumstances that may effect a determination or a decision and of being wary,vigilant, prudent and cautious.

These are the necessary ingredients for a life lived long and a life lived well; a preserved life that rides through the storms, weathers the winds of change and is kept in good shape as one pursues their dreams.

The old proverb tells us that in being discreet we will be preserved. That means that we will be sustained and that we will be kept or saved from harm or destruction.

In this day and age, where there is so much violence, it is something that is of major importance to those of us who have families.

But what are the characteristics of a discreet life? What qualities must you develop and what habits must you adopt in order to be preserved from those things that threaten your success on a daily basis?

Here are five points that I believe will assist you in your pursuit.

1. Get The Facts

Never rely on hearsay. Go to the source and find out the facts. This relates to anything that you are involved in. Don’t rely on the reporter. Go to the reported. Whether it is investments, motivational formulas, or anything that you are interested in, make certain that you get as many viewpoints as possible and then compare notes. Do your own research and never be reliant on the so-called expertise of another without doing your own personal investigation. The reason so many of us make bad judgements is because we have been mentally lazy.

2. Find A Mentor

Mentors are available everywhere. You will be  surprised how freely information and input is available. People in general are more than willing to share information with those who have a hunger and a willingness to learn. On the internet there are forums that allow you to ask questions and it certainly provides a platform for you to discover your mentor. Once you have found them, make certain that they walk the talk. By spending time with them you will soon discover the truth behind their words and through your friendship you will discover fortunes untold.

3. The 100-1 Rule

I don’t know if it is a law or not, but I have come across this principle time and time again. I recently stumbled across it once again in an investment property book. The writer stated that if you look at 100 properties, put in offers on 10, and try arrange financing for 3, you may end up buying 1. In another industry they recommended that if you talk to 100 people you will ultimately end up with 1 person who will shine above all the rest. Success is a number’s game. Go through the numbers and you cannot but learn and succeed.

4. Be Vigilant

Don’t relax in your success. Guard it wisely. I have seen so many people who have had a taste of success and then they suddenly stop doing what got them success in the first place. They think that once they have it, it will remain forever. Not true. It requires vigilance and diligence. If before you succeeded you read a book 20 minutes a day, then don’t stop. If you attended seminars, then continue doing so. If you talked to a certain number of people each day, then increase it. Whatever it took to get you where you are, then don’t decrease. Multiply your efforts. Work harder. Renew your dream and go for it.

5. Make Your Own Decisions

If you allow others to make decisions for your life, you will wake up one day in a place that you never planned to be. Always, always, always make your own decisions for your own life. Listen to the experts, but don’t let them rule your decisions. Allow them to guide you, but become educated in the area that the experts are operating so that you can then make your own qualified decisions. Again, don’t have a lazy mind. Rather, have a learned mind.

These five discretionary qualities will assist you  in the preservation and the sustainment of a successful life. Apply them today and preserve your freedom to succeed.

Motivational Quote: Discreet lives are preserved for great achievements.