The Ant Philosophy by Jim Rohn

The Ant Philosophy by Jim Rohn

By   10:09 PM   No comments:

Over the years I've been teaching kids about a simple but powerful concept—the ant philosophy. I think everybody should study ants. They have an amazing four-part philosophy, and here is the first part: ants never quit. That's a good philosophy. If they're headed somewhere and you try to stop them, they'll look for another way. They'll climb over, they'll climb under, they'll climb around. They keep looking for another way. What a neat philosophy, to never quit looking for a way to get where you're supposed to go.

Second, ants think winter all summer. That's an important perspective. You can't be so naive as to think summer will last forever. So ants gather their winter food in the middle of summer.

An ancient story says, “Don't build your house on the sand in the summer.” Why do we need that advice? Because it is important to think ahead. In the summer, you've got to think storm. You've got to think rocks as you enjoy the sand and sun.

The third part of the ant philosophy is that ants think summer all winter. That is so important. During the winter, ants remind themselves, “This won't last long; we'll soon be out of here.” And the first warm day, the ants are out. If it turns cold again, they'll dive back down, but then they come out the first warm day. They can't wait to get out.

And here's the last part of the ant philosophy. How much will an ant gather during the summer to prepare for the winter? All he possibly can. What an incredible philosophy, the “all–you–possibly–can” philosophy.

Wow, what a great philosophy to have—the ant philosophy. Never give up, look ahead, stay positive and do all you can.

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The Top Six Ways to Stay Motivated by Chris Widener

The Top Six Ways to Stay Motivated by Chris Widener

By   6:33 PM   No comments:

The Top Six Ways to Stay Motivated by Chris Widener
1. Get Motivated Every Day.
Zig Ziglar was once confronted about being a "motivational
speaker." The guy said to him, "You guys come and get people
hyped up and then you leave and the motivation goes away. It
doesn't last, and then you have to get motivated again."
Zig reminded the gentleman that baths are the same way but
we think it is a good idea to take a bath every day! It is
true that motivation doesn't last.
We have to renew it each and every day. That is okay. It
doesn't make motivation a bad thing. We simply have to
realize that if we want to stay motivated over the long
term, it is something we will have to apply to ourselves
each and every day.
2. Have a Vision for Your Life.
The root word of motivation is "motive." The definition of
motive is, "A reason to act." This is the cognitive or
rational side of motivation. It is your vision. You have to
have a vision that is big enough to motivate you.
If you are making $50,000 a year, it isn't going to motivate
you to set your goal at $52,000 a year. You just won't get
motivated for that because the reward isn't enough. Maybe
$70,000 a year would work for you. Set out a vision and a
strategy for getting there. Have a plan and work the plan.
3. Fuel Your Passion.
Much of motivation is emotional. I don't know quite how it
works but I do know THAT it works. Emotion is a powerful
force in getting us going. Passion is an emotion, so fuel
your passion. "Well, I like to work on logic," you may say.
Great, now work on your passion. Set yourself on a course to
have a consuming desire for your goal, whatever it is. Do
whatever you can to feel the emotion and use it to your
advantage!
4. Work Hard Enough to Get Results.
You can build on your motivation by getting results. The
harder you work, the more results you will get and the more
results you get, the more you will be motivated to get more.
These things all build on one another.
If you want to lose weight, then lose the first few pounds.
When the belt moves to the next notch you will get fired up
to get it to the notch beyond that!
5. Put Good Materials into Your Mind.
I can't say this enough - listen to audios. I still listen
to audios regularly. I buy audio clubs from other speakers
and I learn and grow. Their successes motivate me to get my
own successes!
Read good books. Read books that teach you new ideas and
skills. Read books that tell the stories of successful
people. Buy them, read them, and get motivated! Buy great
music and listen to it. I just did a spinning class at the
club today. Whenever a good song came on I was actually able
to get motivated to ride faster! It gets you going and
motivates you!
6. Ride the Momentum when It Comes.
Sometimes you will just be clicking and sometimes you won't.
That is okay. It is the cycle of life. When you aren't
clicking, plug away.
When you are clicking, pour it on because momentum will help
you get larger gains in a shorter period of time with less
energy. That is the momentum Equation! When you are feeling
good about how your work is going, ride the momentum and get
as much out of it as you can!
These are the top six ways to stay motivated:
Get motivated every day.
Have a vision for your life.
Fuel your passion.
Work hard enough to get results.
Put good materials into your mind.
Ride the momentum when it comes.
These are simple principles, that when you put them to work
regularly, will change your life by keeping you motivated
all the time! So don't wait -- Get going!
Chris Widener

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An enlightment story by Ming Yue ...

An enlightment story by Ming Yue ...

By   11:06 AM   No comments:

Xiao Sheng is a drummer in the school band. At every flag-raising ceremony, all the teachers and students always listen intensively to his play. One day, he played some wrong notes and felt very discouraged. After that he thought of quitting the band. I (Ming Yue) told him the following story:

Once upon a time a father was very frustrated with his son because he did not seem very manly though he was already sixteen years old. The father went to see a Zen master and asked the master to help his son become a real man.

The master said: "I can help you; however, you will have to leave your son at my place for three months. For the whole period, you are not allowed to come to see him. I will assure your satisfaction after the three months."

As promised, the father did not come back until three month later. The master arranged a karate match to show the father the training result.

When the competition was starting, the father found out that the opponent was a karate trainer.

The trainer certainly made sure that he was fully prepared to win before he started to attack. On the other side, the son fell on the floor as soon as he was attacked without any resistance. However, the boy did not surrender and got up immediately after he fell. It went on like this for no fewer than twenty times. His father was embarrassed and felt pain but dared not say anything.

The boy lost badly when the match was over. The master asked the father: "Don't you think your son was showing manliness?"

"I felt ashamed of him! After three months' training, what kind of result is this?! He is so weak and falls to the floor as soon as he is attacked. I don't think he is manly at all." The father was very disappointed.

The master said: "I am sorry that you only look at the superficial forms of failure and success. Didn't you notice that your son had courage and bravery for standing up after his falls? It is a success if the standing-ups are more than falls, which is what a real man should possesses."

The father had a sudden enlightenment and thanked the master deeply, and then he took his son home.

After listening to the story, Xiao Sheng thought it over and told me that he will keep working hard and will practice all the notes to gain a new appraisal from others.

Enlightenment from the Story:

We should not just focus on instant results when we do something. The experiences gained and the effort given are the most precious. If one's life is always smooth, he/she will not taste the final sweetness of
success after many tries without giving up. The really important virtue is to remember experiences and lessons from failures and bravely move forward to the road of success after planning anew.

Author: Ming Yue 

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The Park Bench - a poem which inspires you to live each day.

The Park Bench - a poem which inspires you to live each day.

By   11:46 AM   No comments:

Beneath the long, straggly branches of an old willow tree.

Disillusioned by life with good reason to frown,
For the world was intent on dragging me down.
And if that weren't enough to ruin my day,
A young boy out of breath approached me, all tired from play.
He stood right before me with his head tilted down
And said with great excitement, "Look what I found!"

In his hand was a flower, and what a pitiful sight,
With its petals all worn - not enough rain, or too little light.
Wanting him to take his dead flower and go off to play,
I faked a smile and then shifted away.
But instead of retreating he sat next to my side
And placed the flower to his nose and declared with overacted surprise,
"It sure smells pretty and it's beautiful too.
That's why I picked it; here, it's for you."

The weed before me was dying or dead.
Not vibrant of colors: orange, yellow or red.
But I knew I must take it, or he might never leave.
So I reached for the flower, and replied, "Just what I need."
But instead of him placing the flower in my hand,
He held it mid-air without reason or plan.
It was then that I noticed for the first time
That weed-toting boy could not see he was blind.

I heard my voice quiver; tears shone in the sun
As I thanked him for picking the very best one.
"You're welcome," he smiled, and then ran off to play,
Unaware of the impact he'd had on my day.
I sat there and wondered how he managed to see
A self-pitying woman beneath an old willow tree.
How did he know of my self-indulged plight?
Perhaps from his heart, he'd been blessed with true sight.

Through the eyes of a blind child, at last I could see
The problem was not with the world; the problem was me.
And for all of those times I myself had been blind,
I vowed to see the beauty in life, and appreciate every second that's mine.
And then I held that wilted flower up to my nose
And breathed in the fragrance of a beautiful rose
And smiled as I watched that young boy, another weed in hand,
About to change the life of an unsuspecting old man. 

- Poet ???

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