1. Be continually and sincerely thankful. Think of the things that make you smile, and be thankful for them. Think of the things that bring joy to your life, and be thankful for them. Get in the habit of being thankful for the smallest little details of life. There are so many of those small details that you can spend as much time as you wish in a state of gratitude. That gratitude opens you to even more abundance. 2.... Read more

When jobs are hard to come by, those who do have a job are motivated to do a better job. Before long, that leads to more jobs. When money is tight, people focus on getting more value when spending their money. Almost immediately, that drives innovation. When there is no money to spend on empty diversions, there is more time to spend on the real substance of life. That builds character, which in turn drives sustainable progress. In challenging times... Read more

How do you inspire yourself to do what must be done? First, think of all the good things that will happen, and think of the specific ways in which your life will be better, when you achieve your goals and reach your dreams. Next, consider the bad things that will happen if you do nothing. Visualize the pain and disappointment you’ll feel, and resolve to avoid it at all costs. Then, give your word to someone else that you’ll get... Read more

A good portion of our backyard is a natural wooded area with native yaupon and juniper trees. One autumn day a few years ago I was delightfully surprised to discover a young oak tree, about five feet tall at the time, growing in some thick brush. Its red, orange and golden leaves gave it away. I tied a tag around its small trunk so I wouldn’t accidentally cut it down over the winter. Since then I have kept the area... Read more

Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy.   — Thich Nhat Hanh The best time to smile is when there’s no reason to smile. Because that’s when a smile can make the biggest positive difference. As soon as you put a smile on your face, your mind starts frantically searching for things that will justify that smile. And your mind, powerful as it is, finds those things. Smile,... Read more

In authenticity, you will find great value. So how do you allow your authentic self to come forward? Examine what you fear about letting yourself be yourself. Are you afraid that you’ll appear foolish, or that you won’t be accepted, or that you’ll be humiliated? Those are all fears that revolve around what other people think. But does it really matter what other people think of you? There is no way you can control what other people think, so there’s... Read more

Effort often gets a bad reputation. Too many people assume that effort is something to be avoided. Self-help programs promise to reveal the secrets of “effortless success” as if that’s something to be desired. There’s a whole get-rich-quick industry built on selling the concept of making loads of money without doing much work. Millions of people buy lottery tickets every day in hopes of being able to live the good life without putting forth any effort. But is effort really... Read more

Imagine sitting at a console with two buttons in front of you. One of the buttons is blue and one is yellow. Every time you push the blue button, it moves your life positively forward. Every time you push the yellow button, nothing happens. If you were faced with such a situation, which button would you push? Would you push the blue button to move your life forward, or would you push the yellow button just because it’s there? Of... Read more

Half of being smart is knowing what you are dumb about. — Solomon Short I called my bank the other day with an obscure and complicated, but very important question. After I carefully and patiently explained my concern, the customer service agent gave me an answer. It was not the answer I was looking for, and it did not tell me what I needed to know. Yet it was a very impressive answer nonetheless. The answer was, “I don’t know.”... Read more

Every success story is a story of persistence. Certainly many other qualities are often associated with success, things such as talent, innovation, faith, and discipline. Yet without the persistence to see it through to the end, those other things are irrelevant. Persistence is a simple concept. Just keep going no matter what. But there’s a big difference between being persistent and being stubborn. To be persistent, you must be unyielding about where you are going while at the same time... Read more