Successful Thinking

The thought life is so very important in a person’s life. Often times I don’t think we can fathom how thinking can bring success and it can bring utter failure as well. Life is going to throw enough curve balls without us assuring failure by our daily thoughts. It is up to us to keep our focus on the proper things. Many define success on many different levels and in a number of diverse ways. But the very nature of success is connected to our thinking and in preparing ourselves for success. True success in life cannot be achieved without knowledge. As we grow older, the more historical data we have on which to draw and this can be beneficial as we contemplate our past failures and successes and this can move us forward to greater success in life.

You and I are not what we eat; we are what we think.
~Walter Anderson, The Confidence Course, 1997

The very nature of life is a forward continuous motion that moves us beyond our failures and our successes until the final curtain falls. It is imperative each day that we seek to improve our thinking and replace the negative with the positive. Focused thinking is a practice that must be learned. Negative events are part of the very nature of life and always will be. But we have a choice on where we focus our thoughts and that must be bent to the positive. Just as a plant in the darkness moves and reaches to any exposure of light, we too must reach with our thoughts to that which is positive. Success could be just a thought away!

The world we have created is a product of our thinking; it cannot be changed without changing our thinking. ~Albert Einstein

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Destination: Success

“Footprints on the sands of time are not made by sitting down.”

Days have passed since we crossed the threshold of the year 2010. It is imperative that we verify goals and steps to reach them on a weekly basis or at the very least monthly. Often times, the New Year prompts resolutions that last a couple of weeks and then become quickly buried in the day to day tasks. Anita DeFrantz emphasized that “Your goal should be out of reach but not out of sight”. Success is a journey and a process. I was once told by a very wise friend of mine that “dreams do come true if we don’t oversleep”. Each day is a new day to move forward toward our goal learning as we go and always remembering that each day brings us closer to the goal we seek.

Practical Advice: Write down your goals
Evaluate your goals consistently
Enjoy the Journey to reach your goal

“Somewhere on your journey don't forget to turn around and enjoy the view”

I wish you much success. M. D. Gray

http://www.nwlavbs.com/

Invest Wisely

We live in an age where many spend a lifetime preparing for the future. Investors constantly monitor portfolios with the hope of good return to benefit us when we find ourselves in our retirement years. This may be well and good and prudent to invest time and energy in living comfortably both now and in the future. But in so doing, are we missing the little things that matter? It is imperative that we don’t miss the point in living our life. Why are we here? How can I not only add value to my life but add value to others? William Arthur Ward summed it up well:

"The adventure of life is to learn. The purpose of life is to grow. The nature of life is to change. The challenge of life is to overcome. The essence of life is to care. The opportunity of life is to serve. The secret of life is to dare. The spice of life is to befriend. The beauty of life is to give." ~ William Arthur Ward~

A kind word and a smile can brighten someone’s world and give encouragement to others we may pass on our daily trek through life. The investments that will pay dividends long after we are gone from the stage of life are those where there is not a dollar value attached to it. The monetary systems of this world will go up and down through the eons of time, but a kind word said to someone will live on in their hearts forever. We must never forget when working and investing in our various businesses not to forget the things that matter most when it’s all said and done.

"Live simply. Speak kindly. Care deeply. Love generously."

M. D. Gray

http://www.nwlavbs.com/

The Possibilities of Success

Tomorrow's another day….today is the first day of the rest of your life and the list goes on concerning the possibilities of a fresh start. There must be a starting point where we make up our minds to move toward a goal that we have set in our minds. Zig Ziglar said it well, “If we don’t start, it’s certain we can’t arrive”. There are defining moments in everyone’s life and it will be up to you to “Carpe Diem” (Seize the Day).

“On a day no different than the one now dawning, Shakespeare

sat down and started Hamlet, Leonardo stepped to an easel and

made the first strokes of the Mona Lisa, and Beethoven took out

a sketch book and began the Ninth Symphony.”
-Adapted from Robert Richardson, Emerson: The Mind on Fire-

Many today have absorbed the negativity that bombards us on a daily basis from the media telling us how bad the economy is and that the future does not look much better. Rather than embracing this line of thinking, it is imperative that we see the opportunity that comes with the challenges and changes that are facing us at this time.

“The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects
it to change; the realist adjusts the sails."-William A. Ward-

A wise man once said, “He that observes the wind will not sow; and he that regards the clouds will not reap.” (Ecclesiastes 11:4) The possibilities of success will come if you stay focused on goals that you have set. Think of Thomas Edison and the failures that he encountered, but he persevered until there was success. Success becomes more possible with persistence and a definite goal.

May you have success today and always.

M. D. Gray

http://www.nwlavbs.com/