Tuesday, September 22, 2015

Republished: For a Solid Life of Success, Avoid These 4 Temptations By: Paul J. Meyer

EDITOR's NOTE: Originally published on http://tiny.cc/9anq3x


I don't have enough paper to write or tell you the thousand sad stories I know about all the educated, gifted and talented people who fell into the temptation to get rich quick, looked for something for nothing, ceased to persist and do, believed false promises, and took shortcuts.
A solid life of success is built climbing stairs, not mounting a rocket ship, and it’s sad to watch people chase false dreams—or their tails, the wind, rainbows.
Are you chasing rainbows? Make sure you stop running after these temptations:
1. The temptation to get rich quick
Everybody wants everything instantly—instant rice, instant pudding, instant success. My father always said, "Take time to be an apprentice and learn the whole job.” It works.
2. The temptation to take shortcuts
Taking shortcuts, cutting corners—it’s a character flaw. You will be building on sand, and it will surely collapse. It always has. And it always will.
3. The temptation to believe that “the grass is greener on the other side”
We need to stay focused on where we are now, what we are doing now—our present opportunity, our present job, our present activity. We need to be able to make our current responsibilities work.
4. The temptation to quit too soon
History books and storybooks are filled with illustrations and parables of people who quit digging "three feet from finding the gold." Just one more try to complete an invention, just one more call to make a sale, just one more...
What happens if you fall into one of these temptations? You might lose sight of your goals, develop a lack of confidence and suffer from an eroding self-esteem.
But you can avoid all of that, if you just...
• Commit to a singleness of purpose.
• Set and put into writing specific and clearly defined goals.
• Outline exact action steps you must take to achieve your goals.
• Repeat daily affirmations to support your goals.
• Form a support group of your family, friends, co-workers.
• Create an accountability factor.

Sunday, July 19, 2015

Re-post from earlier in my life


Your days are your life in miniature. As you live your days, so you craft your life. What you do today is actually creating your future. The words you speak, the thoughts you think, the food you eat and the actions you take are defining your destiny – shaping who you are becoming and what your life will stand for. There's no such thing as an unimportant day.

Each of us is called to greatness. Each of us has an exquisite power within us. But for this power to grow, we need to use it. The more you exercise it each day, the stronger it gets. The more this power gets tapped, the more confident you grow.

The best among us are not more gifted than the rest. They just take small steps each day as they march towards their biggest life. And the days slip into weeks, the weeks into months and before they know it, they arrive at a place called Extraordinary.


Friday, July 10, 2015

Values

From Impresssions by Coyte G. Cooper, Ph.D., values are the "how" element of personal branding and they should serve as a direct path to your vision if you have the discipline to live them extremely well over periods of time."

How do you cultivate core values?
1. Reflection
2. Embrace a marketing mindset
3. Study other people that are successful and determine the things that they do on a daily basis to be successful.

Saturday, July 4, 2015

Independence as told by images and in reflection

Today is Independence Day in the United States. It is on July 4, 1776 that the 13 colonies claimed their independence from England, an event which eventually led to the formation of the United States.

As I reflect on Independence and what that means, it is something very special and very unique.

Independence in who I am


Independence in my faith...


Regardless of the day or the level of my independence, I am very thankful for the two signs that show this with pride - the cross and the American flag.



Thursday, July 2, 2015

Collaboration

"Research shows that companies that prioritize collaboration are twice as likely to be profitable, twice as likely to outgrow competitors, and five times more likely to considerably increase their workforce. Efficient collaboration further evolves perspectives, helps projects move along faster, results in better work, encourages more innovation, and, most importantly, helps everyone end up more satisfied with the overall results." (Source: Deloitte Access Economics, 2014) 

On the evening of February 10, Kevin DeShazo of Fieldhouse Media came to talk to student-athletes and the coaches at LeTourneau University. Prior to that meeting, the LeTourneau University athletic department had a very limited and unorganized approach to its social media. In follow up to that meeting, one of the coaches - John Antonisse -  has taken a vested interest in becoming more involved with social media. As the Sports Information Director for the University, I have met with Coach Antonisse and his assistant Brittany Best on various strategies on how to engage with social media for their program. 

One of our most recent strategies is to share the knowledge of Coach Antonisse with followers during the U.S. Women's National Team run to the Women's World Cup Finals. We have done interviews and started to initiate the hashtag on Twitter #AskJohn. 

In collaboration, we posted a Good Luck image on multiple channels - Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, in advance of the U.S. Women's National Team semifinal game against Germany. 

A preview interview on Periscope and YouTube drew over 200 people; meanwhile, the image on Facebook and Instagram was seen by over 1,000 people. All of this came as a result of COLLABORATION!