Keep Learning to Reach Your Goals

"To get profit without risk, experience without danger, and reward without work, is as impossible as it is to live without being born", wrote A. P. Gouthey. Every person who has attained something worth-while has worked for that goal.

Cary Grant said, "I do believe that people can do practically anything they set out to do if they apply themselves diligently and learn."

Which path is the right way towards your goal...

Do you need more education?

Do you need a few years experience in your field of business?

Maybe you need a teacher or Mentor.

"I have learned that success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached, as by the obstacles which are overcome while trying to succeed", wrote Booker T. Washington.

What obstacles are in your way?

Consider them as easy to pass through as hurdles are to a champion runner. Take each obstacle as a special challenge placed especially for you. Approach it with intelligence and courage, then learn what it has to teach.

"Success is a journey," said Ben Sweetland, "not a destination." For some, the process of attainment is the attainment itself. They move on, keep growing and expanding. There is no still water at the top.

"The message from the moon is that no problem need any longer be considered insoluble", wrote Norman Cousins. And you can attain anything that seems impossible.

If you have a problem that needs to be solved, sit calmly and consider it with a clear mind. Observe all the consequences of the actions- both good and bad.

Gently ponder the paths and actions and contemplate the core of the problem.

The solution will appear.

"Ask and it shall be given you; seek and ye shall find; knock and it shall be opened to you for everyone who asketh, receiveth. He that seeketh, findeth and to him that knocketh, it shall be opened." - Jesus of Nazareth

Tap the inner self and encourage positive actions.

With each outgoing breath, release the impossible; at each incoming breath, inhale the attainable. Command the best of yourself, but don't despair from an overused sense of perfection.

What can you learn?

And who can teach you?

Can you attend classes and seminars from universities near home? Check out books from the libraries and absorb the material. Find a master and become an apprentice.

"Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young. The greatest thing in life is to keep your mind young." - Henry Ford.

Never stop learning; never stop growing and expanding as a person and in your personal endeavor.

Establish Your Ultimate Goal

What do you want?

Are you looking for financial security, professional acknowledgment, spiritual attainment?

Do you want to fit better socially, or become more expressive creatively?

Establish the goal that's right for you.

Then turn that goal from a dream into a desire.

You want to realize that goal, not just wish for it.

Aesop said, "Beware that you do not lose the substance by grabbing at the shadow."

Know exactly what you want, then go for it.

Don't be robbed by your own procrastination- especially if you want to achieve something unique or original...artistic.

The writer Thomas Wolfe wrote, "I had been sustained by that delightful illusion of success which we all have when we dream about the books we are going to write instead of actually doing them.”

He went on to say “Now I was face to face with it, and suddenly I realized that I had committed my life and my integrity so irrevocably to this struggle that I must conquer now or be destroyed."

Can you see -with complete clarity- what you want?

If you want the abundance of material wealth that money provides, what goal will give you that money?

Do you want the prestige of owning your own business?

What business do you want to begin?

Where are the opportunities for you?

Talk to everyone in the business you want to join. Make friends in the literary or art societies in your area. Read books and articles about your field of endeavor. How can you attain your goal?

"If you don't want to work, you have to work to earn enough money so that you don't have to work," wrote Ogden Nash. And, isn't that the way:

Money makes Money; Success breeds Success.

How can you break through those thoughts to help yourself to the rewards?

Henry David Thoreau wrote...

"I have learned this at least by my experiment: that if you advance confidently in the direction of your dreams, and endeavor to live the life which you imagine, you will meet with success."

Think big and visualize success:

Do you see yourself in a big house?

Maybe you picture your artwork hanging in a gallery.

Can you feel your book in print and in your hands?

How does it feel to be a person of success?!?

Make firm that you are; know that it is in your grasp. That's what the others did, and that's how people make it to the top. Then get down to basics. Be precise.

Exactly how much money do you want, and by what date?

And exactly what are you going to do to earn that money?

Be realistic, but give yourself short-term goals. Write it down.

In six months or one year, you will have how much money. And visualize and repeat it until it feels good...natural and normal...at least twice a day until it swirls in your subconscious, until it becomes your single-pointed goal.

"The goal stands up, the keeper stands up to keep the goal" wrote A.E. Housman.

Do You Have What It Takes?

Thousands of potential millionaires are born every year. And with the advent of e-commerce, making a million dollars is becoming more and more commonplace.

What advice did the money-makers follow?

Aristotle Onassis worked eighteen hours a day to maintain his fortune. He started as a welder and aimed for the top. "You have to think money day and night," he said, "you should even dream about it in your sleep." Do you?

John D. Rockefeller, Jr., said, "I believe in the dignity of labor, whether with head or hand; that the world owes every person an opportunity to make a living."

And J. Paul Getty acknowledged his hard work: "I have no complex about wealth. I have worked hard for my money, producing things people need."

Even Proverbs advises: "In all labor there is profit."

Richard Bach, the author of the best selling Jonathan Livingston Seagull wrote...

"You are never given a wish without also being given the power to make it true. You may have to work for it, however."

The Empress of the British Empire, Queen Victoria, admonished, "We are not interested in the possibilities of defeat."

Do YOU Have What it Takes?

There are qualities of endeavor and achievement that are common to many people who make it to the top. The following questions are a guideline to self-enterprise and attaining your goals.

1. Do you prefer to work for yourself than for others?

2. Are you well-informed on current business and political affairs?

3. Are you a leader?

4. Do you take advantage of opportunities?

5. Do you pay attention to what other people say?

6. Can you finish a job even when it is difficult or unpleasant?

7. Are you challenged by problems?

8. Do you have a goal you want to achieve?

9. Do you strive to attain?

10. Can you bounce back after defeat?

11. Do you believe in yourself?

12. Can you stand by your actions in spite of criticism?

13. Will you give credit and value to others?

14. Can you make your own decisions?

15. Are you determined?

16. Are you ready for success?

Carpe Diem: The Way to Achieve

People are judged by what they think and what they say. But the true measure of their character is what they do. Anyone who has achieved success and fortune in the world has done it by action.

William Jennings Bryan wrote, "Destiny is not a matter of chance, it is a matter of choice; it is not a thing to be waited for, it is a thing to be achieved."

The choice of the path you follow is often put before you as opportunity. "Few people recognize opportunity" said Cary Grant, "because it comes disguised as hard work."

Don't let opportunities slip past while you're still considering them, and create new ones as you see them. "Wise people make more opportunities than they find", said Francis Bacon.

What opportunities can you act upon?

Woolworth saw a need for small inexpensive items and opened the chain of stores that grossed billions.

Wrigley started giving gum away as a bonus from a supplies wagon he sold from, and saw the opportunity to make money from the gum that became in high demand.

All successful people the world over have found the opportunities for their own special talents and acted upon those ways to achieve. Why wait for the time to pass?

There will never a better time than now- for you days are numbered and you know not your final breath.

Lewis Carroll believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast. Take your own impossible dreams and make them become reality.

How Strong Is Your Conviction?

The single attribute that every successful person has is the one-pointed devotion to attain a goal.

"There in the sunshine are my highest aspirations", wrote Louisa May Alcott, "I can look up and see their beauty, believe in them, and try to follow where they lead."

What are your desires?

How can you form them into definite goals that you can attain?

Lawrence Peter wrote, "If you don't know where you're going, you'll probably end up somewhere else."

Maybe you're studying a craft or skill.

Perhaps you're caught in a rung of the corporate ladder.

Or, you might feel constricted by your family and the environment around you...

Which star are you reaching for?

"Ours is a world where people don't know what they want and are willing to go through anything to get it", wrote Don Marquis.

Take the time to think about your own aspirations.

Look inside to find what feels right.

Almost everyone entertains the notions of fame and fortune, but put on the exact costume that fits you. Remember- conviction requires certain qualities of action.

You must be sincere and be willing to assume responsibility. And you need the self-discipline necessary to work towards your goals.

Are you prepared to achieve your dreams?

Can you form their reality in your mind?

Will you devote your entire being to attaining what you want?!?


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How Bad Do You Want Success?

Many people who achieve fortune in the world are not born rich. But they accomplished it through hard work and a plan of action.

Every type of person on earth can become successful. There are saints and sinners; philanthropists and thieves; poets and politicians; young and old.

There are no limitations or physical boundaries for success.

Success comes to those who deeply think about success; do you constantly strive and yearn for it?

Although many rich financiers at the turn of the century had no formal education, they overcame that and went on to great fame.

Some people strive towards a single goal from early in life, and often attain that goal while still young. Others are willing to risk new adventures later and still attain success.

"It's never too late to learn", wrote Malcolm Forbes, the medial mogul. "I learned to ride a motorcycle at 50 and fly balloons at 52."

Whatever your task, whatever your obstacles, you can be as successful as anyone else. Study the people who accomplished recognition in the areas of your pursuit.

How did they achieve their goals?

Don't think for an instant that you don't have what it takes. We all have it inside of us to be whatever we choose to be. The keyword is choice.

Successful people thought about what they wanted, held it in the mind until it became a deep conviction and took action to make it a reality. You can do the same.

Have no fear for as Daniel Webster wrote, "There is always room at the top."

Abundance Can Be Yours

"Had I but plenty of money, money enough to spare," wrote Robert Browning.

And money is the greatest attribute of riches. A universal desire, money is the materialization of riches, the stuff that makes the rest possible.

Are you looking for financial security?

For retirement, for education or perhaps leisure?

Riches are the overflowing abundance of health and wealth, which naturally includes material possessions- houses, cars, boats, furnishings...everything you ever wanted.

Centuries ago, Horace wrote, "By right means, if you can, but by any means, make money."

For many people it is a path towards happiness, a cure-all for worry and peace of mind. For others, riches come in the form of satisfaction and personal independence.

Satisfaction comes from accomplishment, in employment or attaining goals. It is that feeling of contentment and confidence from a good task well done. Riches are closely linked with success.

And with that comes fame and acknowledgment of position. Success might be the feeling of well-being from the rewards of good effort.

Or the enthusiasm and vitality triggered by recognition. "Success is how well I enjoy the minutes," said producer Norman Lear. How well do you typically enjoy yours?

Throughout history, the people who lived with riches often achieved them by hard work, diligence and a belief in themselves. For some people, it took courage, genius and stamina.

But for many others, it took nothing special but the desire to turn dreams into reality.

Whether you want millions of dollars, recognition as an artist, or personal freedom, you have the ability to make your life as rich as you want.

Think about what you most desire. It may not be hard cash, but what it can buy.

Or, it may be those feelings of inner satisfaction, from creating something beautiful or strong...

Maybe personal independence from the work week, or freedom to live anywhere you want...even something meaningful and significant in life - something other than things money can buy.

Whatever your goals, and however difficult they seem to be to accomplish, you have the inherent ability to become who you want.

Take a look - can you actually lucidly see yourself surrounded by riches?

Picture the world open and in front of you, ready to become the form of your dreams, ready to stage your desires.

"Why then, the world's mine oyster," wrote Shakespeare, "which I with sword will open."

Go and open your own oysters right now, before it's too late.

Successful Living Podcast 6: The One Concept to Master for Success

The Successful Living Podcast is a show designed to give honest advice about what it takes to succeed in the game of life. The Successful Living podcast will feature discussions on various self-improvement and business building topics.

In this podcast you'll discover the one concept you must learn and master to achieve true and lasting success.

This podcast runs a little over 12 minutes and provides important information that any success seeker needs to hear and reaffirm in their own lives.

You can listen to the show in streaming media here.

Or you can download the podcast by clicking here.


If you would like more information on Brian's "Breaking Down the Barriers in 2007" coaching program and newsletter. Send your first name and email address to Brian at support@writepowerfulresumes.com.