Did you ever give a friend a ride who needed one without question? Did you ever lend a helping hand to anyone without expecting something in return? If so, I guarantee you that person will not forget your good will. Here is an example.

I just moved to the Orlando area and met a few of my neighbors within the first 2 weeks I was here. A week later I received a call from one of them who asked me to do a “solid” and give him a ride to get his car from the shop. His wife had to stay home with their two kids so he had no way of getting there. I was eating lunch with my fiance so I told him I wouldn’t mind just as long as I could finish my lunch. I only spoke with this man twice in my life and here I am doing him a “solid”. I didn’t mind it and expected nothing in return except for maybe a handshake and a thank you.

Even a small favor can really mean a lot and in this case, it turned out I did not do a favor for just one person but I did one for their family of four.

Your life’s tasks determine your place in it. You can make a difference.

The bottom line is time doesn’t change anything. The work we do while the time passes is what makes the change. If you know you’ll feel better about something a few months down the road, what can you do today to make that feeling become immediate?

They say that time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself.
~ Andy Warhol

Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success.
~ Henry Ford

Teamwork is an important part of life. My team consists of my family, my girlfriend, my friends and my colleagues. Each person on my team has an important role and without them, I would not be where I am today. When life seems to be bothering me or if things just are not going so well, I can count on them to be there to lift up my spirits. If I’m happy, they are there to celebrate with me.

I love to set goals. How I meet those goals can sometimes only be met with teamwork.

If I could solve all the problems myself, I would.
~Thomas Edison, when asked why he had a team of twenty-one assistants

I would like to share a story from the book “Change is Good…  You Go First” about the power of teamwork.

A man was lost while driving through the country. As he tried to reach for the map, he accidentally drove off the road into a ditch. Though he wasn’t injured, his car was stuck deep into the mud. So the man walked to a nearby farm to ask for help.

“Warwick can get you out of that ditch,” said the farmer, pointing to an old mule standing in a field. The man looked at the decrepit old mule and looked at the farmer who just stood there repeating, “Yep, old Warwick can do the job.” the man figured he had nothing to lose. The two men and the mule made their way back to the ditch. The farmer hitched the mule to the car. With a snap of the reins, he shouted,

“Pull, Fred! Pull, Jack! Pull, Ted! Pull Warwick!”

And the mule pulled that car right out of the ditch. The man was amazed. He thanked the farmer, patted the mule, and asked, “Why did you call all of those names before you called Warwick?”

The farmer grinned and said, “Old Warwick is just about blind. As long as he believes he’s part of a team, he doesn’t mind pulling.”

Think of the people on your team who help you out the most; the ones that when you work together, you accomplish more than you would have if both of you had worked alone.

Who’s on your team?

Setting your mind to something starts with self-discipline and self-motivation. Without that, you have no fuel to energize yourself to meet the goals you set. Without any action there will be no reaction. I know, Newton’s Third Law of Motion: For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.

Let’s think about this for a moment; if you don’t take that first step in reaching your goal, nothing will happen. When you practice self-discipline you feel like you are in control of your life. You feel content and motivated because you’re moving toward your goals.

You may ask yourself “Why are some people more successful than others?”.  The answer is success is tons of discipline. Self-discipline is the key to personal greatness.

With self-discipline, any person can rise above and beyond and achieve anything they want. But without it, regardless of a person’s background, education and opportunity, they will seldom rise above mediocrity.

No stream or gas drives anything until it is confined. No Niagara is ever turned into light and power until it is tunneled. No life ever grows great until it is focused, dedicated and disciplined.
~ Harry E. Fosdick

Our 14 year old dog, Abbey, died last month. The day after she died, my 4 year old daughter Meredith was crying and talking about how much she missed Abbey.. She asked if we could write a letter to God so that when Abbey got to heaven, God would recognize her. I told her that I thought we could so she dictated these words:

Dear God,
Will you please take care of my dog? She died yesterday and is with you in heaven. I miss her very much. I am happy that you let me have her as my dog even though she got sick.

I hope you will play with her. She likes to play with balls and to swim. I am sending a picture of her so when you see her You will know that she is my dog. I really miss her.

Love, Meredith

We put the letter in an envelope with a picture of Abbey and Meredith and addressed it to God/Heaven. We put our return address on it. Then Meredith pasted several stamps on the front of the envelope because she said it would take lots of stamps to get the letter all the way to heaven. That afternoon she dropped it into the letter box at the post office. A few days later, she asked if God had gotten the letter yet. I told her that I thought He had.

Yesterday, there was a package wrapped in gold paper on our front porch addressed, ‘To Meredith’ in an unfamiliar hand. Meredith opened it. Inside was a book by Mr. Rogers called, ‘When a Pet Dies…’ Taped to the inside front cover was the letter we had written to God in its opened envelope. On the opposite page was the picture of Abbey & Meredith and this note:

Dear Meredith,
Abbey arrived safely in heaven.

Having the picture was a big help. I recognized Abbey right away.  Abbey isn’t sick anymore. Her spirit is here with me just like it stays in your heart. Abbey loved being your dog. Since we don’t need our bodies in heaven, I don’t have any pockets to keep your picture in, so I am sending it back to you in this little book for you to keep and have something to remember Abbey by.

Thank you for the beautiful letter and thank your mother for helping you write it and sending it to me. What a wonderful mother you have. I picked her especially for you.

I send my blessings every day and remember that I love you very much.

By the way, I’m easy to find, I am wherever there is love.

Love,
God

It’s people like that who make a difference in the world. There was someone at the post office working in the dead letter office that came across this and decided to touch the life of another.

No matter what the outcome is, it’s the thought that counts.

How do you feel when you have to ask someone for their help? Unpleasant? You may even feel weak. We rarely think about how nice it is to be able to not ask for other people’s assistance.

Be proud when you can handle things on your own.

We never reflect how pleasant it is to ask for nothing.
~ Seneca

Life’s a gamble. There’s no way around it. We need to take risks.Yes you can play it safe and dodge those risks, but then you decrease your chances of gaining something rewarding. You will never know good luck unless you take the risk of bad luck.

The first thing that comes to mind when talking about taking risks are small business owners. They take the risk of failure, but are giving their dreams a chance. If successful, they will be their own boss and see their hard work blossom.

Those that are afraid of bad luck will never know good.
~ Russian Proverb

When a friend confides his setbacks and hardships with you, listening is very important; however, most of the time they are sharing this information to look for some compassion. Some… condolence and benevolence. Sometimes what you say may not always be what they want to hear, but the fact that you are caring enough to show compassion makes them feel appreciated.

Compassion is a powerful, difficult emotion.

If you want others to be happy, practive compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.
The 14th Dalai Lama

Most of us are given a “filter”. This “filter” protects us from saying stupid, asinine things. A thought will go through your head and as this thought makes its way to your mouth, the “filter” will make a last-minute decision on whether or not you should say this. Most of the time it works. When it doesn’t, be prepared to ask forgiveness.

The offended party will often say “You said it because that’s how you feel.” That’s not always true. It can be as simple as “I said it because I wasn’t thinking.” Most of the time, the wrong thing is said during the heat of an argument or deep frustration. A couple will be fighting and they both say detestable things to each other which in turn will cause the fight to continue or end in an uncivil manner.

How can you avoid saying something you’ll regret? Simple. Step back from the argument or frustration and take a deep breath. Don’t raise your voice (and your blood pressure). Instead, take a bird’s eye view of the situation and figure out why this argument started. What can I do to resolve it? Is it really worth the debate? Where can we find a compromise?

By yelling, screaming and throwing your hands around like you’re being controlled by some puppeteer will not make your case any stronger. In fact, it will make you look like an ass. Keep your voice at a speaking volume, gather your thoughts (and breath) and figure it out like adults.

Before you speak, think “Is it necessary? Is it true? Is it kind? Will it hurt anyone? Will it improve on the silence?”
Sri Sathya Sai Baba (Indian Spiritual Leader)

They finished what they had to say and you’re sitting there clueless. All you can come up with is “Cool”. That should cover your butt, right? But what if the person you’re talking with just explained how their family member is sick in the hospital? You just said “Cool”. Smooth move. If you’re not in the mood to have a discussion, then tell them.

Listening in relationships is extremely important. I’m going to use my personal experiences as an example. When my girlfriend and I have conversations, I make sure I engage in them. I don’t just listen, I want to hear. I’m genuinely interested in what she has to say.

On many occasions it has come up when I recalled a specific date and she was surprised that I remembered. How did I remember? I listened wanted to hear.

People, especially women, will know when you’re really listening and when you’re not. The only reason why I know this is because my significant other always tells me she’s surprised I remembered what she said last week. Actually, at this point she’s becoming accustomed to the fact that I can remember so when I slip up on occasion she let’s me know.

Just remember this, listening is wanting to hear.