Category: Opportunity

Quote of the Week - July 15, 2013

7/17/2013

"You build a successful career, regardless of your field or endeavor, by the dozens of little things you do on and off the job."- Zig Ziglar

Zig always had a way of connecting important parts of life to everyone's life so they could understand it. He had a way of really making connections with people. He's totally right about successful careers (really successful lives) being created by the little things we do, day in and day out.

So many little things add up to very big things. Those little things are so important and I think so many people, including myself many times, don't view them as making a big impact. But we all know they do. The little things - showing up on time, helping others, do what we say we are going to do, having a good attitude, etc., all lead to our future either being more positive with lot's of opportunities or maybe not so positive and the opportunities we have are not really the ones we wanted.

I also think the older we get the more we can see this quote as being very true. The key is for people to not wait until they get a little more life experience to see the truth, but to catch is early and make the adjustments necessary for it to become total truth in their lives. I know I am trying very hard to focus on the little things that I do... I'm not always successful, but I know I'm better off now than I was a few years ago. Tomorrow, I will be better than I was today. What about you? What little things are you doing now that you know will pay dividends in your future? Are there a few little things you need to change? I know I have to do just that. I'm always interested in finding out from others so maybe I can pick up a few points to not only help myself but others too.

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Quote of the Week - June 10, 2013

6/9/2013

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“With everything that has happened to you, you can either feel sorry for yourself, or treat what has happened as a gift. Everything is either an opportunity to grow, or an obstacle to keep you from growing. You get to choose.” ~ Wayne Dyer

Wayne hit it right on the head with this thought of his. We all have things that happen to us, every single day. The power is in the choice that we have, not only on how we let it affect us but more importantly how we will react to it. Looking back I can easily see that I've let too many things get me down which in turn has kept me from moving forward. Part of it is my personality, but since I know that, I actually can not let that stop me. I'm really trying to look at things from the side of trying to find the opportunity in things that happen.

It reminds me about those brick walls that Dr. Randy Pausch talks about. Things that get in our way and it causes us to ask ourselves how bad do we want to get through the brick wall and go after what we want. It sure would have been nice to have this idea earlier in my life. But the key is not that I do, I need to not only use it but I also need to help others see it sooner than I did.

I also think that it helps to have those goals and dreams in our lives too. When things happen, they can help us focus on the things that we have to do, to either let whatever happened to us help us or if we will let it hurt us and slow us down. If we have enough goals and dreams that we are chasing after I think this is a little bit easier to get around those things that pop up in our lives.

What do you think about Wayne's quote? Any thoughts or ideas to help me and probably others too? If you haven't gotten a chance to listen to or read any of Wayne Dyer's materials, I suggest you look into doing just that.

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Quote of the Week - May 6, 2013

5/14/2013

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"If you find a path with no obstacles, it probably doesn't lead anywhere." -Frank A. Clark

Mr. Clark brings up a good reality point for all of us - if things usually are not difficult, if they are too easy, most of the time that's not a path that leads anywhere. Anything worthwhile in life, things that really matter and are important; usually are not easy. If they were, everyone would be able to do it.

Chasing after things in life that you have passion for will help give you the energy and willpower to overcome those obstacles. Remember, just living life to survive; living with no passion won't help you when the obstacles of life present themselves. In fact I really believe that if you are on a path that's to easy, living with no passion, just surviving; you will find more obstacles that will seem much bigger than if you were on a path of purpose, passion and meaning.

What are your thoughts? Are you looking to see what path you are on?

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Quote of the Week - April 8, 2013

4/7/2013

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"The harder I work, the luckier I get" - Gary Player

With the greatest sporting event in the world coming up this week, The Masters, this quote fits in just right this week. Not only is this quote have something to do with golf, but it also (and more importantly) has something to do with life. Gary Player, the South African golfer who won 3 Masters titles along with 165 total tournaments from around the world, hit this quote just right with golf's connection to life. Actually this holds true for any sport, but the key is we don't have to be any kind of athlete at all to have this work for us in our regular lives.

From what I heard and read about Gary Player, he was a tireless worker in everything he did. To make it all work even better, he was a true gentlemen in all that he did as well. The sooner that we realize that life is all about hard work, and then when we put in that extra effort into the right things in our lives, it's then that we will see a few more opportunities come our way. It's time to figure out how to not only work harder at some things that we got going on in our lives, but also look to work smarter too. As always, it helps to be passionate about what you are doing in your life too. That's another thing to figure out - what fires you up? What do you wake up thinking about every morning that you can't wait to get started on? If you don't have that yet - find it! It makes Gary's quote that much more important to get going on too. What's going on in your life now where you can start working harder and making your own luck? Even if you are at a place where you may not be happy doing what you are doing, figure out some things that you would rather be doing with your life and then work hard to get there. As always, share any thoughts you might have, for it will not only help me, but yourself and others too.

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Quote of the Week - March 18, 2013

3/18/2013

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"Every challenge is nothing more than a chance to make things better." - Lolly Daskal

This in itself is an amazing quote due to the simple fact that since we have challenges just about every day of our lives, we have the chances every day to make things better. Some people have more challenges than others so they really have the opportunities to make significant changes in their lives to make things better.

Another key to this thought I think is that not only can it help ourselves in our own life, but those that we are connected to as well. You see, all the people that are connected to us in our lives also face challenges. If we are able to have this way of thinking to help ourselves, we can also help those around us too. If you haven't noticed the world if full of challenges each and every day. Instead of complaining, criticizing, condemning about them and letting those challenges dictate life to us, we have the ability to look at how we can get better from this. We can spend our time looking to solve these issues or at least work towards making them better.

Funny thing is, it's taken me so long to figure this out. Actually, I'm just starting to not only figure this out, but maybe even actually doing something about these things. Do I wish I figured it out sooner in life? You bet I do. I try and get my students to start thinking about these things sooner than I did. I always tell them to learn from me and others so they can do things differently than we did. Even today as I write these thoughts and ideas over a cup of coffee before I start my day, there are many things that I need to work on and this morning I did work on one small little thing instead of putting it off like I normally do. I look at that choice and I know my day today (a Monday) will start out better than normal all because of a choice I made to do something different this morning.

How about you? What challenges are you going through that you are trying to make things better? Remember, we can learn so much from each other. I love being a teacher because I can help others get better. But the flip side is more true than that.... I get to learn from others. So drop me a note, leave some thoughts and ideas for me and others to learn from and make things better for you and others too.

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Quote of the Week for February 25, 2015

2/27/2013

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“What seems to us as bitter trials are often blessings in disguise” - Oscar Wilde

We all have issues going on in our lives.  It seems now a day that so many people are having more issues in their lives that they must deal with. From money problems, the poor economy, the negative news around the country and around the world, in the media; there is no wonder the mood seems to be sad and depressing at times.

But what about if we took a step back and took a deep breath and tried to look at each issue by itself instead of one big jumbled mess. The things that I’ve been working on, I’ve tried to do just that.  I’m trying to ask myself, “What can I do about that?”  It’s always good to try and deal with things that we can actually do something about. It’s taken me a long time to realize that fact, and to tell you the truth, I still need to be reminded about it all the time it seems. Worrying really doesn't do any good at all.   I've found that if I deal with things that I can control, I feel much better about all the things going on in my life.

I've also began to see that there is opportunity in these bitter trials. Mostly it’s the opportunity for me to get better.  While others may blame, criticize and condemn others for their situations; I’m trying to learn to look for the chances for me to get better and to improve the situation that I find myself in. Does it work all the time? No way, but it’s getting better. There are usually things that come out of tough times that make us better in the long run. That involves having patience and the ability to actually do something about the situations that we find ourselves in. It’s a long process sometimes and we have to remember that life is indeed a journey and there are many things that happen along that journey.

Any insights? Any thoughts? Ideas?  Always looking to learn from others – and I know others are looking to learn from you too. Go on… be a difference maker by offering your ideas to help yourself, me and others.

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Quote of the Week - February 18, 2013

2/21/2013

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"Remind yourself that you're bound to get better. Don't get down on yourself. Don't beat yourself up. It's the next opportunity that matters, not the last one." -- Jim Rohn

Jim must have had this one set up for me. This quote deals with something that I've had to try and deal with my whole life and I really only realized that fact probably a few years ago. It's been said many times, by many different people that we are our own worst enemy. Out of all the awful and negative things that others can say about us - what we say to ourselves can do so much more damage.

I've learned over the years how true this is. Recently I've been trying to change that in my life and I feel that it's starting to help. What I am thinking and saying to myself, does indeed make a difference. I guess I find myself reflecting on this more and more due to my age. I just turned 47 and there comes a time where you start looking back on your life and wonder about choices and decisions and how they affected how you got to where you are. I've done plenty of that for sure. But like the quote says - it's about the next opportunity, the next chance to do something great. So making that chang-over from living in the past, regreting things, etc., to LEARNING from the past I think is a huge deal.

Sticking to things, not quitting (which I've done plenty of in my life), finishing things off is all part of being ready for the next opportunity are the important points to focus on. What can I learn from your thoughts on this quote? How does this quote connect with you?

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Quote of the Week - February 4, 2013

2/4/2013

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"There is no passion to be found in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living" - Nelson Mandela

I guess many times in life it takes something that needs to happen to wake you up and help you focus in asking yourself, "how's my life going?" (The old, doing your homework connection) The current events going on around the state of Michigan and our country for that matter with education, has me thinking, a lot about my current profession as a high school teacher. I know I enjoy teaching and I am passionate about helping young people, but I am wondering about what else is out there for me? Being in my mid-40's might have a little something to do with it too.

At this point in my life I guess I am thinking about doing other things with my life. My two kids are getting older and there will be more time soon in my life to focus on my wife and myself more than I have been able to do in the past. Maybe I am also to look ahead for the next 10 to 15 years and see some other opportunities that I didn't have before. I'd like to think that I'm not ready to leave teaching, but I do wonder about what else I can do in education. This quote has me thinking about if I am just settling for things; and it connects with the reality that there is not a lot of time left in my working life if I do indeed want to explore what else is out there.

Like I said, sometimes it takes an outside factor or person or a group of people to help you along with this self-reflection of your life. I always tell my students about finding something they are passionate about in life and going after that. This statement can serve not only middle age people like myself, but I think it can ignite a great and wonderful life for teens that look for connections earlier in their lives than most adults did with theirs. What thoughts do you have about this? Have you found something passionate to connect yourself to in your life? I'm always interested in learning from others as teachers need to become a student again in so many instances. We need to realize that class is always in session throughout our lives.

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Quote of the Week - January 28, 2013

1/28/2013

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“When opportunity comes, it’s too late to prepare.” - Coach John Wooden

So many quotes connect with my life, this is just one of many. I know that I've missed out on opportunities since I wasn't prepared. It's one of the many things I try and get my students to learn from my examples. Coach John Wooden was one who didn't wait for opportunities to come his way. He not only prepared for them before they came, he made his own opportunities for himself and his teams. What a great lesson for all of us, especially in today's worrisome times.

I saw another story that had a part that really stood out to me, it actually gave me a quick little poke on my nose to wake me up and remind me -again, of things I should be doing. This was from John Tapene, from Northland College on some comments he heard from a judge who deals with teens. Part of this said ".... start behaving like a responsible person. You are important and you are needed. It's too late to sit around and wait for somebody to do something someday. Someday is now and somebody is you."

This really connected with me. I made a comment on this entire message (which I will put below this entry) on Facebook that this message is not just for teens. It's for each and every one of us. Today is the day to prepare and yes, that somebody is indeed me to get ready for the opportunities that are out there.

Any thoughts on this or the picture below? Always interested in what you have to say as I know I can learn so much from you.

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Forward>>

Quote of the Week - July 15, 2013

Quote of the Week - June 10, 2013

Quote of the Week - May 6, 2013

Quote of the Week - April 8, 2013

Quote of the Week - March 18, 2013

Quote of the Week for February 25, 2015

Quote of the Week - February 18, 2013

Quote of the Week - February 4, 2013

Quote of the Week - January 28, 2013

Coach John Daly

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