What Are You Doing For Others?

Martin Luther King, Jr. once said, "Every person must decide whether they will walk in the light of creative altruism or the darkness of destructive selfishness.”

This is the judgment. Life's most persistent and urgent question is, “What are you doing for others?"

Did you know that contribution is one of our six core needs? To feel whole and complete, we are programmed to contribute. There are many ways to contribute and I’m not necessarily talking about volunteering on a regular occasion.

Did you realise that helping others can be as simple as making a decision to smile more than you currently do? This is a decision that I made a couple of years ago. Now, I find that I am automatically smiling just as I walk along the street without realising or thinking about what I am doing. My aim is to share and bring happiness wherever I am.

Another way you can contribute to others is by not judging too quickly - always looking for the best in others. All of us actually do the best we can with the knowledge we have at that point in time. It’s good to remind yourself of that occasionally. It's an odd thing but true, that whatever you see in others you magnify in yourself.

The added benefit is that when you do good for others, you do wonders for yourself as well.

Believe In Yourself

"It is the decisions you make, when you have no time to make them, that define who you are. Believing in yourself is one of the first steps to success.”

It really is important to believe in yourself, isn’t it? Believe in yourself no matter what other people think. We should all decide that we can do, be and have whatever we want in this world and the only person who can get you there is YOU!

It is in your thoughts; it is in your actions that you can make your dreams come true.

Some simple steps that may help include:

1. Set goals. When you set goals you know where you are heading. 
2. Acknowledge when you achieve any small goal. It helps to build your confidence in your own success. 
3. Have realistic expectations of what you can achieve and then aim a little higher. We can always achieve more than we think we can. 
4. Listen to feedback, and remember, some people will try to tear you down while others will provide golden tips to support you on your journey. 
5. Contribute to those around you. When you contribute, you will receive positive feedback and respect from others that helps build yourself belief and self confidence. 
6. Always, always work towards your dreams. 
7. Believe in yourself. It is the key to success in life.

Focus on You

For you to be your best and look after and support others, you need to look after yourself first.

I have a friend who recently was doing everything - working a number of jobs, getting up at 4:30 am to start her day, not eating properly because she was too busy, no time to exercise, no time for a chat with friends and not enough time with her family.

Guess what happened? She ‘hit the wall’. Her body had given her a few warnings to slow down, take some time for herself, but she didn’t listen. She was just trying to do it all for everyone. She became quite unwell and then she couldn’t do anything for anyone for a period of time.

It really doesn’t take a lot to look after your well being, but you do have to look after yourself. Take time to sleep well, eat well and exercise. Take time for you ... you need it. You are the most important person around. To be the very best for everyone around you, it is important to take some time for you. Otherwise, you can get burned out, you can get sick and be forced to take time out.

Listen to your body. It does give you alerts and warning signs.

What Are You Afraid To Do?

“One of the greatest discoveries a man makes,

one of his great surprises,

is to find he can do what he was afraid he couldn't do."

Henry Ford

Have you realised that most of the barriers that are challenging us have been put there by us in the first place? Logic would tell us then if we put them there then we can take them down.

One of the great discoveries you and I can make is to find that we really can do something we were afraid we couldn't do.

The barrier is something we have put up inside ourselves and we really can take it down.

What barrier will you take down this week? Have a go, what have you got to lose? If you are successful, much is to be gained. If you aren’t successful, you haven’t gone backwards at all.

The Ant Philosophy

Have you ever taken the time to watch ants? I know it’s a strange question. My brother-in-law, as a child, had a fascination with ants. He refers to them as his ‘friends’ because they were always waiting for him every time he arrived home!

Jim Rohn teaches about “The Ant Philosophy”. Jim recommends that we should study ants. Jim has been teaching children about a simple but powerful concept - The Ant Philosophy. Jim believes that ants have an amazing four-part philosophy.

Part 1 - Ants never quit.

That's a good philosophy. If they're headed somewhere and you try to stop them, they'll look for another way. They'll climb over, they'll climb under, and they’ll climb around. They keep looking for another way. Perhaps a good philosophy to embrace; to never quit looking for a way to get where you're supposed to go.

Part 2 - Ants think winter all summer.

That's an important perspective. You can't be so naive as to think summer will last forever. So ants gather their winter food in the middle of summer.

An ancient story says, “Don't build your house on the sand in the summer.” Why do we need that advice? Because it’s important to think ahead. In the summer, you've got to think storm. You've got to think rocks as you enjoy the sand and sun.

Part 3 - Ants think summer all winter.

During the winter, ants remind themselves, “This won't last long; we'll soon be out of here.” And the first warm day, the ants are out. If it turns cold again, they'll dive back down, but then they come out the first warm day. They can't wait to get out.

Part 4 - How much will an ant gather during the summer to prepare for the winter?

All he possibly can. What an incredible philosophy, the “all-you-possibly-can” philosophy.

Wow! What a great philosophy to have - The Ant Philosophy. Never give up, look ahead, stay positive and do all you can.