Life Mottos for Personal Success and Happiness

Make the decision today to take the bull by the horns. Set
out to do something special with your day.

You control your thoughts and actions. Do not allow your thoughts to control you!

Always remember that at the beginning of each day you have a choice to live or to just exist. You have the choice to let other people, events, or circumstances dictate how your day
goes; or, you can determine how it goes.

What’ll it be today?

Will the day run you? Or will you run the day?

You not only are in control of your own day, you are in control of your entire life. This control is your responsibility. If you want to live your own life of happiness, do not relinquish this control to anyone or anything.

Do not let negative thoughts or actions get in the way of the life you want. Keep your eye on your dreams and do not let anything stop you.

Announce today that you will take full responsibility for making sure you get the life you want.

Nothing has the power to take this responsibility from you, so long as you accept it as your own.

Take pride in this responsibility. Take pride in this control. It is the greatest power you will ever get:

The power to make yourself happy!

Use this power for the greatest of all good, and live your life!

Be who you are. Act as your own
person. Do not worry about what others think of you because it doesn’t matter.

You are who you are for a reason. The only way to get the most out of life is to live it as your true self. It’s the only way to be truly happy.

The people who matter will love you. The people who don’t matter will be jealous of your happiness.

And you WILL be happy. AND you will make the world around you a better place.

That’s pretty awesome!

So that’s it. Today, just be you.

You can control one person in this world, and that is you.
You cannot control the people around you, but you can control to the way your interact with these people.

You cannot control everything going on around you, but you can control the way you react to these things.

You cannot control the world, but you can control the way you view the world.

Today, make a conscious effort to focus your thoughts and actions–two things you CAN control–on rising above the currently difficulties presented to you.

You may not be in the ideal situation right now, but you do have the ability to make the most of it. Whatever your current situation may be, accept what you cannot change and find a way to make better what you can.

MAKE today a great day!

Try to catch yourself the next time you try to be like someone else. You can never truly be like someone else, because you are your own person. There are no comparisons.

Your thoughts, abilities, wisdom, and personality are your own. Your actions and experiences are your own. You have a responsibility to this world to add your own uniqueness to it.

You have a responsibility to yourself to BE yourself. That is the one thing you can do better than anybody else, so ride that advantage to the top!

In order for their to be change, innovation, and progress, someone must do something that no one has done before. Someone must think like no one has thought before. Someone must challenge the status quo.

Why not you? You have your own perspective on every single situation on this planet. You have your own ideas and wisdom. You’ve live your own experiences and have the opportunity to experiment with combinations that only you know.

That’s some powerful juice right there. Take advantage of your ability to stand out from the crowd simply by doing what you do. Take a stand for yourself and your ideas. Think and act with conviction. Become a leader of change and progress.

To lead is to get others to want to act upon a particular interest. This interest can be a mutual one or one that helps the other person get what they want.

The bottom line is you must inspire the other person to want to take positive action. Leadership by force is an oxymoron. True leadership is facilitation. True leadership always has the other person’s best interests in mind.

And the best kind of leadership is that in which you can help people grow. Helping someone become more is a great way to add value to this world. When you help someone else grow, they are capable of adding more of their own value. This leads to exponential growth in your sphere of influence, and exponential progress in our world.

Have you ever been frustrated by being surrounded by a lot of negativity? Do you feel that it is sometimes difficult to keep a positive attitude when everyone around you is negative?

To this I say:

Start the change!

You can be the person who inspires others to carry a healthy attitude. Your smile can bring a smile to the face of your peers. Your positivity can lift the mood of your entire environment.

You can make a difference!

By starting this healthy attitude viral campaign, you will feel its effects both immediately, from within, and down the road, from others.

You may feel that the people around you are just naturally negative, but maybe they feel the exact same way you do. Maybe they are waiting for someone to shift the mood.

Who’s to say that can’t be you?

Today can be an amazing day. You can seize this day for its opportunity to shift your environment. Walk around with a proud smile and a belief that great things are just around the corner.

You can believe this because good things ARE just around the corner so long as you seize each opportunity to be your best self.

I talk a lot about being yourself and living the life you want to live, but this often brings about questions of how to discover what you want in life.

Unfortunately, I don’t have those answers for you.

But I do know someone can help you…

YOU!

That’s right, you can help yourself discover what you want in life simply by using your courage to follow your dreams.

We all have dreams. We all have goals. We all have ideas of things we want in life, things we think will make us happy.

Sometimes these things don’t end up giving us the joy we had hoped for, sometimes they do.

But it’s actually not the goals and dreams that make our life purposeful. It’s not the things we get that make us happy.

Our purpose and happiness comes from the day-to-day actions we take. These actions are the moments that make our lives what they are.

The very actions you take today can be all you need to drive your happiness, to make you feel good about yourself.

Pick a vision that you feel will make you happy and follow it as best you can with your actions. And make sure you take a moment to appreciate that these actions are your life.

You hold the key to your own happiness. Follow your heart and take great pride in each action you take.

I’ll combine my take on this John Barrymore motto with a related quote from C.S. Lewis:

“You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.” -C.S. Lewis

Every day is a new adventure. Every moment is a new opportunity.

Everything you have done in life thus far has made you the person you are today. But you are far from finished!

I like to think that I’m always as young as my next adventure.

If you want to do more with your life, do more! Start a journey toward a new and exciting goal.

Don’t worry about where you are, what you’ve done, or how far you have to go. Just focus on the next step.

That next step can be an adventure in itself.

Then you’ll draw in the rest of the steps as you see fit, with each step being a fresh opportunity.

Since each moment of life really is a new adventure, you’re always going to be young.

So with that I give you some advice…

Just live!

Live today as a fresh adventure and allow your exuberance and energy shine through.

What you have done to this point in your life has made you the person you are right now. But is that who you really are? Or are you hiding in a costume that makes you feel comfortable?

If you are not happy with who you are right now, for whatever reason, then you are not yourself. You must find yourself and free this person from the grips of the past. Take off the costume. Remove your layers of “protection”, and strip down to the real you.Do this right now and be free. Only then can you truly begin to live.

Let your creativity run free.

When you have a vision for a new idea or a new goal, don’t let the laws of normalcy prevent you from pursuing it. The greatest ideas are generally those that most people would not dare pursue.

I’m not going to get into all the inventions and creations that were once thought to be absurd. The fact that it was once “common knowledge” that the world was flat should suffice to make that point.

Rather, my goal in this message is to bring to light the notion that the only thing governing whether or not you pursue an idea is how badly you want to realize the goal.

If you really want something, go for it.

Don’t let the thoughts of others hold you back. Don’t be afraid to be different and try something new.

In fact, if you really want to be yourself then most of the things you do *should* be different. Nothing you do should follow the laws of normalcy.

Being yourself in a world where most people try to be like everyone else–and classify those who are different as “weird”–takes courage.

But its the surest route to a happy life.

Follow your dreams and find peace in the fact that you can live as yourself in this crazy world.

And let your creativity run free.

Everyone has opinions. But opinions are just that: opinions. They are not fact. They do not represent reality.

More importantly, opinions of you do not represent your future. Even if someone you respect has a less than favorable opinion of you, that doesn’t mean they are right. And if they are “right”, it doesn’t mean you can’t change.

The important thing is what you think of yourself. I know you’ve probably heard that a million times, but it doesn’t make it any less powerful. Actually, I don’t think you should have a concrete opinion of yourself because you are a person who is constantly evolving.

Your reality is always changing. Strive to be a person of growth, living a life of adventure and value. Then, opinions truly won’t mean diddly.

If I were to give you one piece of advice from my life that I have learned to be crucial to success and happiness; it would be to be bold. I mean VERY BOLD.

You need to be bold to stand out from the other characters in this world. If you aren’t bold with your actions, you will simply blend in with the crowd. By allowing yourself to blend in, you are saying that you aren’t special enoughto be noticed. You know this is not true.

Whether you’ve found it yet or not, your life has a tremendous amount of meaning. You are on this Earth for a reason. You were fortunate enough to be given life, and you were given it to live in a special way.

You are unique.

You may have some qualities similar to those around you whom you spend a great deal of time around.

But at the core, you are an individual.

There are over 6 billion individuals in this world, but that doesn’t mean you can’t stand out. You can.

You can stand out because most people are afraid to do so. Most people are content with being “normal”. Most people settle for a life of mediocrity. Most people settle for boredom.

But that doesn’t have to be you.

And it won’t be you, as long as you make it a point to live a life of boldness. Live with conviction and your own growth will eliminate the need for a “safety net”.

How often do you find yourself saying “I need a vacation!”?

I know I’ve said it myself many times. In fact, I remember a number of times I wanted a vacation from everything.

I wanted to escape from work life, home life, and everything in between. I just wanted to get away because I thought that’s what I needed to be able to relax.

But this is no way to live. Eventually, you’ll return from the vacation and your problems will come back in full force.

If the only time you can relax and be happy is when you are on vacation, then you are severely limiting yourself.

Life does not have to be a grind that you struggle through in order to reach a brief moment of joy. Rather, you can create a life for yourself in which each moment is an opportunity to live out your greatest dreams and explore your greatest passions.

Each moment brings with it an opportunity to try something new, to meet new people, to do things in a different way.

Even when things start to go bad, you can pick your head up, smile, and look forward to your next opportunity to shine.

If you don’t know what your passions are and are unsure of what will bring you the most happiness in life, keep exploring.

Keep trying new things and pushing yourself through greater and greater challenges. Let your imagination run free and open yourself to a world of infinite possibilities.

Look forward to each day for these opportunities and you will be setting up the life that you don’t need to escape from.

The obsessive human nature to define things is one of the biggest restraints of our present-day world.

For some reason, in accordance with this obsession, we often find the need to define limits on what we can do. We constantly measure ourselves against others. We see what has been done before and set our limit somewhere at or beneath the greatest imaginable reach.

We come up with phrases such as “do your best” or “give it 100%”. But in order to accomplish these goals, we must determine what “best” and “100%” are.

But why does it matter?

When you set a limit on what you think you can do, you tell yourself that there is an end to your ability and to your imagination.

But is there?

Think, for a moment, about the universe. It boggles the human mind to try to think about the end of the universe. Then, add to that the notion that there are actually millions of universes beyond our own.

Limitless potential.

I bring this up to show you that you have absolutely no idea where the boundaries of potential lie. Just because you have not been somewhere before, does not mean it doesn’t exist, nor does it mean you cannot get there.

When you set a goal, see that goal as a stepping stone to something even better. It’s OK to set small goals initially in order to start creating a path toward a better life.

It’s also OK to constantly challenge yourself with bigger and bigger goals to explore the greater reaches of your potential.

Something special happens when you reach these new levels in life: you find new potential within yourself that you could not even imagine before.

Release your hold on limits set free the potential that is pushing at the walls of your imagination.

There is a tendency to constantly wish we could escape from reality. We wish there was a place where all our troubles disappear and our greatest dreams become realized.

You probably think that I’m going to tell you that this place doesn’t exist. I’m not.

So now you’re probably thinking that you can find this place by singing Kumbaya. I’m not.

And now you’re probably thinking that I’m either crazy or teasing you. I am.

But seriously, this place exists wherever you want it to be. Your troubles and dreams are your own to create and control. Your actions and attitude determine how much you enjoy any situation.

Enjoy your growth. See troubles as potential. Create your own Heaven on Earth wherever you are right now.

There are few things more special in life than your own
thoughts. Your thoughts make up your own personal philosophy on life.

It’s one thing to have thoughts that are positive. It’s one thing to have great dreams and creative visions–to see the world as a wide open canvas on which you can create your own great masterpiece.

But the only thing that will make your life truly great is acting on these thoughts.

Putting your thoughts into action can be scary because you don’t know how your actions will turn out. You will be entering into the great unknown that lies beyond the boundaries of your comfort zone.

But it is the very act of entering this great unknown that builds your character. That first step you take out of your comfort zone will add more to your life than anything you could do within it.

Do not hide from your happiness.

Free yourself and take a step toward greatness!

Ohmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm…

You may be wondering why I included this on my Life Mottos page. Good wonderment!

I included it because it displays a sense of command and control. Those are essential for living with conviction.

Do not cede your thoughts or actions to others if you want to live life on your terms. Learn to do your own thinking and act on your own initiative.

Once you have this sense of control, you realize you can turn around any bad situation whenever you put your heart and mind to it. That’s power.

The way you look, your economic status, your possessions, the people you are around, etc.; none of this defines who you are. What defines defines who you are is the things you do. Each action you take makes up a piece of who you are.

If you do not go after what you want, then you are showing that you are satisfied with being like everyone else. You are satisfied with a mediocre life. You like to complain about your problems rather than find solutions. You want life to be handed to you on a spoon. Is that who you are?

Of course it isn’t. You’re reading this message! You made a decision to increase your wisdom. You want to grow as a person. You want more from life. You want to find out who you really are and what you can become. You want more than the average person. You want your own, special life.

It is time for you to begin defining that life. Those dreams that you have in your head are there for a reason. You are in those dreams. The rest of the world doesn’t know about those dreams, only you do. Those dreams are not important to the rest of the world, but they are very important to you.

The dreams are you.

Begin bringing those dreams to life one day at a time, one step at a time, and one action at a time. Define yourself the way you want to be defined. Createthe life you want for yourself. Begin today with the knowledge that each of your actions goes a long way toward defining yourself and your life.

The limit to your abilities in this world lie in your own mind. Whatever you think you cannot do, you are right.

By thinking you can’t, you cast doubt on your own abilities. This sets the frame of mind that something is too difficult and time should not be wasted on it…even if it is something you really wish you could do.

But think about the opposite. Think about if you set your mind up for success.

What happens then?

You automatically gain confidence!

Even if you think something is going to be unbelievably difficult, if you really want it you must break through your limiting beliefs.

Even if you have failed at something 1,000 times, keep trying to find a better way.

When you catch yourself thinking you can’t do something, do this:

Ask yourself WHY you haven’t been able to do it before.

If the answer is that you haven’t tried then how do you know you can’t do it?

If you have tried and have been unsuccessful, allow your mind to open up to the possibility that a better way exists.

Today, I challenge you to catch some of your limiting beliefs about yourself and try to break through them by asking the almighty question “Why?”.

You can learn a lot from a great creative mind like Ray Bradbury. Writers, like other creative artists, will often tell you that their best work comes when they simply clear their minds and write whatever pops into their head.

So what can you take from this?

Your life is made up of your actions. You create the picture of your world based on what you do. In effect, you write your own story.

When you over-think things and hesitate to act due to some kind of fear, you are getting in the way of your own artistic vision.

You already know the next step you need to take to get closer to one of your goals.

Take that step.

See what comes from it so you know what step to take afterwards. You can plan an entire route. Just plan the beginning and some kind of great destination point.

Once you get started, you can fill in the steps as they become clearer.

Get out of your own way and free your creativity by acting on what you already know you should be doing.

Life can be a lot of fun if you just allow yourself to be who you are and do what you do.

So go on now and have a great day

Sometimes you need a good dose of the truth to light a fire under you. That’s the intention of today’s short message.

Your fears are not the truth. Your fears are a possibility that you attribute to certain actions. These fears are a perceived threat.

There is nothing real about fear.

If there is nothing real about fear, then it must exist only in your mind. And if it exists only in your mind, then you must be able to control whether or not it has any meaning.

Do you want something that IS NOT REAL to prevent you from finding out what kind of person you really are or how great your life can be?

When you feel fear as you are preparing to do something that will take you closer to a goal, think about what that fear really is.

Can you see it?

Can you hear it?

Can you touch it?

Or is it only in your mind?

If it’s only in your mind, then you have complete control over it. See yourself brushing aside the fear and replacing it with a vision that your actions CAN produce something very positive.

Once you do this, go forth with confidence and explore a new area of your life.

I can say with certainty that there’s more to you than you know right now. Never stop exploring!

This could actually be my favorite quote on the page. Anonymous is one of my all-time favorite philosophers.

I know, I know…Do I want some turkey to go with that corn? ANYway…

If you live a life of conviction, and you truly follow your own aspirations and initiative, then you will be faced with many situations when it will seem like everyone is against you. That’s the nature of the beast.

But most people who live this way will tell you they wouldn’t have it any other way. That’s the nature of their beast.

When you find that everyone seems to be against you, that is your opportunity to lead. That is your chance to make a difference. That is you change to become an agent of change.

Through adversity you will find opportunity. Through opposition, you will find innovation. Through it all, you can live with conviction and lead with courage.

Ever notice that you often feel better when you get up and do stuff?

It’s no coincidence. Our bodies and minds like to be active. But perhaps more importantly, there is a special advantage to be gained by taking lots of action.

Action seizes opportunity. Each opportunity in life is your chance to grab a stake in the world. The more opportunities you go after, the bigger your share of the world’s amazing wonders.

But it’s not enough to just take action. The most successful people–by any definition of success–are those who follow their passions with a burning desire to do something great.

When there is something you want, you must think of the deepest reasons for your desire to stir up your fire and passion.

Today, half-hearted efforts are non-existent for you. Take aim at a goal and discover your deepest desire for achievement.

Then, stir up your passions and go after this achievement with a strong purpose.

Your attitude makes up the heart of your actions. You cannot carry out your strong purpose if you don’t have strength in attitude. There will be many struggles and adversities along the way to any goal worth achieving–throughout any life worth living.

In order to succeed in living a life of value and enjoyment, you must have the will to persevere. You must have the determination to go after the things you value no matter what life throws at you.

Your character is made up of your actions. Your actions are influenced by your attitude. Your character, therefore, is largely a reflection of this attitude.

Memories are your stories of the past. They are great for reflections and wisdom. But they also cannot be relived. All that you will live from here on out will occur in the future.

It’s time to take things to another level and use your memories to conjure up the wisdom to dream freely. Dream big. Dream without limits. Allow your past and present to inspire a better future.

When you get this, you’ll always have a lot to look forward to.

Being interesting is about being different. It is being
unique. Interesting is noteworthy.

Since everyone is unique, the best way to be interesting is to simply be yourself.

“Normal” is boring.

Repeating the same actions over and over and over is boring. To make life exciting, you must accept the nature of unpredictability.

Actually, if you want life to be really exciting, you should seek out unpredictability by continually exploring the unknown.

The greatest achievements in history were by people who were not afraid to do things “differently”, people who were not afraid to go against the grain.

There’s a reason people love to read about these achievers and feel inspired by their work. The great achievers are interesting because they constantly sought a “different” way to do things.

Love being different. Keep exploring ways to be even more different.

Continue to grow and expand upon what makes your life interesting and exciting.

You’re better than you think you are…at everything. You have more capabilities within you than you will ever know. You have the potential to live a greater life than you could imagine. You have the opportunity to get everything you want. You have more than you think. You have more power, wisdom, strength, knowledge, and skill than you realize. Give yourself a chance. Take risks that you’ve been scared to take.

Give yourself some credit because you can do a lot of things that you previously thought you could not. Try some things that you don’t think you can do because the worst that can happen is you will learn more about yourself. You may meet temporary failure, but you can always rise back up and try again…with more knowledge and experience.

Do not avoid things because you think they are out of your reach. Doubts weigh you down.
Rid yourself of doubt and jump higher. Take that leap of faith and reap great rewards that would have previously not been available to you.

The greatest achievers who ever lived were also the greatest dreamers. These achievers had big dreams and did not stop chasing them until they were realized.

They knew they would one day reach these dreams, and this would give them endless happiness and satisfaction in their lives.

You, too, can do everything you dream. Just because other people have not been able to do something does not mean you can’t. There has to be a first for everything.

Just because something is difficult for one person does not mean it is impossible for you.

You will figure out how to achieve your dreams as you go. Just make sure you take that first step with confidence.

Take that leap of faith knowing that it is the right thing to do, and things will begin to fall into place.

You can do it, but you must first believe you can.

Where there is a dream, there is a will. Where there is a will, there is a way.

Dream your dream and find your way!

What a beautiful day today is!

I know today is a beautiful day and I don’t even have to look outside. Do you know why I know today is a such a beautiful day?

Because it can be!

When I wake up in the morning and get over my initial animosity toward my alarm clock, I realize that this day is my chance to bring my dreams to life.

Today is a gift. It’s a gift of 1,440 minutes. Each one of these minutes is a chance to use this gift and receive some great joy from it.

Each one of these minutes is a chance to smile and feel good about being able to have such an amazing opportunity.

Each moment of this special day brings a chance to share myself with the world around me and help to bring smiles to other faces.

Yesterday has come and gone.

Tomorrow is made from what is done today.

This is THE day to live and show love and appreciation for this great gift of 1,440 minutes.

So be sure to have a great day!

If you want to be happy, BE HAPPY! It’s a pretty simple game. I’ve found that a lot of people, thought, don’t seem to want to be happy. They’re always finding something to complain about even when things are going well.

It’s as if sympathy from others trumps self-happiness. And if it’s not sympathy they’re craving, it’s attention. Too many people fight for the attention of others at the expense of their own true happiness.

Enough is enough. Your life is your life. Shut up the desire to please and earn attention. Shut up the little voice telling you that the easiest way to get attention is to draw attention to your great misfortune.

If you want attention, throw your heart into your actions and do something amazing. Use your passion to develop value.

But most importantly, go after the things you value. This is your life and you deserve to be happy. Fortunately, it’s usually as simple as allowing yourself to be so.

As you develop your attitude with conviction, confidence is everything. There can be no more doubt, no more hesitation. Fear can no longer run your decisions. You must be able to look at each obstacle as a challenge. Look at each fear as an opportunity. Look at every setback as a learning experience.

You must know that you will achieve whatever you want as long as you keep moving forward. You must know that you are capable of accomplishing greatness. You must know that you are going to live the life of your dreams.

Every day, you should affirm to yourself how special you are. Think of all the wisdom you possess. Think of everything you have. Think of all the opportunity that lies before you.

Go after your dreams with confidence. Doubt is a weight that must be dropped in order to get where you want to go faster. You were born to be great, so you must find yourself and be that great self.You are the only person that can stop yourself from achieving what you want in life. Get out of your own way and move forth with the confidence of a champion! And that is exactly what you’ll be!

The most important things you can do with your time are: enjoy it and create value. It only makes sense, then, that the best way to spend your time is on things you love doing.

It’s no secret that we tend to do a better job on things with things we love. When we’re interested in something, we turn up our awareness. We learn more. We have a drive to explore more. We want to devote more time to the craft.

Perfection is achieved by a constant improvement. There is no true sense of “perfect” in any task, but virtual perfection is reached through ever-evolving progress. When we follow our passions, this becomes natural.

Do what you love and love what you do. You can’t get your time back. Become valuable in your passions and you will, in turn, receive many of the things you value most. Enjoy your work, for it is the mark you leave on this world. Be proud of what you do!

Today is your day.

You were given a great gift to be able to live this day. You have a great opportunity before you to make an all-important shift on this day.

It is your decision how you live out this day.

If you want to be happy, decide to be happy.

If you want to change something about yourself or your current situation, make a decision to change.

If you feel the need for courage in the face of some difficulty, decide to have courage.

You have all the tools within yourself to make this a great day. The decisions you make on this, and every other day, determine your who you are.

But do not fear making wrong decisions. As long as you are acting in a way that you can be proud of, and acting in a way that will make you happy, there are no wrong decisions.

If something goes wrong, you can find a better way when the time comes.

There is no right or wrong way to live, so be proud of the fact that you have the ability and confidence to live YOUR WAY!

Do you ever think that you’re not all that important? Or
that you’re not all that special? Or that your just a simple, ordinary person?

It’s not uncommon to have thoughts like these, but then you must ask yourself these questions:

Who else can use your abilities?

Who else can utilize your talents?

Who else has the exact same set of skills as you?

Who else has your exact personality?

Who else can think for you?

Who else can act for you?

Who else can live your life?

You get the point. You have a unique set of skills, abilities, passions, ideas, and emotions.

With these unique aspects of yourself, you are indeed very special and very important. You are the only person who can give yourself to this world.

And because of this, you have a unique opportunity to create a life that not only makes YOU happy, but also serves an important purpose in making the world around you better.

Remember this as you go about your day and be proud of your unique qualities!

In this crazy world, you have control over some powerful things: your thoughts, your actions, and your reactions.

You control your own philosophy of life.

You control your visions, goals, and dreams.

You control your plan AND how you implement it.

That’s a lot of control. You don’t need any more to be happy and successful, so don’t let the things you cannot control wear you down.

Don’t be greedy!

Let the world work as it does and set a path that flows in the same direction as nature. It makes things a lot easier and allows you to focus on getting the most out of your own abilities.

When things are not going your way in life, change something about yourself and what you are doing. Find a better path. Learn from what didn’t work and create a new opportunity.

Accept the world around you as it is and shift your attitude towards one that sees adversity as a challenge to rise above. Prove to yourself that you are stronger than your obstacles.

Remember as you go through your day that the only true limit to what you can accomplish lies in your own mind.

For whatever reason, a lot of people will go out of their way to tell you how horrible life is. Listen to your friends and co-workers complaining about their jobs. Turn on the news or read the paper and see countless stories of death, destruction, and despair.

Look all around you and you’ll see people pointing out what makes the world such a dreadful place to live.

Now that you see all this, have yourself a good laugh.

It’s foolish! Sure some situations are horrible. Sure there are a lot of negative events happening all the time. Sure some people, places, jobs, etc. are–at times–seemingly intolerable.

But then you look around at all the good things you have. You think about that special person in your life, or that special pet you love so much. You think about your family and friends. You think about the people you reach with your work and passions, which may be one and the same.

You look around this time and see that the world is not a horrible place at all. It’s a place full of wonder and opportunity. It’s a place full of excitement and possibility.

If you don’t see this then you aren’t trying. And if you aren’t trying then you are a fool.

See the good things and find more. Think of the good moments and MAKE more. The world is not set up to build you OR break you. It’s just a setting for you to use how you choose.

Success is an abstract word that means something different to all of us. Your definition of success is probably very different from mine. More importantly, our philosophies on what make us successful is constantly evolving.

Don’t drive yourself crazy trying to achieve success. Success cannot be measured, nor can it be earned through a single accomplishment.

Instead, work hard by following your passions and deliver value to the world. Strive to become better at what you do every single day. Explore life as much as possible. Always be seeking new ways to do things and new avenues to travel down. Deliver value in your unique form and make an effort to obsessively increase this value.

Become your own definition of success. Live it, breathe it, enjoy it. That’s life, my friend. That’s life!