Archive for Goals and Aspirations
Raise Your Level of Expectation
Posted by: | CommentsA wise man once said, Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss it you will land among the stars.
What are your expectations when you wake up in the morning? Do you expect to lead a mediocre life or do you expect something great to happen to you?
When the pro shoots in a game of darts, he doesn’t aim for the outer rim of the target, he aims for the bullseye. Why? Because he knows that there are more points for hitting the bullseye. There is a greater reward in nailing the center of the target.
Like today’s quote, we have to ask ourselves- even if we aim for the moon and reach the stars, is it not worth it? Metaphorically speaking, I would much rather land among the stars than land in the desert place. The desert represents a dry place. It represents the land of not enough.
God wants to place you in a land of more than enough but you have to expect more than enough. You have to reach for the stars.
The latter part of 2 Corinthians 13:11 tells us to aim for perfection. Greatness is on you my friend. You can achieve anything you put your mind to as long as you aim high. Raise your level of expectation.
It’s not God’s intent for us to get comfortable and settle. It’s not His intention for us to be mediocre and live average lives. The scripture says that, He will make you the head and not the tail, you are above and not beneath.
Aim high
There may be those who try to tell you that you can’t make it or that it’s pointless to shoot for the sky. You must tune out the voice of the naysayers. Surround yourself around those who are shooting for the moon as well.
Always know that with God on your side no one can be against you. His favor is surrounding you. Even when it looks like you’re destined for failure, know that God is making a way of provision for you. I encourage you to raise your standards. Your expectation should be such that, as they say in Star Trek, you’re going to go where no man has gone before.
Remember, what you focus your time and energy on is what will manifest itself into your life. Don’t focus on mediocrity, focus on the abundance that’s in store for you. When you do so, you will see major life changes come to pass as you charge forth on your journey of life.
Photo credit: SantaRosa OLD SKOOL
Success Is Relative – What Does It Mean To You?
Posted by: | CommentsWhat is success to you? Is it having everything together? Being in total control over everything in your life? Could it be never-ending joy and happiness? Is it having financial freedom or owning that house on the hill or driving a Rolls Royce?
Success if different to different people. To one person, success is achieving all the goals that they’ve set out to accomplish. For the next, it could simply mean living a life full of joy and happiness.
Success is defined as: an event that accomplishes its intended purpose; or a state of prosperity or fame;
The dictionary provides a skeleton type definition of success. However, it’s up to you to determine what success means to you.
What influences your view of success?
I’ll never forget the series that used to come on TV entitled, Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous. I guess there’s really no need to go into depth as to what the show is all about. The title pretty much sums it up.
This television series had the great ability to paint the perfect picture of success, in the eyes of it’s many viewers. It featured people who lived in extravagant homes, drove extraordinary automobiles, traveled the world, and then some.
The media has a way of painting the picture into our minds of what true success is. I believe propaganda is the word that comes to mind. It’s almost as if to say- if you aren’t living the lifestyle of the next man, or you have achieved the things that this and that person has achieved, then you haven’t achieved success.
Maybe success is raising a healthy family and seeing your children live past eighteen. Maybe success is planting a tree and watching it grow to be tall and strong. Could success be overcoming a condition that the doctors said there was a little to no chance of you overcoming?
I write on the importance of dreaming and dreaming big. But I think it’s important that Read More→
Share5 Goals Worth Setting
Posted by: | CommentsI often write about setting and establishing goals. If you’re an avid reader of my blog, by now you know the importance in setting goals.
If you’re wondering what goals are worth setting, then began by asking yourself these questions. What are you passionate about? What do you like to do? By answering these questions you create a sense of direction as to what type of goals you want to fulfill. To help out, I’ve formulated a list of 5 goals that are worth setting.
1. Start a workout regiment – The most common goal or new years resolution for most is losing weight and getting into shape. There is a huge benefit in this goal because not only are you working to achieve the body that you want, but you’re increasing your level of health. Physical exercise adds years onto your life, it’s great for the heart, and combats high blood pressure.
2.Wake up at 5 am – You may wonder what is so specific about 5 am. This is the time before the break of day. It’s also the time when we’re in our deepest sleep. Studies show that we’re in our deepest state of sleep right before we wake up. This is what makes it so hard to fight off those early morning zzz’s. It may be difficult to wake up out of your deep sleep but the morning hours are often times the most peaceful and the most productive part of the day.
3. Start a business – We all know the benefits in starting a business. You get to Read More→
ShareEdison’s Persistence, Can You Use It?
Posted by: | Comments“Most of the things worth doing in the world had been declared impossible before they were done.” – Louis D. Brandeis
One of my all time favorite inventors of all time is Thomas Edison, inventor of the light bulb. We can’t help but marvel at Edison’s drive, persistence, and determination because it was reported that he had about nine-thousand (9,000) failed attempts at inventing the light bulb.
What really moves me about Edison is that in spite of the way it seemed, he was determined to achieve what he sought after. I could imagine that during the attempt to create the light bulb, he had naysayers around him urging him to give up, urging him that it’s impossible and pointless. But Edison’s persistence is an example that motivates us today.
Edison changed the world because had he given up, we probably wouldn’t have the luxury of light in the world we live in today. Most people have a hard time trying 9 times, much less nine-thousand times at something. Most would give up after the first sign of failure. Some will give up at the first word of discouragement from their peers. Are you among this number?
What really inspires us about Edison’s persistence is that after asked how it felt to have had nine-thousand failed attempts at creating the light bulb, he said, “it felt great, for every time, I learned a way NOT to create the light bulb.”
Do you find yourself doing the same thing over and over, only to achieve the same results?
Edison didn’t fall into stagnation, he thought outside of the box. We can learn from Edison’s magnificence, for he’s living proof that it is possible to do what the world said is impossible.
You can achieve the impossible. The bible affirms that we can do all things through Christ which strengthens us. Nothing is impossible through Christ. Find what Read More→
Share5 Questions to Ask Yourself When Accepting a Yes
Posted by: | Comments“Don’t settle for a yes, rise above to find a yes.” – Jarrod Clark
We have a natural ability to want to go where we’re accepted. When were told no so many times, we go to settle for any yes that we get.
Sometimes the yes that you accept isn’t always the yes that God has for you. I always say that when one door closes another opens. Yes, but every door that’s open unto you isn’t necessarily the door that’s best for you. It’s the sad truth.
How do you know when a door is meant for you?
Sometimes it can be a rather difficult task to be able to discern what pathways to take. Here’s a list of 5 questions that will help you come to that conclusion:
1) Does the opportunity benefit you? Some opportunities are like poison in disguise. They look like the perfect opportunity from an entering standpoint but ultimately there’s nothing in it for you. In fact some opportunities have the ability to kill your dreams and goals.
2) Is it in line with God’s will for your life? Some pathways lead to the pot at the end of the rainbow but the receiver ends up sacrificing his integrity, morals, values and neglects God’s will for his life.
3) Are the people involved supportive? I’m a strong believer that the people you surround yourself around have a huge benefit on where you’re headed in life. If you allow the wrong people to get into your mind and deter your Read More→
ShareOn Your Way To The Beach?
Posted by: | CommentsSpring Break has come and you’re on your way to the beach. Your friends are calling you on your cell wondering, “where are you, how far are you away, when will you get here”? You can practically hear the seagulls and the waves crashing in the background over the phone.
Your friends are already there, exploring the vastness of the beach. They’re walking around in the sand, dipping their feet in the water, and enjoying the ever so calming breeze.
You’ve long awaited this trip. You looked forward to it as a get-away from all the long hard work and stress that life has dealt you over the past few months.
As the anticipation continues to build, you’re in your car driving to the beach but you’re about two hours away, and it seems like you can’t get there fast enough. You want to be there with your friends walking on the beach, enjoying the waters and getting away from all the hard work that you’ve put in over the past months.
You’re almost there now. Two hours has turned into an hour and a half, then into thirty minutes. As the last half hour approaches you’re on that final stretch. You let down the top to your convertible and you can feel the breeze from the ocean. It’s now clear to you that you’re within reach of the vacation that you’ve long awaited for with your friends.
You’ve worked hard for this vacation and nothing has stopped you. All you could think about for the past six months is getting away to be on THIS vacation.
You finally arrive, you’re anxious to get out your car grab your bags and meet your friends up in the condo. You’ve arrived, you’re here! This vacation that you’ve looked forward to has now come and it feels very much worth the hard Read More→
ShareThe Bigger Picture Matters
Posted by: | CommentsHave you ever made a decision to do something but in the interim of doing it, you lose the zeal, zest, and the drive that you originally had for it? It doesn’t have to be a goal oriented task, it can be an everyday task or a pact that you’ve made with yourself to do better in a certain area of life.
Usually when you make decisions to do such a task, you’re making them based off the bigger picture that you have in mind. For instance, if you make a decision to take a random friend out to lunch once a week, you may make that decision because it’s an opportunity for you to reach out to them. However after calling your friend and setting up a lunch time, 
you can’t help but think about what else you could be doing with your time or how tired you are. Chances are it’s because you’ve lost sight of WHY you’re doing it.
You’ve probably forgotten about your need to reach out to those who are close and dear to you. I’m reminded of a Proverbs 29:18 which tells us, without a vision the people perish. Never lose sight of your vision. It is what drives you. It reminds you of why you do what you do.
Whether you’re shooting for goals, attending to daily tasks, or even fulfilling simple pacts that you’ve committed to, always keep the vision in mind.
The vision and the bigger picture go hand in hand. Maybe you’re one of those who dread going to work in the morning. If this applies to you, it always helps to keep the bigger picture in mind.
1) Gratitude – Gratitude is another driving force that keeps you motivated. Be thankful that you have a job, especially in today’s economy.
2) Again, it comes back to the vision – Why Read More→
ShareWhich Law Are You Abiding By?
Posted by: | CommentsI’m reminded of a favorite joke of mine about a group of elderly ladies who got pulled over by the highway patrol on the freeway. As the cop approached the window he said, “Ma’am I clocked you going 35mph.”
She says “Yes, yes officer I know.” The officer responded, “would you mind Read More→
ShareAre You a One Hit Wonder?
Posted by: | CommentsIt’s interesting to watch public figures grow-up in the music industry. Over a period of time you’ve probably seen celebrities or have even watched your favorite music artists do their thing in the public eye. You’ve probably enjoyed watching them venture throughout their journey to reach their ultimate level of success. Read More→
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