Success is not easily won. It requires sacrifice and hard work. Even with these, you risk the pain of failure. Don't let that put you off...In Cyrano de Bergerac, the Comte de Guiche, with reference to Don Quixote, reminds Cyrano that "windmills, if you fight them, may swing around their huge arms and cast you down into the mire." A defiant Cyrano, speaking for all entrepreneurs, replies, "Or up among the stars."

Victor Kiam

From: Leadership...with a human touch, April 7, 1998, Page 16   

“Being defeated is often a temporary condition. Giving up is what makes it permanent.” - Marilyn Vos Savant
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How do you ensure your negatives aren’t permanent?

Many of us do not realize what we believe when we look in the mirror. Many of us do not see our own image but someone else's image that we feel we must please, thinking it might be of value.  But there is no value or glory playing second fiddle to someone else. You cannot live your life with someone else's image. It means self-destruction; you become your worst enemy. 
You are your worst enemy when you want to be perfect. You become fearful of making a mistake, so you don't assert yourself; therefore, you cannot achieve happiness. You cannot gain friendship that way or in any negative way where you symbolically walk around on your knees, trying to get attention by trying to please everybody.
Friendship begins with you; you can't be a friend to others unless you are a friend to yourself. What is equally important is that you can't be a friend to everybody. We all see things differently.  That is the way it should be, and because of that, we will inevitably make enemies with people who violently disagree with us. If we firmly and honestly feel that our cause is right, we should not be afraid of making enemies but should try to maintain harmony.
There is an old Chinese proverb that says, "Just as tall trees are known  by their shadows, so are good men known by their enemies." By far, you are your worst enemy either when through fear and indecision, you live to please someone else, or when you refuse to live at all because you are fearful of making a mistake.

By Maxwell Maltz, Surgeon/Psychologist

From: Leadership...with a human touch, April 7, 1998, Pages 17-18

“Sometimes the smallest step in the right direction ends up being the biggest step of your life.” - LaFleur

What is preventing you from taking important life step?

“The 3 C’s in life: Choice, Chance, Change. You must make the choice, to take the chance, if you want anything in life to change.” - Zig Ziglar
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What choices are you making to positively change your life?
 

The Three Races
 
In old times, fable retells the story of the young athletic boy hungry for success, for whom winning was everything and success was measured by such a result.
One day, the boy was preparing himself for a running competition in his small native village, himself and two other young boys to compete. A large crowd had congregated to witness the sporting spectacle and a wise old man, upon hearing of the little boy, had travelled far to bear witness also.
The race commenced, looking like a level heat at the finishing line, but sure enough the boy dug deep and called on his determination, strength and power...he took the winning line and was first. The crowd was ecstatic and cheered and waved at the boy. The wise man remained still and calm, expressing no sentiment. The little boy, however. felt proud and important.
A second race was called, and two new young, fit, challengers came forward, to run with the little boy. The race was started and sure enough the little boy came through and finished first once again. The crowd was ecstatic again and cheered and waved at the boy. The wise man remained still and calm, again expressing no sentiment. The little boy, however, felt proud and important.
"Another race, another race!" pleaded the little boy. The wise old man stepped forward and presented the little boy with two new challengers, an elderly frail lady and a blind man. "What is this?", quizzed the little boy. "This is no race" he exclaimed. "Race!", said the wise man. The race was started and the boy was the only finisher, the other two challengers left standing at the starting line. The little boy was ecstatic, he raised his arms in delight. The crowd, however, was silent showing no sentiment toward the little boy.
"What has happened? Why do the people not join in my success?" he asked the wise old man. "Race again", replied the wise man, "...this time, finish together, all three of you, finish together" continued the wise man. The little boy thought a little, stood in the middle of the blind man and the frail old lady, and then took the two challengers by the hand. The race began and the little boy walked slowly, ever so slowly, to the finish line and crossed it. The crowd was ecstatic and cheered and waved at the boy. The wise man smiled, gently nodding his head. The little boy felt proud and important.
"Old man, I do not understand! Who is the crowd cheering for? Which one of us three?", asked the little boy. The wise old man looked into the little boy's eyes, placing his hands on the boy's shoulders, and replied softly..."Little boy, for this race you have won much more than in any race you have ever ran before, and for this race the crowd cheers not for any winner!"

​Author: Darren Edwards
 
www.rogerdarlington.me.uk/stories.

“Today I choose to live with gratitude for the love that fills my heart, the peace that rests within my spirit, and the voice of hope that says…all things are possible.” - Unknown
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What possibilities are you grateful for in your life?
 

“What you think about yourself is much more important than what others think about you.” - Marcus Annaeus Lucanus
 
What are the thoughts you focus on each day?

“You don’t get what you wish for, you get what you work for.” - Unknown
 
How are you working toward your wishes?

In a small Italian town, hundreds of years ago, a small business owner owed a large sum of money to a loan-shark. The loan-shark was a very old, unattractive looking guy that just so happened to fancy the business owner’s daughter.
 
He decided to offer the businessman a deal that would completely wipe out the debt he owed him. However, the catch was that we would only wipe out the debt if he could marry the businessman’s daughter.
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Needless to say, this proposal was met with a look of disgust.

The loan-shark said that he would place two pebbles into a bag, one white and one black. The daughter would then have to reach into the bag and pick out a pebble. If it were black, the debt would be wiped, but the loan-shark would then marry her. If it were white, the debt would also be erased, but the daughter wouldn’t have to marry the loan-shark.
 
Standing on a pebble-strewn path in the businessman’s garden, the loan-shark bent over and picked up two pebbles. While he was picking them up, the daughter noticed that he’d picked up two black pebbles and placed them both into the bag. He then asked the daughter to reach into the bag and pick one.
 
The daughter naturally had three choices as to what she could have done:

1. Refuse to pick a pebble from the bag.
2. Take both pebbles out of the bag and expose the loan-shark for cheating.
3. Pick a pebble from the bag knowing full well it was black and sacrifice herself for her father’s freedom.

 
She drew out a pebble from the bag, and before looking at it, ‘accidentally’ dropped it into the midst of the other pebbles. She said to the loan-shark, “Oh, how clumsy of me. Never mind, if you look into the bag for the one that is left, you will be able to tell which pebble I picked.”
 
The pebble left in the bag is obviously black, and seeing as the loan-shark didn’t want to be exposed, he had to play along as if the pebble the daughter dropped was white, and clear her father’s debt.

Moral of the story:
 
It’s always possible to overcome a tough situation through "out of the box thinking," and not give in to the only options you think you have to choose.

From: The Ten Most Inspirational Short Stories I've Ever Heard: https://wealthygorilla.com/10-most-inspirational-short-stories/   

“Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.” - Seneca
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How are you preparing for that upcoming opportunity?

 
“Never confuse people who are always around you, with people who are always there for you.” - Gee Linder
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Who are the people who are always there for you?

“When nothing goes right, go left.” - Miki Bennett
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How do you change directions to improve your advantage?
 
 

“You can’t believe in anything without first believing in yourself.” - Ashley Howard
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What do your personal beliefs say about the things that are important to you?