“Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going” - Jim Rohn
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What habits are keeping you going? 

​Five Ways To Start Your Day by Marcus Aurelius
 

1. GREET YOUR MORNING WITH GRATITUDE: When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive – to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love.
2. PRACTICE PREMEDITATIO MALORUM: When you wake up in the morning, tell yourself: The people I deal with today will be meddling, ungrateful, arrogant, dishonest, jealous, and surly. Premeditatio Malorum or Negative Visualization is a technique to anticipate the worst so that we can adequately prepare ourselves for the challenges that lie ahead.
3. PRACTICE DELIBERATE DISCOMFORT: Set aside a certain number of days, during which you shall be content with the scantiest and cheapest fare, saying to yourself the while, “Is this the condition I feared?” The practice is to continually test ourselves by making life routinely uncomfortable in some way to harden ourselves for the day we may need to live it for real.
4.  JOURNALING: By writing each morning, we can formally declutter the stress and the noise in our minds and become more aligned with our feelings. Journaling allows us to think more clearly and helps us to live a virtuous life. The more we write, the more our philosophy ingrains itself in our character, and the less we will find ourselves forgetting the wisdom we have come across in the past.
5. TACKLE THE MOST IMPORTANT TASK FIRST: Concentrate every minute like a man – on doing what’s in front of us with precise and genuine seriousness, tenderly, willingly, and with justice. By doing the most important task first thing in the day, you go about the rest of your day knowing you have done the difficult task, and the rest of your day will be easy by comparison. By completing the critical task on your To-Do List before anything else, you get both momentum and a sense of accomplishment. 

“The weakest among us has a gift, however seemingly trivial, which is peculiar to him and which worthily used will be a gift also to his race.” - Ruskin
 
What gifts do you see in yourself as well as others?
 

“Nothing is a waste of time if you use the experience wisely.” - Rodin
 
What was the last mistake or failure that taught you a valuable lesson? 

“Give us the fortitude to endure the things which cannot be changed, and the courage to change the things which should be changed, and the wisdom to know one from the other.” - Bishop Oliver J. Hart
 
What is your heart telling you needs to be changed immediately?

“The most important trip you may take in your life is meeting people halfway.” - Jerry Wainwright 
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How do you compromise with others?
 

“We are not final because we are infallible, but we are infallible only because we are final.” - Robert Jackson
 
Are you able to admit your mistakes?

Please take a moment to listen to my latest podcast where I was interviewed by Jessi Shuraleff from This Is My Truth. You can listen to the podcast by going to the Podcast tab above.

“To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that prisoner was you.” - Lewis B. Smedes 
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How has forgiving others allowed you to be free?

I am excited to announce that today is the publishing date for my new book, Sustainable Excellence, Ten Principles To Leading Your Uncommon and Extraordinary Life.
I wrote the book to help others and improve the lives of those who read it. I believe the principles in this book will lead everyone to a life of significance, as well as success.  
To find out how the book could be helpful in your life or in the life of someone you know, please check it out at the Amazon link below (and please leave a review on Amazon after you read it):
 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08GLGVTVS

“The purpose of life is a life of purpose.” - Robert Byrne 
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What is your life’s purpose?
 

Mind’s Eye
 
Two men, both seriously ill, occupied the same hospital room. One man was allowed to sit up in his bed for an hour each afternoon to help drain the fluid from his lungs. His bed was next to the room's only window. The other man had to spend all his time flat on his back. The men talked for hours on end. They spoke of their wives and families, their homes, their jobs, their involvement in the military service, where they had been on vacation.
And every afternoon when the man in the bed by the window could sit up, he would pass the time by describing to his roommate all the things he could see outside the window. The man in the other bed began to live for those one-hour periods where his world would be broadened and enlivened by all the activity and color of the world outside.
The window overlooked a park with a lovely lake. Ducks and swans played on the water while children sailed their model boats. Young lovers walked arm in arm amidst flowers of every color of the rainbow. Grand old trees graced the landscape and a fine view of the city skyline could be seen in the distance.
As the man by the window described all this in exquisite detail, the man on the other side of the room would close his eyes and imagine the picturesque scene.
One warm afternoon the man by the window described a parade passing by. Although the other man couldn't hear the band - he could see it in his mind's eye as the gentleman by the window portrayed it with descriptive words. Days and weeks passed.
One morning, the day nurse arrived to bring water for their baths only to find the lifeless body of the man by the window, who had died peacefully in his sleep. She was saddened and called the hospital attendants to take the body away. As soon as it seemed appropriate, the other man asked if he could be moved next to the window. The nurse was happy to make the switch and, after making sure he was comfortable, she left him alone. Slowly, painfully, he propped himself up on one elbow to take his first look at the world outside. Finally, he would have the joy of seeing it for himself. He strained to slowly turn to look out the window beside the bed.
It faced a blank wall. The man asked the nurse what could have compelled his deceased roommate who had described such wonderful things outside this window. The nurse responded that the man was blind and could not even see the wall. She said, "Perhaps he just wanted to encourage you."
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www.rogerdarlington.me.uk/stories.

“I don’t like work – no person does – but I like what is in work – the chance to find yourself. Your own reality – for yourself, not for others – what no other person can ever know.” - Joseph Conrad 
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How is your job helping you find yourself?
 

“The person who says he can, and the person who says he cannot…Are both correct.” - Confucius 
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What are you telling yourself about what you can accomplish?