If you look at my Facebook profile, at times all I seem to be doing is watching movies or reading quotes. To be honest, most of the quotes I know come from movies. It’s embarrassing when having a conversation and some random movie quote comes out that makes complete sense in my head but nonsense to everyone else. Has that ever happened to you? At times, I speak in the language of movie…and most of them happen to be rated G.

The movie in my life this time is the animated “Robots.” The quote was, “A dream that you don’t hunt down can haunt you for the rest of your life. It’s up to you….!” The two words that stick out the most for me both start with “h,” and are “hunt” and “haunt.”

HUNT – I don’t know how many of you have ever been hunting, but if you have, you know that hunt isn’t only about the kill. There is so much more involved in the experience. Here in Arizona, you have to get drawn first. Then there is preparation: Siting in your rifle, scouting the area you will hunt in, getting out your camping gear and making sure it’s in good shape, sharpen your hunting knife and make all the necessary arrangements for time off work. Much of the HUNT is getting to hang out in the mountains with some of your closest friends or family members.

The kill is just the icing on the cake, or the overall goal. It’s what you came for, but not the only thing you get. The Dream is also the icing on the cake but the experience of achieving it is what comes along with it.

HAUNT – I know we all have regrets. Can you imagine what life would be like without having a single regret? If we could all just live that “On Purpose.” Now maybe this isn’t true for you, but when you had the chance to say something to that girl you had a crush on in High School and you didn’t, or punch the school bully in the face just to teach him a lesson or take that shot in the last seconds of the big game……and you didn’t. How long will that haunt you? How long will it haunt you to not say, do or be all that you want to be?

For the rest of your life!

The truth is, the more you don’t do these things, the more insecure you become, the less experience you gain and the closer you get to being the victim instead of what you should be, the victor. Regardless of the outcome of your actions, whenever of virtue, you are still the victor….because you gain the experience. If the girl of your dreams says no, no loss. If you miss that shot, no loss. If you punch the bully in the face and get your butt kicked, painful, yet, no loss.

I would much rather make the move and lose than never make the move at all. Winning is just icing on the cake! At least I can look back and say that I had the guts to do it…and by making those kinds of decisions, I will win more than I lose.

You know what I have come to realize? Well, to be completely honest…not a whole lot. But I have learned a few things and these few things are what I live my life by. I hold some of the most simple concepts at a very high value as they have been the iron rod in my journey as a father, a husband and an entrepreneur. Life is already way too complex to allow complex rules guide it. It’s the simple things in life that bring true happiness for me.

Now, when I write about the simple things in life, I don’t mean the average things in life. That’s a completely different concept. Average does not mean simple. Think about it….most people are average. Some people are below average and even a smaller few are above average. So wherever the most people are, the most complexity exists. Average, however, isn’t interesting to me. It’s common, everyday and always happening. To be above average is interesting. It’s different and sporadic.

In the world we live in….the here and now, most people wake up at 6 am, get ready for the day, get their cup of coffee, drive to work and do the same things they always do at work. They do this everyday and wish for a better life, a more interesting life, full of passion and abundance. Yet, they do the same things, day in and day out and wonder why their results are not changing. We all know what the definition of insanity is. It’s just that. No matter how many times you try it, and in every possible variance, than square block is not fitting into that round hole.

You must create it. That’s the only way to get where you want to be in life. If you want to do the same thing every single day, do that….if it makes you happy. But keep it interesting. Follow your dreams regardless of the consequence. Most of us only have around 75 years to make an impact on the world. We cannot and must not think someone else will make that difference.

As the quote says, “You are the difference you wish to see in the world!” If something is interesting to you, that means you are enjoy it. If your life is not interesting, you are not enjoying it, you are not learning and you are definitely not making as much of an impact as you are capable of. And what you are capable of is directly related to what you THINK you are capable of. Think about it! Are you really making the difference you wish to see in the world by the daily actions you duplicate day in and day out? When you wake up at 6 am, get ready for work, drive there and engage in your daily activities, do you think to yourself as you send that fax or sell that product that you are fulfilling your purpose?

If the answer is no…..at that very moment, your life becomes just a little more interesting!

For those of you who are into sports, you all know that the NBA playoff’s are currently in progress. Things are heating up and getting intense as this season comes to an end, yet during the playoff’s, it seems things are finally getting started. Hopefully your team is one of the many that are still in the race for the championship. I know the Phoenix Suns made it and are doing well as they lead the series 2 – 1 over the Trail Blazers.

I absolutely love the playoff’s because of the pure intensity if it. Everybody comes to the court with all their hope and preparation, expecting to be the best. After 48 minutes of play, giving it all they have, knowing that they will be able to look up at the score board as the team who is victorious. A lifetime of practice and a season of competition comes to a head during a few series of games battling an opponent that has done the exact same thing.

It’s not so much the trophy at the end of the championship that matters the most or that they’ll remember for years after it’s over, it’s the victory. And the victory is the culmination of all that it took to get there…..composure, fortitude and determination are a few of the characteristics necessary. Every drop of sweat and blood was a test of willpower and strength along with all the drama and politics floating around the NBA. A victory, I could imagine, would be the season full of effort that paid off in the end.

I think at times we look at NBA athletes and think that they have it made. They’re making millions off of pure talent. They are set for life, just for being born. Sure, talent has a lot to do with it, just about as much as willpower and work does. They made it happen for themselves. They wanted it, so they went out and got it, and the team that shows the best composure and the most intensity during the playoff’s, is usually the one who is crowned champion.

So, we’ll see just how far the Suns go this year. Either way, I’m a die hard fan and with them ’til the end.

And you know what? We all deserve to live our lives as though we are in the playoff’s. The ones who show the most composure and intensity will usually be the ones who are victorious. A lifetime of preparation, sweat and vision has prepared us for today, right here, right now. We can chose to be effected and intimidated by the Kobe Bryants and the Lebron James’ of our future victory, or we can chose to be the Steve Nash, who takes control of the game and does it his way, not theirs.

Life is full of opponents and I wouldn’t have it any other way. Every time I defeat someone or something, I grow. I progress, just as I do when I lose to someone or something. Either way, I win, if I chose to learn from EVERY experience.

Victory is about being able to adjust on the fly and adapt as you go. It’s about seeing an opening and taking it. An opportunity that is missed will never present itself in that way again. It’s now or never and at times, we only have a split second to decide to be proactive, and to take that opportunity.

It’s playoff time for me! It’s time to get intense. It’s time to make things happen…..so watch closely. Things are coming in the near future that will take my team and I to the top.

I once heard a quote that said, “”The object of life’s journey is not to arrive at the grave safely in a well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, totally worn out, shouting, ‘Holy #@$*, What a Ride!!!’” — Mavis Leyrer

I intend on being worn the heck out and full of victory as well, and the end isn’t even close. So it’s game time!

For those of you who spend a bit more time on the computer than the average Joe or Jane, things can get pretty mundane at times. Staring at the same computer screen all the time just adds to the “boredom” factor. Booting up your PC brings you the same desktop you always see. Launching your browser brings the same layout over and over again.

It’s nice to spice and change things up a bit, especially of your business is internet based and a bit repetitious. Any kind of change to atmosphere adds a little more excitement and a feeling of freshness to repetitive daily duties. Just a simple change can break up the “tunnel vision” that can occur and avoid getting burned out or bored.

So here are a few ways to bring a little something different to your day:

1. Personas with Mozilla Firefox. You can create your own or choose from thousands of different designs submitted by others around the world. I created one with a photo I took while in Hawaii this past summer. Here’s a picture of it. If you like it, click on the picture below and use it or choose a different one!
   
2. Change your Desktop background frequently. In fact, I use it as a goal board. I place pictures of my short and long term goals as well as daily, weekly, monthly and yearly written goals. It’s constantly changing and is a breath or fresh air and a constant reminder of what I want each and every time I boot my PC. I use a program from Macromedia called Fireworks to create my background creatives.
3. Install different Themes for your specific operating system. These are easy to find, just type the words “IE themes” or “desktop themes” into your search bar. There are different themes for PC’s and Mac’s alike. You can also change the colors and styles of your windows. On a PC you simply right click on your desktop and you’ll have options to change themes or just the appearance. For those of you who are Mac users, sorry, I’m a PC guy still so I don’t know how you would go about it. Good luck!
4. Listen to music. There are a ton of these places on the net but the one I enjoy the most is Pandora.com. It’s an online radio station that you can customize to your liking. I have a Metallica channel and hear a range of jams from them, Megadeth, AC/DC and a few of the bands I listen to. It’s a great counter to listening to music already on your PC and you don’t have to listen to the same songs over and over again. Unless you enjoy that!

So there you have it. Just a few ideas from an internet marketing addict. It’s amazing what a few simple changes can do for your motivation. Remember, enjoying what you do equals more $$$ in the bank. Stay motivated, stay excited and keep things fresh. Every time I look at my Persona, it brings back all the memories I had while in Hawaii. It’s that little extra dose of motivation and it helps….I promise!

Have you ever met a person who worries about everything? No matter where they are or what they’re doing, they’re always worried, concerned, stressed or mad about something. Yet, there are also people who are just the opposite…people who never worry, get concerned, stress and rarely get mad no matter what the situation is. What is it about the people that stress that causes them to stress so often and so much? How can one person, surrounded by chaos, stay calm, content and optimistic while the another lose all control?

Do you all remember the last time you watched Zorro? The Zorro I am speaking of is “The Mask of Zorro” that came out in 1998 with Antonio Banderas, Antony Hopkins and Catherine Zeta-Jones. As the movie starts out, Alejandro Murrieta (Antonio Banderas) is an out of control, drunken convict who is consumed by his hatred towards his brothers killer, Captain Harrison Love. As the current Zorro (Anthony Hopkins) observes Alejandro, he shows him how obsessed and reckless he truly is. Even though his passion for revenge fueled him, he had not learned control and would never succeed unless he learned how to control his anger and his surroundings.

He was later introduced to the “Training Circle.” In the words of Anthony Hopkins, “This is called a training circle, a master’s wheel. This circle will be your world, your whole life. Until I tell you otherwise, there is nothing outside of it.” Alejandros progress depended directly on how well he could learn to master only the things within his circle. At first, it was a large circle with obstacles, ropes and at times, Zorro in it. “As your skill with the sword improves, you will progress to a smaller circle. With each new circle, your world contracts, bringing you ………..that much closer to retribution.”

As Alejandro improved in his skills, that circle began to shrink and one might begin to think, shouldn’t the circle get bigger as his skill increased. The more skill the more he would be able to handle, right? Wrong! If you are thinking that way, you are missing the entire point. The more skill, the smaller the circle. The more you learn to control only that which is in the circle, the more control you truly have. The less you have in your circle, the better, because you know you have absolute control of whatever enters your circle. The larger the circle, the less control you have as you have more in it.

So you wonder why so many people walk around stressed out, angry and constantly worried?! It’s because they try too much to control things that are outside their circle of control. All we can do is control our little training circle. For some, that circle is still very large because of lack of skill. As their skill increases, they will learn to stick to their circle of control, and thus, increase in control overall.

Can I control how you react to this article? Can I control whether or not you send me spam comments, talk bad about my site or give me complete praise? No. But what I can control is all that is within my circle. I can control if that spam comment is approved and whether it will upset me or not. I can control how I receive things and whether or not I will allow it to enter into my circle. If I allow it, my circle increases in size and as a result, I loose a bit of control.

As we increase in skill, in mindset, we stop worrying about all the things you have no control over. And as we do, we start dominating the things we do have control over and get really good at maintaining the Godly trait of temperance.

Pick your own battles…better yet, pick the ones you know you can control and win. And the ones you can win are the ones within your own Zorros circle. This is the entire secret to self-mastery. Can you control everything within a foot of your being. And yes, this includes the space in between your own ears. If you’re looking to lose weight, can you resist that doughnut or soda and can you discipline, instead of just motivate yourself to take that jog? When it all comes down to it, you allow that doughnut to enter or not enter your circle of control. You allow those thoughts of laziness to enter or not enter your mind, which is the center of the circle.

Self mastery! We are all very good about disallowing annoying or stinky people from entering our so called “bubble.” Yet we allow so much more to enter that is even more damaging and more harmful to our progress and happiness. As we learn to control what we know we can control, we master our circle, and in doing so will find the secret to a long, happy and fulfilling life!