What I’ve noticed in my own life, is that most of my successes are directly related to how I feel about myself. Now what I mean by that, is if I feel like I am a fat slob, unhealthy and unattractive, my self esteem is going to be rock bottom. My opinion of myself may or may not be a reality, but that’s what my mind believes. Until I can change this mental picture of myself, how can I view anything that my fat, ugly self creates as attractive? Make sense?

Success in a home based business, brick and mortar business or a regular job all begins and ends with you. Success outside of you must first start within you, and it works the opposite way as well. If you are not happy with your surroundings, chances are, you aren’t happy with yourself. Whether it’s your weight, the fact that you can’t climb the stairs without passing out or that you just don’t feel well, understand that everything around you is a direct reflection of you.

If you aren’t happy with your situation, start with you first. Feel good about who you are, physically, spiritually and emotionally. Get that in tune and everything else will start to fall into place.

Here are a few things you can do right now, today, to improve your self image.

• Start an exercise routine – For me, I love to feel strong. I love to run and lift weights. If I am not doing these things, I feel like I can’t protect my family, if the time comes that I need to do so. I feel like less of a man and often times compare myself to a few of my favorite movies, Gladiator and the Bourne series, where the weak die. (A little drastic I know….Just being honest!)
• Eat healthier – I struggle with this part because I love my sodas and goodies. But if I feel unhealthy, I have the willpower to control it. I’m not obsessive, but I do pay attention to how I feel about myself. Don’t fall into the false belief that as long as you like the way you are, all clogged up arteries and 500 lbs of you, then that’s all that matters. It’s not true and you are lying to yourself. You just don’t know any different.
• Look yourself in the eyes – Yes, I am vain….but not really. But I do want to know, that when I look myself in the eyes through the mirror everyday, that I can see a person that I have faith in. I want to see a person looking back at me that is confident, motivated and doing all that is possible to be who I know I am supposed to be. When I look in the mirror, I can see all doubt, fear or insecurity about the guy I am looking at. At that point, I know what I have to work on.
• Learn something everyday – Our brains are hungry for knowledge. We’ve all heard that knowledge is power, well it’s true, literally, and in more than one way. Knowledge is energy. It’s a simple concept, but if you make it a point to learn something everyday, you will find your excitement about life will be renewed. You will have a new found energy.
• Service – It’s not a new concept, but find an opportunity to serve someone. There’s no better way to feel good about yourself than by doing something good for someone else. And it’s a lot more fun if they have no idea it was you. (p.s. Don’t charge them money for this service. Hopefully that’s common sense!)

It can sound like a lot if you look at it all at once, but it really isn’t. Just develop a habit in doing these things and I promise you, you will start to have more success in all areas of your life. Our circumstances are a direct reflection of who we are being and how we feel about ourselves. In the most humble way, can you honestly say to yourself, “I’m kind of a big deal!” Say that to yourself in the mirror everyday and see what happens…and one day, if not already, you’ll start to believe it.

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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.

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Now most of us can see pretty good with our physical eyes, some better than others. They are what we use to see all that is happening in the here and now. They show us present events. The things right in front of us. Depending on the health of these eyes, these present objects and events can be completely blurry, kind of fuzzy or completely clear. Using glasses, contacts and corrective surgery, we can improve our vision and see more clearly. These eyes have a purpose.

Now, if you plan on making any progress in life or creating any degree of success, you must learn how to use your physical eyes as well as your “other” eyes! We have many different eyes…the eyes of the past are our memories. We can always gaze into our past just as far as we can remember….and there’s a purpose for that. Through these eyes we learn from our mistakes. Hind sight is always 20/20.

The third set of eyes are more abstract. These are the eyes that sense, feel, dream and create. These are the eyes upon which all progress lies. Through these eyes, we can see further than the curvature of the earth or the farthest Galaxy. Through these eyes we can see things that have yet to be created or which don’t even exist. These are the eyes that know, regardless of physical sight, who we are going to become tomorrow, or a year from now. It has always worked that way.

So many people have it backwards. What you see right in front of you should NEVER, and I say NEVER, influence what you have already envisioned to for yourself. So many people live their lives being influenced solely by the present. They move from one job to the next, making zero progress in their lives, and have not learned to use their “other” eyes. They just haven’t exercised them enough to know how to use them. So they keep doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results, because they can’t see farther than that. They can only see as far as their circumstances allow them to. It’s like being in a building, only being able to see to the wall in front, not knowing about the endless universes outside. If these “other” eyes of ours aren’t ever used….they’re going to be blurry.

Just as we can nurture and strengthen our physical eyes to see better in the present, we can also nurture and strengthen our other eyes, and I say “other” because I don’t know any single word that can define their purpose. That exercise is self education, personal development and self mastery. We must realize our true potential and it is then and only then will we realize how far we can really see. It’s an amazing thing and the boundaries are endless.

The power of the human mind is beyond comprehension, if we but learn how to use it. It is the greatest tool on the earth today with the most potential….and combined with the soul, is beyond this world. We were created for a purpose and that purpose is to realize our full potential and to fulfill the measure of that creation to is greatest.

All I can say is think bigger. If you have an idea, see how far you can take it. Push it until you think you have reached your limitations…..and once there, push it just a little farther. You’ll be completely surprised and also extremely impressed with how things turn out. You have an endless amount of potential within you. All you have to do is open your eyes and have the vision to see it. It’s right there and it always has been. You just have to open your “other” eyes a bit more in order to see it. So don’t just think big…..think much, much bigger.

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Facebook is such a great resource for positive people. I absolutely love being surrounded by such optimistic, ambitious people. It makes my journey in life so much easier, as I am sure most of you can agree. Here recently I asked “Which one word would you use to describe your life right now?” and I received some great responses. Honestly, I wasn’t sure of the answers I would get to that question. I thought the majority of the answers would have been average answers, such as, “crappy, monotonous, stagnant, interesting, lame…etc,” I think you get the point. But I was positively surprised  at the response. As you can see to the right, most of the words are positive and motivating.

In fact, most of the people that responded to my question are Entrepreneurs in some way, shape or form. I have worked with many of them. I have seen their lifestyle and they speak truth in their “one word.”

In the past I have asked that same question to people and could tell they were lying through their teeth as they told me their life was wonderful. That’s the worst thing anyone could do. It’s not the fact that they lied to me….the true damage is that they actually only lied to themselves. If your life is a wreck, admit it. Accept the truth…and after you do, set course to change it. One of my mentors, Jim Rohn, spoke about affirmations being a joke. It doesn’t do anyone any good to tell yourself that you are “Skinny and beautiful” when you are 600 lbs and can’t remember the last time you took a shower or brushed your teeth. There must be action behind the belief. To say your life is “Fantastic” when it is truly in shambles is more damaging then not.

Now what you can do is affirm the actions you are taking. That’s a true affirmation. As you are exercising, eating healthy, practicing regular hygiene and learning how to put on make-up, you can definitely affirm that you are “becoming thinner and more beautiful.”

As the common phrase puts it,”Keep it Real!”…..and as Shakespeare put it, just a bit more elegantly, “To thine own self be true.”

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If you don’t have any of Jim Rohn’s material, get some. You’ll love it. I don’t think I have ever heard common sense in such an inspirational and useful way. Jim has a talent for allowing you to use the commonalities you already know to drastically improve your life.

There are very few people that can truly look back on their lives and see the millions of people they have directly and indirectly inspired and assisted. Jim’s message is one that will continue to inspire and uplift and I am grateful that I was here and alive when he walked this earth.

If you would like to check out some of Jim’s websites and material, there are plenty of places. Here are a few:

http://www.yoursuccessstore.com/

http://tribute.jimrohn.com/

http://video.success.com/featured/jim-rohn-tribute/

Jim’s Facebook Page

In closing, I’ll leave you with the quote on the header of his site:

“I wish for you a life of health, wealth and happiness; a life in which you give to yourself the gift of patience, the virtue of reason, the value of knowledge, and the influence of faith in your own ability to dream about and to achieve worthy rewards.” ~Jim Rohn

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