Watch your thoughts; they become words.
Watch your words; they become actions.
Watch your actions; they become habits.
Watch your habits; they become character.
Watch your character; it becomes your destiny.
- Frank Outlaw

Who we are and what we become starts long before the habits that encompass what we do each day.  What we allow to fill out minds eventually becomes more of who we are than we may realize when we allow it in.

I have always enjoyed this particular quote because it reminds me to think carefully what I do, specifically in my free time.  What am I filling my head with?  What am I saying, what am I doing?  What do I let become part of my daily routine.

I can honestly say I try, though I am sure I often fail at trying to do this.  Perhaps the effort in trying is character I am hoping for.

“My great concern is not whether you have failed, but whether you are content with your failure.”
– Abraham Lincoln

We all fail at various things on a regular basis; the question is what we do about it.  The other day while filming a pee wee football game, our quarterback made a mistake and received a little “feedback” from the coach on it.  Being that he was only 8 years old, he took it kinda hard.

After the other coaches had sought to bolster him up a bit, I called him over.  My message was simple, hey, we all mess up, but the best part of football is that you have a whole new series coming up to react in a great way and make everyone forget all about your previous mistake.  That seemed to resonate with him as he gave a little smile and nodded.

The next series he ran only two plays, one to the right for a short gain, the second to the left for a touchdown.  I don’t hear anyone talking about the mistake, just that great run for a score.  Hopefully he remembers that little life lesson, I know I did.

“If one advances confidentially in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours. “

- Henry David Thoreau

I am a big believer in the value of work, but work without a goal, direction and vision will often leave you working your all your life aimlessly.  I love the words of those with more wisdom than I, for they inspire me to do greater things, and remind me to always make the most of each day I am blessed with.

Write a wise saying and your name will live forever.
– Anonymous

This one tickled my funny bone this morning. I realized I hadn’t posted a good quote recently and thought this one was more than appropriate. I could look for a serious application of this thought, but I figure I’ll leave it for what it is.  There is truth to it though, don’t you think?  We tend to remember and revere those that coin bits of wisdom in well put phrases.

A person who is successful has simply formed the habit of doing things that unsuccessful people will not do.
–Dexter Yager

As I suggested in the previous post on getting up early to take advantage of the productive “Golden Hours” of the day, there are things you can do that others are unwilling to do. Often those habits are the difference between those that are successful, and others that do not. It can be little or seemingly big things at first, but creating success habits in your life, you can get more done and accomplish more than others. At the root of it, it all comes down to your willingness to break away from the lazy habits and form good ones.

If you don’t know who Dexter Yager is, he and his family have represented a major portion of the Amway organization over the years. He is the most promoted leader in their company history, which of course represents untold millions in success. In my business experience I have had the opportunity to work with his company on a services level, and they know what they are doing. I am not an Amway (or Quixtar) participant, and have no desire to be. Whatever you may think of Amway, though, Dexter has been a very successful individual by leading tens of thousands of people.

Precarious Fun

This last weekend I happened by a mountain bike show in front of a local bike shop. My family was with me, so I thought I would stop and see the show. The kids loved it, and they were able to even meet the riders in the shop.

Being the photo geek that I am, I came back for their later show with my camera equipment and snapped off some shots. I have sent them in to the owner of the place to see if they would like any of them, but we’ll see. I have a bunch of different shots of them in the air, but I liked this one best of the bunch because of the scenic background and other people in the shot. By the way, that excited guy on the right is the owner.

Just take a look at those mountains and try to tell me Utah is not a beautiful state! I dare you.

Link to desktop wallpaper sized version.

Canon 20D, 24-105L, 1/800 at 8.0 and 200ISO

Committing a great truth to memory is admirable; committing it to live is wisdom.
- William A. Ward

It is easy to recognizing something as a good thing, smile and move on.  To actually put that principle into action in your life is an entirely different thing.  This quote was a good reminder for me today.  How committed are you to bettering yourself each and every day?  Ask yourself that question each morning and commit to always find ways to improve yourself mentally, physically and spiritually.

Destiny is not a matter of chance, it is a matter of choice; it is not a thing to be waited for, it is a thing to be achieved.
William Jennings Bryan

I enjoy researching good quotes to post each day.  In the process of my research I read many good ones in search of whatever strikes me that day as “post-worthy”.   Today this one came out on top because I really believe that in today’s society we have the opportunity to make our own destiny.  Of course we have limitations placed on us due to our beginnings in life, but we have the opportunity to make choices and put for the effort to advance ourselves.  We are the only ones responsible for where we end up in life, and with that responsibility comes opportunity.

Where are you taking your life today, and where do you wish you were headed?  If they are not the same, evaluate what you need to change and do exactly that.  A simple formula to say, though it may take some hard work to accomplish it.  In the end, it is worth it.

“Great things are not done by impulse, but by a series of small things brought together.”
–Vincent Van Gogh

Great things of course can be read to mean things that are remembered for generations to come; but I like to apply this quote to even the great things we accomplish in every day life.  Achievements of magnitude are typically not accomplished by chance or spur of the moment.  Most meaningful successes are the result of planning and the accumulation of many small efforts made over time.

As you travel through your every day life, be sure to regularly evaluate your goals.  See that you are doing things each day to work towards accomplishing greater things than simply getting through the day.

Every man who is high up loves to think that he has done it all himself; and the wife smiles, and lets it go at that.
Sir James M. Barrie

I enjoyed finding this quote as I think it is well put, perhaps better than the more known/popular version

Behind every great man there’s a great woman

You may not know, but this second quote is actually attributed to the feminism movement, but has become more of a term of endearment and humor these days. Of course this can easily be said in reverse too, but coming from my perspective I soundly echo that none of much successes would be possible without my wife. In fact I subscribe to the modified version of the quote

Behind every great man there’s an even greater woman.

Not only does she provide me with support, but often advice, direction and strength to accomplish what I have committed to. Being an entrepreneur is a tough road to haul alone, and it is an even tougher road without the support of your family. I am thankful I have always had full support.

Whoever your supporting cast may be, be sure to let them know your appreciation and to give them the same support in what they do.