Most people struggle with life balance simply because they haven’t paid the price to decide what is really important to them.
-Stephen Covey
Opportunity is a haughty goddess who wastes no time with those who are unprepared.
-George Clason
Strong, deeply rooted desire is the starting point of all achievement.
-Napoleon Hill
The three men above have written some of the most influential books on business and self-development of all time. These books are popular because the world is full of people who want more money and time.
The distance between your current state whether it be in business, your personal life, and where you want it to be can be significantly shortened if you’re willing to get honest. Look at everything around you. If you’re in your office you’ll most likely see a desk, light source, a place to sit, books, a computer…What do all of these items have in common? You chose them.
Move on to your living room, bedroom, kitchen. All stuff you decided on and purchased.
The same rule applies to your work life. If there is an aspect of your business that is troubling you- organization, time management, profits- before diffusing responsibility by blaming or assuming that those without these problems possess mysterious magical potions or are extraordinarily lucky, ask yourself one question: Why have I decided to have this problem?
Until you face the answer to this question, no self-help book will save you. Examine your unconscious commitments.
Do I create chaos because silence makes me uncomfortable?
Does clutter help me hide from myself or the outside?
Does keeping busy and flustered make me feel important?
Does too much money make me feel greedy?
I have to choose between God and wealth. I choose God.
Would too much money alienate me from my peers?
Do I interpret self-created mini-catastrophes as acts of God and have therefore become attached to them?
Some of you will read this list and think, “None of these apply to me. I want to be organized, successful, and meet the goals I’ve laid out for myself.” You’re lying. If you aren’t making regular, consistent progress toward that which you say you want, then you have already made a commitment or have a belief that you are deeply unaware of. Dig deep. The belief may be as simple as “being committed to being confused.” There are many fantastic mysteries in the universe we live in; business, money, and how to keep your house clean are not among them.
Until the beliefs that have kept you in a state that you no longer desire to be in are looked at square in the face and given an exit interview, they will hold the steering wheel and take you down unsavory paths.
Whenever I find myself up against a false and/or limiting belief I get excited as amazing opportunities are usually on the other side.
People who are successful in their work and personal lives are not any more exceptional than you. The #1 difference is that they know what experiences they are committed to having and not having. Until you make these choices, you are at the mercy of your past.
Know thyself
The Oracle at Delphi
Talent is cheaper than table salt. What separates the talented individual from the successful one is a lot of hard work.
Stephen King
Creativity comes from trust. Trust your instincts. And never hope more than you work.
Rita Mae Brown
