The Secret: You Already Know It. Plan, Take Action, Work Hard

The secret can’t be a secret because then none of us would know it.

Most people this year will be looking for different answers on how to move ahead to a better life, both at work and home. This year the will to win will be just as important as the will to succeed.

The two words that you might want to hold dear this year are gratitude and expectancy. You can thank Earl Nightingale for that. Not only did he wake up with an attitude of gratitude but also with an expectancy to win and succeed at what ever he did. I am of the same thought. Life really is decided by attitude more then anything else.

Your attitude is a mirror of your inside thoughts, which is made visible by your actions, thoughts and feelings. You might be a product of your past, but you don’t have to be a prisoner of it. If you were lucky to come out of last year without any real frame damage—congratulations and a standing ovation please, finished by a drum roll. Recently, I was driving down what is called “The Mile Of Cars” please change that to “Half Mile Of Cars” and the same could be said to another BLVD. of Doom that I drove down.

War Zone

When you see all these empty dealerships it pains us, because not only did the dealerships go away, but so did their faithful employees. Where did they go? Often we never really appreciate life until it is taken away. The best thing about last year is last year is behind us. One day we will be able to look back and smile wryly when someone says to us, “Man this is a tough business.” We’ll be able to say, “Pal, you don’t know tough until you had a year like we did back in ’09!”

Turn setbacks in to comebacks

Who said that life won’t allow you to make U turns. I checked and it’s actually legal to make a U turn. Your U turn will need to have some substance behind it though. Most people are looking for a break, help, or somebody to help them. People spend more of their life looking for it and seemingly can’t find that break.

Some search their entire life chasing it and never find it without realizing it’s right in front of them. People go to meetings, groups, pump ups, bring in consultants or take pep pills to find it. What is it? People expect some miraculous event to happen to them and they end up sitting on the sidelines of life waiting for it. For the most part people are willing to do a bit more but really won’t take the next step to it. It’s called work. What a painful word for most. Funny it only has 4 letters to it. Yet the meaning behind the word is power-

ful.

Most people expect good things, but won’t work for them. I believe the good book said, faith without works is dead. It reminds me of the timeless joke where the old man goes to pray and looks up and says he would like to win the lottery. After several attempts and visits, the old man is frustrated and angrily asks one more time, “I have been here four straight weeks. I have never really asked for anything in life, but before my life is over I would like to win the lottery.” He suddenly hears a

booming voice from above, “Why don’t you meet me halfway and buy a lottery ticket.”

Pay The Price

Losers don’t want to pay the price, they expect success to drop unto their laps as they sit on their self-righteous rear end. This great country of ours is ready to offer you a golden opportunity. However, you will have work to earn it. Your attitude will be key. Your attitude determines your altitude. If you have a great attitude and throw it out to the world, it will throw it back at you. If you have a good attitude, then good things will come back to you. If you have a lousy “why me” attitude, don’t worry life will throw that back at you too.

All you have to do or get to do is to get up off the mat of defeat and take that right leg and place in front of your left and start marching to your goals again. Life is like a giant trip that at some point will have obstacles, failures and give you opportunities to make much needed U turns. When your trip goes wrong, you don’t usually go all the way back home and start all over. No, you stop, look around and get a bearing with a reliable compass. Why don’t you use your faith compass this year. All you have to point it to your goals, and back it with faith and action.

Miracles happen in life today, but for the most part it’s due to you taking action and working toward it.