| How often have you given up doing something even | | | | Records for delivering 12 punch lines per minute. Anne |
| before you gave yourself an honest chance of | | | | Frank was a young girl when she wrote her diary |
| succeeding? | | | | which is still published and continues to be read |
| Perhaps you started a redecorating project or writing | | | | throughout the world by the next generation. |
| a novel. You purchased all the necessary items and | | | | - I don't know what I want to do: You may not know |
| then never painted or wallpapered the room because | | | | exactly what you want to do, but there is something in |
| you thought you couldn't do it perfectly. You wrote the | | | | the back of your mind that is important. Especially if |
| outline, table of contents and the introduction to your | | | | you know you're not happy in what you're doing now, |
| novel, without giving your literary talent a chance to | | | | you know there's more you want out of life. Do |
| flourish you abandoned it, because you think no one will | | | | whatever your heart desires and see where it leads |
| read it. | | | | you. |
| You begin a diet. Within a few days, you revert to | | | | - I want to do too much: No one says you can't do a |
| your normal eating habits because you didn't see | | | | little of everything. Just pick one that will set the |
| immediate results. | | | | groundwork for the others. Find the common thread in |
| Because of your past experiences when you have | | | | the things you like, and start there. You can branch off |
| not achieved all that you wanted, you only remember | | | | once the foundation is in place. |
| getting bombarded with more and more work when | | | | -The universe is against me: Hm-m-m-m-Not at all. |
| you thought the project would take only a few days. | | | | Once you set your mind to something and begin |
| You think the next project will end up the same, so | | | | heading in a direction, the universe will open up in ways |
| you don't begin or you slack off and let the fruits of | | | | you can't see right now. People will come into your life, |
| our dreams fade away. | | | | events will take place, and you will begin to see more |
| You need to become an expert at getting out of your | | | | light at the end of the tunnel each day. But you have |
| own way when it comes to achieving your dreams. | | | | to make the first moves. Nothing takes place for you |
| After all, you've gotten in your own way over and | | | | unless you do something. Do something, even if it is |
| over for years. | | | | wrong, you can learn from that. Thomas Edison was |
| We sabotage ourselves in any number of ways by | | | | asked if he was discouraged because he had 100 |
| our thoughts. | | | | failures in his quest to invent the light bulb. "Discouraged! |
| - I'm not good enough: On Monday, a group of | | | | Edison exclaimed, I am closer to inventing the light bulb, I |
| students will be given a lecture by the worst teacher. | | | | already know 100 ways how not to invent a light bulb, |
| The worst actor will star in a made-for-television | | | | the next idea may be the one that works." |
| movie. And the worst boy band will put on a mini show | | | | - Motivational speaker Les Brown in his book "It's Not |
| for friends and family in their garage. I don't have any | | | | Over Until You Win," tells a story of a keynote |
| more talent than them, you say. What if the boys who | | | | speaker at a National Speakers Association |
| became the Beatles had stopped practicing in Ringo's | | | | conference he attended. The speaker was perhaps |
| garage-because, they thought they weren't good | | | | the worst speaker Les had ever heard. The man |
| enough. | | | | spoke in a monotone voice and was dull as a butter |
| - No one will be interested: Just look around at some | | | | knife. By the end of his presentation, more than |
| of the things you see on television or read in | | | | two-thirds of the audience had walked out. The |
| newspapers or books or magazines. It is amazing | | | | speaker, noticing this said something that pretty much |
| some things have lasted this long-you intone. What if | | | | sums up the message of this article. "The reason I am |
| J.K. Rowling of Harry Potter fame would have told | | | | up here (Doing) and you are sitting down there |
| herself-No one will be interested, so why bother writing | | | | (watching) is because I represent the thoughts you |
| this novel. | | | | have rejected for yourself." |
| - I'm too old/young: Colonel Sanders was sixty-five | | | | Give yourself a chance, get out of your own way and |
| when he began his Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant. | | | | persevere. Perseverance pays off. If Edison could |
| He died a multimillionaire. Phyllis Diller was 40-something | | | | invent the first light bulb after 100+ non workable |
| when she became a star as a comedian-old by | | | | prototypes, you can create what you want too. It isn't |
| industry standards at the time. Diller achieved a record | | | | the amount of genius, it is the amount of |
| that still stands today in the Guinness Book of World | | | | perseverance. |