What does it really take to achieve your dreams?

Aren't dreams awesome!  When I was a young lad I dreamed of becoming a firefighter, then a police officer, then a heavy equipment operator and on and on!

As the song "Angel in Blue" by J. Geils Band states "And she (he) never had dreams, so they never came true."  Most of my dreams never came true, but I had dreams and some did come true ... and it wasn't by accident!

There are a few things that determine whether or not you will achieve your dream(s)!

They include:

• Passion
• Commitment
• Focus
• Sacrifice
• Direction
• Magnitude/Speed
• Momentum
• Re-commitment

Truthfully, most dreams will never come true.  At least not until you convert your dreams into goals.  And while you may notice that there are a lot of hurdles and roadblocks between you and your goal the biggest of them all will be the ones that you create.  

More to come on each of the above bullet points in the near future.  So, as the chorus in the Aerosmith song by the same name goes "Dream on, dream on, dream ..."


Have a blessed day!

Tubby

What's wrong with my attitude and who are all these cowards?

There are many things that I try to protect, some to a better extent than others.  I value, of course, and do my best to protect my: loved ones; pet(s); property; integrity; character and attitude.

Indeed, my loved ones are of the most value to me and I would lay down everything I have to protect them.  Second most important to me is my attitude.  My attitude not only effects me ... but it effects those around me.  Therefore, my attitude should not only be important to me, but also to those around me.

For years now, I have made a conscious effort to maintain a positive and encouraging attitude.  I don't always find the right words to lift up others and I don't wear a smile 24/7 ... yes, I am a work in progress.  I learned long ago that watching the news on T.V. (and now via social media) would NOT lend itself to a healthy, positive attitude.  So I try my best to limit my news intake.

Yes some news does bleed into my life, whether it be on a restaurant or hotel's TV, at one of the businesses that I visit ... or even a passionate post from a Twitter or FaceBook friend.  Unfortunately, it appears that there is an abundance of "leakers" and "anon" (anonymous) sources supplying "facts" to media outlets who (perhaps because of their political leanings) run stories so that they can be first to report.

Please, please, please, regardless of your political leanings, I encourage you to ignore any news that the primary (usually only) source is a "leaker" or "anon".  Or at the very least, take it with the BIGGEST GRAIN OF SALT imaginable.  I question whether any or all of the "leaked" reports are founded in any truth at all?  Is there really an anon source?  Who are these cowards and why do they have so little character or integrity that they won't go on the record?  And is what they are leaking really that important? 

An anonymous source recently informed me of the following:  Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer come out in full support of the National Grape Alliance after they discovered that President  Donald Trump prefers strawberry jam on his morning toast ... scandalous!  Now the grape and strawberry growers will be deeply divided in the next election.   Ridiculous yes, just an example yes, but it really has gotten this bad.

Leakers and Anon sources, take heed and "have the courage of your convictions."  If you have any credibility and your message is important, stand-up and be heard, use your full name, don't hide in the shadows.

Resolution Success!

Jim Rohn said it best ... "Success is nothing more than a few simple disciplines, practiced every day."

Whatever you resolved to do or to become in 2018 ... make it your daily practice, your daily discipline!

Transform your resolution into a goal by developing a game plan or process that will lead you to whatever your success looks like.

Focus on your goal every day and take the steps or actions that you laid out in your game plan to get you from here to success.

Your plan doesn't have to be complicated ... but you will have to sacrifice.  If your goal is small, then your sacrifices may be small.  Just keep in mind that it is YOUR goal and it is worth the sacrifices that YOU have to make.

A quick example:  Your goal might be to lose ten (10) pounds by June.  How are you going to do it?  Well, according to the Mayo Clinic (https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/weight-loss/in-depth/calories/art-20048065), for every 3,500 calories you burn/or reduce from your diet ... you will lose about one pound.

Let's say you are in the habit of going to Starbucks everyday and ordering a delicious 580 calorie Venti Iced White Chocolate Mocha.  If you substituted a "Venti" glass of zero calorie water for the Iced Mocha for the next six days you would remove about 3,500 calories from your intake (that's one pound in the first week) AND you would retain about an extra $35 in your bank account!

Assuming that your habit is to buy the Iced Mocha on only work days, there are about 110 work days (translated: Iced Mochas you won't be buying!) between now and June.  Those 110 days of skipping Starbucks translates into eighteen (18) pounds (or 63,800 calories) and $642 more in your bank account!

WOW!  If saving more money in 2018 was a second goal you've just killed two goals with one simple discipline, practiced every day!  That extra $642 can be put towards your summer vacation, a new bathing suit for the beach/on vacation (won't you look good!), a new grill, etc.

Happy New Year and have a blessed 2018!