The Desire to Be Somewhere Tomorrow That Is Better Than Today

“Progress is impossible if you only attempt to do the things that you have always done.”  Mike Krzyzewski

Progress is something we all desire, to be somewhere tomorrow that is better than today.  To be more skilled, more successful, more content than we are right now.  But progress has a price.  It requires action, and inevitably, change.

When I was in high school, a couple of friends and I decided to cycle to Yosemite, which was about 225 miles away.  While I rode my bike a lot, I’d never cycled more than 20 miles.  And my bike had actually been broken, so I hadn’t been riding in months.

We stayed up all night fixing my bike and in the morning set off with our bikes weighed down with all the necessary supplies to make the trip.  For a trip that began as a whim, it became a truly life-shaping event.

It was harder than I imagined, but equally, more rewarding.  Each of us, at different moments, melted down, believing we couldn’t peddle another foot.  But with the patience and encouragement of the others, we each pushed through our melt down moments and pressed on.  Perseverance is paramount to progress.

There were some painfully long stretches that seemed to go on forever, but there was one saving grace.  Throughout the trip, along the side of the road, were the mileage markers.  Each new mile marker was a small encouragement that progress was being made.  When we reached the half way mark it created a renewed sense of energy and optimism because we now knew we’d already traveled the distance we had left to go.  And with each new mile marker we knew we had traveled farther than we had to go.

If you are looking for more out of life, get on the road and go someplace you’ve never been or jump on your bike and start pedaling.  But make sure to pay attention to the mile markers.  They will remind you that you are making progress, and progress makes all the difference in the world.

“Life is  either a daring adventure or nothing at all.”  Helen Keller

 

 

1000 Words – There Are No Constraints on the Human Mind and Spirit, Except Maybe You

“There are no constraints on the human mind, no walls around the human spirit, no barriers to our progress except those we ourselves erect.”  Ronald Reagan

We are acutely aware of the obstacles in our way, the circumstances preventing us from achieving our dreams.  It’s easy to identify the people responsible for our misery, and the bad luck that has caused all our grief.

But every now and then, the fog lifts, the clouds clear and we see the reality of the situation.  The greatest barriers to our success are usually the ones we ourselves create.

We must hold onto those moments of clarity.  For it’s only when we recognize that we create the limitations (not the economy, or the government or the politicians) that we understand we also have the power to tear them down.

Do you want to get the very most out of life?  Make sure you aren’t creating the barriers to your own success.  Eradicate any unhelpful thoughts you allow into your mind and see it you can set your spirit free.  “There are… no barriers to our progress except those we ourselves erect.”   Ronal Reagan

Quintessential Quotes – 10 Fantastic Quotes about Taking Action

Sometimes someone captures exactly the right sentiment with their words, so much so, that to try to improve upon them seems senseless.  Such is the case with the words below, some of my favorite quotes about the ever important topic of taking action.

If you want to live your life to the very fullest, then action is a requirement.  I hope the words below inspire you to take steps in the direction of your dreams.

“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”  Lao Tzu”

“Imagination means nothing without doing.”  Charlie Chaplin

“The future depends on what you do today.”  Mahatma Gandhi

“You don’t have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great.”  Zig Ziglar

“Personal power is the ability to take action.”  Tony Robbins

“You are what you do not what you say you’ll do.”  Carl Jung

“Even if you are on the right track you’ll get run over if you just sit there.”  Will Rogers

“An ounce of action is worth a ton of theory.”  Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Do you want to know who you are?  Don’t ask.  Act!  Action will delineate and define you.”  Thomas Jefferson

“Only put off until tomorrow what you are willing to die having left undone.”  Pablo Picasso

Whatever your goals and dreams may be, they are certain to remain unrealized unless and until you take action.  I hope some of the actions you take today bring you closer to your dreams.