Curious about Determination: What Does It Mean to You? Do You Have It? Do You Use It? How?

Definition of Determination: The quality of mind which reaches definite conclusions; decision of character; resoluteness. That which is determined upon; result of deliberation; purpose; conclusion formed; fixed resolution.

“Failure will never overtake me if my determination to succeed is strong enough.” - Og Mandino, American author

When working toward a dream/goal, we are urged to make a commitment, practice perseverance and discipline, and basically “stick with it.” I am not sure about you, but for me when I am determined to reach my dream/goal, I am more definite, resolute and fixed in attaining what I want than usual.

We all face obstacles, no matter how well we have planned and how hard we are working. If, however, we have enough determination to work through those obstacles, we are on our way to success. I have mentioned already that I am involved in a new and additional business opportunity. I know from experience that it won’t all be “smooth sailing.” I am determined to stick with it through the tricky times, because the pay off will be well worth it. Besides, it makes us strong and does add to our character.

Let’s hear about determination from the experts:

• “What is character but the determination of incident? What is incident but the illustration of character?” - Henry James, American writer
• “An invincible determination can accomplish almost anything and in this lies the great distinction between great men and little men.” - Thomas Fuller, English clergyman
• “A man can be as great as he wants to be. If you believe in yourself and have the courage, the determination, the dedication, the competitive drive and if you are willing to sacrifice the little things in life and pay the price for the things that are worthwhile, it can be done.” - Vince Lombardi, American coach
• “Crystallize your goals. Make a plan for achieving them and set yourself a deadline. Then, with supreme confidence, determination and disregard for obstacles and other people's criticisms, carry out your plan.” - Paul J. Meyer, American businessman
• “Determination gives you the resolve to keep going in spite of the roadblocks that lay before you.” - Denis Waitley, American writer

Some quotations with a bit of a different twist:

• “Do not underestimate the determination of a quiet man.” - Iain Duncan Smith, British politician
• “No-one gets an iron-clad guarantee of success. Certainly, factors like opportunity, luck and timing are important. But the backbone of success is usually found in old-fashioned, basic concepts like hard work, determination, good planning and perseverance.” - Mia Hamm, American athlete
• “One of the things that made me persist in the Antarctic in the face of sickening discouragements was my determination to name a portion of the earth's surface after my father.” - Lincoln Ellsworth, American explorer
• “Success means having the courage, the determination, and the will to become the person you believe you were meant to be.” - George A. Sheehan, American writer
• “When you locate good in yourself, approve of it with determination. When you locate evil in yourself, despise it as something detestable.” - Xun Zi, Chinese philosopher

And, here are some to post next to your work area:

“I've always found that anything worth achieving will always have obstacles in the way and you've got to have that drive and determination to overcome those obstacles on route to whatever it is that you want to accomplish.” - Chuck Norris, American actor

“I never could have done what I have done without the habits of punctuality, order, and diligence, without the determination to concentrate myself on one subject at a time.” - Charles Dickens, English novelist

So, do you possess determination? Review and set some goals. Then start living with determination. The results will be extraordinary! I know from experience!

Curious about Happiness: Do You Have a Joie De Vivre? How Happy Are You?

“Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned, earned, worn or consumed. Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace, and gratitude.” - Denis Waitley, American author

“Happiness is found in doing, not merely possessing.” - Napoleon Hill, American writer

“Three grand essentials to happiness in this life are something to do, something to love, and something to hope for.” - Joseph Addison, English writer

Back in January of 2005, I wrote a blog about happiness referring to an article that appeared in Time magazine. Since then I have found more and more news about happiness and what makes some happier than others. Therefore, I decided it was time to revisit happiness.

Are you happy? What are some of the steps you can take to help ensure a satisfying life that will, in turn, lead to happiness? Time listed the following:

1. Count your blessings.
2. Practice acts of kindness.
3. Savor life’s joys.
4. Thank a mentor.
5. Learn to forgive.
6. Invest time and energy in friends and family.
7. Take care of your body.
8. Develop strategies for coping with stress and hardships.

For this current blog, as usual, I checked the experts for quotations. WOW! What a gigantic number! Here are a few to help you decide what makes you and those around you happy:

• “Happiness is neither virtue nor pleasure nor this thing nor that but simply growth, We are happy when we are growing.” - William Butler Yeats, Irish poet“
• Anything you're good at contributes to happiness.” - Bertrand Russell, British philosopher
• “Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.” - Mohandas Gandhi, Indian leader
• “There is joy in work. There is no happiness except in the realization that we have accomplished something.” - Henry Ford, American businessman
• “It is neither wealth nor splendor; but tranquility and occupation which give you happiness.” - Thomas Jefferson, American President

And then, there are the quotations with a bit of a twist:

• “Money can't buy happiness, but it can make you awfully comfortable while you're being miserable.” - Clare Boothe Luce, American dramatist
• “Happiness is found in doing, not merely possessing.” - Napoleon Hill, American writer
• “We must have courage to bet on our ideas, to take the calculated risk, and to act. Everyday living requires courage if life is to be effective and bring happiness.” - Maxwell Maltz, American scientist
• “The supreme happiness of life is the conviction that we are loved; loved for ourselves, or rather in spite of ourselves.” - Victor Hugo, French author
• “There are people who can do all fine and heroic things but one - keep from telling their happiness to the unhappy.” - Mark Twain, American author

And, here are three to make your upcoming weeks special:

• “Our happiness depends on the habit of mind we cultivate. So practice happy thinking every day. Cultivate the merry heart, develop the happiness habit, and life will become a continual feast.” - Norman Vincent Peale, American clergyman
• “Happiness consists in activity. It is running steam, not a stagnant pool.” - Oliver Wendell Holmes, American writer
• “Some cause happiness wherever they go; others whenever they go.” - Oscar Wilde, Irish dramatist

Be sure to be happy and you will “cause happiness wherever you go.” Have a week filled with happiness and a joie de vivre!

Curious about Purpose: Do You Know What Yours Is? How Do You Fulfill It?

“The purpose of life is a life of purpose.” - Robert Byrne, American celebrity

“Definiteness of purpose is the starting point of all achievement.” – W. Clement Stone, American businessman

“True happiness... is not attained through self-gratification, but through fidelity to a worthy purpose.” - Helen Keller, American author

With the above quotations, I could probably stop right now – they do say it all. I am always amazed when I search weekly for quotations and discover that there are words like “purpose” where the quotations continue for pages. There were so many good and positive ones that I really had a challenge picking the ones I will share with you.

All right. What about purpose? I have found that determining, and, of course, writing down our purpose is no small task. There are a plethora of books about purpose (note: when I searched Amazon.com books for “purpose” I got 454,112 results).

Many self-improvement gurus talk about the importance of purpose, but do not help us find our purpose. In John-Roger’s and Peter McWilliams’ Life 101, they have a common sense approach to purpose. “Before taking successful action, you must first know what you want. (If you don’t know what you want, how do you know if you’ve successfully gotten it?) Before knowing what you want, it’s good to know why you want it. A good way of knowing why you want something is by knowing your purpose in life.”

As they and others have pointed out, your purpose is not a goal. It is a simple positive statement of why we are here. It usually begins, “I am …” and is only a few words long. We use it to set our course in life.

Following are some of the many quotations I found from the experts:

• “I am here for a purpose and that purpose is to grow into a mountain, not to shrink to a grain of sand. Henceforth will I apply ALL my efforts to become the highest mountain of all and I will strain my potential until it cries for mercy.” - Og Mandino, American author
• “Never forget that the purpose for which a man lives is the improvement of the man himself, so that he may go out of this world having, in his great sphere or his small one, done some little good for his fellow creatures and labored a little to diminish the sin and sorrow that are in the world.” - William E. Gladstone, British leader
• “Every path serves a purpose.” - Gene Oliver, American athlete
• “Winners are people with definite purpose in life.” - Denis Waitley, American writer“
• I see my purpose in life as making the world a happier place to be in.” - David Niven, English actor

A little different take on purpose:

• “Being busy does not always mean real work. The object of all work is production or accomplishment and to either of these ends there must be forethought, system, planning, intelligence, and honest purpose, as well as perspiration. Seeming to do is not doing.” - Thomas A. Edison, American inventor
• “As far as we can discern, the sole purpose of human existence is to kindle a light in the darkness of mere being.” - Carl Jung, Swiss psychologist
• “The purpose of business is to create and keep a customer.” - Peter Drucker, American businessman
• “Civilization is a process in the service of Eros, whose purpose is to combine single human individuals, and after that families, then races, peoples and nations, into one great unity, the unity of mankind. Why this has to happen, we do not know; the work of Eros is precisely this.” - Sigmund Freud, Austrian psychologist
• “It is not how much one makes but to what purpose one spends.” - John Ruskin, English writer

And, my gift quotations for you for the coming week. I suggest you copy these and post them in your work area as reminders:

“Singleness of purpose is one of the chief essentials for success in life, no matter what may be one's aim.” - John D. Rockefeller, American businessman

“The purpose of learning is growth, and our minds, unlike our bodies, can continue growing as long as we live.” - Mortimer Adler, American philosopher

“The purpose of art is washing the dust of daily life off our souls.” - Pablo Picasso, Spanish artist

Have a terrific, purposeful week!

Curious about Expectations: How They Can Help and/or Hurt Us?

“If you paint in your mind a picture of bright and happy expectations, you put yourself into a condition conducive to your goal.” - Norman Vincent Peale, American clergyman

“Being in control of your life and having realistic expectations about your day-to-day challenges are the keys to stress management, which is perhaps the most important ingredient to living a happy, healthy and rewarding life.” - Marilu Henner, American actress

“We tend to live up to our expectations.” - Earl Nightingale, American entertainer

There was a time when I was proudly working for a popular restaurant chain. When I mentioned where I worked, people reacted with positive remarks about our service and our food. We were always crowded because our guests held high expectations of their experiences. We had created those expectations.

Things began to change, however, with new management, a cutting of costs and less attention to service. We were no longer fulfilling the expectations we had worked hard to establish. Before long, the restaurant filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and one day the doors were chained shut.

I submit to you that not only must we fulfill the expectations that others have of us and our businesses, but we must also set expectations for ourselves and others’ perceptions of us.

And, I found many experts that second that opinion:

• “And indeed if you think you're a genius at something, what you achieve is very much according to your expectations; if you think you're no good, you're not going to get anywhere.” - Diana Wynne Jones, English writer
• “You should live your own life and live up to your own expectations, and those are the only things I really care about it.” - Tiger Woods, American athlete
• “The first step in exceeding your customer's expectations is to know those expectations.” - Roy H. Williams, American businessman
• “It is only through raising expectations and striving for excellence that our children can reach their full potential.” - Brad Henry, American politician
• “Winners make a habit of manufacturing their own positive expectations in advance of the event.” - Brian Tracy, American author

But, I also found other interesting thoughts about expectations:

• “Never idealize others. They will never live up to your expectations.” - Leo Buscaglia, American author
• “Reputation is fine but you have to keep justifying it. In a sense, it makes it harder because people's expectations of you are higher. So, you have to fulfill those expectations. Or, try to exceed those expectations. But, it becomes more difficult as time goes on.” - Derek Jacobi, British actor
• “We don't want people to have expectations of us, but then we have expectations of everybody else.” - Lauryn Hill, American musician
• “Unhappiness is best defined as the difference between our talents and our expectations.” - Edward de Bono, British psychologist
• “There is hardly any activity, any enterprise, which is started out with such tremendous hopes and expectations, and yet which fails so regularly, as love.” - Erich Fromm, American psychologist

And, especially for you and for me during the upcoming week and weeks:

“The expectations of life depend upon diligence; the mechanic that would perfect his work must first sharpen his tools.” – Confucius, Chinese philosopher

“You can't base your life on other people's expectations.” - Stevie Wonder, American musician

“The progress of the natural sciences in modern times has of course so much exceeded all expectations that any suggestion that there may be some limits to it is bound to arouse suspicion.” - Friedrich August von Hayek, Austrian economist

I have great expectations for all of us! What are yours?