10 days of Inspirational Quotes & Thoughts: Day 6

Today's quote is something that I think every person realizes at some point as they develop into a responsible adult. I am not a supporter of Donald Trump's values and practices, but I've breezed through a couple of his books and he does have good quotes and general advice. This is one quote that I particularly like and one that is worth putting some thought behind.

"Continuous effort is the key to unlocking our potential" - Donald Trump

Initial Thoughts: We've all been told at some point in our lives that it's important to always do your best at whatever it is you are doing and to always put forth your best effort. It sounds great - but it can be tough. Who wants to give their energy and best effort to something they do not like doing?

Digging Deeper: Giving "continuous effort" is a bit of a twist on simply giving your best effort. Continuous effort is about proactivity and involves constant experimentation - more of a trial and error approach. Putting in continuous effort allows you set a foundation, grow and ultimately build something that is worthwhile. A simple analogy is sports, the best athletes in the world constantly work, train, and study every aspect of their sport to reach their potential. Lebron James and Peyton Manning are two of today's most successful and revered athletes - who are the best at what they do. It's not just their talent that makes them the best - it's the continuous effort they commit to giving throughout all phases of the year.

What to Walk Away With: If you can continuously give your best effort - well then you are on your way to unlocking your potential. Giving continuous effort in one facet of your live will lend to others - such as your relationship, your family, friends, profession, etc. Just keep in mind, if you want to be the best you can be and reach your potential - don't ever give up and give continuous effort. Not everything works out in life, so don't get derailed by obstacles that might put a dent in your armor.

10 Days of Inspirational Quotes & Thoughts: Day 1

Inspirational quotes can make a difference in a life when taken to heart and thought about beyond the surface.

"Happy are those who dream dreams and are ready to pay the price to make them come true." By Leon J. Suenes

Initial Thoughts: At first this quote almost seems a bit harsh - relative to paying the price for your dreams to come true. Is it going to be some sort of miserable experience for me to make my dream come true? Doesn't sound so much like a dream if I gotta pay the price!

Digging Deeper: Upon digestion of the quote, paying the price implies that it's not often that your dream comes true by falling into your lap. Now that would ideal, that would be nice - but it's not reality. What dreams coming true and paying the price have in common is what I like to call hard work, persistence, and a level of determination that surpasses any obstacle in your journey to the end, to your dream.

What to Walk Away With: While many of us dread waking up in the morning to go to work, or tackle that particular day's abundance of what seem to be meaningless, purposeless tasks - many are waking up everyday to live out their dream. Dreams are coming true - literally everyday - all over the country, all over the world. And what these people have in common, is a focused passion that doesn't die off after a week of motivated initiative. It's a continued effort keeping the end goal in mind day in and day out. It's continuously assessing progress relative to short term and long term goals. It's slowing down, paying the price, investing the time, to make those dreams a reality.

Picture that says it all..

I like photos like these. This one in particular seems to be relatively impactful. It's a very grounding image - "give all your shit away and start living." So that makes you wonder, what would life really be like if you had to do away with all the clutter, clothes, electronics, decor, cars, shoes, computers, etc. I mean, all of that is junk right? All of those things aren't necessarily important. In 20 years when you look back, are you going to care about that pair of jeans that you had to have because it made your ass look right? Or, the new Apple iTouch, gotta have one of those right? So there's a few different ways to look at all these 'things' that are all around us:

• Maybe these are the little things that make some of us happy - nothing wrong with that I don't think
• Maybe these are the little things that get in the way of true happiness - spending money and time on irrelevant, materialistic 'stuff'
• Maybe your thoughts change when you hear the old saying....if you were on your deathbed, what would you want to have at your side to die with

Just a few things to think about. Think that everything can be enjoyed when done in moderation, assuming you have a set of values and morals that your judgment is consistently based on. But getting back to the photo. I think it really speaks volumes. And I say that because many of us are bogged down with things that we think are important, but are quite insignificant in the grand scheme of life. So maybe the message is to take some time and forget about all the 'stuff' that your life revolves around. Try it for a week, or maybe just for a few days. Break your routine. I think we all will find out that there's other things in life capable of giving us joy and excitement. And when you find out what those things are, you can incorporate them into your lives - in moderation of course.

...More to come...