Step, Yes! Step, No!

I still remember when I was a child and playing this traditional Filipino games, "piko" (hopscotch) and "Step, Yes-Step, No."  Similarly, the player must be very careful not to step on the lines drawn in the soil.  You hop either with a leg or both but you have to do it as fast as you can.  Once one start "hopping", he/she should complete it going forward and back without committing any mistake.
The games never whispered anything significant to my life back then.  I was just an ordinary kid trying to take advantage of the allotted time for playing before my mother, aunties and grandmother call me back home to sit in my room and do my homeworks.
Some questions popped up on my mind just few days ago - on my 32nd birthday. What have I completed so far - from all the items I have written on my "Bucket List" (a very good movie by the way)?  Am I always stepping on the line that compels me to stop and wait for another turn?  As I grow older, the list becomes longer, yet, nothing has been crossed nor marked "done".  When will I start and make every aspiration, every target, every dream happen?
Tough questions, but the answer to each one is simple - take the first move, the first step, and go on... be less calculating, be more focus, have more faith in yourself and in God.
I was scanning the book [Don't Sweat the Small Stuff, Omnibus Edition] again and my attention was caught by one of the titles.  It goes like this... "Remember That the Journey of a Thousand Miles Begins with a Single Step".
Interesting?  Let me share it with you:

Remember That the Journey of a Thousand Miles Begins with a Single Step
- by Richard Carlson

I can vividly remember the first sentence I ever wrote in my very first book! It seems like a long time ago.  Yet had I not written that first sentence, I wouldn't have finished that first book, or the second and so on.  And so it goes.  Every journey, however long it may be, begins with a single step.  But you must take that first step.  Once you do, each step takes you closer and closer to your goal.
Sometimes, when you consider taking on a new venture-whether it's raising a child, writing a book, starting a new business, beginning a savings plan, or anything else-the task can seem overwhelming.  It's as though you'll never be able to arrive at your final destination, as if the first step isn't going to help. When you look too far out toward the horizon, it can seem too difficult.  You might even wonder where to begin.
The trick to success sounds very simplistic, becuase it is very simple:  Just begin.  Take a single step, followed by another, and then another.  Don't look too far out into the future, and don't look too far back either.  Stay centered in the present moment as best you can.  If you follow this simple plan, you'll be amazed at what you can accomplish over time.
When I graduated from Ph.D program, my dear friend Marvin gave me, as a gift, the complete works of Carl Jung.  That's twenty-six long volumes of material.  In volume one was a note from Marvin worth sharing here.  He wrote:  "Becoming educated doesn't happen overnight! Education is a lifelong process that happens in short intervals.  If you were to read only eight pages a day, for the next seven years, you would be one of the 
world's most knowledgeable experts on the work of Carl Jung, and you would get through every page!"  Despite not being a huge fan of Jung, I have always appreciated my friend's message.
The same, of course, is true with all ventures.  A wealthy friend of mine, worth many millions of dollars, remembers opening his first savings account with his wife over forty years ago with $10.  They both laugh when they say, "It's amazing what a little time will do."  Had they not decided to start somewhere, their incredible success would never have manifested itself.
Over and over again I hear people telling me about the book they are going to write, the savings account they are about to open, the business they are going to start., or the charity they are planning to help.  But in many instances, these plans and dreams keep getting put off until "the conditions are right." One of the most powerful messages I can share with you, one that I'm absolutely certain of, is this:  In almost all cases, the conditions you are waiting for will not be significantly different next week or next year.  Don't worry that the conditions have to be perfect.  The truth is, you are still going to take that first step!  If you take it now, instead of later, you'll be many steps closer to your dreams by this time next year.  Congratulations, you've just taken the first step in the completion of this book.






Napoleon Hill's Classic: Think and Grow Rich - Complete and Unabridged on 8 Audiotape Cassettes, Plus Hard Cover Book, in Case (Audiobook)

Go ahead! You can do it.

You'd be amazed at what people can (and will) do if you not only give them a chance but also believe in their potential.  It's important to know that everyone has unique gifts and talents.  It's your job to assist in bringing those gifts and talents out into the world.  In other words, rather than sitting back and waiting for people to be perfect- and being frustrated when they are not-take some responsibility in the process by creating an ideal psychological working environment.There's an old motto in business: Give someone a reputation to live up to and watch them shine.  It's really true.  Most people, given the right environment, are hard-working, talented, creative, and productive.  They want to please others just as you and I want to.  Unfortunately, however, most people are hardly ever exposed to an ideal working environment. 

What happens to someone when she is insecure, resentful, or frightened?  Very simply, she loses most of her motivation to please you as well as most of her other positive work-related qualities.  Consider the following example:  You have an assistant.  Every day when he walks in the door, you remind him how incompetent he is.  You point out his weaknesses and flaws.  You belittle him in front of other people.  Then you walk out the door.  The question is, How does your assistant feel?  It's hard to know for sure, because people react differently to the same set of facts.  But it's a good bet that he's either frightened, insecure, resentful of you, or most likely, all of the above.  His job performance is going to be suspect.  If you are disappointed in him, you are missing the point!

Wouldn't you increase your odds of securing a dedicated, hardworking assistant if you treated him with enormous, genuine respect?  Wouldn't your assistant be more likely to work hard and keep your best interests in mind if you were to treat him with kindness, reminding him frequently how much you appreciate him, pointing out to him when he does something right?  Ideally, we want everyone to feel good about themselves.  We want others to believe in themselves, to feel confident and secure; to feel as if they are talented, competent, and creative.  This way, everyone wins.

When you encourage creativity in others and have faith in them, it's analogous to creating the ideal conditions for a garden.  You are "planting the seeds" for an environment where success is most likely to occur.  When you plant a garden, you want to have the right type of soil, moisture, and sunshine.  When you build people up-instead of pushing them down-you create the psychological equivalent.  The same principle applies whether you are hiring a housekeeper, an attorney, an accountant, a publicist, or anyone else.  It also applies to your children, your spouse, your friends, and your neighbors.  It always works:  When you believe in someone and when that person knows that you believe in her, magical things can happen.  From this point on, see if you can expect great things from people.  Do your part by creating the ideal working conditions.  Be kind, patient, and supportive.  Then, sit back and watch what happens. - 

 (Title: Encourage Creativity in Others and Have Faith in Them, from the book, Don't Sweat the Small Stuff... Omnibus by Richard Carlson)