Formulate a vision. Have goals and get ready to rock. Take action
now. Any action will create motion and motion means you that are moving.
Make use of your time instead of being used by it. Find purpose. If you
have no purpose in life, you just bounce around in mediocrity. If you
look around you and cannot find a purpose, try putting yourself in a new
environment. New horizons force us to look at the world in a different
way, and fresh ideas come from fresh surroundings.
Have fun. What good is making money if you don’t know how to have any
fun with it? Know how to laugh. A good, honest belly-laugh is more
precious than gold. The days of our lives should not be filled with
misery and grouchiness. A day without a laugh is a day that is wasted.
Vance Havner said it perfectly when he said, “Vision is not enough.
It must be combined with venture. It is not enough to stare up the
steps, we must step up the stairs.”
Think of the first steps you are going to make. Step one is always
believe in yourself. But it all starts with a goal. I write down my
goals so that I can map out the means of getting there. It doesn’t
matter if it’s a financial, physical, intellectual, or spiritual goal.
Imagine what it feels like to have already achieved your goal. Get in
commitment mode. How bad do you want to achieve the goal? What resources
will you bring to bear in going after it? What sacrifices are you
willing to make? If I am writing it down on paper, I am also writing it
down in my head and imprinting it on my soul. I know I am fully
committed. I will do whatever it takes to make the dream a reality.
Define your goals very clearly and precisely. It
helps you map out and anticipate obstacles. It also helps you break the
big goal down into smaller goals. Short-range goals are the
stepping-stones on the way to achieving big things. Big goals don’t get
achieved overnight, but the little goals add up quickly, and when the
big victory finally happens, it will feel like it happened overnight. My
overnight success took almost sixteen years to accomplish, so I was not
surprised when it happened. I’d spent every day of my life working
towards it.
If it was easy, it wouldn’t be worth it. Obstacles will come, oh yes
they will. For me, working hard is a daily business. It is a marathon,
not a sprint. “Success is not a result of luck. It is a result of how
you spend your free time.” I always have a few different goals, so that
when I need a break from one I can focus on another. Very few painters
work only on one piece at a time—they work on many. Put passion into all
your actions, and have many actions devoted to different passions.
Tell yourself that you are going to have a life that counts. You are
going to make an effort to never give up. You are full of determination.
You are ready to work hard and play hard. You will be the master of
your time. Let go of your mistakes; today is a new day. Be ground zero
for an epidemic of positivity. You are going to be a doer and not a
procrastinator. You are going to be a dreamer and not a dream-denier.
You are going to hang out with others who lift you up and encourage your
self-actualization. Shed your bad habits, and let good habits take root
through repetition.
Life is about making progress. People are going to try and talk you
out of your dreams. They will suck up your time with nay-saying, or
criticize you and pick you apart. But you tell them that Derek said to
back off. Stay away from those people who are imprisoned by negativity.
They’re not even doing good for themselves, so how can they possibly be
doing good for you?
Don’t worry about failing. It is nothing. It is the
voice of other people ringing inside our heads. Failure is a great
teacher and in a way has been my friend all along. Remember Thomas
Edison’s quote: “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that
won’t work.” Failure is also a test. Failure might be telling us that we
need to change direction and execute a different plan of attack or a
new strategy.
To be successful, we must be strategic in taking risks. Risks will
take us to untamed and uncharted territory, but it is in these places
that we become all we can be.
MOTIVATIONAL SPEAKER: Derek Clark
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