Lead the Field

A person who does not read is no better than one cannot read.

It's not your present circumstances that count; it's the circumstances you make up your mind to achieve that are important.

We are at our very best, and we are happiest, when we are fully engaged in work we enjoy on the journey toward the goal we've established for ourselves.

Luck is what happens when preparedness meets opportunity, and opportunity is there all the time.

Destructive emotions, such as anger, hatred, and jealousy don’t hurt others; they hurt you. They can make your life miserable. They can make you sick. Forgive everyone who ever hurt you—really forgive them—and then forgive yourself. That’s all past.

Going at it strong for a week or a month and then falling back into old habits is just like working for a week or a month on that plot of ground and then abandoning it. Before long, it will be no better than before. Each morning, and during the day, ask yourself this question: “How can I increase my service today, knowing that my rewards in life must be in exact proportion to my service?” Do this every day, and you will have started to form one of life’s most valuable habits.

But much more important than that, only one in “I don’t know how many thousands” will take a large notepad, write the problem at the top of the page, and then deliberately turn on his thinking apparatus.

There are millions of human beings who live narrow, darkened, frustrated lives—who live defensively—simply because they take a defensive, doubtful attitude toward themselves and, as a result, toward life in general. A person with a poor attitude becomes a magnet for unpleasant experiences. When those experiences come—as they must, because of his attitude—they tend to reinforce his poor attitude, thereby bringing more problems, and so on.

gratitude and expectant. First, I’m grateful for the opportunity to live on this beautiful and astonishing planet Earth. In the morning, I wake up with a sense of gratitude. Second, I expect the best; I expect to reach the goals I establish for myself (we’ll talk a good deal more about this concept later in the book). I find the idea of fulfilling those goals agreeable; hence, the attitude of expectancy. I know the world will give me back what I put out in the way of attitude, so it’s up to me. I’m responsible.

It was William James of Harvard University, the father of psychology in America, who said “Human beings can alter their lives by altering their attitudes of mind.