“It was on my fifth birthday
that Papa put his hand on my
shoulder and said, ‘Remember, my son, if you ever need a helping hand,
you’ll
find one at the end of your arm.’” ~ Sam Levenson
Good
morning!
This quote
reminded me of one of the primary traits I have
discovered in people who are successful in their professional lives,
personal
lives, and passions. The
successful
person heeds this quote and understands that in order to move forward,
she
needs to use her own helping hand.
We cannot put
the responsibility of moving forward on another
or wait for someone to help us. We
have
to live every day, helping ourselves, leading ourselves down the road
of our
dreams. That would
seem to be common
sense, yet I would dare to estimate that maybe 10 percent of people
actually
live that way. Many
people, somehow,
manage to remove themselves from the process of change and forward
movement (as
least part of the time) by waiting for someone else’s hand to lift them
up, or
engaging in thoughts that allow them to believe their own hands aren’t
strong
enough to do the job.
Here are just a
few examples I encountered recently:
***A person sets
a career goal. She
quickly realizes she doesn’t have the
background to accomplish what she sets out to do.
She asks someone to help her, but doesn’t get
the help she needs. Instead
of moving
forward, she stops.
***A person
wants to make an investment but does not know how
to invest. She asks
a friend for advice
or guidance, but the friend doesn’t have time to help her. She doesn’t invest.
***A person
wants their family to eat more healthily.
She tries to orchestrate a meeting to get
“everyone
on board,” but can’t seem to get everyone to sit down together. She decides now isn’t the
time to start the
new regimen.
Reread these
three examples.
Can you think of another way they could have
been handled had the women
embraced today’s quote? Here
are my
ideas.
The woman with
the career goal could make a list of the
information she needs answered, and then seek out sources that have the
information. If she
truly wants to reach
the goal, the answers are at the end of her fingertips.
The person without investment knowledge could
consult a local stockbroker, book, or many online resources to educate
herself
or create a mock portfolio. The
woman
seeking a healthier experience for her family might lead by example.
Your Turn: What area
of your life are you waiting for help in?
Instead of spending time waiting, spend time
generating a list of what
you need to know, and then uncovering sources of the information.
Today’s Affirmation:
I
do not stall in life; instead, I seek out solutions.
And as always, don't forget
to
start your day with a heartfelt: "Something great is
going to
happen today... I can't wait to see what it is!"
And when ending
your day ask yourself: "What is one more thing I can do
to
make today matter?
