“Until thought is linked with purpose there is no intelligent accomplishment.”

In her book, Unstoppable, Cynthia Kersey writes that a prominent psychologist asked 3,000 people, “What have you to live for?” An amazing 94% answered by saying they had no definite purpose for their lives – 94% percent!! With those kinds of results, is it any wonder that there are so many unhappy people in our world today?

James Allen also tells us on this subject that, “They who have no central purpose in their lives fall an easy prey to worries, fears, troubles, and self-pity.” When I was part of the 94% without a purpose, my life was constantly dark with all types of worries, fears and troubles. I was a ship without a rudder floating aimlessly in a raging sea. Nothing in my life seemed to go right.

I believe we were created with a purpose in our heart, and part of our journey here is to discern that purpose and to act on that purpose.

Purpose puts power and excitement in our lives. It keeps us from looking at the little picture of “me” and causes us to look at the big picture of “we.”

Ralph Marston, who writes The Daily Motivator, says “Your wishes, desires, hopes, dreams, opinions, likes and dislikes, at their very deepest level, revolve around a purpose. You can sense it. It is there. Pay attention to the times you really feel good about yourself. Ask yourself why this is so.

Keep asking until you touch a purpose so fundamental it cannot be explained in any other way.

Napoleon Hill, writing in the classic Think and Grow Rich, said that having a purpose was so important to success that people would have a different (and better) story to tell about their lives “if only they would adopt a DEFINITE PURPOSE, and stand by that purpose until it had time to become an all-consuming obsession!”

And that’s worth thinking about.

Earl Nightingale committed 36 years of his life to discovering “The Magic Secret.” After all his research, he came to this conclusion: “WE BECOME WHAT WE THINK ABOUT.” Bad news sells newspapers, magazines and advertising time. Let’s turn away from the bad stuff being fed to us. We want to be sensitive to these tough economic times, but most people’s reality is better than what the media says it is. Fill your mind (and heart) with positive, upbeat information.

Also, focus on others. Psychologists encourage individuals to get outside themselves and focus on other people…be outward-focused rather than inward-focused. In constantly asking, “How can I help someone else?” you’ll discover there are many ways to answer that question in 2010.

Which leads me to Success Mastery Company. We sincerely believe Success Mastery Company can be part of the solution. Success Mastery Company can offer people an alternative – from all the negative and now receive positive and empowering messages.

The people who have been successful focus on how they can help people.

Men-tor.  n. A wise and trusted counselor or teacher.
Looking for a way to help your people develop, grow, and improve their performance? Like to do the same for your-self? If so, you need to try MENTORING. If ever there was
a “win-win” process, this is it!

By definition, mentoring is a relationship between an experienced person and a less experienced person for the purpose of helping the individual with less experience learn and grow. Mentoring is a great way to serve your people… and yourself. As team members develop in both knowledge and skills, their performance naturally improves. When that happens, everyone wins. And you’ll find that YOU grow by mentoring, as well. As you reflect on your life experiences and distill them into nuggets to share with others, you “re-experience” the wisdom that’s inside of you. What’s wrong with that picture? NOTHING!

So, consider adding mentoring to your leadership strategies. And as you do, keep the following in mind:

All mentoring relationships need to focus on the people being mentored. Remember that it’s not about you – it’s about them. Accept them for who they are. Help them advance at their own place.

Avoid treating people you are mentoring as incompetent or incapable. Rather, think of them as individuals lacking in experience… valuable team members who need guidance. And don’t forget where YOU came from. Earlier in your career, you didn’t know what you know now. Why should they?

Don’t criticize or belittle. Instead, help “mentorees” think through the consequences of their behavior and to identify more positive ways of handling difficult or troubling situations. And, by all means, hold the people you are mentoring responsible for their success. Be willing to give of yourself and your time, but insist that they do the same.

Excerpt from “Your Success GPS” by Bud Bilanich.

During the early days of the Civil War, a Union soldier was arrested on charges of desertion.  Unable to prove his innocence, he was condemned and sentence to die a deserter’s death.  His appeal found its way to the desk of Abraham Lincoln. The President felt mercy for the soldier and signed a pardon.  The soldier returned to service, fought the entirety of the war and was killed in the last battle.  Found within his breast pocket was the signed letter of the President.

Close to the heart of the soldier were his leader’s words of pardon.  He found courage in grace.  Let us extend that same grace to others.

“Max Lucado, best-selling author.

“Imagine life as a game in which you are juggling some five balls in the air. You name them – work, family, health, friends and spirit and you’re keeping all of these in the air. You will soon understand that work is a rubber ball. If you drop it, it will bounce back. But the other four balls – family, health, friends and spirit are made of glass. If you drop one of these, they will be irrevocably scuffed, marked, nicked, damaged or even shattered. They will never be the same. You must understand that and strive for balance in your life. How?

Don’t undermine your worth by comparing yourself with others. It is because we are different that each of us is special.

Don’t set your goals by what other people deem important. Only you know what is best for you.

Don’t let your life slip through your fingers by living in the past or for the future. By living your life one day at a time, you live ALL the days of your life.

Don’t give up when you still have something to give. Nothing is really over until the moment you stop trying.

Don’t be afraid to admit that you are less than perfect. It is this fragile thread that binds us each together.

Don’t be afraid to encounter risks. It is by taking chances that we learn how to be brave.

Don’t run through life so fast that you forget not only where you’ve been, but also where you are going.

Don’t forget that a person’s greatest emotional need is to feel appreciated.

Don’t be afraid to learn. Knowledge is weightless, a treasure you can always carry easily.

Don’t use time or words carelessly. Neither can be retrieved. Life is not a race, but a journey to be savored each step of the way.

A few years ago at the Seattle Special Olympics, nine contestants, all physically or mentally disabled, assembled at the starting line for the 100-yard dash. At the gun, they all started out, not exactly in a dash, but with a relish to run the race to the finish and win.  All, that is, except one boy who stumbled on the asphalt, tumbled over a couple of times and began to cry. The other eight heard the boy cry. They slowed down and looked back. They all turned around and went back. Every one of them.

One girl with Down’s Syndrome bent down and kissed him and said, “This will make it better.”  All nine linked arms and walked across the finish line together.  Everyone in the stadium stood, and the cheering went on for several minutes.

People who were there are still telling the story. Why? Because deep down we know this one thing: What matters in this life is more than winning for ourselves.  What truly matters in this life is helping others win, even if it means slowing down and changing our course.

Dr. Karl Menninger, the famous psychiatrist, once gave a lecture on mental health and afterward answered questions from the audience. “What would you advise a person to do,” asked one man, “if that person felt a nervous breakdown coming on?”

Most people expected him to reply: “Consult a psychiatrist.” To their astonishment, he replied, “Lock up your house, go across the railway tracks, find someone in need and do something to help that person.”

Author Unknown. Excerpt from “The Sower’s Seeds” by Brian Cavanaugh, T.O.R.

You have it. I have it. Everyone you know has it. What is it? It’s this infinite, universal, subconscious and powerful gift we’re blessed with.

Most experts call it the “super-subconscious mind,” (higher level of thinking) although whatever you choose to call it, it is as available to you at this very instant as it has been to anyone, anywhere!

The origin of all creativity comes from the superconscious mind. The superconscious mind was used by all of the great inventors, writers, artists, business people, scientists and composers.

Bach and Beethoven tapped into the superconscious mind regularly to write some of the finest music ever heard. In fact, Mozart was so finely tuned into his superconscious mind that he could both hear and see the music in his head and then write it down perfectly note for note. Michaelangelo was known to have said that he would see his completed sculpture in the block of marble before he began chiseling away at it. He simply needed to chip around his vision.

The beauty of your superconscious mind lies in the application toward your goals. When you are striving and working toward a goal of your own choosing your superconscious mind will provide you the continuous flow of ideas and positive energy to help you move closer to your goal. Your superconscious mind functions best when you have a confident and calm mindset. Your subconscious mind automatically and continually solves every problem on the way to your goal as long as your goal is clear, concise and you believe in it fully.

REMEMBER THIS: When you get a hunch or an inspiration about the direction of your goal you must act on it immediately. This is when your superconscious mind is speaking to you, based on the time-dated material you entered at an earlier time. You see, when you adopt an attitude of calmness and confidence about your goals everything that happens to you can only bring you closer to your goal, your dream!

Emerson wrote, “A person becomes what he thinks about most of the time.” Successful people think and talk about what they want. Unsuccessful people talk about what they don’t want. The superconscious mind is so powerful that it is working all the time and you will get what you think about most of the time!!

“Whether you think you can do something or think you can’t, you’re right!”

• Plan ahead. It wasn’t raining when Noah built the ark.
• Stay fit. When you’re 600 years old, someone might ask you to do something REALLY big.
• Don’t listen to critics, do what has to be done.
• Build on high ground.
• For safety’s sake, travel in pairs. Two heads are better than one.
• Speed isn’t always an advantage. The cheetahs were on board, but so were the snails.
• If you can’t fight or flee, float!
• Don’t forget that we’re all in the same boat.
• Stay below deck during the storm.
• Remember that the ark was built by amateurs and the Titanic was built by professionals.
• If you have to start over, have a friend by your side.
• Don’t miss the boat. No matter how bleak it looks, there’s always a rainbow on the other side.

Although you may not be totally familiar with the geography of part of Maritime Canada, particularly with the absence of a permanent link between Prince Edward Island and the Province of New Brunswick, the thought of linking these two provinces permanently was only a dream. The transportation link between these two provinces was either by ship or, in more modern times, by ferry.

In order to link these two provinces permanently meant that many technological obstacles had to be overcome, but perseverance and the vision of a permanent link paid off. The permanent linking was accomplished by designing and then building a unique bridge. The project began in 1993, and the 12.9-kilometer (approx. 14 miles) Confederation Bridge officially opened on May 31, 1997.

Forming an integral part of the Trans Canada network, the Confederation Bridge is the longest bridge over ice-covered waters in the world. Many obstacles had to be overcome including the tremendous pressure from ice along its pylons during the winter and the spring thaw.

The key to the success of building this unique bridge over a period of four years was perseverance. No matter the task, perseverance is the ability to keep going in spite of obstacles and challenges. Perseverance is the realization that challenges along the way are only minor detours on the march to success.