First Timers Start Here

     This blog/site is set up with static pages (listed along the left side) as well as ongoing blog entries. I break personal development into five basic elements: Head, Heart, Health, Wealth and World. Each of these elements is broken down and explained in further detail on their specific page.

     Your income level or the size of your bank account are not the best indicators of success. If that is the only way you measure your success I am afraid you will not get much out of the blog. On the other hand, if you are looking for true success and balance in all areas of your life then we have much to go over. My hope is that this blog becomes a place to share ideas and to encourage anyone looking to improve their lives and those of everyone they interact with.

Let me offer the following as an introduction to the information and ideas contained herein:

     The world doesn’t owe you anything. The world provides to you just what you have earned and just what you deserve. No more and no less. This may sound a bit harsh but if you step back and objectively think it through you know inside that this is true. And you know that this is one of the main reasons why success, in all its forms, feels so good. It feels good because you make it happen. You put your time, your energy, your sweat, your tears, and your brainpower into it. If you are not willing to pour yourself into making success happen, then you will not achieve it. It’s really that simple. Dreaming about it will not make it happen. Taking action will.

     An old Buddhist proverb states “When the student is ready, the teacher appears.” Are you ready? Are you open to listening and learning about success? Are you ready to take the steps and make the changes that will be necessary to achieve it? You’ve already taken the first step – you are reading these words. Good for you.

     You’re obviously already looking for answers. This blog does not hold all of them. No one blog, no one book and no one person can provide all of the answers. But a single blog or a single person can turn on the light. There is nothing more rewarding to me than to be having a discussion or making a presentation and “seeing” the light turn on. I call it “the light bulb moment”. It is that specific point in time where a comment, phrase, concept, or idea turns the bulb on. When the listener, in an instance, in a flash of comprehension, suddenly sees and understands the bigger picture. And from that moment forward they are no longer the same; they are forever changed.

     What is the bigger picture? The bigger picture is that every single person has the capacity and, and dare I say, responsibility to transform themselves into everything they are capable of being and to contribute at the highest level to the world around them. Does this sound too lofty of a picture? It most certainly is not. Most people are too afraid of looking foolish or awkward, and too afraid of failure, to go after their dreams. We all dream, but few people commit and go after them. They settle for the status quo and remain unfulfilled and unhappy at one level or another.

     I was there. From the outside I am sure I looked happy and content, but on the inside I was always dreaming of doing, achieving and contributing more. But I too was afraid of reaching for and going after my dreams. I grew up believing that success was a bad word, that reaching for the stars meant falling on my face, that having money was evil, and that living in a certain neighborhood or having nicer things was pretentious. I had to come to grips with that on my own before my moment arrived. But when it did, the sense of purpose and the clarity of vision were astounding. I could see exactly what I wanted to do, and what I needed to do to make it happen. That was the easy part. The work that followed and continues to follow is the hard part, but at the same time, the most enjoyable part.

     This blog is not a step by step how-to manual for success. No blog could be. The specific steps and specific journey are unique to each individual who takes on the challenge. Rather, this blog is a discussion about five specific areas, which I call the elements of success. Additionally I will highlight books, people, articles and ideas which can help you to step back and see where you are now, provide tips for determining what you truly want out of life, and point you onto a path of your own design for achieving everything you want in life.

     Where you end up in two, three, five, ten or twenty years from now depends entirely upon what you are doing now and the choices you make today. You cannot afford to simply be pushed through life. You have to chart it out and steer yourself all the way to your chosen destination. It really is your choice.

     So take a moment, right now before you go any farther, and make the commitment. Success takes time, success takes focus, success takes honesty, success takes hard work, and success takes commitment. Like the Nike slogan says: “Just do it”.

     My wish for you is that somewhere in these words, somewhere in the pages and entries to follow your light bulb moment will arrive. That my words will inspire you to take that leap of faith, to step out of your comfort zone, and push yourself into doing whatever it takes to make all of your dreams come true. You owe it to yourself and to the world to get after it. No one will do it for you.