Probably you’ve ever heard these wise words before. The exact words actually say:

“It doesn’t matter where you’re coming from; all that matters is where you’re going”

So, I’ve got the idea to write this article after reading Goals by Brian Tracy. I found these encouraging words in the e-book, and I instantly loved it, that I just wanted to write something based on the words.

I’ve got some people sending me e-mails telling about their disturbing pasts. The point is that they felt that they couldn’t live their present lives, because they’re just haunted by their pasts.

Probably you’ve ever felt the same way.

Maybe you’ve ever made a mistake that made you feel embarrassed in front of many people, did “forbidden” things, and other disturbing pasts that keep haunting you, so you feel that you can’t do what you have to do in the present.

The wise words can be applied in this kind of situation.

It doesn’t matter what happened in your past, what’s important is where you are going now. The past is the past, and you can’t go back there. Now is the time for you step forward, to where you want to go.

This is almost the same with Frank O’dea’s case, the successful Canadian entrepreneur. Years ago, Frank was an alcoholic, and he even got kicked out by his father for his bad behavior, so he was homeless and he could only panhandle on the streets.

Now, things are much better for him. Frank O’dea is now a successful entrepreneur, because he did not mind about his awful past, and he kept on going to have a better future. If Frank were kept on haunted by the fact that he was an alcoholic, and also haunted by his embarrassment of being a panhandler, he wouldn’t have been as successful as now.

Worrying about the past will only hinder you from success, so will worrying about the future. What you need to worry about is actually not the past or the future, but today.

I don’t mean that we must worry about things.

What I mean is that we need to focus on today, instead of the past or the future, because it is obvious: the past is gone, and the future isn’t arrived yet. We only have today, “the present”, which God had given us.

Besides being applied to the past, the wise words can also be applied to limitations.

There are so many people who think that they don’t have enough resources that can make them succeed. Whether it is their background that comes from poor family, physical limitations, being born in a poor country, etc.

Basically, God had given us all with tests. Some are tested by financial difficulties, physical limitations, or even tested by wealth or positions.

So, tests are normal.

If you think that wealthy people have easier tests than poor people, you might need to think about it.

Like I’ve said before, we are all tested, or I might say “challenged”. Poor people who are now successful of living their dreams are great people, because they can defeat their limitations. Wealthy people who are getting more successful are also great people, because they can keep their wealth and use it in the right path, instead of squandering it. They can accomplish the "challenge".

So once again, “It doesn’t matter where you’re coming from; all that matters is where you’re going”

Just look at Abraham Lincoln, a son coming from a poor family. He finally managed to be the president of the USA, and he’s even one of the most influential people in history. Or, you might also take an inspiration from Ramaditya Adikara, an Indonesian who is visually impaired but can blog and compose music for Nintendo.

So, where are you going?

Don’t be bothered by your past or limitations. Decide where you want to go, set some goals, and just keep on moving forward.

If you want to know more about goal setting, I recommend you read Brian Tracy’s e-book, Goals. Don’t worry, it’s absolutely free!

You just need to go to BrianTracy.Com, and sign up to his free newsletter. Then, you can instantly download the e-book. It’s a good read!


Image:griffith.nsw.gov.au

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Thomas Jefferson, the 3rd president of the United States, once wrote 10 things he thought could make one’s life happier.

This advice was originally written to fulfill a request of a father who had named his son Thomas Jefferson Smith.

Do you want to apply the 10 things? If so, then try to apply these:

1. Never put off till tomorrow what you can do today.

In my country, this wisdom is quite popular, because it is usually printed on students’ note books So, I guess this is clear enough: don’t procrastinate, don’t wait until tomorrow if you have something to do now. Who knows that you will never meet tomorrow?

2. Never trouble another for what you can do yourself.

If you can do something by yourself, then don’t trouble others. It doesn’t mean that you can’t delegate things, but it is applied on certain things. If you are a business person, and you have employees, then you must tell them to do the things you want, because it won’t trouble them since that’s how they’ll get paid. But if you only give troubles and no benefits to others, then never tell them to do what you can do yourself.

3. Never spend your money before you have it.

“How can I spend money even before I have it?”

Well, don’t borrow money and accumulate bad debts just to buy things that will decrease in value (cars, etc). If you don’t have enough money to buy toys, then don’t borrow some money to buy them just to please yourself.

So, a good financial knowledge is needed, so you know how to manage and use your money well.

4. Never buy what you do not want because it is cheap; it will never be dear to you.

If you are buying something, don’t buy it just because it’s cheap. For example, if you buy a cheap pair of shoes just because they are cheap, then be prepared to get disappointed because your shoes will get worn out soon. It is better to buy more expensive things, and with the quality that is equal. You will value them more.

5. Pride costs us more than hunger, thirst, and cold.

Wealthy people who like to show off is no better than poor people who are in hunger, thirst, and cold. It’s like what Edmund Burke once said:

“If we command our wealth, we are wealthy. But if our wealth commands us, we are poor.”

6. Never repent of having eaten too little.

Be grateful for everything that you have. Even though you can only eat a little, it is better than millions of people out there who can’t eat at all because of poverty, oppression, or natural disasters.

7. Nothing is troublesome that we do willingly.

According to Paul Zane Pilzer, one of the signs that you’re in the right business is that when you never get annoyed by your business matters. Even when you’re watching TV with your family, sometimes you will think about your business, because you love what you do.

Do the things you love do them willingly and happily, so you won’t feel like you’re working.

8. Don't let the evils which have never happened cost you pain.

There are so many people that worry about things in the future. The fact is that, most people worry about things that eventually never happened. It will only cost you useless pain.

If you still have a problem of worrying too much, then I recommend you read Dale Carnegie’s book, How to Stop Worrying and Start Living. It’s a good read.

9. Always take things by their smooth handle.

It means that you should not argue and debate about useless things, because arguments and debates involve opinions, and everyone can have an opinion. Well, arguments are still needed, but always “take them by their smooth handle”. Don’t make a situation worse by arguing and debating.

10. When angry, count to ten before you speak; if very angry, count to one hundred.

There’s a saying telling that anger is when the mouth acts faster than logic. I guess that’s true.

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I know...When you search the name Lindsay Lohan on Google, what you will find is mostly negative things.

As the wise words that go “everyone has the ability to inspire”, I believe that we can learn and find inspirations from anyone or anything, poor or rich, young or old, good and bad, etc. Including Lindsay.

While I like to talk about entrepreneurs such as Sam Walton and Andrew Carnegie on success stories and lessons to learn, this time I’d like to write about Lindsay Lohan, who actually has made positive career moves that we may take inspirations from.

An article written by Jason Dowd in The Expressionist made a good point related to this:

“….plastering her across the tabloids to sell papers. Really, does that make us any better than her? I think not.”

So, you might consider about these 3 things about her:

1. Undeniable Acting Ability

Her 1998 movie The Parent Trap had showed Lindsay’s quality acting, and she was just ± 10 at that time. Since then, she had starred in various movies, and she even managed to get the attention of Robert Altman to play in the movie A Prairie Home Companion, along with the Oscar-winning actress, Meryl Streep. Critics loved her excellent acting in the movie.

At such a young age, Lindsay had proven that she was going to have a serious career in the film industry. From her various movie acts, she then made two of the most respectable nominations and awards (among other awards) for her acting ability:

- Young Artist Awards for Best Performance in a Feature Film in The Parent Trap, and
- Nomination of BFCA (the largest film critics organization in the U.S. and Canada) for Best Young Actress in Mean Girls


2. Number 3 in 2007’s Young Hollywood’s Top Earners

Forbes, a homepage for the world's business leaders, put Lindsay in the third position of Young Hollywood’s Top Earners in 2007. According to the magazine, she made an estimated of $20 million (she was 20 years old then).

Forbes analyzed box office receipts, album sales, tour grosses, TV ratings and other metrics to work on the list; and earnings figures are best estimates for the full year 2006, based on information from industry experts. Only stars under 21 were considered.

Another list in Forbes also shows that Lindsay Lohan is ranked number 153 of more than 1,400 actors in their Star Currency list. Her score is 6.26, meaning that the actress is a solid component of a project. It also means that she achieves various parts of the voting criteria, but not the majority, regardless of whether she is in a studio or independent film.

The survey for Forbes' Star Currency list was conducted in Sept. 3, 2008, through Nov. 16, 2008.

3. Participating in Fund Raising Events for Charity

As a multitalented person, Lindsay does not only act on movies and sings, but she also goes into the fashion business by establishing her own legging line by the name of 6126.

In November 7, 2008, she hosted a fashion showcase for her new line in Caesar’s Palace, and the show was reportedly a massive success for her. The money raised during the show was finally donated to Women’s Cancer Research Institute.

As an addition, Lindsay Lohan has also supported other charities, such as Angelwear, Bid 2 Beat Aids, Hear the World, ONE Campaign (to fight AIDS and extreme poverty), Save the Children, and TRAID (Textile Recycling for Aid and International Development).

She even occasionally tweets about how to stop hunger from her twitter account, @lindsaylohan.

Well, giving back is one thing that many successful people like Andrew Carnegie has done, and apparently so has Lindsay, because it is what she always want, as quoted in Interview Magazine:

“I want to give back. I want to do all the things that will make me feel fulfilled.”

Image: allposters.com
Other Source: Wikipedia

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You can’t deny the power of the internet.

You can access various kinds of information worldwide, and there’s more…. you can even make money and find the love of your life through the internet.

So, right now, internet marketing or internet business is already known by people, even by them who live in the third world countries like me. People have proved that they can make money online, even while they are sleeping.

What the “big dogs” do in the internet business seems easy: Just by sending one e-mail, they can immediately earn hundreds, or even thousands of dollars.

If you like exploring the internet jungle to find some new business opportunities or new e-books on internet marketing, then you may have heard about this:

"Sit Me At Any Key Board Of Any Computer In The World With Internet Access, And I Will In 24 Hours, Earn At Least $24,000 CASH!"

or this one…

“When I want to buy a new laptop, I just need to send one e-mail, then I will make $1000”

There’s nothing wrong with those statements, really. Robert G. Allen can make thousands of dollars immediately, by just sending one e-mail. It’s the same as other successful internet marketers.

However, you might not see what’s behind the fact:

They have built their list of subscribers before, so they are always ready to send any kinds of offers through e-mails. Building list of subscribers is, of course, not easy and needs long hours of work.

They still need to struggle before they can enjoy the fruits.

In fact, Robert G. Allen said that he needed 18 months to build his business and list of subscribers, before he agreed to take the challenge of making money in any parts of the world with just a computer and internet access.

So, Robert Allen or other internet marketers have actually sent hundreds of e-mails, written articles, and sold various kinds of products before, so their subscribers trust them, and see them as credible and professional people.

After they’ve built credibility, one e-mail they send can worth thousands of dollars.

The point is that, it is possible that you can make thousands of dollars by just sending one e-mail.

However, you need to remember of what you must do before you can achieve that. Internet business is just the same as offline business. You need to give to others first before you get anything from them.

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Do you procrastinate much?

Well, you can stop the bad habit and start living a productive life.

To be able to beat or stop procrastination, firstly you need to confess how often you do it and assessing your methods of doing it. It is not very difficult, actually, when you become aware of the tactics some of us use to hide from ourselves what we are doing.

The answer in overcoming procrastination and becoming more efficient is this one thing: organization. Plan ahead, prepare ahead. Know what you want to get done today, this week, and in the long haul. Zig Ziglar once said:

"You were born to win, but to be a winner, you must plan to win, prepare to win, and expect to win.”

Then, you also need to make lists. The lists for today will probably be more thorough than the longer-term lists. That's OK. After that, look over the lists and rank the tasks in order of importance. Make three or four groupings according to importance. Within each group, star the things you least like to do.

Each day you will have a "today" list to work up. Deal with the tasks that are most important first. If you have several "most important" tasks on your list, take on the least liked things in that grouping before you do the better liked ones. When you have accomplished a task, check it off. You'll be amazed what an excellent feeling you have when you check things off. What a sense of triumph! It's an incentive to do the next task on the list. When you have completed the tasks in the first grouping, begin on the list of next importance. Again do the starred items in that group first. Keep on checking things off as you get them done.

Do you see what is happening? You get the most pressing, least liked tasks out of the way early in the day when you are fresh and relaxed. As the day goes on you will feel less and less heaviness. You have reserved the less important tasks for the end of the day when you will be more exhausted.

With this method you will have not only increased your efficiency but also reduced some of the stress and anxiety in your day. Stress can hinder efficiency. Your brand new efficiency will help you develop your potential. It is, in fact, a part of living up to your potential.

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