Do it today

”Never leave that till tomorrow which you can do today.” - Benjamin Franklin

 Procrastination is the thief of time, as the proverb goes.  Every second that passes, is a second nearer to the day that we will die.  As the clock ticks, each tick becomes history, a second never to be repeated.

Admitting there are some things that one find hard to do, they still have to be done sooner or later.  Putting it off is not helping anyone.  Tackle the bull by its horns and do those things that you don’t like doing first.

Be whatever you want to be – Donna Levine

There is inside you
All of the potential
To be whatever you want to be;
All of the energy
To do whatever you want to do.
Imagine yourself as you would like to be,
Doing what you want to do,
And each day, take one step
Towards your dream.
And though at times it may seem too
difficult to continue,
Hold on to your dream.
One morning you will awake to find
That you are the person you dreamed of,
Doing what you wanted to do,
Simply because you had the courage
To believe in your potential
And to hold on to your dream.

Logic

 ”Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere.” - Albert Einstein

In a world of facts and figures, imagination is treated like a stepchild.  Yet, logic confines our imagination.  Logic ensures existence; Innovation separates the leaders from the followers.

If we only depend on what makes sense…

Open the eyes of your heart

”Ask not what your country can do for you — ask what you can do for your country.” - John F. Kennedy

 Mother Teresa, christened as Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu, was teaching at St Mary’s High School in Calcutta, but the suffering and poverty she witnessed outside the convent walls made such a deep impression on her that she left the school and devoted her life to working with the poorest of the poor in the slums of Calcutta. 

Initially she had no funds, she depended on volunteers, but her selfless work did not go unnoticed and eventually she had many organizations providing financial support.

Not all of us are destined to be Mother Teresa, but we can’t just turn a blind eye either.  There are people in need around us.  Some of them are visible, but many are too proud to admit they require assistance.  Open the eyes of your heart.

Shadows and sunshine

Most of the shadows of this life are caused by our standing in our own sunshine.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

Are you your own best friend or are you one of your own worst enemies? 

I’m sure others have voiced their lack of trust in you or your ideas.  That is how many people are.  We don’t allow others a place in the sun.  Instead we criticise and break down. 

So why should you too be standing in your own sunshine, casting a shadow over your life?  Become your own best friend.  Only when you truly love yourself, will you believe in yourself and support yourself to become the best you that you can be.

You are your first responsibility

There is only one success – to be able to spend your life in your own way – Christopher Morley
Doing what make others happy doesn’t necessarily make you happy.  You have to learn to say no.  It is 100% in order to have a mind of your own.  You are your first responsibility, because when you are happy, you will make everyone around you happy too.

We are what we think

Nurture your mind with great thoughts.  To believe in the heroic makes heroes – Benjamin Disraeli

We are what we think.  If you constantly feed yourself with negative thoughts, you become negative.  Fortunately the same is true for positive thoughts.  You too can be a hero.

It starts with me

We shall have no better conditions in the future if we are satisfied with all those which we have at present. - Thomas Edison

Being unhappy with existing conditions is something which South Africans can identify with quite readily.   How do we change it?  We can strike and complain, join the crowds, or we can roll up our sleeves and effectively start contributing to making this country/town/relationship/business/department a better place. 

Like the man who was throwing starfish back into the sea after they were washed ashore.  When told that he was wasting his time as he cannot save them all, he answered:  “No, but it made a difference to that one,” after throwing another back into the water.  It starts with your immediate circle of influence.

Change the facts

“If the facts don’t fit the theory, change the facts.” - Albert Einstein

Most human beings are blessed with enquiring minds.  Children are inquisitive and curious, probing for answers to the questions their minds generate all the time.  Unfortunately a lot of that is oppressed because parents become tired or irritated.

To encourage questions and curiosity, mean that we encourage development and innovation. 

Continuing to manufacture type writers, when the rest of the world has moved into the electronic age, will not be a good idea.  When theory becomes outdated, maybe it is time to challenge the facts.

I felt like Phelps

“I felt like him, swimming that last 50 m; I felt like I was Phelps”   – Chad le Closs

Chad Guy Bertrand le Clos (20) idolised Michael Phelps from a very young age.  In 2009, he came 3^rd at the Common Wealth Games, losing to Phelps with .58 seconds.

On 31 July 2012, Chad won gold in the 200 m butterfly swimming event of the London 2012 Olympics, beating Michael who led all the way, with .05 seconds. 

Prior to this achievement, Chad also won five medals at the 2010 Summer Youth Olympics in Singapore. 

His first love is soccer, but he gave this up to pursue his dream to win an Olympic medal.  Since the age of 11 he has been practising relentlessly.  He trains nine times a week and full time six weeks prior to the games. 

Alex Voitov said it best:  "Phelps - close but not le clos enough"

It's easy to aim

It is not enough to aim, you must hit – Italian Proverb

It’s easy to aim, but not so easy to hit the target.  Practice, patience, persistence and endurance will ensure that you hit your target.

Push yourself beyond your own perceived capability.  Aim for the stars and you might just hit the moon, but if you aim for the moon, you will definitely never hit the stars.

Sales targets might seem unattainable, but if you have a structured approach, breaking them down into achievable chunks, success is within reach.

No doubt

“The main reason I don’t start doubting myself is because I know I’ve done the hard work – the long hours of training for the race,”- Cameron van der Burgh

Cameron van der Burgh (24) represented South Africa at the 2008 Summer Olympics and on 29 July 2012 he won a gold medal in the 100 m breaststroke  - a new world record.  He has won numerous World Championship medals since his debut in 2007.  He is currently studying for a Bachelor of Commerce and a Bachelor of Laws at the University of Pretoria.

Success doesn’t come easy.  You don’t just rock up and win a medal.  Cameron lost almost 8 kg’s and he had to change his technique, practising for hours and hours, at least 4 hours per day for 6 days of the week.  But when the time came, there was no doubt...