Make Small Commitments. Get Big Changes.

Compiled by Michael Dalton Johnson.

Taking Care of You

Drink plenty of water.

Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a pauper.

Eat more fruits and vegetables, and eat less that is manufactured in processing plants.

Avoid eating food that is handled to you through a window.

Live the 3 E's - Energy, Enthusiasm and Empathy.

Play more games.

Read more books than you did in 2009.

Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day.

Sleep for 7 hours.

Take a 10 - 30 minutes walk daily. And while you walk, smile.

Your Outlook

Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

Don't have negative thoughts of things you cannot control. Instead, invest your energy in the positive present moment.

Don't overdo. Keep your limits.

Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

Don't waste your precious energy on gossip.

Dream more while you're awake.

Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

Forget issues of the past. Don't remind others of their past mistakes.

Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present.

No one is in charge of your happiness except you.

Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and face away, but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.

Learn a new word every day.

Smile and laugh more.

You don't have to win every argument.

Your Relationships

Call your family often.

Each day give something good to others.

Forgive everyone for everything.

Spend time with people over the age of 70 and under the age of 6.

Try to make at least three people smile each day.

What other people think of you is none of your business.

Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.

Your Life

The worst promise you can break is one made to yourself.

Do the right thing!

Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.

You don't have a soul. You are soul. You have a body.

However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

The best is yet to come.

When you awake alive in the morning, thank God for it.

Your Innermost Self is always happy. Follow it.

No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

***

Are You A Leader Or A Follower?

Do you consider yourself a leader, or a follower?

Let see.

A leader means someone who is leading others. A follower means someone who follows a leader.

A leader usually have a vision, while a follower follows a drawn out path.

A leader is not afraid to be opinionated, whereas a follower can't make up his mind without influenced by others' opinions.

Yet, here's the thing,  we live as both.

During meeting, when you are just one of the attendees, and yet you come out with these brilliant ideas that make perfect sense, and others were drawn into you...you're being a leader.

On the other hand, when you are The Boss by-status, and you sit down and listen to your Floor Managers about what's working and what not in the company...you're being a follower. You are following your key staff's leads.

The same case of being a leader and a follower in everyday life:

When you teach a novice about something you've been good at doing your whole life, you're a leader. They will follow you, because they want to be just as good as you are (or maybe even better).

On the other hand, when you are the one who is seeking new experience in life, you would seek guidance from those who are already a few steps ahead of you. You're following their footsteps (the successful ones), and avoid some pitfalls (from the not-yet-successful ones).

So...rather than trying to live up to any kind of expectation, about being a leader or a follower, why don't we rather be the ordinary guy, who happens to be also a man of character?

The ordinary guy who is also a man of character.

The ordinary guy who likes what they like, doesn't matter what the 90% of population prefers.

The men of character who knows their values, and live by them.

The ordinary guy who is not a sheep.

The man of character who accepts themselves for who they are.

The ordinary guy, who is also a man of character, in possession of personal leadership and...living their purpose in life.

Are you that guy?

How to Take Care of Yourself

Do you take care of yourself? 

If your initial respond is "umm," then the answer is no.

If you quickly said yes, let me ask you again, do you take a good care of yourself?

If you still can't figure out, answer these 3 questions below.

From the scale of 1 to 5, with 1 being least often, and 5 as most often, how often do you:

1. Do something that you don't really want to?
2. Do something with no good reason as to why you were doing it?
3. Wish you had said no, but kept it inside and continued on doing whatever it was you're doing?

If by now you had started figuring out that you:

• Had not been good to yourself
• Had been putting others first most of the time; and 
• Forgot when was the last time you really had a good time.

It's time, to start taking a good care of yourself.

How to Take Care of Yourself

1. Understand that it is not only okay, but also important.

If you go on the airplane often, you'll know this. In the case of emergency, it is required that you put on the oxygen mask on yourself first, before putting them on anybody else.

If you are not well taken care of, you won't be able to take care of others to your best ability. You owe it to people that you are taking care of, the best and most resourceful, happiest you.

Once you understand this, you will accept it. And that is the beginning.

2. Do things for yourself.

Learn to say no. Do things only when they matter to you.

No need to be a saint or the hero that always saves the day.

Unless you have all the free time in the world and unlimited resources of energy and money, figure out why YOU would do certain things that other requested. Or worse, others EXPECTED OF you. Why?

3. Be kind.

This will sound like a paradox to point #2 above, but stay with me and you will see.

Be generous. Be helpful. Give respect and earn respect.

Give, but don't expect a return. If you're expecting a return, it's business. Put it in writing.

Otherwise, give because it won't matter if you lose it.

Help, because it gives you joy. It = the act of helping or the activity itself. The joy = the look on your loved ones' face, cash prize, or even a recognition.

4. Recognize the differences between "must" and "want".

Everyone has obligation in life. More often than not, obligation doesn't consume 24/7 of your time.

Do what you must do. The rest of the time, do what you want. 

If you had done what you must do, don't settle for what you want. You deserve it. As much as everybody else on this earth.

5. Maintain a positive attitude.

Like Mark Twain said, "The world doesn't owe you anything, it was here first."

And Trevor Jones' word, "Nowhere on your birth certificate did it say life would be fair."

Everyone has problems, every lives have circumstances. 

Whatever problems come your way, you can make it through.

There is someone, somewhere out there, who were facing a much bigger problem than yours, and they made it through. And so can you.

6. Stay curious - stay humble.

If you need help, ask. Look for those who would benefit from lending you a hand, or answering to your questions.

Nobody knows everything. It is okay to ask questions. More importantly, be open-minded to the answers. Don't make up your mind beforehand, otherwise it's pointless to ask questions.

Ask for help, and if people refuse to help, don't take it personally. They're just taking care of themselves too!

That's why you seek for those who want to receive as well.

7. Maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Physically, and mentally.

Physically: Eat healthy food, exercise regularly, and get enough sleep.

Mentally: Do things that you're passionate about. If you're in relationship, maintain your identity and keep active on your passion. If you're single, enjoy the life without commitment. You are free as wind. That is something you will cherish a few years down the road.

Those are 7 basic steps to start taking care of yourself today.

It won't be easy, but start small, with baby steps, and keep sticking to it. 

Once your mindset is developed, putting yourself first in every situations will become a habit.

And it is okay, to take care of yourself first and foremost.

When Is It Okay to Quit?

Quitting is not a high-achiever's favorite word.

Yet, unless you quit on certain things, you're banging your head into a wall.

When you bang your head into a wall, you feel like a failure.

As Eleanor Roosevelt said, "Nobody can make you feel inferior without your consent."

So unless you allow yourself to feel like a failure, you are NOT a failure. Despite quitting.

So when is it okay to quit?

Before we get there, let's define the word. 

When I typed "define:quit" into Google, the first definition that came up was: "To put an end to a state or activity".

When I used Thesaurus, one of the many definitions was: "To stop doing something".

One thing that neither source mention was the word "permanent".

With that in mind, let's agree that the word "quit" does NOT equal "stop permanently".

Now, when is it okay to quit?

It is okay to quit when:

a) You have an unachievable goal.

There is nothing more dangerous than setting up yourself for failure.

A big goal is good, so you know where you're going, and when you get there.

But it's not okay, to throw that big picture of winning on a far sight and start running towards it despite whatever rocks/cliff/fire are in your way.

When you knew you're going to crash and burn, as well as how they are going to happen to you, yet still taking that road without looking for alternatives, that's not bravery, that's foolishness.

When you knew you're going to crash, as every adventurers face at one point or another, and you do everything within your power to prevent it, and still, keep on going, that's courage.

So when you have a big goal, and half-way down the road you get beaten up, have no clue why you're doing it, and how long will it take to get there, it is okay to quit. 

It's called revising the game plan.

b) You have an unrealistic time frame.

You are driving from New York, wanting to go to California. And you want to get there in 5 hours.

Let's not get too imaginative with James Bond's ideas. Let's keep our feet on the ground and honestly think, is it possible?

Let say, somehow, someway you say it's possible. And you have all the resources in the world to make this happen, right on your fingertips.

And if you don't do it, some catastrophe is going to happen. So you must make this happen, no other option.

3 hours in, you got as far as Louisiana, which is already a miracle in itself, and you realize your plan wasn't working. Is it okay to quit now?

c) You lost the drive.

Whatever it is that motivated you, it's gone.

The fire died. It's not there anymore.

Your effort is half-way done though. And now you're dragging your tail getting into the 3/4 of the project.

Is it okay to quit? And pay someone else to finish it, while you're off doing something that would make your effort worth your while?

People grow. Life changes.

If at this very moment, you're living it to the fullest, your half-done projects, or unrealistic goals, despite incomplete, are OKAY to let go.

It is okay to quit, as long as you know why you're quitting it, and have the answer to "What now?"

Go for it. Live for the sake of living. 

Life is not always about in pursuit of something, 24/7, 52/12/365.

Life is about embracing the moment.

Can you feel the air in your lung right now? Do you feel the sun?

Do you feel alive? Then you haven't really quit. You didn't quit life. Congratulation!

Anticipation - The Good and The Bad

Anticipation is an emotion. And just like any other emotions, it can be good (serves us well), or bad (doesn't serve us so well).

When is anticipation good?

It is good when you are looking forward to something great. It creates excitement.

Anticipation is good because it keeps your happy feeling longer. Before the happy things happen, while the happy things happening, and even after the happy things are finished.

Happy moments pass, but the feelings and memories last.

It could also be good when you are looking forward to something not so great. It gives you a chance to prepare.

Anticipation is good because you are prepared for bad things that are coming. You are more prepared, either physically or mentally.

Would it make it less difficult to deal with? No. But it certainly gives you the opportunity for preventing them from getting to the worst.

When is anticipation bad?

Anticipation is bad because it is blocking you from enjoying the moment.

When you're talking with someone, are you waiting to hear what the other party says, before coming out with your own responds?

OR halfway through their sentences, you're already thinking of what you're going to say next?

Anticipation is bad because you hear what you want to hear, and not what the other person is saying.

Anticipation is ineffective because you see what you want to see, instead of what is really meant to be presented.

So when to anticipate and when to not anticipate?

This is a million-dollar question. No, I'm just joking.

Obviously, anticipate happy things, but set a time limit and schedule to do so.

A lot of times when we're excited and look forward to something, we miss everything else that's happening around us.

It is sort of keeping your feet on the ground.

Be aware of your own emotions. Recognize the feeling, and savor it. That way you don't take anything for granted, and yet, you're still allowing yourself to be excited.

Now, for unpleasant moments. 

It's not fun to be in a situation where you don't belong, or you don't want to be. Or to deal with someone that you really don't want to deal with.

Yay! This is a true test of inner strength.

Are you able to prevent, yet not anticipating, to get the most out this encounter/situation?

Prepare your best, but when the time comes, leave your anticipation along with your preparation.

Once you get in the game, be in it. Don't anticipate, trust your plans, and trust yourself.

When the unpleasant moment is over, no matter how painful it was, you will be learning something new.

When you are in the middle of those not fun situations, and you were able to fully present, able to listen to what was being said, able to get the most out of the situations, you will come out a lot better than those who  were just looking at the clock and keep rehearsing to themselves in anticipation to everything that was being said.

In the end, anticipation is good or bad, it all comes back to you. Use the emotion appropriately, at the proper place and time, and you will...make the best out of the situations.

How to Achieve Your Goals

How to achieve your goals is a simple question with an even simpler answer.

Sir Winston Churchill said:

It is a mistake to look too far ahead. Only one link of the chain of destiny can be handled at a time.

How to achieve your goals is a big question. How to reach your weekly objective is the slice of the chunk of it.

So what's the difference between goals and objectives?

Goals are broader, objective is narrower.

"Goal" contains the word "go" which means a direction you're heading, and "objective" contains the word "object" which means something concrete.

Goal is the big picture, objective is the milestone.

If you had gotten some ideas as to how goal setting works, it's now time to set your objectives.

How to achieve your goals, is by meeting your objectives week in week out.

When you lay out a game plan to achieve your goals, there are specific objectives along the way that you must reach; in order to keep moving, and keep moving forward.

Sure sometimes you stall, or get sidetracked, or even tripped over a couple times.

Sometimes you get tired and take too long of a break, sometimes you don't feel like keep going.

Eventually, when you don't quit, when meeting your objectives is not a matter of "if" but "when," and you finally get where you're going, you would understand that achieving your goals is a by-product of all smaller successes you've had along the way.

So what are your weekly objectives and how are you going to meet them?

Are You Good Enough?

Are you good enough to do something new? Or be someone better?

So you had just learned this new skill, and you know it's time to practice, yet...you hadn't.

Why?

For various reasons. One of them being "I'm not ready yet."

And the root of that is, "I'm not good enough. Yet."

Well, here's the cold hard truth: You never will. Be ready, I mean.

The key is to start doing it. Sure you'll screw up. But unless you screw up, you'd never learn.

Almost like when you learned to ride a bike.

Almost like the Catch-22 when you applied for your very first job and they asked for experience.

Almost like the paradox between chicken and egg.

Here are 3 steps to genuinely understand that you are good enough to do something:

First of all, get over yourself.

Seriously, do you honestly believe the whole world is watching you? And thus, will catch a glimpse of when you fall?

Nowadays people are becoming more and more self-full with their own life. They have their own problems, challenges and concerns that they need to tend to.

Watching you crawl, and fall, is really not on top of their list. If they happen to see your blunder, oh well, have them try to do it, and see how well they pass that exact same stumbling block.

Of course, you won't necessarily challenge people like that just to make yourself feel better. You're bigger than that. 

Second step, do it for the sake of doing it.

What I meant by that is, don't worry about the results on your first few attempts.

When you learn how to play music with an instrument, you study the notes, you play the scales, you grade your progress, and then you go up on level.

The big picture of learning process is like that. No matter what you're learning in life.

You honestly don't expect after the first 3 sessions of learning how to play piano you can perform in Carnegie Hall, do you?

So you wanted to learn this, just do it. If you're good enough to try it out, you are good enough to collect the end result. Whenever it is.

Finally, collect your mistakes in your mind and cherish them.

When you learn, and fall - and yes you will - enjoy the moment. Sure it's painful. Sure it's annoying. But believe, just believe, that with every flub, you are moving one step closer to become masterful.

Just like when you're a kid, when you learned to ride that bicycle, remember your first crash? And the second one? And the third one?

If you're good enough to be on that bike, you are good enough to learn how to not fall the same way ever again.

So next time you catch yourself saying, "I'm not good enough yet," remember how you got on that bicycle for the very first time. Remember...the feeling. 

Now, can you do this?