Life happens. It will happen again and again - the routine demands of life will overload you, or unexpected events will blow in from nowhere and threaten to drive you off course. You might run into a crisis at work and feel overextended, your kids might get sick, your computer might burn itself to smoldering microchips (as mine did while I was writing Unstoppable Women), your babysitter could announce she's moving to Des Moines...

Life has infinite possibilities - and infinite ways to complicate your plans.

When such things occur, we all must confront the urge to give up. Don't do it! When you're tempted to rationalize - "Well, I'll quit for now, but I'll get back on track tomorrow or next week" - seize the day! Take one immediate action to get yourself moving toward your task before the temptation to once again throw in the towel gets too strong.

Quitting is a habit. Every time you quit, you damage your self-esteem and send your psyche the message that you're incompetent. You are competent! And each time you take action and stick to your commitment when you felt like quitting, you'll gain a newfound confidence that makes the next step increasingly easier.

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The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.

- Nelson Mandela

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There is no beautifier of complexion, or form, or behavior, like the wish to scatter joy and not pain around us.

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

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To be successful, you must decide exactly what you want to accomplish, then resolve to pay the price to get it.

- Bunker Hunt

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Life is the movie you see through your own eyes. It makes little difference what's happening out there. It's how you take it that counts.

- Denis Waitley

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"Creative," "flexible," "imaginative"-- these three words are almost interchangeable. If you are creative, you can think of alternative ways to work around problems, ways that align with your own skills and reflect your values. If you are flexible, you are able and willing to change and modify plans; you adjust to new circumstances and needs. If you are imaginative, you envision what is not and what can be -- you see in your mind what you haven't yet seen in the material world.

All three words refer to your willingness to experiment with new approaches and fresh solutions. When you have these qualities, you will bend and not break when challenges arise.

     When a great wind blows, that which is rigid will snap 
     and break.  That which is flexible will bend.  When the
     wind dies down and calm returns, the flexible will rise
     again.

We see almost limitless creativity in inventors. We have all read or heard the stories of people like the Wright brothers, Eli Whitney, Thomas Edison, and Henry Ford. These people triumphed by using imagination and flexibility. They experimented with new materials and techniques that often seemed unrealistic or preposterous at the time.

For years, they suffered failure after failure, but they never felt regret. Each time they simply abandoned what did not work, revised their theories, and continued to look for what would work. They were flexible and humble enough to learn from other people's ideas and experiments and to adapt them to their own projects.

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We deem those happy who from the experience of life have learned to bear its ills without being overcome by them.

- Juvenal

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Great things are not done by impulse, but by a series of small things brought together.

- Vincent Van Gogh

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Do not pray for tasks equal to your powers; pray for powers equal to your tasks. Then the doing of your work shall be no miracle, but you shall be the miracle.

- Phillips Brooks

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A dream is your creative vision for your life in the future. You must break out of your current comfort zone and become comfortable with the unfamiliar and the unknown.

- Denis Waitley

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Appreciation can make a day, even change a life. Your willingness to put it into words is all that is necessary.

- Margaret Cousins

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Your biggest break can come from never quitting. Being at the right place at the right time can only happen when you keep moving toward the next opportunity.

- Arthur Pine

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The will to win, the desire to succeed, the urge to reach your full potential... these are the keys that will unlock the door to personal excellence.

- Eddie Robinson

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One can never consent to creep when one feels an impulse to soar.

- Helen Keller

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Do you ever feel a little different from most people, that you don't quite fit into a particular niche? If so, don't feel bad because you don't "fit in." Celebrate it. Turn your uniqueness into a strength. Your skills, strengths, passions, and gifts are like no one else's. So why should you conform to someone else's idea of what you should be? You shouldn't. Instead, turn your differences into assets. The world is full of extraordinary women who have done just that.

Today, Aretha Franklin is hailed as the Queen of Soul. But when she signed a deal with Columbia Records in 1961, they tried to turn her into a pop jazz singer. Franklin was less than enthusiastic. In 1966, she went to Atlantic Records and focused on soul, and her career began to soar. She was one of the first women to actively steer her own recording career. Her mantra with producers was, "If you're here to record me, then let's record me, not you." As a result, she earned R-E-S-P-E-C-T.

Another woman who didn't quite fit in is Oprah Winfrey. In the early days of her career, Oprah was fired as a TV reporter because she broke the cardinal rule of journalism: She openly sympathized with the unfortunate people she interviewed. When she started crying while interviewing a woman who had lost seven children in a tragic fire, she lost her job.

What's more, when Oprah was 22 and a new anchorperson, a group of men in suits sat around a table and suggested that she change her name to Suzie! They told her, "No one will ever be able to pronounce or remember Oprah. Besides, Suzie is friendlier."

To stay true to herself and to keep her media career going, Oprah came to realize that she would have to create her own venue. She worked hard to launch The Oprah Winfrey Show, a talk show with a heart and a hand extended to people in need. Today, Oprah is a one-woman media empire worth billions.

Imagine what would have happened if either of these women listened to popular opinion! People look at what has worked in the past, and they'll encourage you to conform to a tested formula. But your uniqueness might be a whole lot more interesting than any formula.

ACTION: Let your inner voice be your guide.

Take a moment to list at least 5 things that you believe are unique about yourself. Perhaps it's your outlook on life, your sense of humor, your mission, or the way you really listen and can make a person feel special. Celebrate your uniqueness and acknowledge these gifts that make you special. When people offer suggestions that you change something, listen to your inner voice. Does their advice have merit, or is your unique style a truer reflection of who you are?

Follow your own vision, despite what others think you are supposed to do. Don't try to be like someone else, because you'll only be second best. Honor your authenticity. Stand tall in who you were meant to be. People will beat a path to your door if you let your uniqueness shine.


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A vision is not just a picture of what could be; it is an appeal to our better selves, a call to become something more.

- Rosabeth Moss Kanter

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Empty pockets never held anyone back. Only empty heads and empty hearts can do that.

- Norman Vincent Peale

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Your circumstances reveal your beliefs. Question your beliefs and upgrade them, and watch your circumstances upgrade accordingly.

- Alan Cohen

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The potential of the average person is like a huge ocean unsailed, a new continent unexplored, a world of possibilities waiting to be released and channeled toward some great good.

- Brian Tracy

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It's hard enough to stay positive and keep the faith in the day-to-day pursuit of our dreams. When we associate with negative or unsupportive people, it becomes almost impossible.

Unfortunately, it's difficult to eliminate all of the negative people from our lives because they may be those closest to us-a parent, spouse, sibling, or even best friend. And since these people have history with us, they'll typically remember how we've succeeded or failed in the past. They may simply not be able to think of us in terms of what's possible. The saying "A prophet has no honor in his own home" couldn't be more true.

We all need to create a support team and an environment that provides love and encouragement. Sometimes, those who are closest to us aren't the best people to do that. In that case, we need to find someone who can.

To create the best possible support team, try the following tips:

· Build more relationships that nourish and restore you-with a coach, buddy, spiritual advisor, mentor, or role model. Spend time with people who will hold you to a higher standard.

· Pay less attention to relationships that make it easy for you to maintain the status quo. Some friends will always tell you what you want to hear and let you get away with failure. Spend your time with friends who understand your goal and will help you grow.

· Terminate negative relationships-those focused on gossip, mutual complaining, or making excuses. They add nothing to your journey and are not a good investment of your time and energy.

· Intentionally open yourself to meeting new people.

· Get buy-in from your family. If you can help your family members see how your goal directly benefits them, you'll get more of their support. For example, if you're going back to work, you can point out that the money you make will help pay for a nice family vacation. If your goal is to lose weight, you can explain that being healthier will mean you'll have more energy to be with your kids and spouse.

· Get a support buddy. Share your daily insights and draw strength from each other. This not only provides accountability structure, but it makes the process more fun and enjoyable.

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