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

**********************************************************************

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

- Norman Vincent Peale

**********************************************************************

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

- Alan Cohen

**********************************************************************

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

**********************************************************************

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.

**********************************************************************

We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act, but a habit.

- Aristotle

**********************************************************************

We are hoarding potentials so great that they are just about unimaginable.

- Jack Schwartz


**********************************************************************

Happiness is neither virtue nor pleasure nor this thing nor that but simply growth. We are happy when we are growing.

- William Butler Yeats

**********************************************************************

I hear and I forget.
I see and I remember.
I do and I understand.

- Confucius

**********************************************************************

Continuous effort - not strength or intelligence - is the key to unlocking our potential.


- Liane Cardes

**********************************************************************

What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you become by achieving your goals.

- Zig Ziglar

**********************************************************************

Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great.

- Mark Twain

**********************************************************************

Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.

- George Bernard Shaw

**********************************************************************

Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great.

- Mark Twain

**********************************************************************

The most essential factor is persistence - the determination never to allow your energy or enthusiasm to be dampened by the discouragement that must inevitably come.

- James Whitcomb Riley

**********************************************************************

What would it be like if you lived each day, each breath, as a work of art in progress? Imagine that you are a masterpiece unfolding, every second of every day, a work of art taking form with every breath.

- Thomas Crum

**********************************************************************

Each one of us has a fire in our heart for something. It's our goal in life to find it and to keep it lit.

- Mary Lou Retton

**********************************************************************

To love what you do and feel that it matters - how could anything be more fun?

- Katherine Graham

**********************************************************************

It is not enough to be busy; so are the ants. The question is: what are we busy about?

- Henry David Thoreau

**********************************************************************

It takes someone with a vision of the possibilities to attain new levels of experience. Someone with the courage to live his dreams.

- Les Brown

**********************************************************************

It doesn't matter if you try and try and try again, and fail. It does matter if you try and fail, and fail to try again.

- Charles Kettering

**********************************************************************

There is more to us than we know. If we can be made to see it, perhaps for the rest of our lives we will be unwilling to settle for less.

- Kurt Hahn

**********************************************************************

The art of living lies less in eliminating our troubles than in growing with them.

- Bernard M. Baruch

**********************************************************************

The indispensable first step to getting the things you want out of life is this: decide what you want.

- Ben Stein

**********************************************************************

You cannot teach a man anything; you can only help him find it within himself.

- Galileo Galilei

**********************************************************************

By constant self-discipline and self-control you can develop greatness of character.

- Grenville Kleiser

**********************************************************************

Choose once and for all to get past all of the former excuses that stopped you from achieving your goal or dream and step into your power by saying: "This is my time, my life, my moment of truth. I will not stop until I achieve my goal!"

Realizing that being unstoppable is simply a decision that you make every day, every hour, or sometimes every minute gives you the awareness that it is a choice.

And every time you choose to honor your commitment and take a single step, you are honoring yourself and exercising your self-discipline muscle. With each step you take, that muscle will grow stronger and stronger, making it easier to bring about change in your life.

Your time is now. Make a pledge to yourself that you are fully committed to reaching your goal.

**********************************************************************

There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure.

- Colin Powell

**********************************************************************

Ability is what you're capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it.

- Lou Holtz

**********************************************************************

I am enough of an artist to draw freely upon my imagination. Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world.

- Albert Einstein

**********************************************************************