Archives for July 2012

12 Things To Know Before Letting Go

07.30.2012 by Marc Chernoff // 65 Comments

12 Things To Know Before Letting Go

Oftentimes letting go has nothing to do with weakness, and everything to do with strength. We let go and walk away not because we want the universe to realize our worth, but because we finally realize our own worth.

And that’s what this short article is all about – realizing your worth, and harnessing this realization to identify the negative ideas, habits, and people in your life that you need to let go of. Here are some points to consider:

The past can steal your present if you let it. – You can spend days, weeks, months, or even years sitting alone in the darkness, over-analyzing a situation from the past, trying to put the pieces together, justifying what could have or should have happened. Or you can just leave the pieces on the floor behind you and walk outside into the sunlight to get some fresh air.
Not everyone, and not everything, is meant to stay. – There are things you don’t want to happen, but have to accept, things you don’t want to know, but have to learn, and people you can’t live without but have to let go. Some circumstances and people come into your life just to strengthen you, so you can move on without them. Read The Language of Letting Go.
Happiness is not the absence of problems, but the ability to deal with them. – Imagine all the wondrous things your mind might embrace [Read more…]

60 Empowering Quotes to Help You Get Things Done

07.27.2012 by Angel Chernoff // 37 Comments

60 Empowering Quotes to Help You Get Things Done

Here are 60 quotes gathered from our book and blog archive to empower you to take action, navigate through life’s challenges, and get things done.

Just because you are struggling does NOT mean you are failing. Every great success requires some kind of struggle to get there.
It doesn’t matter if you’ve failed or if you’ve been beaten. All that matters is that you learn something, get back up, and try again. Because winning is a good feeling, but winning when nobody else thought you could is an awesome feeling.
Stop beating yourself up. You are a work in progress; which means you get there a little at a time, not all at once. Read The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.
‘Finished last’ will always be better than ‘Did not finish’, which always trumps ‘Did not start.’
Don’t think too much, or you’ll create a problem that wasn’t even there in the first place.
Thinking too long about doing something is often the reason it never gets done.
If you truly want to change your life, you must first change your mind.
Most great things in your life won’t happen by chance, they will happen by choice.
Do not wait until the conditions are perfect to begin. Beginning makes the [Read more…]

8 Reasons to Stop Waiting for Approval

07.25.2012 by Marc Chernoff // 33 Comments

8 Reasons to Stop Waiting for Approval

One of the greatest freedoms is simply not caring what everyone else thinks of you. Sometimes you need to step outside, get some air, and remind yourself of who you are and what you want to be. The best thing you can do is follow your heart. Take risks. Don’t just accept the safe and easy choices because you’re afraid of what others will think, or afraid of what might happen. If you do, nothing will ever happen. Don’t let small minds convince you that your dreams are too big. They aren’t.

Starting today, stop waiting for approval. Here’s why:

You only get one life to pursue the dreams that make you come alive. – It is better to be failing (and learning) at doing something you love, rather than succeeding at doing something you hate. So take chances on behalf of what you believe in. Fail until you succeed. Make sacrifices and step out beyond the safety of your comfort zone over and over again. Face your fears with courage and passion. Keep your word and hold true to your vision until it comes to life. Read Quitter.
Someone else’s approval is just another opinion. – Never let someone’s opinion become your reality. Never sacrifice who you are, or who you aspire to be, because someone else has a problem with it. Love who you are inside and out, and keep pushing forward. No one else has the power to make you feel small unless you give them that power. You are the only one who can create your dreams and happiness.
The only opinion of you that really matters is your own. – In life, the thing that is really hard and really amazing is giving up on the desire [Read more…]

11 Things You Should Leave in the Past

07.23.2012 by Marc Chernoff // 37 Comments

11 Things You Should Leave in the Past

You might not be proud of all the things you’ve done in the past, but that’s okay. The past is not today.

Here are 11 things to leave behind and grow beyond:

Letting other people write your life’s story. – You could spend your whole life worrying about what other people think of you, or what they want for you, but it won’t get you very far. If you don’t take charge and design your own life plan, chances are you’ll fall into someone else’s plan. And guess what they have planned for you? NOT MUCH! Read The Last Lecture.
The fear of making mistakes. – Past mistakes should teach you to create a wonderful future; not cause you to be afraid of it. Be less afraid of making a mess out of your life. For oftentimes, our greatest achievements and our most beautiful creations ascend from the emotions we live, the lessons we learn, and the messes we make along the way. Just ask a poet, an artist, a songwriter, a lover, or a parent; in the long-run things rarely turn out as planned, just better than you ever imagined.
The belief that ‘perfect’ means the same thing to everyone. – Perfect people have scars on their faces and perfect complexions. Perfect people have long brown hair at 60 and short grey hair at 35. Perfect people wear wigs. Perfect people have sex with men, women, both, or no [Read more…]

12 Tough Truths that Help You Grow

07.20.2012 by Marc Chernoff // 114 Comments

10 Tough Truths that Help Us Grow

As you look back on your life, you will often realize that many of the times you thought you were being rejected from something good, you were in fact being redirected to something better. You can’t control everything. Sometimes you just need to relax and have faith that things will work out. Let go a little and just let life happen. Because sometimes the truths you can’t change, end up changing you and helping you grow.

Here are twelve such truths…

Everything is as it should be. It’s crazy how you always end up where you’re meant to be – how even the most tragic and stressful situations eventually teach you important lessons that you never dreamed you were going to learn. Remember, oftentimes when things are falling apart, they are actually falling into place.
Not until you are lost in this world can you begin to find your true self. Realizing you are lost is the first step to living the life you want. The second step is leaving the life you don’t want. Making a big life change is pretty scary. But you know what’s even scarier? Regret. Vision without action is a daydream, and action without vision is a nightmare. Your heart is free, have the courage to follow it. (Read Awaken the Giant Within.)
It’s usually the deepest pain which empowers you to grow to your full potential. It’s the scary, stressful choices that end up being [Read more…]