Richie Norton's Blog, page 7

10 Quotes to Live By

What is it about quotes that get people moving? I love them. To me, quotes are food—bites of knowledge that can fill our hungry souls. I’ve carefully collected these ten quotes to help inspire me to live a little better. I hope they inspire you too.

1. BELIEVE THE BEST OF YOURSELF
“You are what you believe yourself to be.” — PAULO COELHO
2. BE COMFORTABLE GROWING OLDER
“Know that you are the perfect age. Each year is special and precious, for you shall only live it once. Be comfortable with growing older.” — LOUISE HAY
3. OWN YOUR HAPPINESS
“Don’t waste a minute not being happy. If one window closes, run to the next window—or break down a door.” — BROOKE SHIELDS
4. MAKE WAY FOR POSITIVITY
“Just can’t live that negative way… make way for the positive day!” — BOB MARLEY
5. CELEBRATE!
“The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate.” — OPRAH WINFREY
6. DO SOMETHING FOR SOMEONE ELSE
“You can’t live a perfect day without doing something for someone who will never be able to repay you.” — JOHN WOODEN
7. SPEND YOUR TIME ON THE THINGS THAT MATTER
“Every moment you get is a gift. Spend it on things that matter. Don’t spend it by dwelling on unhappy things.” — UNKNOWN
8. RECOGNIZE YOUR BLESSINGS
“Look for the blessing in all situations.” — DR. WAYNE DYER
9. CHANGE YOUR THOUGHTS
“Change your thoughts and you change your world.” — NORMAN VINCENT PEALE
10. BE YOU
“Today you are you, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is youer than you.” — DR. SEUSS

I Need A Small Army to Help Market My Book

*This offer is now over. Thanks.

I’m crazy.

And I need the support of a small army of people who are even crazier than me.

I’m putting together an Influencers Group to help me create a groundswell surrounding the launch my new book The Power of Starting Something Stupid. The release date is March 5th. I’ve spent six years putting this baby together, and now, I’m in search of a dream team of authentic, dedicated, positive and proactive wave makers to help me spread the word over these last few weeks before and after the book hits shelves on March 5.

It won’t be allllll fun and games (just mostly). I’m going to need a lot of help. It’s going to be work. There may be blood, sweat and tears. (Joke. Okay, half joke.). But, I promise you’ll get a glimpse into the other side of the book world and much more.

(Hat tip and deep gratitude to bestselling author Dan Pink for the following idea. Buy his new book To Sell is Human. I have it. I love it. You’ll love it.)

Here’s what I promise you if you join the Influencers Group:

Advance reader’s edition (galley copy) of The Power of Starting Something Stupid. You’ll see the book before the rest of the world. A galley is a rare, pre-publication (a collector’s item if you will).
Audio download of Résumés Are Dead and What to Do About It.
Access to me (and the other influencers in the group) in an exclusive Facebook group during the period surrounding the launch. This group may just turn out to create mutually beneficial relationships that could last a lifetime. You never know.

Here’s what you promise me you’ll do if you join the Influencers Group:

Share information about the book far and wide—leveraging your unique strengths and avenues of influence.
Post a review of the book on Amazon.com on March 5, and encourage others to do the same when they read the book. (Under current FTC rules, you’ll need to disclose your participation in the group and your receipt of the galley.)
Join the Influencers Group (link will be sent to you if accepted) on Facebook, and be an active participant and collaborator: sharing ideas together to help each other more effectively spread the word.

Important note: This offer is only available to US citizens. There’s limited space available, thus not everyone who applies will be accepted as part of the Influencer Group. A panel of qualified individuals will select the influencers for me. Don’t blame me or feel bad if you’re unable to participate. I still love you and am infinitely grateful for your support. :-)

Apply Now Here (Applications close on Wednesday, January 30 at 11:59 pm (PST))

*This offer is now over. Thanks.

NEW YEAR’S: 10 Questions You Must Ask Yourself

Photo by Semuthutan

After reading this post about 10 Questions, be sure to check out an article I wrote that was published in the Deseret News paper: 10 Ways to Make Your New Year’s Resolutions Stick.

THINK ABOUT LAST YEAR
10. What do you need to leave behind?

 

9. What do you need to bring with you?

 

8. What did you avoid doing that you wish you’d done?

 

THINK ABOUT THE NEW YEAR
7. What will make you feel successful?

 

6. Why do you really want to accomplish those things?

 

5. How badly do you want it?

 

THINK ABOUT THE PRESENT
4. If you could only do one thing today to help you reach your goal(s), what would that be?

 

3. If there were only one person you could trust to hold you accountable to help you stay productive, who would that be?

 

2. If you could be anywhere today to be your most productive self (realistically), where would you be?

 

THINK ABOUT YOURSELF
1. Will you do the work?

 

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To get the most out of this post, take a second to read 10 Ways to Make Your New Year’s Resolutions Stick.

3 Ways to Make the “Unnecessary” Change

Above photo credit by Sean MacEntee

DEFINING THE PROBLEM

What do you do when you feel like making a personal change is necessary to your overall happiness and well-being but there is no real pressure or urgency pressing you to make said change?

This is a  a conundrum we all wrestle with. We feel the undeniable need and/or desire to be doing something different in/with our lives, but simultaneously, we can’t bring ourselves to make the change (in many cases read: “sacrifice”) necessary to do it.

We may feel the need to change employment, but we don’t.

We may feel the need to start a specific project, but we don’t.

We may feel the need to pursue higher education, but we don’t

We may feel the need to heal a broken relationship, but we don’t.

We may feel the need to work to improve our spiritual lives, but we don’t.

We may feel the need to take steps toward a healthier physical or emotional life for ourselves and/or our family, but again, we don’t.

(This list could likely go on for eternity.)

It’s important to note that I’m not talking about mere whims and lusts. I’m talking about deep, honorable desires for the betterment of ourselves and/or the overall quality and satisfaction of our lives.

THE PROBLEM: WE DON’T HAVE TO CHANGE A THING

The desire for progression is innate, but the problem we face is that the actual act of progression is also a choice.

Without embracing our inherent need for progress, for positive growth and/or change, we’ll still go on living. Yes. But at what cost?

There is a very real danger present when we suppress our feelings to act on inspiration in exchange for the “safety” of the status quo. We risk sacrificing the opportunity to live a more fulfilling and purpose driven life. We risk sacrificing the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of others. We risk sacrificing the beautiful blessing of finding a greater sense of meaning in our own lives.

In short, we run the very real risk living a life of regret.

REAL LIFE INSPIRATION: MEET THE KAISERS

Photo credit: The Blog Is Found

Our dear friends, Nate and Jaclyn Kaiser, recently acted in the face of fear, uncertainty and doubt and found the courage to make a big change.

In their own words:

sometimes without even noticing it the things we build up to stand upon end up caging us inside.

we built it all up and up…a too big for us home by the beach in southern california and a big studio we didn’t really need and never really went to. the more we built, the higher it all got, the less free we felt. it all seemed to make sense when we were building until we realized the toll it was taking. for some reason we kept building up when individually, as a couple, and as a family our heart’s desire was for a life lived more simply. . . we most definitely knew we were ready for a change.

so… we’ve sold our home, closed the doors to our physical studio (not our business, the image is found is still alive and well), and moved 80 miles east and 1 mile up to [a] small mountain town. . . . [we are] loving the fresh perspective our new home and town is providing. . . . we’re not sure what or where exactly the next chapter of our family’s story will be, but we’re fully committed to enjoying, growing and thriving where we are now.

Inspiring, right?!

Nate and Jaclyn didn’t have to make this change, nor were the circumstances of their lives ideal for such a monumental leap. On paper, everything in their lives pointed to staying right where they were, everything in their lives pointed to continuing to head in the exact direction they were headed.

The Kaisers are living out their dream, because they chose to.

And you can too.

Even though they knew it would require sacrifice (as important change always does)—Nate and Jaclyn had the strength to say “no” to the status quo, the willingness to listen to the deepest desires of their hearts, and the courage to ACT on and live out their intent.

What if we all exercised this same courage in our own individual lives?

3 WAYS TO MAKE CHANGE (ESPECIALLY WHEN IT’S “UNNECESSARY”)
1. Determine what will add value to your life

 

Photo by Paul Bica.

Think about it, what does a ship absolutely need to stay afloat? I’m not a mariner, so I can’t exactly say. . . but what I can tell you is that ships don’t absolutely need lighthouses—but they sure do help!

When it comes to acting on inspired ideas, it’s easy to trick ourselves into thinking we don’t really need to do them, but that’s like a ship ignoring the beacon of light on a rocky shore.

Just like a ship at sea, everything outside of our most basal human needs, isn’t a necessity to “keep us afloat.” Essentially, all we really need to sustain life is clean air to breathe, food to eat, water to drink and rest to sustain us. After the basics, everything else simply adds or detracts value to/from our lives.

Which begs the question: How much value do you want to get out of life?

You get out what you put in.  Approach your life with intent, courage, faith and hard work, and you’ll reap the beautiful value those sacrifices provide. That’s the way our strange world works.

C.S. Lewis explained this principle beautifully when he said,

“Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art…. It has no survival value; rather it is one of those things which give value to survival.”

2. Swing the bat

Above photo by Mike Baird

Give your idea a chance. You’ll never hit a home run (or a base hit for that matter) if you don’t swing.

Take comfort in the words of Babe Ruth,

“Every strike brings me closer to the next home run.”

The thing about change is that, regardless of what we do (or don’t do, for that matter) the world is changing all around us. The good news is that as the world changes, new opportunities arise. In an ever changing world, opportunities come at you like balls from the pitcher’s mound—it might be a curve ball: swing anyway.

3. “The man who moves a mountain begins by carrying away small stones.”

Confucius said that.

Smart man.

Some “unnecessary” changes can feel like a looming mountain to climb.

But remember, Rome wasn’t built in a day—and your beautiful life of intent won’t be either.

What is one small, “unnecessary,” thing can you do today?

(Hint: As Confucius advised, simply start with that small stone that is right in front of you.)