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“Show your character and commitment through your actions,” Epictetus said.
“Be careful whom you associate with,” Epictetus warned. “It is human to imitate the habits of those with whom we interact. We inadvertently adopt their interests, their opinions, their values, and their habit of interpreting events.
“You are the average of the 5 people you spend the most time with.”
You can always harness the power of positive people, even when they are not around.
“crab in a bucket”
When people see a friend starting to do well and escape their current comfort zone, often bitterness, fear, and jealousy will drive the average person to pull the escapee back down.
“You either become like your companions,” Epictetus said, “or you bring them over to your own ways. Great is the danger, so be circumspect on entering into personal associations, even and especially light-hearted ones. We often end up being carried along by the crowd. Choose your associations with care.”
You only have one shot at leaving a legacy for your life.
You cannot soar with eagles if all you do is hang around turkeys.
“How long can you afford to put off who you really want to be?” Epictetus asked. “Your nobler self cannot wait any longer. Put your principles into practice—NOW. Stop the excuses and procrastination. This is your life! From this instant on, vow to stop disappointing yourself. Decide to be extraordinary and do what you need to do—now.”
“The key is to keep company only with people who uplift you, whose presence calls forth your best,” Epictetus said.
Become the person you need to be to achieve what you want to achieve.
The power of delayed gratification is, in fact, a research-proven phenomenon.
Stanford Marshmallow Experiment.
There’s a new article or report that says we are mis-reading the results of this experiment...
Work comes first. Then reward.
Practice (i.e. training) is the only way you can build up your delayed gratification muscle and earn the rewards.
It signifies the light at the end of the tunnel, the finish line at the end of the home stretch, that motivates us to accelerate our progress and push harder towards our goals.
First, you can use it in your daily routines by setting limits on your workday.
A jam-packed to-do list with no deadlines can you leave you frustrated due to a lack of progress on what really matters in your life.
The second and more important way to harness the power of the Big Deadline is by setting an end date for achieving your goals. Your dreams must have a deadline.
Parkinson’s law, which says, “Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion.”
Every deadline should come with incentives. You might choose to inflict a punishment upon yourself (such as making a donation to a political party or cause that you dislike) or you might offer yourself a reward for success.
Matt Smith, the publisher of Early to Rise.
Every person in the room should be there for a specific reason.
Each person should contribute to specific decisions that are expected to be made OR take the action required after the meeting ends.
The meeting leader must know what the primary activity is for the meeting in general and must drive forward the agenda.
Step #4 – Incentives: Have a Measurable Outcome (M/O)
Need to get to this daily in the clasroom
Every meeting must have a stated measurable outcome.
Be specific. Make sure that each team member completely understands their objectives and can verbally restate them to the meeting driver along with the deadline for the delivery of the work.
“Be as kind to yourself as possible,” Epictetus said. “Do not measure yourself against others or even against your ideal self. Forgive yourself over and over again. Then try to do better next time. Pursue the good ardently, but if your efforts fall short, accept the results and move on.”
We aren’t perfect. We might fall back to bad behaviors, but the key is to use the 5 Pillars to pull yourself out of negative spirals and to get back to the right behaviors that will move you ahead to your goals.
Plan and prepare two solutions for every obstacle in life. Find a coach or mentor to hold you accountable. Get social support that will give you encouragement to get through tough times and that will kick your butt on days where you hold yourself back. Give yourself a meaningful incentive that will inspire you to action. And set a Big Deadline to put urgency into your action and keep you pushing to the finish line.
Sharing my dream with a mentor was the first step toward attracting good people and big opportunities into my life.
“Whatever the mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve.”
the Law of Action Attraction.
First, you need to create the rules for your life.
The second step is implementing the 5 Pillars of Success.
You need to plan and prepare to do the right things, you need a coach or mentor, you need to share your vision with positive people in your social support group, you need to give yourself an incentive for reaching your go...
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Third, with your success foundation firmly in place, you need to create th...
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You’ve earned the freedom to concentrate on what counts. What matters to you comes from your vision that you will create in this final section. It will strengthen your resolve to add more structure to your day. And from that you earn more freedom. It is a virtuous cycle.
Tony Robbins,
“We all need a compelling future, something that will get us up and excite us. If you don’t have that, life feels very dead...
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Without this vision in place, your hard work is often misdirected toward unimportant goals that move you sideways in life rather than propelling you forward to your big goals and dreams.
“Why did I watch so much TV?”
Focus on what matters. Concentrate on what counts.
Step #1 – Write a First Draft
Crafting your vision requires writing as if you were living in the future, three to five years from now, and have already achieved your goals (see my example below).
Start by identifying what you really want. Is
How do you measure success? (Be specific.)
What reputation does your family have and what reputation are you building at work?
What is your mission in life?
