Be “UNCOMMON” today!

Be “HUNGRY” Today!

“Remember that what you do when no one is watching matters.”

“SUCCESS is a CHOICE.”

“The Man on Top of the Mountain Did Not Fall There.”

“TALK is CHEAP.”

“It’s not about WHAT you do/say; It’s about HOW you do/say it.”

Discipline your thoughts.

“Be POSITIVE. The mind is more powerful than you

think.”“The daily grind of hard work gets a person polished.”

“It takes half your life before you discover life is a do-it-yourself project.”

“Opportunity is often dressed in coveralls and looks like work.”

EARN IT

Attitude + Effort = PERFORMANCE

“Pressure is something you feel when you don’t know what the hell you are doing.”

-Peyton Manning

Remember – you stand where no one else stands. Sometimes it’s on the weekend. Sometimes it’s on the field. Sometimes it’s across the dinner table. You may never know the impact you’re having on someone who’s looking up to you because of your character, your life’s work, your family life, or maybe just because of your friendship. People respect you, believe in you, and trust you. In those cases, and others that will come, you have a platform of importance in the lives of those you touch – for their good.

Use it wisely and in an uncommon way.UNCOMMON – Tony Dungy

A POSITIVE MIND FINDS A WAY IT CAN BE DONE. A NEGATIVE MIND LOOKS FOR ALL THE WAYS IT CAN’T BE DONE.

Someone once said, "There are no truths; there are only perceptions of truth." Whether or not you accept this statement, whatever you believe to be true will become your reality. Your subconscious mind will believe anything you tell it-if you repeat the words often and with conviction. When you are faced with a daunting task that you’ve never attempted before, focus on the potential for success, not on the possibilities for failure. Break the job down into smaller elements and tackle each one separately. The only difference between success and failure in any job is your attitude toward it.

“What you do is not as important as how you do it.”

KEYS FOR DEVELOPING YOUR CORE:1. Remember that what you do when no one is watching matters.2. The means matter as much as the ends, if not more.3. Hang in there. Character is revealed through adversity.4. Often we grow as much through the little things as we do through the big ones.5. Truth is critical. Being truthful is too.6. Don’t rationalize your way around honesty.7. Don’t be falsely modest; you have amazing gifts. Just recognize that others do too.8. Be careful what you do with your resources, gifts, time, and talents. You’ve been

entrusted with them.9. Some of the most rewarding times in life are when you have to stand alone, even if

you are uncomfortable doing so.10. Life is hard. Courage is essential.11. Never give up. NEVER.

KEYS FOR ACHIEVING YOUR FULL POTENTIAL:

1. Be Positive. Your mind is more powerful than you think.2. Build high expectations into others.3. What is down the well comes up in the bucket. Fill yourself with

positive things.4. Your education matters. Don’t cut corners – you’ll only cheat

yourself if you don’t learn the material.5. Find employment that excites you for reasons beyond the salary.6. Don’t take hassles from work home with you.7. Goals are important, but make sure they are worthy goals.8. Don’t fear risk – life is an adventure, not a dress rehearsal.9. Don’t be afraid to be different.10.True toughness is how you respond to adversity.

Weekly Thought:

“The daily grind of hard work gets a person

polished.”- Unknown

Weekly Thought:

“You can’t steal second with your foot still on first.”

"There is one quality that one must possess to win, and that is definiteness of purpose, the knowledge of what one wants, and a burning desire to possess it."

“Every person who wins in any undertaking must be willing to cut all sources of retreat. Only by doing so can one be sure of maintaining that state of mind known as a burning desire to win - essential to success.”

“It takes half your life before you discover life is a do-it-yourself project.”

“Your big opportunity may be right where you are now.”

- Napoleon Hill

“Your mind is the one and only thing over which you have the complete, unchallenged privilege of control.”

There are two pains: The pain

of discipline and the pain of

regret.

“am I committed to excellence?”You can wall-paper every room in your

home with “can-do” slogans , but only your actions can lend these words weight. The standards you set for yourself are the real measures of your dedication. You must be willing to give everything you do everything you’ve got. Don’t do this to garner approval. Do it because you respect yourself too much to ever accept anything less than your best efforts.

- Lou holtz

Remember the mind grows strong through use. Struggle makes power.

Napoleon Hill liked to tell a story about his grandfather, a wagon builder in North Carolina. When the old man cleared the land for cultivation, he always left a few oak trees in the middle of the field at the mercy of the elements, unsheltered by other trees in the forest. It was from those trees that his grandfather made the wagons' wheels. Because they were forced to struggle against the fury of nature, they grew strong enough to bear the heaviest load. Welcome difficult challenges, for the greatest opportunities will come from challenges that force you to expand your mind as you search for creative solutions. During life's bleakest hours, take solace in the face that you are strengthening yourself through struggle so that in the future you will be prepared to take on even greater challenges. Like the old oak tree, you grow strong only when you are forced to struggle.

A LITTLE HORSE SENSEThere was this guy in Iowa whose car tumbled into a

ditch. He called on a farmer for some help, but the farmer said, “You’d need a team of young stallions to pull up that car. I only have one horse, Dusty. He’s blind and old. We’ll bring him over to the ditch, though, and see what he can do. But don’t expect much.” The farmer hitched Dusty to the car, snapped a whip in the air, and said, “Pull, Jimmy, pull!” Dusty never moved. The farmer snapped the whip again and said, “Pull, Sammy, pull!” Dusty still didn’t move. The farmer snapped the whip a third time and said, “Pull, Charley, pull!” Dusty remained still. The farmer snapped the whip a fourth time and said, “Pull, Dusty, pull!” With one mighty tug, Dusty yanked the car out of the ditch.

The grateful driver shook the farmer’s hand and said, “Thanks for freeing my car, but there’s something I don’t understand. Dusty never moved when you kept calling those different names. Why didn’t you just call Dusty by his name from the start?” The farmer replied, “I had to call out those three names first. Dusty is blind. If he’d thought he had to do all that work by himself, he never would have even tried.”Perception. Don’t let yours limit you.

Do you remember who broke the four-minute barrier for the mile? That was one feat that millions had tried to achieve since the days of the ancient Greeks. In fact, there are legends that say that the Greeks had lions and other wild animals chase runners, thinking that would make them run much faster. Nothing worked, so they made a decision for everyone, that to run a four-minute mile was IMPOSSIBLE. For thousands of years, everyone believed it couldn’t be done. Doctors, Physiologists, Trainers, Scientists said that it was physiologically impossible for a human being to run a mile in four-minutes or less.           They made the argument that our bone structure was not geared to allow us to achieve it. Cited as potential setbacks were wind resistance, which would not allow human beings to break that barrier, as well as inadequate lung capacity. And, there were probably a thousand other reasons.           Then one guy, one dedicated, focused, human being, proved the doctors, trainers, psychologists, physiologists, the athletes and the thousands and thousands before him who tried and failed, were all wrong. He led the way to breaking a barrier and, lo and behold, the year after Sir Roger Bannister broke the four-minute mile, more than 30 other runners also broke the four-minute mile. The year after that, more than 300 runners broke the four-minute mile. It took one leader to lead the way.            There have not been any great breakthroughs in track and field over the last few years. Human structure is basically the same as in the last thousands of years and it hasn’t improved. The answer is: Human attitudes have improved.

You can accomplish your goals if you set them and you persist until you reach them.

I AM THE MASTER OF MY FATE.

- EXCERPT FROM INVICTUS – WILLIAM ERNEST HENLEY

“THE AVERAGE PERSON WOULD HAVE QUIT AT THE FIRST FAILURE. THAT’S WHY THERE HAVE BEEN MANY AVERAGE MEN AND ONLY ONE EDISON.”

“Thomas Edison once observed that the reason most folks don’t recognize opportunity when it comes knocking is that it is often dressed in coveralls and looks like work. Edison knew that anything worthwhile never comes easily; if it were easy, anyone could do it. Great advances in knowledge are often achieved by people with an almost fanatical devotion to finding the solution to a problem. Flashes of inspiration alone are not enough to ensure success; they must be followed by determined, persistent action.”

THE POWER OF ATTITUDE

“The attitude you choose to assume toward life and everything it brings you will determine

whether you realize your aspirations. What you are capable of achieving is determined by your talent and ability. What you attempt to do is

determined by your motivation. How well you do something is determined by your attitude.”

- Coach Lou Holtz

“Don't measure yourself by what you have accomplished, but by what you should have

accomplished with your ability.”

“Never mistake activity for achievement.” - John Wooden

FINISHING STRONG“Today I will do what others won’t, so tomorrow I can accomplish what others can’t.”

-Jerry Rice

“A strong, successful man is not the victim of his environment. He creates favorable conditions. His own inherent force and energy compel things to turn out as he desires.”

- Orison Swett Marden

“Make every day your masterpiece.”

- John Wooden

Fools look to tomorrow; wise men use tonight.

~Scottish Proverb

Time to go Biblical on you…..LUKE 11: 9-10

9"So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened

to you. 10For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to

him who knocks, the door will be opened.”

WHO TOLD YOU IT COULDN’T BE DONE, AND WHAT GREAT ACHIEVEMENTS HAS HE PERFORMED THAT QUALIFIED HIM TO SET UP LIMITATIONS FOR YOU?You will find as you go through life that those who give advice most freely are precisely the individuals who are least qualified to do so. Busy, successful people don’t have an interest in telling you how to live your life. They are busy living their own. Failures or mediocre people have all the time in the world. They also delight in seeing you fail, and are quick to say "I told you so" when you experience a temporary setback. If someone tells you that what you are attempting to achieve is impossible or not worth the effort, take a close look at them and what they have accomplished with their lives. The chances are good that you will find they haven’t done much. Successful people are optimistic people. They have the habit of success because they learned long ago to listen to themselves and not to those who would like to see them fail.

After landing his invasion forces on the shores of some country, the sixteenth-century Spanish conquistador Hernan Cortes would immediately burn his own boats. He was sending his army a message: “We can’t turn back. Either we succeed or we die here.” Excuses were not an option.

Successful organizations have low alibi thresholds. They either do or they don’t. Once you stop wasting energy fabricating excuses, you can start spending energy creating victories. The next time things aren’t going your way and you’re tempted to whine or finger-point, remember the words of the wise captain who said, “People don’t care how rocky the ocean is, they just want you to bring the ship in.” In other words, no one is interested in excuses, only results.

“The man on the top of the mountain did not fall there.”

NO ACTION, NO RESULTS. That’s all there is to it.

All of us should adopt the attitude of the blind man who was being led down the street by a guide dog. When they came to the corner of a busy intersection, the dog crossed against the light. The blind man had no choice but to follow. Cars swerved to avoid them; drivers honked their horns and swore loudly. Somehow, the duo reached the other side unharmed. As they stopped on the corner, the blind man reached into his pocket, pulled out a dog biscuit, and offered it to the reckless canine. Having just watched the two as they crossed, a bystander tapped the blind man on the shoulder and said, “Sir, that dog almost got you killed. The last thing you should do is give him a biscuit as a reward.” The blind man smiled and said, “I’m not giving him a reward. I’m trying to find his mouth so I can kick him in the rear.”

Whenever you find yourself moaning about some difficulty, remember that blind man. Give adversity a swift kick in the rear end. Drop the self-pity, throw out the crutches, and trash the excuses. Do something positive.

Sacrifice is the price that excellence demands. You must be willing to pay the price for it.

Let me leave you with the fable about the Emperor who years ago gathered together the wisest people in his kingdom and said, “I want you to assemble all the great knowledge of our civilization so that it is easily available for future generations.” They worked many years before returning with ten bound volumes. His Highness glanced at the stack of books, frowned, and said, “Too long.” The sages scurried from his throne room. They did not return until they had edited the ten volumes down to one. However, when they handed it to the Emperor, he refused to open it. “Still too lengthy,” he said. Over the next two years, the sages condensed the book into one paragraph. The Emperor wasn’t satisfied. Finally, these wise people came back with a single sentence inscribed on an index card. The Emperor read it, smiled, and announced, “This is perfect. Now future generations will understand why we have been so successful. All the genius we posses is contained in this brilliant, solitary, phrase.”

The sentence read: “There is no free lunch.” You can dine on whatever you want; it all depends on how high a price you are willing to pay for the meal.

NO ACTION =

NO RESULTS

DO WHAT YOU LOVE; LOVE WHAT YOU DO

Enthusiasm is a word derived from the Greek, meaning “to be inspired by God.” I’ve always associated it with success. Everybody has enthusiasm at one time or another in their life. Some people have it for thirty seconds, others for thirty years. The people who maintain it long-term will attain their goals. If you have enthusiasm for what you do, people will want to share in it.

Mark Twain understood this. Remember when Tom Sawyer had to whitewash the fence? He hated that chore, but he did it with a smile and soon convinced all his friends that nothing could be more fun. Tom’s friends caught his enthusiasm. It’s amazing what a little fervor can do for any organization. If your salespeople love their products and transmit sparks when they make their presentations, customers are going to buy. But if they simply go through the motions, they won’t get a single order.

“in my experience, there is only one motivation, and

that is desire. No reasons or principle contain it or stand

against it.”

- jane smiley

Many projects fail or succeed before they begin. The difference is attitude. A salesman went to an island in the South Pacific to sell shoes. When he arrived he was shocked to see that no one wore shoes. Discouraged, he called his home office and said, “ There’s no reason for me to stay here. Nobody wears shoes.” A month later another shoe salesman from a different company went to the same island in the South Pacific. When he saw that no one wore shoes he got excited. He called his home office and said, “ Send me ten thousand pairs of shoes. Everyone here needs them.”

A foreign exchange student attending school in America, asked his grandfather from eastern Europe to come and visit him.  When he arrived, the two spent the next few days touring the college campus.  On the day before his grandfather was to leave, the student asked his grandfather to meet him after class at the school cafeteria for lunch.

The grandfather arrived a little early and sat down at an empty table and waited for someone to take his order, but nobody did.   Finally, a student with her tray of food sat down opposite him and informed  him how the cafeteria worked.  "Start out at that end," she said.  "Just go along the line and pick out what you want.  At the other end they will tell you how much you have to pay."

A few minutes later the young student arrived.  Explaining what had happened the grandfather told his grandson:  “I have learned how everything works here in America.  Life's a cafeteria  here.  You can get anything you want as long as you are willing to pay the price.  You can even get success, but you will never get it if you wait for someone to bring it to you.  You have to get up and get it yourself.”

The brick walls are there to stop the people that don’t

want it badly enough. They are there to stop the OTHER

people.