The Greatest Gift

audiobook

a classroom

in your mind

What is something that everyone should have? Something absolutely essential to their needs? What is the greatest gift they could get?

The greatest gift is investing in yourself. Take the time to learn new skills and grow as a person. This is one thing that you should never deprive yourself of. Material things come and go, but the things you learn will last a lifetime.

But how do you invest in yourself? The answer is to seek out resources that will help you develop an area that you would like to improve on.

 We live in a great technological age - there is information for the taking. Look for it with free videos and books. Why pay when so many people are willing to give free advice? All you have to do is find it. Take advantage of their teaching and learn from them. Make the most of these opportunities. Two sites that I recommend to help get you started:

• Librivox (free audiobooks - you can learn faster than by reading a traditional book)
• Youtube (free videos on various subjects).

Give yourself the greatest gift. You owe it to yourself.

Say No To Negativity

sitting alone

in my room

calm sea

The mind is a beautiful thing - the greatest part of your body. When used properly, it can lead to new discoveries and inventions for humanity. When used negatively, untold misery, defeat, and destruction can occur. How can you use your brain to its optimal power?

The first thing you must do is to banish negative thoughts. Negative thoughts are a poison that will infect your mind, shattering your self-confidence and leaving you weak and vulnerable to bad influences. To free yourself, you must let go of the past. Stop thinking about the past and moaning about things you cannot change. The past is history - no amount of crying or screaming will change what has already happened.

Instead, focus your efforts on the present - the here and now. This is the only thing that is within your power. You cannot change the past, and no one knows the future - all that is left to you is the present. Think of the present as a block of marble. To fulfill your dreams, you must see the image and work your way towards it. Like a patient sculptor, you will slowly chip away at the unnecessary material until you mold something of great beauty from within your mind.

Now is the time. Stop thinking of the past and focus on what you can do now. Believe in yourself and build your dreams and life with positive thinking. Say No to Negativity.

On Excellence

shining star

adding the numbers

one by one

The best thing you can do in your life is to invest in yourself. It is like finding a gold mine - but infinitely better. The material things you have can be taken away at any time, but the knowledge in your head is yours forever. It is a diamond beyond price. Why go through life amassing a fortune that others will take away from you? Why not build a different kind of fortune? A fortune that is yours to keep and share at your choosing.

But how do you gain wisdom? What must you do to have that priceless diamond in your mind? The answer is through self-discovery. You must see the world through the eyes of a child. Everything in your world must be new to you. You must ask questions and keep an open mind, for these are the things essential to any kind of learning. "Why?" and "How?" should be the words of your mantra - your friends in the quest for enlightenment.

With self-discovery comes the desire for continuous improvement. Repetition is the child of learning. For an hour every day, you must make a commitment to learn something new. Look for this knowledge wherever it takes you: books, the Internet, other people. It matters not as long as you learn something from it. Then practice, always practice, what you have learned.

Excellence is not hard to learn. All it takes is continuous self-discovery and the practice of it. Do not deny yourself this precious gift. Excellence is yours for the taking - reach out and grab it. Be the person you always wanted to be. 

A Rainbow Of Riches

thunderstorm

a rainbow

of riches

In life, you are faced with many fears. These problems can take you by surprise and throw your life into disorder. If unchecked, these fears will disable you, and destroy your confidence. They will leave you hurt and vulnerable to even worse influences. What can you do to conquer your fears?

The first step is to believe in yourself. Realizing and valuing your self-worth are the most important things you can do as a person. It is more valuable than gold. When you believe in yourself, you empower your life with energy and positivity. Everything is not all doom and gloom, but rather, a rainbow that shines high in the sky. It is this positivity, this rainbow, that chases away the storms of your fears. Always believe in yourself, and you will see your life brighten.

The next step to conquering your fears is to take action. Do not sit and brood and think all is lost. There is always a way around everything. With a little planning, you can begin the first step towards achieving your goals. To do this, you need to write down your thoughts on a piece of paper. This will serve as a reminder of what you plan to do. The first step is always the hardest and scariest, but it will get easier as you stay determined on your course.

There you have it. To conquer your fears, you must believe in yourself and take action. These two things will help you in your life. Behind every storm is a rainbow - a rainbow of success.

Unlock Your Potential!

sunrise

a field

of barley

In each of us, lies the potential to do great things. We all have dreams, and the desire to see them come true. But there is a door that stands in our way. We must unlock this door with a key to reach our full potential.

But how do we find this key? We find the key by discovering our strengths. We all have things we love to do, certain passions that make the hours fly by. These hobbies are often a good indicator of things we might excel at.

The other way of finding our hidden strengths is through experimentation. We should not be afraid to try new things, for in our discoveries we may unlock a hidden talent that long slumbered within us. This search for strength is an exciting journey within itself, and will provide many years of enjoyable activities. In the searching, we will discover ourselves and our role in life.

Let every day be a sunrise to you. Wake up every morning with the desire to try something new. Learn and grow from these experiences. Walk in fields of barley. 

Stormy Sea

Gather round my friends, for I have a tale to tell you. It is about a sailor on his maiden voyage, a young man of eighteen sailing the seas for the first time. It is his adventure and what he learned from the experience. Listen closely, for his words will bring much wisdom.

I wander lonely through the weary world,

Lost on a stormy sea. The waves descend

To crash against my little boat, to climb

Once again like a huge hand, and rend

My world to pieces. Is this the crime

Of sailing? I shudder to see the end.

But no! The clouds above disperse and flee;

Sunlight greets me upon a silent sea.

Master Your Mind!

planting seeds

reading an old book

at midnight

There is a famous saying: I think, therefore I am. This is certainly the truth. Our minds are the hard drives of our bodies. Here is the accumulated knowledge and experience that we have learned from ourselves and others. It is a library of thought, our thoughts. Truly, the mind is a wonderful thing.

But how do we master our minds? We do this by following these steps:

1. Read instructive books and talk to people to solve problems or learn new things.
2. Do mind exercises to strengthen your mind.

If we want to expand our knowledge, it is essential to read good books, preferably nonfiction and self-help books. Any book that teaches something is worth checking out. But you do not have to rely entirely on books. Talking to people about various subjects can be incredibly rewarding. With a question and answer format, you can get immediate feedback on your problem. You can ask questions that a book could not answer.  Do not be afraid to use this to your advantage. Knowledge is always worth pursuing.

The next step is to do daily mind strengthening exercises. The goal here is to stretch your mind to new avenues of creativity. Find an enjoyable activity that stimulates your mind. Chess, crossword puzzles, math problems, and writing are a few of the many options open to you. Explore them all and find one that you enjoy doing. Do this activity for at least thirty minutes every day.

Being a mastermind is not as hard as it sounds. By following these steps, you can grow your mind to new levels of knowledge and creativity. The power is within you and waiting to be unleashed. So, what are you waiting for? Master your mind!

How Risky Are You?

stormy sea

a gambit

on the chessboard

As we go about our lives, we must be aware of the risks. Risks are the seas of chance, where we can sink or swim on one decision. To have a safe voyage and reach port, we must be aware of the dangers on the way. Many problems lurk deep within the depths. Without a plan to guide us, we increase our chances of encountering danger.

If you want to go on risky adventures on the sea, you must be aware of two things:

1. Do not let fear paralyze you from making important decisions.
2.  Reduce the odds of a bad outcome by planning your risks in advance. This will help control the stormy, spur of the moment decisions that are often disastrous.

Not all risks are bad, of course. Many of them are positive and life-changing. There is something exciting about risking something for a chance of a better life. A healthy dose of ambition, combined with good common sense, will often be enough for success.

A well-thought-out voyage with calculated risks has a high chance of reaching port. Apply these two techniques whenever you are about to go on a voyage. Your ship is in port, and your crew awaits your orders. Are you ready to sail to success?

The Iron Of Your Will

a broken sword

lies scattered on a field

holding the hilt

I wonder why the steel

is shining in the dust

Throughout life, we are faced with numerous challenges and difficulties. They often spring at us unannounced, when we least expect them. If we are not careful, they can easily overwhelm us, leaving us defeated and exhausted.

How then, can we counter this? How do we confront the problems of life? The answer is to believe in yourself, to forge an iron will. Like a diamond, your will must be strong to resist the blows that come at you. Life is like a war, and to survive, you must keep getting up from the ground when you are struck down. Though your goals (the sword) may be shattered and broken, that does not mean you must give up. No, you pick yourself up from the ground and reforge that blade (your goals) into something stronger. Like tempered steel, the more you are struck down, the more you will be able to handle the pain of temporary defeat. Defeat can never conquer you unless you agree and give in. Fight, always fight, for your dreams and believe in yourself. Cultivate an iron will.

The Apple Of Your Eye

I wander the wide world,

Hoping to find some gold;

But all I see,

Is an apple tree,

By the ruins of an old road.

Sometimes the things we seek turn out to be detrimental to our growth. In our desires for gold, we fly down a false path, where our hunger consumes us. The more we take, the more we want. Such greed only leads to disappointment and destruction.

How can we avoid such a fate? By concentrating on the internals rather than the externals of the world. Look deep within yourself, and focus on a trait that needs development. Strive to improve yourself in this area. Make it a daily habit. With practice and determination, you will grow and conquer this limitation that holds you back. The power is within you. Be the apple of your eye. 

A Swan's Tale

a swan

on the lake

spring dawn

They say beauty is in the eye of the beholder. But what is outer beauty compared to the beauty within you? Looks will fade over time, but you have a lifetime to perfect the person inside you. And this is a worthy goal that everyone should strive for. But what is inner beauty? How do we go about discovering it?

Inner beauty is nothing more than your morals and character. It is developed by good conduct and good habits. It is self-control. When others give in to their desires at every whim, a person with good character would resist these efforts if it would violate their moral code. Self-control and will power are the fundamental steps needed to become a person of great inner beauty. A love of learning and compassion for others is also required. Taken together, these four traits are the "pillars" of the temple of your character. They will hold you up as you become a more skilled student of inner beauty.

Do not be fooled by the vain delights of the flesh. Outer beauty will disappear with time, but inner beauty will last a lifetime with proper care and study. Be a person of inner beauty. Love yourself for who you are, and grow as a person. Transform yourself into a swan.

The Sea Of Life

sailing

on the sea

sunrise

Life is full of opportunities. But many of us are afraid to take a chance. We are like sailors on a sinking ship in a storm. We would rather go down with the ship than plunge into the sea in search of opportunity.

There are many reasons for this. The greatest is fear. We fear to do something new, to have a different experience from the one we currently have. In our minds, we imagine even greater horrors than our present miseries. We then freeze up and sink into deep gloom. Our negativity has defeated us.

The greatest challenge for all us is to believe in ourselves. We must not let the fear of failure prevent us from taking new challenges and experiencing new things. In each of us is a desire to dream. To dream of better things and a better life. This is well within our power if we only place trust in ourselves. Our lives are like boats on a great sea. There will be storms, and there will be periods of calm sailing. Our goal is to avoid the storms or pass through them as quickly as possible. In our minds should be the next port of call, a goldmine of delight for the adventurous sailors of life.

Take chances in your life. Look upon new opportunities as a blessing, a chance for you to improve yourself in the stormy seas of life. With belief as your sail, the port of your dreams will soon be in sight.

Small Steps To Success

climbing a mountain

the footsteps

of a little mouse

In life, we are faced with many challenges. Between our goals and us, lies a mountain to be climbed. But the mountain is high in the sky; its slopes are treacherous and icy; climbing too fast can lead to a mishap and defeat. With such a formidable foe in front of us, how are we to conquer it? 

The answer is to take small steps. We must use as our inspiration the little mouse. The mouse is a tiny animal, but size has no bearing on determination and will power. If the mouse continues to take small steps day by day, and it believes in itself, it will eventually reach the summit. The journey may take longer, but the destination is the same, and success is achieved.

Learn to be like the mouse. Treat all your goals with small steps. Make it a daily habit to reach one step closer to your dream. Slowly but surely, you will achieve what you desire. Your small steps will lead to success.

Patience Is Your Friend

moonlight

on a lake

sunshine

Life is full of problems. In one form or another, we are beset with complications. And many of these are surprises that spring into our lives with little or no warning. How can we cope with such difficulties?

The answer is to be patient. Do not panic in such a crisis, but stay calm. Think through the problem and try to find ways to solve it. It can often help to do this in steps. Small steps are less intimidating and can give you the courage to continue with something that at first glance may seem impossible.

And remember: no matter how bad the problem is, take heart. Nothing lasts forever, and if you simply ride the storm, the sun will emerge from the clouds. Patience and belief in yourself are the keys to living a life of unending challenges. Step out of the darkness in your life and follow the moon to the sunshine of happiness. 

Build Your Dam!

 thunderstorm

a beaver

builds its dam

Life is full of surprises. On any day, there is a high chance that we will encounter something unexpected. It is a sad fact of life that most surprises are negative. How can we avoid these negative influences in our lives that sap our strength and leave us drained?

We can do this by planning ahead. Look at the beaver. It plans ahead for the rainy days by building its dam ahead of time. Thus, it avoids many of the surprises that life is so fond of throwing at us.

Be like the beaver. Plan things ahead, so the surprises won't catch you. By being prepared for emergencies, you increase the quality of your life and reduce the amount of stress during a crisis. So plan ahead of that thunderstorm by taking action now. A little reflection beforehand will save you much grief in the future. Build your dam and be happy while the rain pours.

Are You A Chicken?

hiding

behind the barn

a chicken

In each of us, lies a fear buried deep within. It haunts our dreams and kills our spirit. We postpone things because we are afraid of the result: failure. It is this fear of failure that prevents us from achieving our life's dreams. "Why bother to try when the outcome is already determined?" the naysayers will say, but that is the point. Other than death, nothing is one hundred percent certain. There will always be variables in the calculations; random chances that no one could have foreseen.

So take heart: do not let the fear of failure stop you from achieving what you want in life. Instead of hiding, go forth into the world and turn your dreams into realities. Take life by the throat and make it give what you want. Anything is possible if you stop making excuses for yourself. Stop being a chicken that always hides behind the barn. Come out into the sunshine and revel in your new-found freedom.

Angry Ambition

summer dreams

I sit by the lake

and think

As humans, we all dream and desire recognition of some sort. After all, it is one of the driving forces in our lives - the need to excel. Ambition is a wonderful thing - if used properly it can propel us toward a distant goal. With ambition, the dreams we have can often be turned into reality.

But there is a dark side to ambition. In our struggle for recognition, some people take this to an extreme level - they try to destroy other people's careers and lives. For them, the end result is everything - burn your boats and take no prisoners kind of attitude. This is what I call "angry" ambition. It is this greed for excessive power and money that has destroyed many a person.

Understand: You can achieve your dreams with ambition. But do not hurt others in your quest for personal fulfillment. The world is a big enough place, and there would be less misery if people showed a little kindness and consideration to others. We are all in this together: one world, one life, one dream.

Dream And Dare

I bow my head and close my eyes

As I press my palms together;

I feel myself float in the skies,

As soft and light as a feather.

And then I know the peace of bliss,

So tender like a maiden's kiss;

My thoughts are free to fly and roam,

A world sweeter than any home.

Dreams. We all have them. In each of us, is a desire to live our lives the way we want. We yearn to see new lands, or to buy new things; to eat a fabulous feast or read a great book. And that is good. It is the way things should be. Without dreams, we are dead inside. We have nothing to live for and life seems empty and hollow. It is the driving force that gives meaning to our lives.

Never give up on your dreams. Always think of something that you should strive for. But do not make yourself unhappy by longing for it so much that you forget to live. It is the journey that is more inspiring and enlightening than the destination. The journey is what defines us; the destination is the reward for such a persistent effort. It makes us feel complete and whole.

Dare to dream. And live your life the way you choose.

Golden Spring

golden koi

swim in a pond

of clear water

watching them

my mind races

back to spring days

Do you see the koi swimming in the pond? How peaceful they look in the cold clear water! They spend their days eating food thrown by tourists. Life is good for the koi.

We might not be koi, but we can all improve our lives by learning to slow down. Deep reflective thinking is as important to your health as daily exercise. By pondering the things in our lives, we become more aware of them. We learn to become deep critical thinkers that observe the world around us. This benefits us, as we remove the spur of the moment decisions that lead to regrets. A calm clear head is far better than the raging storm of anger.

Learn to use your mind for reflective thinking. Take ten minutes every day to think about your life: your dreams, your past, your hopes, and fears. You can learn so much about yourself as a person by doing reflective thinking. Use this gift that you have and improve your life with it. Make every day a spring day.

The One Hour Plan

reading

a book

my mind walks

In perfecting ourselves, we should strive to maintain a sense of harmony. While the mind is an important asset, we must not forget our bodies. The body and mind are one big chain that defines who we are. We must not neglect one for the other, for they are parts that make up a greater whole. When both mind and body are developed, we experience a sense of harmony within ourselves; we realize our greatest potential.

 The following are two suggestions that can improve your mind and body. Each segment takes approximately thirty minutes. They are designed to improve your abilities in both areas. For just one hour a day, you can bring about positive changes in your life.

The first step is to improve your health. Your body is built for motion; it thrives on constant activity. So you need to exercise it. One of the simplest ways to do this is to take a daily walk for thirty minutes. Walk to work, walk on the treadmill, walk in your room back and forth. It matters not as long as you walk for thirty minutes each day. This may not seem a lot, but it is the doing that is most important. The simple tasks are the ones that we are more likely to stick with.

The second step in your one hour plan is to improve your mind. How do we do this? One of the best ways is by reading. Find a subject that interests you and read about it. I particularly encourage you to study philosophy and poetry. Why you may ask? Because they produce a higher mental strain within you. To understand them, you must put forth the proper mental effort. And it is this effort that will make you a wiser, more reflective person.

If someone were to ask me where to begin in philosophy and poetry, I would recommend the works of Plato and Alexander Pope. They are fine writers, and their writings have influenced people throughout the centuries. This philosopher and poet would make a great introduction to your mental studies.

And there you have it. For only one hour a day, you can make positive changes in your life. Follow this program every day for the rest of your life. You will be amazed by how much you will grow with the years. Like a fine wine, you will transform into a healthier and wiser person.