Will You Be My Neighbor

Will You Be My Neighbor
– Jack Hornsby

My wife and I had been meaning to see the movie “Mr. Rogers” when it first came out, but just didn’t make the time. So, the other day we rented the movie and watched it at home.

I remember watching Mr. Rogers while growing up from a young child to an adolescent. I often wondered if this man that I saw on television was for real. He was so nice and made everyone feel special. He was famous for saying “I like you just the way you are”.

Until I heard about the movie staring Tom Hanks as Mr. Rogers, I really didn’t know that much about the man himself. All I knew was what I had seen when I was much younger and now I am grown.

.

So, I decided to do some research. What I discovered was that what I had seen on TV was what Mr. Rogers was in real life. Not that he was perfect, but that he genuinely cared about people. He had a temper, but had learned to control it. He sought to see things through the eyes of the person with whom he was interacting at that moment.

The most important person to Mr. Rogers was the one with whom he was speaking at that moment in time. He excepted people just as they were without any judgement. He liked all people, but he especially loved those who were “broken”.

It is sad that he died of stomach cancer a few years back. He did so much good for others. There is so much that he did that there is not enough room in this post to share it all. I suggest that you do your own research.

I recommend that if you haven’t seen the movie yet that you do so. There are some great leadership principles as well as parenting ones demonstrated in the movie. We would all do well to learn from Mr. Rogers’ example.

So, I just want to tell you that I like you just the way you are and ask you “will you be my neighbor?”.

Jack Hornsby

 

The Daffodil Principle

The Daffodil Principle
– Jaroldeen Asplund Edwards

Several times my daughter had telephoned to say, “Mother, you must come and see the daffodils before they are over.” I wanted to go, but it was a two-hour drive from Laguna to Lake Arrowhead. Going and coming took most of a day–and I honestly did not have a free day until the following week.

“I will come next Tuesday, ” I promised, a little reluctantly, on her third call.

Next Tuesday dawned cold and rainy. Still, I had promised, and so I drove the length of Route 91, continued on I-215, and finally turned onto Route 18 and began to drive up the mountain highway. The tops of the mountains were sheathed in clouds, and I had gone only a few miles when the road was completely covered with a wet, gray blanket of fog. I slowed to a crawl, my heart pounding. The road becomes narrow and winding toward the top of the mountain.

As I executed the hazardous turns at a snail’s pace, I was praying to reach the turnoff at Blue Jay that would signify I had arrived. When I finally walked into Carolyn’s house and hugged and greeted my grandchildren I said, “Forget the daffodils, Carolyn! The road is invisible in the clouds and fog, and there is nothing in the world except you and these darling children that I want to see bad enough to drive another inch!”

My daughter smiled calmly,” We drive in this all the time, Mother.”

“Well, you won’t get me back on the road until it clears–and then I’m heading for home!” I assured her.

“I was hoping you’d take me over to the garage to pick up my car. The mechanic just called, and they’ve finished repairing the engine,” she answered.

“How far will we have to drive?” I asked cautiously.

“Just a few blocks,” Carolyn said cheerfully.

So we buckled up the children and went out to my car. “I’ll drive,” Carolyn offered. “I’m used to this.” We got into the car, and she began driving.

In a few minutes, I was aware that we were back on the Rim-of-the-World Road heading over the top of the mountain. “Where are we going?” I exclaimed, distressed to be back on the mountain road in the fog. “This isn’t the way to the garage!”

“We’re going to my garage the long way,” Carolyn smiled, “by way of the daffodils.”

“Carolyn,” I said sternly, trying to sound as if I was still the mother and in charge of the situation, “please turn around. There is nothing in the world that I want to see enough to drive on this road in this weather.”

“It’s all right, Mother,” She replied with a knowing grin. “I know what I’m doing. I promise you will never forgive yourself if you miss this experience.”

And so my sweet, darling daughter who had never given me a minute of difficulty in her whole life was suddenly in charge — and she was kidnapping me! I couldn’t believe it. Like it or not, I was on the way to see some ridiculous daffodils — driving through the thick, gray silence of the mist-wrapped mountaintop at what I thought was a risk to life and limb.

I muttered all the way. After about twenty minutes we turned onto a small gravel road that branched down into an oak-filled hollow on the side of the mountain. The Fog had lifted a little, but the sky was lowering, gray and heavy with clouds.

We parked in a small parking lot adjoining a little stone church. From our vantage point at the top of the mountain, we could see beyond us, in the mist, the crests of the San Bernardino range like the dark, humped backs of a herd of elephants. Far below us the fog-shrouded valleys, hills, and flatlands stretched away to the desert.

On the far side of the church, I saw a pine-needle-covered path, with towering evergreens and manzanita bushes and an inconspicuous, lettered sign “Daffodil Garden.”

We each took a child’s hand, and I followed Carolyn down the path as it wound through the trees. The mountain sloped away from the side of the path in irregular dips, folds, and valleys, like a deeply creased skirt.

Live oaks, mountain laurel, shrubs, and bushes clustered in the folds, and in the gray, drizzling air, the green foliage looked dark and monochromatic. I shivered. Then we turned a corner of the path, and I looked up and gasped. Before me lay the most glorious sight, unexpectedly and completely splendid. It looked as though someone had taken a great vat of gold and poured it down over the mountain peak and slopes where it had run into every crevice and over every rise. Even in the mist-filled air, the mountainside was radiant, clothed in massive drifts and waterfalls of daffodils. The flowers were planted in majestic, swirling patterns, great ribbons and swaths of deep orange, white, lemon yellow, salmon pink, saffron, and butter yellow.

Each different-colored variety (I learned later that there were more than thirty-five varieties of daffodils in the vast display) was planted as a group so that it swirled and flowed like its own river with its own unique hue.

In the center of this incredible and dazzling display of gold, a great cascade of purple grape hyacinth flowed down like a waterfall of blossoms framed in its own rock-lined basin, weaving through the brilliant daffodils. A charming path wound throughout the garden. There were several resting stations, paved with stone and furnished with Victorian wooden benches and great tubs of coral and carmine tulips. As though this were not magnificence enough, Mother Nature had to add her own grace note — above the daffodils, a bevy of western bluebirds flitted and darted, flashing their brilliance. These charming little birds are the color of sapphires with breasts of magenta red. As they dance in the air, their colors are truly like jewels above the blowing, glowing daffodils. The effect was spectacular.

It did not matter that the sun was not shining. The brilliance of the daffodils was like the glow of the brightest sunlit day. Words, wonderful as they are, simply cannot describe the incredible beauty of that flower-bedecked mountaintop.

Five acres of flowers! (This too I discovered later when some of my questions were answered.) “But who has done this?” I asked Carolyn. I was overflowing with gratitude that she brought me — even against my will. This was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

“Who?” I asked again, almost speechless with wonder, “And how, and why, and when?”

“It’s just one woman,” Carolyn answered. “She lives on the property. That’s her home.” Carolyn pointed to a well-kept A-frame house that looked small and modest in the midst of all that glory.

We walked up to the house, my mind buzzing with questions. On the patio, we saw a poster. ” Answers to the Questions I Know You Are Asking” was the headline. The first answer was a simple one. “50,000 bulbs,” it read. The second answer was, “One at a time, by one woman, two hands, two feet, and very little brain.” The third answer was, “Began in 1958.”

There it was. The Daffodil Principle.

For me that moment was a life-changing experience. I thought of this woman whom I had never met, who, more than thirty-five years before, had begun — one bulb at a time — to bring her vision of beauty and joy to an obscure mountaintop. One bulb at a time.

There was no other way to do it. One bulb at a time. No shortcuts — simply loving the slow process of planting. Loving the work as it unfolded.

Loving an achievement that grew so slowly and that bloomed for only three weeks of each year. Still, just planting one bulb at a time, year after year had changed the world.

This unknown woman had forever changed the world in which she lived. She had created something of ineffable magnificence, beauty, and inspiration.

The principle her daffodil garden taught is one of the greatest principles of celebration: learning to move toward our goals and desires one step at a time — often just one baby-step at a time — learning to love the doing, learning to use the accumulation of time.

When we multiply tiny pieces of time with small increments of daily effort, we too will find we can accomplish magnificent things. We can change the world.

“Carolyn,” I said that morning on the top of the mountain as we left the haven of daffodils, our minds and hearts still bathed and bemused by the splendors we had seen, “it’s as though that remarkable woman has needle-pointed the earth! Decorated it. Just think of it, she planted every single bulb for more than thirty years. One bulb at a time! And that’s the only way this garden could be created. Every individual bulb had to be planted. There was no way of short-circuiting that process. Five acres of blooms. That magnificent cascade of hyacinth!

All, just one bulb at a time.”

The thought of it filled my mind. I was suddenly overwhelmed with the implications of what I had seen. “It makes me sad in a way,” I admitted to Carolyn. “What might I have accomplished if I had thought of a wonderful goal thirty-five years ago and had worked away at it ‘one bulb at a time’ through all those years. Just think what I might have been able to achieve!”

My wise daughter put the car into gear and summed up the message of the day in her direct way. “Start today,” she said with the same knowing smile she had worn for most of the morning. Oh, profound wisdom!

It is pointless to think of the lost hours of yesterdays. The way to make learning a lesson a celebration instead of a cause for regret is to only ask, “How can I put this to use today?”

Jaroldeen Asplund Edwards

 

The Person Who Hesitates Is Lost

The Person Who Hesitates Is Lost
– Harvey Mackay

“I need you to go out to the orchard and pick a basketful of apples,” the mother instructed her young daughter. “Just walk row by row and pick the prettiest ones. There are plenty on the trees, so just check each tree once and move along. You won’t have time to dawdle; I’ll need them in time for lunch in a half hour.”

The girl thought this should be simple enough when she arrived at the orchard. However, as she walked the rows of trees she found it difficult to choose. Each apple she inspected seemed to be of exceptional quality.

She would look over one tree, but decide that the next tree might hold better apples. After all, she only wanted to pick the best and reddest. But when she reached the edge of the orchard, her basket was empty. And she was late for lunch!

“All those trees and I couldn’t make up my mind,” she thought. “What if I didn’t get the best ones?”

Was it the fear of making a poor decision or just uncertainty? That day she realized that hesitating to make a decision and holding out for something better had prevented her from realizing the value of what was right in front of her.

We have all second-guessed ourselves or hesitated at some point – and usually for good reason. Perhaps new information came to light, or a budget couldn’t be stretched, or staff couldn’t handle any more work. Those are reasonable causes for hesitation.

And while I often advise people to trust their instincts, it’s also important to know the difference between hesitating and deciding on inaction because you don’t know where to begin.

Small or large problems that can be overcome should not hold up a project when all the other elements are in order. Putting off a decision disrupts the momentum when key players are ready to go.

When indecision and hesitation go beyond the necessary fact-gathering and initial planning, find a way to take a first step.

If making a decision is the problem, explore the reasons. Fear of failure, fear of success, lack of resources or experience, tight deadlines, even sheer laziness – all are potential buzzkills.

Those are, however, all surmountable problems. Fears, even when reasonable, are only as scary as you make them. Failure isn’t fatal, as I like to say, and success is sweet. Visualize what a completed project would look like and go from there. Put your imagination to work, and allow yourself to dream a little. Think about what could go right instead of what could go wrong.

When resources are in short supply, turn it into an opportunity to make do with what you have. Look for ways to repurpose existing budgets or staffing to adjust to changing needs. Not always simple, to be sure, but organizations face those challenges every day. If you’re short on experience, get busy and study up. Find a mentor, take a class, read everything you can get your hands on. Pick the brains of your staff and colleagues.

If laziness is the big issue, then my suggestion is to move aside and get out of the way for those who can get the job done. Seriously. Motivation is critical to decision-making, and if your hesitation is causing a project to suffer, then the problem is not the project.

I’ll share a little rhyme that has helped me get moving when I need a jumpstart. I wish I could find the author so I could express my gratitude for the inspiration. See if it doesn’t help you too.

How and When

We are often greatly bothered

By two fussy little men,

Who sometimes block our pathway –

Their names are How and When.

If we have a task or duty

Which we can put off awhile,

And we do not go and do it –

You should see those two rogues smile.

But there is a way to beat them,

And I will tell you how:

If you have a task or duty,

Do it well, and do it now.

If you see yourself in this little ditty, it’s time to rethink your future. Because the future belongs to those who act!

Mackay’s Moral: “Do it well” – or why bother? “Do it now” – and then get on to the next challenge!

A Leader’s Courage

A Leader’s Courage
– John Maxwell

Whenever you see significant progress in an organization, it’s because the leader made courageous decisions. However, a leadership position doesn’t give a person courage, but courage can give them a leadership position. As you approach the tough decisions that will challenge you, recognize these truths about courage:

Courage begins with an inward battle. Courage isn’t an absence of fear. It’s doing what you are afraid to do.

Courage is making things right, not just smoothing them over. Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”

Courage in a leader inspires commitment from followers. “Courage is contagious,” says evangelist Billy Graham. “When a brave man takes a stand, the spines of others are stiffened.” Courage by a leader inspires.

Your life expands in proportion to your courage. Roman historian Tacitus said, “The desire for safety stands against every great and noble enterprise.” But courage opens doors, and that’s one of its most wonderful benefits.

Excerpt from The 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader

THE POWER TO CHANGE THE WORLD

THE POWER TO CHANGE THE WORLD
– JOHN MAXWELL

All the training in the world will provide only limited success if you don’t turn your people loose to do the job. The way to do that is to give them responsibility, authority, and accountability.

For some people, responsibility is the easiest to give. But what is difficult for some leaders is allowing their people to keep the responsibility after it’s been given. Poor managers want to control every detail of their people’s work. When that happens, the potential leaders who work for them become frustrated and don’t develop. Rather than desiring more responsibility, they become indifferent or avoid responsibility altogether.

With responsibility must go authority. Winston Churchill said in an address, “I am your servant. You have the right to dismiss me when you please. What you have no right to do is ask me to bear responsibility without the power of action.”

Once responsibility and authority have been given to people, they become empowered to make things happen. But we also have to be sure that they are making the right things happen. That’s where accountability comes into the picture.

Excerpt from Developing the Leaders Around You

The 4 P’s to Business Success!

The 4 P’s to Business Success!
– Robert Rohm

Recently I was reading an outstanding article that gave me some good insight into business success. The article talked about the fact that all successful businesses have several things in common. Everyone knows that there are two key ingredients a company must have in order to be successful: a good product and excellent customer service. However, the article went on to point out that if you could focus on four particular areas of your business, you would be in a better position for success.

After reviewing many different companies and collecting much data, the researchers found that all successful businesses had four things in common. I like it when information is clear and simple. I also like it when it is easy to remember. The researchers narrowed down the success of companies to 4 P’s I would like to share with you.

1. Power – This has to do with knowing where you are headed in your business. It has to do with your direction. If you are going to sell widgets, then you need to have a plan to produce them and market them. Success doesn’t happen by accident! It requires thoughtful planning and commitment. It is true that almost every company makes adjustments along the way, but you must be crystal clear as to what you are all about and the direction in which you want to move.

I once heard a simple sentence that I think says it all: “The people who first climbed Mt. Everest didn’t do so by simply going out for an afternoon ‘stroll’ one day in the mountains!” You have to know where you are headed and take the necessary steps to have power and control in whatever industry you choose in order to succeed.

2. Positioning – This has to do with having good connections. We have all heard that it isn’t so much what you know as who you know. We all need to be well connected. We need to be acquainted with people who can help us move ahead in what we are doing. No man or woman is an island unto themselves. Someone once said the most important thing in life is having good relationships. I totally agree. By having good relationships and connections with people, you can be in a position to succeed much faster.

How many times have you recommended a good business to a friend of yours or had a good business recommended to you by someone else? That is what positioning is all about. It is having good connections in order to help one another on a daily basis. I can honestly say that almost everything that has happened to me in my business life is because of a good connection with a friend or because of someone I have worked with in business who has recommended my services to another person or company.

3. Polite – This has to do with customer service. Although it is a “no-brainer”, we sometimes forget that in business, everything rises or falls on customer service. Statistics show if you write down the names of ten businesses that you pass as you ride down the street, ten years from now seven of those businesses will be closed and only three will be left! The seven that fail will likely do so because of poor customer service and the three that remain open will succeed because of good customer service. That is what it means to be polite, to care and to have an attitude of cooperation and kindness toward your customers.

4. Performance – This has to do with knowing what you are doing and doing it consistently. In other words, if you are not clear on what you are trying to accomplish, you will lose your way and it will not be long until you are totally lost. I sometimes think that performance is the most difficult aspect of business because it is so easy to get distracted by every opportunity that comes along. Good ideas are a dime a dozen, but to be successful, you must be clear about what are doing and do it day in and day out, with excellence. The old saying is still true: “Cream always rises to the top!”

In the past, I have been distracted by many different endeavors, but as I grew older in business, I focused on one thing: helping people understand their personality style in order to build better teams and create better relationships. That is what I want to be all about in business – nothing more, nothing less, and nothing else! I want to know what I am doing and continue to learn how to do it better every day.

There you have it! Those are the four keys to building a successful business: Power, Positioning, Polite, and Performance. Are you excelling in each of those four areas? More than likely, one or two of those topics are strong points for you and maybe a couple of other points need improvement. I have made a 3 x 5 card with those words printed on it and keep it where I can see it often. It helps “center me” and allows me to stay focused on what I am doing every day. I would suggest you do the same thing. You will not be sorry. I can guarantee you that! Ask any successful person you know in business about these four key traits. See what they say. Come to think of it…they also work well in everyday life. Now go and do likewise!

Tip: The 4 P’s to business success!

Have a great week! God bless you!

Dr. Robert A. Rohm

Quotes & Sayings for Sunday Evening February 23rd, 2020

Quotes & Sayings for Sunday Evening February 23rd, 2020

Back of every effect there is a cause, and if we follow the trail to its starting point, we shall find the Creative principle out of which it grew. Proofs of this are now so complete that this truth is generally accepted. – Charles F. Haanel

 

You want to know the difference between a master and a beginner? The master has failed more times than the beginner has ever tried.

Beautiful things happen when you distance yourself negativity.

The hardest battle we face is with ourselves.

Know the difference between those who stay to feed the soil and those who come to gran the fruit.

Show the world you are grateful and life opens another realm to you – Brendon Burchard

If you have knowledge, let others light their candles at it.
– Margaret Fuller

The more I learn, the better I’m able to serve.
– Jay Johnson

In mental, as in natural science, experiments are being made and each discovery lifts man one step higher toward his possible goal. We find that every man is the reflection of the thought he has entertained during his lifetime. This is stamped on his face, his form, his character, and his environment. – Charles F. Haanel

How Will They Meet Change?

How Will They Meet Change?
– John Maxwell

It is usually easier to present change as a simple refinement of “the way we’ve been doing it” rather than something new and different. When a proposal for change is introduced in an organization, people fall into five categories in terms of their response:

Innovators – They are the originators of new ideas and generally are not acknowledged as leaders or policy makers.

Early Adopters – They are those who know a good idea when they see it.

Middle Adopters – They are the majority. They will respond to the opinions of others.

Late Adopters – They are the last group to endorse an idea. They often speak against proposed changes and may never verbally acknowledge acceptance.

Laggards – They are always against change. Their commitment is to the status quo and the past. Often they try to create division within the organization.

Excerpt from Developing the Leader Within You

Where do you fall within these categories?  Not sure and want to find out?  Click on the photo below: 

Do You Feel Invisible?

Do You Feel Invisible?
– Sandra Abell

I used to feel invisible. It often seemed like people only noticed me when they wanted something from me, and they ignored me or disappeared when I had a need or want of my own?

This is a really painful, lonely, difficult place to be.

I was raised in a loving family, but for some reason always felt that my role was to meet the needs of the rest of the group. As a child, I often felt ignored or “less than”, so the only way to get noticed and receive positive attention was to suppress my needs and focus on those of others.

Once I became an adult, I was still looking for love and approval by giving to and taking care of, others, as I learned to do when I was small.

Since I was raised to be a caretaker of others, I wasn’t taught to also take care of myself. The unspoken bargain, what I hoped would happen, was that if I were there for people, they’d be there for me.

Unfortunately, it seldom worked that way!

Taking care of others is a good thing. It’s wonderful to be giving, supportive and compassionate to people. The thing I didn’t learn is that I also need to give these wonderful things to myself.

As a result, I felt invisible.

Once I realized what was going on, I looked at why people didn’t give me the same consideration and support that I gave them. I was surprised to see that I was unconsciously treating myself disrespectfully, and modeled this behavior for others. Without realizing it I was teaching people how to treat me.

The good news is that I am now I’m an adult, I have the power to make things different. Even though I was taught to disregard my wants and needs so I could focus on others, I can now change that early patterning, and begin treating myself with the respect I deserve.

I was excited to think about what it would be like if I stopped ignoring myself and started occasionally putting my needs first. Setting boundaries around behaviors I will and will not accept from others.

Some things I did to turn things around are:

• Look inside myself and begin acknowledging my feelings, wants and needs. Tell myself that what I feel is as important as what others feel, and act accordingly.

• Start speaking up for myself. Once I was aware of my feelings, wants and needs, I Spoke Up and made sure others were aware of them too. If they continued to ignore me or got angry when I did this, I realized it might be a toxic relationship that I needed to re-evaluate.

• Start taking care of myself as well others, and modeling for them how to give to me as well as take from me.

• Stop accepting one-way relationships, where the other person talks about him/herself for hours but doesn’t listen when you begin to speak.

• Give people the opportunity to be there for me. Take a risk, share my thoughts, and encourage others to respond.

When I changed my behavior, most people were happy to see that I was stepping up and being assertive. However, others were angry and confused. With these folks, I patiently demonstrated my boundaries and held them firm, and modeled for others how I expect to be treated. Eventually, people modified the way they treated me, and their respect for me grew as I demonstrated my own self-respect.

Unfortunately, there were some people who just wanted to be in a relationship with me because of the way I took care of them, and as I grew stronger, they faded away, which was just fine with me.

What I learned is to always remember that I am a loveable, valuable, capable, competent person, and it’s time I, and everyone else, acknowledges this.

I also learned that the bottom line is the key to being visible is to respect myself, take control of my life, and make sure others are aware that I am as important as they are.

Sandra Abell

Click on the photo below to learn more and to find out the help/assistance that is available for you.

Success Is Within Your Reach

Success Is Within Your Reach 

– Harvey Mackay

I’ve been mighty busy lately launching my new book, “You Haven’t Hit Your Peak Yet!” So it was a real pleasure to finally get to the neglected stack of books in my office which I have been saving to read and savor.

One in particular commanded my attention, and it was absolutely worth waiting for. My old friend Jack Canfield wrote a real masterpiece, “The Success Principles,” in 2005 and has since revised and updated it. Frankly, it wouldn’t matter when this book was written. The advice is timeless.

You likely recognize Jack’s name from the wildly successful “Chicken Soup for the Soul” series co-written with Mark Victor Hansen. The first book was rejected by more than 100 publishers and was eventually sold to a small Florida publisher. They had the last laugh. Since the first book came out in 1993, the series has sold more than 500 million books worldwide.

Success is perhaps my favorite topic. The definition of success varies from person to person. Is it all about financial achievement and status? Is it more narrowly related to job satisfaction? Is it enough to be happy and grateful for what you have?

Probably the question I am asked most often is “how do I become successful?” Jack quotes our friend, the late Jim Rohn, who explained, “You can’t hire someone else to do your push-ups for you.” That’s the formula for anyone who wants to achieve success in any endeavor. YOU have to do the work. YOU have to stay motivated. YOU have to have the plan to get to where you want to go.

As Jack writes, “If you want to be successful, you have to take 100% responsibility of everything you experience in your life. This includes the level of your achievements, the results you produce, the quality of your relationships, the state of your health and physical fitness, your income, your debts, your feelings – everything!

“This is not easy,” he warns.

In my experience, it is so much easier to blame someone or something else for my failures. But I would be wrong to do that. I understand that sometimes circumstances are beyond my control. That doesn’t mean I can ignore my reaction to those circumstances. I understand that people don’t always respond as I wish they would. That requires me to adapt my approach and re-evaluate my actions. I need to be responsible for how I act/react.

Jack offers up plenty of lessons and exercises to put readers on the road to success. One in particular that really intrigued me was to make a list of 100 successes you’ve had in your life.

“My experience is that most people do fine coming up with the first 30 or so; then it becomes a little more difficult,” he says.

“To come up with 100, you are going to have to list things like learning to ride a bicycle, singing a solo at church, getting your first summer job, the first time you got a hit in Little League, making the cheerleading squad, getting your driver’s license, writing an article for the school newspaper, getting an A in Mr. Simon’s history class, surviving basic training, learning to surf, winning a ribbon at the county fair, modifying your first car, getting married, having your first child, and leading a fund-raising campaign for your child’s school. These are all things you probably take for granted now, but they all need to be acknowledged as successes you’ve had in life,” he writes.

I interpret that as success begins long before you start a career or score a big promotion and corner office. You’ve likely achieved a good measure of success before you even graduate from high school. If that doesn’t boost your self-confidence as you approach your first job interview, I don’t know what will.

The bottom line is this: If you are determined, and I mean really determined, to succeed, you can. Success is not an end result, it is a series of actions and activities and relationships that prevail over all other factors. Bear in mind, you may have to adjust plans or expectations along the way.

Books like “The Success Principles” will help you define your future. But the only thing that keeps you from being successful is you. Or as I like to say, believe in yourself even when no one else does.

Mackay’s Moral: You become successful the moment you decide to be.