Brought tears to my eyes…

He’s joking around in the beginning but around a minute into it, he gets serious. If he can have this much hope and joy for life, then what excuse do most of us have?

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Although Will Smith is addressing “kids” and “teens” at the Nickelodeon awards, he has a pretty good message.

I admit… I’m not a committed “runner.” I start running for a few weeks — I stop — I start again — I stop. When I “stops,” I “stops!” :-)

And his point about that little “person” telling you to give up because you’re tired and your body can’t take it anymore — that’s the same voice that tells you all the other things you supposedly can’t do. “Running,” according to Will, helps you defeat that voice. (I’ve gotta admit, I’m going to “start” back up again).

For my first motivational weekend post, listen to Will on the “keys to life”…

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I’m a big fan of Anthony Robbins, the world’s authority on peak performance and achievement.

And one of the lines I always hear on his audio programs is…

“Repetition is the mother of skill.”

And it’s true.

If you expect to grasp something by only doing it a few times, you’re going to be sadly disappointed at the results.

This applies to your music playing, exercising, reading, hobbies, time management — just about anything you can think of.

On the other hand, however, if you commit to the thing you want to accomplish and support it with repeated action, you will succeed. The person who fails just didn’t try enough… point blank.

They say it takes at least 21 days of doing something for it to become a habit. Now, whether you agree with the specific number or not, it is undeniable that you must stick with something in order for it to become habitual. Heck, that even applies to negative habits. One who is overweight didn’t get there overnight. One who smokes oneself into lung cancer didn’t get there with one puff. So it goes both ways.

So the next time you’re tempted to give up, remember that in order for you to birth the skill and mastery that comes at the end of the tunnel, you must endure a moment of pregnancy — then, and only then, will the result emerge. No one desires a premature pregnancy.

“Repetition is the mother of skill.”

Until next time —

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Time for this weekend’s motivational post (I love this one)…

Al Pacino, in “Any Given Sunday,” gives a motivational speech that’s applicable to every part of life. Speaks for itself…

*I don’t agree with the language, of course, but listen to the message. Lighten up… just a movie :-)

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Jason McElwain was…

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Many would remember Dr. Randy Pausch’s last lecture from Oprah. He suffered from pancreatic cancer and was only given a few months to live.

Rather than weep and wallow in regret, he set out to give a lecture about “childhood dreams” and how to live as if it were your last days. What’s interesting is that there really is such a thing as the last lecture. According to Randy, it means giving a lecture as if it were your last. But sadly for him, that term was literal.

For this weekend’s motivational post, I have two videos for you. The first is actual footage from the Oprah show. He gives an abbreviated version of the speech there. And the second is the actual hour-long lecture at Carnegie Melon University.

He will undoubtedly inspire you. If you open up your heart, there’s a lot to learn from his no-bs, common sense approach. I know there’s a lot to be worried about in this day and age. The economy is in shambles.

But if Randy could thrive like this knowing that he could pass away at any moment, then most people have absolutely no excuses. I know I don’t.

Unfortunately, Dr. Pausch passed away July 25, 2008 but his last lecture will live on for years to come…

And the actual speech at Carnegie Melon University where he had tenure…

Until next time —

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For this weekend’s motivation post, I want to share a quick quote from writer, Aldous Huxley.

Every ceiling, when reached, becomes a floor, upon which one walks as a matter of course and prescriptive right.

What does this mean to you?

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For my second weekend motivational post, I want to share a quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson…

“What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.”

Regardless of what you’ve faced and even overcome in the past, and prepare to encounter in the future, none of this is greater than the powers you hold within. Take the focus off external things and focus on who you have to become because everything else is “tiny” compared to YOU.

The bible says “Greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world.”

All the best —

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I’m on my way to San Francisco to speak at a Christian marketers event but I didn’t want to miss the opportunity to write this weekend’s motivational post.

So, although this post is quick, it’s very powerful.

As you know, I have 6 quotes posted in my home office. I’ve already shared four of them.

Here’s the 5th one…

“From now on, I vow I will try to act the part of a person TEN TIMES BIGGER than I now am, for by doing, I construct greater powers in my own brain which will actually build me into such a leader. I refuse to longer be confined by the shadowy walls which heretofore have cramped me into a narrow sphere. From this day forth, the word ‘limit’ is banished from my mind.”

What does this mean to you?

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