Change Your Thoughts

Photography by Dustin Watchman -  www.whoisdustin.com

             Who and what you surround yourself is truly what defines you. I can't express this enough. This doesn't always mean it has to be negative though. In short, surround yourself with people that you wish to be like. Now, the other side of that coin is that if you are striving to become that somebody, why would that special somebody want to hang out with you? There must be a beneficial gain for both of you to create a relationship with each other. An example is that if you want to be a millionaire then you should hang out with millionaires to learn from them. Second though, you need to find out the answer to the question of, "Why would that millionaire want to hang out with you?" So sometimes, you have to go to option number two in life, and surround yourself with the books that they write instead! Many successful people have clearly stated that they spend a lot of time reading, and therefore so should you! I purposely surround myself with motivational quotes and posters at my work desk, next to my work area at home, and with friends that are just as motivational. These are constant daily reminders to be positive and productive in everything I do. To many people will live their lives surrounded by watching the news ( highly negative ) and always being around people that often complain about problems, with no possible solutions ever given. Day in and day out people are surrounded by negativity and don't give a second thought about how to change that.
           Currently, I am re-reading this incredible book. It has so much information, and highlighter marks from me, that I need to read it again just to wrap my head around all the great information. That, and it's a reminder to stay on my goal orientated path. Anyone that seriously wants to work less or at least work more efficiently needs to read this book. I used to read books from certain authors about how to be successful, but all the hype built up during the book was quickly diminished when you finished it and there weren't any real solutions on how to accomplish anything. This book does the exact opposite. It is filled with solutions, answers, guidance, and you won't be disappointed at all. Believe me, I am the worst salesman when it comes to 99% of materialistic goods because I don't think people need most of them, but this book is a must read because it is practical for you to live a better life than you are now. If you spend your days reading gossip tabloids, newspapers, or online news you may find yourself uninspired in life. Find something inspiring to read!

         I have actually been accused in the past that my life might not be as awesome as I portray it to be on Facebook, my blog, or other internet locales, but you can go to sleep tonight knowing that I really am excited about my life every single day, and I am willing to show you why! Life really doesn't have to be difficult. With only a few small changes in your lifestyle you can see dramatic changes in your happiness as well. We all are constantly bombarded with these before and after pictures of people who have transformed their unfit bodies into great physical shape, but what's a healthy body without a healthy mind? If you absolutely hated the year it took you to loose all the weight, do you think it is going to stay off? Are you going to continue to hate your fitness program for your entire life? I say you should work on the mind first, and the body will follow. Start by surrounding yourself with positive thoughts, people, books, and anything that makes you mentally happy. That is the first step in the long road to perpetual happiness. Believe me, at times I do get bored, too. When that happens I decide what to do, and I go do it. It's that simple. There are entire weekends that I do nothing but sleep, but it's okay because it's what I wanted to do. Time spent doing what you want to do is not time wasted. I have weekends where I do nothing but sleep because then I have weekends that I take road trips across the foreign country I am in exploring new places and seeing new things. Then the next weekend it may be off on a plane to another country simply to do an extreme hike, such as Mount Hua Shin in China. The point is that your life is up to you. You have only one life to live and if you do it right, then one is all you'll need. Take control of your life and you will never regret it.

MAKE IT COUNT!