The following set of slides is meant for comic relief. Please accept my apologies if it offends you. Kindly wait a while for the slides to upload. Have a nice day!
“A journey of a thousand leagues begins with a single step.”
Having just returned from China, I can quote Confucius, who said, "A journey of a thousand leagues begins with a single step."
Mark Twain once said, "Even if you are on the right path, you’ll get run over if you just sit there."
What I have found over the years is that the primary difference between top people and average people is that top people are action-oriented. They decide what they want, set a goal, and then they take the first step. Everything else follows from that.
Why is it that so many people think and dream and plan, and even hope that if they think positive thoughts and visualize happy pictures their dreams will come true, and nothing ever happens to them?
The primary reason that people don’t take the first step is that they fear failure of some kind. They fear loss of time or loss of money. They fear loss of respect, or embarrassment. They fear rejection and criticism if they don’t achieve their goals. Most people have so many fears that they are paralyzed into accepting vastly less than they are truly capable of.
My friend, Denis Waitley says, "You could not use your full potential if you lived 100 lifetimes."
Let me tell you a true story. When I flew out of Los Angeles International Airport for Narita Airport in Tokyo, a 10-hour flight, I knew that the plane was going to be off course 99% of the time.
The fact is that all flights, short or long distance, are off course 99% of the time. Nonetheless, when the wheels came up as we took off from Los Angeles, the pilot came onto the Intercom and said, "Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to this flight. We will be touching down in Narita Airport at 5:08 in the afternoon. Have a nice flight."
And surprise! Surprise! The flight touched down at exactly 5:08 pm, even though the plane was off course 99% of the time.
Why was this? Simple. Because of updrafts, downdrafts and other weather patterns, the plane is continually making course corrections. Most of this is automated today, with the pilots in place to make sure that there are no mistakes. But nonetheless, the plane is off course most of the time.
What is my point? My point is that, once you set a goal and take the first step, you will be off course most of the time, as well. Everybody is.
No matter how smart you are, or how experienced, or how knowledgeable, or how thoroughly you plan in advance, you will be off course most of the time throughout your life.
All of life is a series of course corrections. You try something, and then you try something else. You work your way forward by trial and error. You fall down and you pick yourself back up again. You make the wrong turns and you end up either off the main road toward your goal, or in a cul-de-sac.
There is a Turkish saying, "No matter how long you have been traveling on the wrong road, turn back."
Never be afraid to take the first step because of the possibility of failure. Know in advance that you are going to fail many times before you achieve your goal. The good news is that every failure teaches you something that will be helpful to you to not only achieve your goal but to hold onto the goal once you reach it.
In fact, there is no such thing as failure; there is only feedback. Temporary failure, setbacks, difficulties or disappointment should simply be treated as forms of information, containing nuggets of wisdom and advice that you can use to be smarter and more effective when you take the next step.
The good news is that, no matter what your goal is, you can always see far enough to take the next step. And if you take a single step, you will then see far enough to take the next step. If you keep taking steps, one at a time, twisting and turning throughout your journey, you will eventually arrive at your destination, sometimes in the most remarkable ways.
Be clear about who you are and what you want. Write down your goals and plans. Set priorities on your activities. Then, take the first step.
Orison Swett Marden, the original founder of Success Magazine in 1905, once wrote, "There are only two keys to success, and they have always been the same. The first is ‘get-to-it-iveness’ and the second is ’stick-to-it-iveness.’"
But the key is always for you to take the first step.
Just do it!
Author's Bio
Brian Tracy is Chairman and CEO of Brian Tracy International, a company specializing in the training and development of individuals and organizations.
Brian's goal is to help you achieve your personal and business goals faster and easier than you ever imagined.
Brian Tracy has consulted for more than 1,000 companies and addressed more than 4,000,000 people in 4,000 talks and seminars throughout the US, Canada and 40 other countries worldwide. As a Keynote speaker and seminar leader, he addresses more than 250,000 people each year.
You can learn more about Brian by reading his blog or visiting his website.
The Sun (UK) reported earlier today that BRITAIN'S Got Talent sensation Susan Boyle was in the Priory clinic last night suffering from exhaustion. Apparently, the singer, dubbed SuBo, had an "emotional breakdown" following Saturday's final in which she was runner-up.
Since the Scot stunned the judges with her performance of "I Dream A Dream" seven weeks ago.
Boyle-mania has swept the country. Even Prime Minister Gordon Brown has now lent the drained star his support, revealing to GMTV this morning that he phoned Simon Cowell last night to check on her condition.
The following is extracted from THIS LINK.
He said: "I hope Susan Boyle is OK because she is a really, really nice person and I think she will do well.
"I spoke to Simon Cowell last night and to Piers Morgan and wanted to be sure that she was OK."
The 48-year-old virgin, tipped to earn £8MILLION, survived tears and a tantrum to finish second in Saturday's gripping final of telly's Britain's Got Talent.
But the pressure finally told late yesterday as the Scots singer - dubbed SuBo by fans - was rushed to the private clinic suffering from exhaustion.
Show aides had contacted police to say she was acting strangely at her London hotel.
Paramedics helped the "spaced-out" star through the lobby and into an ambulance just after 6pm.
A Met Police Inspector and a police doctor were called to assist. The ambulance, tailed by a police car, then took her to the Priory in Southgate, North London.
A source at the hotel said last night: "She'd been at the hotel for a few days, but since Saturday's final had been acting strangely, causing a bit of a stir.
Stress
"The staff were concerned - something wasn't right.
"When the paramedics and police arrived she agreed to go voluntarily. She didn't make a fuss. The paramedics calmly took her out through the main lobby and into the waiting ambulance.
"It was all done very calmly. They didn't want to stress or upset her. She didn't look well - she looked lost, not all there."
A source at the clinic said last night: "I was having a cigarette break when a whole load of ambulances arrived.
"Everyone was saying, 'Who's that'? Then I saw her and it was Susan Boyle. I was gobsmacked."
The singer, from Blackburn in West Lothian, has learning difficulties. The specialist clinic has 52 bedrooms and specialises in the treatment of mental health.
Piers told SunTalk's Jon Gaunt this morning that Susan had checked into the clinic because she was so exhausted.
He said: "Obviously we're concerned about Susan at the moment. I spoke to her yesterday and she's absolutely exhausted and just needs a good break.
"She's physically, mentally and emotionally drained. She'd been getting pressure from all over the world.
"I'm not sure what happened after the result was announced on Saturday. She was getting agitated about the amount of attention she was getting.
"No one forced her to take part but we've never ever had this reaction about a contestant before.
"When she gets better we'll her as she is again - a very feisty, funny lady."
Asked about a "Boyle backlash" that started last week when some viewers thought she didn't do as well in the semi final as she had in her audition, Piers admitted: "She did let herself down in the semi final but when she came back in the final she was absolutely stunning.
"American has gone crazy for her in the last two months. She will have a fantastic career there."
He also lashed out at members of the studio audience who had booed Susan during Saturday night's final, saying she didn't deserve that reaction at all.
Click here to listen to the full interview with Piers on SunTalk
For the rest of the report, please click HERE.
In another report by TIME, James Poniewozik said :
"In the dramatic finale of America's favorite TV show that does not actually air in America, Britain's Got Talent, Susan Boyle was upset by Diversity, a dance group. Afterward, according to reports in the British press, Boyle was admitted to a London clinic, for "exhaustion" or an emotional breakdown, depending on the report.
Some people argue that Boyle had become too much of a foregone conclusion and obvious judges' favorite, possibly sparking a backlash. Then there are press reports of a public temper tantrum, which the judges allude to obliquely in the video after the jump, referencing the "pressure" Boyle had been under:
Is the show to blame for plucking Boyle from obscurity and subjecting her to the pressure of overnight fame?
In any case, whatever singing career was open to Boyle before is surely still there if she wants it—and now she's in a better position to decide if she wants it at all."
For more, please over here.
Personally, I hope that Susan Boyle will recover and enjoy her success without any repurcussions. May God bless her with a speedy recovery.
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