positive_being Dafremen Hey there. You know, a lot of famous and not-so-famous people down through the ages have figured out that you can do anything you set your sights on. As soon as we stop letting our doubt and pessimism get in the way, anything is possible. Here are some of the things that those folks had to say about being positive or, if you will, positive_being. After each quote are a few comments to help you put the ideas into action. Dare to believe in you..there's no better way. (Note: Occasionally, you might see some folks pop in here with negative comments. That's just their amusement and my penance, the consequence I am paying for things I have done in the past around here. Seems everyone has skeletons in their closet these days. Not me. I have full blown corpses and they're not in the closet, they're tied to my ankles and I drag them with me, wherever I go. Well, this blather isn't about them, or me. This blather is about YOU and the power of positive_being. Our past is incapable of standing in the way of our future, that means my past AND that means your past too. The only thing your past mistakes can do besides teach lessons, is make things a little harder, but that's not a problem. See, you can do it if you know you can, and even if you don't know it...I know you can, and I'm unstoppable. So give it a shot, reach for your dreams. They're there for you. Just dream it, believe it and do it. ) 021208 ... Dafremen "The only sure way to fend off criticism is to do nothing and be nothing. Those who do things inevitably stir up criticism." Look, sometimes we do things that others don't like. Sometimes it's because we make mistakes. Other times it's because they are jealous of our success. Sometimes it's just that they don't agree with us, plain and simple. At the end of the day, that's on THEM, not on you. They never have to live your life and they don't necessarily dream your dreams. Forget about the criticism, focus on making of your life what YOU want it to be and DO something to make it happen. Too bad for them if they don't understand. Those that really care will forgive you when you make mistakes, and support you even when they disagree. 021208 ... Dafremen "Happiness is always an inside job." It all starts with you. This may sound strange but, you don't achieve happiness by getting all of the things you want; you get all of the things you want by achieving happiness. It starts on the inside, with a feeling. If you're depressed or angry, there are a hundred rational reasons why you aren't getting the things you want out of life. People feel it and avoid you, you aren't motivated, you're busy sulking so you miss opportunities, you make excuses..etc, etc. The FIRST step to getting everything you ever wanted out of life is to change how you FEEL about your life. Happiness is a magnet for good things in life. It clears your head and helps you put your dreams into perspective. It gravitates people and opportunities your way, helping you to achieve your goals. It motivates you, giving you the persistence you need to make it. Start by feeling happy. Hum a tune, think of something funny, whatever it takes..BE HAPPY. Before you know it, you will have the things you want out of life. 021208 ... Dafremen "Some people stay so far in the past, that the future is gone before they get there." The past is gone and your future lies before you. It sounds corny, but it only takes a moment of thought for you to realize that it's TRUE. So why SHOULD we let our past mistakes be anything but lessons that we have learned? There's no time to dwell, your future is waiting for you...and its a bright one! 021208 ... Dafremen "The secret of success is to start from scratch and keep on scratching." Dreams don't just come our way, we gotta meet them in the middle by never giving up on them. If you can feel it coming true, then it's coming your way as sure as you're feeling it, so don't get discouraged, and NEVER give up. 021208 ... Dafremen "Don't ask, 'What if it doesn't work?' Ask instead, 'What if it does?' " Excuses are always our first line of defense against doing anything. There's no reason to set ourselves up for failure. Who wants that? Recognize excuses not for what they are saying, but for what they are doing: Keeping you from doing what you dream. The easiest way not to get there, is to never start. 021208 ... Dafremen "There are a lot of ways to become a failure, but never taking a chance is the most successful." Sometimes excuses disguise themselves as good reasons. Like when there are chances involved. They say "Don't do that. If you fail...such and such will happen, and won't that suck?" Remind those excuses that they've forgotten one VERY important detail...you WON'T fail. 021208 ... Dafremen "Don't die until you're dead." Excuses, depression, frustration. Sometimes we feel like that's it, we can't go on anymore. We've waited long enough and it doesn't look like it's ever going to happen. Big mistake! It WILL happen, it IS coming and all we're doing is killing the dream before it has a chance to come true. Don't make that mistake. There are a thousand absolutely foolproof ways to kill your dreams, there is one absolutely foolproof way to make them come true: Be positive, believe in them and never stop trying. 021208 ... Dafremen "Success is a matter of luck. Just ask any failure." Luck is the universal cop-out. Bad luck is why we say we DON'T have the things we want out of life. Good luck is why we say that others DO have the things they want out of life. Bull. The only horseshoe that brings good luck, is the one on the feet of the horse that's working it's way toward your dreams. The only lucky rabbit's foot is on the one that YOU pull out of the hat when you're working the magic that will make your dreams happen. Let the failures in life sit around waiting for their boat to come in. When you've got a positive attitude and believe in yourself, you don't need to wait for that boat...you're on a plane already. 021208 ... Dafremen "Fear and worry are interest paid in advance on something you may never own." Worrying is the surest way to make bad things happen. This is a bona-fide fact. No sooner do you focus on your fear and worries, than they go from small possibilities to big probabilities. Let it go, forget about em. Chances are, you'll never have to deal with the things you worry about. Chances are the things you are afraid of, aren't nearly as bad as you make them out to be. Fear and worry are just excuses trying to smother your positive attitude. Don't even let them start. Think positive, feel positive...be positive. 021208 ... Dafremen "The best helping hand you will ever find is at the end of your own arm." Dream it, believe it and do it. Three simple steps to making all of your dreams come true. Most of us have no problem with the first step. The second step is a lot harder, but some of us even manage to do that. We believe our dreams will come true. Unfortunately, that's where most of us stop. Some of us WAIT for our dreams to come true. Some of us make excuses for why our dreams HAVEN'T come true yet. Some of us start by believing and become so cynical from waiting that we end up criticizing those who still do believe. All of us who fit into these categories have left out ONE simple thing: We didn't do it. We stopped running as soon as we had the ball in our hands. YOU are the single most important driving force for success in your life. Not mom, dad, your wife, your boyfriend, your friends or even some guy full of hot air about positive_being. You. The minute YOU begin to go somewhere, with a belief in your ability to achieve your dreams, you'll be on your way. It's that simple. 021208 ... Dafremen "The future arrives an hour at a time." Some of us have a hard time following through because we tend to see the finish line and it looks so far away. We see the summit of the mountain and it looks like Everest. There are other folks that have the patience to work toward a far off target, but for those of us who don't, here's something to keep in mind: We don't have to get there all at once, we just have to be headed in that direction. Every moment wasted worrying about how we'll ever get there is a moment that we could have been just that much closer to our goal. Set small goals or landmarks to let you know that you're making progress, then work toward those small goals. For instance, positive_being asks us to be happy first. Make that a goal. Set your compass for happy and don't stop until you're there. Then work on believing, then on doing. Encourage yourself for ANY progress toward your dreams. One foot in front of the other beats sitting on your butt any day. 021208 ... . OH please like this means anything coming from you take your new religion and shove it some of us are able to think for ourselves 021208 ... Dafremen It means something no matter who it comes from. Fortunately, it comes from people throughout history. So many wise and wonderful people other than me. I'm not sure where you're coming from. You have become prejudice against the mail because you don't like the mailman. This is your winning sweepstakes entry, ignore the fact that I have anything to do with it. You'll thank yourself later. 021208 ... Dafremen "You don't drown by falling in the water, you drown by staying there." Setbacks don't hurt us, they make us wiser and more capable of handling future setbacks. It's when we DWELL on the setbacks in our lives that they REALLY become obstacles to our happiness. Setbacks are really just puzzles waiting to be solved or lessons begging to be learned. Once we learn the lesson, or solve the puzzle, they're no longer obstacles, because we know how to deal with them. So DEAL with them, don't dwell on them. You can do it..really! 021218 ... Dafremen "The last time you failed, did you stop trying because you failed -- or did you fail because you stopped trying?" The hardest step to positive_being is to believe it, to believe your dreams into reality. After you've gotten past that, the dream that you KNOW can come true should motivate you to press on. Unfortunately, we aren't born into a very patient society. We want it and we want it now, no hangups, no hitches, no delays. When we don't see it happening right away, we give up. It's the simplest way to kill a dream and the shortest distance between here and nowhere. Don't give in to it. If you've already figured out that your life is in your hands and that you are an unstoppable force, it's just a matter of time now. Take the time, it's the best investment you'll ever make. Beats wasting it feeling sorry for yourself anyday. 021218 ... Dafremen "Don't dream up thousands of reasons why you can't do what you want to; find one reason why you can." We've already discussed excuses. They aren't your friends, they aren't the voice of reason, they are dream killers. The only excuse that will ever be of any value is the one that gets us to stand up and start making things happen for us. Here's a reason that you can: Because you are an unstoppable force for change in your life. Period. For years, as a high school dropout, I was told that I would never be a software engineer. I didn't believe it, I was good and I loved what I was doing. I knew I could prove them wrong. I did. In ten years I went on to become the first non-degreed software engineer in the history of the department I worked for at Caterpillar. People will tell you all sorts of things that you can use as excuses for failure. YOU will tell you all sorts of things to use as excuses. Just because you don't believe that you can do anything doesn't mean it's not true. It just means you haven't proven it yet. Prove it! 021218 ... Dafremen "The person who wants to do something finds a way; the other finds an excuse." There is ALWAYS a way if you want it badly enough. ALWAYS. Whoever tells you it's not possible, gave up because "It's impossible" became their excuse. You wouldn't believe the number of excuses people come up with for not losing weight. "I'll just gain it back." "I've tried everything." "I'm genetically inclined to overweight, I'll never lose weight." These things are simply NOT true, UNLESS we want them to be. Having been overweight, I know the horrible way it can make you feel. It took believing that I could lose the weight to motivate me to lose the weight. Anything you BELIEVE is true, can be true. If you REALLY believed that it was possible not to gain it back, you'd find the way not to gain it back. If you really BELIEVE you've tried everything, then you won't try anything else. It's a matter of perspective and FEELING the possibilities that are within you. Bet on you, you're a sure thing. Believe it! 021218 ... unhinged breathe_in breathe_out today is one of the biggest tests of my faith yet. but, it will work it. it will be wonderful even. there is no room for doubt. i have to be solid for her. i just have to. 080505 ... daf You'll do great. You know that. : ) 080505 ... unhinged actually, for a long time, i didn't know that. which was why i dropped out of school. but buddha did me good. and we all did great. 080505 ... z towards others is laudable 080512 ... In_Bloom As much as it's in my tendencies to snark, it prevails. I've only to read some truly warm and caring words from a particular beaming brother and my head snaps right back into position. Self pity and ego run so I can bask in a gently given over embrace. 080825 what's it to you? who go blather from