Powerful Words To Live By

This morning GNatural Herbal Products founder Roger Gore shared these thoughts via email and I have decided to share them with you all.

CHANGE/CHOICE/DECISION

One of the best places to start to turn your life around is by doing whatever appears on your mental "I should" list.
Indecision is the thief of opportunity.
Every life form seems to strive to its maximum except human beings. How tall will a tree grow? As tall as it possibly can. Human beings, on the other hand, have been given the dignity of choice. You can choose to be all or you can choose to be less. Why not stretch up to the full measure of the challenge and see what all you can do?
You cannot change your destination overnight, but you can change your direction overnight.
Decision making can sometimes seem like inner civil war.
I used to say, "I sure hope things will change." Then I learned that the only way things are going to change for me is when I change.
Don't say, "If I could, I would." Say, "If I can, I will."
It doesn't matter which side of the fence you get off on sometimes. What matters most is getting off! You cannot make progress without making decisions.
We generally change ourselves for one of two reasons: inspiration or desperation.

SOWING AND REAPING

You must get good at one of two things: sowing in the spring or begging in the fall.
God has the tough end of the deal. What if instead of planting the seed you had to make the tree? That would keep you up late at night, trying to figure that one out.
Plant, don't chant.
One of my good friends always says, "Things don't just happen; things happen just."
The soil says, "Don't bring me your need, bring me your seed."

PLANNING

I find it fascinating that most people plan their vacations with better care than they plan their lives. Perhaps that is because escape is easier than change.
If you don't design your own life plan, chances are you'll fall into someone else's plan. And guess what they may have planned for you? Not much.
The reason why most people face the future with apprehension instead of anticipation is because they don't have it well designed.
The guy says, "When you work where I work, by the time you get home, it's late. You've got to have a bite to eat, watcha little TV, relax and get to bed. You can't sit up half the night planning, planning, planning." And he's the same guy who is behind on his car payment!

INFLUENCE/ASSOCIATION

There are two parts to influence: first, influence is powerful; and second, influence is subtle. You wouldn't let someone push you off course, but you might let someone nudge you off course and not even realize it.
We need a variety of input and influence and voices. You cannot get all the answers to life and business from one person or from one source.
Attitude is greatly shaped by influence and association.
Don't spend most of your time on the voices that don't count. Tune out the shallow voices so that you will have more time to tune in the valuable ones.
"No" puts distance between you and the wrong influence.
You must constantly ask yourself these questions: Who am I around? What are they doing to me? What have they got me reading? What have they got me saying? Where do they have me going? What do they have me thinking? And most important, what do they have me becoming? Then ask yourself the big question: Is that okay?
Don't join an easy crowd; you won't grow. Go where the expectations and the demands to perform are high.
Some people you can afford to spend a few minutes with, but not a few hours.
Get around people who have something of value to share with you. Their impact will continue to have a significant effect on your life long after they have departed.

SKILLS/SALES

Don’t wish it was easier; wish you were better. Don’t wish for less problems; wish for more skills. Don’t wish for less challenges; wish for more wisdom.
You must either modify your dreams or magnify your skills.
You can cut down a tree with a hammer, but it takes about 30 days. If you trade the hammer for an ax, you can cut it down in about 30 minutes. The difference between 30 days and 30 minutes is skills.
The key to life is to become skillful enough to be able to do rewarding things.
Learn to hide your need and show your skill.
To succeed in sales, simply talk to lots of people every day. And here’s what’s exciting – there are lots of people!
Practice is just as valuable as a sale. The sale will make you a living; the skill will make you a fortune.
Selling is a person-to-person business. You cannot send the sales manual out to make the sale. Sales manuals have no legs and no voice.
In the sales profession the real work begins after the sale is made.
Sales people should take lessons from their kids. What does the word “no“ mean to a child? Almost nothing.
Even if you are new in sales, you can make up in numbers what you lack in skills.

LIFESTYLE

Let others lead small lives, but not you. Let others argue over small things, but not you. Let others cry over small hurts, but not you. Let others leave their future in someone else's hands, but not you.
Lifestyle is the art of discovering ways to live uniquely.
Some people have learned to earn well, but they haven't learned to live well.
Earn as much money as you possibly can and as quickly as you can. The sooner you get money out of the way, the sooner you will be able to get to the rest of your problems in style.