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They say that opportunity only knocks once. But temptation seems to pound on my door forever. Even opening up and letting it in doesn’t seem to make it go away. More temptations come along and the beating goes on.

Those temptations that cause me the most problems are those that pull me away from being my best self. So I can relate to the Swiss woman who was served dinner on a domestic American flight. She opened up her dessert – a delicious looking piece of chocolate cake – and immediately sprinkled a generous layer of salt and pepper over it. A shocked flight attendant exclaimed, “Oh! It’s not necessary to do that!”

“But it is,” the woman replied, smiling. “It keeps me from eating it.”

She found a way to drive temptation away from her doorstep, at least for a while.

The most persistent temptations in my life are distractions that keep me from doing what is in my best interest.

I forgo some much-needed exercise because I “just don’t feel like it” today. Have you ever felt like that?

You may want to quit that reading group, that difficult class or those music lessons. It’s easy to become distracted and get discouraged.

Or maybe we say we just “can’t find the time” to spend with those closest to us, such as family. We may want to do these things; it’s just that sometimes we need a nudge.

Something baseball great Hank Aaron once said can help out here. “My motto was to keep swinging,” he said. “Whether I was in a slump or feeling badly or having trouble off the field, the only thing to do was to keep swinging.”

Sometimes we just need to keep swinging. And if we tell ourselves that all we need to do today is to take one more swing, that may be enough. We can always take one more swing. And who knows — today we might hit a home run.

If it seems that the world needs a little more kindness, be the one to put it there. If you see something that needs to be done, be the one to do it.

When you come across a problem, be the one to work out a solution, and to turn that problem into an opportunity. When the time is ripe for a fresh perspective, be the one to offer your opinion.

If no one is sure of what to do or say, be the one to offer a genuine smile and a kind word of reassurance. When there is something that must be said, be the one to speak up and get it out in the open.

If everyone waits for someone else to make the first move, nothing ever gets done. Be the one to step forward and get all those around you moving in a positive direction. The world needs those who are willing to get things going. And life richly rewards those who do it.

Take the initiative and be a leader. Someone has to do it, and you can be the one.

When you discover that you’re feeling negative, you have two

Choices. You can feel even more negative about the fact that

You’re feeling negative, or you can choose to turn your

Thoughts around.

When you’ve suffered a defeat, you can make it even worse by

Beating yourself up about it. Or, you can use it as a

Positive inspiration to turn yourself around and move

Forward in a more effective way.

The moment you realize you’ve strayed from the path, use

That realization as a clear and compelling signal. Use it as

A signal that it’s time to re-commit to the original goal

And get yourself back on track.

Sure, it’s unfortunate that you’ve temporarily lost your

Way. But there’s no reason to add to that misfortune.

In this moment, you can choose any direction, no matter what

Has just happened. So choose a positive, empowering

Direction that will bring out the best in you.

This is your opportunity to act with renewed determination

And purpose. Turn around, and get yourself going forward

Again.

Happiness is wanting what you have, not having what you want.

At first glance this sounds like the same thing, take a closer look, it’s not.

If you’re completely fulfilled by spending time with

Your friends and family because you really want to

Be with them then you truly want what you have.

On the flip side, if you drive the nicest car and have

A huge house, and have worked hard to get those things,

Then you have been successful at having what you want.

When you have what you want eventually the

Feeling of satisfaction wears off.  Once you get what

You want the old wants are replaced by new wants

And the cycle continues.  True happiness remains at bay.

Look around you, happiness may be closer than

You think.  It may just be a matter of changing what

You value.

The greatest risk in life is not taking one…

Take chances.

Tell the truth.

Pray daily.

Go on a date.

Say yes.

Take someone to church with you.

Save all of your change.

Open your heart and fall in love.

Get to know someone random.

Say I love you.

Buy lunch for a stranger.

Sing out loud.

Make a new friend.

Laugh.

Cry.

Forgive someone.

Share your faith.

Apologize.

Tell someone how much they mean to you.

Call your Mom.

Let someone know that you miss them.

Laugh until your stomach hurts.

Go out and Live Life!

Life is all about risks and it requires you to jump. Don’t be a person who has to look back and wonder what would have or could have been. Change your thoughts from what if… To I am so happy I did.

Bring joy to every moment, whatever the moment may be. Rather than taking your cue from the circumstances you find, set out to inject your own living joy into the places you go and the things you do.

There is always room for real, sincere joy, even in the most difficult of situations. And it is in those difficult situations that a grateful, joyful, positive heart can make the biggest difference.

Others may judge a particular task to be dreary, tedious, or tiresome, but that’s just their opinion. When you approach that same task with joy and enthusiasm, you can add enormous value.

There’s no need to wait for joy to come to you. You’re perfectly capable of spreading it yourself, far and wide. During work and during play, when times are easy and when things are difficult, bring joy. If there’s a reason for it, if there’s no reason for it, even if there are reasons not to, bring joy.

Bring joy to every moment, and that is where you will know it.

Perfectionism grants you a reserved seat in the waiting room of life. While you’re clinging to the belief that nothing less than perfection is acceptable, your BIG dream is fading away from view.

Maybe you’ve been proud of your “high standards,” your “attention to detail” or your “meticulous” approach – and likely you’ve been praised and rewarded for all of those things.

Perfectionists feel safest when they can measure up against external definitions of success. But because you look to others to define you as a success or a failure, you may end up resentful when it seems like they control you.

As you stay busy taking care of everyone else and measuring up to their demands, your resentment will start to show and that will affect your relationships. In addition, perfectionism leads to a constant sense of failure and disappointment, a feeling of unworthiness.

“Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars.” – Les Brown

Perfectionists can’t bear the thought of missing their goal. To combat this fear of failure you may stay busy keeping up with the high standards you’ve set – anything to avoid surrendering to your BIG dream and its unknown possibilities.

You may say: “I’ll go after my BIG dream after my house is free of clutter, my finances are in order and the kids are out of the house.”

When in reality, all we have is today. Practice being in the present moment – try imagining that you only have one year left to live. Would that awaken you to the precious gift of every single moment?

You may say: “I’ll make a choice about my next steps as soon as I’m positive it’s the right one. Because if I make a mistake, I will surely regret it.”

When in reality, every choice is an opportunity to learn and grow. If I make the wrong one, I’ll have ample opportunities to correct it. Practice answering the question, “If I didn’t have to be perfect, I would choose ____.” And by all means, be kind with yourself. I guarantee that most of your decisions won’t be capable of ending the world.

You may say: “Everybody’s watching, so this has to be perfect.”

When it reality, other people are far more interested in their own trials and tribulations than they are in yours. Even if they are watching, at the end of the day you’re the one who has to live with the choices you make. Do what will makes YOU happy.

You have a choice.  You can be confident or not confident,

Happy or unhappy, powerful or weak.

All these things start with you and what you tell yourself

About what you can and cannot do.

Your mind is where you define your limits.  If your thoughts

Are self-defeating, you will become what they are telling

You.  If your thoughts are empowering, positive and upbeat

You will become that person.

Impress upon your mind what you want to be, not what you

Don’t want to be.

That is where the power of suggestion lies.

A void negative sources, people, places, things and habits.

B elieve in yourself.

C onsider things from every angle.

D on’t give up and don’t give in.

E njoy life today, yesterday is gone, tomorrow may never come.

F amily and friends are hidden treasures; enjoy their riches.

G ive more than you planned to.

H ang on to your dreams.

I gnore those who try to discourage you.

J ust do it.

K eep trying no matter how hard it seems, it will get easier.

L ove yourself first and most.

M ake it happen.

N ever lie, cheat or steal, always strike a fair deal.

O pen your eyes and see things as they really are.

P ractice makes perfect.

Q uitters never win and winners never quit.

R ead, study and learn about
Everything important in your life.

S top procrastinating.

T ake control of your own destiny.

U nderstand yourself in order to better understand others.

V isualize it.

W ant it more than anything.

X cellerate your efforts.

Y ou are unique of all God’s creations, nothing can replace YOU.

Z ero in on your target and go for it!

You could find a perfectly valid reason to never step forward and accomplish anything. But of what value would that really be? You could find a completely understandable excuse for never making the most of your possibilities. And you’d be left with nothing to show for it other than that excuse.

Or you could find a reason to make the effort, to transcend the obstacles, to deal with the challenges and to get where you truly want to go. You could hold that reason up in front of you every time you become weary, every time you become discouraged.

And it would be a reason with some real value. It would be a reason that would compel you and drive you and encourage you toward the best you can be.

Find a reason to accomplish, a reason to succeed, a reason to do what it takes to reach your most treasured dreams. Then, not only do you have a reason, you have much, much more. You have a life being filled with accomplishment and meaning.