Daily Inspiration 8-7-12

"Once you realize that you have identified a passion, invest in yourself. Figure out what you need to know, what kind of experience and expertise you need to develop to do the things that you feel in your heart you will enjoy that will sustain you both mentally and economically." -- Martha Stewart There is one thread running through virtually every success book, self-help book I've read, and that is that the idea of investing in oneself--and that this idea is foreign to so many. I've seen a great deal of this in my experience as a sales manager for the majority of my life and how there were so few salespeople that I saw as willing to invest in themselves. There are hundreds of books, maybe thousands that could be a huge benefit, yet they remain in the bookstore or library rather than picked up and read. It isn't cost. The library is free, and there are even hundreds of books available online that are free to download now. Why is this? I think it all comes down to desire and self-image. They don't have the internal desire to grow. It could be they just don't really care for what they are doing, but just doing it to make a buck while they wait for something better to come along. Desire is something that comes from interest and desire can easily be fanned into passion, and that fire can be allowed to go out too. Without desire, and the stronger the better, there is no way people invest in themselves. What for? It's too much work, or too much pain if it didn't work out. Self-image. It's how we see ourselves and how we see ourselves in the world. It's believing in ourselves. Or not. I watched a wonderful French movie the other night that showed this and how it affects a life into age. It starred Gerard Depardieu and was titled, My Afternoons with Margueritte. Germain was his name in the movie and he had a depressing childhood beaten down by his own mother, an absent father, ridiculed in school, out of school, and even into his mid-life. He was just moving through life as a pinball moves from bumper to bumper being bounced around. It was a chance meeting with Marueritte (Gisele Casadesus), a delightful old woman, who at 95 was full of life and acting far younger than her age, that began slowing opening the door to a new desire to learn how to read and experience a glimpse of a better life. Who knows what kindles our own desires, but that desire is what drives the change in our self-image and in our surrounding world. It would seem that our world around us changes, but it isn't the world, but our world that changes. Germain became willing to invest in himself. He began to expend effort, and then it became commitment, and everything changed. It is that way for all of us. With a desire and activity as a result, we become willing to invest, and by that investment, we change our world.

Invest In Yourself. It Will Be The Best Investment You've Ever Made.   Spread Some Joy Today--On one or more breaks today, go stare at a tree or several trees, look at the blue sky or clouds in awe. Take joy in the blooms and blossoms, colors, movement, smells. Watch the birds and enjoy their freedom with them. Forget about work, your car, your kids, your spouse, your problems. Don't think about things. Just purely enjoy the view, the momentary experience.