The Art Of Saying No

There was a man who forged swords for a Maharaja. Even at the age of ninety, his work was carried out with exceptional precision and ability. No matter how rushed he was, he never made even the slightest slip. One day, the Maharaja asked the old man, “is this natural talent or is there some special technique that you use to create your remarkable results?” “It is concentration on the essentials,” replied the sword–crafter. “I took to forging swords when I was 20 years old. I did not care about anything else. If it was not a sword, I did not look at it or pay any attention to it. Forging swords became my passion and my purpose. I took all the energy that I did not give in other directions and put it in the direction of my art. This is the secret to my mastery.”


Reflection
The most effective people we know in this world today concentrate on their “areas of excellence.” They focus on the things they do best and on the activities that will advance their life and work. When sticking to a definite purpose, they find it easy to say no to the less worthy distractions. Yes, this is easier said than done, we all are humans and will constantly be distracted by so many things in this world, but it is essential to not waste your energy on unwanted activities and things that will deviate from your goals. Sometimes as hard as it is, we need to master the art of saying NO to others and to ourselves, gracefully in order to achieve our destined goals and ultimate purpose.

My message to you this week is to focus on what you good at, make it your highest priority and stop wasting time on the things that are diverting your course of greatness.

Be Awesome,
Darren Zwiers

"There is one quality which one must possess to win, and that is definiteness of purpose, the knowledge of what one wants, and a burning desire to possess it" ~ Napoleon Hill.

Grab The Bull By The Horns

A young man wished to marry the farmer's beautiful daughter. He went to the farmer to ask his permission. The farmer looked at him and said, "Son, go stand out in that field. I'm going to release three bulls, one at a time. If you can catch the tail of any one of the three bulls, you can marry my daughter." The young man stood in the field awaiting the first bull. The barn door opened and out came the biggest, meanest looking bull he had ever seen. He decided that one of the next bulls had to be a better choice than this one, so he ran over to the side and let the bull pass through. The barn door opened again. Unbelievable. He had never seen anything so big and fierce in his life. It stood pawing the ground, it eyed him. Whatever the next bull was like, it had to be a better choice than this one he thought. He ran to the fence and let the bull pass through. The door opened a third time. A smile came across his face. This was the weakest bull he had ever seen. This one was his bull, he said to himself. As the bull came running by, he positioned himself just right and jumped at just the exact moment. He threw his hands to grab..... But alas..... The bull had no tail.

Reflection

It's frightening to look back on our lives and see how many opportunities we have missed because we never had the courage to snap it up right away. You remember an old proverb that says "Opportunity knocks only once"? Well it certainly does. That single moment in our life comes only once and never returns. We may end up getting similar opportunities later on, but that exact one will never come again. Too many of us let opportunities pass because we think a better one will come later… You'll be waiting all your life for a better opportunity. Successful people never wait for the next better opportunity. They grab what comes along and make the most out of what is given to them at that exact moment.

Life is full of opportunities, some will be easy to take advantage of, some will be difficult and some even hidden in a special way, but once we let them pass they may never again be available. So, always grab the first opportunity you see.

May you have an awesome week, full of exciting opportunities
- Darren Zwiers

“We are all faced with a series of great opportunities brilliantly disguised as impossible situations” - Charles R. Swindoll

Life is tough, that's a given.

Author Unknown

When you stand up, you're gonna be shoved back down. When you're down, you're gonna be stepped on. My advice to you doesn't come with a lot of bells and whistles.

It's no secret: You'll fall down, you'll stumble, you'll get pushed and you'll land square on your face. But, every time that happens, you get back on your feet. You get up as fast as you can, no matter how many times you need to do it.

Remember this- success has been and continues to be defined as getting up one more time than you've been knocked down.

If experience has taught me anything, it's that nothing is free and living ain't easy. Life is hard, real hard, incredibly hard. You fail more often than you win. Nobody's handing you anything. It's up to you to puff up your chest, stretch your neck, and overcome all the difficult. The nasty. The mean. The unfair.

You want more than you have now? Prove it! You want to be the very best there is? Get out there and earn it!

Once you decide that, you will know where it is you want to be and you won't stop pushing forward until you get there! That's how winners are made.

At the end of the day, success is what we all want. We all wanna win and the race will be won. There is no question about that. So, come on. Get out on top! Run faster! Dream bigger! Live better than you have ever before. This is in you! You can do it!

Do it for yourself. Prove it to yourself.

May you have an awesome week. - Darren Zwiers

When we are motivated by goals that have deep meaning, by dreams that need completion, by pure love that needs expressing, then we truly live life.” – Greg Anderson

The Price For Patience

A little girl visited a farm one day and asked to buy a large watermelon. That big one you got in your hand costs 3 dollars said the farmer. I’ve only got 30 cents replied the girl. 30 cents will buy you a small watermelon replied the farmer. What about that one asked the farmer pointing to a small watermelon in the field. Okay, I’ll take it smiled the little girl. Here’s your 30 cents but leave it on the vine. I’ll be back for it in a month. Pretty smart little girl. She knew her patience would be rewarded. By waiting one month, she could have a big, ripe watermelon for the price of a little green one.


Reflection:

Patience is hardest to find when you need it the most and we should expect patience to be the hard work we usually find it to be. Patience isn't something that comes naturally or easily, it's something that requires serious effort and as with all things that require effort, the reward is great. Once achieving even the smallest 'slice' of patience, your character will transform into something far greater than you could imagine. Unfortunately most people get patience wrong, they believe that patience and waiting are the same thing. Of course waiting is a part of patience, but its only one element to it. Patience is all about working hard at overcoming the instant desire to react without thinking first.

May you have an awesome week where you adopt the right attitude to practice perfect patience. - Darren Zwiers

Patience is not the ability to wait, but the ability to keep a good attitude while waiting. - ― Joyce Meyer

Empty Wheat Stands High

Once upon a time there were two brothers who grew up on a farm. One went away to University, earned a law degree and became a partner in a prominent law firm in the country’s capital. The other brother stayed on the family farm. One day the lawyer came and visited his brother, the farmer. He asked “Why didn’t you go out and make a name for yourself so that you could hold your head up high in the world like me?” His farming brother pointed outside and said “See that wheat field over there? Notice that the heads of the wheat that are standing up are empty, while those that are well-filled are bowed low.”


Reflection:

There is a valuable lesson we learn from the above - it is fundamental to be humble in all our achievements. Each one of us has our own  unique talents, skills and abilities. We should never put others down just because we think we are better than they are in some ways. There are going to be times when we have to swallow our pride for the greater good. This is probably one of the most difficult things to do, but it builds a strong a character within each one of us and therefore we become wiser. Humility makes us a better listener and in turn a more valuable friend, colleague and family member. It allows us to truly examine ourselves and our personal traits without shame or judgment and it assists us to get to know ourselves like never before.

May you have an incredible week!
Darren Zwiers

“Praise can be your most valuable asset as long as you don't aim it at yourself” - Orlando A. Battista.