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SMART Goals And Mistakes To Avoid

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This is Episode 49, SMART Goals And Mistakes To Avoid. In this episode, I provide a technique to use when setting your goals. It is important to properly set goals so they work. In contrast, I talk about mistakes to avoid when setting your goals.

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Setting SMART Goals And Avoiding Mistakes

In December, I wrote a post wrapping up 2020 and getting ready for 2021. Last week di a podcast about five things to change in 2021. Today is a great time to ask yourself, “Am I where I thought I would be this time last year?” If your answer is, “No,” then now is a great time to see what went wrong. Think about where you want to be a year from now and what you want to accomplish. Today is the time to start setting goals for the next year and beyond.

I’ve written a few posts about goals and as always, I like to keep things simple. Goals are simply something that you want. Think about what you want, write it down, put a date on it, and that’s a goal. They’re your roadmap that will keep you on track and get you to your destination.

Mistakes To Avoid

Many people have goals but never accomplish them. There are several reasons for failing to accomplish what you set out to do. Firstly, you fail because you don’t commit to achieving your goals. Secondly, you don’t have a good plan. Third, you don’t put in the work. There is nothing free in this world, you must put in the work. Fourth, you don’t know how to properly set goals.

One of the mistakes you make when setting goals is your goals are too general. They don’t have an end date for them. Your goals can’t be measured so you cannot tell if you’re on track. One of the biggest mistakes is they didn’t write them down. An example of a poorly designed goal is, “I have a goal to read more next year.” This is too general; it is not specified what you will read or how much.

SMART

One of the techniques I talk about in my course, Setting Goals That Work, is using the acronym SMART. In conducting research I found that some people like using this approach and others don’t. I believe there is no one cure for everything. Find what works for you and use it.

S – Specific
M – Measurable
A – Achievable
R – Relevant
T – Time Bounded

Using the example above, a properly set goal will read like this, “I will read 24 Self-Improvement books by 12/31/2021.

Specific – It Specifies exactly what you’re going to read, Self-Improvement books.
Measurable – You’re going to read 24 books.
Achievable – If every book averages 400 pages then you would need to read 27 pages per day. This is very achievable.
Relevant – If you are looking for self-improvement then this is a relevant goal.
Time Bounded – There is an end date, 12/31/2021 attached to the goal.

Break Them Down

You can also break this yearly goal into smaller goals. Write down how many books you would want to read every month. Set a weekly goal of how many pages or chapters you will read. Also, set daily goals of reading for a specific time or number of pages. This will keep you on track and you will be able to see how you are progressing toward your yearly goal.

This SMART technique can be utilized in setting different types of goals. I always set three types of goals, personal, business, and relationship. You can set goals for wealth building, your health, and improving your relationships.

Develop A Plan

Once your goals are set, the next step is to develop a plan to achieve your goals. Set up a time frame of when you want to check your progress and analyze your plan. If you find yourself off-track and not making the progress you expected, change your plan but never change your goal. I hope you enjoyed this latest episode of my podcast and learned about SMART goals and mistakes to avoid.

If anyone has any tips or techniques on setting goals or stories on how goals have worked for you, I would love to hear them in the comments section. Don’t forget to like, follow, and join our team by subscribing to the email list.

June 30, 2021June 30, 2021

InspireChief10 Comments

Self-Improvement Quotes And Tips

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This a podcast of a post I wrote as we were winding down 2020. There are some things you should do to prepare to make improvements in your life. Here are some self-improvement quotes and tips to help you. Don’t wait to start. Begin developing these habits now. Decide where you want to be this time next year and commit to becoming that person.

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Tips And Quotes For Self-Improvement

The five things to change are:

Your Words
What You Talk about
Your Money
Begin Writing
Time

“What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.”
~ Jane Goodall

“Strive not to be a success, but rather to be of value.”
~ Albert Einstein

Listen To Yourself

Begin a habit of listening to the words that you are using daily. By analyzing the words you use to describe yourself or your actions you will be able to find the words that are holding you back. Do you say the phrase, “I need to,” frequently? If so, eliminate that phrase and replace it with, “I will.” The phrase, “I need to,” tells your brain that is something unimportant to you. It is something that you will never get around to doing. Saying, “I will eat healthier,” put your brain in action mode. You will then start looking at ways to eat healthier.

“Stay afraid but do it anyway. What’s important is the action. You don’t have to wait to be confident. Just do it and eventually the confidence will follow.”
~ Carrie Fisher

“Don’t go through life, grow through life.”
~ Eric Butterworth

Gossip

Another habit to develop is to take note of what you talk about. A large culprit that holds people back from improving themselves is gossip. Eliminate talking about other people from your subjects of conversation. Focus more on yourself and how to achieve the success you are looking for. Always remember that unsuccessful people talk about other people; successful people talk about ideas.

“The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity.”
~ Amelia Earhart

“People who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do.”
~ Rob Siltanen

Where Is It Going?

Begin to pay attention to your money. Where is it going? Take time to go over your expenditures and see where your money ends up. Are you spending or investing? Many people will spend $100 on a night out without blinking an eye but will not spend the same amount on a self-improvement course. One is an expenditure and you will never see that money again. The other is an investment and can return that money to you tenfold. Expenditures will make other people wealthy while investments will make you wealthy.

Write

Begin writing. Write down everything you want to obtain in the next year. Put an end date on them and turn them into your goals. Keep journals around your home or office in which you can write your goals, thoughts, ideas, etc. Writing things down helps you to focus on what is important to you. It also helps you remember. A scientific study has shown that after two weeks you remember:

10% of what you read;

20% of what you hear;

30% of what you see;

50% of what you hear and see;

70% of what you say and write; and

90% of what you practice by doing.

“One can choose to go back toward safety or forward toward growth. Growth must be chosen again and again; fear must be overcome again and again.”
~ Abraham Maslow

“The swiftest way to triple your success is to double your investment in personal development.”
~ Robin Sharma

Time

Finally, evaluate how you spend your time. You want to maximize your time. Learn to do the most work in the least amount of time. By evaluating and analyzing how you spend your time, you will be able to see when you are most productive. You don’t necessarily need to work 20 hours a day, especially if those hours are not productive. You should maximize your most productive time. For me, I know my most productive time is in the morning. Therefore, I get up very early in the morning and do the most I can before the afternoon. In the afternoon, my energy levels decrease and my brain gets foggy. I try to schedule most nonproductive events, i.e. doctors’ appointments, etc. in the afternoon. Find your most productive time and get the most out of the 1440 minutes you have every day.

“We can’t become what we need to be by remaining what we are.”
~ Oprah Winfrey

“Life’s challenges are not supposed to paralyze you, they’re supposed to help you discover who you are.”
~ Bernice Johnson Reagon

These are just a few self-improvement quotes and tips that will help you become the person others want to be. Do you have any other changes to help people for next year? If so, leave a comment and let me know what they are. I hope that everyone that is looking to make a change will make that decision, commit to their decision, and put it all into action. If you’re looking for help, I have developed some courses that might be just what you need. Just click on the button above and go check them out.

June 23, 2021June 24, 2021

InspireChief3 Comments

How To Stop Self-Sabotaging

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Episode 47 How To Stop Self-Sabotaging. Learn to recognize the different ways you can be sabotaging your dreams.

Learn To Stop Self-Sabotaging Your Dreams

We all have dreams. Dreams of accomplishing something big or living a better life. The dreams we have started when we were children. We dreamt of being superheroes or being wealthy and driving that luxury car. In our minds, we were rock stars and great athletes. We married our prince or princess and lived happily ever after. As we got older our dreams might have changed. Many times life doesn’t turn out the way we dreamed it would as children. We forget about our dreams and accept life as it is. Have you forgotten about your dreams? Did you lock them away in a trunk and bury them in your dark, damp basement?

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Don’t Bury Your Dreams

Why do we bury our dreams? A small percentage of the population never does. They continue to pursue their dreams until they turn them into reality. These people persevere and overcome all challenges that life throws at them. They know that they are in control of their outcome. Whether they succeed or fail is up to them. The larger percentage of the population never realize their dreams mainly because of self-sabotage. They allow outside forces to determine the type of life that they will live. Learn to recognize when you are self-sabotaging and how to stop.

For me, I have a dream of helping millions of people, not one or two but millions. I dreamed that those millions will use what I taught them to help billions. I want to do this through my blog, my podcast, and the courses that I develop. Currently, I have developed courses on self-confidence and goal setting. My plans are to develop many more courses and I am working on that every day. For me to be successful I have to be aware of and avoid self-sabotage.

Five Ways

The definition of sabotage is an act or process which tends to hurt or hamper. So, what are some of the things that you are doing to sabotage your efforts? These are things that are holding you back in keeping you from moving forward. Here are five ways in which you are self-sabotaging:

Your words and thoughts are not in alignment;
You are speaking what you have;
Not controlling your fears;
Your circle of friends;
Trying to accomplish your dreams alone.

Imposter Syndrome

Many times when we are speaking positive affirmations we are subject to a psychological effect called, “Imposter Syndrome.” Imposter syndrome is a psychological pattern in which a person doubts their skills, talents, or accomplishments and has a persistent internalized fear of being exposed as a “fraud” We don’t believe what we are saying, therefore, our thoughts are different than our words. The way to defeat this sabotage is by continuing your positive affirmations until you begin to believe. Once you believe in yourself your words and thoughts will come into alignment.

how-stop-self-sabotaging-street-art-dolphin-follow-dreams — https://unsplash.com/@jannerboy62

Speak What You Want

Another way that you are self-sabotaging is that you are speaking what you have not what you want. You tend to focus on the negative when you are speaking. This is only going to continue to bring what you don’t want into your life. For example, if you are currently struggling financially and someone asks, “how are you doing?” How do you respond? Do you tell them what you have, “a lot of debt”, or what you want, “I am financially independent?” Think about the words that come out your mouth before you say them and only speak what you want not what you have.

Fears

Your fears can be a powerful tool for self-sabotage. Fears are something that everyone has and you have to learn how to control them. I already mentioned how your fear of being a “fraud” can sabotage your dreams. One of the biggest fears that will keep you from achieving your dreams is the fear of criticism. Your fear that you will be criticized, or made fun of, will prevent you from doing what is necessary to accomplish your dream. Your dream has to be bigger and more important to you than the opinion of others. Never tell your big dream to small-minded people.

Your Circle

Speaking of small-minded people, who is in your circle of friends? Do they believe in you? You can be self-sabotaging your dreams by simply listening to your small-minded friends and family. I place people into two categories, “Wind,” which will fill your sails and push you forward or, “Anchors,” which will keep you from moving and possibly pull you down with them. Most of my time is spent with people who believe in me. I don’t have time, and neither do you, for the anchors in your life. Don’t allow other people to decide what life you will live.

Find Your Team

Finally, don’t sabotage your dreams by trying to accomplish them alone. Everyone needs help. Anyone who has ever brought their dreams to reality did it with a team. Your dream should be big, it should scare you, and it’s going to be too difficult to do it alone. Begin to put your team together that will encourage you and mentor you. People that you trust and believe in you will help you identify these patterns of self-sabotage.

Being able to recognize the ways that you are self-sabotaging your dreams and how to stop this behavior is key to your success. Make sure that your words and thoughts are in alignment and speak what you want not what you have. Recognize your fears and work on controlling them. Reduce or eliminate the time you spend with negative people. Begin to form your team and don’t try to accomplish your dreams alone. I encourage you to check out my courses which are designed for your self-improvement. All the techniques that I teach have been proven to work and will help you to reach your dreams. Always think of ways to improve yourself as an investment which will give you a huge return.

Cites

https://unsplash.com/@petefogden

https://unsplash.com/@jannerboy62

June 16, 2021June 9, 2021

InspireChief11 Comments

Understanding The Law Of Attraction

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Understanding the Law of Attraction is simple, you reap what you sow. Think about a wonderful life and you will live a wonderful life. It’s what you do behind the scenes. Who are you when no one is watching? They say that great people become great behind the scenes. Their greatness is made when no one is watching.

One of my favorite stories to illustrate this point is an interview with Hall of Fame quarterback Steve Young. Steve said that the day after they won the Super Bowl he went to the stadium early in the morning to clean out his locker. He didn’t think anyone would be at the facility but as he was leaving he noticed some movement out on the field. He walked down to the field and looked out. To his disbelief, there was Jerry Rice, the Super Bowl MVP, running wind sprints. Most players took time off to recover from the grueling season and celebrate their championship. Not Jerry, he had already begun training for the next season by himself. That’s what made him one of the greatest players of all time.

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Do You Understand The Law Of Attraction

What are you saying to yourself when no one’s around? What thoughts go through your head? In understanding the Law of Attraction, there’s a fine line between the word you’re saying in the thoughts that you are having. You must make sure that your thoughts and words are in alignment. Sometimes we say positive words but think the opposite. The law of attraction says that we will attract exactly what we are thinking about. Our words become our thoughts and our thoughts become our actions. It is through these actions that we acquire change.

20, 000 Words

Each of us speaks 20,000 words a day. Therefore, we must be speaking the right words. Have you ever listened to what you are saying? What is your response to someone who asks, “How are you?” Do you respond with how you are feeling or how you want to feel? Is your response negative or positive? A negative response is, “I’m not feeling very well, I think I’m coming down with something.” A positive response is, “I’m feeling good today.” I always have the same response no matter how I feel. My response is always, “Great!”

When you say something, whether it be to someone or you just think it to yourself, always say what you want. Think about what you are saying and make sure that you are not inadvertently attracting something that you don’t want. Your words should not be based on your current situation but on how you want to be in the future. Analyze your words and make sure that you are not telling people what your current reality is. Tell them what your future reality will be.

understanding-law-attraction-man-red-sweater-happy-thoughts — https://unsplash.com/@brucemars

Focus On Your Future

It is very common when people began speaking positive affirmations that they focus on their current situation. Because we all have a lack of belief, in the beginning, our thoughts will be different than the words we are speaking. You can be saying, “I am wealthy,” but as you are saying it you are thinking about all the bills that you have. Your predominant thought is of debt and not wealth. That is what you will attract. By consistently practicing positive affirmations every day you will eventually change your predominant thought to wealth. Your belief will grow as your thoughts come in line with your words.

Attract What You Want

Understanding the Law of Attraction means that you attract whatever it is you think. Our thoughts from the past have created our reality of today. Our thoughts today will create our reality in the future. I don’t like it when people who teach the law of attraction referred to it as “magical” or “woo woo.” There is nothing magical about it. You will not manifest piles of money just by saying and thinking you have piles of money. Your words and thoughts will lead to actions. Action = change.

Action

If you want to change your situation you cannot do it through words or thoughts alone. Without action, nothing is gonna happen. It is through your actions that you will manifest your new reality. Your words and thoughts can lead you to meet someone who could change your life. But, if you don’t talk to that person or do what the person recommends, nothing will change. You have to put everything into action.

Who Are You?

So think about that question, “Who are you when no one’s watching?” People tend to say the right things in the right company. What are you saying when you are alone? What are you thinking throughout the day? Make sure that your words and your thoughts are in alignment. If not you could be inadvertently sabotaging your law of attraction. Once everything’s in alignment, make sure that you are putting in the work to become the person you want to be. Go out and get the lifestyle you want to have.

Cites

https://unsplash.com/@coopery

https://unsplash.com/@brucemars

June 9, 2021June 11, 2021

InspireChief10 Comments

Self-Love Meditations And Affirmations

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Several months ago when I started my blog I wrote a post titled, It’s Not About Me, It’s About You. The purpose of that post was to say that to become successful we need to serve others. Some people need the gifts that you have. People need to read the content that you’re writing. It might make them smile, be the bit of inspiration they’re looking for, or provides some information that helps them out. Taking your eyes off yourself and helping others will help you persevere. People are counting on you. You will need self-love meditations and affirmations can help you accomplish this.

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Self-Love

Now I’m going to switch it up a little bit. I want you to put your eyes back on yourself. The reason for this is, you can’t fully serve someone else if you don’t completely like the person you are. Your priority is to fix yourself and be happy with who you are. I believe we are all good people deep down inside. We are all different people so don’t compare yourself with others. There is no comparison to you.

How many of you have watched a commercial and wanted to be like the “perfect” people in the ad? Advertisers use these “perfect” people because they want you to compare yourself with them. By doing so you feel inferior and want to do something about it. Therefore, you spend money on their products to become the person in the advertisement. That’s just not going to happen.

Don’t Compare

You can’t compare yourself with anyone because you are unique. Take a moment and look at your fingerprints. No one has the same fingerprints as you. Even though there are 7.8 billion people in the world, no two people have the same fingerprints. Our bodies are made up of DNA and these genetic markers are responsible for you looking the way you do. Our DNA comes from the beginning of time. Your unique DNA is a mixture of everyone in your bloodline. According to my DNA results, I am 1.64% Nigerian. This comes from one of my ancestors who lived approximately 50,000 years ago.

I was one of those people who always compared himself to others and wanted to be one of these “perfect” people. I never liked my body type even when I was in perfect shape. My looks were something I always wanted to change despite the compliments that I was given. One of the things that I despised was my voice. I put off starting a podcast for this very same reason. The other day I had a fellow blogger comment that she enjoyed listening to my voice on my podcasts. We just don’t see ourselves or hear ourselves as others do.

self-love-meditations-affirmations-woman-looking-mirror-smiling — https://unsplash.com/@veronezcaroline

Look In The Mirror

Today, go ahead and look in the mirror because I want you to fall in love with the person that you see. The person looking back at you is the “perfect” person because they are the best they can be at that time. You can’t fully serve others or attract others if you don’t like the person that you are. Once you begin to love yourself, you will begin to attract more people to you. There is an old saying, “If you want to fix the world, begin by fixing you.”

You are a beautiful person just the way you are today. You are all created for greatness no matter your size, facial features, or your muscle tone. If you want to change something about yourself to better your health, give you more confidence, or whatever reason, I say just go do it. But first, fall in love with the original you. If you’re not in love with the way you were created, you will always be looking for flaws. When you fix one thing another flaw will come to your attention. You will always be chasing perfection because you never loved the original you.

Meditations And Affirmations

So how can you begin to love the person that you are right now, today? Well, your perception of who you are today is based on your words and thoughts of the past. Since the invention of television, we have been subjected to years of being told we are inferior. So you have to change those thoughts in the way you see yourself. Start today by looking in the mirror and telling yourself, “I love you.” Here are some self-love meditations and positive affirmations to help you.

1 I love myself

2 I am joyous, happy, and free

3 I am my own person

4 I am totally healthy

5 I am willing to release the thoughts in me that created these conditions

6 I deserve the best and accept it now

7 I am in the process of positive change

8 I appreciate everything that I do

9 I approve of myself the way that I am

10 I experience love and kindness wherever I go

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These are a few examples, I encourage you to change them and come up with new ones to fit you. By repeating these several times a day, over time you will notice a change in the way you look, feel, and act. You can find several books on positive affirmations. One that I just finished and can recommend is You Can Heal Your Life by Louise Hay. It is a wonderful book about changing your life through self-love meditations and positive affirmations.

June 2, 2021June 2, 2021

InspireChief11 Comments

What Does Commitment Mean

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I attended a webinar a couple of weeks ago hosted by Sean Croxton from his website, seancroxton.com. In the webinar, he talked about our limiting mindset when it comes to making money. Our brains protect us which can actually stop us from acquiring abundance. In Episode 43 I talk about the question; What does commitment mean?

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The Meaning Of Commitment

Our brain is wired to block us from change. This has happened to me several times when I decided to make a change. Has it ever happened to you that you decided to improve yourself and an assortment of negative things started happening? This is your brain blocking your change. Soon you will slip back into your old habits. Most New Year’s resolutions only last till January 14th. This is why gyms are crowded in January and empty out in February.

75% Of The Solution

The main thing I took away from the webinar was that most people don’t succeed when they try to make a change. The reason for this is that the decision to improve yourself is 25% of the solution. The other 75% is commitment. People simply make a decision but they don’t commit to that decision. If you don’t commit, then you will not be successful.

Relationships

In relationships, both people must be committed to making it work. Commitment is simply this, it’s 100%. You can’t expect to make a 99% commitment and be successful. It’s all or nothing. If you make your decision, you must commit to it. If you are not going to commit, then don’t make the decision. You will do yourself more harm mentally. Whenever I decided to lose weight and I committed to that decision, I could lose weight rather quickly. If I did not commit to that decision, I wasn’t successful and would beat myself up mentally.

inspirational-quotes-commitment-boxers — Photo by Sides Imagery on Pexels.com

Taking A Punch

When you see a fight before the first punches are thrown both fighters have the same look on their face. They look stern, angry, and focused. When one of the fighters gets hit in the mouth, sometimes you will see a total change in their face. All the adrenaline and anger leaves their body. You can tell that they do not want to continue. This is because they made a decision to fight but weren’t committed to winning.

Our Conflicted Brain

It seems like an easy thing to commit to anything but for whatever reason, most people don’t do it. The reason has to do with your brain which is always in conflict. There are scientists who devote their lives to studying the brain and its many functions. I’m not one of them but I do read a lot and listen to these scientists.

The brain is made up of different parts and each part performs different functions. The main function of the brain is to protect us and keep us safe. It prefers balance. When you decide to make a change it creates a conflict. The way your brain handles this is that it’s wired to pull you back into your comfort zone. As long as you stay in your comfort zone, your brain perceives balance. This is why simply making a decision is not enough for success.

The Subconscious

You are probably all heard of the fight, flight, or freeze response to danger. Because your brain under stress operates on your subconscious, you don’t think about what you’re doing. You just react to the situation. Your subconscious thoughts are made up of your training and experience. On 9/11, you saw first responders run into the twin towers while everyone else was running away from them. The only way they could override the brain’s primary function of survival was to be committed to saving as many lives as they could.

A Big WHY

The best way to make a commitment is to have a big WHY. I’ve said this many times before and I will continue to beat this drum. If you have a WHY that is large and emotional, you can be or do anything you want. Your WHY is your commitment. You cannot have an emotional WHY and not be committed.

If you decide you want to lose weight, improve your relationship, or build wealth, commit to that decision. Think about WHY you want to do it. Is it because you want to prove all the naysayers wrong? Maybe you want to improve your health so you can be active with your family? Do you want the peace of mind that comes from being financially independent? Whatever your reason, make it big, and commit to it.

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Commit

Commit, commit, commit. It is only through your commitment to your decision to change that you will overcome the conflicts in your brain. Your thoughts from the past are why you are what you are today. The only way to make a change in yourself is to replace all of your old thoughts. Your old thoughts are probably limiting. Understand that we live in an unlimited universe and begin to think in unlimited terms.

Your commitment will allow you to overcome all the obstacles put in front of you by the universe and your own brain. It is only through commitment that success is possible. Commit and succeed.

May 26, 2021June 30, 2021

InspireChief12 Comments

How Do You Spend Your Free Time

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Welcome back to my podcast! This is Episode 42 and I am talking about the question; How do you spend your free time? We all are given the same amount of time each day. Most of your time is scheduled like work, sleep, or meals. The rest is free time. Are you making the most of the way you spend your free time?

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Spending Your Free Time

I began thinking about time and what time means to us. Throughout my life, I’ve never spent much time thinking about, time. But seeing how I turned 60 and a friend of mine described it as entering the fourth quarter of life, time has pushed itself to the front of the line of my thinking process. I am now closer to the end of my life than the beginning.

The life expectancy in the United States is currently 78.93 years. That would put me at the beginning of the fourth quarter but I’m playing for overtime. Taking this number would give me 18.93 years to accomplish everything I want to accomplish in life. That’s a lot of time and I can accomplish a lot of things. It all depends on how I use my remaining years.

1440 Minutes

When we break downtime into clock minutes, there are 1440 minutes in a day. That gives us 525,600 minutes every year. If we all live for 80 years, that would equal 42,048,000 minutes. That’s how many minutes we would have in a lifetime. An important fact to remember is, everyone has the same amount of minutes, 1440, every day. No one is different. None of us have fewer minutes than somebody else. We are all allotted 1440 minutes a day. How do you spend your free time?

One thing that I have noticed as I’ve gotten older is that time is very fleeting. I’ve heard a lot of people say this and I have also experienced this. Time seems to speed up as we age. I think back on my life and my school years. High school and college each last four years. Eight years passed by in a blink of an eye. My career, marriage, and raising my children all passed by in a blink of an eye.

how-spend-free-time-family-watching-sunset — https://unsplash.com/@jtylernix

Life Can Be Cruel

I believe what started me on the topic of time was two recent events that have happened in my life. Last fall I had a friend pass away unexpectedly. He was only a couple of years older than me and lived a very healthy lifestyle. One day he is fine and the next he is in an ambulance headed for the hospital. The other event was that my sister-in-law passed away last summer. She was only 55 years old. Like my friend, she was fine one day, in the hospital the next, and died two days later. We don’t know how much time we have. How do you spend your free time?

Death is inevitable, no one can escape it. I have been in dangerous situations and have cheated death on more than one occasion. I have been shot at and one time could even feel the bullet as it passed behind my neck. I’ve been on helicopters that almost crashed on more than one occasion and have beaten cancer. So Death and I have had several conversations and they have all ended with the words of Arya Stark in Game of Thrones, “Not Today.”

What Would You Do Different

Would you do anything different in your life if you knew exactly how much time you had left? I don’t know how much time I have left, but I choose to spend it spreading positivity and inspiration. The news media does a good enough job of spreading negativity, they don’t need any help. It wasn’t always like that. When I grew up they just told you what was happening, the good and the bad. Today, unfortunately, negativity and fear sell. So that’s what we get.

You can choose to use your free time any way you want. Why not use them to:

– Make someone feel better.

– Improve yourself.

– Be positive.

– Change your mindset.

– Tell yourself how good and deserving you are.

– Write a plan for yourself.

– Set some goals.

– Do better things today than you did yesterday.

– Have a wonderful conversation with your significant other.

– Say hello to strangers.

– Give thanks for everything you have, the good, the bad, and the ugly.

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Sometimes It’s A Struggle

You know I don’t always wake up with a positive mindset. Sometimes I have to talk my way into being positive. Some days the Doubt Demons win. The next day I have to continue the fight until I win and get back my positive mindset. Every day is different but the one constant is that I am in control of what I think and say. The choice is always mine on how I spend my 1440 minutes.

I don’t know how much time I have left, none of us do. We do know that we are all allotted our 1440 minutes each day to choose how we are going to spend them. So don’t wait until tomorrow to do what you want to do. Get out there today and live the life you want to live. Know what your worth and don’t settle for anything less. Go become that person others want to be.

No one is promised tomorrow.

May 19, 2021May 19, 2021

InspireChief13 Comments

Hearing Voices In My Head

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I’m always hearing voices in my head. They are good voices that guide me through life. Some call them inspiration. Others call the vibes. I know they are of higher intelligence. Artists refer to them as muses. This is Episode 41 of my podcast. Listen and I will explain why you shouldn’t ignore those voices that give you the inspiration to change. 7.8 billion people are counting on you.

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I’m Always Hearing Voices in My Head

I was asked the other day why I started writing a blog and didn’t have an answer to that question. I’m not in my 20s and I’m not just starting in life. I’m very comfortable and don’t need any extra income that can be generated from writing a blog. Heck, I have never really enjoyed writing in my entire life.

I loved my career and enjoyed the majority of it. I loved to be out on the street and participating in operations but I hated writing reports. We had five days to get our reports in after an operation and my bosses were constantly hounding me to do my reports. Just the thought of all the hours it would take to compile my notes and write a passable report would fill me with dread. One of the reasons I loved being in the jungle was we didn’t have to do reports.

The Voices Continue

I started to think about the question and realized that it will wasn’t my decision. The thought was placed into me by a higher power. I was hearing voices in my head. I didn’t have a choice or did I? Maybe I could’ve ignored the thoughts but throughout my life, I’ve realized when you are led to do something by a higher power, do it. When I’m hearing voices in my head, listen. There are terrific benefits for doing it and it’s something you’re supposed to do. I could estimate that throughout my life I have listened to a higher power 90 percent of the time and made good decisions. At the same time, 10 percent of the time I ignored what I was being told and made bad decisions.

How It Started

It all started after I heard a speech where someone said that you could make money online. This got my attention because I like money, money is good and you can never have enough of it. I don’t ever want to stop earning money. There are so many great things I can do with money and so many people I can help. So after hearing that you can make money online, I began researching it and was told I needed to write a blog.

At first, I hesitated because I’m not a writer and who would read my stuff? There was one thought in my mind that would not go away, It’s not about me, it’s about you. It’s about you, the 7.8 billion people in the world. If somebody can take away just one thing from one of my blog posts and it changes their life, then everything I do is justified.

hearing-voices-head-man-typing-in-street — https://unsplash.com/@matthewlejune

Don’t Keep It To Yourself

You have so much to give the world. Every one of you was born with your gifts to the world. Everybody has something inside of them that can help someone else. I believe it’s your obligation to pass your gift to others. My gift is motivation and people have told me that I say the right things at the right time and have helped people. If anyone has ever told you that you are good at something, that is your gift. We must continue spreading our gifts and never quit. When things get tough and you’re going through a difficult time you have to find a way to reach down and fight through because someone, somewhere needs your gift. It’s not about you, it’s about them.

Until My Last Breath

I will continue to talk to as many people as I can until my last breath. When things aren’t going well, I’ll keep going. When I’m talking and it seems like no one’s listening, I’ll keep talking. I’ll never quit, it’s just not in me. It’s not in you either. You might think so, but it’s not. When you want to quit, get out of bed and go do it one more day. Do it the next day and the next until you’ve accomplished the mission.

Everyone’s counting on you, so it’s your duty, your obligation to them to get it done. If you quit then you are letting down 7 .8 billion people. That’s a huge burden to have to live with the rest of your life. Fight with all your being and when you feel you have nothing left in you, get up and take another swing. Whatever you do, never stop and keep moving forward.

Life Will Bring You To Your Knees

Life is hard and it will hit you. It will take you to your knees. Anyone who has gone through life without any kind of struggles hasn’t lived. So when it hits you, hit back, keep hitting back, keep moving forward. As long as you’re moving forward you’re winning, it doesn’t matter what the score is. There are too many people counting on you. It might hurt and it might be hard but you gotta keep moving forward. It’s not about you, it’s about them.

The Warrior Mentality

The warrior mentality, the ability to fight is in us all. It is there at birth. We are all fighters and a fighter is going to fight. They won’t quit until they’ve won or died. Nothing can stop them. Nothing can stop you. Once you know what you want, go out and get it. Don’t ever let anyone or anything stop you. You and only you are in control and determine whether you win or lose. There will be successes and you will have failures but you will never quit. You will fight and fight and fight until you win. It’s not about you, it’s about them.

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80/20 Rule

The 80/20 rule says that 20 percent of the people do 80 percent of the work. I was one of the 20 percent. It was ingrained in me in the military to accomplish the mission, that was the most important thing. Whenever one of my bosses needed something difficult done, they called on me because I always accomplished the mission, no matter how hard. I wouldn’t quit. You have to accomplish your mission and failure is not an option. You have been given a mission, whatever it may be and you have to do what it takes to accomplish that mission and never quit. It’s not about you, it’s about them.

Cites

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May 12, 2021May 19, 2021

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Kalpana Chawla Dared To Dream

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My wife and I were watching the SpaceX rocket launch last week and it reminded me of a post I wrote about Kalpana Chawla. Kalpana inspires me because she is an example of making dreams come true by her thoughts. She accomplished much in her short life. Today, millions of people are inspired because Kalpana Chawla dared to dream.

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I’ve always been interested in space travel. I watch every launch I can. I remember watching the first astronauts launch in the 60s and continue to watch the SpaceX launches. My first recollection of seeing Kalpana Chawla was when she was a member of mission STS-107 and was about to board the space shuttle Columbia on January 16, 2003. Kalpana stood out to me as the seven Columbia crew members were shown walking to their vehicles. She appeared too young and small to be an astronaut. How she carried herself with such confidence was what stood out to me.

Kalpana Chawla

Kalpana Chawla was born July 1, 1961, in Karnal, India. She always enjoyed flying and held many pilot licenses. She could fly about any airplane. Her family was middle class and she graduated from high school in 1976. After graduating from high school, she found herself as the only female in the aeronautics batch at Punjab University. Her parents resisted her career choice but nothing could stop Kalpana.

Kalpana Chawla dared to dream and always had big dreams. Her dreams were to travel beyond the blue yonder, fly into the heavens, and touch the stars someday. She became the first female Indian-born NASA astronaut. Kalpana wanted to show the world that dreams do come true with hard work and patience. She said, “You can achieve what you dream with strength, endurance, willpower, and confidence. She was 1 of 2000 applicants for a civilian scientist’s position on Columbia’s voyage.

Kalpana’s Thoughts Became Her Reality

When she was living in the dorms while studying for her bachelor’s, master’s, and doctorate degrees, she had pictures of space shuttles taped to her walls. She didn’t think at the time she was putting them up that one day she would fly on one. When I read about this it didn’t surprise me because what you look at every day becomes your thoughts in your subconscious. Your thoughts turn into your reality.

Kalpana-Chawla-dared-dream-space-shuttle

Kalpana is a great example that we can become anything we want to if we put our mind to it. She dreamed of flying to the stars, surrounded herself with pictures of the space shuttle, which became her thoughts. Her thoughts directed her actions and interactions became reality. She set goals to keep her on track and enjoyed the journey. Her thoughts on goals were, “When you are going for a goal, the journey is the best part.”

Heading Into Space

Kalpana’s first opportunity to travel beyond the blue yonder and fly into the heavens came when she was selected to be part of the crew on mission STS-87 in November 1997. She flew on the space shuttle Columbia as they completed 252 orbits of the earth in just over two weeks. In 2000, she was selected for her second voyage on Columbia as a mission specialist on STS-107. Because of many delays they didn’t launch until January 16, 2003. It was an ill-fated launch due to a piece of foam that broke off and damaged the heat tiles on the spacecraft wing.

On February 1, 2003, I was running on a treadmill at my gym and turned on the TV to watch Columbia land. They showed maps of the flight path Columbia would take to land at Kennedy Space Center. I began reading at the bottom of the screen that they had lost communication. The next images were from cameras in Texas and showed fiery streaks in the sky. I realized at that moment that Columbia had broken up in the crew had perished. It was a sad day for the world and particularly the country of India.

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Women’s Struggles In India

Kalpana Chawla had accomplished much while growing up in a male-dominated society and country. In the 1970s and 1980s, women in India were fighting battles against:

– Dowry

– Rape

– Caste Crimes

– Unjust Laws

– Better Working Conditions

– and more.

My admiration for Kalpana Chawla comes from the fact that she would not let anything stop her from her dreams. She had a definite purpose and persevered to achieve her dreams. For millions of young Indians, she was inspirational. Kalpana Chawla dared to dream. She gave them hope that they could dream and work hard to achieve those dreams.

May 5, 2021May 6, 2021

InspireChief5 Comments

How To Overcome Distractions

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Before I get started, I wanted to thank everyone that reads, listens, and follows my site. I am very humbled by your support. This is Episode 39 and I want to talk about how to overcome distractions. Life hit me hard one-day several months ago and I lost that battle. I have a lot of people both in-person and on WordPress who tell me they frequently experience similar events in their life. Therefore, I wanted to share what happened and how I dealt with it.

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Overcoming Distractions

I woke up at my usual time, around 4 a.m., and after completing my daily routine of meditation and prayer, I went out for a walk. I had a lot of energy and had a great workout. My day started like every other day and I was feeling very energetic. I had planned to go film a short course on self-confidence that I’m putting together. I packed up all my gear and right before I was heading out, I noticed that I had rehearsed the wrong introduction.

That didn’t bother me, as I told myself I would just spend the day rehearsing and go film the next day. Around noon something very strange happened. I became extremely fatigued and felt like I wanted to go to sleep. There was no reason that I could think of for me to feel this way. I fought it off for a while and then quickly realized I was losing the battle, so I laid down and took a nap.

The Distraction of Fatigue

Three hours later, I woke up and still felt extremely tired. Therefore, I couldn’t focus on anything and just felt like going back to sleep. I just laid in bed until dinner. After that, I went back and laid down. I went to sleep at my normal time, around 9:30 or 10, after giving thanks for my day and the day to come.

When I awoke today, I was still tired and stayed in bed until 7:00. As I was going through my morning routine, I realized what was happening. You see, I believe that we are constantly in a war between two opposing forces. Call it what you will, light versus darkness, Ying versus Yang, God versus Satan, it comes down to good versus evil. Whenever something good is about to happen in my life, I get hit with negativity.

More Distractions To Overcome

As I was writing my blog post, my wife came in and told me that she couldn’t get the garage door closed. Now, I had to spend time in the stifling heat trying to fix it and if I can’t, pay someone to repair it.

Once I realized what’s happening I knew how to combat it. How to overcome distractions is easy, I stick to my plan. I can control my plan, what I do today. I don’t waver from my plan or my daily goals. Some forces don’t want me to complete my course. I know that my course will help people and these forces who don’t want that to happen. Therefore they try to distract me from my definite purpose.

The Hardest Things

The things that are the hardest for me and I don’t look forward to doing are the things I need to do most. These are the things that are going to help me accomplish my goals. It is easy to get distracted and procrastinate when something is hard. I look at it like eating. The foods I don’t look forward to eating (vegetables) are the foods I need to eat the most of. Above all, they are the foods that are best for my body. So the battle continues, the dark side pulling you towards that tasty doughnut, and the light side showing you the broccoli.

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In conclusion, So whenever you find that negative things are going on in your life, it just means that great things are going to happen for you. Don’t be discouraged, you now know how to overcome distractions just stick to your plan, go over your goals, and continue your positive affirmations.

In addition, the next day I felt energetic and more like my old self. That day the battle was won by my enemy but the war is not over. Bring it on!