- Take 100 percent responsibility. You are the only one who can control your life and the way you think.
- Be both a thinker and a doer. Don’t wait. What you do today determines who you are.
- Life is uncertain. You can’t control events or the hand you are dealt, but you do get to play that hand.
- If you do the same thing, expect the same results.
- You are the only variable you can change; everything else will flow naturally.
- Recognize that blaming someone else is an excuse for not taking appropriate action.
- When doing something you dislike, stop thinking about what it is; instead, think about how you are doing it.
- The universe doesn’t care if you started your life in debt or with a large bankroll. It cares what you do next.
- Discord develops in a relationship only if both people fight.
- There will be obstacles and challenges in your life. The only person responsible for overcoming them is you.
Your Dad’s Lesson:
For a long time, I believed that I was nice, meant and did good, applied effort, and was reasonably intelligent; therefore, I thought I was adequately fulfilling my role in many situations. When personal relationships were unsatisfying, or goals unachieved, I usually didn’t think it had much to do with me. I just assumed that with steady and continued effort on my part these areas would eventually improve. But at a certain point, I realized that not only was I making excuses, but they were all starting to sound the same. Being open to the possibility that I had more influence on the outcome than I originally thought helped me hear the words of a modern icon: “If you have an opportunity to sweep, sweep like you’ve never swept before.” I realized I was holding back a significant portion of my energy for some moment in the future that warranted my efforts, when in reality it is our efforts today that make a future moment worthy.
