OK IF YOU TRY, NOT IF YOU DON'T

"It is a most mortifying reflection for a man to consider what he has done, compared to what he might have done."

Samuel Johnson, 18th century English writer.

The important question is, why have you not done more than you have?

If your effort was all it could have been you should have few to no regrets.

But if you didn't do all you could, or worse, never tried, your fate is the "mortifying reflection" suggested by Mr. Johnson.

THE VALUE OF WOULDA, COULDA, SHOULDA? ZERO

"Opportunity always looks better going than coming."

Unknown.

Like the horse you didn't expect to win, the one you didn't bet on that actually did.

Or the investment you didn't make and now realize you should have.

The trick is not to identify missed opportunity.

You need to identify opportunity before it actually is opportunity.

I CAN PROMISE YOU THIS

"Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity and I'm not sure about the former."

Albert Einstein, 20th century German born theoretical physicist.

Appropriate as we make our way through this year's political season.

Most anyone can promise most anything.

Believe only what you see being possible after very careful consideration, not just what you'd like to see happen.

THIS IS NO DREAM!

"If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with success unexpected in common hours."

Henry David Thoreau, 19th century American philosopher/poet.

"Common hours" is 19th century code for awake time spent not dreaming the dreams of things you'd like to be, things you'd like to accomplish.

You have them. You may not acknowledge you do but you do have them.

Make them happen.

DREAM, PLAN, ACT!

"Man is a genius when he is dreaming."

Akira Kurosawa, 20th century Japanese film maker.

Kurosawa-san was right describing our dreams, both those while we sleep and those awake, as an indication of human genius.

However, a dream not realized is only a dream.

To actually be genius we must evolve what we dream to reality.

Dream, plan, act!

THE BIGGEST MISTAKE OF ALL?

"Experience enables you to recognize a mistake when you make it again."

Franklin P. Jones, 20th century American reporter/humorist.

While the goal is to not repeat past mistakes no one has or ever will completely achieve that.

Don't make the mistake of thinking you will.

Making new mistakes, ok, we all do, just strive to minimize past mistakes.

ALONG WITH LOTTERY TICKETS AS A WAY TO GET AHEAD IN LIFE . . .

"Hope is not a strategy."

Rudy Giuliani, former NYC mayor.

Hope is a good thing; hope all you want for whatever in life is important to you.

You can even hope that hope will be all you need to succeed.

But when done hoping, get to work to make happen what you need and want to happen.

BEYOND BURGERS AND BEER . . . ?

"I want to make more money, make more music, eat Big Macs and drink Budweisers."

Kid Rock, American rock singer/musician

There is an endless list of reasons to want to make money, including this one for Kid Rock.

Hopefully he has more including some that will benefit others in addition to himself.

What about you?

HOPE IS NOT A STRATEGY

"He that lives upon hope will die fasting."

Benjamin Franklin, 18th century American inventor, one of the founding fathers of the United States

 Hope you win the lottery, plan your life as though you won't.

DREAM, PLAN, EXECUTE

"Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment."

Buddha, 5th century BC (approximate) founder of Buddhism

Far be it from me to correct Buddha, but maybe he wouldn't mind a small suggested edit.

Do not only dream of the future, also plan for what you wish it to be.

Some planning, even the most basic, will serve you well.

NO TWO WAYS ABOUT IT

"Luck? I don't know anything about luck. I've never banked on it and I'm afraid of people who do. Luck to me is something else: Hard work - and realizing what is opportunity and what isn't."

Lucile Ball, 20th century American actress

Let me simplify.

If you want it, work for it.

INTELLIGENT INTENTION

"Our actions are the results of our intentions and our intelligence."

E. Stanley Jones, 20th century theologian

Hopefully you are intelligent enough to see this.

However, if not, but your intention is to accept it as true, good enough.

YOUR IMAGINATION MIRROR

"Fantasy mirrors desire. Imagination reshapes it."

Mason Cooley 20th century American professor.

Fantasy: What you want to accomplish.

Imagination: The beginning of your plan to realize your fantasy.

TIME TO QUIT? PROBABLY NOT

"It does not matter how slowly you go so long as you do not stop."

Confucius, 5th century BC Chinese philosopher

We all have a lot of quit in us, often too much for our own good.

Don't you beat you.

Lose by some means other than your own.

IT STARTS WITH A GOAL

"Those who do not have goals are forever doomed to work for those who do."

Brian Tracy, author

There's nothing wrong with working for someone else, the vast majority of people do.

But if you want to work for yourself, you must establish goals and a detailed plan to realize them. 

Anything less means you will most certainly fail.

SOME MORE THAN OTHERS

"God made man to go by motives and he will not go without them any more than a boat without steam or a balloon without gas."

Henry Ward Beecher (1813-1887) American politician.

There are good motives and bad motives, motives sufficient to entice you to keep trying as well as those that won't.

Really consider what motivates you before you invest time and money attempting to achieve something you soon realize you don't want.

WHEN YOU THINK YOU SHOULD, DON'T!

"It's always too soon to quit."

Norman Vincent Peale, 20th century American minister/author

Not exactly; there are times when you need to recognize that, all your efforts notwithstanding, you will not achieve your goal.

But not quitting soon enough is not the problem for most of us.

All too often we quit way too soon.

I can't tell you when you should give up but I know it's not the first time you think you should.

WHO MAKES OR UNMAKES YOU?

"Man is made or unmade by himself. By the right choice he ascends. As a being of power, intelligence, and love, and the lord of his own thoughts, he holds the key to every situation."

James Allen (1864-1912) British-born American essayist.

What do you make of the fact that you, only you, make or unmake you?

POWER WANDERING

“Not all those who wander are lost.” 

J.R.R. Tolkien, 20th century English author

from "The Fellowship of the Ring"

Not every path you take will take you where you'd like to be.

The problem is, which paths do you take, which should you not.

A bit of wandering can help.

SIMPLIFYING THE OVERLY COMPLICATED YOU

"Man is an over-complicated organism. If he is doomed to extinction he will die out for want of simplicity."

Ezra Pound (1885-1972) American poet/critic/intellectual.

Our world grows more complicated each day, so much so there is no way to comprehend 1/1000th of all that it is.

So your first requirement is to determine what your focus will be.

What interests you, what do you wish to do? There will likely be many, so many you will need to prioritize. 

When you know, create your plan to make that happen which is most important to you.