Stop asking how

The fourth commitment is the hardest for most people. It’s to persist and have the patience to hang in there long enough to make steady progress. Change doesn’t happen overnight. Roger K. Allen I’m continually asked questions along these lines: How can I find my ideal mate? How can I achieve my financial goals? How can I lose twenty pounds? How can I get my mate to be more loving, agreeable, helpful? The common thread among these questions is that most people believe there’s an easy answer to their problems and once they learn it, everything will fall into place. …
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Getting permission

The fault dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves that we are underlings. William Shakespeare 1564 – 1616 Do you remember when you were in grade school? You had to raise your hand and get permission to talk. You also had to get permission to go to the restroom. The teachers did this for a reason: to maintain order in the classroom. But it conditioned us to ask permission before we did anything. Do you remember your first job? Someone taught you what you were supposed to do and what you couldn’t do. If you were like …
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Because vs. If

Whether you think you can or whether you think you can’t, you’re right. Henry Ford 1863 – 1947 How many times have you uttered the words “I can’t because…”? It’s a phrase I hear often — and I confess, I’ve been guilty of using it too. Our brains are hardwired to believe it’s okay to pass on doing something if we have an acceptable excuse. So as long as we can find a good enough reason, we have no trouble saying, “I can’t, because….” If we only used this phrase for unavoidable conflicts, it would be okay. Unfortunately, that’s not …
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