“If we all did the things we are capable of doing, we would literally astound ourselves.”
– Thomas Edison
The Daily DifferenceMaker
The Daily DifferenceMaker, or DDM, is a daily email to members of The Tinderbox Tapes Club. From time to time, we'll email our free list members or tweet one to "the masses" in the hope that you'll find some encouragement or a kick in the pants as you create a new world for yourself and your family.
For more information on the club, click on The Tinderbox Tapes tab on the menu above.
Astound Yourself Today!
July 6, 2010: Who are you today?
"We worry about what a child
will become tomorrow,
yet we forget that
he is someone today."
Unknown
#1
If you're a parent, take this quote literally.
Wish we could properly attribute it because it's truly powerful.
#2
If you lead others,
be careful not to get
so caught up in "seeing in them
something they don't see
in themselves"
that you fail to see who they are
today.
Yes, they have gifts & talents
that will serve your organization
well when they are
fully developed,
and it's true they aren't getting
there as quickly as you'd like,
but as the leader,
it's your job to
exercise patience
in the pursuit of people
development.
If you lose sight of who they are
today, they will develop
those talents somewhere else
tomorrow.
And, finally,
#3
As you seek to create your new world,
and become a "new" person
tomorrow;
please don't forget who you are
today.
Today you are capable of doing
one thing to ensure
that next Independence Day
you're truly free.
Today you are capable of doing
one thing to passionately pursue
your purpose.
Today you are capable of doing
one thing to relentlessly
repair that relationship.
You are not the person
who invents the light bulb
today.
No, the light bulb is the
cumulative result
of the single actions you take
today and each day.
That is the person
you will become tomorrow
because you choose to
Astound Yourself Today!
Brian
Today's Daily DifferenceMaker...
"'Be quick, but don't hurry.'
By that, I meant make a decision,
take action;
decide what you're going to do
and do it.
Keep this word of caution in mind:
'Failure to act is often
the biggest failure of all.'"
John Wooden (1910-2010)
Legendary Basketball Coach, UCLA
**First person in history to be inducted
in Basketball Hall of Fame as both
player and coach**
and coach certainly deserves a nod today.
John Wooden won 10 NCAA Championships
in 12 years at UCLA.
"Holy Dynasty, Batman!"
He died this weekend, at age 99.
While he's known for his historic run
of championships from 1963 - 1975,
and for coaching legends like Bill Walton
and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar,
Most people forget that Wooden's
first championship came in his
16th season at UCLA.
16 years.
He wasn't an overnight success.
Shocking, I know.
Wooden, like all the greats, earned it.
He made a decision.
He took action.
He persisted.
Thus, he's worth listening to.
Most of us have made a decision.
Most of us have decided,
at least superficially,
to change something;
to "create a new world" as we call it here.
However,
most of us have yet to take action.
I know it's sometimes scary,
so don't try to make it happen all at once.
Remember:
Coach Wooden took
SIXTEEN YEARS
to win his first championship.
Just take ONE ACTION
on this Monday.
What's one thing
you can do?
Now go do that.
"Be quick, but don't hurry,"
and you just might
Astound Yourself Today!
Brian
Today's Daily
DifferenceMaker...
"Some men are born mediocre,
some men achieve mediocrity,
and some men have mediocrity
thrust upon them."
Joseph Heller (1923-1999)
American Novelist
Honesty wasn't sure I totally
agreed
with Mr. Heller.
Had to think about that
"born mediocre" part.
The more I think, however,
the more I believe he was spot on.
ALTHOUGH...
Even when you're born mediocre
you don't have to stay that way!
But that's not why I called this morning...
Have you had mediocrity
thrust upon you?
Or
Have you achieved it all on your own?
Maybe your parents were well-intentioned,
but they thrust they're fears
- and the resulting mediocrity -
upon you.
Maybe you just didn't have much direction
and settled for whatever was easy & safe.
It doesn't have to be that way.
You don't have to settle.
This isn't really an email topic
so much as it is a book topic!
All I want to do this Friday morning
is challenge you to ask yourself:
In what area(s) of my life am I mediocre?
Do ONE THING to be
UNmediocre
in that area
and you'll Astound Yourself Today!
Brian
Benjamin Franklin
And you thought that originated
on a Gold's Gym T-Shirt.
The irony, of course,
is that old Ben appears to have
never entered a Gold's Gym in his life.
As you endeavor to create a new world
personally, professionally, relationally, spiritually
or any other "ly"
you're going to have some painful moments.
Your kids won't "get it" as soon as you hoped;
Your spouse won't respond like you
imagined they would;
That new job or business venture
won't pay off like you dreamed it would;
and those voices in your head,
telling you how stupid you are
for trying in the first place,
still haven't shut up.
Wish we would change that,
but we can't.
I've been teaching this week
about
"Fundamental laws of life & nature."
Mr. Franklin is referring to one of those.
Fundamental laws - by definition -
don't change,
and you can't get around them.
All you can do is recognize them,
expect them,
and work through them.
So stop trying to figure a way
around the pain
and persevere through the pain.
You'll gain a new world
as you astound yourself today!
William
Heath Ledger's character
in A Knight's Tale
I KNOW!!!!
Can't help myself.
I love this movie.
William is a man with a dream
and the determination to make it happen.
He is creating a new world,
rising from peasant boy to knight.
I have always loved this line
because it sums up what it takes
to create a new world for ourselves.
See, it's not that we stay the course
because it's right or noble or any other
reason we give for staying the course.
(Though each of those reasons is good)
We stay the course because
it's just not in us to withdraw.
Quitting isn't an option because
it's just not who we are.
See the difference?
We should all record ourselves saying this
and then play it on a loop through
headphones while we sleep.
Just get it deeply ingrained
in our subconscious so it
becomes who we are at our core.
My boys are gonna hate me at bedtime
tonight...
OK.
You won't do it, so repeat it 5 times now:
"It is not in me to withdraw."
"It is not in me to withdraw."
"It is not in me to withdraw."
"It is not in me to withdraw."
"It is not in me to withdraw."
Now go live that out,
don't withdraw, no matter what,
and you'll
Astound Yourself Today!
March 8, 2010: Do You Have to?
when he has to,
and how little most men will do
when they don't have to."
Walter Linn, D.Min, PhD
Marriage & Family Therapist
I suppose you could add that
most men will do very little
until their wives force them to,
like when her family is coming
for the Holidays & the yard is hideous
and the house needs paint,
But this isn't about me...
I'm convinced that we often don't
do what we want in life
because we see it as just that:
a "want."
What drives us, however,
is necessity.
This morning let's begin to look at
our "want to's" as "have to's".
Watch this:
"I want to paint..."
What usually comes after that?
"I want to paint, but..."
"I want to paint some day."
"I want to paint when things settle down a bit."
When are you going to paint?
NEVER!
Now say it like this:
"I have to paint."
You can't say,
" I have to paint, but..."
"I have to paint some day."
When you have to do something,
you do it.
What would you do if you had to
Astound Yourself Today?
March 2, 2010: What Are You Waiting For?
"I don't wait for moods.
You accomplish nothing if you do that.
Your mind must know
it has got to get down to work."
Pearl S. Buck (1892-1973)
American Author/Missionary to China
Pulitzer Prize Winner (The Good Earth)
1st American Woman to win
The Nobel Prize in Literature
Pearl Buck was West Virginian by birth,
though her missionary parents moved
back to China when she was 3 months old.
Funny how that West Virginia attitude
sticks, no matter where you live.
She was a prolific writer,
and was so gifted that in China
she is still referred to as a
Chinese writer.
Despite her obvious talent,
Pearl knew - perhaps inherently
as a good West Virginian -
that you cannot wait for
some inspiration or revelation of genius.
You can't wait until the mood strikes.
Moods are mercurial,
blowing hot and cold with the
temperature of the moment;
But discipline is disinterested.
Discipline only knows that it has to work
regardless of the sun or the rain.
I know you're not in the mood.
Put your talents & skills to work anyway.
A funny thing will happen when you do...
You'll suddenly, magically,
find yourself in the mood,
And you'll most certainly
Astound Yourself Today!
February 22, 2010
"Our England is a garden,
and such gardens are not made
by singing, 'Oh how beautiful'
and sitting in the shade."
Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936)
British author & poet
The new world you create for yourself
will undoubtedly be a beautiful thing.
You know it will be because
you've seen it time & again
in your imagination, right?
But like the gardens in England,
it won't create itself.
A retired man living in the city
got tired of seeing an ugly vacant lot
as he took his daily walk,
so he asked the owner if he could
plant a garden there.
Over the next several months the
little old man toiled daily,
removing rocks & rubbish,
preparing the soil
and planting seeds.
As the garden grew into a
beautiful display of color & life,
people took notice
and soon the garden was filled
with visitors from all over.
One day a rather pious lady
commented to the old man,
"This is certainly a beautiful garden
God has blessed you with."
The old man, sensing the visitor's need
to put things in perspective,
replied...
"I agree.
Without the good Lord's sunshine
and rain & the miracle of the seeds
none of this would be here.
But you should have seen this place
when God had it all to himself."
Get your brain around that this morning;
then get out of the shade & start planting.
You'll most assuredly
Astound Yourself Today!
February 17, 2010
"The Waiting Place... for people just waiting.
Waiting for a train to go or a bus to come,
or a plane to go or the mail to come.
or the rain to go or the phone to ring,
or the snow to snow
or waiting around for a Yes or No
or waiting for their hair to grow.
Everyone is just waiting.
Waiting for the fish to bite
or waiting for wind to fly a kite
or waiting around for Friday night
or waiting, perhaps, for their Uncle Jake
or a pot to boil or a better break
or a string of pearls, or a pair of pants
or a wig with curls or another chance.
Everyone is just waiting..."
from Oh The Places You'll Go!
Dr. Seuss
What are you waiting for?
How long have you been waiting for it?
Can I tell you something you already know?
It ain't comin'.
So today's the day
you're going to leave The Waiting Place.
You're going to leave because
to stay is a complete waste of time;
to stay is to quit;
To stay is to give in to your fear;
To stay is give up on what God put you here for.
How are you going to leave?
You'll make that call.
You'll send the email.
You'll turn off the TV.
You'll sit him down & just say it.
You'll drop her a note in the mail.
You'll say you're sorry.
You'll meet for lunch.
"And will you succeed?
Yes! You will, indeed!
(98 and 3/4 percent guaranteed!)
Kid, you'll move mountains!
You're off to great places!
Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting..."
So go astound yourself today!
Brian
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