IT'S GREAT TO BE ALIVE TODAY

IT'S GREAT TO BE ALIVE TODAY


Don't let anybody tell you that being alive today is awful. When you hear that, you should just roll your eyes. At no time in history have there been so many opportunities to live your dream. The current communication revolution, with its explosive growth in internet and smartphones, has truly enabled people to become successful, wherever they happen to be. Suddenly the world has become one village and creating overnight success is more common than ever. All it takes is passion, persistence and a strong work ethic. Rectify that: a very strong work ethic.


Your great-grandparents had to deal with war, economic depression, diseases, extreme poverty and slavery. Despite these tragedies, you have survived and you have been given the chance to make something of your life. Be grateful. You may not be aware of how awful life has been in the past for most people. Aren't you lucky! That's why you should focus on improving your life and the life of others now. Not later. That's your mission.


At the same time, you should develop a clear personal vision of how to reach certain goals in life in the future. That means, that you are no longer on auto-pilot! You know where you're going. Yes, you're in the race. No matter what. Your focus guarantees, that any excuses cannot derail you and that you will stay the course. These will no longer slow you down. You are now in control of your own destiny, because you will outwork anyone, who is smarter and more gifted than you are. You are unstoppable. What a sweet experience!


RICK SCHMULL    October 30th, 2018       Westcliff-On-Sea, ESSEX, U.K.

THIS IS THE FIRST DAY OF THE REST OF YOUR LIFE

THIS IS THE FIRST DAY OF THE REST YOUR LIFE


Don't look back. The past can't be changed. Thinking about the past is a waste of time. More often than not, you tend to regret the things you have said or done. Just leave the past behind. What a relief! You'll have more strength for today and tomorrow. You'll be able to focus better on what needs to get done now.


Imagine yourself as a man or as a woman of destiny. Your enthusiasm will become remarkable. You may become somewhat controversial, but as long as you believe in yourself, you should not fear your dreams. Actually, if your dreams don't scare you, they are not big enough. That's what living your life is all about: living the dream, doing what you always wanted to do. No matter what. Then you will become a shining star. That's why you should 'shoot for the moon. If you miss, you'll land among the stars' (Norman Vincent Peale).


Write it down. Carry with you a little book with your plan and update it regularly. You'll become your own guiding light. It's like your future, etched in stone. For your eyes only. It's better to listen to your own instinct, rather than to the opinion of others. If you want to stand out in a particular field, then that will be due to your own uniqueness. In order to identify this, you should give your genius a chance, in a solitary place, far from the madding crowd. Then the rest of your life will, not could, become an exciting journey!


RICK SCHMULL                       October 30th, 2018            Westcliff-On-Sea, ESSEX, U.K.

NO MORE EXCUSES

NO MORE EXCUSES…

There isn’t enough time! Time flies, as you well know. Therefore, do away with unearned leisure that is not supposed to be happening. It makes you feel so guilty. And rightly so.You are supposed to be in charge of your life. The scary consequence of not being ‘on the case’ is sudden panic, when some deadline gets too close. Staring such a disaster in the face isn’t exactly something to look forward to, is it?

First and foremost you have to motivate yourself towards productive activities. Avoid low self-esteem or any thoughts of what possibly could go wrong. Emphasize what should go right and create the circumstances that confirm winning rather than losing. Self-destructive behaviour is toxic and disastrous. You have to keep telling yourself, that you deserve better than that. Instead of this self-sabotage, you have to focus on good planning, goal-setting and execution. There is nothing wrong with being a bit vain, like projecting an image of ‘who’s better than me’, without necessarily saying it out loud.

Your life really is in your hands! Shake off all possible excuses for not doing well. Success doesn’t come on a plate, so if you feel, that you don’t really ‘deserve’ success, then such conditioning actually increases the likelihood of stress and catastrophe. You have to convince yourself, that the best is still to come, even in the face of ‘impossible’ odds. In fact, nothing is impossible, as history teaches us again and again, so if you feel overwhelmed, you have to meet that challenge head-on. Running away from something that appears to be ‘impossible’ anyway, instead of taking charge immediately, would preclude you from turning your life around.

Whenever you feel you’re stuck in a rut, take a break and go for a walk or a workout. Settle for nothing less than the path to victory. That may mean, that you have to put yourself in the line of fire, but such a decision is a key moment in the rest of your life. Debilitating circumstances won’t just go away, because they can’t. That’s why you cannot afford being challenged by a poor mental state. If your goal pleases you and not necessarily others, then that should really get you going. You will get so excited, that you will achieve more than you and others ever imagined. ‘Just you wait’ is all you need to think about and your unshakeable enthusiasm paves the way for the ‘inevitable’!

RICK SCHMULL

January 2nd, 2017

WESTCLIFF-ON-SEA, Essex, U.K.

YOUR ROADMAP

YOUR ROADMAP

Try living your life without short-term and long-term goals. It’s ‘like a ship without a rudder!’ (Thomas Carlyle - 1795 / 1881). You would go around in circles. Therefore, you need to develop a clear vision. A man with a purpose in life stands out in the crowd. You’ll have a brief moment to shine and you’ll have to learn how to deal with it. Besides, being some faceless pencil pusher all your life must be a quite unpleasant alternative anyway. So get to work and focus on the critical areas of your roadmap with a definite planning horizon. Very little of this process should be left to chance, otherwise complacency will set in and essential opportunities will be missed.

Being on the disciplined path to your own unique success will give you such a feeling of exhilaration, that you should have a sense of gratitude every day. Never take anything for granted, but at the same time, make sure, that you remain flexible enough in order to change course, if necessary. The world is not static, so don’t end up in a dead end street. If the world around you changes, you should be ready to adjust. Some things only work for a certain period of time. That’s why you should keep moving in order to remain on the right track.

Becoming the master of your destiny requires self-discipline, willpower and constant energy. You have to leave the quiet life behind. But in the long run that is preferable to blaming yourself for ‘what might have been’ later. Will you be able to control all the noise and distraction around you? As long as you seem to bring yourself one step closer to the reward of your success, you will find, that you are part of an unstoppable force. Chasing the end of the rainbow is not an illusion after all!

Failures happen to everyone. But life goes on. Never dwell on the past for too long, because the lessons of the past are only useful up to a certain point. There is always another window of opportunity around the corner. The ultimate destination of your roadmap will always look a little different than how you originally imagined. Keep your sense of perspective. Work should be fun and then you can have it all.

RICK SCHMULL

December 27th, 2016

WESTCLIFF-On-SEA, Essex, U.K.

ARE YOU GIVING YOUR ALL?

ARE YOU GIVING YOUR ALL?

Are you competitive enough today? Being genuinely competitive requires more than just winning. Are you ready to test your limits? Because you are simply competing against yourself, not against someone else. You are on the path of bringing out the best in yourself. This process allows you to improve your capabilities and attain a situation beyond your perceived potential.

Going for broke may not mean, that you will be the first to cross the finish line, but eventually you will. As long as this is foremost in your mind all the time, this visualization alone will get the job done. The unthinkable will be thrust upon you, because you have unleashed uncontrollable forces, that overwhelm any reasonable expectations. You may have to become accustomed to sudden fame and fortune. Relish the prospect of taking your life to another level. That’s why an increasingly goal-oriented life incentivizes you to keep pushing yourself harder and harder to achieve more and more. Don’t let anybody delude you into thinking, that you will be allowed to sit on your hands, while you are still able to make a difference in this world.

Whatever happens, make sure, that you’ll be back for another day. Your staying power should be limitless. Remember, an active lifestyle will keep you healthy and productive. A passive one will cause emotional stress, as miracles don’t happen to those, who are just waiting around. Without passion, life’s a bitch.

In prehistoric days, a human being had little choice but to become a hunter in order to survive. You could not afford to be unmotivated at any one time. You have to be acutely aware of your feelings of guilt and inadequacy if you, for whatever reason, are letting down yourself and others. Any behaviour, different from punishing yourself, is a form of self-sabotage. So true.

RICK SCHMULL

December 26th, 2016

WESTCLIFF-On-SEA, Essex, U.K.

FROM HERE TO THERE

FROM HERE TO THERE

‘History is bunk’. ‘Don’t concern yourself with the past - live in the present’ (Henry Ford 1863 - 1947). Turning your dreams into reality often requires denial of conclusions arrived at previously. You may have to become a maverick, a non-conformist. Otherwise, you would be tempted to believe in conventional wisdom and you will have little chance to break free from the chains of the past.

There’s nothing more threatening than your own low expectations for what’s achievable. That’s why you are your own worst enemy. You should not give in to poor earlier conditioning, which would lead you to accept your present fate. Highly productive people leave the time-wasting blame game far behind. You need to take decisive control of your entire life in order to replace hope with the outcome you desperately have set your heart on.

Have you got what it takes to pay the price of success? You will need to delay gratification. So important! That makes success, once achieved, smell so sweet. Your self-esteem will skyrocket. Whatever your circumstances, you have to believe, that you are better than average. That’s what makes you focus on whatever is necessary to get the job done. Nothing is impossible and miracles really do happen, if you try hard enough. Any obstacle can be overcome as long as you stay positive. Never, ever give up. Keep trying one way or another. Reward yourself if you managed to accomplish just a little bit, because then you will keep on going, until your real breakthrough, which calls for a your major celebration down the road.

Don’t let criticism derail you! Nor should you put yourself down, ever. Always remember, that you have to accept the responsibility for inevitable imperfections along the way. Move on to the next thing, because some things are just not meant to be. You are on a journey to become a winner. Make sure, that you continue to believe in yourself, against all odds. Conscious and stubborn self-belief makes winning a self-fulfilling prophecy.

RICK SCHMULL

December 25th, 2016

WESTCLIFF-On-SEA, Essex, U.K.

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THE POWER OF A DREAM

THE POWER OF A DREAM

Focus on the future. Today’s reality should not stop you from moving forward. Convince yourself, that the future has to be different from today. Do you have a sense of mission? Because that’s what keeps you going. Especially if it appears to be mission impossible. The harder the goal, the more it will bring out the best in you.

People often achieve greatness, when they go beyond themselves. Never accept excuses. Get used to being utterly unreasonable, particularly with yourself, because listening to reason is frequently a shortcut to going bust. Always rate yourself above average in relation to others. That alone will give you self-respect and avoids stress. Make sure, that you always keep moving, while you achieve things. The world is not static. You have to constantly face up to new challenges, otherwise you could be history. This also means acquiring new skills all the time. Taking control of your destiny means saying goodbye to a quiet life.

Do you seize real opportunities as they arise? Go for them, no matter how challenging they may be. Seizing the moment may force you to learn and grow and become an extraordinary person. You would never have imagined to get to where you may be in the future. Remember, every crisis situation is also an opportunity. Sometimes you will be forced to totally ignore the easy way out. Your time has come. Don’t let it slip away!

Doing well, takes effort and commitment. Therefore, you have to enjoy, what you are doing. You have to be able to say: ‘oh yes, this is me’. Then you will smile, while toiling away. Do, what you love and success, along with confidence, will come naturally. A legendary work ethic will set you apart from the crowd.

RICK SCHMULL

Westcliff-On-Sea, Essex, U.K.