Today's minimotivator #16-2010: What's over your shoulder?

Eileen Elias Freeman said, "When babies look beyond you and giggle, maybe they're seeing angels."

What do they see over your shoulder when they giggle? Are they just giggling because they are safe in your arms or are they seeing something? Either way they do it a lot and they are very happy.

As adults we don't giggle that much and we can be a dour lot. Next time you're out at a cafe or in a mall check people out. They don't look that happy. Your task today is to think silly thoughts and giggle more. You will add years to your life and people will wonder what you're seeing over their shoulder.

Today's minimotivator #15-2010: Poker and chips

Someone once said, "The guy who invented poker was bright, but the guy who invented the chip was a genius."

How true is this quote when you look around at a lot of the richest people in the world. They didn't invent something new, they invented something that went with something new.

What could you invent or create that could be what chips are to poker?

Get your thinking cap on. It could make you rich.

YourMondayMotivator - Where do you see beauty?

Where do you see beauty? In a child's beaming face, a sunrise, a sunset or in your work. The last one might be surprising but there will be beauty there. How you find that beauty is in the effort you put in and the smile you have after a job well done.

Ralph Waldo Emerson, "Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us or we find it not."

We constantly look outside ourselves for beauty. Traveling miles and days to see amazing artifacts only to see them and say, "Oh it's smaller than I thought."

Beauty they say comes from within and they usually mean someone else. But beauty is within you and you either express it or you don't. Not expressing it makes the world ugly and a hard place to live.

So what it beauty? I think it's curiosity and looking at things like you have just seen them for the first time. Doing this, working out what makes something tick, or even write a word, makes anything beautiful. A whole lot of thought went into making even a pen but because it's now an everyday object it loses it's beauty.

Have a successful week and think about beauty. It is definitely in the eye of the beholder.

Glenn

P.S. If you like beautiful cars you might like to talk about them on Facebook here.

Today's InstantMotivator #14-2010: Are you bored?

Jules Renard said, "I am never bored anywhere: being bored is an insult to oneself."

There are a lot of quotes about boredom but this one sums up the word / feeling for me. Boredom is not only an insult to oneself it's an insult to your companions. One should never be 'bored' when you are breathing.

Fight against it with every ounce of energy you have and look at every situation with childlike wonder. You will never be bored again.

Glenn

P.S. If you're into cars you might like to join us on CAR137.com's Facebook page.

Today's minimotivator #13-2010: Frustration and exhaustion

Kurt Vonnegut said, "Laughter and tears are both responses to frustration and exhaustion. I myself prefer to laugh, since there is less cleaning up to do afterward."

What do you do when you are tired and frustrated? We all do different things at or out or at work. I sometimes have to take myself away and have a lie down or something to eat.

What's your never fail way to pick yourself up when you are tired and frustrated? Let us know here.

Today's minimotivator #12-2010: Success and decisions

"To be successful, YOU have to decide what to do next."

Do you make your own decisions about what to do next? Disregarding the "yes" that popped into your head take a minute to think about your day so far. Did you decide to come into work or did you have to. Did you make the decision to eat cereal for breakfast or was that all that was in the cupboard.

When you look closely at the decisions you made today you will see some of them were made by either someone else or outside influences.

What if you made the decision to come to work. When you get up in the morning you consciously think to yourself and maybe say out loud, "I make the decision to go to work today!" Would that make it easier to go to work? I think it would because you are in control of the decision.

Try it this afternoon when you decide what route to drive home or what task to do next. Not only will it make you smile it will make you feel happier because you made the decision.

Glenn

P.S. Hat tip to Seth Godin for making me thing about this.

Today's minimotivator #11-2010: Influence

Horace G. Hutchinson said, "If profanity had an influence on the flight of the ball, the game of golf would be played far better than it is."

Swearing might not have any influence on a golf ball but you definitely influence the person you are playing with.

We all have an influence on someone and that is a responsibility we seem to take lightly. Would you handle yourself differently if you could see the impact of your speech or actions on someone in the future?

You would. Looking at your own history will show you what influence others have had on you. Take responsibility for your influence today.

YourMondayMotivator - How do you face challenges?

As babies and children we were continually faced with challenges that tested us and made us learn. Learning to walk or getting the food into our mouths were huge challenges we faced head on with a smile on our face. Especially when we made even a bit of progress.

Somewhere along the way though a lot of us dropped the smile off our face when we faced challenges. Sometimes we even decided not to to face the challenges and quit. When we did that we stopped learning and missed opportunities.

Opportunities are generally disguised as insurmountable challenges. If you want to learn the lesson and grab the opportunity you have to face them once again as a child. Smile. Smile after every step forward. Laugh after every fall. We were meant to improve and grow by facing challenges head on.

Mary Engelbreit said, "If you don't like something change it; if you can't change it, change the way you think about it."

On this blustery end to the long weekend (it's Auckland Anniversary Weekend) set yourself some challenges for the week ahead. Face them with a smile and a ready laugh and you will breeze through them.

Have a successful week.

Today's minimotivator #10-2010: Moving mountains

William Faulkner said, "The man who removes a mountain begins by carrying away small stones."

Have you ever tried to move a mountain? I have. It wasn't an actual mountain but I definitely bit off more than I could chew and had to stand back, figure out where to lift first and then start carrying away the smaller stones.

If you look at all BIG things like that and start with the small things first. Pretty soon the mountain becomes a hill and then a mound and then it's gone. Try it today.

Today's minimotivator #9-2010: Putting off happiness

James Openheim said, "The foolish man seeks happiness in the distance; the wise grows it under his feet."

It seems a lot of put things off. We put off holidays, spending time with friends, rewards and even happiness. We do this because we say to ourselves, "We will be happy when ...."

The problem with this thinking is you might die before you get to be happy. A survey done in the US several years ago found the average father spent 37 SECONDS quality time a day with their kids. They were really putting everything off to get ahead.

Don't put things off. Plan for your future by saving but live today.