2012 - Worthwhile Resolutions and Life's Half-TImes...

A Happy New Year is QUICKLY Approaching !

2011 is quickly drawing to a close...and what it afforded us will soon be memories...some of them good and some not so good!

As we enter 2012, and we vow to make it a better year...

Success advocates will be reminding you of how important it is not to carry any baggage from the past into it...or...

Is it?

Should we carry that past baggage into next year?

This thought is intriguing!

I like seeing through the fluff of the "snake oil" sales people...

This may be one of those things in which they are selling you what you want to hear rather than what you need to hear!

Let's listen to what we need to hear before it is too late!

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When combined with our tradition of New Year's Resolutions, it makes me think that there may be some worthwhile baggage that we need to carry...

Although you may not believe it...

Our the broken promises, resolutions...AND our failures!

That sounds pretty depressing and those experts who are trying to sell you a success placebo will argue!

Let's look at the facts!

Successful individuals do not quit trying...they do not give up on those things that they know are right...

They persist until they achieve what they envision...

With ongoing persistence...they resolve to improve their lot in life and set goals...

They know their mission and align tasks to them...

Some of these goals may not be achievable...on the first go around...but they do not quit!

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Take a moment to reflect on the resolutions of the past...

Especially those resolutions that you failed to accomplish...

I am amused by people who...when creating their list of resolutions...exclude those that they failed on in the past...

"I tried that one...not going to do that again"

Nothing worth having comes easily...

Perhaps...you already have a list of resolutions...

It is simply those that you failed to achieve in the past!

I know that my list...if it consists only of my past failures...would be longer than any list that I could generate in the few remaining hours of this year!

Why not resolve to achieve your past failures!

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I was listening to an interview with a high school football coach that said...

"The Pro-Bowl performances are created at half-time!"

Half-Time is an interesting concept...

The first half of the game is played and then everyone leaves the field and licks their wounds and re-energizes or admits defeat!

The coach has assessed the opposition for their weaknesses and adjusts the plan...

Half-Time is a time for rest...

We are given many Half-Times...New Year's is an official Half-Time!

Are you licking your wounds?

Are you going to admit defeat?

Have you assessed your opponent?

Have you resolved to win?

Are you going to change your plays?

2012 has some weaknesses...

There are holes in the defensive line...

2012 is in the locker room too!

Make no mistake...It is planning how it is going to beat you!

It has as much to win as you have losing!

You will never defeat it unless you learn for the first half...

That baggage that I referenced is important to success...

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As you resolve...

Look at your past failures in a different perspective...

I can almost hear you saying...

"That was a great resolution...this year I am going to do it!"

Just because you missed the pass the last time you tried that play...doesn't mean that it didn't have the potential of a touchdown!

If every failed play in football was never repeated...there ultimately would be no plays...

If people never tried and tried again...

You get the picture...

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Happy New Year!

Resolve to not repeat the failures of the past...

Not by failing at what you attempt...but

By succeeding at what you tried and failed at!

There is open field between you and the goal line!

Catch the ball this time and run like the wind!

Pura Vida

Does your Success Attitude make you a CRIMINAL?

Good Morning!

I recently saw a "Tweet" that caused me to think about how we (many within our society) have lost a critical character trait...

In part the tweet read...

"...as long as I do not get caught...it is not against the law..."

HOW SAD!

Think about what was said!

Murder is OK...if the killer can hide it?

Or...

It is OK to steal or rob someone...or beat them...

Or...

It is OK to break the law...if you don't agree with it...

From my perspective...something is missing from an individual's character...when they truly believe and live by that belief...

A law is a law...whether an individual agrees with it or not...

It is a law...and must be adhered to...

A law is a law...and was enacted to protect the individual and the society...

Although those examples are extremes...the same concept holds true with every law that is created...

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Our Founding Fathers recognized that our society had a looming weakness...

It was based in an individual's sense of moral and ethical responsibility to existing laws...

They recognized that laws must be followed...and that individuals often lacked the personal character to follow them when they believed that they were not being watched...

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If a tree falls in the woods and no one is there...?

An interesting discussion almost always ensues about sound, whenever that question is posed...

A simplistic philosophical paradox....that makes for interesting party quip!

I would love to see this discussion go a bit deeper...

The same "internal" discussion should ensue when someone thinks that a law isn't broken...if there is no one there to catch the offender!

There is a difference between the "tree conundrum" and the challenge to law!

When I think about this...there is always someone present when a law is broken!

Who?

The offender!

Ultimately...everyone should be self-policing!

True citizens ARE self-policing...

Putting all of the logic aside...let's jump to the interim conclusion...

Those who need to be controlled are not members of this society!

They are actually a burden on the society...

Those who lack self-control are the reason that we have to put more and more money into our police forces!

They are the reason that we need to build more jails and prisons!

We make laws and then believe that it is our responsibility to take care of them for their lack of moral character and self-control...

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Let's regress a bit...

Whether a felony or a misdemeanor...a law is a non-compromise statement of membership AND citizenship...

Breaking the law...is therefore a declaration of non-citizenship...

We could save a ton of taxpayer monies by simple deportation of offenders!

Send them someplace...where they fit...let them live in a society that matches their level of character and self-control...

We do not need them here...they have decided that they do not want to follow our rules of membership...

It is not our responsibility to try to re-mediate them...it is their responsibility to conform...

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Enough of the political...

We needed to lay a parallel foundation to our thoughts on SUCCESS...

Success is an exclusive membership...it is not unlike our society...

Our first question is...

If success is achieved at the cost of breaking a rule or many rules...is it really success?

If a race is won by cheating...can the victor truly claim the prize?

Moreover...does getting a break...or head-start make a person a real winner...or successful...?

Playing by the rules or laws is a critical component of success...whether one agrees with them or not...

A rule (law) is a law...

It is the rules by which an individual enters the society of the successful...

Breaking the law...in secret or in public IS a crime against the public...

Breaking the laws...related to one's success standard...is a crime against those who are also seeking success...

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How does this relate to one's success?

It is VERY simple and complex at the same time...

Those who seek success need to answer this question...

What are you willing to do to achieve success?

What were the "Ponzie" schemers and the heads of Enron willing to do?

Whether intentional or unintentional...gains made "against the law" are ill-gotten...

Ill-gotten gains should be returned!

Success achieved by bending the rules are the equivalent of armed robbery...and if I may be allowed...

...including a charge of reckless endangerment...or disregard of life...or manslaughter...or murder!

Success achieved at the cost of someone else's loss...is the infringement on their right to life, liberty and their personal pursuit of happiness!  It is a breach of the Constitution!  A felony...in fact...treason...a declaration of their desire not to conform to the rules of citizenship...

The citizenship of our over-arching society and that of our smaller society of the successful...

It all comes back to that!

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Success is a desirable goal!

But success has a certain set of restrictions...

Winning has to be by the rules...

It is our Quantum Obligation to leave EVERY moment in our pursuit of success BETTER for our having been a participant...BETTER for EVERYTHING and EVERYONE involved in that moment or event!

Success achieved at the cost of something or someone is ill-gotten and undeserved...and by definition not success...

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If a crime is committed in secret...there is still someone there who should report it!

The fact of the matter is...the "Right of the individual not to incriminate themselves" was  added to the Bill of Rights to provide individuals the option to not have to testify against themselves on the witness stand...yet the constitution obligates them to anonymously report the crime...

It was created in order to uphold and maintain the sacredness of telling the truth...

There is nothing worse than being coerced into lying!

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If your goals force you to cheat and lie...or bend the rules in their achievement...you may wish to consider reevaluating your path...or your goals themselves...

REAL Success requires that it be achieved within the rules (laws)...

Anything less than that or questionable is less than success...

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This is not just a matter of organizational success...it holds just as true for the individual!

Success is defined in either case by and through the frequent achievement of its mission...(which by its very nature should be aligned with the goal(s)...

If you recall...the mission is the path to success and the goal is the destination...(or interim destination)...

I have somewhat expanded the definition of the of success to include the complete journey!

In other words...the end(s) do not justify the means...

The goal does not justify the tactics used during the journey...

Does this make sense?

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A speeder is a speeder whether alone on the highway or among thousands of other cars...

A liar is a liar

A thief is a thief

A murderer is a murderer

A drug dealer is a drug dealer

A felon is a felon...

It is that simple...

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DO NOT deceive yourself into believing that success must be achieved at any cost...

The highest price that can be paid is the compromise of one's character...

From my perspective...success achieved at that cost is not worth the loss...

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What do you think?

I have said enough to get you thinking...I hope...

PURA VIDA!