Everything Happens for a Reason

Sometimes people come into your life and you know right away that they are meant to be there. They serve some sort of purpose like teaching you a lesson or helping you figure out what you want to become. These people can be your roommate, neighbor, professor, long lost friend, lover, or even a complete stranger who, when you lock your eyes with his, you know that he will affect your life in some profound way. Sometimes things happen to you and they may seem horrible, painful, and unfair. But in reflection, you realize that without overcoming those ob­stacles you will never have realized your potential, strength, will power or heart.

Everything happens for a reason. Nothing happens by chance or by means of good or bad luck. Illness, injury, love, great loss and sheer stupidity, occur to test the limits of your soul. Without these small tests-events, illnesses or relationships, life would be like a smoothly paved, straight, flat road to nowhere. A safe and comfort­able but dull life does not give you anything. Your experiences create who you are. You can learn a lot from them.

If someone hurts, betrays or breaks your heart, forgive them, for they have helped you learn about trust and the importance of being cautious to whom you open your heart. If someone loves you, love them back unconditionally, not because they love you, but because they teach you to love and open your heart and eyes to things you would have never seen or felt before. Make every day count. Appreciate every moment and take from it everything that you possibly can, for you may never be able to' experience it again. Talk to people you have never talked to before, and listen to them. Let yourself fall in love. Break free and set your sights high. Hold your head up because you have every right to do so. Tell yourself that you are a great individual and believe in yourself, for if you don't, no one else will believe in you. You can make of your life anything you wish. Create your own life and then go out and live it.

Anonymous

How to Setting your Goal

The common formula for success is: "Set a goal and a time-frame for achieving it." The goal is what you want to achieve and the time-frame is to help you stay focused on the goal. Perseverance brings success."

In the above statement, the term "time-frame" has conditions. Three basic elements must be under full control - skills, resources and support. A completion date cannot be established with weak or missing elements.

Elements:

1. Skills - knowledge, experience, natural talent
   Super achievers have ambitions and goals that are in harmony with their natural talents. Someone who has natural a talent for composing music will have a low efficiency rating developing mechanical designs. Someone who has natural talent for mechanical designs will have a low efficiency rating for composing music. (There are exceptions, but they are rare.) It is important to discover your natural talent and set goals that are in harmony with it. This discovery may be difficult, but it is generally related to personal interest or what motivates you.
2. Resources - ownership, resources, money
   Money is a very important resource that must be managed wisely. You cannot control resources if creditors are in control. Super achievers have learned to live within their means.
3. Support - people, organizations
   Socializing with people who have similar interest.

http://www.motivation-tools.com/elements/setting_goals.htm

Seven Rules of Motivation

#1 Set a major goal, but follow a path.
The path has mini goals that go in many directions. When you learn to succeed at mini goals, you will be motivated to challenge grand goals.

#2 Finish what you start.
A half finished project is of no use to anyone. Quitting is a habit. Develop the habit of finishing self-motivated projects.

#3 Socialize with others of similar interest.
Mutual support is motivating. We will develop the attitudes of our five best friends. If they are losers, we will be a loser. If they are winners, we will be a winner. To be a cowboy we must associate with cowboys.

#4 Learn how to learn.
Dependency on others for knowledge supports the habit of procrastination. Man has the ability to learn without instructors. In fact, when we learn the art of self-education we will find, if not create, opportunity to find success beyond our wildest dreams.

#5 Harmonize natural talent with interest that motivates.
Natural talent creates motivation, motivation creates persistence and persistence gets the job done.

#6 Increase knowledge of subjects that inspires.
The more we know about a subject, the more we want to learn about it. A self-propelled upward spiral develops.

#7 Take risk.
Failure and bouncing back are elements of motivation. Failure is a learning tool. No one has ever succeeded at anything worthwhile without a string of failures.

http://www.motivation-tools.com/elements/seven_rules.htm