Wisdom of The Ages

Seize the Day!
People are judged by what they think and what they say. But the true measure of
their character is what they do. Anyone who has achieved success and fortune in
the world has done it by action.
William Jennings Bryan wrote, "Destiny is not a matter of chance, it is a matter of
choice; it is not a thing to be waited for, it is a thing to be achieved."
The choice of the path you follow is often put before you as opportunity. "Few
people recognize opportunity" said Cary Grant, "because it comes disguised as
hard work."
Don't let opportunities slip past while you're still considering them, and create
new ones as you see them. "Wise people make more opportunities than they
find", said Francis Bacon.
What opportunities can you act upon?
 Woolworth saw a need for small inexpensive items and opened the chain of
stores that grossed billions.
 Wrigley started giving gum away as a bonus from a supplies wagon he sold
from, and saw the opportunity to make money from the gum that became
in high demand.
All successful people the world over have found the opportunities for their own
special talents and acted upon those ways to achieve. Why wait for the time to
pass?
There will never a better time than now- for you days are numbered and you
know not your final breath.
Lewis Carroll believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast. Take
your own impossible dreams and make them become reality.
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How They Think
Thousands of potential millionaires are born every year. And with the advent of ecommerce,
making a million dollars is becoming more and more commonplace.
What advice did the money-makers follow?
Aristotle Onassis worked eighteen hours a day to maintain his fortune. He started
as a welder and aimed for the top. "You have to think money day and night," he
said, "you should even dream about it in your sleep." Do you?
John D. Rockefeller, Jr., said, "I believe in the dignity of labor, whether with head
or hand; that the world owes every person an opportunity to make a living."
And J. Paul Getty acknowledged his hard work: "I have no complex about wealth.
I have worked hard for my money, producing things people need."
Even Proverbs advises: "In all labor there is profit."
Richard Bach, the author of the best selling Jonathan Livingston Seagull
wrote...
"You are never given a wish without also being given the power to make it true.
You may have to work for it, however."
The Empress of the British Empire, Queen Victoria, admonished, "We are not
interested in the possibilities of defeat."
Do YOU Have What it Takes?
There are qualities of endeavor and achievement that are common to many
people who make it to the top. The following questions are a guideline to selfenterprise
and attaining your goals.
1. Do you prefer to work for yourself than for others?
2. Are you well-informed on current business and political affairs?
3. Are you a leader?
4. Do you take advantage of opportunities?
5. Do you pay attention to what other people say?
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6. Can you finish a job even when it is difficult or unpleasant?
7. Are you challenged by problems?
8. Do you have a goal you want to achieve?
9. Do you consider other people?
10. Do you strive to attain?
11. Can you obey commands?
12. Can you bounce back after defeat?
13. Do you believe in yourself?
14. Can you stand by your actions in spite of criticism?
15. Can you follow instructions?
16. Can you respond to the needs of others?
17. Will you give credit to others?
18. Can you make your own decisions?
19. Are you determined?
20. Are you ready for success?
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Establish Your Ultimate Goal
What do you want?
 Are you looking for financial security, professional acknowledgment,
spiritual attainment?
 Do you want to fit better socially, or become more expressive creatively?
Establish the goal that's right for you.
Then turn that goal from a dream into a desire.
You want to realize that goal, not just wish for it.
Aesop said, "Beware that you do not lose the substance by grabbing at the
shadow."
Know exactly what you want, then go for it.
Don't be robbed by your own procrastination- especially if you want to achieve
something unique or original...artistic.
The writer Thomas Wolfe wrote, "I had been sustained by that delightful illusion
of success which we all have when we dream about the books we are going to
write instead of actually doing them.”
He went on to say “Now I was face to face with it, and suddenly I realized that I
had committed my life and my integrity so irrevocably to this struggle that I must
conquer now or be destroyed."
Can you see -with complete clarity- what you