How Bad Is the Problem That Troubles You?

How Bad Is the Problem That Troubles You?

There are times when we all feel that the world is resting on our

shoulders, that our problems are earth-shattering—that is, until we look

all around ourselves.

“I had the blues because I had no shoes until, upon the street, I met a

man who had no feet.”

—Ancient Persian saying

“We each have felt at some time in our lives that things were the

worst they have ever been. Maybe it was because of the loss of personal

property of some kind, the theft of a possession such as a car, a wallet, a

pocketbook, the loss of our home due to flood or fire. Or maybe it was

the loss of our mobility, the inability to walk, broken bones, or sickness

of some kind.

Maybe we have terrible throbbing pain, such as back pain, that

makes life miserable at times. I don’t know about you, but it seems that

if I am ever feeling down about myself or my health, I suddenly seem

to come across an eye-opening wake-up call. I may be having terrible

sciatica pain all day, which can be extremely agonizing. It radiates from

the back on down one leg to the toes. Sometimes it happens out of the

blue and can be quite bothersome.

It is usually on such a day when I’m feeling slightly sorry for myself

that I come across that magical wake-up call. It may be something as

simple as an elderly person who is wracked with pain, slowly limping. Or

maybe I come across a person who is wheelchair-bound, handicapped,

blind, or mentally disabled. I then suddenly, magically, feel fantastic

about myself, my body, my aches and pains.

“Time and health are two precious assets that we don’t recognize and

appreciate until they have been depleted.”

—Denis Waitley (b. 1933), American motivational speaker, writer

Put It All in Perspective

As I am writing this chapter and listening to the television

background noise that we call entertainment, I hear a very troubling

story. On an army base in Texas, an army major suddenly snapped and

shot two guns, killing twelve people and wounding over thirty more.

Once again, it seems like people were in the wrong place at the wrong

time. And once again, my back doesn’t really hurt anymore. Twelve

totally innocent lives. People who woke up just like I did this morning,

made breakfast, and got ready for work.

Not once did those dead individuals think that their lives would end

that day. It probably didn’t cross their minds even once the day before

that life is short, that they have much more to accomplish in their lives,

and that time is of the essence. We don’t really ponder our fate much.

We don’t really take an accounting of our lives now, or over the past five

years, or of what we need to accomplish in the next five years. We all

know that life is short. We all know that life is uncertain. But I maintain

that we don’t act upon this fact very often, that we procrastinate to a

large degree, even knowing that we could very well accomplish much

more and accomplish it far faster.

Now here is the good news. Look around and find the positives

that surround you. As I listen, while writing, to the background press

conference about the killings at Fort Hood, Texas, I remember that my

uncle will be celebrating his ninety-fifth birthday in a few days. He is in

very good shape, very sharp of mind, and still drives his own vehicle all

around. He lives alone and cares for himself, as he is a widower. I draw a

great deal of inspiration from this 95-year-old man who does not dwell

on sickness or death, but merely politely ignores all talk of such things.

My uncle would rather discuss whatever is of interest to him at that

moment. We all know such older people. We each can draw tremendous

inspiration from them.”

“A boy’s will is in his life, and he dies when it is broken, as the colt dies

in harness, taking a new nature in becoming tame.”

—Henry Adams (1838-1918), American journalist

C-2012 J. Carinci from the book An All-Consuming Desire To Succeed

Some Foreigners Maximize the all American Dream

"America has always been called the land of opportunity.

Consider how many immigrants come to America today

knowing very little English and having limited formal

education and, yet, they have become successful. Most have

come to America with the right attitudes and the burning

desire to make their lives better and to succeed. I believe

many come believing they will be very successful, as long

as they work very hard.

You can understand why some immigrants are so

successful. Their minds are focused on the will to succeed.

They do not allow thoughts of failure to enter their minds.

The immigrant is expected to make good and, ultimately,

he becomes something of a celebrity by all who know him

back home.

Failing to succeed in America for some immigrants is

tantamount to disgrace. To succeed is a matter of “Positive

Expectation.” Some people have great positive visualizations

of what they expect to achieve.

The next time you walk into a business establishment

and see a foreign business owner, just remember how long

and hard he has worked to get that business established. He

may have worked harder than an American citizen because

he had to overcome tremendous obstacles to come to this

country. As you look into his eyes, try to visualize the

dream that drove him to work so hard.
http://www.amazon.com/Power-Being-Different-success-ebook/dp/B002C75GY4/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1297365248&sr=1-1

Greatness

"We are each born, desined for greatness, it is our upbringing that has convinced some of us that greatness is not to be ours. So, put the mental blinders back on, block out the negativity, and forge ahead, knowing that success will be yours, just the timeframe of the ultimate goal will be the only unknown"
http://www.amazon.com/John-Paul-Carinci/e/B004ZAAJUM/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1

PERSEVERANCE - A TRAIT TO LEARN

Perseverance: A Trait To Learn

W. Clement Stone said, “Do what you’re afraid to do. When you run away because you are afraid to do something big, you pass opportunity by.”

The idea was stated very nicely in Whitney Houston’s song, “One Moment In Time,” with the words: “Give me one moment in time, where I’m more than I thought I could

be, where all of my dreams are a heartbeat away, and the answers are all up to me.”

The writer Jack London, wrote something similar:

“I would rather be ashes than dust! I would rather that my spark should burn out in a

brilliant blaze than it should be stifled by dry rot. I would rather be a superb meteor,

every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet. The proper

function of man is to live, not to exist. I shall not waste my days in trying to prolong them. I shall use my time.”

--Jack London

American Author

(1876-1916)

“Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not;

nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not;

unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of

educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.”

--Calvin Coolidge

30th President of the United States

(1923-1929)

The Power of Observing and Learning

               The Power of Observing and Learning

We can learn a tremendous amount by observing all that goes on

around us. I’ve been motivated many times just by observing the people

with whom I came in contact. I love to imagine myself practicing other

people’s careers. I try to picture myself for a while working at others’

job duties, feeling their emotions, and thinking their thoughts. I do this

not because I’m unhappy with myself, but rather to gain insight and

inspiration in my own type of work.

Each time I go on vacation, I look closely at other people. I study

them, their jobs, and their attitudes. I’ll look at the hotel clerks and all

other workers and wonder what it’s like to do their work. What sense of

gratification do they feel from helping others? How much satisfaction

do they get out of their work, and are they happy, or do they just try

to get to closing time and go home? I look at other people’s work and

wonder if it is fulfilling enough. Could I do it? How would I see myself

and my attitude in five years’ time if I were to do their jobs? I try to get

inside their minds. Maybe it’s the writer inside of me.

By looking around and observing, you can actually picture yourself

doing some other line of work. You can look into other people’s concerns

and level of satisfaction without leaving your own job. I’m amazed when

I think about all that actually goes on around us. There are days when,

while driving to work, I look around and observe other drivers going to

their destinations. And as I do, I think about our city, the state, the whole

country. I think about the people working all sorts of different jobs: the

police officers, firefighters, teachers, bakers, and so many others.

Even while we sleep, the cities, with all their nighttime workers,

never do. Each night, all the major newspapers are cranking out their

copies while most of us are snoring. This country runs like a well-oiled

machine twenty-four hours a day. Even if you can’t work for a while, our

country keeps right on moving and churning.

It’s amazing to me! I’m motivated by this positive work movement

in our country. Even if you want to retire, you count on all the services

around you to continue. This inspires me to do my part, to try to make

my imprint, no matter how small it may be. It feels good knowing that

I am helping to keep the country spinning.

We should all start to observe closely. It works best when you

observe strangers. So, the next time you travel out of town, try using

the observation technique. Look, listen, and feel. It doesn’t cost you

anything. But I guarantee that if you practice the technique, not only

will you learn a great deal that you might have previously overlooked

about the world around you, but you’ll feel good about yourself. You’ll

also come away with a feeling of confidence and a new sense of ambition

that will please and surprise you. Put yourself in that other person’s

shoes, even if just for a few minutes.

It feels great to be a contributing factor in the ongoing turning of

the world. We all need to be reminded that we’re not alone, that we each

have to be a productive individual, and that we all need to rely on one

another to do our best and help by pulling our own weight.

    “The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look

    for the circumstances they want, and if they can’t find them, make them.”

—George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950), Playwright, political activist

C-2012 J. Carinci from the book An All-Consuming Desire To Succeed

Tripping the Circuit Breaker

Tripping the Circuit Breaker

We each have the ability, deep within, to achieve phenomenal success in life. But many people will never achieve their greatest, loftiest goals because they keep tripping the circuit breaker in their minds and shutting down the intense desire to achieve those goals.

There have been many inventors who failed to succeed in completing a successful working invention when they were so close. They yielded to another inventor who was clearly behind in experiments and working prototypes, but the lead inventor tripped that negative circuit breaker in his subconscious, the one that convinces us that we can succeed, the one that drives us to work on, though we are faced with failure after failure.

The circuit breaker in our minds works just like the circuit breaker in your home—it shuts down when there is an overload of power. And tripping it is much like throwing in the towel in a prize fight.

We’ve all succeeded at small goals in life, mostly taken for granted as insignificant. But I stress that our intense desire to succeed carried us to the finish line of those goals. In each successful accomplishment the circuit breaker in our subconscious mind does not get tripped into the “off” position. But we also have most likely had larger and smaller goals where we have tripped that circuit breaker, which in turn stopped our momentum and drive toward that worthwhile goal. So we know the mechanics behind failure.

We know, too, the mechanics that will lead to success.

My tripping of that circuit breaker after just a few weeks of trying to learn the new guitar I had purchased. I clearly flipped that circuit breaker into the “off” position, convincing myself that I would start up again in the future and learn the guitar then. Failure? Yes. Will I one day succeed? Maybe. I would have to start over.

But an intense, burning desire, in order to get you to the finish line, must be maintained from early on in the thinking and planning stages, and on through all the obstacles and small failures you may encounter along the long road to the achievement of that important goal.

Look once more at the New York City marathon runner. Take, for example, the person who never ran before and got the idea, maybe a year and a half before the more than 26-mile race, to do so. As with any worthwhile goal, the marathon runner would have to plan for success. Planning would involve diet, training, commitment to run, and allocation of time each day or week to work out. The road to that achievement would be very long. There might be injuries, a lot of pain, and setbacks. There might be perhaps hundreds of moments of self doubt, of frustration, of agony—plenty of times when that circuit breaker in the runner’s subconscious mind could be tripped into the “off” position.

I would venture to estimate that for every one hundred people with the goal of becoming a new marathon racer and training for one and a half years, only a percentage of the people with that first inclination to run would see it through to the end. Though there would surely be some circumstances beyond the runners’ control, many non-finishers merely flipped the circuit breaker.

If someone offered you $1 million to train for and run in that 26.2- mile marathon one-and-a-half years from now, do you think you could complete the race? Absolutely! So could I, bad knee and all; I’d manage somehow to walk, crawl, or skip across that finish line!

And here is an important point: The never-ending, intense desire to achieve that specific million-dollar goal would never cease to propel you forward for the full year-and-a-half it took. Amazing, isn’t it? Motivation works in strange ways.

C- 2012 J. Carinci from the book An All-Consuming Desire to Succeed

Today’s Inspiring People

“Do the one thing you think you cannot do. Fail at it. Try again. Do

better the second time. The only people who never tumble are those                                      who  never mount the high wire. This is your moment. Own it.”

—Oprah Winfrey (b. 1954), Talk-show host, philanthropist

“As long as people have dreams—intense desires to succeed at

something that to others may seem impossible—we will have those

who achieve greatness. Those great achievers then inspire all the other

individuals who struggle to get through their average days. We look to

the immensely successful individuals to give us inspiration, motivation,

hope for the future, and, more importantly, the all-powerful confidence

that we, too, can excel; that we, too, can achieve what was previously

believed to be “the impossible dream.” The confidence we derive from

an average person becoming a billionaire in a few short years becomes

etched into our minds and propels us forward through thick and thin,

through all the obstacles we face on our long, hard journey to ultimate

success. And if we should fail to accomplish our lofty goals, as we may,

we will have accomplished far more with our positive mindset than we

would have if we had not been so powerfully influenced.

James Allen, the great inspirational writer from 1900 and author of

the great self-help book As a Man Thinketh, said:

“Rely upon your own judgment; be true to your own conscience; follow

the light that is within you; all outward lights are so many will-o’-thewisps.

There will be those who tell you that you are foolish; that your

judgment is faulty; that your conscience is all awry; and that the light

within you is darkness; but heed them not. If what they say is true, the

sooner you as a searcher of wisdom find it out, the better, and you can only

make that discovery by bringing your powers to the test. Therefore, pursue

your course bravely.”

“If you think you are beaten, you are.

If you think you dare not, you don’t.

If you like to win but think you can’t,

It’s almost a cinch you won’t.

If you think you’ll lose, you’re lost.

For out in the world we find

Success begins with a fellow’s will

It’s all in the state of mind.

The Never-Ending Will to Succeed Greatly 131

If you think you are outclassed, you are.

You’ve got to think high to rise.

You’ve got to be sure of yourself before

You can ever win the prize.

Life’s battles don’t always go

To the stronger or faster man.

But sooner or later, the man who wins

Is the man who thinks he can.”

—C. W. Longenecker, poet

C-J. Carinci from the book An All-Consuming Desire to Succeed

“A Positive Daily Attitude”

“A Positive Daily Attitude”

“Tomorrow, bright and early, I want you to celebrate this theme: “It’s A Great Day To Be Alive.” No matter your age, think about how great it is to be alive. Think about all the good things you want to do today.

There’s a story about a young man who was deeply disturbed by the fact that he was not successful. He felt that his life was worthless, that he was useless and might as well give up on life now. Someone heard the man’s story and it is said that he asked the man, “If your life is worthless would you sell your eyesight, while alive, for one million dollars?” Of course, the man refused and finally realized that he had so much to be thankful for, that his eyesight alone was priceless, and that many others were blind. This man realized through this scenario that he had no right feeling pity for himself, not with all he had going for him.

I was in Atlantic City a few years ago walking along the famous boardwalk, breathing in the fresh ocean air. While walking past all the stores, I came across a woman playing an electric piano. She did it in an extraordinary way, without having arms or legs. She was lying flat on a type of hospital bed and playing the electric piano with her tongue. Her tongue of all things!

If I hadn’t seen her with my own eyes, I would have thought she was playing with all ten fingers. I respected her for her accomplishments, but I felt, too, a sense of guilt for having ever felt sorry for myself.

Here was a woman with disabilities, confronting me, with all my latent abilities, and making me question when I would start applying myself better in life. As people tossed money in her bucket next to her rolling bed, I thought about how she faced life and how it was time for me to face life

even better with my arms, legs, and brain intact.

I tried to picture myself in this woman’s place. I don’t know that if I were in her situation, I could put myself on public display and play an electric piano with my tongue.

I admired her accomplishments, dedication, and ability to play the piano quite well.

Remember the motto: “It’s A Great Day To Be Alive.” If you put that theme into practice, you should celebrate life more often. Invite people over for an impromptu party.

Take your wife or family out on the town. Feel good about yourself. Remember how unique you are. Out of the billions of people in the world, no one can think and feel exactly like you. You are the most important person ever born. Celebrate life by being more successful. Look for your greatness. Find and develop the unique “you” in your life every day.”

C- 2005 John Paul Carinci from the book: The Power Of Being Different

"BE ALL YOU CAN BE!"

“If a man is called to be a street sweeper,

he should sweep streets even as Michelangelo

painted, or Beethoven composed music,

or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep

streets so well that all the hosts of heaven

and earth will pause to say, here lived a

great street sweeper who did his job well.”

--Martin Luther King Jr.

Civil Rights Leader

(1929-1968)

“Nothing in the world can take the

place of persistence. Talent will not;

nothing is more common than unsuccessful

men with talent. Genius will not;

unrewarded genius is almost a proverb.

Education will not; the world is full of

educated derelicts. Persistence and

determination alone are omnipotent.”

--Calvin Coolidge

30th President of the United States

(1923-1929)

“When it’s all over, all said and

done, What impact will your life

have had on the world?”

--John Paul Carinci

“An Intense, Burning Desire Propels Evil People, Too!”

“An Intense, Burning Desire Propels Evil People, Too!”

“Evil people, dictators, mass murderers, and some master thieve shave used the same principles that the truly successful employ. They, too, are driven toward a goal. Some are extremely successful at achieving great fortunes, or mass killings and destruction, which in their world is considered tremendous success.

One such individual was Pablo Emilio Escobar. Escobar was a Colombian drug lord and leader of one of the most powerful criminal organizations ever built. He was born in 1949, and by the 1980s, he controlled a vast empire of drugs. He made billions of dollars, was once listed as the seventh richest man in the world, and was said to have been responsible for thousands of murders. At the age of forty-four, in 1993,

he was shot dead by police.

Was it a great mind gone wrong? If channeled correctly, motivated properly, and maybe shown more love, could he have been a brilliant success for the good of humanity?

Many other people have performed fantastically evil deeds. There must be some extraordinary talent deep within the recesses of a mind filled with evil—a talent that could have done much good but, for some reason, bent toward evil.

Some killers or master thieves are so consumed with their own goals of greed or murder or fraud that they are motivated to work until they have “succeeded.” One such intensely driven man was Bernard L. Madoff, an affable and charismatic investment genius who, over a period of more than twenty years, swindled thousands of investors out of more

than $50 billion. He was so smooth at what he did, so brilliant in deceit, that no one ever knew he was stealing mega billions. He was evil in the worst possible meaning of the word, but he was motivated—he was driven. Destroying the financial lives of thousands, many of whom were senior citizens, didn’t faze him. In the end, he merely smiled, not caring about what he had done.

I could only wonder: What if he had just applied his talents in a

more useful way?

          

           “The evil that men do lives after them; the good is oft interred with

           their bones.

—William Shakespeare (1564-1616), English poet and playwright

C- 2012 John Paul Carinci from the book: An All-Consuming Desire To Succeed

“Dream It, And You Can Achieve It!”

“Dream It, And You Can Achieve It!”

We Are Each Born into This World Destined for Greatness!

Philo T. Farnsworth invented the television in 1927. He

drastically improved the concept of prior devices which were based

on unworkable technology.

In 1921, 14-year-old Philo came up with an idea while working

on the family farm in Idaho. While mowing hay in rows, he realized an

electron beam could scan a picture in horizontal lines, reproducing the

image almost instantaneously. This laid a monumental foundation for

Philo’s invention of the television when he was only twenty years old.

On September 7, 1927, Farnsworth’s image-dissector camera tube

transmitted its first image, a simple straight line, at his laboratory.

He first demonstrated his television system to the press on September 3, 1928.

               “You will never stub your toe standing still. The faster you go, the

more chance there is of stubbing your toe, but the more chance you have

of getting somewhere”.

—Charles F. Kettering (1876-1958), American engineer, inventor

C-2012 J. Carinci from the book: An All Consuming Desire To Succeed

“Think Like An Inventor”

“Think Like An Inventor”

The inventor of the disposable Gillette razor blade, King Camp Gillette, was a traveling salesman who sold bottle stoppers. He got the razor idea one morning in 1895

while shaving with a dull razor. It took 8 years of pure struggle and frustration to market the first double edge disposable shaving blade to the public. He had to find the right combination of metal alloy and tempering.

He also had to find the financial backing needed. In the process, he experienced tremendous ridicule and failure. It was almost too much to bear.

In 1903 the first Gillette blade and razor were sold to the public, and since then more than 100 billion Gillette blades have been sold.

“I didn’t know enough to quit,” the inventor once said. “I was a dreamer who believed in the gold at the foot of the rainbow. I dared to go where wise ones feared to tread.”

Gillette had absolutely no experience in inventing, in engineering, or in working different forms of metals and alloys.

He had not the slightest idea of what he would encounter. But he had an idea, a dream, an inspiration and a belief that it could be done and, despite all the obstacles, he achieved his goal.

Don’t you think there were more experienced and knowledgeable experts, engineers, and inventors than Mr. Gillette who could have invented this fantastic razor? No

doubt there were thousands of people who had the potential to invent a new and better razor. What held them back?

Apparently no one else had the foresight, imagination, or the burning desire to replace the antiquated shaving instrument that everyone accepted as sufficient. Others

couldn’t visualize a piece of metal as thin as paper, yet strong enough to slice through tough whiskers.

At times, your common sense will interfere with your creative imagination. Your common sense will tell you all the reasons you cannot do something and all those reasons are likely true. But then you have to stop to realize your brain has something greater than common sense.

We are each born with creative imagination. Successful people are the ones who have learned how to apply their creative imagination in order to achieve greater goals.

Being successful can mean being more imaginative, not necessarily being smarter than someone else.

If your common sense says no, that’s the time to test your options. It’s your creative imagination that has the ability to overcome every it-can’t-be-done attitude and

common sense worry.

Consider how much any inventor has had to endure ridicule during the development stage of the invention. The criticism and the negativity from others could easily have

defeated all the major inventors. Imagine the world without all the major inventions if the inventors had given up. Too many people give up on their ideas, telling themselves, “I

can’t do it.” That amounts to accepting defeat before they have even tried.

C-2005 John P. Carinci from the book The Power Of Being Different