There is a definite correlation between being over 50 and success – it’s called experience. That’s not to say that you can’t hit your stride in your 30’s – you can. It comes down to talent, luck, timing and many lessons along the journey. Much of it is commonsense – but honestly we get lost in the day to day and sometimes we just need a gentle reminder. Here are 51 gentle reminders, or as I often call them – the Out Loud Truth Lessons. (when you share them please remember to use the hashtag #OutLoudTruth)
- Start by counting the blessings in your own life
- Know that you can only account for your own actions and behaviors
- Take pride in your accomplishments no matter how small
- Be thankful for your past mistakes – without them you’d have no foundation to build your future on
- Spend your energy focused on today and tomorrow, the future is where you’re headed
- Negative entertainment will produce a negative mindset, be selective on what you put into your mind
- Focus on problem solving, I call it making molehills out of mountains
- Embrace our cultural differences – the world is a place of human-richness
- If it’s your dream, your desire, your mission, then you must pursue it
- When a reporter asked that ridiculous question to Michael Phelps: was he to be the next Mark Spitz, having just broken Spitz’s record? Phelps response was perfect: “I’m working on being the first Michael Phelps.”
- The quality of friendship is far more valuable than the quantity of friends
- Persistency and Stupidity are closely related – the difference is timing
- A ringing endorsement that you’re living life your way – ‘You’ve Changed’
- You don’t need to travel to Uganda to right the wrongs in the world – you can do that right from your own town
- Everything you feed into your mind is going to have an impact of what comes out of your mind
- If you find yourself idling and feel the need to take a different road, make the move
- Know that you have NO control over what other people think of you. Their perception is not your reality
- Stay the course and don’t bend to appease the thoughts of others
- When people talk trash – leave that space. Don’t hang with negative minded people. All those negative toxins can only do bad – they’ll corrupt your mind
- So you wake up, go to work, come home, have dinner, retire to bed, wake up and start the process all over again. There may never be ‘the perfect time’… and then what?
- Your likes and your dislikes, your style and talk, your habits and choices are all a reflection of the TRUE YOU
- When you judge another, you do not define them, you define yourself
- I’ve never understood why anyone would want to be anyone – but themselves. Some people live their entire life trying to be like someone else – Don’t
- You are capable of anything and everything when you let your mind go. Allow yourself to move beyond your self-imposed restrictions
- Some people may be jealous, after all you’re being someone they can’t be
- Rats are followers, they follow each other looking for the next crumb in life
- Spending a lifetime in the wrong career is equivalent to a ‘life sentence’
- We get lost with all the distractions and urgent matters in our lives. All too often our priorities are at the bottom of the list
- Turn your schedule upside down if you’re seriously looking for a different outcome
- Never be afraid to reinvent yourself. Where do you want to be five years from now?
- If you want it you can achieve it. If you put forth the hard work – anything is possible
- You are greater than you can ever imagine. Whether you accept or deny this truth will still determine the roads you’ll end up in life
- Learn to be flexible and learn what to do when. There is a time and place for everything
- What shapes a person is not so much the type of crisis but rather how it is handled
- Comfort zones are way too comfortable. Keep your life goals in sight. Everything else should change frequently
- Do not beat those around you down. Lift people up and in the process you will be lifted
- Leaders who lead with their heart have more passion, more energy, and more intellect
- Don’t let others influence the outcome, only you can make the final decision
- Always keep your word. Do what you say you’re going to do
- Of all the relationships you can have, the most important relationship is the one you have with yourself
- Be willing to deconstruct aspects of your life that don’t necessarily appear to be broken
- A good idea will remain only a good idea unless you can advance it to a great idea
- An attention to detail is what will separate you from all the others. Detail execution will insure that your name rises to the top of any list
- Your attitude will speak louder than your physical actions. The right attitude will give you a jump up on everyone else around you
- Surround yourself with people who believe in your dreams
- Perception is not always reality, phonies come in all makes and models
- Concentrate on giving more than you take in life and you’ll surpass most in securing the greatest of relationships
- Your life book is meant to have many chapters, just how many – none of us know. The key is to make each chapter count
- You have one life to live. You can waste it, you can squander it, you can mess up, you can succeed… but you should not live your life by the standards of someone other than yourself
- Experience is always accompanied with battle-scars
- Predictability in your thinking will guarantee you average results, never extraordinary results. The only sure fire way to break out of the box, is to carry no boxes in your life
There you have it – Fifty-One Out Loud Truth Lessons!