Motivation Articles

When it comes to excuses, I've heard them all. And made up a few of my own too. In fact, I am a fully-qualified Excuse-ologist. Excuse-ology (the study of excuse making) is a fascinating but little-known science. Okay, I developed it. And graduated in it from the University of Harper. I keep ...

Punctuality By Ron Ross “We will wait a few minutes before we begin our meeting as some folks are still arriving.” I hate it when the guy in charge of the meeting says that. Rude late arrivers should not be awarded for being tardy while those on time get punished for their punctuality. Most people make the effort to arrive early at a meeting so they can find their place and prepare their minds. Why should the “on timers” be forced to wait an extra one or seven or ten minutes for the lazy late comers to saunter in?

Learn the Laws of the Farmer By Dr. Ron Ross Over one hundred years ago my grandfather homesteaded on a quarter section of land near Deer Trail, Colorado. On his treeless high-prairie land about 50 miles east of Denver he built a sod hut for him and his horse, then planted a crop of pinto beans and awaited his first harvest.

The following is an extract from one of my fave movies - A Few Good Men (or as it's known here in Australia - Three Grouse Blokes): Jessep (Jack): "You want answers?" Kaffee (Tom): "I think I'm entitled to them." Jessep: "You want answers?" Kaffee: "I want the truth!" Jessep: "You can't ...

Hope that wasn’t a stress producing question. I learned some time ago that an all-or-nothing answer is probably not the most productive one! For 2012 I committed to fourteen both professional and work/life balance goals. Totally completing all fourteen of them, did not happen! I did complete ten of them and at least partially attained two of the other four. Being a high achiever, only partially achieving what I prefer to call my year-long “promises” was at first a bit disappo

Do you ever feel like you’re not where you’re supposed to be? Are you working in a field outside of your true talents? Do you feel trapped and locked in a box? Are you tired of starting projects and never finishing? Does the day seem to fly by and you feel as though nothing was accomplished? Well I have to admit, this was I. I had so much potential, that it’s ridiculous that I had not put my wisdom and knowledge to work and better myself. I’m here to tell you that, â€

By Ron Ross jack-s-drive-i Jack’s Drive-Inn in Council Bluffs, Iowa in 1958 was not anything like the fancy diners and ice cream stores we now have. It was a large added on section of a house that stuck out into a parking lot that could hold not more than four or five cars. Jack made hamburgers, French fries and perhaps the world’s best malted milk. On a hot, muggy afte oon not far from the Missouri River there was nothing better than a malted milk at Jack’s Drive-Inn.

If you're like many, then some days your mind is a war zone. Complete with the good guys (Mr glass-half-full) and the bad guys (Mr stay-in-bed-you-loser) fighting for your attention; your thoughts. Competing for valuable territory on your cerebral landscape. Fear, self doubt, anxiety, apathy; ...

I find it amusing how many people, programs, and books are out there today that promise to change your life in a second, a minute or as long as a day. Although intriguing as it may sound, changing your life isn't going to happen in a flash. Change takes time, and usually more time than you ever ...

Motivation for Staff If you are a boss, business owner or staff member every person needs and wants to have an exceptional day at work. This article examines ways to propel yourself as well as your staff forward to that 'great day.' Demotivating Factors A large portion of us have a work position which involves monotony on some scale. The same general work place, customary work hours and the same standard jobs or tasks. With the wrong attitude it is a simple formula for los

Everyone wants to be admired at one point or the other in their life. In a busy world, we seldom get opportunities to do such tasks that get people to admire us. There is a choice of picking up a career that gives us a chance to be admired. Security officer jobs and fire safety jobs are such jobs that are usually looked upon by people. The security industry is an industry that is growing very fast and the demand for more security officers are always on the rise. You could ent

January is unofficially the month of "hope." It's a month that begins with a focus on a new year, resolutions for new and wonderful things, as well as excitement and hopes for the future. Then "life" sets in again, and too often the hope slides into "same old, same old" by the time we get to February. Are you finding that happening to you and to your new year's resolutions and goals? After that initial burst of enthusiasm, do you find it hard to sustain the momentum, especial

A New Series Begins! By Dr. Ron Ross My mother nearly killed me during the summer before I entered the first grade. I really hadn’t done anything terribly wrong except to play in the back yard. Well maybe I did a little wrong – I played in the part of the back yard that Dad had just tilled so Mom could plant a garden. The problem was not that the area was tilled; it was that it had rained all morning and the tilled section was a large area of some really gooey mud that looked to this little boy like a great place to play.

Growing your business is one of the most important, yet also the most difficult aspects of being an entrepreneur. While creating amazing products and offering outstanding services is certainly the first step to business growth, it’s just the beginning. In fact, even the best products won’t sell well if you don’t get them in front of the right people. That’s why it’s vital that you have strong marketing strategies for all of your products and serv

Would you like a simple definition of priorities? Here it is: The things that matter most. That may be far too simple a definition for a time management expert, but many books, blogs, songs and poems use that definition.

An increase in gun control has been an issue of debate for some time.However, over the last few months, candidates for the Democratic presidential nomination – Hillary Clinton and Martin O’Malley – have put forth a significant effort on this topic, boasting about what they will do about gun control when they are in office. The result has been a trampling of the Second Amendment, which the majority of Americans are not in support of. A new poll released by CNN and ORC In

After working really hard day in and day out to develop their establishment into a big triumph, most of the people look forward to discussing their progression story with other individuals with the intention to enable them defeat their troubles. Some of them also turn into motivational speakers for companies and those who are blocked up at some place and not growing forward. Making motivational speaking like a profession may very well be satisfactory when you’re confident t

The troubled marriage, parents who want their child to change, good people who want a good job, middle-class families who have too much month left at the end of their money, and seniors who worry about outliving their welcome and/or suffering some debilitating disease—they all want something to change. A couple of thousand years ago, a few people had their lives changed by a little baby born in an obscure village called Bethlehem. When they encountered that baby boy, it changed their lives in ways they could never have imagined. He can change your life, too.

“I’m just the bastard son of an L.A. whore.” The comment startled me as I conversed with a handsome gentleman before church began. His definition of himself makes clear my assertion that how you define yourself makes a difference. The easiest way adults define themselves is by their profession or trade. “I’m a truck driver,” or “I’m a dentist,” or “I’m a housewife,” or “I’m just a lowly clerk.” Another way people define themselves is by their physical characteristics: color of skin, height, weight, hair color, age, etc.

Amanda Blake lives in Danville, California and works as one of the Bay Area’s top service operations executives. She’s built and led global call centers, worked in service and sales operations and developed sales and service infrastructure for existing businesses and startups. Her experience crosses many different industries spanning tech, pharmaceutical and public safety. Throughout her career, she’s guided employees both local and global through all facets of change w

It’s natural to experience challenges as you move closer to realizing your goal. That’s part of life. Don’t be discouraged. Keep moving forward on your path. Use every opportunity to learn and grow. Wherever there is growth, there is personal power. When you encounter challenges along your path, remember that you have the power of choice. You can choose weakness and allow the world out there to control you and diminish your life-force. Or, you can choose strength, learn

How quickly do you make decisions? How do you make them? We have the opportunity to make hundreds of decisions every day. Decisiveness or lack of it impacts the success of every area of your life - your business, relationships, creativity, health and finances. Leaders in life and successful business leaders make decisions quickly. Decisiveness is a key factor in success and leadership. In most cases we know the right course immediately for any decision we are faced with. It i

I just drove past a gym that was advertising group-exercise classes like this: 'Small classes, lots of fun, no mirrors.' No mirrors? Why on earth is that a selling point? Sure, mirrors aren't necessary... but why would their absence be seen as part of sensible marketing strategy? Something to ...

Are you resisting fear in your life? So many of us want to scuttle into safety and security. But fear is the gateway to the sublime. We're supposed to be scared "out of our minds." That's the point. That's when we tap into another intelligence, a non-linear knowing. Best-selling author Sharon Salzberg, tells us that in some forms of Buddhism, crisis is called "the proximate cause of faith." Fear is here to lead us straight into the arms of buoyancy and grace.nnYears ago, teac

Dear High Achiever!nnIt happened twice last week and three times the week before. Actually, it happens so often that I sort of stopped keeping track. nn But, I used to. And I was paying attention again and keeping a mental tally in the New Year because it intrigued me.nnIts not that I didn’t understand why people would always ask me the same question. But when I first began to realize that this was becoming a common question with some common frequency, I didn’t really hav

Weather is not always the same; it changes frequently. We often face hail storms and thunderstorms at Frisco and Dallas. This inclement weather brings damages to your valuable possessions especially to the roofs of your sweet homes; roof is an important part of every building. Whether it’s your residential property or the commercial one, the damages done to your property can be small or huge.

“Everyone in your family is a _________.” Cultural/social differences “Ron, would you like to knock me up?” a rather shy single female British schoolteacher asked me one afte oon. I was puzzled by her request but sat quietly for a few moments until I figured out what she meant, and it wasn’t what you thought it was.

Once upon of time, an eagle egg came between the eggs of the hen. After a few days, the chickens from those eggs came out, and the eyes of the wand were also one of them. They started growing up between them. He does what he likes, plays around here in the soil, grows grain and loses all day long. Just like the rest of the chicks, they also just fly up a little bit, and the wings can flutter down. Then one day he saw an eagle flying in the open sky, and the eagle was flying f

When my son was in third grade, he asked that I participate in a Parent's Career Day. During my 15 minute segment, I was to explain to his classmates what I did for a living. When I took my place in front of the room, introduced as Ben's mom who works in a downtown insurance company, I explained that I worked as a boss who managed people in the operational departments of my company. I'm here to testify that a person will never feel so totally hung out to dry until they see a

Question 1: Which is easier to accomplish: to make the world adjust to my particular needs or for me to adjust to the world as it is today? Singer/songwriter Lauryn Hill wrote, “That strong mother doesn’t tell her cub, Son, stay weak so the wolves can get you. She says, Toughen up, this is reality we are living in.”* The very first question you need to ask yourself when thinking about your own personal success has to do with the reality you are living in.

Awesome Relationships Many different types of relationships exist and the “rules” are not the same for each. There are relationships on a professional level, a personal level, a familial level and an intimate level. Most of us are involved with and juggling some form of each of these. They all blur together at times and seem to be made from a web of emotions and, well, out right craziness. We have so many ideas of what a relationship is supposed to be that we can easily confuse ourselves.r

Last week I began listing the Top Ten Most Common Excuses for NOT Talking to Your Mate. Here is a brief review of Excuses 10 – 6: Excuse # 10: The Smartphone. A text or phone call is allowed to interrupt anything. Excuse # 9: The job. For some, the dirty little secret is that one partner is happier at the office than at home so he or she seeks out projects to keep them at work. Excuse # 8: Exercise. Health is a good-enough excuse to avoid the difficult issues that arise between people who love each other.

One of the keys to reaching your goals is to eliminate any escape routes. It is tempting to retreat to safety and comfort when challenges and difficulties arise. To avoid turning around and abandoning your goals, you must make going forward more compelling then going back. When striving towards ...

“Start by doing what’s necessary, then do what’s possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible.” --St. Francis of AssisinnHurricanes. Flooding. War. Budget cuts. Escalating gas prices. The world feels like a very hard place to be these days. More and more the people I talk to are just weary. They’re tired of running faster and getting further behind. I know that at times like this, it’s hard to make changes in your life to pursue your own goals or take time

By Ron Ross Anger can be expressed in six common ways. Five of them do not work well. Those five are BLOW OUT, STRIKE OUT, FAKE OUT, SNUFF OUT, and PULL OUT. Read about them at RonRossToday.com The best way to deal with anger is to learn how to effectively SPEAK OUT your anger without shouting, cursing, complaining, hiding, punching, seething, or running. Using S-P-E-A-K as an acrostic, here are my suggestions for the appropriate expression of anger. S - SUPERVISE. SUPERVISE YOURSELF FIRST.

If motivation is what fuels your actions then inspirational thoughts is what fuels your motivation. Consider what it takes to get motivated in the first place, an inspiration. When inspired you're stimulated or motivated to take action. When your inspiration weakens you then experience a lack of motivation. Gaining the initial motivation to take a course of action is a relatively easy feat. Learning how to stay motivated is a more difficult task and is the topic of our discus

Eliminate the Twin Killers of Success Part 1 By Dr. Ron Ross Many worthy goals, promising relationships, and terrific business ideas are ruined by the Twin Killers of Success: speed and greed. This week the focus is on speed (impatience), next week on greed. A cute little girl in “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory” wanted a golden goose and she did not want to wait for it. She danced with gusto and sang with furor, “I want it now!” Her song and attitude represents the thoughts and feelings of many people in our world today.

There are an increasing number of people who think Washington DC has all the resources and all the wisdom necessary to solve their daily personal problems. This kind of thinking is music to the ears of professional politicians and government bureaucrats because they want as many people as possible to be dependent on them. It gives them power and assures their reelection.

Don’t Trust Dumb Luck By Dr. Ron Ross Are you lucky or unlucky? Do good things usually happen to you or are you a constant victim of trials and tribulations? Do you get the good breaks or are you always broke? If you want to be lucky then you might be interested to know that both lucky and unlucky people manifest certain characteristics. Lucky people pay attention to what is going on around them and stand ready to take advantage of situations as they happen. Unlucky people are narrowly focused and quickly lose concentration on anything really important.

Self-talk, whether positive or negative, is your inner voice that says things you seldom speak out loud. How you talk to yourself determines the kind of person you are becoming. The good news and the bad news about self-talk is that what you say is what you get. Speak critically to yourself and you will think badly about yourself. Speak graciously to yourself and you will think kindly about yourself. Your words will either bless or curse you and only you can control them. Here are your choices -r

Although the field of selling is one of the best professions, and has led many people to great success, it isn't for everyone. Selling requires a certain amount of self motivation, dedication and enhanced training. With the ever evolving world of business, selling is continuously changing. Most sales organizations are constantly looking for newer and improved techniques for profitability. Turning to the Expertsr

Get Better At Something By Dr. Ron Ross A man who worked in a rock quarry for several years one day decided to become an atto ey. He talked to his wife and kids about his dream to get away from the dirty, backbreaking work in the quarry and get a college education. They got behind the idea and helped him with his schedule and studies so he could take night courses at a local university. A few years later he walked out of the rock quarry for the last time and entered the courtroom as a practicing atto ey.

Dear High Achiever:nnI’VE GOT IT LOCKED UP somewhere in my visual and auditory memory bank. I don’t know who, what, where, when, why or how it got there. But it’s there. And I’m grateful.nn“What is it?” you ask.nn It’s a reminder. And it’s -nn A very real picture. Of? Of a whiney, wimpy voice of a person, perhaps named Johnny, Suzie, or Steve. The name doesn’t matter (unless it’s yours).nnAnd here’s what they are saying…n n “I’m trying… to lose w

Confidence does not come easy. Fear does, disappointment does, anger does, failure does; each with little or no effort. But confidence, courage, composure, or conquest does not. If it did, more people would display it in their daily lives. Because it takes effort, because it takes risk, because it takes guts to dig down deep within the soul to mine the very best you have to offer, very few ever feel or act poised and able to assert themselves.

Fellowship simply means you need to be spending time with people who are forging forward towards the same objectives as you in life - “SUCCESS”. When you converse with many successful people, they will all say, “I never would have made it if it were not for a few speci?c people, who truly believed in me and urged me to stay on track to attain my goals.” Did you know... Einstein was four years old before he could speak and seven before he could read? Isaac Newton did poorly i

I have had to learn how to mother myself in this lifetime. I love my mother, more so these days than ever before, but for many years I felt like I got the short end of the umbilical cord. Like many of us, I didn’t get the movie mother in this lifetime, the tireless cheerleader, the fierce cub-protector, or the one who listened deeply to all my secret places and saw colors in me, I had yet to see. That mother was on back order when I was placing my cosmic selection. Instead,

Quitting seems to be a way of life for so many people. How many teenagers do you know who quit school a few months before graduation? Look up and down your street – how many divorced people live around you? Did you ever get so mad at your boss that you walked off the job? What’s with all the quitting? You’ve heard the old saw, “Quitters never win and winners never quit,” but does it always apply? Sometimes we MUST quit. Sometimes we have no choice.

Make a List of Ten By Dr. Ron Ross Getting something done usually starts with a list. Wives make “honey-do-lists” for their husbands and “to-do” lists are a staple on every busy person’s desktop. Before you leave on your vacation you make a list of everything you want to take with you and a list of all the things you want to do while you’re away. Several weeks before Christmas comes you will make a list of the gifts you need to buy.