In This Edition
1. Jim Carrey: A Person of Vision and Destiny
2. Six ways to turn your Setbacks into Opportunities
3. Recommended Reading
4. Quotes
JIM CARREY: A PERSON OF VISION AND DESTINY:
Canadian born actor, Jim Carrey, is today one of the highest paid and most famous movie stars in the world, but success did not come easy for Jim. He had to leave school in Grade 9 to help his working class parents make ends meet once his father lost his job. One of his first jobs was as a janitor.
Jim struggled for many years to find his way, but he never lost his determination to succeed and his sense of humor even when things got really tough for him. He was told many times he would never make it in show business, but he had set his heart on success.
He eventually left his home near Toronto and moved to Los Angeles to “make it” and to perfect his craft. During the next years of frequent rejection and loneliness Jim always believed in himself. To keep himself motivated and focused, he wrote himself a check for $10 million dollars and posted it where he could see it every day; that is what he wanted to earn per movie when he became a big star. This was a bold vision for anybody, yet alone an unknown comedian struggling to make ends meet and trying to make a name for himself. It became almost an obsession with him. Today Jim Carrey earns well over $20 million dollars per movie in Hollywood. He exceeded even his expectations for himself!
Beyond his stardom, what makes Jim Carrey special and real to so many people is that he shows us his human side, he shares his failures as well as his successes. People feel they can relate to him because he shows the public his vulnerable side. He earns our respect because he is not afraid to try something new, to take a chance. Yes, he is zany, off the wall sometimes, but you have to admire his nerve. And, to so many of us, besides his fame, he just seems like a regular guy, the only difference with Jim Carrey is there are not to many regular guys who earn $20 million dollars for a few weeks of work.
What goal or vision do you have for yourself. It doesn’t have to have a $10 million price on it, it can be anything you want, big or small. Post or write down somewhere something symbolic about that goal. Put it somewhere so you can see your goal or dream every day. Focus yourself on that goal, but don’t lose sight of your true self in the journey. Brian Tracy said ” Goals in writing, are dreams with deadlines”
SIX WAYS TO TURN YOUR SETBACKS INTO OPPORTUNITIES
I don’t know about you, but the one lesson I have learned in life so far is that there are always going to be setbacks and disappointments along the way in our journey in life. There are always going to be people who are going to promise us things and disappoint us. Maybe it is someone in a personal or a business relationship who let you down, maybe it is a person you thought was a friend who betrayed you, maybe it is someone who did not live up to your expectations in a crunch, maybe it is the prospective client who promised you that big sale or contract and then let you down at the last minute. These are not pleasent situations, but they are a fact of life. The one thing I have learned from observing and studying people who are successful in their personal and professional lives, is to GET OVER IT!! Successful people put the bad times or the setbacks down to experience.
It is not always pleasent when someone lets us down. I, like most of you I am sure, have at some time experienced frustation, let down, even heartache at something that has happened to me. Here are 6 ways to turn those setbacks into opportunities:
1. Realize life is not always easy or fair, and that things are not going to go your way 100% of the time. Be flexible and realistic in your expectations of others. This way you will not be disappointed if someone does not deliver or live up to your expectations.
2. Be of the mindset that setbacks are only temporary. Treat setbacks as feedback, nothing more and nothing less. Learn from them. Don’t always take everything personally and as so final.
3. Analyse what went wrong, why that person did not come through for you, why that sale did not happen, why that personal relationship may have broken down. Don’t be too hard on yourself, but be realistic. My personal opinion is that most things that happen to us are for a reason, you will learn and grow more from being honest and true to yourself than from anything else. Remember, you can fool some of the people some of the time, and I believe most of us can fool most of the people most of the time, but the one person we can not fool, if we look honestly in that mirror, is OURSELVES.
4. Remember the stories you have read, seen or heard about that have shown you that ordinary people can do extra ordinary things when challenged. When your back is against the wall, the power of the human spirit and will is on your side if you believe in yourself and are prepared to dig deep and use those powers that you possess.
5. Take each day as it comes. This may be an old cliche, but truer words have never been spoken, in my humble opinion. Expect less of other people and more of yourself. Don’t take life and the people in your life so seriously, we all have our shortcomings, trust me.
6. Pick up a good book or watch a movie of someone you admire who has overcome adversity, tragedy, failure or heartache. It will enrich your life, inspire you and give you one or two nuggets of gold for you to take away and relate to your own life. The world is full of such great stories.
I know in my own life, many things have happened to me that have not been pleasant, and we all have our own stories, but when I have had the strength, resolve and courage to take those setbacks for what they are, a learning experience, I have turned many of those disappointments into opportunities. Don’t give up so easily when things go wrong. Stuff happens, even tragedies, terrible things sometimes, but there is always a silver lining waiting for those of us who dig deep and believe in ourselves. Never underestimate your resolve and always listen to your heart. It will not lie to you.
Recommended Reading
A Memoir Of The Craft Of Writing by Stephen King
Part memoir, part master class, by one of the best-selling authors of all time. This superb volume is a revealing and practical view of the writer’s craft, comprising the basic tools every writer must have.
Guerrilla Teleselling by Jay Conrad Levinson
This is a well written, must read book in the Guerrilla Series. I am a big fan of these books, and this particular book is for anybody who has to sell over the telephone. It applies to selling products, service or yourself. There are many great tips and so much information in this book, it is well worth the investment.
The Impossible Takes Just A Little Longer, Living With Purpose And Passion by Art Berg
I recently paid tribute to my speaking colleague and friend Art Berg who tragically died In February 2002 at the age of 39. This is Art’s latest book, just published. It will give you an insight into this great man, and at the same time teach us a little about ourselves. It tells of his story of surviving a terrible accident and overcoming adversity in order to reclaim his life. The lessons Art shares in this book can apply to all of us in some way. It is bittersweet that Art is no longer with us, but what a legacy to leave. This book is a must read.
Quotes
“You stop being average the day you decide to be a champion, because the average person won’t make that decision.” Tom Hopkins
“Successful people are always looking for opportunities to help other people. Unsuccessful people are always asking, ” What’s in it for me”” Brian Tracy
“To speak gratitude is courteous and pleasant
To enact gratitude is generous and noble
But to live gratitude is the true essence of life”
Unknown
Copyright
Permission is granted to reproduce this newsletter in whole or in part provided the following byline below appears along with the article and that a copy is sent to me after publication. Thank you: To check previous issues for publication, please go to www.cmarcus.com and click on articles/newsletters.
Charles Marcus is an international motivational speaker. To subscribe to his FREE success newsletter, please send an email to subscribe@cmarcus.com. An electronic copy will be sent out to you every month. For more information on how Charles, his book and his programs can benefit your organization or group, please call 905-847-2323. Toll-Free in North America at 1-800-837-0629, or visit his website: www.cmarcus.com