Let’s face it – life’s short and you only live once! Make it worthwhile…and never take even one day for granted!

Mark Twain said: “The fear of death follows from the fear of life.  A man who lives fully is prepared to die at any time!”

It’s easy to look at people who are happy, successful and having fun and assume that they have never had any pain or difficulties in their life.  Wrong.  I have found that the more you have lived, the more you realize that happiness takes work!  People who smile in public have been through every bit as much as people who cry, frown, scream and make others miserable.  They just have the courage and strength to smile through it anyway.  They keep a positive attitude and they are self-motivated to live life to the fullest and accomplish their dreams!

Decide what’s really important to you.  It doesn’t matter what it is.  Everyone has their own attitudes, ideas and opinions – but at the end of the day – it’s up to you.  You’re going to be the only person around for the rest of your life! Do what truly makes you happy.  Everything else will fall into place.

Take risks…lots of them!  Every reward carries risk with it.  If you never take risks, you’ll never get anywhere in life.  When people look back on their lives, they regret the chances they didn’t take more than the ones they did. Twenty years from now you’ll be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do!  Always continue to Explore, Dream and Discover!

Tell people you love them and how much they mean to you.  Family and friends will always appreciate hearing you love them.  It brightens a stranger’s day! If you have a romance – go for it!  Let people know that they matter, that you appreciate them and that they are special to you!  Remember to compliment others and go out of your way to say thanks and show appreciation.  It costs nothing and has such a powerful affect!

Live in the present.  Your past is important to learn from.  Your future is important to work towards.  At the end of the day, though, the only thing that exists outside your head and you can have an impact on is the present!  Think about your past and future…but concentrate and focus on the present!

Ignore the haters.  No matter what you decide to do with your life, there will always be someone around to point out the many ways you’ll fail.  Know that every winner loses, but not every loser wins.  Successful people don’t start out successful…what makes them successful is that they keep pushing through failure! They don’t give up…they live with HorsePower…they work consistently over time with sustained effort, focus and steadiness…and they don’t have time in their lives or future for negative people!

Never compromise your values.  If something doesn’t feel right, don’t do it.  Don’t compromise on your internal code of ethics.  Life is never black and white – it’s filled with gray areas.  Trust your instincts.  Do whatever you want so long as you can look yourself in the mirror and be proud of what you see! Remember the values of authenticity, integrity and trust.  These values are key elements in the HorsePower programs – and are critical in solid leadership – both personally and professionally!

Keep your mind open.  Just because you’re right about something doesn’t mean there aren’t other ways to look at it.  Listening to ideas you don’t agree with or understand keeps your brain active and healthy.  It also gives you a wider perspective in understanding, teaming up and collaborating with others!

Speak through you actions.  You’ll always hear people say “I had that idea,” every time you see someone create something great.  Everyone had the idea for Facebook first.  The reason Mark Zuckerberg got rich off  of it is because he went out and did it while everyone else was talking about it.  Ideas are useless if you don’t act upon them.

Also, remember the saying, “Actions speak louder than words?”  It’s true.  Actions are where you prove your credibility!

Betti