Either way, life leads you surely, steadily toward your purpose. Whether you experience the pain of losing touch with that purpose, or the joy of living in harmony with it, you grow in understanding and appreciation.

No day, no experience, no encounter is really wasted. Through the ups and downs, in the good times and in times of despair, you feel more intensely the longing to express who you truly are.

The beauty of this day is not in its particulars. The beauty is that you can take it all in, whatever and however it may be, and add it to the substance of your being.

Whatever comes along, be thankful for the opportunity to pass through it. Whatever is, go with it and grow with it.

Your purpose cannot help but become stronger, as each moment passes. Feel that strength, and live it more fully, more authentically, day after day.

Here’s a puzzle for you: What do you see in this grid above? What do you think it represents?

Okay, it’s not a difficult puzzle. The answer is “one year.” The columns represent days and the rows are the twelve months of the year, so each day of the year occupies one square.

“Okay,” you ask, “so what’s the big deal?”

When I look at this grid I get a chill because I’m used to thinking about one year as a long time. Chances are, you do too. But when a year is represented like this, and you can see every day of the year at a glance, suddenly a year doesn’t seem so long anymore.

This grid is the layout of a typical table blotter calendar that you can find in any office supply store. It’s quite an ordinary, everyday thing. Why should it be any different from a regular yearly calendar that shows the same thing month by month? I’m not sure. Perhaps it is because we’ve also been conditioned to think of a month as a long time. Perhaps the irregular number of days in a month and the space between months all contribute to that illusion.

In any event, confronting the grid and contemplating its meaning is a sobering experience for me. You cross out a square with each day passes, and no power in Heaven or Earth can bring that day back for you. Once it’s gone, it’s gone forever. And when another year has passed, all the squares will be crossed out, irrevocably lost. You move on to another grid.

How many more grids do you have? For me, perhaps forty more, if I am lucky. And what is the number forty? It can be expressed as a five-by-eight matrix. The number of table blotters I have left fill the matrix, representing my life. With the passing of each year, one square from this tiny matrix disappears, never to exist again.

If I am lucky. If not, then my matrix – yours too – contains considerably less squares. For all I know I may have just a few more table blotters remaining. The same is true for you.

When you see it this way, you come to the inescapable conclusion that, indeed, life is too short. We hear this platitude so frequently, it has all but lost its power. But now, seen from a fresh angle, the message regains its dark potency. We, all of us, really don’t have that much time in this plane of existence. If life is a lesson, it’s a crash course. Use your time wisely and value it.

~Anthony Robbins~

Robs Thoughts: Time is one thing that you can never get back. Most goals and dreams are missed and never come to fruition because of poor time management. The quote above, by one of my favorite speakers Tony Robbins, really gets the point across as to what is truly possible when you learn to manage your time. Don’t miss the boat, like the picture to the left, get clear on what you want out of life, get a good understanding where your priorities are that allow you to get to your utopia of life. Focus diligently on using every minute of every day to accomplish those high priority items and live your dream life. Live life with passion, not regret!

Have you been tied up in a traffic jam or maybe even got cut of by a fellow driver and let it ruin your whole day?

How many times have you let a bad experience when traveling such as a crying baby, delayed flight, missing luggage, flat tire be the first thing you bring up in conversations with friends?

You really need to to repeat  this after me: “these things happen” or in more real terms SH*% happens.

We all have these types of events come up in life. However, the difference is successful people just go on as if nothing has happened, and unsuccessful people let it derail them.

The next time you feel an incredible surge of anger coming on over an insignificant event in your life, try going over these points in your head:

1. You look like a jerk
   There is really no polite way to put this. When others around you see you COMPLETELY lose  control over a scratch in your car door, they aren’t feeling sorry for you and wondering how they can help. They are subconsciously judging you and coming to one inescapable conclusion: you aren’t in control of your life.People are thinking that if something this small throws you off, imagine how you’d react to a REAL problem in life. And no one typically wants any part of that.  Overreacting tells the people around you that you can’t be trusted to deal with important issues. You’re not the goto guy (or girl) when they’re in need, because you can’t even take care of yourself.
2. The only person you’re hurting is yourself
   Did you ever realize that when you get upset at someone who cuts you off in traffic, they generally never even know? Usually they speed off never the wiser to your insults and gestures. By getting angry, you’re doing zero harm to them while simultaneously hurting yourself even more. That doesn’t make much sense, and is a waste of your precious time and energy.Now heres the zinger. What if that person purposely WANTED to upset you (they have some subconscious need to pick on others, they’re parents didn’t love them enough, etc)? Well then they are getting the exact reaction they wanted, and you’re playing right into they hands.

   If you really want to mess with someone who flips you off in traffic, try smiling and waving back, and watch the confused look on their face. With time, you can even learn to appreciate and love these people (bizarre I know) for the important role they serve in life: helping to remind you how NOT to live. Don’t judge them, they are just at a different point in understanding life.

3. Find something to be grateful about
   So you’re sitting there in rush hour traffic about ready to tear your hair out. Train yourself to go right into gratitude, and start listing what you’re grateful for and what good can come from this situation.Maybe its the perfect time to make a phone call to a loved one you’ve been putting off. Maybe you can get some “reading” done on that audio book you have been putting off and be grateful for the opportunity to learn something new. Maybe its just a chance to put things in perspective and marvel at how far technology has come. After all, primitive mankind would have had to walk this distance. You get to SIT in an air conditioned chair barely pushing the accelerator.

   There is something good in every situation, and you can find it. Even if its just that you’re grateful for the chance to practice being grateful.