You can handle most problems because you know that only a little time stands between you and your goal. It may take twenty calls to make a sale. Be patient. It might take you five attempts to quit smoking or lose weight. It might take ten applications to get the job you really want. The point is that you try and  keep trying until you succeed. Most people quit too soon. Be persistent. Be patient. Concentrate on your major goal until you have achieved it. It is not what you did yesterday. It is not what you may be doing today. It is what you are prepared to do every day. That one cold morning when you want to roll over but instead get up and go to the gym, is a defining moment.

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Carry index cards, a hand-held computer or a small notebook. Borrow napkins to write on. As you become an action-oriented person, positive thoughts will occur with increasing regularity. Write down your ideas. You will have good ideas because you will have many ideas. Review your notes before your quiet time or before bed. You will become your own best therapist. You will see the ways to solving your own problems, finding your own route to happiness and realizing your own dreams. Spend most of your time thinking about solutions and not problems. Get back to recording your thoughts.

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Many people enjoy using the first few minutes of the day for their re f l e c t i v e time. How did yesterday go? What do you want to accomplish today? What will be most important? This, of course, becomes your prioritized to-do list. How will today vary from your usual routine? Can you think of any small things that you can do? Perhaps there is something that you’ve been avoiding, that, if you do it,
would make you feel especially proud of yourself.

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Separate your wants from your needs. You want to work for all you need, not necessarily for all you want. You do not have to sentence yourself to a lifetime of hard labor for the false trappings of status. Living on less can eventually yield much more. The simpler you make your life, the easier it will be to maintain. Think in terms of moderation. It is easier to buy things than to sell them. Yo u can make a comfortable life for yourself by finding contentment in the things you already have and holding reasonable expectations.

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Constantly seek ways to do things better in all areas of your life. The Japanese have a word for the concept of never ending improvement, kaizen. Pro g ress and ultimate success come to those who train and keep training. If you choose to stop and become aware, you can become a better spouse, son, daughter, friend, e m p l o y e r, employee, athlete and citizen.

Commitment comes from the inside out and is tested often. Measure yourself against the best. Most others will choose to be average. This is what average means. You won’t know your limits if you don’t keep trying. Reject the idea of good enough. Commit to excellence. Take each of your goals and think of how you can improve one percent each month. Success is a journey. It is not a quick fix. The joy is in the doing. Think of success not as a peak to be climbed but a high plateau to be walked.

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Don’t complicate your life. Think before you act. Look for the simple ways or answers first where less can go wrong. Work from your basics. Make sure that you understand the assignment or the problem before you begin. What are the time and perf o rmance expectations that will indicate satisfactory completion? Reexamine how you are doing things. Is a task consuming all of your time? Is it worth the time you are investing? Do you have the necessary re s o u rces? Can it be delegated? If so, is the right person assigned to complete the job? Yo u r re s e a rch, your quiet time, your commitment to teamwork and your prioritized to-do list should all help. Pare away the unnecessary. Even the philosophy underlying these Action Principles can be stated very simply. Improve yourself and help others.

Look at the big picture. You build your life upon your faith. You cherish your faith. You aren’t afraid to tell others of your beliefs. You stand for positive values. You are ethical in your dealings. You pray and meditate to have the courage to face your fears. You pray and meditate to have the strength to accept, endure and triumph over the hardships and small daily annoyances that the path to success
will present. You celebrate the good that you find in the world.

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Follow through to make sure that you’ve done the job right. Follow thro u g h to say thank you and offer new ideas. Follow through to ask for more business. You earn respect by saying what you’re pre p a red to do and then doing exactly that. Follow through shows that you are a person of your word and someone who cares. It shows that you are accessible and that you want to keep the lines of
communication open. You may make mistakes and follow t h rough gives you the opportunity to correct and to learn f rom those mistakes. Personalize your follow-up with handwritten notes and phone calls. Small gifts, tickets and lunches may also be appropriate follow-up incentives. Check up on yourself and reap the rewards. Follow through amplifies your effectiveness .