The Daily Locker Room

Believe It’s Possible

Eric Giglione — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 10:48:25 +0000

You’ll rarely attempt something that you don’t believe is possible and you’ll NEVER give 100% to such an endeavor. David Schwartz said, "The size of your success is determined by the size of your belief."

I took to heart what Wayne Dyer wrote, "Work each day on your thoughts rather than concentrating on your behavior. It is your thinking that creates the feelings that you have, and ultimately your actions as well." So I worked each day on my beliefs by constantly using written and verbal affirmations. The years since have been an incredible ride.

Roger Bannister was the first person to run a mile in under four minutes. Before he did it, it was generally believed that the human body was incapable of such a feat. But shortly after Bannister’s feat, many others accomplished the same thing. Thousands have done so since, and today it’s not uncommon for it to be done by a talented high-schooler. Did the human body change so that this could be done? No! But the human belief system did!

Remember Napoleon Hill’s most famous 10 words, "Whatever your mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve." Just believing is a bold step towards living your very best life!

Problems Bring Lessons

Eric Giglione — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 11:06:27 +0000

It has taken me a long time to look at my problems as necessary lessons. I’m still not always willing to endure the pain and frustration that negative circumstances usually cause. Some days I’d like to ‘play hooky’ and skip the lesson.

But as I look back at my life, it’s easy to see that the times when my wisdom and understanding grew to new levels, were the times following negative circumstances. Your greatest growth is going to come from the negative circumstances that sometimes seem too overwhelming, too big to scale.

James Allen said, “Let a person rejoice when he is confronted with obstacles, for it means that he has reached the end of some particular indifference or folly, and is now called upon to summon up all his energy and intelligence in order to extricate himself, and to find a better way; that the powers within him are crying out for greater freedom, for enlarged exercise and scope.”

Instead of fighting it, you need to jump in and gain the insight and wisdom to handle the circumstances. The situation will resolve, and you’ll be ready for the next lesson – only stronger, both in spirit and wisdom. Live your very best life by seeing your problems as your greatest life lessons.

In Search of Excellence

Eric Giglione — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 16:04:51 +0000

Confucius said, "The nature of man is always the same; it is their habits that separate them." Aristotle said, "Excellence is not an act but a habit." You can develop excellent habits in everything you do. In life and in business, the constant and never-ending search for quality should be paramount. Tony Robbins said it this way, describing the Kaizan principle, “To live a life of CANI, which stands for Constant and Never-Ending Improvement.”

Excellence is something everybody wants in their cars, their homes, and everything they buy. The people who demand excellence in the products they manufacture or the services that they provide will succeed, and earn a lifetime of respect from others.

No one ever achieved much in life by doing things in an average way. Anything less than a commitment to excellence is an acceptance of mediocrity. Strive for excellence and you will never have any regrets. Keep making small improvements every day. It’s like eating an elephant! . . . one bite at a time. Insist on excellence and you’ll live your very best life, and leave a legacy that others will admire and be inspired to follow!

Keep Fighting

Eric Giglione — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 12:07:54 +0000

Sometimes life seems so unfair. You might have gone through a series of losses or setbacks and it’s easy to think, "It will never get better. This is just my lot in life.” If you are not careful, your negative thoughts will create a self-fulfilling prophecy.

It begins with one unfair situation, then we magnify it by having and holding on to the wrong mind-sets. I’m asking you to break out of that rut! Remember, as Yogi Berra said, “It’s not over ’til it’s over!” You may be down, but you’re not out! Your best days are not behind you, they are in front of you.

When the bottom falls out and it looks like you’ve hit an all-time low, when it just couldn’t get any worse, that’s the time that you need to stand and fight the good fight of faith. I know this personally because of a motorcycle accident that almost claimed my life. Keep standing and keep fighting. Your situation will begin to turn around when you least expect it! Keep fighting and live your very best life!

Help Make the World a Better Place

Eric Giglione — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 11:53:43 +0000

Remember these three unfailing principles: 1) Our rewards in life will always match our service to others. 2) No one can become rich without enriching others. 3) Anyone who adds to prosperity must prosper in return. Dale Carnegie said, "The rare individual who unselfishly tries to serve others has an enormous advantage, he has little competition."

Albert Schweitzer said, "I don’t know what your destiny will be, but one thing I know: the only ones among you who will be really happy are those who have found how to serve." Albert Einstein warned, "Man is here for the sake of serving others – only!"

The greatest rewards and satisfaction I have received in my life come from knowing that in some way I have served and helped others. It is during those times that I feel most fulfilled and grateful. Give people your ears and listen, give them your heart and care, give them your forgiveness and support, and they will give you the world!

Find ways to do what John F. Kennedy asked of us, "Ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country." Live your best life and live to enhance the lives of others.

You Receive What You Believe

Eric Giglione — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 23:09:22 +0000

Our expectations wield tremendous power and influence in our lives. We don’t always get what we deserve in life, but we usually get no more then we expect; we receive what we believe. Unfortunately, this principle works as strongly in the negative as it does in the positive. Many people tend to expect the worst. They expect defeat, failure, and mediocrity. And they usually get what they expect.

But you can expect good things just as easily as you can expect the worst. It’s possible to believe in more, to see yourself performing at higher levels in every area of life. When you encounter tough times, don’t expect to stay there, expect to come out of that trouble. When business gets bit slow, don’t assume you’ll go bankrupt, don’t make plans for failure. Expect to come out and climb higher than before!

Low expectations will destroy our thinking which in turn will hurt our circumstances. Quit expecting to fail and start believing that you are going to succeed. Focus on what you can do and not what you can’t do. Control the things you can control and don’t focus on things you can do nothing about. When you do, you will live your very best life!

Cut People Some Slack

Eric Giglione — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 14:09:07 +0000

A long time ago someone told me something that completely changed my life. It seemed like they always cut people too much slack when they messed up or weren’t nice. I was very confused because this person was very strong, and highly successful. He told me the reason he cut people slack when they were ‘wrong’ or ‘not nice’ was because he wanted them to do the same.

He explained, "I mess up from time to time and sometimes I can be unfair and not so nice. And when it happens, I hope that they will cut me a break and forgive me. I learned that if I want people to do that for me, then I have to do it with them." WOW! This blew me away. Ever since then, I have done my best to forgive people and cut them a lot of slack when they mess up or do something I don’t think is right or fair.

It has paid huge dividends for me in my relationships as it will for you. So take action today by cutting people some slack. Forgive the people who have wronged you and move forward with a positive attitude. This will insure that you live your very best life!

Build a Solid Foundation

Eric Giglione — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 03:43:29 +0000

Henry David Thoreau said, "If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost, that is where they should be. Now put foundations under them." "Dream big, but implement realistically," said Bernard Rapoport, founder of AIL. It’s important to have dreams and goals, but it’s equally important to have a foundation on which to build those dreams.

Your foundation should include a lifetime of learning. Acquire resources, books, tapes; and take professional and personal courses. You should also interact with the right people. Those who wish to achieve great things should reach out to either smarter people or those who’ve been where they want to go. They can serve as a great resource of information. If you are the smartest person in your circle, then your circle is too small. I’ve spent much of my life around very successful people, from whom I could learn.

Finally, include persistence in your foundation. Things won’t always go the way you planned, persist anyway. People or situations will disappoint you, persist anyway. When you put a solid foundation under your dreams, you’ll end up living your very best life!