Emotions are powerful. Sometimes it doesn't take much to alter your whole life direction. Let me give you a list of four emotions that can change your life in one day.
Disgust is a powerful emotion. Disgust says, "I have had it."
See, that could be the day — the day you can say, "I've had it." And whether you've had it with something small or something major, the day you can say "I've had it" may not be the day it ends, but the day it begins.
That's what I said when that little Girl Scout left my door when I was 25. I gave her the big lie. She left. I said to myself: "I don't want to live like this anymore. I've had it with lying and being broke." Powerful day.
The man's finally had it with mediocrity. He's had it with being a loser. He's finally had it with those awful sick feelings inside, knowing his wife is at the grocery store looking at two cans of beans — one marked 37 cents, one marked 39 cents. And the guy sick inside knows his wife's going to buy the 37-cent can. And she doesn't even like the brand.
Do you know why she's going to buy the 37-cent can? To save two cents.
The guy sick inside finally says, "I've had it. Being on my knees in the dust looking for pennies. We're not living like this anymore."
Any moment could be the day that turns your life around. The day you can say, "I've had it."
He walks into his closet and rips everything in it to shreds and says, "I've worn this embarrassing stuff for the last time. And not only will I never wear it again, no one else will ever wear it again."
Commit an act that says, "I've had it." Powerful.
Decision is powerful and it's emotional. That's those knots in the pit of your stomach, right? Waking up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat trying to decide. We sometimes call it inner civil war. "What shall I do?"
Well, for progress, you must decide.
The best advice I can give you came from a wealthy friend of mine who said: "If it's easy, do it easy. If it's hard, do it hard. Just get it done."
If you went home tonight and in the next few days cleaned up a whole list of decisions, that might furnish enough inspiration for the next 10 years. I found this out many times — after you've decided, getting on with it is easier than deciding. Sometimes decision is the toughest part.
Desire means wanting it bad enough. And I don't know how to tell you to want to — that's something you've got to come up with.
There are two things I know about desire:
Number one: It comes from inside, not outside. You don't send off for it.
Number two: I know desire can be triggered by something. Who knows what it might be? Sometimes desire waits and sleeps for something to happen. Maybe it's a book, maybe it's a song, maybe it's a sermon, maybe it's a lecture, a seminar, maybe it's the conversation of a friend, a happening, an event. Who knows?
The best advice I can give you is what I give my staff. It goes like this: Welcome every human experience. You never know which one is going to turn it all on.
Even the bad experiences. Sometimes from the bitterest experience comes the greatest awakening.
So let down the barriers. Take down the walls. The same wall that keeps out disappointment keeps out happiness. Let life touch you. Don't let it kill you, but let it touch you.
Resolve says, "I will."
Two of the most powerful words in the language: I will.
Benjamin Disraeli once said: "Nothing can resist a human will that will stake even its existence on the extent of its purpose." Shortly put: "I'll do it or die." See, that's powerful.
That could be the day that turns your life around. The world has a strange way of stepping aside when somebody says, "I'll do it or die."
The man says: "I will climb the mountain. They've told me it's too high, it's too far, it's too rocky, it's too difficult, it's never been done before. But it's my mountain. I will climb it. Pretty soon you'll see me waving from the top or dead on the side, because I ain't coming back."
The best definition I ever got for the word resolve came from a little junior high girl in Foster City, California. I asked, "Who can tell me what resolve means?" A little girl about three rows back said: "I think it means promising yourself you will never give up."
I said, "That's it. Webster, stand aside. That is the definition. Promise yourself you will never give up."
I asked the kids: "How long should a baby try to learn how to walk?" See, any mother in the world would say, "You're crazy. My baby's going to keep trying until it learns how to walk." What a magic formula.
Now, let me show you what triggers all emotions into activity that brings results. And results is the name of the game. Here it is: Action.
Finally, you must do something about how you feel. Jesus the master teacher said: "Don't just be listeners, be doers." The world admires the doers.
Another Bible phrase says: "Faith without action is useless."
Some people these days are big on affirmations. You've got to be very careful of affirmations. There's a thin line between faith and folly. The best clue I can give you on affirmations is this: Affirmation without discipline is the beginning of delusion.
And there's nothing worse than delusion — the guy keeps walking west looking for the sunrise.
However, affirmation with discipline can bring the most spectacular results.
When the Jewish people surveyed the Holocaust at the end of World War II, 6½ million Jews perished. When they counted the dead, surveyed the Holocaust, and mourned the loss, those that survived together said: "Never again." That was the affirmation.
But the next question is: What are you going to do to back up the affirmation?
They said, "We'll build a nation. We'll build an army, a navy, an air force. We'll buy bombs, bullets. We'll spend a big portion of the national treasure. We'll even spend some of Israel's finest lives. We mean it. Never again."
That's called backing up affirmation with discipline. Does it work? Yes. They've been tested four times in war on their affirmation in the last 25 years.
Make sure you always have a game plan to match your wishes. Otherwise, they will always be wishes.
Let me give you four questions to take home:
Why should you try? Why read that many books? Why go that far? Why earn that much? Why share that much? Why learn all that? Why get up that early? Why put yourself through that much? Why try for all that? Good question. Why?
What else are you going to do with your life? Why not see how many books you can read, how far you can go, how much you can earn, how many friends you can make? You've got to stay here till you go. Why not?
Some people have done the most incredible things with limited start. Why not you? Some people have done so well they get to go. They get to see it all. They get to do it. They get to be there. They get to have it. They get to enjoy it. Why not you?
Why not you watching the morning mist rise over the mountains of Scotland? Exploring the mysteries of Spain, soaking up history in London. Why not you? Why not you strolling through the Palace of Versailles? Why not you having lunch in one of those neat little sidewalk cafes in Paris? I mean, Denny's is okay, but you've got to try Paris.
You've got to drink in an Arizona sunset. You've got to see the world. You've got to read the books. You've got to do the enterprises. You've got to be involved in commerce and love and travel and experiences. You've got to do it all. Why not you?
You've got to know the results that come from splendid discipline. There's nothing like a view from the top.
Don't postpone your better future any longer. Get at it tomorrow with new vigor. Get some new books. Ask some new questions. Set some new goals. Get a new journal. Start your projects book. Get a game plan going. Do some more reading. Start to make changes. Have conversations. Make contact.
And do it now.
Ask for God's help. I think humans are unique, but we could all use a little help. But of course, you've got to do your part.
There's a story about the man who took a rock pile in two years and turned it into a fabulous garden. One day, a guy came by and said, "Mr. Gardener, remember you and the good Lord together made this beautiful garden." And the gardener said, "I understand that. If it wasn't for the sunshine and the rain and the miracle of the seed and the soil, there would be no garden for sure. But you should have seen this place a couple of years ago when God had it all by himself."
We do play a part. Do your part, and God will do His part. It's a two-way street.
StoryKafe is a dynamic online hub for storytelling, empowering creators to share meaningful, user-generated content across topics like business, technology, health, education, and beyond - turning stories into impactful conversations.
