Gary's blog

That's right, you heard me. Stop making excuses for yourself. You WANT to meet those goals, and you want to live a more positive life. I know you do. So stop making excuses!

Yes, I have given you tips on self motivation and positive habits, and I really do believe in those, but none of it will happen if you keep making excuses.

Maybe now isn't the right time. Maybe it won't work for you. Maybe you need to wait . .

See how easy it is? Making excuses for yourself is one of the easiest things you can do. Stop!

What have you learned today that's new?

Today, when researching bar code information for my upcoming book, I learned that the first ever bar code was used on a pack of Wrigley's gum.

Is that a fact I'll ever need to know? Likely not. But I am the kind of person who loves learning little facts like that. I particularly love bugging my teenage daughter (who is afraid of spiders) about how many spiders she eats in a month while she sleeps.

Have you ever encountered a situation where you said yes to something, even though you really wanted to say no? How did you handle it after? Did you do it? Did you avoid it even though you said yes?

This is a tricky, but all-important skill to learn. Many people say yes to everything, in order to avoid the emotions that go along with saying no. They say yes to avoid the conflict, and then end up regretting saying it and don't know how to fix the situation.

We’ve all had days like that – days when despite your efforts to maintain a positive attitude, everything just seems to work against you. Remember, while you can’t control what happens around you, you are always in control of your reactions to it, and how you deal with it overall.

When I find I’m facing a challenging day, I have a few things I do to consciously turn it around and make it better.

Personal growth can be scary sometimes. It requires you to face your fears, set goals for yourself, and allow yourself a chance to fail forward. What we sometimes forget is how scary it can be to stagnate and become complacent with the life we have already living. If we don't put an effort into continually bettering ourselves, we won't be able to achieve or maintain the life we envision.

We must dare to grow. We must push our personal limits, and constantly move forward.

A thought occurred to me not long ago. Why do we (usually) assume that when people try to help us or share with us, that they are only doing it for their own good? Why do so many people have such a hard time trusting that other people in our life may genuinely want the best for us, or that a stranger may want to help us?

Happy Mother's Day! Today I will be giving that wish to my own mother, my mother-in-law, and my wife. I am truly a lucky man. As I was thinking of my mom this morning, I was try to take stock of all the wonderful things she has taught me so far in my life.

I recently spent the weekend with my family, including my parents, to celebrate my daughter's 18th birthday. As I relished in the enjoyment of the relationships I have with those around me, I tried to pinpoint just one reason why I have such great relationships in my life. A wonderful wife, amazing parents, great kids, excellent business partner and many people I am grateful to call my friends.

I admit, I love a good quote. I find I can seek out brief moments of inspiration simply by taking the wise words of others.

Today, I was thinking of the "Failure is not an option" quote. I suppose that may have worked for the Apollo program, but how practical could it possibly be in real life? 

Here's the thing I've noticed. Despite it's lack of practicality, a lot of people seem to live by this quote. Think about it. How often do you think people let their fear of failure get in the way of them trying something in the first place?

Good afternoon! How is the goal setting going? Usually when I ask that question I see the odd person who kind of glazes over and get's a distant look in their eyes - a sure sign that they've been too busy to set those goals they've been putting off doing. Don't worry, if you're one of them, you are not alone!