8
You do not get any extra points for accomplishing things alone. In fact, one of the great keys to success is teamwork. Everyone has different talents and abilities, and when you pool your resources, you tend to witness amazing results. It just might be the big cosmic joke of humanity. Alone it is impossible, but together all things are possible.
A very important lesson in success is to acknowledge that some people are just better at certain tasks than you are. So if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em! Band together with people you admire and see how powerful you are when united.
Helen Keller was deaf and blind and therefore had very little opportunity to connect with the outside world. Her potential for greatness was almost wasted. Then Annie Sullivan broke through her isolation. Together, they formed a bond and a way to communicate. Annie Sullivan took Helen Keller by the hand and brought her out of her isolation and into the world. She helped her achieve her dreams. Alone, Helen Keller would have accomplished very little. Together they did so much.
Through hard work and cooperation with her teacher and others, Helen Keller broke through her barriers and became a model of achievement. She was a prolific American author and lecturer, and she was an activist in many causes, including women’s suffrage and worker’s rights.
Today, your assignment is to think about your partnerships. Do you have any? Did you recently lend a hand to someone? Have you accepted help? Why or why not?
9
A very important point to consider while you are working through this year is that your past and your future are totally irrelevant to achieving your dreams. They are insignificant details. What you want to concentrate on this year is what you’ve got going on inside.
You want to touch that flame in your soul that will allow you to do great things. It doesn’t matter if you’re not proud of your past accomplishments. It doesn’t matter if the uncertainty of the future terrifies you. What matters is doing that internal inventory to find out who you are and what you want out of life.
There is a powerhouse of potential locked inside you. How are you going to choose to use it? Would you rather keep it hidden and controlled, so that you don’t stick out in a crowd? Or would you secretly like to see what would happen if you unleashed your true potential on the world? Are you willing to take responsibility for yourself and your actions?
Your assignment today is to write a definition of yourself. Define yourself in three sentences or less. Then write down five things you really like about yourself and five things you wish you could change. Finally, if you could look deep inside, what color do you imagine your soul to be and why? Do this exercise quickly, and don’t spend too much time pondering your answers. Write down the first things that come to mind, and then leave it. Keep this definition in your notebook, and you will refer to it again a few months from now.
10
Do you get overwhelmed easily? Is it hard for you to finish things you’ve started? If something seems impossible, would you rather forget it and move on to something easier? Most people don’t like to attempt the impossible, but Walt Disney has a wonderful twist of logic when it comes to this word.
It really is fun to do the impossible. It’s like throwing a surprise party. You catch people off guard. You show them that their limitations don’t apply to you. It’s also a little like playing make-believe. What if you pretend a task isn’t impossible? You might just find a way to accomplish it if you don’t know the goal is supposed to be unattainable.
Why not? No one actually expects you to succeed, so go for it! There is a freedom in attempting the impossible. Failure is expected, so you have nowhere to go but up. And who defined it as impossible, anyway? How do you really know it can’t be done until you try?
Cultivate your devilish side today. You don’t have to accomplish the impossible, but it might be fun to practice the improbable. Think about something positive you could do that would completely shock people who know you. Let’s say you absolutely hate getting up in the morning. What would happen if you got up very early one morning, participated in some sort of physical exercise, and then brought breakfast to your family or co-workers? That might just send some of them into cardiac arrest. “You did what? But you hate the morning! It could be fun.”
11
Yikes! It might be time to find some new friends.
Seriously, you are influenced by the people with whom you spend the bulk of your time. Who are those people? Think through a typical week in your life. Who do you hang out with most? Is it your family, people at work, or members of a church group, a book club, a hiking group? Who are your closest friends? Who do you go to for advice?
Some people respond to this statement with a feeling of helplessness. They didn’t choose their five people. They’re stuck with the group they have due to circumstances beyond their control. That is completely untrue. You
