Run with Purpose

Sunday was the ING Marathon in Miami. As I walked to the gym for my workout, I was inspired by the runners on their way to the finish line just a little over a mile away. Some were trudging, some walking, but the majority were still running toward their goal.

As I cheered the runners on, I couldn’t help but think about the hours and days and weeks of preparation that had gone into making the incredible experience a reality for each of them.

I thought about what it takes to be successful in running a marathon. It begins with a decision to go for a big goal, like running 26.2 miles! Once the goal is clearly defined, then you have to create a plan that outlines the steps you will take to reach the goal. And, most importantly, it takes commitment to the dream which includes consistent, persistent effort on a daily basis.

Success in any endeavor is the same process. One of my big goals for this year is to help educate a child by focusing my running for the next 5 months on a program called “Run for Malawi.” I am partnering with Nu Skin Enterprises to provide scholarships for children in Malawi, Africa so that they have the opportunity to receive an education. For every 1,000 miles, Nu Skin will provide one scholarship that includes room & board.

My friend, Dr. Jacque Russo, and I are committed to at least one scholarship and we need your help! If you run or walk – or would like to start now – every mile will contribute to educating a child. Will you join us in reaching this big goal? For details, email me at patmorgan@smoothsailingsuccess.com.


Tips for Success in Reaching a BIG goal:

1. Decide.
Make a decision about what you want and set a clearly defined goal. Ask yourself: What do I want?

2. Commit.
Make a commitment to your success by defining a plan and action steps you can follow to reach your goal. It will be easier to stay on track if you are clear on the steps you must take. Ask yourself: Am I fully committed to reaching my goal?

3. Take action.
Be in action and do something every day for your goal. Ask yourself: What will I do now for my dream?

4. Partner.
Success is easier and more fun when you have someone to share the journey. Ask yourself: Who will be my success partner in reaching my goal?

“Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any one thing.”
-- Abraham Lincoln

Today I will be master of my emotions.

The Greatest Secret: Scroll VI by Og Mandino.

Today I will be master of my emotions.

The tides advance; the tides recede. winter goes and summer comes. Summer wanes the cold increases. The sun rises; the sun sets. Th moon is full; the moon is black. The birds arrive; the birds depart. Flowers bloom; flowers fade. Seeds are sown; harvests are reaped. All nature is a circle of moods and I am a part of nature and s, like the tides, my moods will rise; my moods will fall.

Today I will be master of my emotions.

It is one of nature's tricks, little understood, that each day I awaken with moods that changed from yesterday. yesterday's joy will become today's sadness; yet today's sadness will grow into tomorrow's joy. Inside me is a wheel, constantly turning from sadness to joy, from exultation to depression, from happiness to melancholy. Like the flowers, today's full bloom of joy will fade and wither into despondency, yet I will remember that s today's dead flower carries the seed of tomorrow's bloom so, too, does today's sadness carry the seed of tomorrow's joy.

Today I will be master of my emotions.

And how will I master these emotions so that each day will be productive? For unless my mood is right the day will be a failure. Trees and plans depend on the weather to flourish but I make my own weather, yea I transport it with me. If I bring rain and gloom and darkness and pessimism to my customers then they will react with rain and gloom and pessimism and they will purchase naught. If I bring joy and enthusiasm and brightness and laughter to my customers they will react with joy and enthusiasm and brightness and laughter and my weather will produce a harvest of sales and a granary of gold for me.

Today I will be master of my emotions.

If I feel depressed, I will sing.
If I feel sad, I will laugh.
If I feel ill I will double my labor.
If I feel fear I will plunge ahead.
If I feel inferior I will wear new garments.
If i feel uncertain I will raise my voice.
If I feel poverty I will think of wealth to come.
If I feel incompetent I will remember past success.
If I feel insignificant I will remember my goals.

Today I will be master of my emotions.

Today I control my destiny, and my destiny is to become the greatest salesman in the world.

I will become master of myself.

I will become great.

I will live this day as if it is my last....

The Greatest Secret: Scroll V by Og Mandino.


I will live this day as if it is my last.

And what shall I do with this last precious day, which remains in my keeping? First, I will seal up its container of life so that not one drop spills itself upon the sand. I will waste not a moment mourning yesterday’s misfortunes, yesterday’s defeats, yesterday’s aches of the heart, for why should I throw good after bad?

Can sand flow upward in the hourglass? Will the sun rise where it sets and set where it rises? Can I relive the errors of yesterday and right them? Can I become younger than yesterday? No. Yesterday is buried forever and I will think of it no more.

I will live this day as if it is my last.

And what then shall I do? Forgetting yesterday neither will I think of tomorrow. Why should I throw now after maybe? Can tomorrow’s sand flow through the glass before today’s? Will the sun rise twice this morning? Can I perform tomorrow’s deeds while standing in today’s path? Can I place tomorrow’s gold in today’s purse? Should I concern myself over events, which I may never witness? Should I torment myself with problems that may never come to pass? No! Tomorrow lies buried with yesterday, and I will think of it no more.

I will live this day as if it is my last.

This day is all I have and these hours are now my eternity. I greet this sunrise with cries of joy as a prisoner who is reprieved from death. I lift mine arms with thanks for this priceless gift of a new day. So too, I will beat upon my heart with gratitude as I consider all who greeted yesterday’s sunrise who are no longer with the living today. I am indeed a fortunate man and today’s hours are but a bonus, undeserved. Why have I been allowed to live this extra day when others, far better than I have departed? Is it that they have accomplished their purpose while mine is yet to be achieved? Is this another opportunity for me to become the man I know I can be? Is this my day to excel?

I will live this day as if it is my last.

I have but one life and life is naught but a measurement of time. When I waste one I destroy the other. If I waste today I destroy the last page of my life. Therefore, each hour of this day will I cherish for it can never return. It cannot be banked today to be withdrawn on the morrow, for who can trap the wind? Each minute of this day will I grasp with both hands and fondle with love for its value is beyond price. What dying man can purchase another breath though he willingly give all his gold? What price dare I place on the hours ahead? I will make them priceless!

I will live this day as if it my last.

I will avoid with fury the killers of time. Procrastination I will destroy with action; doubt I will bury under faith; fear I will dismember with confidence. Where there are idle mouths I will listen not; where there are idle hands I will linger not; where there are idle bodies I will visit not.

I will live this day as if it is my last.

And if it is my last, it will be my greatest monument. This day I will make the best day of my life. This day I will drink every minute to its full. I will savor its taste and give thanks. I will maketh every hour count and each minute I will trade only for something of value. I will labor harder than ever before and push my muscles until they cry for relief, and then I will continue. I will make more calls than ever before. I will sell more goods than ever before. I will earn more gold than ever before. Each minute of today will be more fruitful than hours of yesterday. My last must be my best.

I will live this day as if it is my last. And if it is not, I shall fall to my knees and give thanks.

8th Grade Career Day at G.W. Carver Middle School in Miami

I recently had the opportunity to be a guest speaker for the 8th Grade Career Day at G.W. Carver Middle School in Miami. It was truly a privilege to address students at the #1 Middle School in the State of Florida which is also a U.S. Department of Education Blue Ribbon School of Excellence!

G.W. Carver is a magnet school for international education and advanced academics. All students are studying French, German or Spanish and Italian at an in-depth level. Many of them are proficient in one or more of these languages. As you can imagine, it was an educational experience for me to meet the students and to be in their enviornment for a couple of hours. My Student Ambassador, Natasha, did a great job as my host for the morning. That's her in the photo with me.

While there I got to attend an outstanding presentation by Mr. Andy Henriquez, a motivational speaker.

His inspiring message included six points based on the G.W. Carver mascot, the Hornet. It was wonderful to listen to Andy reinforce enduring principles that are the keys to happiness and success in any endeavor. As a professional coach, working with people to live their best life now, I found his points perfectly aligned with my own. Success principles never change!

Here are Andy's nuggets of wisdom:
1. H is for Heart. Follow your heart and do work that you love. You'll never work a day in your life if you do.
2. O is for Open-minded. Be open-minded and welcome new opportunities.
3. R is for Remove negative people and add positive people.
4. N is for Never give up!
5. E is for Embrace your gifts, visions and dreams.
6. T is for Trust in yourself!

New Beginnings

Happy New Year!

2010 is here. It’s a new year, a time for new beginnings, and an opportunity to release the past to make a fresh start.

If you could create anything you want this year, what would it be? Would you take a class? Lose weight once and for all? Make your health a priority? Deal with a difficult employer or co-worker? Make a career change? Start a business of your own? Run for office? Make those sales calls? Write a book? Play piano? Take up wind surfing, diving or tennis?

What would you do if you knew you wouldn’t fail? In coaching thousands of people these past nine years, I have seen over and over again that you can accomplish amazing things with the right support.

Here are a few of the successes I’ve enjoyed being a part of:
• An overweight, middle-aged man wants to get in shape. He takes up running as a form of exercise and now has a goal to go over 600 miles this year.
• A medical clinic CEO implements a management coaching program which results in a vibrant new culture, expanded client services, and increased profits.
• A law firm implements a leadership coaching program to maximize their investment in young associates suffering from burnout. It leads to a motivated, high performance team, and a happier workplace.
• A single mom leaves a dead-end corporate job to start a business so she can be at home with her toddler. She is creating a financial future that provides flexibility and unlimited income.
• A high-strung, stressed out workaholic agrees to take a vacation – his first in over six years.
• A super successful woman who has put her career first for many years decides to make herself priority, and in the process discovers the love of her life - and marries him!

It’s fun to be on the journey with such incredible people who are willing to step out of their comfort zone and try something different. What I know to be true is that ordinary people can accomplish extraordinary results with support, guidance and accountability.

I would love to work with you this year to achieve your goals. As your coach, I will help you create the structure to make success easier, provide perspective and guidance to keep you on course, and hold you accountable for transforming your dreams into reality.

Are you ready to go for your goals? Are you ready to make changes to create your best year ever? Are you ready to play BIG?

Let’s get started! Here are your first steps:

1. Release the past. So you didn’t accomplish everything you wanted in 2009? So what. No one else did either. The past is over and done. Let it be. Where you are now is more important than where you have been.

2. Clarify your vision. What do you want? Write a description of what you want in as much detail as possible. Spend time visualizing your desires every day.

3. Commit to your success. Commitment means dedication. It means no turning back. Commit to making 2010 your year no matter what. Take action now.

4. Get support. Any goal is easier to reach with a success partner to keep you on course, to encourage you, and challenge you to be your best. Enlist a friend, find a mentor, or hire a coach.

Go for it! Make 2010 YOUR year!

Get Organized for the New Year

Check out the Miami Herald Balancing Act for excellent tips on getting organized for the new year.

You’ll find my tip at the end of the column.
http://www.miamiherald.com/business/story/1411021.html

What is one thing you will do now to get organized for the new year?

Make 2010 your year to go for it!

What is the Most Inspiring Book for You?

I recently posed the question, "What is the most inspiring book for you?" to members of Linkedin (www.linkedin.com). Here is what they shared, in no particular order. Enjoy!

1. The Present; The Secret to Enjoying Your Work and Life Now by Spencer Johnson
2. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
3. Discovering the Inner Self by Dr. David A. Phillips
4. Customer Satisfaction is Worthless; Customer Satisfaction is Priceless by Jeffrey Gitomer
5. The Bible
6. Winners Never Cheat by Jon Huntsman
7. A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
8. Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe
9. Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
10. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
11. The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas
12. Justice: What’s the Right Thing to Do? by Michael J. Sandel
13. With Malice Toward None: The Life of Abraham Lincoln by Stephen B. Oates
14. The Power of Intention by Wayne Dyer
15. The Seat of the Soul by Gary Zukav
16. A Return to Love by Marianne Williamson
17. Spiritual Growth by Sanaya Ramon
18. The Secret by Rhonda Byrne
19. The Goal by Eliyahu M. Goldnatt
20. The Measure of a Man; Twenty Attributes of a Godly Man by Gene A. Gertz
21. As a Man Thinketh by James Allen
22. Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill
23. The Greatest Secret in the World by Og Mandino
24. The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron
25. A Course in Miracles by Foundation for Inner Peace

What is the most inspiring book for you?