Option 1 - Something bad happens and you stop, become paralyzed and haunted by it, and are a victim. Option 2 - Something bad happens, it sucks and you cry for a very short time, then see what opportunities arise as a result, (or make one). You keep moving forward…
What causes what you want? That is known. Do you know it? Find out. Whatever you want to accomplish, do or be, there are attributes and actions that cause and attract it. You can't just get what you want, you have to do something and be something to cause it. …
Why do we spend $20,000 - $50,000 a year to send our kids to college so they can learn stuff they probably will not use because they don't know what they want to do and are not aware of what a career in that field is like or what it…
The paradoxical truth is that discipline and hard work buy your freedom. People who don't work hard or constantly give in to their lower impulses have limited options and have to accept what they get. I work hard, so I don't have to work hard. I discipline myself so someone…
Most people are busy, but most are not successful or using much of their potential. The most successful people don't waste much time on activities that are of little importance to their future. What is least important and of little value tomorrow? What most important and of highest value tomorrow? …
What great war generals can you think of? You may think of Eisenhower or MacArthur. They fought the bad guys and protected us. But what we forget are the people who prevented wars in the first place such as Ronald Reagan, who may have prevented World War 3 and saved…
In 1985 Surgeon General C. Everett Koop said AIDS was the greatest threat to public health this country has ever faced and that research predicts one in five heterosexuals will be dead from AIDS in the next five years (by 1990). A member of the president's commission on AIDS said…
An affirmation doesn't have to be positive to qualify as an affirmation. You could be affirming something that is negative or not even true. "I hate _____", "Those people ________", "I will never be (have) _________", "I am no good at _______", or "I love _________ , "I am good…
It's your life. Are you a passenger or the pilot? Be intentional instead of reacting. Being a passenger is - "This happened to me because I didn't make a decision otherwise," "I let hardship stop me," "I gave over responsibility for my life to others," and "I didn't create much…
Option 1 – Something bad happens and you stop, become paralyzed and haunted by it, and are a victim.
Option 2 – Something bad happens, it sucks and you cry for a very short time, then see what opportunities arise as a result, (or make one). You keep moving forward and discover that it happened not to you, but for you.
Tell us in the comments, what bad thing happened that turned out to be good?
9 Comments
Phillip Little
6 years ago
My business failed. But because of the lessons I learned I was able to go to work for someone else and helped that business become the dominant player in the market.
Kevin D. Beattie
6 years ago
Was leading a christian org and ran into opposition at the board level by 2 rogue members. I resigned after a year not knowing what to do and ended up being offered the national interim director role.
Paul Brunson
6 years ago
Back in March when the economy stalled in the early stages of the pandemic. I wasn’t quite sure how things would shake out and how long we could weather the storm. My employees had questions that I didn’t have answers to. It forced me to take a hard look at my business, trim the fat, replace some people that were not a good fit, and pay off some debt to focus on liquidity. Now we’re running lean and mean and it turned out to be a blessing in disguise.
Nikki Rae Toler
6 years ago
I was born without knowing who my mom was. I only saw her pictures when I was 19. I was never close to my dad as he had another family and my step mom was cruel to me and both of them would always beat me when I was a child. my physical, mental, emotional and psychological states were hit tremendously . My grandpa took over of taking care of me when my dad died until I was 19 and he passed away after that. Growing up I kept on asking myself of why my life was miserable, why was I born if I would only experience these stuff in my life, why did not I have my mom for me to cry to, why my dad and my step mom were so cruel to me, why my grandpa left me…Alot of why’s. I would always cry and sometimes thought of leaving the world too. But when I felt the embrace and love of God and made me realize that everything happens for a reason and that all those experiences would make me stronger in life, my perception of life had changed.
Now, I am happily married, with decent job, closer to God and able to be a volunteer to the community who have experienced the same things I have experienced in life and help and encourage them to get back on their feet and be strong as God is with them, never leaves them nor forsakes them, same as what he did to me and been doing.
Matt Warner
6 years ago
The end of prior roles allowed me to find this role. For many reasons, I am grateful for patience today!
Bernard Bradley
6 years ago
I had 7 seizures due to a drug addiction. I have since been clean for 10 years and never looked back. I now have three health children and a beautiful wife that I thank God for everyday! I use my experience to help keep my co-workers spirts high when they are down. I try to explain to them it could always be worse.
Tomas Guzman
6 years ago
Excellent work Larry. These really helps to keep anyone with their feet on the ground.
David Resnick
6 years ago
What happened for me was falling down of stairs at a customers house and destroyed both of my shoulders and my cervical spine. I have had 3 very complicated surgeries to repair these shoulders and one of them is torn again. Still trying to figure out why I cannot walk, talk, sit etc without pain in my spine and base of my skull. The good thing that came about from this is that I am no longer in a company where the culture was to make your fellow workers look bad even though they might be overwhelmed by the amount of work on their plate or an injury, etc, and lost alot of people that I thought were real friends but they never returned my calls. That to me, is actually a gift as having true friends that you can count on, no matter what the circumstances, is what makes life worth living!
Tim Gray
6 years ago
I brought a close friend into my business as a minority partner, to help me continue to grow it and allow me to have more time off. I had spent the previous 18 years starting and growing the business. His leadership led to the losing of several loyal and long term employees, some of whom were dear friends, and one of them my daughter. In addition, my marriage hit rock bottom during this time, and it looked like I would lose that as well. A year and a half after brining this “friend” in as a minority partner, we were bought out by a larger company; I stayed on and continue to work for them. My 7% minority partner sued me, and is trying to take 100% of the proceeds of the sale of the business. I have spent hundreds of thousands in legal fees defending myself, with no end in sight. It appears all of the fruits of my labor over the past 20 years will be spent on attorneys. As a result, instead of early retirement, I am facing 10 more years of work. In the midst of this, God has shown me I wasn’t trusting Him and His provision, which led to these difficulties. He has taught me to trust Him completely. Today, my marriage is completely restored, as is my relationship with my daughter. I have peace that passes understanding in the midst of this fight, and I am so very grateful for my family and my job. But most of all I am grateful for all that God has taught me through this, and I trust him completely. He truly is faithful and Good.
Why do we spend $20,000 – $50,000 a year to send our kids to college so they can learn stuff they probably will not use because they don’t know what they want to do and are not aware of what a career in that field is like or what it pays or if jobs are available (and learn things we do not want them to learn) YET, we balk at spending money or time to learn more about the field we are already in and how to advance in it and create more value?
An investment in you pays the most dividends and they are compounded over your years.
4 Comments
Mike Mitchell
6 years ago
I am grateful for a free society too. I hope that it continues. Investing in ones own education is one of the best ways to capitalize on the equality of opportunity in our country to achieve the results and outcome that they desire.
S. H.
6 years ago
“Today I am grateful for a free society – may we keep it.” Amen! We owe it to ourselves and the children to convey the opportunities afforded to, and responsibilities required of us all. Be, live, pursue your happiness, while being ‘nice’ (love thy neighbor), be aware, vote, pay your taxes, obey the law. It’s a great system and not difficult. Selfishness corrupts it.
Jane Miller
6 years ago
“If we lose freedom here, there is no place to escape to. This is the last stand on earth.” Ronald Regan
He also warned us that “…freedom is no more than one generation from extinction.”
Matt Warner
6 years ago
We do it, unfortunately, as a result of social momentum and inertia. Many college degrees are becoming scarcely more valuable than a highschool diploma once was as a result and the college debt crisis is a massive issue facing my generation. Perhaps universities ought to be required to co-sign the loans they so freely issue. That shift in incentives might re-orient the purpose of the university in the US.
The paradoxical truth is that discipline and hard work buy your freedom.
People who don’t work hard or constantly give in to their lower impulses have limited options and have to accept what they get.
I work hard, so I don’t have to work hard.
I discipline myself so someone else doesn’t have to.
I hold myself to a higher standard so someone else doesn’t have to impose their higher standards on me.
How about you?
18 Comments
Glenn Frank
6 years ago
Good morning Lsrry. I’ve been reading your daily blogs now for quite some time. I always enjoy them and they inspire me with good short nuggets of wisdom and thought provoking. Thsnk you for your contribution to the contractor world.
Jeff Russell
6 years ago
I feel the same way, it makes me feel less if I have anyone impose discipline on me. I feel like I’m the hardest on me, I couldn’t imagine anyone being harder on me than I am on myself. I work extremely hard, doesn’t mean I don’t let myself or fail from time to time. I learn and I don’t ever make the same mistake twice!
Mike McHale
6 years ago
This was excellent, especially in todays day and age. All about self-motivation. I appreciate the reminder! Thank you!
Pete Dinolfo
6 years ago
Former Navy seal Jocko Willink has several books on this topic. Recommend checking him out!
Ed Clarke
6 years ago
Thank you for your daily inspirations.They are spot on most days ..
Dave Hazel
6 years ago
Hello Larry, I just want to say that your daily thoughts and wisdom shared is so highly appreciated! If you ever have a day were you wonder if what you do here has any impact, stop and shake yourself. YES it does and YES you do!
Keep creating, being disciplined and digging for gold every day. You’re doing it for something far greater than yourself.
Thank you sir!
Be well.
-DH
Mike
6 years ago
Then you are grateful for me.
Work for myself and my family and always do what it takes to succeed
Keith Hart
6 years ago
It seems that everyone wants freedom (No one telling them what they can or cannot do) and they rebel, if not outwardly, then inwardly at authority (Discipline). Maybe Trust is one of the Keys to Freedom? The question is do I Trust this will make things better and am I willing to Obey (Ancient word that isn’t politically correct)?
Joe Levitch
6 years ago
When you are going really fast, you either look at the work right in front of you and power through. Or like when speeding down the road you lift your vision to see way out in front and wide from side to side. I do my best to take time to reflect daily to balance the dichotomy. This is what working hard to avoid working hard means to me. Beautiful wording! keep up the good work
Josh Cohen
6 years ago
I gladly worked 80 hours per week when I first started my company (and for too long after) so I didn’t have to work 40 hours for someone else 🙂
Thank you Larry for also teaching me about the value of balance and not overloading myself and trying to do it all. As a company we are more productive but as an individual I am more free to think and strategize and focus on high value activities.
Willis Ponds
6 years ago
This is great advice! It’s exactly how I have become!
Tom Lanahan
6 years ago
I’ve been struggling with that. Pretty tough but constantly trying. Thanks for the perspective.
JEFF O'LEARY
6 years ago
Spot on Larry……….
I hope you are well.
Sheila Marr
6 years ago
I agree with you. I guess my competitive natures is that I want to deliver more than what is expected. Now if I could just be perfect and not make mistakes. Working harder and smarter and hiring others that have the same mindset, makes it better for everyone.
Diana Erickson
6 years ago
Yes! I agree. Easy days – hard year. Hard days – easy year. Thank you for leading by example.
Patricia Villers
6 years ago
Hi Larry – My husband and I work on our community newsletter from home so I think we are pretty self-disciplined! Thanks for your daily inspiration.
Ashton Thevenin
6 years ago
Wow this was Something i felt i needed to hear today! thank you!
Bill T.
1 month ago
🙏
Science:
“Look at this chance you’ve been given. Yet again – it’s all yours.”
New Day
Blueprint
Larry Janeski
Most people are busy, but most are not successful or using much of their potential.
The most successful people don’t waste much time on activities that are of little importance to their future.
What is least important and of little value tomorrow? What most important and of highest value tomorrow?
What are you doing today?
2 Comments
Dave Waldenberg
6 years ago
Larry – Today I am grateful for you! Thank you for all that you share to help us be better leaders!
Paul McManus
6 years ago
What am I’m doing today? Priority: Start my day walking my dog through a field and woods, listening to New Day, Transmission and Masterpiece and visualizing. Then I take those thoughts, take action in the ‘now’ and get results. Repeat.
Saw “Into the Dust 2” last night, well done! You’re off to a great start with 1.2k views! Well written and narrated; thank you for sharing your story, very tough race that Baja, especially with the 4-wheelers coming up on you so fast! Good-on-you to grind it out!
Jesse, Ted and the rest of the team are super talented!
What great war generals can you think of? You may think of Eisenhower or MacArthur. They fought the bad guys and protected us. But what we forget are the people who prevented wars in the first place such as Ronald Reagan, who may have prevented World War 3 and saved tens of millions of lives and nuclear winter.
How about you? You prevented a deadly accident yesterday by paying attention to the road. You prevented your children from being homeless or hungry, you kept yourself a lot healthier than what could have happened…
We think about the exceptions, what did happen, but there are far more bad things that didn’t happen. There are a lot of things going right in the world and your world because of what you and so many others are doing.
Let’s make it another great day!
2 Comments
Rick Pilarski
6 years ago
There is truly nothing better than going to work every day for the Dimaria family! His father won me over many years ago and I’m sure he couldn’t ask for a better man to be running the company than his son Frankie Jr. #Blessed
In 1985 Surgeon General C. Everett Koop said AIDS was the greatest threat to public health this country has ever faced and that research predicts one in five heterosexuals will be dead from AIDS in the next five years (by 1990). A member of the president’s commission on AIDS said that it was the greatest threat to society ever faced by civilization – more serious than the plagues faced by past generations.
In 1968 Paul Erlich wrote a book called “The Population Bomb,” published by the Sierra Club. The book’s ideas were widely talked about. It predicted that hundreds of millions of people would starve to death in the ’70s and ’80s due to overpopulation and called for taxing the rich to pay for population control to prevent the “great die-off” which included 65 Americans who would die…
In the 1990s, many credible climate change advocates said that much of Florida would be underwater by now.
In the 1990s it was predicted the world would run out of oil in 15 years, and civilization would come to a stop.
In 1999, “Y2K” theorists said the world would stop due to computer dates not being able to handle the year ’00.
The “experts” predictions have been found to be so poor that they’d have been beaten by random guesses.
Today has its own voices who cry in the streets and on the news of our doom or demise due to this or that.
Are you a consumer and participant in fear?
8 Comments
Mike Mitchell
6 years ago
I am “rationally optimistic”. (Thanks for the recommendation on that book by the way! I remember all of the false predictions that you mention in your blog today. Reminds me that most economist have predicted 20 out of the last 3 recessions. Bad things do happen, and we must prepare for them. However, if one falls prey to the constant gloom and doom it can greatly and negatively alter their enjoyment of life and ability to plan for a prosperous future.
Jason Smegal
6 years ago
This poster is in my local lumber yard that I appreciated and wanted to share
2000- Y2K is going to kill us all
2001- Anthrax is going to kill us all
2002- West Nile Virus is going to kill us all
2003- SARS is going to kill us all
2005- BIRD Flu is going to kill us all
2006- ECOLI is going to kill us all
2008- The bad economy is going to kill us all
2009- SWINE Flu is going to kill us all
2010- BP Oil is going to kill us all
2012-The Mayan Calendar is going to kill us all
2013- North Korea is going to kill us all
2014- Ebola Virus is going to Kill u sall
2015- Disney Measles and ISIS are going to kill us all
2016- Zika Virus is going to kill us all
2020- Corona Virus going to kill us all, but really Fear is Killing You…Turn off the TV
I don’t participate and decide to make my own decisions.
Justin Dobson
6 years ago
Good Morning to you as well Larry!
Bob ligmanowski
6 years ago
Jason…wow! Thank you for that! That puts Larry’s talk today into perspective. I remember my accountant (that got his doctorate at the University of Chicago ) telling the class I was in for real estate investing… “We will never run out of oil” , “America is pretty smart, we will come up with many options”! And that’s what we did 🙂
William Madelung
6 years ago
You can’t live your life based on everyone else’s views and opinions. Rain is just rain. Don’t assume you are going to slip and fall because the ground is a little wet. Make your own conditions.
Mary Lawrence
6 years ago
Good Morning Larry! There are already some great responses on here, I can’t wait to come back and read more. This is soooo true/relevant right now. I’ve always been big on thinking I need to “watch the news” and “know what is happening” but it has become so obvious between the election and the virus, that some people have totally lost their common sense and are so negative and politically motivated, that I just can’t watch. I have a level head and we have done well through this turmoil, but I caught myself a couple of times being sucked in and this is something people consciously need to think about and not let your smart self be overwhelmed by your dumb self. We have survived a lot. My motto is that if I haven’t been infected yet, I am probably doing something right, and it isn’t hiding out at home. 🙂
Carol Johnson
6 years ago
Fantastic perspective with regard to “Fears without Facts”
Willis Ponds
6 years ago
I love your message today! So much of what we are told today is driven by fantastical, sensationalism that there really isn’t much truth left. Unfortunately too many people thrive on controversy and chaos and so the media appeals to what they like to hear. I really miss the good old days when Paul Harvey and the like were telling us the real news.
An affirmation doesn’t have to be positive to qualify as an affirmation. You could be affirming something that is negative or not even true.
“I hate _____”, “Those people ________”, “I will never be (have) _________”, “I am no good at _______”, or “I love _________ , “I am good at __________” , “I will (can) _________”, etc.
The mind believes what messages are repeated. It doesn’t care if it’s good or true or not.
What do you keep saying to yourself, helpful or not?
Tell us in the comments.
6 Comments
Keith Hart
6 years ago
I will have a great day!
Thanks Larry
Christie Drzayich
6 years ago
My affirmation went from “I always get hurt” to “I will overcome”. It has truly made a difference in my life. Thanks for bringing this up. Make it a great day!
William Madelung
6 years ago
If you are always having either positive or negative thoughts, they will become you. In high school, I had a history teacher that every morning, he would get on morning announcements and say “I look good and I feel good, and nothing is going to stop me!” Truth be told, I always looked forward to that.
Tom Matthews
6 years ago
I am grateful for Sheelah Brown, my mother-in-law, a woman of indomitable spirit.
Sheelah Brown
6 years ago
Thank you. I admire your vision , your purpose and your words of wisdom to all. I call that WOW.
Patrick O'Toole
6 years ago
I make an active effort now to correct negative self talk, a lifelong bad habit of mine. Less of the “You’re dumb, Patrick” and more of the “You’re learning, Patrick. Keep doing great!”
Being a passenger is – “This happened to me because I didn’t make a decision otherwise,” “I let hardship stop me,” “I gave over responsibility for my life to others,” and “I didn’t create much value for anyone else.”
Intentional is – “I made this happen,” “I earned what I wanted,” “I didn’t quit when I got hit in the face,” “I took total responsibility for me and my family”.
Tell us which you are and an example of why in the comments.
8 Comments
Jason Fox
6 years ago
Excellent This is so true!
David Drescher
6 years ago
Intentional for all the good and lessons I’ve learned from my mistakes.
Jen G
6 years ago
Mike Musto is a big help to the graphics dept! We are grateful to him too!
Nikki Rae Toler
6 years ago
In my opinion, God is my pilot and I am the passenger. As long as I believe in my pilot that he would bring me to the right place safe and sound and in return, I will follow all his rules and regulation while I am on his plane, I will arrive safely to my destination.
Kendra
6 years ago
When told I couldn’t – I DID! And I am all the stronger and the better for it.
John Cossey
6 years ago
“NOT QUITTING” is a character trait oddly enough!
Tom Matthews
6 years ago
So glad to have Mike on our team and sharing his talents with our Contractor Nation colleagues and dealers.
Sheelah Brown
6 years ago
I earned my Doctorate in Education when I was 63 years old.
My business failed. But because of the lessons I learned I was able to go to work for someone else and helped that business become the dominant player in the market.
Was leading a christian org and ran into opposition at the board level by 2 rogue members. I resigned after a year not knowing what to do and ended up being offered the national interim director role.
Back in March when the economy stalled in the early stages of the pandemic. I wasn’t quite sure how things would shake out and how long we could weather the storm. My employees had questions that I didn’t have answers to. It forced me to take a hard look at my business, trim the fat, replace some people that were not a good fit, and pay off some debt to focus on liquidity. Now we’re running lean and mean and it turned out to be a blessing in disguise.
I was born without knowing who my mom was. I only saw her pictures when I was 19. I was never close to my dad as he had another family and my step mom was cruel to me and both of them would always beat me when I was a child. my physical, mental, emotional and psychological states were hit tremendously . My grandpa took over of taking care of me when my dad died until I was 19 and he passed away after that. Growing up I kept on asking myself of why my life was miserable, why was I born if I would only experience these stuff in my life, why did not I have my mom for me to cry to, why my dad and my step mom were so cruel to me, why my grandpa left me…Alot of why’s. I would always cry and sometimes thought of leaving the world too. But when I felt the embrace and love of God and made me realize that everything happens for a reason and that all those experiences would make me stronger in life, my perception of life had changed.
Now, I am happily married, with decent job, closer to God and able to be a volunteer to the community who have experienced the same things I have experienced in life and help and encourage them to get back on their feet and be strong as God is with them, never leaves them nor forsakes them, same as what he did to me and been doing.
The end of prior roles allowed me to find this role. For many reasons, I am grateful for patience today!
I had 7 seizures due to a drug addiction. I have since been clean for 10 years and never looked back. I now have three health children and a beautiful wife that I thank God for everyday! I use my experience to help keep my co-workers spirts high when they are down. I try to explain to them it could always be worse.
Excellent work Larry. These really helps to keep anyone with their feet on the ground.
What happened for me was falling down of stairs at a customers house and destroyed both of my shoulders and my cervical spine. I have had 3 very complicated surgeries to repair these shoulders and one of them is torn again. Still trying to figure out why I cannot walk, talk, sit etc without pain in my spine and base of my skull. The good thing that came about from this is that I am no longer in a company where the culture was to make your fellow workers look bad even though they might be overwhelmed by the amount of work on their plate or an injury, etc, and lost alot of people that I thought were real friends but they never returned my calls. That to me, is actually a gift as having true friends that you can count on, no matter what the circumstances, is what makes life worth living!
I brought a close friend into my business as a minority partner, to help me continue to grow it and allow me to have more time off. I had spent the previous 18 years starting and growing the business. His leadership led to the losing of several loyal and long term employees, some of whom were dear friends, and one of them my daughter. In addition, my marriage hit rock bottom during this time, and it looked like I would lose that as well. A year and a half after brining this “friend” in as a minority partner, we were bought out by a larger company; I stayed on and continue to work for them. My 7% minority partner sued me, and is trying to take 100% of the proceeds of the sale of the business. I have spent hundreds of thousands in legal fees defending myself, with no end in sight. It appears all of the fruits of my labor over the past 20 years will be spent on attorneys. As a result, instead of early retirement, I am facing 10 more years of work. In the midst of this, God has shown me I wasn’t trusting Him and His provision, which led to these difficulties. He has taught me to trust Him completely. Today, my marriage is completely restored, as is my relationship with my daughter. I have peace that passes understanding in the midst of this fight, and I am so very grateful for my family and my job. But most of all I am grateful for all that God has taught me through this, and I trust him completely. He truly is faithful and Good.