A few weeks ago I was having a really bad day. I had been at work trying to get my things done, got done with that and went to class. While sitting in class I got a message from a really good friend who informed me that one of the employees was undermining my authority in front of others at work. It really didn't bother me that he thought the things he did but what really bothered me is that he said the things to others in the office. I got really frustrated and ended up going home and breaking down and crying and crying. After getting this out I felt a little better. The next night I was having a conversation with my friend Brady and told him the story and he told me that I shouldn't let things like this make me cry. I tried convincing him that once I got done crying I felt so much better. He then told me that I really needed to read a book called "The Traveler's Gift" by Andy Andrews. I thought, oh man, not another book to add to my list... but decided to give it a try. I checked it out at the library the next day and then on Sunday I read the book. I was amazed at how inspiring the book was. I had to get paper and write down all the quotes that really hit me.
The book is about a man who has given his life to work. He ends up being laid off from his job and ends up finding a job that is so much below his qualifications. While working at this new job he gets a phone call from his wife informing him that his daughter is really sick and is going to need to have surgery. His new boss gets upset at him for being on the phone and fires him. He is devastated! He ends up going for a drive and then is in a serious car accident. He goes into a coma and while he is out he meets 7 different famous people who each have a message for him...
The people he meets are:
1. Harry Truman
2. King Solomon
3. Joshua Chamberlain
4. Columbus
5. Anne Frank
6. Abraham Lincoln
7. Gabriel
Here are the quotes from the book that really hit me:
- For centuries, dreams have been used to communicate instruction and direction to people of purpose- great men and women. (pg. 22)
- He believes in you. (pg. 22)
- The ultimate outcome of anyone's life is a matter of personal choice. (pg. 25)
- You are where you are because of your thinking. Your thinking dictates your decisions. Decisions are choices. (pg. 27)
- Until a person takes responsibility for where he is, there is no basis for moving on. The bad news is that the past was in your hands, but the good news is that the future, my friend, is also in your hands. (pg. 28)
- The first decision for success: THE BUCK STOPS HERE. (pg. 32)
- From this moment forward, I will accept responsibility for my past. I understand that the beginning of wisdom is to accept the responsibility for my own problems and that by accepting responsibility for my past, I free myself to move into a bigger, brighter future of my own choosing. (pg. 32)
- I will look forward. I will not let my history control my destiny. I am responsible for my success. (pg. 32)
- Today I will begin the process of changing where I am by changing the way I think. (pgs. 32-33)
- My thoughts will be constructive, never destructive. My mind will live in the solutions of the future. It will not swell in the problems of the past. I will seek the association of those who are working and striving to bring about positive changes in the world. (pg. 33)
- When faced with the opportunity to make a decision, I will make one. I understand that God did not put in me the ability to always make right decisions. He did, however, put in me the ability to make a decision and then make it right. When I make a decision, I will stand behind it. My energy will go into making the decision. I will waste none on second thoughts. My life will not be an apology. It will be a statement. (pg. 33)
-Challenges are gifts, opportunities to learn. Problems are the common thread running through the lives of great men and women. In times of adversity, I will not have a problem to deal with; I will have a choice to make. My thoughts will be clear. I will make the right choice. Adversity is preparation for greatness. I will accept this preparation. Why me? Why not me? I will be prepared for something great! (pgs. 33-34)
- Jehovah moves mountains to create the opportunity of His choosing. It is up to you to be ready to move yourself. (pg. 42)
- Though wisdom is available to many, she is found by few. (pg. 43)
- The past will never change, but you can change the future by changing your actions today. It is really a very simple process. We, as humans, are always in a process of change. Therefore, we might as well guide the direction in which we change. (pg. 44)
-We are always and forever influenced by those with whom we associate... Many of our sorrows can be traced to relationships with the wrong people. (pg. 45)
- Guard your associations carefully. Anytime you tolerate mediocrity in your choice of companions, you become more comfortable with mediocrity in your own life. (pg. 45)
- Find a wise man, a person who has accomplished what you wish for in your own life, and listen closely to his words. There is safety in counsel. (pg. 46)
- A leader much encourage others to struggle and assure them that the struggles are worthwhile. Do battle with the challenges of your present and you will unlock the prizes of your future. (pg. 48)
- The second decision for success: I WILL SEEK WISDOM (pg. 48)
- My past can never be changed, but I can change the future by changing my actions today. (pg. 48)
- No longer will I bombard my mind with materials that feed my doubts and fears. I will read and listen only to what increases my belief in myself and my future. (pg. 49)
- I am an eagle. It is my destiny to fly. (pg. 49)
- He who serves the most, grows the fastest. (pg. 50)
- When I am faced with the choice of doing nothing or doing something, I will always choose to act. I am a person of action. (pg. 67)
- The third decision for success: I AM A PERSON OF ACTION. (pg. 69)
- Beginning today, I will create a new future by creating a new me. No longer will I dwell in a pit of despair, moaning over squandered time and lost opportunity. I can do nothing about the past. My future is immediate. I will grasp it in both hands and carry it with running feet... I seize this moment. I choose now. (pg. 69)
- I will walk with a spring in my step and a smile on my face. (pg. 69)
- Leading is doing. To lead, I must move forward. Many people move out of the way for a person on the run. (pg. 69)
- When faced with a decision, many people say they are waiting for God. But I understand, in most cases, God is waiting for me! (pg. 70)
- Fear no longer has a place in my life. For too long, fear has outweighed my desire to make things better. Never again! I do not fear failure, for in my life, failure is a myth. Failure exists only for the person who quits. I do not quit. (pgs. 70-71)
-If you worry about what other people think of you, then you will have more confidence in their opinion than you have in your own. Poor is the man whose future depends on the opinions and permissions of others. Remember this, if you are afraid of criticism, you will die doing nothing! (pg. 81)
-Passion is the product of the heart. Passion is what helps you when you have a great dream. Passions breeds conviction and turns mediocrity into excellence! Your passion will motivate others to join you in pursuit of your dream. With passion, you will overcome insurmountable obstacles. You will become unstoppable! (pg. 81)
- The fourth decision for success: I HAVE A DECIDED HEART. (pg. 87)
- A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Knowing this to be true, I am taking my first step today. (pg. 87)
- The power to control direction belongs to me. Today I will begin to exercise that power. My course has been charted. My destiny is assured. (pg. 88)
- I will lay my head on my pillow at night happily exhausted, knowing that I have done everything within my power to move the mountains in my path. Yes, I have a dream. It is a great dream, and I will never apologize for it. Neither will I ever let it go, for if I did, my life would be finished. My hopes, my passions, my vision for the future are my very existence. A person without a dream never had a dream come true. (pg. 88)
- What I put off until tomorrow, I will put off until the next day as well. I do not procrastinate. All my problems become smaller when I confront them. (pg. 89)
- First we make choices. Then our choices make us. (pg. 101)
- Today I will choose to be happy! (pg. 102)
- Remember that life itself is a privilege, but to live life to its fullest-- well, that is a choice! (pg. 107)
- The fifth decision for success: TODAY I WILL CHOOSE TO BE HAPPY. (pg. 108)
- I will greet each day with laughter. (pg. 108)
- People are drawn to me because I have laughter in my heart. (pg. 108)
- I will smile at every person I meet. My smile has become my calling card. It is, after all, the most potent weapon I possess. My smile has the strength to forge bonds, break ice and calm storms. I will use my smily constantly. (pg. 109)
- As children, we are afraid of the dark. Now as adults, we are afraid of the light. We are afraid to step out. We are afraid to become more. (pg. 121)
- If you are determined to win, you will have to surround yourself with winners. (pg. 130)
- It is a secret that is hidden in plain sight. It costs nothing and is worth millions. It is available to everyone and used by few. If you harness the power of forgiveness, you will be revered, sought after and wealthy. (pg. 131)
- The unmistakable truth about forgiveness is that it is not a reward that must be earned; forgiveness is a gift to be given. When I give forgiveness, I free my own spirit to release the anger and hatred harbored in my heart. By granting forgiveness, I free my spirit to pursue my future happily and unencumbered by the anchors of my past. And forgiveness, when granted to others, becomes a gift to myself. (pg. 132)
- The sixth decision for success: I WILL GREET THIS DAY WITH A FORGIVING SPIRIT (pg. 138)
- By the simple act of granting forgiveness, I release the demons of the past about which I can do nothing, and I create in myself a new heart, a new beginning. (pg. 138)
- Those who are critical of my goals and dreams simply do not understand the higher purpose to which I have been called. (pg. 139)
- For many years, my greatest enemy has been myself. Every mistake, every miscalculation, every stumble I made has been replayed again and again in my mind. Every broken promise, every day wasted, every goal not reached has compounded the disgust I feel for the lack of achievement if my life... I realize today that it is impossible to fight an enemy living in my head. By forgiving myself, I erase the doubts, fears and frustration that have kept my past in the present. From this day forward, my history will cease to control my destiny. I have forgiven myself. My life has just begun. (pg. 140)
- Reason can only be stretched so far, but faith has no limits. The only limit to your realization of tomorrow is the doubt to which you hold fast today. (pg. 150)
- In the game of life, nothing is less important than the score at halftime. The tragedy of life is not that man loses, but that he almost wins. (pg. 158)
- The seventh decision for success: I WILL PERSIST WITHOUT EXCEPTION. (pg. 165)
- I know the outcome I desire. I hold fast to my dreams. I stay the course. I do not quit. (pg. 165)
- I am stronger than most people. Average people accept exhaustion as a matter of course. I do not. Average people compare themselves with other people. That is why they are average. I compare myself to my potential. I am not average. (pg. 165)
- My light, my harbor, my future is within sight! (pg. 166)
- One decision that you make, can literally change the world. (pg. 181).
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