It doesn’t matter if the glass is half full or half empty. The only thing that matters is whether it quenches your thirst. In other words, does it work?
There are literally thousands of motivational speakers spouting ridiculous platitudes that do nothing more than make you feel good for the moment and have very little lasting effect. They sound good, but they don’t work. Let me prove it to you. I bet you’ve heard these lines:
“As long as you have a good, positive attitude everything will be all right.” Sorry, but that is a lie. I’ve had a positive attitude my entire life and had plenty of crap happen to me. So get a little negative. Get sick of the way things are so you will take action to change things. Get fed up; realize you deserve better and that you aren’t going to be satisfied with anything less than the best for yourself and your family. Remember: You have to get negative about your life before you can take positive action in your life.
“You can be whatever you want to be, do whatever you want to do and have whatever you want to have.” More lies. You can’t be whatever you want to be or do whatever you want to do. If you are short, fat and ugly, that supermodel thing probably isn’t going to work out for you. You can do what you have the talent for and are willing to dedicate the time and effort into becoming based on your innate potential. You can always do more than you think you can but you can’t do anything. And you certainly can’t have whatever you want. You can have whatever you believe you deserve and whatever you take action toward achieving, utilizing your abilities, your thoughts and your words.
“There are no problems, only opportunities.” This one is not only a lie – it’s just stupid. I have problems. Period. I bet you do too. And I find it insulting when someone tells me otherwise. Sometimes, there is no way to dress up the problem and call it an opportunity. Instead, face the problem. Acknowledge the problem for what it is. Then circle the wagons and tackle the problem head on.
My point? Be careful what you buy into and act upon. When you hear something, make sure it makes good sense, and then try it. If it works, run with it. If it doesn’t work, dump it and run from it.
~Larry Winget
Larry is a six-time New York Times/Wall Street Journal bestselling author. His newest book is What’s Wrong with Damn Near Everything: How The Collapse Of Core Values Is Destroying Us And How To Fix It. He is a member of the Speaker Hall Of Fame. He has starred in his own television series and appeared in national television commercials. Larry is a regular contributor on many television news shows on the topics of money, personal success, business, and parenting. Find out more at www.larrywinget.com and follow him on Facebook at Larry Winget Fan Page and on twitter @larrywinget.