ONE SMALL STEP AT A TIME

The journey of my books – one small step at a time …

One step at a time sounds so cliché but also  comforting to all of us who strive for more. Last week I reread Dr. Phillip Humbert’s Newsletter and felt it was more relevant today than in 2013. I still think  about small steps every day and I’ve applied the day by day, small step approach to writing books just as I did to breeding horses. There’s a great anonymous quote;

Don’t mistake activity for achievement. Just because you’re moving fast doesn’t mean you’re going somewhere.

I believe – what you put into something is what you get back. It all depends on the amount of effort you put in.

When I cast my mind back to how long it took me to write my first book. You could say I wrote one word, sentence, paragraph, page, chapter at a time – ten years later and one hundred and thirty five thousand, eight hundred and twenty words later I had Tails Carried High. It just goes to show that a journey of a thousand words starts simply by beginning. But in actual fact the longer I stuck at it the more determined I became to finish. I realised if I wrote one page every day, in a year I can have a book written. If I wrote three pages a day, I could have three books done!   The lessons I learnt from breeding horses taught me to be determined to finish what I began. For example when I practiced and repeated what I learnt I became competent. As soon as I became competent in one area it overflowed into others.

And I tested the theory yet again not only with my latest book but as I now learn to set up my own website. It’s been a struggle but I’m expecting to launch the new site right before the release of Framed. With all this in mind I’ve included some thought provoking words written by Dr Philip E. Humbert.

I trust you’ll feel as inspired by Phillip’s words as I was …

An excerpt from – The World’s Most Powerful Person by Dr Philip E. Humbert  www.philiphumbert.com

Most of the world’s truly great people will be forever unknown. You and I will not hear of them and no one will write their biographies.

We all have greatness within us. Every one of us is born to make a difference, to play our part, and transform our corner of the world. We may not become famous, but we can live with joy and gusto and greatness. So why do so many settle for small problems, and small lives? I think too many of us fail to seize and use our personal power.

Because we are not “powerful” on the world stage, we forget that we have tremendous power in our choices.
We may not be rich or famous, but we have the power to smile, and to persist.
We have the power to live with dignity and integrity and ambition.
We have the power to be loving, to be kind, to be generous.
We have the power to create and live our own lives.

My sense is that it helps to have a big dream. My father always told us that if we were going to dream, we might as well dream BIG dreams. I am convinced that what we expect in life really does matter. I think it helps to expect the best and focus our thoughts, our attention and our intention on big dreams.

But I also think it’s vital that we not get lost in our own dreams. It’s nice to aim high, so long as we realize that even the biggest dreams are fulfilled one step at a time. Donald Trump’s fancy skyscrapers are built one rivet at a time. Oprah built her empire one meeting, one interview, one decision at a time. “A journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step.”

Use your power! Hug someone, or call a friend. Spend an hour reading a good book or getting some exercise with your kids. Do it today, not tomorrow or “someday,” when it’s more convenient!
Take action! Use your power to skip desert or make one more sales call. Take action to move your life in the direction you want to go, and do it today.

Both Nelson Mandela and Marianne Williamson have been credited with the insight that our greatest fear is not that we are powerless, but that we are powerful beyond measure. Whoever said it first, I think it’s true.

You are powerful beyond measure! You have the power to change your world any time you wish. Use your power! Give a smile to someone who needs one. Get up a bit earlier, or work a bit longer. Put legs under your dreams and make them happen. Begin today, one step at a time.

Copyright (c) 2013, all rights reserved.
U.S. Library of Congress ISSN: 1529-059X
You may copy, forward or distribute TIP’s if this
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Dr Philip E. Humbert are included. Contact him at:
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