virgin islands scene

You cannot be anything if you want to be everything.
-- Solomon Schechter
 

 

Saturday, October 19, 1996

What you see is what you get

Is the glass half full, or half empty? It’s a classic conundrum that drives home a powerful point -- you see what you choose to see.

Two sales agents were sent to sell shoes in an underdeveloped third world nation. The first agent sent a message back to his office, “No prospect of sales because nobody wears shoes here.” The other sales agent sent a different message, “Send stock immediately. Inhabitants barefooted. Desperately need shoes.” Looking at the same “reality", each person saw a completely different situation.

We all have the same five senses. Yet the sensory input that we receive must be interpreted before we can understand and act on it. Though we often cannot control the reality of the world, we have complete control over our perception and interpretation of reality. And we have complete control over the actions we take in response. And it is that perception, and those actions, that make all the difference in life.

Everyone’s alarm clock sounds basically the same. Only to the successful person, however, is it the sound of opportunity. What does your alarm clock sound like?

Everyone’s copy of the daily newspaper contains the same articles. However, only the copy that lands in the successful person’s driveway has stories of unlimited possibilities.

You can literally program yourself for success by changing the way you perceive the world around you. You will find what you look for. The so-called “reality” of the outside world is only a mirror. A mirror which confirms and gives evidence to the vision that you have on the inside.

The world is what you expect it to be, and nothing else. Expect the best and that is the kind of world you will create.

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— Ralph Marston

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Copyright ©1996 Ralph S. Marston, Jr. All Rights Reserved. The Daily Motivator is provided for your personal, non-commercial use only. Other than personal sharing, please do not re-distribute without permission.