It seeps into your skin. Your blood.
Most people don’t even realize it.
It stays for years, decades, and more.
Almost like an invisible gate that ‘zaps’ you when you try to
leave it.
It ‘zapped’ me for years. I didn’t even realize it for a long
time.
“Mike, what are you talking about?”
Move your chair in amigo.
***Most people in your world don’t promote a PRO GROWTH
Environment.
We have no clue how much a negative, small thinking, blame
filled environment zaps our ambition, our powers, and God
given talents.
Life is about DEVELOPMENT.
Life is about self discovery.
When it’s “blame the rich” or “Buy this brand, it does the
same thing as the brand 25x’s in its price”, we settle for
the status quo, we settle for MEDIOCRITY.
When we settle, we defeat the purpose of life.
Which is growth.
Grow or die. Nothing stays still.
For many, their environment labels negatively one’s interest
in growth.
When one chooses Mediocrity vs. Growth, one without really
knowing, also makes another choice.
They choose inferiority over excellence.
In appearance, in their homes, in their clothes, and in their
quality of work.
A mediocre environment can halt your AMBITION. It can almost
dry it up.
Ambition was created to be AROUSED.
One of the greatest ways to arouse your ambition is spending
time in pro growth environments and around people that are
always moving forward.
From the GREAT author Orison Swett Marden (His book: Ambition
and Success – wrote almost 100 years ago),
“Environment has a great deal to do with man’s ambition and
achievement. It may make all the difference to you, my
friend, between success and mediocrity, whether you are in a
favorable environment and keep close to people who inspire
and encourage you, who communicate to you the enthusiasm of
their example, or whether you are surrounded by discordant
conditions, and associate with people who have the opposite
effect upon you.”
There’s a sleeping GIANT that lives within you.
This GIANT respects themselves, demands the best of
everything, and progresses upward.
Always UPWARD and ONWARD.
Awake the ambition of this part of you.
Today.
Be 1% more then you were yesterday. 1%.
You MUST, MUST reduce the time you spend in negative
environments and around people that are going nowhere.
Don’t discount the influence of your environment. Don’t.
Love Ya! You’re The Best!
Your Coach,
Mike
{ 23 comments… read them below or add one }
Hi Mike,
Boy, this really hits home today. It is such a challenge to quit settling for mediocrity when that is the way I was raised and have lived my entire life thinking that way, for sure. I have always told myself I was thrifty and being frugal thinking the way I was thinking, but I have come to know that mindset is a huge part of how successful a person becomes, so I HAVE to change the way I think about money and settling for “just enough” to get by if I want to have the things in life that I want.
MINDSET, MINDSET, MINDSET!
Kathy Chapman
http://www.CardBusinessFromHome.com
Mike, this is so on point. Thanks for the reminder. I was just hit with a big disappointment: Pow! Bam! Swoosh!. Now I can regroup and find another way to accomlish my goal. Bless you!
Nikki Jourdan
Exhorting women leaders as overcomers
Hey Mike,
Thanks for another excellent message!
This reminds me of the Japanese philosophy called “Kaizen” (continuous improvement throughout all aspects of life)…
Great stuff…
~Brett
http://www.FreeTrafficBigProfits.com
I believe our ambition is put on hold or we completely lose it when we go away to college. Many turn their back on God and lose their focus. The secret to this cruel world is not the law of attraction (completely), it is putting God in the center of your Universe.
Thank you Mike – this is good advice for EVERYONE. I finally learned that I deserve more and I have done what I could to stay away from negative situations, locations and most of all, people. I do my best to stay positive.
Thank you again.
i’m feelin’ it! I’m starting a MEETUP.com group to get something happening locally. i’m even thinking of buying a local coffee shop to turn it into a 24/7 personal growth hangout. what do u think? know anyone who has done this?
Mike
You’re the best too!
Thanks for this post. I just came home from a meeting at a local would-be radio station. I was feeling guilty and confused because they want me to help out and I don’t really want to. I’ve been working on my skills as a voice talent for a while now and recently made a big break through (I made the World’s Number One Health download, and you guys in the States also made it the American number One for a while too).
So why am I feeling guilty and confused? Well, I went to this meeting and could see that they could do with some help – I have a lot of business skills I could offer – but the thing is, I went along 6 months ago and ended up giving them a lot of time over the summer. I finally walked away because I was not prepared to support their low standards: their covering up of poor practices and their refusal to get their heads down and do some of the boring stuff. So they asked me again on the understanding that they are making progress, against some of the issues I raised when I left. And guess what:- nothing has changed, except the committee! yep, when I asked tonight “Is there a business plan” just as I did 6 months ago, the answer was still “We’re working on it”.
The people at the meeting seemed listless, uninspired and tired. There was no action plan offered and when I asked what the purpose of the meeting was, and what outcomes they expected from it, most people glared at me as though I was being socially inept.
Then I came home and read your blog.And I remembered, that if you go to places where your skills are unappreciated you are probably in the wrong place! Not their fault – mine! I deserve to work with much higher standards than this and in fact, have just signed a deal to make an audio book. Cute timing and typical of my old patterns that I feel I have to dip back into where it’s hard and I have to ‘do all the work”.
Onward and upwards
Big thanks
Deborah
http://www.deborahdevries.com
Mike, that’s a pretty warm message for me today. During a 11 month persona; transaition phase for me, I have sat on this fence of moving forward and hanging in the same environments. This indecisiveness has held me back and over the last few weeks I decided that it was time to get serious. Venturing into the new environments has already started opening up new doors. This is My time!
oh boy!! that really give me a big bang knock over head reminder to stay focused on what i really wanted to be, sometimes really were on to many distractions away from our goal that we become too complacent not minding if were still on the right direction to our ambition.. thanks mike for this great message..it soothes my motivation to stay ahead.. keep up!!
I’m not sure this is working; not showing up, just going back to this page. My apologies if it ends up here more than once….
Mike,
As always, your message HIT HOME! At 52, I’ve pretty much lost all ambition and drive. I’ve been depressed for years because I can’t get out of my own way, and recently created the termination of a job I loved, but was growing tired of because of politics and an ineffective board (YEAH!!!), and that same night created a signup to one of my programs. Now I’m back into depression because whatever energy I was into to do that, isn’t lasting. I’m an artist and a writer and many other things … or could be … if I ever figure out what i want to be when I grow up….
One of my “ambitions” has to do with pets, and I bless mine every single day, for without them I would not be here.
Peter, “God” IS the universe, the universe is “God”. Pets are our Angels to help keep us focused.
Mike, Thank You!, for all your bites of wisdom to keep us going! Each one helps to keep me going another day
Brigitte
Dear Mike…as always…just when I get deflated by my straight pin carrying nay-saying friends and family…I can always count on you to inspire me to make just one more phone call today…take one more step on my journey to being successful!!! Thanks!!
Mike I’d like to add my $.02 worth …
It’s this … We as teenagers were taught as follows by our parents and our school system to conform and blend in … day in and day out … and this is the way 90 % of mediocrity comes from … I repeat CONFORM and BLEND IN … and very often the newly arrived Immigrant did exactly that … and passed on the same message to his children … Why couldn’t you be like the nice kid accross the road? So instead of raising your child with direction of developing 90 % of your talents … you were were told to push them underground and use 30 % of your talents to do 10 % of your potential … this applies across the board in the major work force …. from the factory up … just do it the way it’s always been done … and you get the same results – mediocrity …
Mike,
While this says everything I am experiencing, I find it hard to leave this negative, unproductive atmosphere in the struggling economy. It’s all I can do to get myself out of the bed in the morning to go to a job I have no interest in being a part of.
Victory Darwin, I too am looking into the meetups in our area to get some connections and ideas. And the coffee shop idea too, great! Starbucks needs a little quality competition! I have thought of that myself….
Dear Mike, this is a great reminder to keep me on track. Many thanks, as it is very easy to fall prey to a negative enviroment due to its comfort & familiarity.
God is NOT the Universe,Bridgette…Go d is THE CREATOR of the Universe AND ALL THERE IS…
The Universe is just a creation of God…like we humans…We feel, see,the Universe with our senses but God is a SPIRITUAL BEING that could be accessed through Jesus Christ our Savior…
Thats one basic flaw of the Law Of Attraction…trying to make man, a creature,into God the Creator..
Fine,we are also co heirs and co creators but we shouldnt usurp the OverLordship of The Most High jus because we want to attract material things on earth which moths tends to destroy..Check out the Stock Markets where most of humanity’s treasures lie..its all falling in value..there’s more to life than we can see,my dear..Please read the Scriptures for more information..
Hey Everyone!
Great message, once more… Reading through the comments make me think of something Ronda Britten said the other day, talking about change: every time you change and move on to a next level, it can be seen as if there’s a whole house filled with people who had just been waiting for you! So don’t worry about leaving the “old” crowd behind, they have their own stuff to work on, just move ONWARDS and UPWARDS, and go meet all those fellow travellers WAITING for you to come and join them on the next level!
Let’s get it going, today!
Cheers & hugs,
: ) Maria
What a wonderful post! Thank you again Mike for being who you are. Your posts always have so much value! I love you Mike, it feels like you’re my brother! God Bless You.
Asif Gill
You are so right on with this post! I have been stuck in the negativity zone, but have broken free. I have been surrounding myself with forward thinkers lately, and one of my goals has come within my reach. For years I’ve been struggling with getting a book out of my head, and within the last week it has started to flow. I’m getting the outline on paper!
I hope you won’t mind, but I’d really like to share the network of awesome people that has really helped me with changing my focus. I joined the Powerful Intentions Network: http://powerfulintent.ning.com/profile/TrinaLCSonnenberg These people have really been a beneficial group in my life.
I would also like to recommend a book I’ve been reading: ‘Write It Dow, Make It Happen’ by, Henriette Anne Klauser. It is an awesome book.
Have an awesome day!
Trina
Hi Mike,
Reading your mails always lifts my spirit and helps me see that i can be more than i currently am. You are truly motivating.
Thanks a lot.
Mike, thanks for reminding me of my old mantra, that I need to go back and adopt again…. Good enough, ISN’T!
Love and Blessings,
Leanna
This was exactly what I needed reminding of today. Funny how that works.
Mike, I get regular emails from you and from Neale Donald Walsch, and between the two of you, I get precisely the inspiration, wisdom, and kicks in the pants I want and need to keep moving forward. Thank you so much for being a positive voice in my hear every day.
Peace and Blessings,
Lorrie
Great post. Yes, it is so important to be with positive , winning people. First, let us attract these people in our life by being one. Let us read positive writing, like this blog site, and positive, winning books. I recommend “Goals” by Brian Tracy. Attitude counts too! Look at others with a value-giving mind (not judging, the inverse), and watch the miracles happening! Suddenly your mind creates, you expand, you think creatively!
Love ya!
Fantastic mike.You can awaken a dead man out of his grave of inaction.