Have patience with all things, but chiefly have patience with yourself.

(Quote attributed to St. Francis de Sales)

Nobody judges you more critically than you judge yourself.

That’s why a seemingly insignificant comment can sometimes stir up a sharp, angry response.

If you’ve already beaten yourself down to the ground, you’re in a position to get stepped on.

We speak often about attributes like persistence, strong effort, and working your plan. But remember to be patient with yourself along the way.

You’re prone to make mistakes.

We all are.

Be kind to yourself. There is no other “You.”

Roadturn Challenge: Watch for self-criticism today. When you ‘hear yourself’ getting down on yourself, stop and back off. Give yourself some slack. Offer yourself the same patience and understanding you would muster up for a dear friend.

Roadturn Principle: If you don’t take care of yourself, you soon won’t be able to take care of others.

Let’s talk about it…

Continuous effort – not strength or intelligence – is the key to unlocking our potential.

(Quote attributed to Winston Churchill)

Knowledge does not guarantee success.

Nor does ability.

There are plenty of extremely intelligent people sitting on bar stools, still trying to revel in the glory of their high school football days — while their current affairs are in absolute shambles.

One thing eventually leads to success without fail.

One thing is the chief separator between winners and losers: continuous effort.

Beginning is not enough. You must keep going.

Roadturn Challenge: What is there that you really want to accomplish, but can’t quite pull off? Identify a small step in that direction. Take the step and keep walking. Don’t stop.

Roadturn Principle: Achievement always takes sacrifice. Identify your goal, then ask yourself whether you’re really willing to pay the price to obtain it. Then pay the price, even if you have to do it on the installment plan.

Let’s talk about it.

Don’t let what you cannot do, interfere with what you can do.

(Quote attributed to John Wooden)

If you’re having trouble in a certain area, you should concentrate your effort there… right?

Let’s say your weakness is sugar. You love soft drinks and pie. Consequently, your gut is spilling over your waist band.

The best thing to do is put all your effort into controlling your sugar intake — that’s the standard advice, but it may be bad advice.

Here’s a secret to success you may not have heard before: Work on your strengths, not your weaknesses.

Do what you’re good at. Focus on what you’re succeeding at… and the rest will come around.

Roadturn Challenge: Try it. Stop worrying about your weaknesses for one weak. Instead, throw your enthusiasm into building your successes.

Roadturn Principle: The worst advice in the world is bad advice.

Let’s talk about it.

He who has a why to live can bear almost any how.

(Quote attributed to Friedrich Nietzsche)

The opposite is true as well: The person who no longer has a WHY to live can’t stand life no matter how well off he or she is.

Ask someone this question; “Did you hear about the rich guy who killed himself?”

The probable answer is, “Which one?” or “Who was it this time?”

Money isn’t the answer to life’s deepest problems.

We all need a Why to live, not just a How to live.

He who has a WHY to live can bear almost any how

The concept has been bandied around so much that it almost seems trite. Don’t let that cause you to miss the obvious.

When you know your WHY and act on it with purpose, you’ll begin to draw your energy from an inexhaustible source. You’ll be able to do things you might never have done before.

The better you know your WHY, the greater your chance of success. Don’t run past this with “Oh, yeah, I know that.”

Take time for today’s challenge. Get real. Get honest. Go DEEP.

Roadturn Challenge: Pick something important to you and begin asking “Why?”. Keep doing that until you know in your heart that you’ve struck gold. Do that with your three most important goals.

For instance, I want to lose weight. My self-examination could run past several reasons Why:

• I want to look better – WHY?
• I don’t want others to think I’m a slob – WHY?
• I care about myself and others, and I want to show that in my actions – WHY?
• I want to “walk the talk,” to live out my deepest desires and beliefs – WHY?
• I’m miserable when I don’t act on what I know I should do – WHY?
• When I eat right and exercise, I’m respecting my deepest values… and that brings me joy

Maybe that’s not the end of the line for you, but it hits me hard in the center. I don’t want to be somebody who is always spouting off like an encyclopedia of good advice. I want to be someone who takes what I know to be true, takes those things I most deeply believe… and acts on them.

But this isn’t about me. It’s about you. What is your WHY?

Roadturn Principle: Truth is like gold. When you find it along the way, pick it up and hold onto it. Truth overcomes the lie.

Let’s talk about it…