Watching the news can be hazardous to your health.

It’s a fact, especially when you’re watching events related
to terrorism, kidnapping, murder, accidents, or calamities.
These incidents make you worry and will leave you feeling weak
and insecure. Imagine the uncomfortable feeling of becoming a
victim someday. This will have a negative effect on your
outlook in life.

Your surroundings have a big impact on you. How can you think
and grow rich if you’re bombarded with messages that relates
“how difficult life has become” or “how poor most of us has
turned out to be?”

You can’t change your environment, but you certainly can
control your mind. This is where visualization comes into
play. Use your imagination, just as you would when you’re
still a little child. Imagine your home as a palace, your
simple meal as fine dining gourmet, and your nearby park as
your favorite vacation spot. Just imagine. Unconsciously,
your thoughts will transform the images into their physical
components.

If the media can indirectly influence you just by reporting
what’s happening around, imagine what impact everyday people
have on you. These are the people that you see and meet
everyday. These are also the same people who are expressing
their own views of what is right and what is wrong.

When we grow up in a negative environment, we tend to acquire
the traits and characteristics of people around us.

Many gangsters have been brought up by folks who have either
misguided them or have taught them the wrong things in life.
Through the years, they have instilled within themselves the
vices of people around them.

Here’s another case.

Pick a nice person, throw him in a group of bad-mouthed
individuals who incorporates swear words in their everyday
language. Sooner or later, you’ll notice that nice person
speaking in the same manner as the group.

This just goes to say that anyone who joins in the company
of a like-minded group will have a big chance of being
influenced by the personality of that group. So what
can you do if you’re surrounded by people who deviates
from your way of thinking?

You can’t just avoid them. They’ll think of you as a snob.
Don’t change the way you treat them, but simply learn how
to shield out pessimistic comments or suggestions.

Sometimes, they will dictate you to do what you are against
to do. Be firm with what you believe in. Do not let them
affect your decisions. You know that you can do what they
thought would be impossible. If you have to suffer the
ridicule, so be it. You will have the last laugh anyway.

Moreover, you should be with people who have the same
principles and ideologies as you do. You will be more
encouraged to continue your dreams if you have a support
group or mentor who will prod you to pursue your goals
despite the setbacks.

When I was starting my internet endeavors, no one (and
I mean not even one) of my relatives and friends believed
me. But I did not let their discouragement stop me from
becoming successful.

I remained firm in my quest to make a living online. I
made friends with respected internet marketers who shared
the same vision as mine. They have also experienced the
same treatment from non-believers; but they have proven
that what the mind can conceive, it can achieve. Through
their help, I was able to put aside my doubts and achieve
my goals.

You have the power to make your dreams a reality. Now
show the world what stuff you are made of.

As we age, the preservation and expenditures are sometimes more than we can afford to keep up our residence. As you grow older, your decisions have to modify to your affordability. In view of the fact, you may need to consider moving to a low-subsidized project. The housing communities make life simpler for you. In the end, you will pay less, which clears up stress. This leaves you room to plan for your future.

In the world are many housing projects, including the projects designed for seniors. You will find townhouses, condominiums and apartments in your area. You have many options, i.e. you can lease, rent or even buy some of the low-cost homes. If you lease or rent however, the owners usually take care of the lawn, which makes you life simpler.

When you move to areas where people are your own age, it often brings you rewards. You can meet new friends. New friends are great, which you can plan activities together as you work toward healthy aging. At clubhouses for seniors there is always something happening as well. The clubhouses often provide seniors with free meals and fun. Some areas allow you to enjoy bingo. For a diminutive fee, one can join these housings while enjoying two or three meals per day. The meals are balanced and in proportion, which gives you added convenience. You can save time cooking, as well as have three balanced meals each day.

Perhaps you enjoy golfing. Alternatively, you would like to learn how to golf. If you enjoy golfing perhaps, you can find low-cost housing in your community where golf is optional. Many communities have low-cost housing near golf courses. Some areas offer golf lessons. While enjoying golf, you can meet new friends here as well.

Our bodies demand that we enjoy activities on a daily scale. In view of the fact, you want to keep your brain and body in active motion. Of course, you need to take time out to rest, yet planning activities and enjoying them daily will help you live a healthier and longer life. Learning golf will teach you new skills, which is always a great thing to acquire. Learning new skills, artistic quality helps one to stay in touch with self.

Some community residential housing offers you the opportunity to enjoy musicals, poetry reading, lobbying and so on. In the lobby areas, you may enjoy watching the evening news with the new friends you have met.

In some areas, you will find projects that help to keep their seniors happy by taking them on short trips. You will enjoy people your own age while you learn, view new areas, and so on. Perhaps a group of seniors may visit supermarkets, shopping malls and so on. Some areas that offer you such convenience also provides you transportation. What an added gain, since you can cut back expenses of high-priced car insurance, gas, maintenance and so on.

As you meet new, acquaintances or potential friends learn how to manage your time wisely. You want to learn how to understand your friends by expressing your feelings. Expressing feelings is a great way to relieve the mind of stress.

Put together your new life by discovering the meaning of life and your purpose. Also, discover your peace of mind as you socialize daily finding new relationships to share your journey through life. Lastly, you want to listen to people around you, since you can learn how to manage your life by clipping out patterns which people have followed to live a healthy aging life.

There’s no rule that says you have to do it all yourself. There is a whole world of people outside your door (and maybe even in your house) who are capable of tackling parts of your project that you can’t handle, or don’t have the time for. Take advantage of them if that’s what it takes to get the job done! After all, success is the issue, not proving you’re Superman or Superwoman.

For example, let’s say that your goal is to get your house ready for a move or an open house if you’re trying to sell. If finances permit (and even if they don’t, it can still be worth it in terms of mental health preserved), call in a maid service for a day to do basic cleaning, hire professional carpet cleaners, take the animals to a kennel and send the kids off with your sister to Chuck E. Cheese. Let the pros handle the crummy stuff while you focus on ensuring the safe transport of Great Aunt Gemma’s priceless Ming vase to your new home, or while you get busy filling the house with that scent of baking bread that your realtor swears will close the sale.

Synchronicity: the coincidence of events that seem related but are not obviously caused one by the other (Encarta Concise English Dictionary)

All of us from time to time experience events that happen in our lives that seem to lead from one step to another to bring a result to our attention or an experience that we may desire. In fact all the circumstances in our lives are like that. If we can openly look back at any event in our lives we can pick out the steps that led us to the result. Some of them are very obvious while they are happening and we come away shaking our heads and thinking what a coincidence, or what good or bad luck it was.

The other day on my job I had another such occurrence.

I am employed as a heating inspector, and it is my job to visit homes and inspect heating systems and give advice. I receive a name and address from the office after each of my calls and I call in after each visit for another one.

It was the last day of June and the last day of my pay period and after my first call of the day I was thinking that I really needed to have a good sale to bring my totals up for the pay period. Normally this brings urgency into the sales process and I get anxious and often this is felt by my customers and I do not make sales. I try not to let these thoughts enter my mind, and when they do I just let them pass so they do not interfere with the process.

I called in on my cell phone and received my next call, writing it down on my inspection report while I was driving.

I stopped in front of the address at 3822 and made my way to the house. After knocking at the door, a frail old lady greeted me and I said “Hi Mrs Jones, I’m Roy from ABC Company. She replied by saying that her name was not Mrs Jones and that Mrs Jones lived next door. I checked the address given me and it was correct, I apologized and explained who I was and what I was here for. This is something I would normally not do and I would apologize and leave. I don’t know why I went into an explanation with the customer this time.

The lady introduced herself as Mrs Smith and told me with some bewilderment that she had the phone book open and was looking up our number when I knocked at the door. This has happened to me before, where a customer was just thinking about calling and I appeared at the door. I take notice of these calls as they always stand out in my day.

I offered to come in and do the inspection for her thinking that it would not take very long. We had been to her house and done the work for her exactly one year ago and it was due again. Mrs Smith and I went to her kitchen table to write up the work order. My habit is to learn a bit about my customers and I asked her a few questions. I told her that I was a published author and her face lit up immediately with astonishment. She replied that she was an author and had just finished her first book. She told me that she didn’t know what to do now that it was finished.

My mind started wondering for a second as I asked myself why am I here and what a coincidence that I had all the information that she needed, when she needed it? I gave her the information and we talked for awhile. I left with the sale that I needed and Mrs. Smith had the information that she needed.

I almost forgot to go next door and do my scheduled call. There was no answer when I knocked on the door, so I went back to my car. As I sat in the car waiting for my next call I had another close look at the address, the address was in fact 3828, and the last number was a poorly printed eight that I mistook for a two.

There are so many points to this story that clearly show me that both Mrs Smith and I, at some level of consciousness collaborated to create the events of our meeting. I don’t believe in chance or coincidence.

” I was one of three inspectors working in that neighbourhood that morning.

” Calls are given out randomly to the inspectors and I received this particular call.

” I wrote down the correct address, but didn’t read it correctly.

” I knocked at the incorrect house.

” I explained who I was and why I was there after my apology (not procedure) I usually leave after I realize this kind of mistake.

” Mrs Smith said that she was just looking up our phone number.

” Work was due in June; it was the last day of June that I knocked on her door.

” I sold the work that I needed for the day bringing up my totals for the period.

” Mrs Smith announced she was a writer and had finished her book.

” Mrs Smith needed information about publishing that I had and gave her.

” The neighbour was not home after I left Mrs Smith’s home.

” The next day I found out the neighbour had electric heat and there was nothing I could inspect for her. It was a wasted call.

All of these elements worked together perfectly to produce a desired result. I had a need to create just one good sale for the day and a person that was not my scheduled customer brought me to her so that she could receive the information that she needed to have her book published. At some level of communication or consciousness we both worked together in the right time and space to bring a desired result. Everything was perfectly synchronized and orchestrated for things to happen in an order that would produce the results that we both desired. This is not change or luck; it was done by design at a subconscious level.

The issue that I have with that luck is that it removes the power from both parties to create something that is desirable and puts it squarely on an external force for resolution.

I believe that all of us have the power to create on demand what it is that we desire and we loose that ability to create or even have choice when we give our power away. We become pawns in a game that we have little control of, or free will to participate in.

If I did not take responsibility for the circumstances of the story above, I would have no power to do it again when I needed to, and it would simply be another random act of coincidence, which denies any “free will,” I thought I may have.

I believe these things are purpose driven and acted upon in good faith with other souls. I believe that they are deliberate and congruent with desire.

Successful people never rely on luck or chance; they create the circumstances that bring them what they desire. What may seem like failures in their lives are understood by them as steps towards a positive end.

In correcting the destructive thoughts you create with accepting luck, chance and disempowerment, are these two good words to know and understand, and they are “synchronicity,” and “synergy!”

Over the course of time we hear the words “luck,” and “chance,” and we accept them as truths that govern the circumstances of our life. Acceptance is always a choice and if you are willing to accept the limitations of luck and chance then you will always be surprised by the things that happen in your life.

If you live your life purposefully then you will “expect,” these things to happen and you will not be surprised.

Life is like an obstacle course in which we run like an Olympian athlete and at times getting nowhere. We exert a lot of energy trying to avoid life’s ditches, jump over the potholes, leap across stumbling blocks, miss the dangers, and somehow sidestep the troubles. Of course, we could significantly improve our quality of life if we took the time to seriously think through our responses to situations. A load of troubles can be alleviated by a little forethought, a little preparation, and a little contrivance.

Some of the experiences we suffer we bring upon ourselves because we do not take the time to think through what our next move will be. We drift into so many agonizing complexities through our own thoughtlessness, hasty judgments, impulsive reactions, rash decisions, and failure to consider the cost.

We can also diminish some of our suffering if we could understand and accept the fact that most of our conflict is really mental. Our most insistent and insidious enemy is our own reactions to human situations. Our personal pride often prompts us to fear, shrink from, resent, or combat certain conditions, circumstances, or people. We do not want to love them or do not see how we can. Consequently, we draw back into our inner quivering, impotencies, aversions, and rebellions.

If we could only understand that there is no enemy, no conflict, except that which rages within. Our self-concern, self-importance and our almost unconquerable desire for self-justification causes more dissension and stress than any other element in the human makeup. It is the human traitor within ourselves that bars us from yielding to the will of God. It is time the traitor be exposed. God is waiting to take His rightful place in your life.

Everyone, at some point of his or her life, has dreamed of being somebody special, somebody big. Who hasn’t fantasized about being the one who hits the game-winning homer? Who hasn’t dreamed of being the homecoming queen? And how many times have we dreamed of being rich, or successful, or happy with our relationships?

Often, we dream big dreams and have great aspirations. Unfortunately, our dreams remain just that – dreams. And our aspirations easily collect dust in our attic.

This is a sad turn of events in our life. Instead of experiencing exciting adventures in self actualization, we get caught up in the humdrum of living from day-to-day just barely existing.

But you know what? Life could be so much better, if only we learned to aim higher.

The most common problem to setting goals is the word impossible. Most people get hung up thinking I can’t do this. It’s too hard. It’s too impossible. No one can do this.

However, if everyone thought that, there would be no inventions, no innovations, and no breakthroughs in human accomplishment.

Remember that scientists were baffled when they took a look at the humble bumblebee. Theoretically, they said, it was impossible for the bumblebee to fly. Unfortunately for the bumble, bee no one has told it so. So fly it does.

On the other hand, some people suffer from dreaming totally outrageous dreams and not acting on them. The result? Broken dreams, and tattered aspirations.

If you limit yourself with self-doubt, and self-limiting assumptions, you will never be able to break past what you deem impossible. If you reach too far out into the sky without working towards your goal, you will find yourself clinging on to the impossible dream.

Try this exercise. Take a piece of paper and write down some goals in your life. Under one header, list down things ‘you know you can do’. Under another header, write the things ‘you might be able to do.’ And under one more, list the things that that are ‘impossible for you to do.’

Now look at all the headers strive every day to accomplish the goals that are under things ‘you know you can do’. Check them when you are able to accomplish them. As you slowly are able to check all of your goals under that heading, try accomplishing the goals under the other header-the one that reads ‘you might be able to do.’

As of the items you wrote under things I could do are accomplished, you can move the goals that are under things that are ‘impossible for you to do’ to the list of things ‘you might be able to do.’

As you iterate through this process, you will find out that the goals you thought were impossible become easier to accomplish. And the impossible begin to seem possible after all.

You see, the technique here is not to limit your imagination. It is to aim high, and start working towards that goal little by little. However, it also is unwise to set a goal that is truly unrealistic.

Those who just dream towards a goal without working hard end up disappointed and disillusioned.

On the other hand, if you told someone a hundred years ago that it was possible for man to be on the moon, they would laugh at you. If you had told them that you could send mail from here to the other side of the world in a few seconds, they would say you were out of your mind. But, through sheer desire and perseverance, these impossible dreams are now realities.

Thomas Edison once said that genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration. Nothing could be truer. For one to accomplish his or her dreams, there has to be had work and discipline. But take note that that 1% has to be a think-big dream, and not some easily accomplished one.

Ask any gym rat and he or she will tell you that there can be no gains unless you are put out of your comfort zone. Remember the saying, “No pain, no gain”? That is as true as it can be.

So dream on, friend! Don’t get caught up with your perceived limitations. Think big and work hard to attain those dreams. As you step up the ladder of progress, you will just about find out that the impossible has just become a little bit more possible.

As I was driving to a friend’s house, I passed the Dublin Pub, a local watering hole known for its live music. On the reader board, one band’s name caught my eye: Spontaneous Woo.

I did a little digging and learned that the band hails from Bay City, Michigan and offers a funk/jazz blend. The term “spontaneous woo” refers to an audience response often seen during concerts in which a rising tide of enthusiasm culminates in a distinctive eruption of happy exclamations.

Now, there’s a universal human experience. There is nothing quite like letting out a joyous, spontaneous “Woo!” when things are going our way. We might personalize our woo, making it come out as “Yesss!” or “Sweeeeeet” or even “Woo-HOO!”

There’s an appropriate word for this in every language. No matter what elicits this response, we know it means something good has happened. We recognize these woos, whether inspired by simple pleasures or major milestones, as a celebration of goodness. What makes us woo tells us a whole lot about what we value, and what we value is all that is “good”.

What is “good”? How do we define it?

The British poet, W.H. Auden, said: “Goodness is easier to recognize than to define.” Isn’t that the truth!

We know “good” when we see it, just like we know when something is woo-worthy. Putting this into words in a consistent way is tough. This is where your personal philosophy comes in. Realize that your ideas of what makes a life “good” come from the people you know, the books you’ve read, the movies you’ve seen, and a host of influences you can’t remember right now.

We use “good” to describe everything from a haircut to a mathematical theory. Essentially, something is “good” if it satisfies a certain expectation we have of it–it hits the target. A “good” cup of coffee could be strong, weak, bitter, sweet, milky, steaming hot, black, organic, shade-grown, or free, depending on what you value.

“Good” may be a moving target, but Aristotle happened to like the whole idea of targets. He used the Greek word “telos” which was the term used to describe an archery bulls-eye. It’s a simple mental image–a big circle with a dot in the middle.

Teleology refers to the study of the purpose of things. Aristotle believed that everything in nature has a purpose, or target. A thing is good if it serves its purpose, fulfills its mission, or hits its target. The whole world is made up of these interrelated purposes.

According to Aristotle, our purpose is to think in order to live a good life. We’re supposed to use our brains to contemplate, to appreciate the complexity of the universe, to attain greater understanding of our role as humans, and to be happy. By fulfilling our role as thinkers, we are living to purpose-we are living a good life.

What does that mean exactly? What do we use as guidelines or markers to help us determine if we are getting close to good?

If, as Aristotle says, our purpose is to live a good life and be happy, why isn’t there some simple formula we can apply to everyone? What’s the minimum woo-quotient of a good life? Can we be happy if we’re not living a good life? Can we live a good life if we’re not happy?

How much do we need to be happy? We all know plenty of people who never seem to be happy no matter how much they have. One of our greatest challenges as humans is figuring out how much is enough.

Aristotle believed that we need to use courage, honesty and moderation in pursuing pleasure. He considered moral goodness and enjoyment in life as the same thing. He believed it was okay to pursue anything you want, as long as you don’t go overboard. This concept of moderation became known as the “golden mean”.

Not surprisingly, this golden mean became a popular idea, especially among the rich. It was just what they wanted to hear! Remember that the majority of Aristotle’s students were wealthy–who else had the time to study philosophy all day? Aristotle himself ended up being handsomely paid–especially for a philosopher!

Aristotle had his work cut out for him trying to remain moral while becoming wealthy. His most famous student, the classic overachiever Alexander the Great, clearly never got the point about moderation. Aristotle’s emphasis on the golden mean got lost in all the excitement about pursuing whatever you like.

Hmmmm. Sounds a lot like modern life, doesn’t it?

What kind of life would Aristotle suggest we live in the midst of all the stuff of the 21st century? What does moderation mean now?

Wealthy people are not necessarily more or less moral than anyone else, but they ARE tested more than the rest of us. They have the means to live an excessive lifestyle if they choose to do so. If you live large, your morality–or lack thereof–is magnified for the world to see. Add a dash of celebrity and a stint on TV, and you start serving as some sort of example.

This is where we get confused between “a good life” and “the good life”.

We’re fascinated by the choices people make when they have the ability to live any way they choose. We read magazines featuring photographs of celebrities in their homes. We watch television shows that give us tours of the properties owned by billionaires. We’re both fascinated and repelled by reality shows that offer riches to those who manipulate others.

Why? It’s because we’re curious about the choices made, and we wonder what we would do given the same set of circumstances.

Seeing the homes, the furnishings, and the cars gives us an idea of what is valued by the individual. We watch because we wonder what choices we would make if we had the same bank account. Would we be extravagant? Would we live simply? Would we be tacky or tasteful? Would we horrify the neighbors or build a better community? Would our children be kind, compassionate, and generous, or would they be self-centered brats with a huge sense of entitlement?

Would we be like Sting–or Ozzy Osbourne? Would we have daughters like Sofia Coppola–or Paris Hilton?

Most of us have the, uh, good fortune of not being tempted to live without limits. Without being fully tested, we don’t really know how we’d fare in a world of big money and bigger visibility.

The wonderful thing about living a good life is that it is possible to do it at any economic level. You can live a good life in poverty or wealth. Though we tend to think it’s a lot easier to be an excellent human when we have sufficient funds in the bank, both versions–rich and poor–come with plenty of challenges.

It’s tempting to put off becoming your best self until you believe you have the financial support to do it. “I’ll be generous once I get to the top,” you think. “I’ll be kinder when I’m not so stressed.” “I’ll give back to the community when I retire.”

There’s no dollar amount that precludes or guarantees a good life, and there’s no reason to postpone your own greatness. You may win the lottery tomorrow, or you may lose everything. Despite any dramatic shifts in your personal fortune, you can live a good life today.

Note and relish your own spontaneous woos on a daily basis, and look for ways to increase and deepen them. Think, be happy, and share that wealth in words, wit, and warmth.

The good life never felt so good.

Some think that everything is black and white. I’m beginning to see everything as different shades of grey.

Having worked with people in an increasing variety of ways the past 10 years, in a variety of occupational and volunteer scenarios, I’ve been exposed to many, many different ways of being, seeing, believing, working, and living. Is one way worse than the other? Is one person’s beliefs worse than another? Is one person’s ethics worse than another?

For many of us, we will make judgements about others over these little things. We will close our eyes, our minds, and our hearts very easily over such trivial matters. We are raised in a family with a set of values and beliefs. We are schooled in a culture with a particular perspective on history, business, values, and beliefs. We are indoctrinated in our upbringing, or culture, or peers, and our heart, influenced to lean to certain truths that works for us. It can be steeped in peer pressure, family pressure, or simply having known no other truth we find it acceptable. When confronted with something vastly different or in opposition, we will tend towards defensiveness and even close-mindedness.

I’ve been guilty of the same but I’ve really challenged myself time and again over the years to keep my mind open and to explore the other side of the tracks. I seek to understand and to experience for deeper understanding why other splinter groups live the way they do live; or work, play, worship, etc. While some things do work or resonate for me, others haven’t. While some things expanded my horizons, others have caused other collapses in health or well-being. All have been worthy experiences, although possibly, at times, poor choices for my life.

The worth that comes from this expansion of my mind and horizons has allowed me to witness one fundamental truth. As much as we are all different, with continued exposure to these varying influences of life and lifestyles, I have seen beyond the labels, beyond the stereotypes, beyond the religious beliefs, beyond the social status. I can look into the eyes and heart of my fellow-man and see another who is the same as me. The rest of it, is mere shades of grey.

Each human being engages in a life-path, within a given set of life circumstances dictated by family, social status, and the rest of these external influences. As they progress down their path in life, they’re doing the best that they can. They’re looking for the things that will find them a sense of validation, satisfaction, being known, and being loved. They make decisions with these same influences dictating some of their choices; both right and wrong. We’ve all been there. And yet, instead of seeing our brothers and sisters in life, we still tend to see the differences.

Yes, crimes are committed, hate is expressed, terror persists, and politics corrupt or engage in questionable practices. We perpetuate the classes, the differences, the hate, and the war. Judgement: why engage when you can disengage? Why argue when you can build bridges of understanding? Why declare war over differences when we can celebrate diversity? Why insist our way is the only way? I particularly declare this last questioning statement.

We can celebrate freedom, responsible freedom. We can honor differences, diversity, by setting our own best example of tolerance, honor, respect, and in doing so, create peace.

Why am I writing this? I don’t know. I can give reasons, but I can’t be sure they are accurate. Such ignorance is okay, or at least it should be. The temptation is always to explain, but that often does nothing useful. In fact, it can just get in the way of actual understanding. Let me explain.

Rationalization 101

John was hypnotised, and given the post-hypnotic instruction to get up and put on his coat whenever the doctor touched his nose. Once out of the trance, they talked. During the conversation, the doctor scratched his nose, and John immediately stood up and put on his coat.

The doctor asked him why. “Oh, I thought we were finished,” John said, and he took off the coat. A minute later, the doctor touched his nose again. John again immediately stood up and put on his coat. “It’s getting cold in here,” he explained.

This scenario is not unique to hypnosis. There’s a lot that goes into our decisions and actions, and we act as though we’re aware of it all. Just like poor John, we feel compelled to explain ourselves – and to believe our explanations. Rationalization is one of our strongest habits.

I Don’t Know

A child throws a plate at his brother, and his mother demands “Why would you do that!?” He says, “I don’t know,” which is true, but not acceptable. Pychologists couldn’t, in five seconds, understand the child’s action with certainty, but a six-year-old is expected to do just that.

He may not understand, but he learns quickly to explain himself. By adulthood, it is rare for any of us to say “I don’t know” when asked about our behavior. There is a problem with that, though. How can we ever learn the true causes if we already accept our explanations?

Accepting Our Ignorance

A better way to approach these issues is to get in the habit of saying “I don’t know.” You can follow it with “Maybe it’s because of…” and let the explanations spill out, but don’t be too quick to accept any of them. Understand that it isn’t always necessary to explain.

For example, even if you never know why you avoid a certain person, isn’t it better to leave the question open than to accept a false explanation based on a habit of self-justification? Leave questions unanswered, and you may someday have a better understanding. Quick answers mean a quick stop in your thinking.

Self-explanation can be the death of self-understanding. Learn to accept your ignorance, and to keep observing yourself. Just say, “I don’t know.”

Dick and Jay sat on the ground outside the shed. The rain pelted down on them. They stared in disbelief at the lake of mud all around them. The Piper Cub slumped in the mud a few feet in front of them. Neither a wet bird nor muddy squirrel could be seen.

“It’s going to be like this for some time,” said Jay, gloomily, “according to the weather report.”

Dick feebly told the joke about the weatherman who left town because the weather didn’t agree with him–but neither of them laughed. The rain fell without remorse.

“Boy, boys, boys,” said a beautiful woman with auburn hair. She had a fresh complexion. She wore a wet, slightly muddy, mauve dress. She sat down between them, covering them with her pink umbrella.

Dick kissed his wife on the cheek. He reached down into the vanilla box for his sandwich. The box tumbled out of his hands and landed in a puddle. It floated.

“That’s it,” shouted Jay. He grabbed Dick’s elbow. “Don’t you see— that’s it!”

It only took a day to add the inflated pontoon boats to the Piper Cub. Now instead of wheels, it had floats. Now, instead of the muddy runway, they used the river.

But another calamity awaited: a lightning storm. A bolt of lightning struck the hut, shattering it.

Without an office, it was hard to run operations.

Dick, however, found a solution. He bought a chicken coop from the farmer down the road for $25.

“One last yard,” said Dick, talking to the old mare. The mare grunted as it dragged along the chicken coop.

After propping up the chicken coop, Dick began whitewashing it.

“There,” said Dick, slapping on the last coat.

He stepped back to join his wife, Doreen, and his partner, Jay. All of them admired the bright chicken coop. It proudly bore the blue legend “Wolverine Air Service.”

“Soon,” said Dick, “Millions will be flying their own planes. They’ll come to us and we’ll teach them.”

“And it only cost us $200 to get this Piper Cub,” added Jay.

“Airplanes will swarm the air, the way cars do the ground,” predicted Dick.

Just then a freckled-faced young man came up to them.

“Is this your school?” he asked, squinting at Dick.

“Have you come for lessons?” asked Dick.

“Darn right!”

“We’d love to teach you, but we don’t know how to fly!” confessed Dick.

A few days later, however, they found a flight instructor. Dick straightened out the sheaf of papers on his ramshackle desk as the last interviewee walked out of the shack. He looked over at Jay. “Well?” Jay nodded. “I like him.”

“Then we have a new flight instructor,” said Dick, smiling broadly.

The next day, Dick and the new flight instructor stood outside the chicken coop office.

“How are you going to pay me?” asked the flight instructor, a tall man with thick dark hair and brilliant blue eyes.

“Cash,” said Dick, unruffled.

“But you said a moment ago that you don’t have any money?”

“I don’t,” confirmed Dick, “but they do.”

The flight instructor turned around to follow Dick’s finger. He had to chuckle. On the edge of the field was Jay whooping in a group of three eager students, all trussed up in flight gear. They were wet to their thighs from wading across the river.

“They’ll be the first to graduate,” affirmed Bob, the new flight instructor.

This is the story of Richard M. DeVos and his high-school buddy, Jay Van Andel, who came home after the Second World War convinced that the aviation business would be the trend of the future.

The Success Principle

The only limits are those that you set up for yourself. Limited thoughts create limited people.