We are certainly witness to an era of time that we have come along way in the fact that the United States of America has just sworn in our first African American President.
What I find even more amazing about this is that by Barack Obama reaching the highest political office in the country, it should give no other person of the African American race to hold the excuse of race for not achieving anything they desire.
I am amazed at all the people who seemed to be highly unhappy before President Obama was inaugurated.
My mentor, Jim Rohn, was asked by a group of executives about what he thought the future held. He went on to tell them, “I do have a lot of business experience and I can tell what the future will hold. The next twenty years will be pretty much like the last twenty years.”
I certainly am happy for the man and wish him well. But here are the opportunities that I think he missed in his inaugural speech…
1. All improvement begins with PERSONAL Desire – Not a desire for something to change outside of you to make you happy, but desire for something to change inside of you that will help you to BE, DO, or HAVE anything you desire. Don’t be confused by the words “sacrifice of others”, when others sacrifice it is to get something they desire.
“Self Sacrifice” for others without getting something you desire is living a life without happiness and joy. It is slavery!
2. Your rewards are in direct proportion to the service you provide – When you desire something, the price you have to pay for that is service to others. The greater the service the more the reward.
Levels of Service –
A. Unique Service – When you provide a service that is unique and you are the sole provider of this service. This is a valuable service to the extent that you can squeeze out a profit that will get you the resources necessary to get what you desire.
B. Service to Many – When you provide a service that effects many and you get a profit that provides you with the resources that help you get what you desire.
3. You are ultimately responsible for your happiness – No matter what the government, your employer, your neighbor, your co-worker, your wife, your husband or anyone one else, for that matter, does or does not do, you are responsible for your own happiness.
When you rely on others outside of yourself for your happiness, you become a slave to the whims of that person or entity.
What ever happiness someone can provide for you, they can take from with as much ease as they give it too you.
When you look inside yourself and you make use of the God given talents you have to profitably serve others, you will find happiness!
As Always, Here’s to Your LifetoSuccess,
John Clark
Excellent post and the reason that Obama did not say it is that no one wants to hear it, especially those who need to hear it the most. It is a consciousness issue – victim consciousness vs responsibility consciousness. There’s a whole lot of people in this country whose mantra is ‘it’s not my fault’ and who are waiting to be rescued. It remains to be seen how well Obama will address this issue. If he turns ‘yes, we can’ into a call to responsibility he will assure his place in history. If he stays with the historical position of politicians which is ‘you are helpless and I will help you, you poor soul’ then his legacy will be ‘second verse, same as the first.’ I’m cautiously optimistic, but I’ve lived through 9 or 10 presidents and the system is not friendly to real, substantial change.