Words to live by
Start with the effect... Find out the cause
This post may be a bit unpopular or borderline controversial, SO here goes...
Every situation you find yourself in, or any scenario you might imagine, has both cause and effect. Yes, something caused it to be, something led you down that path and some action preceded the outcome. That may sound harsh because we don't want to hold ourselves accountable for where we are right now. For others, this is the perfect place to let yourself off the hook for some of the things that have happened in your life that are not of your own doing.
In whatever way you have arrived at this point, whether it was beyond your control or of your own volition, this is where you currently stand. Either way, it is now the launching pad for change. When you look around, do you want more of what you see or is it time to carve a new path? If things are going well, continue with a full head of steam. But, if you want a different outcome, find out what leads to it and go in that direction.
The cause and effect of any given situation is often a case study requiring some true soul searching. We've heard of the law of attraction, if not we may be familiar with saying, "opposites attract" and animal magnetism. Presumably, something within our realm brings things toward us, to receive or repel. Something is drawing you closer to your reality.
That reality can be either good or bad. It can be productive or destructive, regenerative or degenerative. There is yin and yang in life, pros and cons, and ultimately the universe seeks balance. You need balance to achieve your goals. There was a song, many years ago on a television comedy show with quite depressing lyrics. Gloom, despair, and agony on me. Deep, dark depression, excessive misery. If it weren't for bad luck, I'd have no luck at all. Gloom, despair, and agony on me. The sketch made light of the character's ability to draw angst.
Funny, but true. Self-reflection is warranted when we seem to be getting more of the same. There must be some catalyst for change, something that can be done to send things in a different direction. Could it be as simple as a shift in the way I think about and view things? Could victory be within grasp by positivity overload?
As a speech/language pathologist by career choice, working with young children who are developing speech and language, activities take into account developmental stages. One technique is auditory bombardment, which is used early on for children who need assistance in developing speech sounds. The child plays or continues normal activities while the therapist or caregiver reads words with the desired target sound. The lists are repeated throughout the day so that the child hears the correct sounds, over and over again.
The idea is a simple one. Let's get correct targets into the conscious and subconscious mind, so the foundation is in place when we begin to build. Maybe that is what we are missing. Our foundational way of thinking needs to be undergirded with the essential building blocks to success. We've got to build on something that will be regenerative instead of degenerative.
Wow! Is this a groundbreaking concept? Mind blown! Well maybe it's not new, but it won't hurt to hear it again. Swap out negativity and plug in positivity. Do it again and again until the foundation becomes more steady. Think about the music you listen to, upbeat or just another sad love song? What movie are you watching, is it upbeat or is it a real tear-jerker?
Time and chance happen to all men, so we all have to brace and be prepared for stormy weather. But, in the times that we can curate our thoughts be intentional and wise in your choices.
You really can impact change!
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Words to live by
So much power in the words we hear and especially in the words we say. We have learned from childhood upward to speak mantras, cliches, old wives tales, and such. Some are good, some just need to be squashed. You are tailoring your life and now you must be super selective in the words you say. Some words give strength and life, others drain and kill.
By Ida Lenoir5 years ago in Motivation
How I earn $100 in a day
There was a time when earning $100 in a single day felt like a fantasy to me. Not a goal — a fantasy. I remember staring at my phone late at night, doing small mental calculations: If I earn $5 today and $10 tomorrow, maybe by the end of the month… Even those numbers weren’t guaranteed. Some days, nothing came in at all. And that silence — the absence of notifications, emails, or messages — was louder than failure. People online love to talk about success like it’s loud and shiny. For me, it was quiet. Heavy. Full of doubt. The day I earned $100 didn’t begin with excitement. It began like every other day: tired eyes, a slow morning, and a question I kept asking myself — Is this even worth it? What kept me going wasn’t motivation. It was necessity. I didn’t suddenly become smarter or more talented. I didn’t discover a secret website or a hidden trick. I simply stopped waiting for the “perfect” moment and started using what I already had. I offered small digital work. Simple things. Work that wouldn’t impress anyone on social media — but work that people genuinely needed. And I did it sincerely. That day, the first payment came in early. It wasn’t big. Just enough to remind me that someone trusted me with their money. That feeling mattered more than the amount. Later, while I was offline, something unexpected happened. A digital product I had created earlier — something I almost didn’t upload because I thought it wasn’t good enough — sold. Then it sold again. I stared at the screen for a few seconds, unsure whether to smile or stay calm. By evening, another small task came my way. Then one more. None of these moments felt dramatic. No fireworks. No victory music. Just quiet confirmations that effort, even imperfect effort, still counts. When I finally added everything together late at night, my heart paused. It crossed $100. I didn’t jump. I didn’t celebrate. I just sat there — still — because for the first time, the number felt real. What hit me hardest wasn’t the money. It was the realization that I had been underestimating myself for a long time. I believed earning like this was reserved for “others” — more confident people, more skilled people, luckier people. That belief was wrong. Earning $100 in a day didn’t change my life instantly. But it changed something inside me. It replaced doubt with proof. And proof is powerful. Now I understand something important: money doesn’t always come from doing big things. Sometimes it comes from doing small things consistently and with sincerity. Some days I still don’t reach $100. Some days are quiet again. But the fear is gone. Because once you know something is possible, it stops being a dream and starts being a process. I no longer wait for motivation. I work, even when I feel unsure. I trust that effort never disappears — it just takes time to show itself. If you’re reading this while feeling stuck, tired, or invisible, I want you to know something honestly: You’re not behind. You’re just early in your story. And one ordinary day — without warning — things can start to add up.
By Shah Fayaz a day ago in Motivation
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