Category: Inspiring Speeches

Speeches by Great Minds

My Message to the Youth – Swami Vivekananda

I have faith in my country, and especially in the youth of my country. My hope is in you. With an immense amount of feeling and enthusiasm in the blood, will come heroes who will march from one corner of the earth to the other, preaching and teaching the eternal spiritual truths of our forefathers. And this is the great work before you. Each one of you has a glorious future if you dare believe me. Have tremendous faith in yourselves, like the faith I had when I was a child, and which I am working out now. Have that faith, each one of you, in yourself — that eternal power is lodged in every soul — and you will revive the whole of India. Ay, we will then go to every country under the sun, and our ideas will before long be a component of the many forces that are working to make up every nation in the world. We must enter into the life of every race in India and abroad; we shall have to work to bring this about.We must go out, we must conquer the world through our spirituality and philosophy. There is no other alternative, we must do it or die. The only condition of national life, of awakened and vigorous national life, is the conquest of the world by Indian thought.

Now for that, I want young men. “It is the young, the strong, and healthy, of sharp intellect that will reach the Lord”, say the Vedas. This is the time to decide your future — while you possess the energy of youth, not when you are worn out and jaded, but in the freshness and vigour of youth. Work — this is the time; for the freshest, the untouched, and unsmelled flowers alone are to be laid at the feet of the Lord, and such He receives. Rouse yourselves, therefore, for life is short. A far greater work is this sacrifice of yourselves for the benefit of your race, for the welfare of humanity. I will tell you in plain language that you work best when you work for others. The best work that you ever did for yourselves was when you worked for others. This life is short, vanities of the world are transient, but they alone live who live for others, the rest are more dead than alive. Be not afraid of anything. You will do marvelous work. The moment you fear, you are nobody. It is fear that is the great cause of misery in the world. It is fear that is the greatest of all superstitions. It is fear that is the cause of our woes, and it is fearlessness that brings heaven even in a moment. All power is within you; you can do anything and everything. Believe in that, do not believe that you are weak; Stand up and express the divinity within you. Therefore,

“Arise, awake, and stop not till the goal is reached.”

How to Stay Motivated : Bob Proctor

How to Stay Motivated : Bob Proctor

How to Stay Motivated: Bob Proctor
At the end of any speech, seminar or live event, like the fantastic Science of Getting Rich seminar we held in Dallas, Texas a couple of weeks ago, there’s one question I’m asked over and over again: “How do I stay motivated?”
The fact is, getting motivated is easy. But maintaining enthusiasm, excitement and commitment over the long haul can be difficult, primarily because it doesn’t just happen.
People often use the expression “fired up” to describe how they feel after attending an inspiring seminar. It’s a perfect image in so many ways, not the least of which is that, like any fire, you have to keep adding fuel to it, or it will just burn away.
In other words, you have to make a conscious, active effort to stay motivated, and moreover, to transform that motivation into tangible results. No one can do it for you.
3 Simple Ways to Stay Motivated
Here are three simple yet highly effective ways to not just stay motivated, but actually increase your motivation level long after that initial burst of excitement has passed:
1) Carry a goal card
Do you have a goal card? If not, make one right now. Just grab a small piece of paper (half an index card is perfect). On one side, write down your current goal: the thing you want most at this moment in time, and are in the process of working to achieve. On the other side, write down a quote or phrase that never fails to stir your soul. You could also paste a picture of the thing you’re working towards, or of a person who inspires you — anything that will give you an instant jolt.
Put this card in your wallet and look at it as often as you can. You should pull it out several times a day at a minimum, and no number of times is too many. Once you accomplish it, create a new card.
I’ve been doing this for over 40 years now, with countless individual goals. As a result, I have never had a day that wasn’t infused with motivation, excitement and a very strong sense of purpose. Do not underestimate the power of this seemingly simple exercise. It is life-changing.
2) Create a support system
One of the wonderful things about a seminar or live event is that you’re surrounded by like-minded people. Everyone there “gets it”; everyone is feeling the same excitement you are. That environment of support and understanding is critical, and once you step out of it, you must try to recreate it in your “regular” life.
If you made contacts at past events you’ve attended, reach out to them. Like you, they want to stay motivated, and could be having a hard time doing so. Things like Skype and Google + make it easy to meet with people anywhere in the world. Schedule a set day and time to reconnect, discuss your challenges, share your triumphs and breakthroughs, and remind each other of your goals, dreams and infinite potential.
Your spouse, a close friend or a trusted colleague can also fill this role. Explain your excitement to them; tell them your goals. Share any material or ideas that were part of your initial inspiration. Get them on board and create a mini-mastermind you can touch base with whenever you need to.
3) Counter the flood
When you’re in the midst of a motivating experience, your mind is packed to the brim with positivity and possibility. The moment that experience ends, however, mental spaces open up and the world floods in. Negativity, discouragement, the old challenges and obstacles, all the forces telling you, in one way or another, that you can’t.
It’s up to you to fight that flood. Fortunately, there is a bottomless supply of tools available to help you do that.
Subscribe to a regular motivational online newsletter or club, like our 6 Minutes to Success. Install a phone app that will send you a motivating quote every day — there are dozens. Visit the personal development aisle at your local bookstore, or scan the Internet for information on the subject. Read the classics — As a Man Thinketh, The Science of Getting Rich, Think and Grow Rich — and then reread them. Commit to another seminar or event as soon as possible, circle the date on your calendar, and decide that you will have achieved X specific goals by the time you go.
If you really want to stay motivated, don’t just do one or two of these things… do them all! Make a concerted, daily effort to keep your thoughts, your conversations and your life filled with positive messages, ideas, and activity, and there won’t be room for anything BUT motivation!
To your success,
Bob Proctor

5 characteristics common to successful entrepreneur

Imagine you’ve been offered a fantastic position with an industry-leading company. It’s the kind of job people kill for. The pay is outrageous, the hours are flexible, and your title would guarantee you respect no matter where you went in town.

Now imagine that, at the same time, you’ve got an idea—potentially a brilliant breakthrough in an emerging field. Other people are working on similar concepts, but you’re pretty certain your vision will not only win out, but also set the standard for the future.

What would you do? Accept the comfortable job with the big salary and easy hours? Or bet on yourself and your idea, imagining what could be? It might sound like a thought exercise, but it’s a very real decision that Henry Ford faced in 1899. An engineer at the Edison Illuminating Power Plant in Detroit, Ford had just built his third car and had several backers encouraging him to pursue his development of more gasoline-powered automobiles. At the same time, Thomas Edison’s company offered Ford a major promotion if he would give up work on his gas-powered car and instead focus on electricity.

Ford thought it over. The decision couldn’t have been as easy as it now seems in the rearview mirror of a Mustang. In the end, he walked away from Edison and began the Detroit Motor Co.

It promptly failed! So he and his backers began the Henry Ford Co. It failed, too. It wasn’t until his third attempt, the Ford Motor Co., that the idea took hold and radically reshaped history.

I love folks who have the guts to try something new or who are convinced their ideas can change the world for the better. There’s an excitement about them that’s contagious. Their entrepreneurial spirit is powerful. It’s a gift not bestowed on everyone. Over the years, I’ve learned a lot from my own journey, as well as the journeys of others, and I’ve discovered several characteristics common to entrepreneurs. Here are my top five; see if you identify with any of them.

1. Passion
No successful venture can get off the ground without starting power, the energy to invest in your idea and set yourself apart. But starting power lasts only for a season. Soon you’ll run into challenges and obstacles that require something more. That’s when your enduring passion gives you the staying power to stick to the course when things get tough.

2. Risk Tolerance
Taking action carries risks. But so does inaction. Entrepreneurs know when to roll the dice intelligently, and in doing so, they gain two distinct advantages: knowledge and wisdom. Because entrepreneurs are willing to try when others won’t, they learn faster, experience more, win bigger victories and develop better solutions.

3. People Skills
All things being equal, people will work with people they like; all things being unequal, they still will work with people they like. I call that the friendship principle. Whether it’s your own team members or your customers, you must understand people, add value to them, and work hard to build and maintain those relationships. Zig Ziglar used to say that if you’ll add value to people, they’ll add value to you.

4. Fondness for Failure
Over the course of my career, I’ve learned that failure isn’t fatal; rather, it has become my friend (even if it doesn’t feel that way in the moment). Whether your mistake is a mere tumble or a spectacular crash, no failure is wasted as long as you ask yourself, What did I learn? As I’ve often said, experience alone won’t help much, but evaluated experience is the best teacher. Learn from your mistakes and you’ll be miles ahead of everyone else.

5. Decisiveness
The U.S. Marines have a list of the 14 traits that define leaders. Among them is decisiveness, the ability to make quick decisions with the facts available and the wisdom accrued through experience. It’s key for entrepreneurs as well; being able to seize opportunities at the right time is critical for success. As Ronald Reagan once said, “If you don’t make your own decisions, somebody else makes them for you.”

Back to our friend Mr. Ford, who once reflected, “One of the greatest discoveries a man makes, one of his great surprises, is to find he can do what he was afraid he couldn’t do.” He was right about that. Entrepreneurship isn’t easy, and it’s not for the faint of heart. For every story like Ford’s, there are many others that didn’t have such a happy ending—a daunting reality that aspiring business owners must face.

But for those who have the confidence and those traits we talked about, the challenges of building something new are worth it. Entrepreneurs come in all shapes and sizes, but they all share a bit of daredevil in their internal wiring.

If you’ve been thinking about chasing a dream of your own, try taking this short quiz. It’ll lend some perspective as you consider the big question of entrepreneurship:

1. Are you passionate about your venture?
2. Are you a promoter?
3. Can you handle stress?
4. Are you healthy?
5. Are you comfortable with risk?
6. Do you have strong people skills?
7. Do you embrace failure as a friend?
8. Are you creative in problem-solving?
9. Are you competitive?
10. Can you handle criticism well?
11. Are you optimistic?
12. Are you decisive?

Count the number of times you answered yes:

(1-4) Study up. Talk to someone successful to see how you can develop the traits you’re missing.
(5-8) You show potential. You show some entrepreneurial qualities, but take a look at your negative responses and see if there are ways to improve.
(9-12) Bring it on! You have an entrepreneurial mindset. Create a solid business plan and take the plunge!