The idea for this article came from an unlikely
encounter: I recently had lunch with a new friend named Rick
Rockwell. You may remember him as the bachelor from the
first-ever reality TV show, "Who Wants to Marry a
Multimillionaire?"

During our meeting, Rick described some of the knowledge he
gained from doing the show, along with a few of past his
experiences in business, ethics, and of course, primetime
romance. The stories were fantastic, the drama was riveting, and
as Rick detailed his adventures with great humor, what impressed
me most was what he wasn't saying.

You see, at no time did he dwell on the misfortune of not finding
the love of his life or the way the media portrayed him. Instead,
he said something along the lines of, "You know, Greg,! short and
simply put, our circumstances, good or bad, are a direct result
of our own actions, and ultimately, the only thing in which we
are in true control of is our own (Attitude) towards them."

To which I agreed and responded, "You're absolutely right. We're
are all dealt obstacles as well as good fortune in our
lives-that's simply a part of life itself. Yet it's how we handle
the obstacles that shows the world our true character as a
person."

Rick and I sat there, just reflecting on the impact of that
message for a bit until the idea of this newsletter popped into
my head. I said, "You know, Rick, when it's all said and done,
the bottom line is . . .

"We are exactly where we choose to be."

Now, this is where I put the question to you, the reader: Isn't
that true for all of us? Isn't that true for all those around us?

I'm sure you know people (or perhaps even yourself at times) who
blame the world for their setbacks and failures, then simply!
credit "luck" for those who succeed around them. Yet, when we
really examine our own lives, we see that we are exactly where we
choose to be at any given moment.


>> We are a product of our own environment because we <<
>> are the ones creating the environment we are in.   <<

Have you ever noticed people taking negative actions like hanging
out at the local dive bar every day after work, spending all
their money on liquor and fun, and then complaining that they're
broke and can never catch a "break"? Have you ever noticed people
who confide to their family and friends that they can't find
love, yet they never leave the house or put themselves in
situations (or on TV) to meet new people? But haven't you also
noticed people who surround themselves with positive influences,
work hard, are accountable, plan for the future, and "create"
their own breaks?

In my new friend's case, he was and is simply seeking love. What
he got, however, was something completely different (! he was
slandered in the press). While he admits that he put himself in
that situation to begin with, he thrives on the fact that he took
such a bold chance before anyone else did in history. Would he
change the way it turned out if he had the power to do so? Of
course. But he wouldn't change the opportunity itself because he
was the one who put himself there in the first place...the bottom
line, he took a chance and stood by the outcome.

The moral of this story (or article, in this case) is
presented in the form of a challenge. Sit down and ask yourself
this question: "What is right, and what do you wish to be
different in your life?"

You might want to take a minute or two to make a list. Take
accountability for all those things, both the good and the bad;
for after all, you created them. Then simply keep doing the
things that are right, and work on a strategy to create new
(positive) actions to stop doing the things that are not.

It would be complete insa! nity to continue punching yourself in
the face and then complain to the world that you always have a
black eye...now wouldn't it?

As you work on your list, keep this mind: You are handed two
major tools in life-a hammer for building and a shovel for
digging. If you ever find yourself digging a hole deeper and
deeper and wishing you could get out of it, just stop digging!
Because, when it's all said and done . . .

We are exactly where we choose to be.


Keep Smilin'