The following contains excerpts from the book, Today Matters (John Maxwell).
At our music school in Midland, Texas we believe that music is more than sound, it is relationships. In Leadership, the subject of relationships is paramount, and one of the most profound relationships that can be had is the relationships with one’s self. Learning to lead one’s own life with excellence and integrity is the first step toward leading others on that journey.
The premise of the book is that however you want your life to turn out, each day must reflect those values, goals and priorities. Making each day a ‘masterpiece’ is how to reach life-goals. The book is divided into twelve sections, based upon Maxwell’s ‘daily dozen’ topics.
Prior to these sections, he discusses the understanding of what ‘success’ really means. “The root problem is that most people misunderstand success. If we have a faulty view of success, we take a faulty approach to our day. As a result, today falls to pieces.” We must be prepared for opportunity when it comes. “When opportunity comes, it’s too late to prepare.” (John Wooden) Real sustainable change doesn’t happen in a moment. It’s a process. Pulitzer prize-winning journalist Willian Allen White observed, “Multitudes of people have failed to live for today. They have spent their lives reaching for the future. What they have had within their grasp today they have missed entirely, because only the future has intrigued them…and the first thing they knew the future because the past.” Hoping for a good future without investing in today is like a farmer waiting for a crop without ever planting any seed.
As teachers at our music school in Midland, Texas we instill into our students the value of daily progress. Many people are looking for the big events to define their lives, while it is the daily, incremental progress that produces results that last.
The secret of your success is determined by your daily agenda. There are only a handful of important decisions people need to make in their entire lifetimes. If you make decisions in those key areas once and for all- and then manage those decisions daily- you can create the kind of tomorrow you desire. Successful people make right decisions early and manage those decisions daily. You will never change your life until you change something you do daily. “The secret of success in life is for a man to be ready for his time when it comes.” (Benjamin Disraeli)
I believe there are two ingredients necessary to make every day a masterpiece: decisions and discipline. They are like two sides of the same coin; you could call them “goal-setting” and “goal getting.”
Commitment
What were you born to do? What do you think your future holds? Do you believe you have a purpose or a destiny? If so, will you fulfill it? To become the person you have the potential to be, you will need great tenacity. That quality comes from commitment.
In order to attain progress studying at our music school in Midland, Texas the student must exercise their autonomy by personal daily practice and discipline. This ultimately translates into their life-decisions in any endeavor.
Clergyman and author Maltbie D. Babcock said, “One of the most common mistakes and one of the costliest, is thinking that success is due to some genius, some magic something or other which we do not possess. Success is generally due to holding on and failure to let go. You decide to learn a language, study music, take a course in reading, train yourself physically. Will it be a success of failure? It depends upon how much pluck and perseverance that word ‘decide’ contains. The decision that nothing will overrule, the grip that nothing can detach will bring success.”
“People forget how fast you did a job- but they remember how well you did it.” (Howard W. Newton)
“The moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issue from the decision, raising in one’s favor all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance which no man could have dreamed would come his way.” (William H. Murray)
When you accomplish something that you once believed was impossible, it makes you a new person. It changes the way you see yourself and the world.
Your choices are the only thing you truly control. You cannot control your circumstances, nor can you control others. By focusing on your choices, and then making them with integrity, you control your commitment. And that is what often separates success from failure.
“When you’re interested in something, you do it only when it’s convenient. When you’re committed to something, you accept no excuses, only results.” (Ken Blanchard)
At our music school in Midland, Texas we encourage students to stay the course, pursuing their dreams based upon their unique individual talents. As they persevere, they begin to see progress and, ultimately, success.
Finances
“The average American is busy buying things he doesn’t want with money he doesn’t have to impress people he doesn’t like.” (O. Donald Olson)
“Money doesn’t change men, it merely unmasks them. If a man is naturally selfish, or arrogant, or greedy, the money brings it out; that’s all.” (Henry Ford)
The bottom line is that money is nothing but a tool. It is good for helping one achieve goals, but the goal of getting money for its own sake is ultimately hollow.
A good pattern to live by is: 10% to church/charity, 10% to investments, 80% to living expenses.
“If a person gets his attitude toward money straight, it will help straighten our almost every other area of his life.” (Billy Graham)
Time is even more valuable than money. You can always get more money, but you can’t get more time. Using time well, by having proper training and knowledge is what we endeavor to give students at our music school in Midland, Texas.
Michael Kidwell and Steve Rhode, authors of ‘Get Out of Debt: Smart Solutions to Your Money Problems,” believe, “Every person in debt is suffering from some type of depression. Debt is one of the leading causes of divorce, lack of sleep, and poor work performance. It is truly one of the deep dark secrets that people have. It robs them of their self-worth and keeps them from achieving dreams.”
The difference between the rich and the poor is that the rich invest their money and spend what’s left, while the poor spend their money and invest what’s left.
Investing in one’s self, through personal development is similar. At our music school in Midland, Texas we encourage students to understand the compounding nature of daily personal investment in their own growth and empowerment for their future.
“Do not pay too much attention to fame, power, or money. Some day you will meet a person who cares for none of these, and then you will know how poor you are.” (Rudyard Kipling)
“Money can go where I do not have time to go, where I do not have a passport to go. My money can go in my place and heal and bless and feed and help. A man’s money is an extension of himself.” (Bruce Larson)
“Earn all you can, save all you can, give all you can.” (John Wesley)