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Welcome to AYD, and may this be the start of great things to come.
Pierre

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"What can we do, starting today, to build lasting success?"...."We all want to be part of something. We all want to feel great about the choices we make."

Thursday, May 31, 2012

AYD - June 1, 2012 - Be a Contribution

" Strolling along the edge of the sea, a man catches sight of a young woman who appears to be engaged in a ritual dance.  She stoops down, then straightens to her full height, casting her arm out in an arc.  Drawing closer, he sees that the beach around her is littered with starfish, and she is throwing them one by one into the sea.  He lightly mocks her: "There are stranded starfish as far as the eye can see, for miles up the beach. What difference can saving a few of them possibly make?"  Smiling, she bends down and once more tosses a starfish out over the water, saying serenely, "It certainly makes a difference to this one."
- Passage from 'The Art of Possibility' - Chapter 4, Being a Contribution

Sometimes, a little goes a long way.  And if we all believe it, our 'little' compounds with the little offered by others.  It all adds up.  You might be the one that starts it.  You may never know, if your contribution was paid forward by another, but if you feel it, if you believe that it is, then you will feel better about making another contribution.  And there is another way, that your first contribution carries on making a difference.

I only ask that you just take a moment with your thoughts of today's little passage.  Reflect on some little contribution you have made...and enjoy being the contributor as much as someone appreciated your contribution.

Have a wonderful weekend.

Pierre Couturier
Husband, Daddy, Author, Contributor

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

AYD - May 30, 2012 - Listen to Yourself

"Most of the successful people I've known are the ones who do more listening than talking."
- Bernard Baruch

The word Success, does not have to come with a mental picture of a mansion and possessions and a pile of money.  Success...is achieving your results, and sometimes it comes in small, unnoticable writing on the wall.

Talking, is also a word that does not have to mean what you normally picture.  You do not have to be verbally speaking to anyone, or standing on the street corner talking passionately to air.  You may just find yourself with alot of inner "talking" going on.  Have you ever gotten really quiet, like middle of the nite noone around for miles quiet, and wished you had a volume button for all the chatter going on in your own head?

Did you ever consider how many conversations we have with ourselves...all....day....long? Constant, impolite, pushy, know it all, self made chatter. It is even more annoying when you find yourself repeating...yourself...to yourself.



It is these conversations, these talks, that distract me from more active, and progressive listening.

When your head gets so busy that you are interupting you - pause for station identification...and just let one side speak, and the other side listen like it was a beautiful harmony.  One melody of thought.  The rest will wait their turn. 

You will accumulate more successful moments listening to one idea,  and making the others raise their hands to speak.

Good morning,
Shhh...the voice said go back to bed.

Pierre Couturier
Husband, Daddy, Author, Thought Conductor

Monday, May 28, 2012

AYD - May 29, 2012 - You Have What You Need

"Let us not be content to wait and see what will happen, but give us the determination to make the right things happen."
- Horace Mann - 1796-1859, Education Reformer and Politician

There are hundreds of books I am sure about Goal Setting. Tons and tons of dialogue about sitting down and identifying your goal, ask yourself the “Why?” of it, and list the steps you will take to get there.

I have often said here that you then need to look at each step to get to it, and not overwhelm yourself with the intimidation of the Whole Goal. Celebrate each step forward and build your self belief, and your momentum driving you on to the next step; bringing your objective into view.

Today I felt it was necessary to also discuss taking inventory of the elements you already possess and the need to become familiar with them, so that you can use them to take charge of the starting line of any goal.

Part of this list, I will grant you right away, to help you get started.

Courage. Yes I know you will hear it or have heard people tell you that it, “Takes a lot of courage to do what you are doing.” I just need to ask you, Have you recognized this within? It is not just the courage of stating what you are going to do, rather I am referring to YOU accepting your starting point on the journey. Embracing your beginning point – recognizing it.

For someone wanting to lose weight, it is embracing the number or size or visual representation they see now … and saying, “Okay, now I know where I am, let me see where I can go.”

For someone wanting to run a marathon, it is going for that first run around the block, stopping because you are winded, and saying, “Okay, I know how far I can go away from the car before I am in trouble, tomorrow let’s shoot for 1.5 times around the block.” ( No connection to me here whatsoever.)

For a writer setting a goal of writing a book, it might be simple enuf to accept that you do not know where to begin…and a little research is in order.


Courage to identify and embrace the starting line for what it is, and not to trip over it and look for an excuse to stall. This puts your goal within reach.

Wisdom. The wisdom to ask for help from those who have taken the journey before you and have knowledge to share.

Ignoring the footsteps of someone successful before you is committing Goal Suicide. You may as well admit you are stubborn to a fault if you convince yourself you have to do it on your own for it to mean something. Bull.

I feel you must understand that it is not weakness to call on resources for guidance or experience to get you started on the right foot – it is Triumph. For you are smart enuf to ask for knowledge you need but do not yet have – for the benefit of your goal. You still have to learn it, you still have to adopt and apply the experience to your own circumstances. You still have to measure you own success.

Training for an endurance race, a person with some base knowledge is wise to call on someone with direct knowledge for guidance in training for those elements they are not fully aware of. Take the knowledge, apply to your body, surround it with the goal… and see results start to flourish.

Writing my book, I recognized the opportunity to call upon someone openly offering their expertise, and I saved countless hours trying to find my starting line and relax with my priorities in order. Without that expertise, I would still just have a box of notes tucked behind everything in the closet.

Should you set out on a goal….today, tomorrow…or if you shared a moment with a dream yesterday… before you start to worry…remember you have Courage, and Wisdom to keep your vision clear. Let them set the dial on your determination, and you will see growth with every thought you dedicate to your Goal.

You can do it, and you have all the tools you need to get started.

Good Morning
Pierre Couturier

Husband, Daddy, Author, and Tool Collector

AYD - May 28, 2012 - Opportunity

"Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work."
- Author Unknown

I have quoted this before, but cannot find the author this morning.  The message still holds true. 
And maybe not more on any day than this one;  an Opportunity Monday.
We often have written this day off before it has begun.  In so doing, we have just lost a full day to set our week on track and on schedule to be a great one.

Do not let Opportunity Monday slip by.  Work now, lets your weekend become more relaxed for your efforts.

Good morning.

Pierre Couturier
Husband, Daddy, Author and Fellow Monday Champion