achievement Archives - Cathy Stucker

Here is this week’s Monday Morning Message from Wm. H. Danforth, founder of Ralston Purina: What is the Monday Morning Message?

The great mass of humanity is satisfied with an ordinary level. Such people are not the worst, neither are they the best. Some of them even question any advance beyond the ordinary level. Their fight is simply to hold their own.

Our job as Leaders is to embody, yes even incarnate, that Higher Level before the very eyes of those around us. If we are to have dynamic influence, we must proclaim the message of these higher ideals, and then match our words by performance—actually living out these higher ideals.

He who would be a Leader must show by his own life—in his home, his business, his church, his community—the practicability of the new level to which he bids man come. He must carry his message in his face, in his acts. in his business, in his whole life.

This week let’s definitely set our hearts on a Higher Level; and through our daily habits force ourselves to live on this level.

Comparing ourselves to others can lead to being satisfied with an ordinary level of accomplishment. After all, as long as we are doing better than some other people, isn’t that good enough?

It might be good enough for those who aspire to be ordinary, but not for those who want to be their best. And that is the key—being YOUR best, not as good as someone else or better than someone else, but the best you can be.

Until the day you achieve perfection (and don’t hold your breath waiting for that!) there will always be room to improve. Look for ways you can reach new levels in all areas of your life.

This week’s Monday Morning Message from Wm. H. Danforth, founder of Ralston Purina: What is the Monday Morning Message?

Here are three quotations form Henry Ford’s (pictured at right) book, “My Life and Work.”

He says of Thomas A. Edison: His knowledge is almost universal. He is interested in every conceivable subject, and he recognizes no limitations. He believes that all things are possible. At the same time, he keeps his feet on the ground. He goes forward step by step. He regards “impossible” as a description for that which we have not at the moment the knowledge to achieve.

An educated man is not one whose memory is trained to carry a few dates in history— he is one who can accomplish things. A man who cannot think is not an educated man, however many college degrees he may have acquired. Thinking is the hardest work any one can do—which is probably the reason why we have so few thinkers.

Everything can always be done better than it is being done.

What will you do this week to retain some of the above thoughts so that the effect will be noticeable in your life?

Of the three quotes above, the one that spoke most clearly to me is the last: Everything can always be done better than it is being done.

How often do we accept things, shrugging and thinking, “That’s just the way it is.” In fact, anything and everything can be done better.

This week, instead of accepting what is, look for how you can make things better for yourself and others.