All external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure - these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important.

If I want to reach my highest goals I must identify the underlying principles that lead me to success and I need to apply them.

We all want to succeed. One path to success is identifying the habits that can help me on my journey.

My individual talents, my creativity and experience define how I successfully implement and apply a specific principle. There is no general approach. The only general rule is to act in harmony with the rules of success.

Each of us tends to think we see things as they are, that we are objective. But this is not the case. We see the world, not as it is, but as we are – or as we are conditioned to see it.

In a connected world, reaching great achievements is only possible with interdependence skills; independence as the most important goal in life is now obsolete.

Correctly applied knowledge and efficient learning are essential factors for competitiveness and success. I want to continuously improve my learning habits and efficiently internalize what I have learned.

Blame (victimism) only leads to short-term relief but does not solve any problem. I take responsibility for my situation and take the initiative to solve challenges.

I am the creative force in my life. Life is much better with a positive attitude.

I can only find balance and inner peace if I develop a good sense of my highest priorities, focus on them and live in harmony with them.

If I listen deeply and sincerely, I will understand people better and can build deeper relationships. First understand, then be understood.

How many on their deathbeds wished they’d spent more time at the office or watching TV? The answer is, No one. They think about their loved ones, their families, and those they have served.

Start applying what you are learning. To learn and not to do is really not to learn. To know and not to do is really not to know.

There is no real excellence in all this world which can be separated from right living.

There are many people with a high degree of outward success, but they are still struggling with an inner need for developing personal effectiveness and growing healthy relationships with other people.

The way I see the world is entirely based on my own perceptions. Real, deep change starts within myself.

In order to change a given situation, I must change myself, and in order to change myself, I must be able to change my perceptions.

People often look for quick fixes, they see the success and want to learn the techniques. But these "shortcuts" are simply band-aids that will yield short-term solutions. They don't address the underlying condition.

Character Ethics: There are basic principles of effective living. People can only experience true success and enduring happiness as they learn and integrate these principles into their basic character.

Personality Ethics: Success is a function of personality, of public image, of attitudes and behaviors, skills and techniques, that lubricate the processes of human interaction. Without a solid character ethics, it is not a sustainable approach.

The way we see the problem is the problem

Learn to communicate and deal with people: it’s life’s most important skill.

I will allow myself to undergo paradigm shifts -- to change myself fundamentally and not just alter my attitudes and behaviours on the surface level -- in order to achieve true change.

I am focusing on self-mastery and moving from dependence to independence.

I develop teamwork, collaboration and communication skills, to move from independence to interdependence.

I take care of myself, I keep learning, improving and growing.

We must not cease from exploration and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we began and to know the place for the first time.

We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.

Sow a thought, reap an action; sow an action, reap a habit; sow a habit, reap a character; sow a character, reap a destiny.

I can choose the script by which I live my life. I use my self-awareness to be proactive and I take responsibility for my choices.

I have a natural need to wield influence on the world around me. I don’t want just reacting to external events and circumstances. I take charge and assume responsibility for my life.

My ability to examine my own character, to decide how I view myself and situations, and the ability to control my own effectiveness defines me as a human being.

If I want to be effective, I must be proactive. Act now.

I know of no more encouraging fact than the unquestionable ability of man to elevate his life by conscious endeavor.

Do not accept thoughts like “There's nothing I can do." or "That's just the way I am.", this is reactive thinking. The world is NOT happening to me, I am proactive.

If there is any problem, it is not “out there”, such kind of thoughts are the problem.

Reactive behaviour becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy and causes feelings of being increasingly victimized and out of control.

I have a responsibility or "response-ability," the ability to choose how I will respond to a given stimulus or situation.

It is our willing permission, our consent to what happens to us, that hurts us far more than what happened to us in first place.

Focus on the circle of influence instead on the circle of concern. Work on the things where I can do something about, that I can change.

God grant us the serenity to accept things we cannot change, the courage to change things we can, and the wisdom to know the difference.

If I am proactive, the positive energy I exert will cause my Circle of Influence to expand.

Avoid blaming external factors, emanating negative energy because it will cause to shrink my Circle of Influence. Don’t be reactive with a focus on the circle of concern.

Use proactive language, especially in my self-talk: Proactive = "I control my own feelings." Reactive = "He/She makes me so mad."

What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.

Imagine and visualize what I want to become or what I want to reach and how it feels after completion.

Clear, internalised objectives and values will guide me and use my subconsciousness to focus myself on the most important next task.

Only if I’m clear about my major, long-term goals I can align each and every single one of my decisions with them. Otherwise I risk climbing furiously a ladder, only to find out it’s leaned against the wrong wall when reaching the top!

Visualize my own funeral. Who would be there? What would they say about me? About my relationships? What do I want to say them?