There is a difference between great people who fall, and people who are considered failures. Great people who fall always get back up. They do not stay down. Many millionaires have been bankrupt at some point in their lives. Bankruptcy did not cause them to end their careers as failures. These great people got up from their loss and started over again.

A great football player recently made a crucial mistake in a game. Will that mistake end his career? Does that mistake make him a failure? Will he allow his mind to bombard him with thoughts about what he did wrong? Will he berate himself about what he should have done? Only time will tell if this athlete stays down. Will he allow his mistake to condemn him as a failure or will he choose to get up. Will he forgive himself? Will he forgive others who criticize him for the mistake?

Is there a person anywhere who has not made a mistake? That person does not exist. What is the mistake you are grappling with in your mind? Forgive yourself. Forgive others who are critical of you. Now be the great person that you are. Get up and start over again!

Serving others is a key to finding fulfillment in your life. People today are experiencing great difficulties. Many are hurting, confused and struggling to find answers to their problems.

Go find these people. They may be in your neighborhood. They may be where you work. Some of these people may be your relatives, your hairdresser or your children's teachers. You have what they need. You may not be able to solve their problems but you can listen to them.

People today need someone who cares about them. They need someone who will reach out to them with concern and compassion. Albert Schweitzer was a man who committed his life to helping others. He has been called one of the greatest Christians of his time. Public acknowledgment of his selfless commitment to humanity was given to him in 1952 when he won the Nobel Peace Prize. Schweitzer once said, "The purpose of human life is to serve and to show compassion and the will to help others."

Who can you reach out to today? Who can you serve today? You will only know deep fulfillment in life when you choose to serve others!

Maintain a thankful heart at all times. Too many people spend their time criticizing, complaining and finding fault. Usually, these people miss the best things in life because of their negative outlook.

Find the one thing you can be thankful for in your difficult situation.

Are you thankful for the nation where you live?

Amighty oak tree began as a small acorn. A baby started as a small embryo. A river began as a few small drops of water that trickled into a ravine. You may be standing in a place where your life, your finances or your healing appear to be small. Yet, the seed of increase is within your situation.

I read the story of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's determination to work his body so that his mind would function well. His father told him, "You have the mind, but you have not the body, and without the help of the body the mind cannot go as far as it should. You must make the body." Roosevelt began exercising everyday. He worked out with weights, hiked, ice-skated, hunted, rowed, boxed and rode horseback. He worked his mind through reading about people who were fearless and those he admired.

Roosevelt knew that he possessed a sickly and puny body. He also knew that he could start where he was with something small. He could turn his status in life into something big and powerful if he would continue to press forward all the time. Roosevelt could not merely dream of something big for his life. He had to act on what he possessed.

Years later, after many major accomplishments in his life, Roosevelt died. At the time of his death they discovered a book under his pillow. He was faithful to continue in his pursuit as long as there was breath in his body. You can do the same thing. Take another look at the small thing in your life, your ministry or your business. What can you begin to do today? What can you do everyday that can result in increase? You were destined for increase. Begin a new habit today by acting rather than merely dreaming. Watch your small thing become big.

Focus on your objectives and not your obstacles. Most people look at situations from a negative vantage point. ·   

• What if something bad happens?

• Will I have enough money to do this?

• How will I get this done?

Looking at the difficulties causes people to be problem oriented rather than goal oriented.  It is easy to get hung up on the obstacles along the way and lose the joy of accomplishing the goal. Some of the obstacles may only be the imagination of problems and not the reality of the situation. 

President John F. Kennedy was a man who overcame many obstacles in life. While he was on active duty in the Pacific, the Japanese destroyed the boat under his command. Despite a back injury, he showed great heroism in rescuing his crew. Kennedy once said "A man does what he must - in spite of personal consequences, in spite of obstacles and dangers and pressures - and that is the basis of all human morality."

Do what you must do. Do it in spite of the obstacles on your path.

• What if something good happens?

• What if you locate enough money to finish the task?

• What if you find yourself accomplishing something you never thought you could do?

Keep a positive viewpoint and you'll achieve your goals despite the obstacles designed to hinder you.

The desire for comfort has created much of life as we know it. Air conditioners were invented to keep us cool during hot seasons. Roofs were installed to shelter us from rain, snow and insects. Electricity is used for many purposes including the provision of light in the midst of darkness. Commercials for new automobiles tout the latest amenities that you supposedly cannot live without. Although the desire for comfort may be one of life's priorities, comfort can also be a hindrance to achieving your goals.

T. Harv Eker, president of Peak Potentials Training went from zero to a millionaire in only two and a half years. He says: "the only time you are actually growing is when you are uncomfortable." Being comfortable may give you warm fuzzy feelings. Yet, these feelings do not usually cause you to grow. Successful people have learned how to live by becoming comfortable in the uncomfortable zone. The desire for comfort causes you to shrink back from your fears. The need for comfort keeps you from developing new relationships. You can see from these statements that comfort can be your enemy.

The next time you are uncomfortable, congratulate yourself. Say to yourself, I must really be growing. Now embrace those uncomfortable feelings. You have just entered your new season of being comfortable in being uncomfortable.