First we form habits, then they form us. Conquer your bad habits, or they will eventually conquer you. In times of stress, be bold and valiant. Do what you can, with what you have, where you are. Begin to be now what you will be hereafter. In the long run, men hit only what they aim at. Therefore, they had better aim at something high. Change and growth take place when a person has risked himself, and dares to become involved in experimenting with his own life. First we will be best, and then we will be first. There is a time for departure even when there is no certain place to go.

Imagine you only have one year to live. What important things would you be doing? How would you be allotting your time to accomplish the most you could? This exercise is one method of going after your priorities. Nothing determines who we will become so much as those things we choose to ignore. People are always blaming their circumstances for what they are. I do not believe in circumstances. The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want, and, if they cannot find them, make them. The wisest men follow their own direction. Whoever I am and whatever I am doing, some kind excellence is within my reach.