Life is how we perceive it to be.

Our perception at any given moment is influenced by our attitudes.

A negative attitude breeds pessimism, resentment and hopelessness.

A positive mental attitude leaves a person feeling optimistic, grateful, happy and hopeful for the future.

Watch this video to learn how you can adjust your attitude to a positive one so you can begin enjoying a life with more opportunities and success.

Know Your Personal Strengths

 As I was playing chess today it dawned on me that when I was analyzing my strategy and possible moves for my chess pieces I  focused on how to best use each piece according to it’s power or strengths. In other words, I planned each moves according to what each game piece could do – not couldn’t do.

  If you have ever played chess you understand there are limitations to each one of the pieces on the board and the key is to utilizes the power of each piece effectively to overcome and beat your opponent. If you limited your vision to what each piece could not do when planning your strategy, you would not get very far. In fact I can safely bet that you would lose the game.

  What are you focusing on in your life? Your strengths or limitations?  Are you caught in the trap of focusing on what you cannot do instead of what you can do? So many people get stuck in life because they dwell on their limitations to the point of putting themselves in a state of fear and panic. It doesn’t surprise me at all they cannot figure out their next move.

Make Your Move From Your Personal Strengths

 Lets face it, we all have limitations. We each have our strong points and our weak points. Pay attention to the things that come natural to you, the things that empower and energize you and place your focus there. When setting goals and planning the steps to achieve these goals focus on your power and the moves you can make.

  What about your weaknesses and limitations?  This is where you look for outside help and team up with people who have strength where you are weak and your strengths compliment their weaknesses. Just like the pieces on a chess board when used together can overcome the opponent, you will conquer your goals and objectives by combining your strengths with others.

Slawek Polinski

Don’t Stop Until Your Last At Bat

  I remember this very clearly and I can’t believe it was 11 years ago. I was sitting in the bleachers watching my son’s (Christopher) Little League baseball game. He came up to bat in the bottom of the 9th inning with bases loaded and two outs. With the pitch and the crack of the bat, it was clear what was about to happen. The baseball shot off  of Chris’s bat  bat like a rocket and sailed over the fence for a Grand Slam – Home Run!  As Chris rounded the bases, every one stood up to give him a standing ovation and and I was so happy for him that I just couldn’t swallow the lump in my throat or dry my watery eyes. The thing that made this moment special was that Chris began playing baseball when he was 5 years old and like all young baseball players – they dream of hitting that long one out of the park. In this particular game it was not only Chris’s last at bat for that game, it was also his last at bat for his Little League career. Chris was in 8th grade and this was his last at bat and last game. It was also his very first Home Run and Grand Slam.

See Your Goals Through

  This story came to mind as I was thinking about how many people throw in the towel of defeat before they have chance to realize their goals and visions. There are too many people who easily get discouraged and never make it to their last at bat. They don’t see their goals through to the end.  Now there is no guarantee that you will hit your Home Run but I do know that if you do see your goals through to completion and don’t stop half way, you will not suffer from hearing these two words…“What If.”

The only time you  fail is when you decide to quit.

Slawek Polinski

Without Stimulation – Your Brain Will Die

   I know this sounds extreme and scary and it is true all the same. Your brain is in many ways, just like the other muscles in your body; the more you exercise it the stronger it will get. The more you stimulate your mind with challenges and knowledge, the sharper your thinking will become. Obstacles in your life are easily overcome with solutions because your brain has become accustomed to problem solving.

   People who get stuck in life and are unable to find their way out are typically the same people who let their brains go inactive or run away from any challenges that come up for them. The more you avoid engaging your brain in problem solving, analytical thinking or knowledge gathering the weaker it will become and the more dependent you will become on others to lead you and to do your thinking for you.

 It’s Never Too Late To Start Exercising Your Brain

As long as you are still breathing it is never too late to awaken and strengthen your thinking process. A few years ago I suffered a neck injury which pinched off the nerve to my right arm. Since the nerves were unable to fire and stimulate the muscles in my arm, in a matter of months I witnessed the detereoration in the muscles of my arm to the point where I had lost about 75% of my strength. My tricep muscle literally disappeared in that short period of time.

Luckily I had surgery before there was any permanent nerve or muscle damage and today with the help of a set exercise routine, my muscles and their strength are returning.

   Not stimulating the muscles of your brain will have the same effect…your brain will become weaker and it will lose its strength. Just like beginning an exercise program for your physical body, it is never too late to wake up your brain and get it working again to rebuild its strength. Our bodies are remarkable because they have the ability to repair and strengthen themselves as long as we are willing to take the proper action. Begin reading thought provoking personal development and motivational books, listening to instructional CDs, join mastermind and networking groups and you’ll begin to see the powerful thinking that was always yours to have, come back to you.

Slawek Polinski

Learn To Face Your Challenges

  Every Day people are faced with challenges in their lives and with each challenge comes an important decision to make. Should you face it or avoid it? Hit it head on or run like hell from it? You can answer these questions by asking yourself one more.

Do you want to grow and evolve as a person or do you want to be stuck right where you are?

What Is The Key To Your Personal Development?

 By facing and working through the challenges that show up in your life, you will gain strength, courage and confidence which will prepare you for what lies ahead. By running from challenge and adversity you become a victim in life. You won’t grow as an individual and you will always blame outside circumstances for your problems. Like an exercise program where you build up strength only after doing  consistent work on your physical body, each challenge we come to in our life is there to build our inner strength and to prepare us for bigger and better things down the road.

  An Excerpt From My Upcoming Book, “From Stinking To Thinking”

  I just wanted to share a portion of my book with you. These few paragraphs explain how my life has changed over the years or better yet, how it finally began. The title of the book is “From Stinking To Thinking” and is in the process of being edited. My book is now available as a digital download at a special introductory investment of only $14.97. I have provided you with a link at the end of this article so you can get your copy today. I hope you enjoy it.

From Stinking To Thinking

  My wife and I were sitting in our family room, relaxing at the end of the day when a few books I have been reading that were laying on the coffee table caught my attention.  These were books on the topics of motivation, personal development and leadership.  Looking at these books, I began to smile and then the smile turned to laughter and Laurie asked me what I found so funny.  I asked her, “five years ago would you have ever thought I would be reading books like these?”  Laurie’s response was, “five years ago I didn’t think you knew how to read!”  We laughed together and that night I thought of how much my life had changed over the last five years and how grateful I now am for the new direction and passion I have for life.  It wasn’t so long ago where my life seemed to be unraveling at the seams as I was falling into depression and addiction and I just had an ugly outlook on life in general.  Living was painful for me then and I chose to numb myself from the pain rather than take action to turn it around.  I came dangerously close to destroying my marriage and my family and at the low point of my life I did not do much more with my time than to watch television, drink beer and zone out of reality.

 I felt complete hopelessness in my life and I wanted to change but I did not have a clue as to where I was to begin.  I felt overwhelmed and powerless so I did nothing, absolutely nothing for years. I would wish for things to be different and yet I just couldn’t get myself off of the road to disaster.

 In June of 2008, I suffered a neck injury while working with the company I have been with for 28 years and the disk herniation was so severe that within just a couple of months I lost 90% of the strength to my right arm.  Being right handed this became an enormous challenge for me filled with emotional struggle and more depression. I was unable to work any longer and my doctor scheduled me for cervical fusion surgery to be performed on that December.

The first few weeks off of work weren’t that bad, heck other than the pain; it was almost like being on vacation. It was around October so the weather was still nice and I was still a couple months from surgery. Then one day it hit me and I felt a sense of fear I have never experienced before. I remember sitting there at home wondering what the heck was going to happen to me? I remember standing in my family room looking at the blank television with the vision of me sitting there on the couch for hours a day, drinking beer and watching TV. As I stood there being scared of the life that awaited me, I began to think of what happened to my dad after he retired from his job as a machinist for 30 years. He went from being a busy, hard working man to one who slept a lot, drank often and did very little in between.  He suffered two massive strokes within six months of his retirement followed by a long list of health complications until the day he died. I also thought of my brother who passed away from heart disease just a year earlier, which was most likely due to his daily drinking and unhealthy lifestyle. He was only 54 years old.

  All of a sudden that fear and panic I was feeling was replaced with anger and determination. “I am not going to let that happen to me! Enough is enough,” I said to myself. I don’t know what came over me and the best I could in describing it is; it was like someone finally pulled back the curtain for me and everything became crystal clear.  I knew at that moment, the choice was all mine and I could either wallow in self-pity or I could choose to take control of my life and destiny. This was the turning point in my life and today I can say that the injury and surgery were the greatest gifts I could have received at that moment. It was the much needed slap in the face to snap me out of the funk I was in.

That is where my journey to self-discovery, motivation, discipline and a new passion for life began and I haven’t turned back.  I began investing in books, audio tapes and seminars so that I could learn how to live my life differently and with joy, purpose and direction. There are so many inspiring people I have had the privilege to meet and learn from along the way and I am grateful to each one of them.

  As I am writing this book, I am awaiting my third spine related surgery in two years and I know without a doubt, if I did not commit to making a stand for my life on that day, I would have suffered the same fate as my dad or brother. From that day forward, as my passion for living began improving so did the other parts of my life such as my marriage and my family. My life has been a blessing since and as I have been learning the steps to living a more fulfilled and purposeful life, my mission has become to teach and guide others who have suffered as I have and to help them achieve the life they before only dreamed of. I am committed to transforming uninspired and unfulfilled lives to ones of direction, motivation and inspiration.

 Let Go Of Your Fear

  Yes, it is that four letter word that holds many people back from being able to achieve all that they were put on this earth to do. The fear of failure is by far the biggest crippling mindset a person could have. A person gets so caught up with the thought of not accomplishing a goal and what happens as a result is, they end up not even giving it a shot which leads to regret and that is even more painful than the fear itself.

 What Is The Big Deal Over Failing?

  Really, what is the big deal if things don’t work out on the first, second or third try? It’s not really failure until you give up trying because up until that point what you are doing is adjusting your strategy towards success. Why would you even think that you know everything there is to know to accomplish a goal before you set out to do it? Outside circumstances are constantly changing so strategies that might have worked a year ago are no longer valid and that is why trial and adjustment (not error) is necessary.

  Are you worried that everyone is watching and waiting to see if you fail? Get over yourself, you’re not that important! What I mean by that is all people are the same and all people are concerned with their own lives and their own families first and don’t have time to be watching what you and I do.

Give Yourself Permission To Fail

 Yes, the bottom line is after you have exhausted every option and you still cannot make it work, just let go and move onto something else. Somewhere along the way we have been conditioned to believe failing is bad and that is just a shame because that mindset paralyzes people and gets them stuck in their life. Just think how different life would be if we were congratulated and rewarded on our failed attempts and punished and ridiculed for not making the attempts.

People Do Not Disappoint Me

  Yes I know I am an optimist and I am OK with that. I have for a while now, made it a habit to look for the good in people…to trust in them and since then I have been pleasantly surprised. I find myself surrounded by many happy, positive people who generally want to do good for others and for themselves. I believe most people are good at the core and want to be honest, happy and of service to the people in their lives. Yes, sometimes they make mistakes or exercise poor judgement and so what, we all do at times. One mistake should not erase all the great acts in a persons life and yet when we expect the worst in people that is exactly what happens.

What You Focus On, Expands

  What you should ask yourself is how would you rather live your life? Would you rather live in fear and distrust the people you come in contact with, waiting for the next disappointment or would you like to live your life in peace knowing that everyone usually does the best they can at any given moment. Constantly judging others and waiting for them to fail is very stressful because you have to look very hard and for a very long time for them to prove you right. What a waste of time!

  Expect good things from people and they will come through for you time and time again. I was blessed today by the generosity of my mentor – James Malinchak - who after hearing of a challenge I am currently going through, called to wish me well and to let me know he will work with me around this challenge.


Yes I am blessed because the people in my life do not disappoint me.

Slawek Polinski

Why Is A Daily Routine Important For Your Personal Development?

Let’s face it, many of us live very busy lives so our days are filled with various activities and some of which can be stressful. We cannot always control what happens in the middle of our days, though we can control what happens when our day begins and how it ends. Having a set daily routine or “power routine” as I like to call it, helps us make sure we start our day off right and finish it right, no matter what chaos transpires in the middle. My personal, daily routine has been crucial in my personal development growth and is one of the subjects in my upcoming book, “From Stinking To Thinking.” Without a strong routine or system in your day, it is easy for your day to just slip away from you, leaving you no closer to your goals.

  The following is an example of my morning and evening routines:

 I usually have all the above done by 7 am and I’m ready to take on the day. My brain has been activated properly with positive, powerful thoughts and I have plenty of oxygen flowing through my body. I have to admit that because I do wake up quite early and sometimes I hit a low around 2 pm so what I do is take a 20 min. power nap ( no longer) and then I am ready to rock and roll to the end of the day and this is how I wind it down.

The evening routine is just as important as the morning because you want to take the time to wind things down properly before going to sleep. While asleep your subconscious mind keeps working and will digest the last things you feed it and that is why it is important to fill it with positive and powerful thoughts.

 What Happens If The Daily Routine Is Broken?

I’m bringing this point up because it has happened to me before and it just happened again today. Sometimes life just happens and our plans get thrown off. Today there was a task that needed to be completed early in the morning so I was not able to get my workout in. What happened was my day felt out of sorts, like things were just not fitting in. So what did I do? I decided to get a little mini workout in to get me back on track and it worked just beautifully. I went on with the rest of my day with the focus and energy of a typical day. What I found was when you have a good routine, it is a system for how your whole day operates. You disrupt your system, you disrupt your day. Many times all it takes is just a minor adjustment to get you back on track to move on with your day effectively.

  Let’s face it we all have good intentions and many of them fail when we don’t design a system of implementation for them. A system or a routine allows you to get into a certain rhythm in your day and once this turns into a habit you will find yourself achieving all that you intend to. People who establish a daily routine based on solid good habits will be much more successful in their life than those who do not.

Slawek Polinski

A Mindset Change Is What You Really Need

  This is a very common scenario: Things start going bad in an individual’s life and one of the first things that comes to their mind is that “things have to change.” Most times what these people are really saying is, “other things need to change.” When people find their lives in a rut, they feel they need to shake things up and bring excitement back into their lives. This is just what they feel they need to do to get their life back on track. Unfortunately many people aren’t shaking up what needs to be shaken up and that is themselves.

It’s Always Someone Else’s Fault

  When life is not going as you have planned and you are living a life of boredom and frustration it is easy to point fingers at other people, places or things…isn’t it. You might feel a change in spouse, career or home is just what you need so you drop your boring life and everything that was attached to it and venture off for your new life with excitement and enthusiasm! Things are going to be so much different this time, so much better.

  So there you are loving your new life in your new home, your new career and your new spouse! Life is great! Fast forward a year, maybe two and now you find yourself in the same rut as before. You’re not happy, you’re frustrated and depressed – life is just as it was before. What happened?

 ***You didn’t change what really needed to change…you.***

What? I’m supposed To Be Responsible For My Own Happiness?

  You got it! If you want happiness in your relationships, career or in the community in which you live, you need to look no further than yourself. That is where all your happiness begins and ends. This thought is far too painful to consider for many people so they go on in their lives pointing fingers. Remember, when one finger is pointing away from you, there are three more pointing right back at you (as it should be).

  I have worked 30 years of my life for UPS where I have performed various jobs there. Beginning at age 17, I worked the docks (loading and sorting packages). I have supervised employees, delivered packages -yes that was me in the brown shorts, delivering packages to your front door- and I also drove the big semi-trailer rigs. With each new job position brought the excitement of new challenges to overcome and new things to learn and with time the excitement faded and my restlessness crept back into my life which affected my personal and family life. Yes, I was that person who used to look to other people, places and things to bring happiness into my life. Once I realized it was my responsibility to bring happiness into life and not the other way around, everything changed.

Slawek Polinski

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