There are things that matter and things that don’t. Some of those beliefs and ideas that don’t matter can actually poison the soul and kick us where it counts. Here are 4 things that don’t matter. But they can also lead to destroyed lives of waisted potential and deep sadness. Avoid these pitfalls for a much more rewarding life of happiness and decency.

When we live lives disconnected from those things that truly matter, sidetracked by the unimportant, lost in the frivolous, distracted by the superficial, our lives start to ring hollow, empty and vacant. But when we fill our lives with weightier things, our lives feel bigger, more meaningful and happier.

Anyone can influence change in one person. So why not two? Or ten? Or more? Even if I only help 10 people make life-altering changes, that’s 10 of 7 billion people who change. You see, by changing any part of the world, I’ve changed the world itself just as changing an ingredient in a cake, changes the cake. And even 1/7,000,000,000th of a change is still a change. So let’s go change the world! We only need one thing. Come see what it is!

“Often, the moment when personal change begins is like thunder. We are startled by what we keep down inside of us.” ~ Alex Blackwell Change can be scary! It can be very scary. It can

Happiness isn’t much like most other goals we pursue. You can aim directly at losing weight, for example, or learning Chinese. But not so much with happiness because happiness is the natural byproduct of other traits that can be more directly targeted. So what is happiness? What are the characteristics that compose it? Come read and see how much of its parts are a part of you.

Much of what I’ve been able to accomplish over the past few years – being a father, writing a book, staying energized in my day job – came about largely because of what I learned from doing laundry. Gradually, three principles emerged from the never-ending supply of dirty socks. Following them not only allowed me to keep my kids clothed most of the time. They also nurtured a personal breakthrough, taking my writing career in new directions during the absolute busiest time of my life.

Instead of enjoying the life they already have, many people spend their waking moments worrying about all that could possibly go wrong. Death is seen as something to be avoided at all costs – the idea is to live as long and as safely as possible. Instead of thriving, these people simply survive.

The test of one’s moral convictions is not in the safety of a questionnaire or in the sterile environment of a trial study, but in the field, in real life, when and where it counts. That’s where true moral courage is necessary. And it’s in those moments that standing up for what’s right can make a world of difference. What kind of world are you willing to help create? One in which we collectively sit and wait? Or one wherein we stand to be counted?

If a statue were to be erected in your honor, what would it be sculpted to look like? Would the statue be holding a pen, a ball, a child or lifting a fallen stranger from the ground? Or would it instead be clutching a TV remote and a bag of chips with the look of boredom dully etched onto its granite face? What are you doing with your life? Are you living it primarily on your butt or on your feet? What do you stand for? What are you committed to?

Countries have constitutions. Companies have corporate mission statements. Clubs and other organizations have vision statements, taglines or mottos. So why not us? I recently asked some blogging friends to share their mottos here at M2bH. The result is 15 mottos that inspire and motivate.

Our mottos become guide posts and verbal beacons along the road we travel. They are the street names on the map of life. They are the rhetorical equivalence of a compass to help us get our bearings and stay on course. They also reflect the heart of our hearts. They are terse statements of deep value, of what we aspire to be. They also help teach the fundamental ideas we want to pass on to others, especially our children.

Millions upon millions of corporations, nations, cities and states, government agencies, non-profit organizations, clubs and events have created and adopted mottos as expressions of what they want to be and how they want to be seen, what they strive for and as a reflection of their core beliefs and values and as a way to infuse into the organization those values they want absorbed into the organizational climate. Why not individual and family mottos as well?

What stops you from breaking through the brick walls in your life and experiencing the life you dream of? Most obstacles to doing what we want are self-imposed, created in the chambers of our minds and hearts. One of those self-defeating ways of thinking is to think in worst-case scenarios. Come read 5 ways to break through that mental trap to the life you truly want.

Guest post: “I believe that you are only one idea away from realizing your full potential and turning your passion into a wildly profitable venture. One bold crazy idea can generate mega buzz in your market that turns your passion into a worldwide sensation. Here are 10 ways to find such creative ideas that turn your passion into profits.”

Have you ever revisited your priorities because of some unexpected external shove? That recently happened to me. It all started when my router coughed its last breath and went off to router heaven. I was stranded, alone, disconnected, afloat in the sea of internet loneliness. Until, well, you’ll just have to click on in to read the rest …