Wow!

Tonight I had the privilege of going to a class taught by Charles Marcus, a motivational speaker who has overcome all odds. The class was absolutely phenomenal, I don't even know how to put into words how amazing this man is! I am so happy with my decision to transfer to Taylor Andrews Hair Academy to finish my schooling and I am so grateful that our owner Larry Curtis cares so much about his students that he will bring amazing guest speakers like this to come speak to us! If you or anyone you know has ever considered a career in the Beauty Industry, I HIGHLY suggest attending Taylor Andrews. Before moving back to Utah I attended what I thought was a good school in Kansas City, but it doesn't hold a candle to the education and opportunities I have been given at Taylor Andrews. I feel like I am getting so much more than just the stereotypical 'beauty school education' and I am loving it!!

Tonight while listening to Charles Marcus I took 5 pages of notes, seriously he was amazing! Charles suffers from a very serious stuttering speech impediment that for a good portion of his life caused him to have very low self esteem. Through lots of hard work and dedication he now speaks very well and is a motivational speaker all over the world! Here are a few of the things he said that REALLY spoke to me personally...

"Negative people will rain on your parade because they have no parade of their own."

"If you think education is expensive, try ignorance!" *Be a sponge *Be a life long learner

"Successful people never forget where they came from."

"Great intentions mean absolutely nothing until they are put into action."

"You make a living by what you get, you make a life by what you give."

"Fear can be paralyzing, learn to overcome fear. Fear is a reaction, courage is a decision."

"If you don't respect yourself first, how do you expect others to?"

"The more you give, the more you get."

"You are only as successful as the dreams you dare to live."

"Life isn't about deserve, it is about desire."

"Goals in writing are dreams with deadlines." -Brian Tracy

"When life gets tough, dig down deep."

"If you want to soar with the eagles you can't hang out with the turkeys."

I could seriously just keep going and going! I absolutely LOVE going to classes like this. I love the way I feel when I leave, I love the feeling of being motivated to be a better me!! More importantly I don't want to just feel this motivated after hearing a great speaker like Charles, I want to really learn from the things these people have to say and apply them to my life daily. I think that all of these quotes above could be applied in multiple aspects of our lives. There are so many different areas of my life that I want to improve on, being a better mother and wife, being more faithful in my religion and relationship with my Heavenly Father and Savior Jesus Christ, being a better friend, being healthier, being more organized, etc, etc..... One of the things that Charles talked about that I also loved was that he said, "Set large goals, but take small steps getting there." I LOVE that because I often set these HUGE goals for myself, then I get really overwhelmed and completely give up. Taking things one step at a time, slowing down but keeping your eye on the big picture is so important if you want to be successful in life! It isn't about coming in first, it is about finishing the race :). I can't wait to read his book, Success Is Not A Spectator Sport!