This is Your Moment. OWN IT!

"Do the one thing you think you cannot do, fail at it, then try again. Do better the second time. The only people who never tumble are those who never mount the high wire. This is your moment, OWN IT!"

- Oprah Winfrey

One of the things I made a decision to do was to keep myself motivated each day. Sometimes I do not get the chance to sit down with a book to read as I would like to, but I can plug into some motivational audio or subscribe to some inspirational quotes that keep me driven and my eyes on my goals each day.

One of the quotes I received was the one above by Oprah Winfrey, and we should all know or at least have heard the name Oprah Winfrey. She does not hold back in sharing her story that led to her success today. What if she had given up? What if after the first stumble she decided it was not worth going a step further?

Many of you reading my articles may be saying or wondering how what I write relates to the column 'Pointers on publishing'? For not everything I write directly relates to it, and that is true. You see the thing is, you cannot detach motivation from passion. You cannot detach your standards and values from what you do. This is who I am. I believe in sharing stories, experiences and knowledge that demonstrates the motivation and passion behind doing something; behind achieving one's goals for without that, what then will drive you? What then will be your why?

Oprah's why

What could have been Oprah's why? Maybe the desire to overcome the situation she lived in at the time and era she was brought up in, a desire to run as far away from the abuse she faced, a desire as a black woman that there is more to life than what she saw around her and that she deserved it? A desire to be an example for others, one that will involve every fibre of her being to ensure others won't go through what she did. It can be any one or number of things. What is it for you?

What is it that is holding you back from moving forward, achieving your goals, living the life you deserve and need? Is it fear or failure? Let me share a little secret with you. We ALL fail! The thing is, it is only considered failure if we don't get up and try again. If at the first sign you are ready to throw in the towel, then for heaven's sake, don't stop someone else from trying just because you were not strong enough, or believed in yourself enough or were so fearful, that you will hold someone else back from achieving their dreams. That is just plain selfish! And they say 'misery loves company'. So true.

Yet again, another year is upon us. It just amazes me how time just passes us by. It is at this time we reflect on the things we had set out to do at the beginning of the year and some of you are right now scrambling to complete those projects you started that were left in limbo or ignored. It can be a personal project or even work related. There is just something that happens when the end of the year is upon you and you feel a sense of guilt creeping up for not living up to what you said you would have done, and like with accounting, it carries over to the next year. There goes another activity being added to the list for next year - as if you already don't have enough to deal with. We all go through it, but what it also reflects is that you may have been unrealistic in setting your goals, or you procrastinated, or those goals didn't really matter to you at all. For if they were important enough you would have a fire in your heart to get it done.

Forget failure

Forget failure. Forget fear. Forget what others who are not in a position to advise you are telling you and grab life by the hand, and with faith and your why, you can achieve anything you set your mind on. Own it, like Oprah says. This is YOUR moment! No one else is responsible for where you end up but you! And when you make the decision to own it, be ready for the challenges that will come at you, for they will come, and that's why surrounding myself with motivational and inspirational audio, books and people are crucial to my success and attaining my goals.

Make the decision to stop wasting time and procrastinating on things and activities that suck up your time and cause procrastination. I extend an invitation to you to join me at my upcoming three-day virtual event with 21 expert speakers from across the globe in the areas of health, business and life who will share tips, strategies and advice on how to set goals, take action, stay focused and be accountable. It is FREE to register and attend the sessions live. Go to this link: http://bit.ly/134kJIN

We have made a decision to make a change. We have decided to not ask or beg but DEMAND MORE OUT OF LIFE! For we deserve it. Do you?

n Corine La Font is a self-publishing, online marketing and virtual events specialist and consultant. She is also an award-winning publishing resource in the 2013 Small Business Book Awards. Get a copy of her book at http://amzn.to/TFHQka and Tune in to her radio

programme at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/helpdeskja. She can be reached at corine