All of your possibilities from this moment, are located in your own personal expectations. All of your expectations are located in the very personal relationship you have with yourself. The relationship you have with yourself is the relationship you will have with others.

What matters most is how you see yourself! Take very good care of the relationship you have with yourself at all times.

I was a member of Toastmaster International and in 1984 Caroline Sander RN introduced me to the National Speakers Association. I went to all the local chapter meeting and to the National Conventions. The first meeting I attended, I felt a little uneasy about being in this new setting. Billy Arcement came up to me and introduces himself from Donaldsonville Louisiana. Billy knew that I was uneasy about being at this meeting. He said, "If you have a dream in your heart long enough, you have what takes to realize that dream. I never forgot those words.

Ginger Bondi was the president of our local chapter. Ginger was tough love. I listened and took notes of everything other speakers in the chapter said that I must do to convince people to hire my topics. I practice all of these ideas.

I called Ginger Bondi and ask if I could come and speak with her. I told her that I did not want to do anything to hurt the speaking profession. That I wanted to abide by the code of etitics of the National Speakers Association.

I shared with Ginger how I just signed a contract for a speaking engagement in Tampa Florida. This was my first really serious paying engagement. I told her I was nervous that they would find out that I was just a Bicycle Shop Owner. This audience was to executives of the steel industry. Ginger said, "Knock it Off, Mike Marino; I want you to go to Tampa and just be yourself! If you go there thinking they are better, you will not do well. If you go there thinking you are better than they are, you will definitely not do well.

You must go to Tampa and be who you are and allow them to be who they are, and you will do just fine." I embraced Ginger's advice. I did well and was privilege to speak with many of the other chapters in the steel industry after that.

The next best advice that I received was from Michael Lebouf PhD. I was attending a local chapter meeting of NSA and everyone was sharing what it took to be a full time professional speaker. When it was Dr. Lebouf''s turn to share he said, "Just be good!" If you are good, people will say she is good! He is good!"

Rick Phillips sales & staff trainer gave me this advice. "Never beat a dead horse!" All good things come to an end and then something better begins. Get on a new horse to take you the rest of the way. Forward ever, backwards never!

All of this advice applies to any profession. Keep your dream in your heart. Be yourself, and be good at what you do. Never beat a dead horse. It's over! What are you going to do about it?

The room for improvement is still the greatest room in the world. You can improve on your dreams. You can improve on your relationship with yourself and others. You can improve on your proformance in your profession. You can get a new horse. It does not cost anything to think big. It pays to be good.

All advice translates into the same thing. Take care of yourself. If you want to do twice as much for yourself, your family, your profession, community, take care of yourself twice as much.