Are you reading books and learning something new each day? Tiny battles like these are the ones that will define your future self.

Your decisions shape your destiny. Little, everyday decisions either take you to the life you desire or to disaster by default

We make countless choices in life, some large and some seemingly small. Looking back, we can see what a great difference some of our choices made in our lives. We make better choices and decisions if we look at the alternatives and ponder where they will lead. . . . Our present and our future will be happier if we are always conscious of the future. . . . “Where will this lead?” is also important in choosing how we label or think of ourselves. . . . Don’t choose to label yourselves or think of yourselves in terms that put a limit on a goal for which you might strive.

Your life today is a result of your thinking yesterday. Your life tomorrow will be determined by what you think today.

What happens in ordinary moments determines your future.

It's not what's happening to you now or what's happened in your past that determines who you become. Rather, it's your decisions about what to focus on, what things mean to you, and what you're going to do about them that will determine your ultimate destiny.

You choose the future with your actions each day.

What happens in ordinary moments determines your future. We’re taught to focus on the big decisions, rather than the moments where we don’t even realize we’re making a choice. Yet these ordinary moments often matter more to our success than the big decisions. This can be difficult to appreciate.

It's not what happens, it's what you do that determines your future.

The best way to predict your future is to create it

Each day, life will send you little windows of opportunity. Your destiny will ultimately be defined by how you respond to these windows of opportunity.

You must determine where you have been in your life, so that you can know where you are now. If you don’t know where you are, precisely, then you could be anywhere. Anywhere is too many places to be, and some of those places are very bad. You must determine where you have been in your life, because otherwise you can’t get to where you’re going. You can’t get from point A to point B unless you are already at point A, and if you’re just “anywhere” the chances you are at point A are very small indeed. You must determine where you are going in your life, because you cannot get there unless you move in that direction. Random wandering will not move you forward. It will instead disappoint and frustrate you and make you anxious and unhappy and hard to get along with (and then resentful, and then vengeful, and then worse). Say what you mean, so that you can find out what you mean. Act out what you say, so you can find out what happens. Then pay attention. Note your errors. Articulate them. Strive to correct them. That is how you discover the meaning of your life. That will protect you from the tragedy of your life. How could it be otherwise? Confront the chaos of Being. Take aim against a sea of troubles. Specify your destination, and chart your course. Admit to what you want. Tell those around you who you are. Narrow, and gaze attentively, and move forward, forthrightly. Be precise in your speech.

Decide the type of person you want to be. Prove it to yourself with small wins.

Your entire life will change when you realize your standards decide your future. Every time you let something slide, you train yourself to accept less. That’s how goals erode. That's how principles slip. Set your standards. Then hold the line. Especially when it’s hard.