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July 31, 2009
Golden Rule of Influence Number One: Live a Life of Undivided Integrity by Chris Widener
At eight-thirty a.m. sharp, after having left Bobby's apartment exactly at seven for an early breakfast, Bobby, Marcus, and the security team from the Lincolns arrived at their destination: a relatively small company that Bobby was thinking of taking a stake in, in the hopes of growing it. The CEO's admin told them that her boss had been caught in traffic and was just a few blocks away. In the meantime, she led them into the conference room between the CEO and CFO offices.
The boardroom had a classic high-powered look. It had beautifully ornate furniture and a killer view - the kind that is hard to come by in the concrete jungle. When Bobby and Marcus entered the room they were quickly greeted by the CFO, who asked them to sit down. The admin asked Bobby and Marcus if they would like some juice and Danish.
"No, thank you," Bobby replied
"None for me either, thanks"
They launched into the basic "getting to know you" chitchat for a few moments while the three of them waited for the CEO to arrive. During a lull in the conversation, the admin came back in and spoke to the CFO.
"Laura Jackson called. She wants to know when she will get the package that includes the business plans and strategic overview."
"Oh, I forgot to mail it! Do me a favor. Tell her I mailed it yesterday. Then overnight it to her today. Tell her she should get it tomorrow."
"Will do," she said before disappearing through the doors again.
"I hate when I forget to do things," the CFO said as he turned to Bobby. "I must be getting old."
A few minutes later the CEO entered the boardroom, apologizing for his tardiness. He asked the CFO if he had the financial sheets available.
"Sure do," he said as he handed Bobby and Marcus a short stack of papers. "The top two sheets are the overview, the next ten sheets have all the details."
Bobby turned to Marcus. "Give those a once over, will you? Let me know if anything pops out at you." Marcus began to delve into the paperwork. He loved this, barely out of business school and here he was sitting at the right hand of one of the biggest movers and shakers in the world, helping him decide whether or not to go through with a deal. Who would have thought? As he started through the paperwork, he also tried to keep an ear to the conversation. Bobby was known for his keen intuitive sense of which deals were right and which ones were wrong. Sure, he looks at the numbers, but he trusts his gut a lot, as well.
After about twenty minutes of give-and-take, Bobby thanked them for their time and told them that he would get back to them by the end of the day. One-day decisions may seem like a quick turnaround on a 50 million dollar deal, but in the overall scheme of Bobby's wealth, it was a pretty minor decision. Bobby had attended the meeting himself only because the CEO was a friend of a friend and he also thought it would give Marcus some action.
They discussed the meeting on the car ride back. "So, what did you think?" Bobby asked Marcus.
"It was great. I can't think of a better way to get my feet wet."
Bobby spoke to the driver. "Larry, can we hit a Starbucks? I'll have the usual." He turned to Marcus. "Anything for you?"
"Sure, a tall black drip."
"Got it," Larry said from the front.
"So, Marcus, let's see what Northwestern did for you. How did those numbers look to you?"
"I thought they looked really good." He was a little bit hesitant. They really did look good, but he just hoped that Bobby thought the same thing. He didn't want to end up on the wrong side of the fence right off the bat, missing some crucial piece of information. He wanted to impress Bobby. "What did you think?"
"I agree. The financials look very good. This 50 million could turn into four or five hundred million in six to seven years."
"So, are you going to do it?"
Just then the Lincoln pulled over for Larry's run into the Starbucks. "Well, let's talk about it a bit. We know the science works, right?"
"The science?"
"Yeah, remember? The science and the art? The science is the numbers. Those work on this deal. What about the art?
"Oh, yeah. Well, the two guys seemed sharp. They seemed like they knew what they were doing. They had a plan for expansion. What did you think?"
"Okay" Marcus didn't get where Bobby was going with this.
"Those two guys were trying to influence me to put 50 million dollars of my money into their business, right? Which means I'd have to hold them to my Golden Rules of Influence. Unfortunately, their CFO broke rule number one before the meeting ever began."
Chris Widener
Reprinted with permission from Your Achievement Ezine
July 30, 2009
Taming Time by Dr. John C. Maxwell
Time is precious. Ask the coach whose team is behind in the final seconds of a game. Ask the air traffic controller in charge of scheduling takeoffs and landings at a major airport. Ask the news reporter who has just received a breaking story from the AP wire. Ask the cancer patient who has recently learned they have only two months left to live.
Time management is an oxymoron. Time is beyond our control, and the clock keeps ticking regardless of how we lead our lives. Priority management is the answer to maximizing the time we have. Our days are identical suitcasesall the same sizebut some can pack more into them than others. No one has a magical ability to make time, but if our lives have direction, we can make the most of the moments we have been given.
Time is more valuable than money, because time is irreplaceable. You don't really pay for things with money,' says author Charles Spezzano in What to Do between Birth and Death. You pay for them with time.' We exchange our time for dollars when we go to work and then trade our dollars for everything we purchase and accumulate. In essence, all we possess can be traced back to an investment of time. Time stewardship is perhaps a leader's greatest responsibility. In the words of Peter Drucker, Nothing else distinguishes effective executives as much as their tender loving care of time.'
Let's look at five characteristics of people who use time wisely. The goal is for us to understand how to maximize the precious minutes given to us each day.
Five Characteristics of a Wise Steward of Time
#1 Purposeful
People who use time wisely spend it on activities that advance their overall purpose in life. By consistently channeling time and energy toward an overarching purpose, a person most fully realizes their potential.
We cannot reach peak performance without a peak purpose. Purpose enlivens all that we do. In fact, I believe the two greatest days in a person's life are the day they are born and the day they discover why. Uncovering purpose helps to refine passion, focus efforts, and sharpen commitments. The cumulative result is to amplify the achievements of the wise steward of time.
#2 Committed to Values
People who use time correctly underscore their values with the time they spend. By acting in accordance with their beliefs, they find fulfillment. Failure to identify values leads to a rudderless existence in which a person drifts through life, uncertain as to what they hold dear. Clarity of values is like a beacon of light, guiding the way through life's twists and turns.
When extended to an organization, values inspire a sense of broader purpose. They make work worthwhile. In an organization, if vision is the head and mission is the heart, then values are the soul. Values endow day-to-day operations and transactions with meaning.
#3 Attuned to Strengths
People who use time correctly play to their strengths. By doing so, they are most effective. People don't pay for average. If your skill level is a two, don't waste substantial time trying to improve since you'll likely never grow beyond a four. However, if you're a seven in an area, hone that skill, because when you become a nine, you've reached a rare level of expertise. As Jim Sundberg says, Discover your uniqueness; then discipline yourself to develop it.' You are blessed with a unique set of skills and talents. Find them, refine them, and let them carry you toward success.
I have identified four main strengths in my life. I lead well, create, communicate, and network. That's it. I stick with those strengths and avoid getting caught up in commitments outside of those areas. By narrowing my focus to four strengths, I gain the greatest return on my investments of time.
#4 Choosers of Happiness
People who use time correctly choose happiness by prioritizing relationships and recreation. While choosing happiness may seem simple and obvious, far too many leaders are trying to prove themselves and validate their worth. These leaders chase after power and prestige, and along the way, their friendships wither, their family is ignored, and they skip vacation after vacation. In the end, any success they earn is a hollow and lonely achievement.
Family and friendships are two of the greatest facilitators of happiness. Prioritizing time to cultivate relationships is a hallmark of a healthy leader. Likewise, scheduling leisure combats stress and allows us to delight in the hobbies that bring us joy. However, in the end, happiness is an inside job. We are wise to surround ourselves with family, friends, and fun, but ultimately we determine our internal response to the people and circumstances in our lives.
#5 Equippers
People who use time correctly equip others in order to compound their productivity. They realize the limitations of individual attainment, and they build teams to expand their impact. By developing an inner circle of leaders and investing in them, wise time-users multiply their influence.
Equippers recognize that legacies are carried on by people, not trophies. They pour themselves into the lives of others and watch the ripple effect of their leadership spread through those they have taught and mentored. Equippers seek significance over the long term, which causes them to have a vested interest in the success of their successors.
Review
As much as we would like, we can't find more timeit's a finite and constantly diminishing resource. However, we can learn to spend time wisely.
People who use time correctly are
1. Purposeful
2. Committed to Values
3. Attuned to Strengths
4. Choosers of Happiness
5. Equippers
-- Dr. John C. Maxwell
Reprinted with permission from Your Achievement Ezine
July 29, 2009
Four Essentials for Happiness by Brian Tracy
You may have a thousand different goals over the course of your lifetime, but they all will fall into one of four basic categories. Everything you do is an attempt to enhance the quality of your life in one or more of these areas.
The first category is your desire for happy relationships. You want to love and be loved by others. You want to have a happy, harmonious home life. You want to get along well with the people around you, and you want to earn the respect of the people you respect. Your involvement in social and community affairs results from your desire to have happy interactions with others and to make a contribution to the society you live in.
The second category is your desire for interesting and challenging work. You want to make a good living, of course, but more than that, you want to really enjoy your occupation or profession. The very best times of your life are when you are completely absorbed in your work.
The third category is your desire for financial independence. You want to be free from worries about money. You want to have enough money in the bank so that you can make decisions without counting your pennies. You want to achieve a certain financial state so that you can retire in comfort and never have to be concerned about whether or not you have enough money to support your lifestyle. Financial independence frees you from poverty and a need to depend upon others for your livelihood. If you save and invest regularly throughout your working life, you will eventually reach the point where you will never have to work again.
The fourth and final category is your desire for good health, to be free of pain and illness and to have a continuous flow of energy and feelings of well-being. In fact, your health is so central to your life that you take it for granted until something happens to disrupt it.
Peace of mind is essential for every one of these. The greater your peace of mind, the more relaxed and positive you are, the less stress you suffer, the better is your overall health.
The more peace of mind you have, the better are your relationships, the more optimistic, friendly and confident you are with everyone in your life. When you feel good about yourself on the inside, you do your work better and take more pride in it. You are a better boss and coworker. And the greater your overall peace of mind, the more likely you are to earn a good living, save regularly for the future and ultimately achieve financial independence.
Life is very much a study of attention. Whatever you dwell upon and think about grows and expands in your life. The more you pay attention to your relationships, the quality and quantity of your work, your finances and your health, the better they will become and the happier you will be.
Action Exercises
Here are three things you can do immediately to put these ideas into action.
First, take time on a regular basis to think about what would make you really happy in each of the four areas.
Second, set specific, measurable goals for improvement in your relationships, your health, your work and your finances and write them down.
Third, resolve to do something every day to increase the quality of some area of your life - and then keep your resolution.
-- Brian Tracy
Reprinted with permission from Your Achievement Ezine
July 28, 2009
Share Yourself by Mac Anderson
One of my favorite habits in life is waking up early on Sunday morning, getting the Sunday paper, making a hot cup of coffee, and kicking back to read about what's going on in the world. It's my quiet time. My time alone to reflect and relax.
One Sunday morning about halfway through my little ritual, I spotted a headline that read "Graduating Student Credits His 'Angel,'" and I began to read.
A young man who was graduating from college told the story about how Oral Lee Brown was his "real-life angel." In 1987, Brown, a real estate agent in Northern California, saw a young girl in her neighborhood begging for money.
When she went to the school the girl had claimed to attend, Brown couldn't find her, but that day she made a decision that would change the lives of many other children forever. She adopted an entire first-grade class in one of Oakland's lowest performing schools, and she pledged that she personally would pay for anyone who wanted to attend college.
This would be a great story even if Oral Lee Brown was independently wealthy; however, it is a much greater story considering she was a former cotton picker from Mississippi, making $45,000 a year and raising two children of her own.
Brown lived up to her pledge. Since 1987, she's personally saved $10,000 a year while raising donations for her "adopted first-grade kids." And because of her tremendous act of unselfish love, children who could have been "swallowed by the streets" are now graduating from college to pursue their dreams.
We all seek our purpose in life. Most of us wonder how we can make a positive difference during our brief time on this earth. But asking and doing are different things.
It's hard to imagine that Oral Lee Brown wouldn't have a wonderful positive attitude, because she has thought less about herself and more about others.
This, in my opinion, is a "little secret" that many people never quite understand about life.
-- Mac Anderson
Reprinted with permission from The Jim Rohn Ezine
July 27, 2009
Enterprise is Better Than Ease by Jim Rohn
If we are involved in a project, how hard should we work at it? How much time should we put in?
Our philosophy about activity and our attitude about hard work will affect the quality of our lives. What we decide about the rightful ratio of labor to rest will establish a certain work ethic. That work ethic - our attitude about the amount of labor we are willing to commit to future fortune - will determine how substantial or how meager that fortune turns out to be.
Enterprise is always better than ease. Every time we choose to do less than we could, this error in judgment has an effect on our self-confidence. Repeated every day, we soon find ourselves not only doing less than we should, but also being less than we could. The accumulative effect of this error in judgment can be devastating.
--- FORTUNATELY, IT IS EASY TO REVERSE THE PROCESS ---
Any day we choose we can develop a new discipline of doing rather than neglecting. Every time we choose action over ease or labor over rest, we develop an increasing level of self-worth, self-respect and self-confidence. In the final analysis, it is how we feel about ourselves that provides the greatest reward from any activity. It is not what we get that makes us valuable, it is what we become in the process of doing that brings value into our lives. It is activity that converts human dreams into human reality, and that conversion from idea into actuality gives us a personal value that can come from no other source.
So feel free to not only engage in enterprise, but also to enjoy it to its fullest along with all the benefits that are soon to come!
To Your Success,
Jim Rohn
Reprinted with permission from The Jim Rohn Ezine
July 26, 2009
Where Do You Go for Your Intellectual Feast? by Jim Rohn
Pity the man who has a favorite restaurant, but not a favorite author. He's picked out a favorite place to feed his body, but he doesn't have a favorite place to feed his mind!
Why would this be? Have you heard about the accelerated learning curve? From birth, up until the time we are about eighteen, our learning curve is dramatic, and our capacity to learn during this period is just staggering. We learn a tremendous amount very fast. We learn language, culture, history, science, mathematics... everything!
For some people, the accelerated learning process will continue on. But for most, it levels off when they get their first job. If there are no more exams to take, if there's no demand to get out paper and pencil, why read any more books? Of course, you will learn some things through experience. Just getting out there sometimes doing it wrong and sometimes doing it right - you will learn.
Can you imagine what would happen if you kept up an accelerated learning curve all the rest of your life? Can you imagine what you could learn to do, the skills you could develop, the capacities you could have? Here's what I'm asking you to do: be that unusual person who keeps up his learning curve and develops an appetite for always trying to find good ideas.
One way to feed your mind and educate your philosophy is through the writings of influential people. Maybe you can't meet the person, but you can read his or her books. Churchill is gone, but we still have his books. Aristotle is gone, but we still have his ideas. Search libraries for books and programs. Search magazines. Search documentaries. They are full of opportunities for intellectual feasting.
In addition to reading and listening, you also need a chance to do some talking and sharing. I have some people in my life who help me with important life questions, who assist me in refining my own philosophy, weighing my values and pondering questions about success and lifestyle.
We all need association with people of substance to provide influence concerning major issues such as society, money, enterprise, family, government, love, friendship, culture, taste, opportunity, and community. Philosophy is mostly influenced by ideas, ideas are mostly influenced by education, and education is mostly influenced by the people with whom we associate.
One of the great fortunes of my life was to be around Mr. Shoaff those five years. During that time he shared with me at dinner, during airline flights, at business conferences, in private conversations and in groups. He gave me many ideas that enabled me to make small daily adjustments in my philosophy and activities. Those daily changes, some very slight, but very important, soon added up to weighty sums.
A big part of the lesson was having Mr. Shoaff repeat the ideas over and over. You just can't hear the fundamentals of life philosophy too often. They are the greatest form of nutrition, the building blocks for a well-developed mind.
I'm asking that you feed your mind just as you do your body. Feed it with good ideas, wherever they can be found. Always be on the lookout for a good idea - a business idea, a product idea, a service idea, an idea for personal improvement. Every new idea will help to refine your philosophy. Your philosophy will guide your life, and your life will unfold with distinction and pleasure.
-- Jim Rohn
Reprinted with permission from The Ron White Ezine
July 25, 2009
I Know That You Are Lying by Ron White
Ten years ago, someone attempted to drive a wedge between myself and a female friend. He confronted her and told her that I had said some negative things about her. She looked at him and while smiling said, 'I know you are lying.' He was shocked and inquired as to why she would say that. She said, 'I have never heard Ronnie speak negatively about anyone and because of that I know that he wouldn't do it about me either.'
Do you know what? She was right, I had said nothing negative about her.
Five years ago, I was in business with my cousin. An associate of ours wanted to get me out of the picture so he buddied up to my cousin and said, 'Your cousin has been saying some bad stuff about you.' My cousin didn't even look up from his work, but the first words out of his mouth were, 'You obviously don't know Ronnie or you would have never said that. He doesn't talk like that.'
Two scenarios, separated by five years, yet two people who knew me better than most confidently told my accusers that they had never heard me speak negatively about anyone and because of that knew they were lying.
Here is the life lesson:
In your office, organization or circle of friends if you want to see a cancer spread faster than almost anything...begin to speak negatively about others when they are not around. Not only will a cancer spread in your group that will fragment it into factions, but you will no longer be trustworthy. It made me feel good that my friends didn't say, 'I know you are lying because he is my friend or loyal to me.' I am glad they didn't say that because friendships change. Instead, they spoke to my character in my defense.
Do I always get it right in this area? Certainly not. Last year, a man had irritated me so bad that I often fantasized about planting my knuckles in the back of his skull via his nostrils. I was so irritated I began spewing my venom to a few who would listen. Finally, I realized the damage I was doing to my reputation and I confronted him.
Do you want to be a top-notch sales professional? Attempt that without being trusted and try to be trusted while being known as a gossip.
Do you desire to be an effective leader? Again, attempt that without being trusted. A simple way to lose trust is gossip.
Develop a reputation as someone who can be trusted not because of your loyalty to your friends, but because of your character, and watch as your business skyrockets!
-- Ron White
Reprinted with permission from The Ron White Ezine
July 24, 2009
Words Have Power! by Niurka
Every cell in your body eavesdrops on your internal dialogue. Whatever you consistently tell yourself becomes true for you. Words have power! What you express, you impress. Reciting empowering mantras clears your mind of disempowering self-talk and directs your energy wisely toward your goals. Here are a few mantras I've used to maintain my commitment to my goals, even when life seems challenging.
With faith the size of a mustard seed, I can move mountains. That's a big claim! Have you ever seen a mustard seed? It's tiny! To have faith that minuscule leaves no room for doubt. Absence of doubt is key to achieving goals. Tell yourself: There's always a way when I'm committed.
When you commit to achieve great things, you must often leave behind old beliefs and behaviors that no longer serve you. Many people are afraid of change or letting go of the past. This mantra helps me move beyond the past and embrace the magnificent future that awaits: Nothing great leaves my life without something better replacing it.
Most people re-create the same experience of reality in the midst of infinite possibilities. This mantra inspires me to create my life by design: I am in the eternal moment of choice and I have the freedom to choose.
The outside world may seem fixed or static, but in reality it is malleable based on your thoughts, words and actions. This mantra reminds me that I create my experience of reality. I am the Master Alchemist; the universe yields to the power of my intention.
And finally, my favorite mantra: When I change, the world around me changes I have that much power!
-- Niurka
Reprinted with permission from Your Achievement Ezine
July 24, 2009
Ambitiously Pursuing Your Own Self-Direction by Jim Rohn
What is the origin of true ambition? There exists really only one place to find true ambition and that is within you in every thought, in every movement, in every motivation. Your ambition is an expression of who you truly are, your own self-expression.
Self-expression. Isn't self-expression really self-direction? How you think, how you move, how you motivate yourself. Ambition is a result of self-direction and self-direction is one of the six key principles necessary for building ambition. Positive self-direction says, "I know who I am and I know where I want to go. I'm accumulating knowledge and experiences and feelings and philosophies that will help prepare me for opportunities that I know will show up without notice or any help on my part." Because you know where you want to go, you have already been working on the parts of your personality that will make you better. Working on your attitude, working on your health, working on your time management skills. Putting it all down on paper. And you constantly see yourself in the place you want to be, going in the direction you want to go.
Direction determines destination. So here is a question you must ask yourself, "Are all the disciplines that I'm currently engaged in taking me where I want to go?" What an important question to ask yourself at the beginning of the month, the beginning of the week, the beginning of the day. Because here is what you don't ever want to do - kid yourself. Kid your neighbor, kid me and kid the marketplace, but don't kid yourself - fingers crossed - hoping you will arrive at a good destination when you're not even headed that way. You have to ask yourself often, AM I? Am I doing the disciplines that are taking me in the direction I want to go? Don't neglect to ask these important questions, questions that help determine your direction, the set of your sail, your destination.
Is this the direction I want for my life?
Is this someone else's direction?
Is this a goal I have been ingrained with since my childhood?
Is this goal my parent's, my spouse's, my boss', my children's or is it MINE?
Ask yourself these questions and then debate them. After you have answered these questions within yourself, then take it one step further and ask, "What am I doing that is working or not working?" Debate it all. Work with your mind to figure out the best possible direction for you - your self-direction. And then ambitiously pursue your own self-direction. Let the power of your own ambition take you where you want to go, to do what you want to do, to create the life you want to live!
-- Jim Rohn
Reprinted with permission from Your Achievement Ezine
July 23, 2009
Words To Learn By by John C. Maxwell
In my years studying leadership and evaluating leaders, I have stumbled across a leadership shortcoming that continually amazes me. Leaders will manage a team, work with the same individuals every day, yet hardly know anything about their people! These leaders have never prioritized acquainting themselves with the dreams, thoughts, hopes, opinions, and values of those they lead.
The best leaders are readers of people. They have the intuitive ability to understand others by discerning how they feel and recognizing what they sense.
I have found that leaders overestimate the amount of time and effort needed to get to know someone. In fact, in only one hour with you in private conversation, I could, probably by asking three questions, find the passion of your life:
What do you dream about?
A person's dreams are powerful revealers of passion. When a person starts to talk about their dreams it's as if something bubbles up from within. Their eyes brighten, their face glows, and you can feel the excitement in their words.
What do you cry about?
Passion can be uncovered by peering into the hurts deep inside a human soul. The experience of pain or loss can be a formidably motivating force. When listening to a story of grief, you hear a voice thick with emotion, you see watery eyes flooded with feeling, and in that moment you glimpse the intense connections between a person's deepest pain and their greatest passion.
What makes you happy?
I have fun hearing what makes people tick and seeing the smile that comes when they talk about where they find joy. Enjoyment is an incredible energizer to the human spirit. When a person operates in an area of pleasure, they are apt to be brimming with life and exuding passion.
If you can uncover a person's dreams, hurts, and joys, you've discovered the central dimensions of their life.
-- John C. Maxwell
Reprinted with permission from The Jim Rohn Ezine
July 22, 2009
Achieving Your Dreams by Jim Rohn
While most people spend most of their lives struggling to earn a living, a much smaller number seem to have everything going their way. Instead of just earning a living, the smaller group is busily working at building and enjoying a fortune. Everything just seems to work out for them. And here sits the much larger group, wondering how life can be so unfair, so complicated and unjust. What's the major difference between the little group with so much and the larger group with so little?
Despite all of the factors that affect our lives - like the kind of parents we have, the schools we attended, the part of the country we grew up in - none has as much potential power for affecting our futures as our ability to dream.
Dreams are a projection of the kind of life you want to lead. Dreams can drive you. Dreams can make you skip over obstacles. When you allow your dreams to pull you, they unleash a creative force that can overpower any obstacle in your path. To unleash this power, though, your dreams must be well defined. A fuzzy future has little pulling power. Well-defined dreams are not fuzzy. Wishes are fuzzy. To really achieve your dreams, to really have your future plans pull you forward, your dreams must be vivid.
If you've ever hiked a fourteen thousand-foot peak in the Rocky Mountains, one thought has surely come to mind "How did the settlers of this country do it?" How did they get from the East Coast to the West Coast? Carrying one day's supply of food and water is hard enough. Can you imagine hauling all of your worldly goods with you... mile after mile, day after day, month after month? These people had big dreams. They had ambition. They didn't focus on the hardship of getting up the mountain.
In their minds, they were already on the other side their bodies just hadn't gotten them there yet! Despite all of their pains and struggles, all of the births and deaths along the way, those who made it to the other side had a single vision: to reach the land of continuous sunshine and extraordinary wealth. To start over where anything and everything was possible. Their dreams were stronger than the obstacles in their way.
You've got to be a dreamer. You've got to envision the future. You've got to see California while you're climbing fourteen thousand-foot peaks. You've got to see the finish line while you're running the race. You've got to hear the cheers when you're in the middle of a monster project. And you've got to be willing to put yourself through the paces of doing the uncomfortable until it becomes comfortable. Because that's how you realize your dreams.
To Your Success,
Jim Rohn
Reprinted with permission from The Jim Rohn Ezine
July 21, 2009
Seeds of Love: The Ultimate Gift
Touch is the magic wand of intimacy. Love is keeping in touch.
Love should be a verb, not a noun or adverb. Love is an active emotion.
Don't assume that money, shelter and creature comforts are enough to demonstrate your love.
Nothing can replace your presence, your hug, your smile, your touch --- you!
Love is one of the few experiences in life that we can best keep by giving it away.
Only when you set your romantic and business partners free to be all they can be, will you know how attractive and lovable you are yourself; free of the insecurity and self-doubt that spawn envy and jealousy.
To love is to be open and vulnerable, and to receive graciously that which is given.
Value is in the doer, not the deed.
Love yourself and give away, all the love you can today.
Healthy love can't be demanded nor taken for granted. It can only be a continuing give-and-take exchange and dialogue between two independent persons who share many values and responsibilities, yet still feel a childlike magic with each other.
The first words you should speak to the one beside you when you awaken each morning are, Good Morning, I love you. The last words you should speak each night are, Good Night, I love you.
-- Denis Waitley
Reprinted with permission from The Denis Waitley Ezine
July 20, 2009
Going Full Circle by Dr. Denis Waitley
Great teams, great companies and great families have great leaders. Real leadership is the process of empowering others by abdicating one's power over them.
It means to set others free to become all they can be in an atmosphere of inspiration, innovation and mutual respect.
The real challenge is to maintain balance and harmony, while excelling in one professional endeavor. After the season is over, the champion must change into street clothes and become a parent, companion, spouse, citizen and neighbor. The greatest mark of the authentic champion is the way he or she relates to society beyond the arena or stadium, and translates superb performance in a specialized field into a global perspective to benefit this and future generations.
My mission is to be a role model for these words I have altered slightly from My Creed by Dean Alfange:
"I do not choose to be a common man or woman. It is my right to be uncommon, if I can. I seek opportunity, not security. I do not wish to be a kept citizen, humbled and dulled by having the state look after me. I want to take the calculated risk, to dream and to build, to fail and succeed. I will not trade freedom for beneficence, nor my dignity for a handout. I will never cower before any master, nor bend to any bully or terrorist threat. It is my heritage to stand erect, proud and unafraid, to think and act for myself, enjoy the benefits of my creations and to face the world boldly, and say, 'This I have done.'"
And, whatever I do, I do in the spirit of win-win. If I help others win, then I win too. I will win with others, not win at the expense of others.
-- Denis Waitley
Reprinted with permission from The Denis Waitley Ezine
July 19, 2009
Thinking Success by Tom Hopkins
Success in anything you want to accomplish in life begins with your thinking. The problem with too many people is that they don't think about what they're thinking. I once heard a speaker say, "You will become that which you think about most of the time." Those words have had a tremendous impact on me and on those with whom I've shared them. I heard that statement at a time when I was just beginning to understand what self-improvement was all about. The basis of all self-help materials is that you must have a healthy self-image, or attitude about yourself, in order to succeed.
You see, your thoughts are reflected in your attitude. If you think about failure, rejection and pain, your attitude will be negative. You'll even have a tough time getting out of bed in the morning. How many prospects do you think will want to get involved with your product if you cannot express a positive attitude about what you do to earn your living? I guarantee you it won't be many.
In fact, if you think about those negatives frequently enough, that's probably what you'll become comfortable with. Then, it won't bother you to fail. You'll be thinking, "Yep, that's just what I expected to happen." And, as crazy as it may sound, acceptance of failure will become an accepted fact in your subconscious. At this point, I would suggest making a career adjustment because you won't be selling enough to keep food on your table.
To counteract acceptance of negativity, you must begin by consciously stopping those thoughts. Whenever you realize you're thinking negatively, worrying or feeling anxiety about facing rejection, think to yourself, "Hey, that's not what's going to happen." Then, force yourself to turn those thoughts around. Come up with a positive thought for each negative thought. You'll have to concentrate on this for a while, but eventually, those negative thoughts will have to face too tough a battle to stay in your mind and they'll go away.
At that point, you will be free to become one of the high achievers in your field. The training and support offered by your organization will become more valuable to you. You'll think more about giving service than receiving income. And, as I've stated many times before, the income you earn is little more than a scoreboard reflection of the service you give.
If you have any doubts about that statement, take notice of the top producers in your industry. They think achievement, service and professionalism. You can see it in their eyes. You can feel it when you meet them. They are comfortable only with achievement, recognition and acceptance. They are so uncomfortable with failure, that it, too, has become a motivator for them.
Once you have achieved a state of thinking positively you will believe more strongly in what you are doing, take the steps necessary to practice, drill and rehearse, and receive the tremendous rewards for doing so.
Salespeople are often confronted with spontaneous situations. And, selling is a very emotional business. So, when faced with the unexpected, the untrained, unpracticed ones throw all their training out the window and act on reflex. If your reflexes aren't aimed at serving clients and closing sales, you're sunk. The great ones practice thinking success so much that their attitude and knowledge carry them through situations that may not have been covered in training. Thinking success will help you, too, continue to radiate warmth, pride and knowledge during those spontaneous moments.
-- Tom Hopkins
Reprinted with permission from Your Achievement Ezine
July 18, 2009
Seven Qualities of Master Achievers by Brian Tracy
If you think the way successful people think and adopt their success habits, you too can be successful. Here are seven qualities of the top 1% of successful people.
1) They are Ambitious.
They see themselves capable of being the best. They see themselves with the capacity of being really good at what they do. This was a really big thought for me. It held me back for many years. When I saw people who were doing better than I was, I naturally assumed they were better than I was. And if they were better than I was, then I must be worse than them, so that would mean they were superior and I was inferior. That is a big problem in our society. We have feelings of inferiority, and these feelings of inferiority are often translated into feelings of undeservedness. We don't feel we deserve to be a big success. The word "deserve" comes from two Latin words meaning "from service." You deserve 100% of everything you make and enjoy as long as you get it from serving other people. Your rewards are in direct proportion to your service. If you serve better and serve more and serve at a higher level and serve more enthusiastically and serve a higher quality, then you'll have a wonderful income you'll deserve every penny of it. You must see yourself capable of being the best.
2) They are Courageous.
They work to confront the fears that hold most people back. The two biggest enemies to yours and my success is fear and doubt. Eliminating fear and doubt is the key. The key to eliminating fear: If you want to develop courage, then simply act courageously when it's called for. When you do something repeatedly, you develop a habit. Make a habit throughout your life of doing the things you fear. If you do the thing you fear, the death of fear is certain. To overcome fear of rejection in prospecting, you must realize that rejection in selling is not personal. Top salespeople do not fear prospecting. Face your fear. Do the things you fear. The ability to confront your fear is the mark of the superior person. If you have high ambition and you decide to be in the top 10%, and you can confront your fears and do the things that are holding you back, those two things alone will make you a great success.
3) They are Committed.
The top people in every field, especially the top salespeople, are completely committed. They believe in themselves; they believe in their companies; they believe in their products and services; they believe in their customers; they have an intense belief. We know that there is a one-to-one relationship between the depth of your belief and what happens in your reality. And if you absolutely believe in the rightness and the goodness of what you're doing, you become like a catalyst. You create what is called a transfer, like an electrical transfer of enthusiasm. People like to buy from people who truly believe in what they are doing. People who are not committed to what they do lead very empty lives. The second part is that caring is the critical element in modern selling. Caring is a critical element in life, as well. All men and women who enjoy great lives care about what they do! They have passion about what they do. They love what they do.
4) They are Professional.
Top salespeople see themselves as consultants rather than as salespeople. When you think of the word "consultant," what words come to mind? When do you call a consultant? A consultant is a problem-solver. What word does not appear when you think of a consultant--the word "salesperson". We don't think of consultants as salespeople. The most successful consultants in America are the very best salespeople of their services. When a person is positioned as a consultant in the mind and heart of the customer, he is not seen as a salesperson. Do people like to be sold? Do people like to be helped to improve their lives and work? So they look upon a salesperson as someone who sells them. Selling is something you do "to" someone, and people don't like to be done "to". So when you think of being a consultant, here is the key. How do you position yourself as a consultant with your customers? Of course, you act like a consultant, but even before you get the chance to act like a consultant, you build a rapport. And the most simple answer of all, and this is the most profound principle: People accept you at your own evaluation of yourself. Consultants come in and have a cup of coffee. Salespeople wait in the waiting room and have a glass of water. If you say you're a consultant, your customer will accept you as a consultant. >From now on, position yourself as a consultant. Think of yourself as a consultant. Remember, 80% of what you accomplish on the outside is determined by who you are on the inside. How you see yourself determines how the customer responds to you. The customer's perception of you determines how much they buy and how much they recommend you to other customers.
5) They are Prepared.
They review every detail in advance. To be in the top 10% requires additional efforts. It requires doing things that the average person is not willing to do. It requires making sacrifices the average person is not willing to make. It requires reviewing every detail of every call or situation before every business meeting. But the difference it makes is extraordinary. Before you go into a meeting, do your homework. Successful people are more concerned about pleasing results than they are about pleasing methods. When you sit down with a client, there is nothing more complimentary to a client than the feeling that you have prepared for the meeting.
6) They are Continuous Learners.
They recognize that if they're not continually getting better, they're getting worse. They read, they listen to CDs and they take additional training. The professional never stops learning. So read, listen to CDs, take continuous training.
7) They are Responsible.
They see themselves as President of their own personal services corporation. The top people in our society have an attitude of self-employed. 100% of us are self-employed. We are presidents of our own personal services corporation. You work for yourself. The biggest mistake we can ever make is to think we work for anyone else. We work for ourselves. The person who signs our paycheck may change; our jobs may change, but we are always the same. We are the one constant--we are always self-employed. The fact of the matter is -- this is not optional, it is mandatory -- you are the president of your own company, you're the president of your own career, your own life, your own finances, your own body, your own family, your own health. You are totally responsible. We are responsible. No one will ever do it for us. It's the most liberating and exhilarating thought of all, to think that you're the president of your own life.
-- Brian Tracy
Reprinted with permission from Your Achievement Ezine
July 17, 2009
Hope is the Great Activator by Zig Ziglar
"Without hope what good is tomorrow?"
We are surrounded by people who need hope in their lives. We don't often see their need because a lack of hope is not easily communicated. People aren't prone to say, "I need hope." Nonetheless, when we listen closely, we can hear the cries of the hope-needers. Or oftentimes we can see it in their actions.
For example: The student with no hope of passing won't study. Why bother? The sales person with no hope of making the sale won't make the call. What's the purpose? The couple whose marriage is in trouble won't seek counseling because (they think) it's all over anyway. The relative who hasn't spoken to you for three years won't try. What's the hope? The senior citizen who doesn't think anyone would be interested in helping him won't ask. The nurse who doesn't think anyone appreciates her wisdom won't offer it. The manager who doesn't see a chance of being promoted often gives up. Why try?
But give any of these individuals hope and some exciting things can happen! . . .
You were born to win! But in order to be the winner you were born to be, you've got to plan to win. You've got to prepare to win. And then, and only then, can you legitimately expect to win.
Winning is not an accident. It's a result of a deliberate plan. A plan filled with hope and encouragement. Would you like to be a powerful person? Or a more powerful person? Then you need hope. People who build hope into their own lives and who share hope with others become powerful people. Doors open for these people!
Now here's the good news: Hope is a choice! Yes, that's right. You can make a decision to be a hope-filled person. You can make a decision to share hope with others. Even if your own need for hope is running a little dry, you can still give others hope. In the process of doing so, watch what happens. Your personal hope quotient is bound to rise.
Author John Maxwell says if there's hope in the future there's power in the present.
Hope is the great activator!
If you want to make things happen in your life, and you want to encourage others to make things happen in their lives, rely on hope! Discipline yourself to see the "hopeful" side of any incident. Include expressions of hope in your self-talk. Share words of hope with the people who surround you.
Are we offering you a "head in the sand" approach to life? Are we saying that you should walk around with a smile on your face and a song in your heart, oblivious to daily reality? Of course not. However, we do believe that we have a choice. Hope is a choice. We can look at any unfortunate or bothersome situation and say it's hopeless, or we can look for the hope in that situation. The choice is always ours!
Take a moment today and think about the last 24 hours. Did you spread hope, either by words or action? Or did you choose the opposite approach? Are you a hope-giver? Do you want to be? Look forward now to the next 24 hours. Think of three ways that you can be a hope giver. Now go do it . . . and watch what happens!
-- Zig Ziglar
Reprinted with permission from Your Achievement Ezine
July 16, 2009
Finding Intrinsic, Lasting Motivation to Succeed by Denis Waitley
For the high achiever, it's natural to seek out challenging goals because he or she has an inner, intrinsic drive to succeed. And success doesn't mean pet rocks, get-rich-quick schemes, lotto jackpots or chain letters. High achievers are looking not to receive, but to contribute, to give. They're looking for problems that are personally satisfying to solve. Bill Gates, Oprah Winfrey and Warren Buffett, three of the wealthiest individuals in the world, eagerly go to work every day to face the challenge of solving a new and bigger problem. All could be playing Backgammon on a tropical island or two rounds of golf per day.
Since the accomplishment of a difficult task means more to the high achiever than any external motivation, it means that motivation will remain strong throughout his or her career. Think of how much stronger and more permanent such a motivation is compared to one that is extrinsic.
Suppose you choose a particular career because of the money. What happens when there's more money in doing something else? You're likely to abandon one path as soon as another possibility opens up, and eventually you'll find yourself wondering what you're really doing maybe even who you really are.
Since there is no inner drive to stay on any particular path, the journey will be arduous, and motivation will tend to weaken whenever the external reward seems remote or out of sight. This is especially true with individuals who want a home business with high rewards and minimal risk. Some people spend their entire lives wandering from one field to another, always looking for an easier way to find that pot of gold, never achieving a significant goal worthy of their inner potential.
I've met many people who fit this description. If they're in sales, they move from company to company, from industry to industry, for one product or service to another. They are very hard to keep on your hand held electronic address book or in your directory of contacts because they are always either coming or going or starting another new business of their own. When that doesn't work, they get involved in sketchy enterprises, especially start-up-companies offering big, easy rewards, such as a wonder diet company where you can lose all the weight you want by eating anything you want and swallowing one amazing pill a day. They go from one Roman candle to another, from one "exciting opportunity" to another disappointment.
The problem is, money alone does not stimulate intrinsic motivation and therefore is a means, not an end. Money is like fuel for your car. It is not the destination. It is not the journey. It is only part of the transportation system. Make your "why" grab you by your very soul. You'll never be disappointed for very long. And you'll stay committed regardless of "stock market gyrations" or setbacks.
This week, find your unique "why" and pursue it with passion!
-- Denis Waitley
Reprinted with permission from The Denis Waitley Ezine
July 15, 2009
Be Committed to Keeping Your Personal and Professional Life in Balance by Denis Waitley
It is so important to be living in prime time, rather than watching TV in prime time. On your way to success make certain you grow friendships, not just bank and mutual fund accounts. Life is a collection of memories, not of material things. The Egyptian pharaohs were buried with all their treasures, and were mummified in hopes that they could enjoy their bounty in the next life. But we are only caretakers of possessions. There is a big difference between standard of living and quality of life. Standard of living is based on income earned. Quality of life is the enjoyment of the millions of minutes in between accomplishments.
Having money is only one aspect of wealth. To the sick person, wealth is health. To the lonely person, wealth is someone to talk to and share with. To the estranged person, wealth is hearing words of love and forgiveness.
Borrowing the free verse style from Brother Jeremiahs classic poem, Id Pick More Daisies, here are a few things Id do, the second time around.
Id laugh at my misfortunes more. Spend more time counting my blessings than my blemishes. Spend more time playing with my children and grandchildren and less time watching performers in the arena. More time enjoying what I have, less time thinking about the things I dont have. If I could live my life again, Id walk in the rain more without an umbrella and listen less to weather reports. Id spend more time looking at trees and climbing them, less time flipping through magazines made from dead trees. Id spend more time fully involved in the present moment, less time remembering and anticipating. Id smile more, frown less.
And most of all Id be more spontaneous and active, less hesitant and subdued. When some spur of the moment idea came up to go hiking, playing Frisbee, coloring Easter eggs, singing in a chorus, going kayaking, or watching an eclipse, Id be less likely to sit in my chair objecting, Its not in our plan.
Id be inclined to jump up and run out the door next time and say, Yes, we can! Although I cant live my life again, Im still going to live the new way every day any way. Ill never have all the moments Ive missed, but I do have all the time remaining.
Action Idea Choose one activity this month that you really want to engage in, but that you have been putting off because it isnt a priority. Schedule that activity in your planner, as if it were a must do business or financial commitment. When you have done it, while you are still feeling good, schedule one for next month, and do it as long as you live.
-- Denis Waitley
Reprinted with permission from The Chris Widener Ezine
July 14, 2009
Just Don't Do It by Chris Widener
Sometimes success is found through the things that you don't do. Here are some ideas for what we shouldn't do.
Don't say "I can't." There are two words that we don't allow in the Widener household - I can't. The fact is that most of what we say that we can't do can actually be done, if only we put our mind to it. My mother taught me from an early age that if someone else had already done it, I could too. And if no one else had already done it, I could certainly be the first! Good advice!
Practical application: When you are up against a problem, and you are tempted to say "I can't," begin to think of all of those who have already done it. When you see how many already have, you'll be encouraged. For instance, if you want to write a book but think, "I can't get this published," you should take a trip to the local Barnes and Noble. Walk through and ask yourself if your book wouldn't be better than even just one of the books that is already been published and stocked. You will find yourself saying, "Surely I can!"
Don't give up. If you are going to achieve anything in life, you are going to get knocked down along the way. Those who succeed are those who get back up and forge ahead. My oldest child was in gymnastics and one day on the way to practice we were talking about determination. I am convinced that more often than not, success lies on the other side of the river hardship. Determination, and a "don't give up" attitude will see us through the hard times and onto victory!
Practical application: The next time you feel like the wind has gone from your sails, and you feel like quitting, take awhile to rethink the situation. Remind yourself again why you started out in the first place. Remind yourself of how you will feel when you get there. Then, reassert yourself and set a goal of another month (or whatever time frame is needed). In one of my ventures, early on I was weary and felt like giving up. Instead, I kept telling myself, just show up for one more week. Good news - it worked!
Don't get discouraged. Discouragement is an attitude. Instead of going to the depths of the dumps, tell yourself you are going to do great. Choose to be courageous! One of the greatest powers we have been given as humans is the ability to choose our attitude. All people experience hard circumstances. Yet some say to themselves that they will learn from them and forge ahead a better person. These people, who do not allow themselves to get discouraged, are those who become successful.
Practical application: Find the most positive person you can and take them to lunch. Make sure they are someone who believes in you already. If nobody else, get your mother - she will always believe in you! When you get them out to lunch, tell them that you are discouraged and in need of some encouragement. If you have picked the right person, they will do the rest. Chances are, they will even do some follow-up calls with you. And by all means, pick up the tab for lunch.
Don't be a lone ranger. Anybody who has achieved greatness has done it with the help of many others who bought into the vision and pushed the cart. The most famous and accomplished achievers in the world all had a cast of others who helped them along. You may not be able to name Tony Stewart's pit crew, but they were there. Super Bowl champion quarterback Ben Roethlisberger has an awesome front line to protect him, but I can't name one of them. If the greats need others, then so do we. The sooner we realize that we need others, the quicker we will achieve our dreams.
Practical application: Sit down and write down the answers to the following questions: What partners do I already have? What ways are they already helping me? What ways could they help me? Who are potential partners who would make me better? What workers do I already have? What ways are they already helping me? What ways could they help me? How many more workers will I need to achieve my dreams? How will I go about gaining them?
Don't accept anything less than excellence. Good gets along, excellence succeeds. Have you ever heard anyone say of the greats "Yeah, they were pretty good." No! They were excellent! We should never, under any circumstances, accept less than excellence. We should constantly be striving to better ourselves, our situations, our relationships, and the people around us, helping them to become excellent.
Practical application: First, evaluate. Is ______________ excellent? Second, determine what would qualify as excellent. It would be excellent when ____________ is true. Third, set a course, step-by-step, toward excellence.
Remember, when it comes to the above - Just don't do it!
-- Chris Widener
Reprinted with permission from The Chris Widener Ezine
July 13, 2009
Assessing Your Own Leadership Skills by Dr. John C. Maxwell
When I was a kid, every once in a while my parents would back my brother, Larry, and I up to a doorframe, lay a ruler across our heads, and mark a line with a pencil to chart our growth. They would then write the date next to it. It was always exciting to see how much I'd grown since my last measurement.
If only measuring our effectiveness as a leader was so easy. Why is it so hard to get a clear picture of our own strengths and weaknesses?
Self evaluation means:
* Being willing to critique myself.
* Asking for and accepting honest feedback from those who can most accurately assess our leadership-those who follow us.
* Exercising self-discipline.
This last point is perhaps the hardest. I define self-control, in the beginning of life, as the choice of achieving what I really want by doing things I really don't want to do. Once this becomes a habit, discipline becomes the choice of achieving what I really want by doing the very things I now want to do! I really believe that a disciplined life becomes a joy but only after we have worked hard to practice it.
All great leaders have understood that their number one responsibility is cultivating their own discipline and personal growth. Those who cannot lead themselves cannot lead others.
Here's what I call the START plan for becoming a disciplined leader.
* START ON YOURSELF - We'd all rather focus on changing everyone else to conform to us. The only problem with that is we end up with an organization full of people who reflect our weaknesses!
* START EARLY - I'm grateful for parents who taught me the value of a disciplined lifestyle early on.
* START SMALL - A simple plan will more likely bear fruit than anything elaborate will. Remember the value of small things, consistently practiced over time, in transforming a life.
* START NOW - The will to prepare is more important than the will to succeed. The dream to succeed, apart from the will to prepare, is simply wishful thinking.
* START ORGANIZED - Those who take time to organize have a special power. Organizational skills allow for the possibility of gaining stamina and momentum as your successes build. You gain a reputation as the person who always follows through.
Now that you've started down the road of self-evaluation, receiving constructive criticism, and self-discipline, you're ready to determine where you are as an effective leader.
-- Dr. John C. Maxwell
Reprinted with permission from The Jim Rohn Ezine
July 12, 2009
The Subtlety of Language by Jim Rohn
I have found that sometimes the subtle difference in our attitude, which of course can make a major difference in our future, can be as simple as the language we use. The difference in even how you talk to yourself or others. Consciously making a decision to quit saying what you don't want and to start saying what you do want. I call that faith. Believing the best, hoping for the best and moving toward the best.
A few examples could be, instead of saying "What if somebody doesn't respond" you start saying, "What if they do respond?" Instead of saying "What if someone says no?" You say, "What if they say yes?" Instead of "What if they start and quit?" say, "What if they start and stay?" or "What if it doesn't work out?" You say, "What if it does work out?" and the list goes on and on.
I found that when you start thinking and saying what you really want then your mind automatically shifts and pulls you in that direction. And sometimes it can be that simple, just a little twist in vocabulary that illustrates your attitude and philosophy.
Our language can also affect how others perform and behave around us. A teenager says to a parent, "I need $10." And if the parents learn to say, "No comprende. That kind of language doesn't work here. We've got plenty of money, but that's not how you get $10." Then you teach your teenager how to ask, "How can I earn $10?"
That is the magic of words. There is plenty of money here. There is money for everybody, but you just have to learn the magic words to get them. For everything you could possibly want. If you just learn the philosophy. How could I earn $10? Because you can't go to the soil and say, "Give me a harvest." You know the soil smiles and says, "Who is this clown that brings me his need and brings me no seed." And if you said to the soil, "I've got this seed and if I planted it, would you work while I sleep?" And the soil says, "No problem. Give me the seed. Go to sleep and I'll be working while you're sleeping."
If you just understand these simple principles, teaching them to a teenager (or adult) is sometimes just a matter of language. It's like an investment account instead of a savings account. Simple language, but so important. It is easy to stumble through almost a lifetime and not learn some of these simplicities. Then you have to put up with all the lack and all the challenges that don't work out simply from not reading the book, not listening to the tape, not sitting in the class, not studying your language and not being willing to search so you can then find.
But here is the great news. You can start this process anytime. For me it was at age 25. At 25 I'm broke. Six years later I'm a millionaire. Somebody says, "What kind of revolution, what kind of change, what kind of thinking, what kind of magic had to happen? Was it you?" And I say, "No. Any person, any six years, 36 to 42, 50 to 56. Whatever six years; whatever few years you go on an intensive, accelerated personal development curve, learning curve, application curve, and learning the disciplines. Now, it might not take the same amount of time, but I'm telling you the same changes and the same rewards in some different fashion are available for those who pay that six year price. And you might find that whether it's in the beginning to help get you started, or in the middle to keep you on track, that your language can have a great impact on your attitude, actions and results.
To Your Success,
Jim Rohn
Reprinted with permission from The Jim Rohn Ezine
July 11, 2009
Make Motivation Last by Zig Ziglar
Is motivation something that gets you excited for the moment and lets you down the next day, or can it endure for a long time?
I see the impact of motivation in people's lives every day. I get many letters and phone calls from people who say motivation has completely changed their lives. Yet other people say that motivation has had little impact on them.
A study at Stanford University has provided the reason for the variance. According to the study, only 5 percent of the people who buy into a concept are able to implement it; the other 95 percent don't have the resources to do so. Those few words created as much excitement in me as any single sentence ever has, because they made something crystal clear: The books and CDs are the resources! That's why I get so many more letters from people who say that my books and CDs have changed their lives than I get from people who say that my speech changed their lives.
The next time you see an author who presents a philosophy or concept that you believe can enrich your life, I encourage you to take the following steps:
1. Check out the author's credentials and see whether he or she can document the results you hear being touted.
2. If the evidence is solid, buy the book or CDs.
Books and CDs give you the resources you need to implement the concepts. When you take those steps, you make certain that the motivation you feel at the moment can survive the day and impact your future over the long haul. People who are concerned about their futures take the necessary steps today in the form of growing, learning, studying, and planning for their futures. This process generates enthusiasm and excitement about their futures, so they take the necessary action to ensure those futures. People who aren't concerned about their futures because they don't think they have futures are the ones who take no action. They drift along, singing the old Doris Day song, "Que Sera, Sera," and they drift into their declining years without any excitement or, in most cases, without any resources to enjoy even the basics of life without depending on others.
It's interesting to note that these two groups of people live at the same time, possibly in the same area, and may work in the same job or profession. It's not the absence of opportunity but the absence of motivation that is the problem for the second group. If you think you have no future, let me suggest that having a future is a matter of choice. If you continue to read books and start setting specific goals, you are doing something about your future. Your excitement (motivation) grows, and from that point on, you can develop the actions that dramatically enrich your future.
-- Zig Ziglar
Reprinted with permission from Your Achievement Ezine
July 10, 2009
A Key to Motivation by Brian Tracy
Keep People in the Know
Your goal is to become a transformational leader, the kind of person that motivates and inspires people to perform at levels far beyond anything that they had previously thought possible. Transformational leaders empower others by keeping them "in the know," by keeping them fully informed on everything that affects their jobs. People want and need to feel that they are insiders, that they are aware of everything that is going on. There is nothing so demoralizing to a staff member than to be kept in the dark about their work and what is going on in the company.
Give Regular Feedback
One empowering behavior practiced by transformational leaders is regular feedback on performance and results. People need to know how they're doing so they can improve if performance is below standards and so that they can be proud of their successes. The more feedback you give to people, the better it is, as long as the feedback is objective and not critical. My friend, Ken Blanchard, says that, "Positive feedback is the breakfast of champions."
Praise Generously
Be generous with your praise and encouragement. Remember, people are the only asset that can be made to appreciate in value by giving them warmth, respect, approval and by creating a climate of positive expectations.
Set High Standards for Yourself
What companies and countries and institutions need today are courageous visionary leaders who are committed to creating an exciting future for themselves and others. You have within yourself the ability to evolve and grow as a leader and to make a real difference in the world around you. And the one thing you can know for sure about yourself is that, no matter what you've accomplished up to now, there is far more that you can do.
As you practice the behaviors of effective leaders, you will grow more and more toward the realization of your full potential. It's completely up to you.
Action Exercises
Here are two things you can do immediately to put these ideas into action in your work.
First, hold regular meetings with your staff and tell them everything that is going on. Invite their comments, questions and concerns. Make everybody feel as if he or she was an insider in the organization.
Second, continually look for opportunities to give positive feedback, praise and encouragement. People need praise and encouragement like roses need rain and sunshine. Take very opportunity to make people feel better about themselves and their work.
-- Brian Tracy
Reprinted with permission from Your Achievement Ezine
July 9, 2009
COMMIT, COMMIT! Where Discipline Meets Action by Waldo Waldman
December 21, 1998, was a brisk winter day in Saudi Arabia. I was stationed on my first combat deployment, flying missions enforcing the Iraqi southern no-fly zone.
I was scheduled to take off on only the fourth combat sortie of my career, inexperienced and quite nervous. It was a mission I'll never forget.
I was flying that day with my flight lead Lt. Col. "Hos" Hyatt, the commander of the 79th Fighter Squadron Tigers. Our "2 ship" of F-16s were charged with "sanitizing" the airspace of any enemy aircraft that might be crossing the restricted area. It could have been a routine patrol or not.
Suddenly, our radios blared with an urgent call from the radar ground controller, "Viper flight, you've got a MIG-23 150 miles off your nose headed southhostile, hostile!"
This meant the MIG had crossed the no fly zone and was headed towards us and the fuel tankers we were in charge of protecting. A split second later, my headset erupted with a call from Hos.
"Viper flight, COMMIT, COMMIT!"
Almost unconsciously, I pushed up my throttle to afterburner and started to climb as I struggled to stay in perfect formation with Hos. There was no turning back. We were going after that MIG.
With those two words, "Commit, Commit," my destiny was set in motion that day. No time to think there was simply time to react. I was trained for that moment and my instantaneous choice was really quite clear: it was time to "commit."
My heart raced. The intensity was beyond words. Quite frankly, there was a part of me that asked, "Am I ready to do this? Will I get shot at? What if my engine fails?"
In the moment, doubt crept in.
But deep down, I knew I was ready and I was mentally and emotionally prepared. Otherwise, I had no business being in that jet. Aborting that mission was not an option period. I had a job to do. All of my military training boiled down to this one moment and I simply had to trust my wingman, stay in position, and execute the briefed plan. It was time to act.
That moment may have come in the extreme of combat, but it was really no different than the "call to duty" we all face in everyday life and business.
Do you have the discipline and training to commit to action in your life - to "push it up" and go after your target with confidence? Perhaps it's the challenge of raising a family, a new job opportunity, going for a promotion, embarking on a fitness regimen or a "serious" diet, or the trust and rigors that come from a relationship. The actions you take once you commit will determine the quality of your outcome.
If you're not ready to commit, no problem. Perhaps it's not the right time, or you just need more time.
But, if you really are committed to take action in your life, then you better have the discipline to do what it takes to commit with confidence and foster that level of trust others can count on.
True commitment only exists when it is aligned with action. Action that is based on disciplined preparation, laser sharp focus, and most of all courage, the sort of courage that says even though you may get "shot at" you will carry on regardless! This is the reality of flying fighters in combat, and it is also the reality of leading a life of passion that is based on commitment and action.
Bottom line, before you commit to anything, you have to risk getting "shot at." You have to be willing to work and sacrifice. Let's face it, it's not easy to commit. If it were, everybody would be doing it!
So, here's the wingtip: The ability to face our fears, harness courage, and commit to action when the stakes are high is made a lot easier when we act in service to others. More importantly, when we have a trusted partner on our wing backing us up, it gives us courage to press on.
Hos was on my wing. Who is on yours?
-- Waldo Waldman
Reprinted with permission from The Ron White Ezine
July 8, 2009
A Grenade, a Helmet and a Choice by Ron White
His name was Jason Dunham and he was a corporal in the United States Marines. The story picks up with Jason as he was talking with the men in his unit. They wondered whether a person could jump on a grenade and survive by putting it under his helmet. Deep down they all knew that it most likely wouldn't work, yet on the streets of Baghdad all topics of conversation can soon become quickly exhausted and hypothetical solutions to real-life problems can pass the time.
Unfortunately for Jason Dunham, the circumstance that he had hypothesized about arrived just a few weeks later. However, fortunately for his unit, Corporal Jason Dunham was there. In this life and death scenario, there is no time to think. There is only time for fight or flight. Jason chose fight and performed above and beyond the call of duty. He threw his helmet and body over a grenade and gave his life for his friends. Jason was nominated for The Congressional Medal of Honor. He was 20 years old.
Your stance on political matters or world issues is irrelevant in this scenario. Jason did not do this for you. He did not do it for the people of Baghdad. He didn't do it for the U.S. government or a politician. He did it for the men beside him, period.
To give your life for your friends is perhaps the greatest thing one person can do for another. It is also one of the rarest acts of civilization.
In 1981, shots rang out and bullets screamed through the air to pierce the flesh of the 40th President of the United States. No sooner had the gun powder been ignited than secret service agent Tim McCarthy stood up as straight as a board and extended his arms to make himself a large barrier between would-be assassin John Hinckley and President Reagan. While others ran for cover, Agent McCarthy stood looking directly at his potential death with firm resolve. Tim was shot square in the chest and, believe it or not, that was exactly his goal. As he positioned himself spread eagle to take a bullet for a man, an office and a nation, others cowered in trembling fear. Because of amazing grace, agent McCarthy survived.
What causes men and women to lay down their lives for another? It takes a lot. First and foremost, it takes a realization that life isn't about you. It is about making a difference, about making an impact and about giving.
Jason Dunham and Tim McCarthy were able to respond the way they did because:
They decided how they were going to respond long before the event occurred.
They were not selfish people the farthest you could be from selfish, as a matter of fact.
They realized that life was not about them; it was about making a difference it was about others.
I hope with all my heart you are never placed in a situation where you have to choose between your life and those around you. Yet, every day you are in situations where you have to make choices. You must decide right now how you will respond.
The lesson to extract from the lives of Corporal Dunham and Agent McCarthy is that of an overall attitude on life. That attitude, simply put, is that it is better to give than receive. It is honorable to view the lives and well-being of others above yourself. If we can take any pearl of wisdom from the extraordinary lives and attitudes of these two men, it is that making an impact on the world is not always about recognition, power, money or personal gain. Sometimes the greatest success is one who gives himself up so others can succeed. That is the mark of the ultimate high achiever.
Decide today how you will respond in your moments of crisis - whether it is financial, personal or life and death. As you plan your actions, remember the selfless lessons of Corporal Dunham and Agent McCarthy.
-- Ron White
Reprinted with permission from The Ron White Ezine
July 7, 2009
Earn the Respect of Others by Brian Tracy
The Most Important Measure of Success
Being respected by others is very important to each of us. A survey done by the Gallup organization found that the most prominent living Americans rated the respect of others as the most important measure of success in life. They worked very hard to earn the respect of their parents, the respect of their spouses and children, the respect of their peers and colleagues, and the respect of mankind at large.
Why You Respect Yourself
It seems that we truly respect ourselves only when we feel that we are respected by others, and we will go to great lengths to earn and keep that respect. When we feel that someone respects us for who we are and what we have accomplished, we tend to be more open to that persons influence.
Two Things You Can Do
We can do two things to put ourselves in a position to be respected by others. The first is to develop our knowledge of our field. The more people perceive you know about your subject, the more they will respect you. The highest-paid people in almost every field are those who know more than the average people. They are recognized as experts, and they develop what is called expert power. Because of their superior knowledge, they are looked up to and listened to, and they are much more capable of influencing others to act in a particular way than they would be if their knowledge level were just average.
Know Your Business Well
The best salespeople are those who know their products cold. They deeply understand every aspect of their products and the ways in which their products can be used to achieve the most important goals of their customers.
Develop Your Expertise
Another way to put ourselves in a position of being respected by others is to develop our expertise. Expertise is closely tied to knowledge, but it is a little different. Expertise is the ability to do, the ability to perform well in your chosen field. Men and women with expertise are those who practice over and over in whatever they do until they become known far and wide as the very best in their field.
Action Exercises
Here are two things you can do immediately to put these ideas into action:
First, study your field in detail. Dedicate at least one hour per day to reading, listening to audio programs, studying to become more and more knowledgeable about what you do.
Second, continually upgrade your knowledge and skills in your field. Identify your weakest important skill and go to work on that.
Knowledge and know-how are the keys to the 21st century.
-- Brian Tracy
Reprinted with permission from The Jim Rohn Ezine
July 6, 2009
Establishing Dreams and Goals by Jim Rohn
One of the amazing things we have been given as humans is the unquenchable desire to have dreams of a better life, and the ability to establish goals to live out those dreams. Think of it: We can look deep within our hearts and dream of a better situation for ourselves and our families; dream of better financial lives and better emotional or physical lives; certainly dream of better spiritual lives. But what makes this even more powerful is that we have also been given the ability to not only dream but to pursue those dreams and not only to pursue them, but the cognitive ability to actually lay out a plan and strategies (setting goals) to achieve those dreams. Powerful! And that is what we will discuss in detail this week: How to dream dreams and establish goals to get those dreams.
What are your dreams and goals? This isn't what you already have or what you have done, but what you want. Have you ever really sat down and thought through your life values and decided what you really want? Have you ever taken the time to truly reflect, to listen quietly to your heart, to see what dreams live within you? Your dreams are there. Everyone has them. They may live right on the surface, or they may be buried deep from years of others telling you they were foolish, but they are there.
So how do we know what our dreams are? This is an interesting process and it relates primarily to the art of listening. This is not listening to others; it is listening to yourself. If we listen to others, we hear their plans and dreams (and many will try to put their plans and dreams on us). If we listen to others, we can never be fulfilled. We will only chase elusive dreams that are not rooted deep within us. No, we must listen to our own hearts.
Let's take a look at some practical steps/thoughts on hearing from our hearts on what our dreams are:
Take time to be quiet. This is something that we don't do enough in this busy world of ours. We rush, rush, rush, and we are constantly listening to noise all around us. The human heart was meant for times of quiet, to peer deep within. It is when we do this that our hearts are set free to soar and take flight on the wings of our own dreams! Schedule some quiet "dream time" this week. No other people. No cell phone. No computer. Just you, a pad, a pen, and your thoughts (you get to do this in the workbook exercises this week).
Think about what really thrills you. When you are quiet, think about those things that really get your blood moving. What would you LOVE to do, either for fun or for a living? What would you love to accomplish? What would you try if you were guaranteed to succeed? What big thoughts move your heart into a state of excitement and joy? When you answer these questions you will feel Great and you will be in the "dream zone." It is only when we get to this point that we experience what Our dreams are!
Write down all of your dreams as you have them. Don't think of any as too outlandish or foolish - remember, you're dreaming! Let the thoughts fly and take careful record.
Now, prioritize those dreams. Which are most important? Which are most feasible? Which would you love to do the most? Put them in the order in which you will actually try to attain them. Remember, we are always moving toward action, not just dreaming.
Here is the big picture: Life is too short to not pursue your dreams. Someday your life will near its end and all you will be able to do is look backwards. You can reflect with joy or regret. Those who dream, who set goals and act on them to live out their dreams are those who live lives of joy and have a sense of peace when they near the end of their lives. They have finished well, for themselves and for their families.
Remember: These are the dreams and goals that are born out of your heart and mind. These are the goals that are unique to you and come from who you were created to be and gifted to become. Your specific goals are what you want to attain because they are what will make your life joyful and bring your family's life into congruence with what you want it to be.
Jim Rohn
Reprinted with permission from The Jim Rohn Ezine
July 5, 2009
How Do You Measure Success?
Quality of life, in America today, is often measured by the amount of money you make. Success is defined by the kind of car you drive. By the neighborhood you live in. By the toys you own. After all, he who dies with the most toys wins. True or false?
Life was difficult before remote controls and automatic door locks. Skiing was so boring before the new shape skis hit the market. Fishing without a carbon-fiber rod was next to impossible. And the best part of life today is that big-screen plasma HDTV, the one with the universal remote that controls everything. It's the best escape devised yet from an otherwise dull evening.
In contrast, the people of the remote Himalayan country of Bhutan were recently rated as having the poorest quality of life of all but one other country in the world --- after all, their average annual per capita income is only $500. Ironically, however, when you visit the country, there are no beggars, only beautiful, snow-capped peaks, virgin forests, and clean air. The crime rate is extremely low, no one is in a hurry, and there is a strong sense of community. You might almost think that instead of depending on their belongings to entertain them, they've learned to enhance their lives by building relationships with each other.
Be careful to avoid the trap of, "the more you buy, the more you need". Because oftentimes then the more we think we need, the more unhappy we are with what we have. So this year, before buying those new golf clubs, stop and think. Will that $1,000 bring you more happiness through a bag of irons, compared to a few days off with your family, or as a donation to an organization, or a person who is trying to make a difference. It's your choice. It's how you measure it.
So this week count your blessings instead of your possessions. Spend more time with those you love, instead of spending more money on things you lack.
-- Denis Waitley
Reprinted with permission from The Denis Waitley Ezine
July 4, 2009
The Power of Personal Charisma by Brian Tracy
Become An Irresistible Person
Websters Collegiate Dictionary defines charisma as a personal magic of leadership arousing special popular loyalty or enthusiasm for a public figure.
Develop Personal Magnetism
Charisma is also that special quality of magnetism that each person has and that each person uses to a certain degree. You have a special charisma to the people who look up to you, who respect and admire you: the members of your family and your friends and coworkers. Whenever and wherever a person feels a positive emotion toward another, he imbues that person with charisma, or attractiveness.
Project Yourself Positively
In trying to explain charisma, some people speak of an aura. This aura is a light that is invisible to most people, but not to everyone, and that radiates out from a person and affects the people around that person in a positive or negative way. The halo around the heads of saints and mystics in many religious paintings was the artists attempt to depict the light that people reported seeing around the heads of these men and women when they were speaking or praying, or in an intense emotional state.
Control the Impression You Make
You also have an aura around you that most people cannot see but that is there, nevertheless. This aura affects the way people react and respond to you, either positively or negatively. There is a lot that you can do, and a lot of good reasons for you to do it, to control this aura and make it work in your best interests.
Sell Your Way to the Top
If youre in sales, this aura reflecting your level of charisma can have a major impact on the way your prospects and customers treat you and deal with you. Top salespeople seem to be far more successful than the average salespeople in getting along with their customers. Theyre always more welcome, more positively received and more trusted than the others. They sell more, and they sell more easily. They make a better living, and they build better lives. Salespeople with charisma get far more pleasure out of their work and suffer far less from stress and rejection. The charismatic salesperson is almost invariably a top performer in his field and enjoys all the rewards that go with superior sales.
Influence People Around You
If youre in business, developing greater charisma can help you tremendously in working with your staff, your suppliers, your bankers, your customers and everyone else upon whom you depend for your success. People seem naturally drawn to those who possess charisma.
They want to help them and support them. When you have charisma, people will open doors for you and bring you opportunities that otherwise would not have been available to you.
Exchange Your Personal Relationships
In your personal relationships, the quality of charisma can make your life more joyous, happier. People will naturally want to be around you. Members of your family and your friends will be far happier in your company, and you will have a greater influence on them, causing them to feel better about themselves and to do better at the important things in their lives.
Action Exercises
First, identify the people with whom you seem to have a lot of charisma - the people who know you, like you, respect you the most. How could you increase your charisma with these people?
Second, identify the people who have charisma to you, the people you most like and respect and admire. What is there about them that you could copy or emulate?
If you think charisma, youll have more of it.
-- Brian Tracy
Reprinted with permission from The Chris Widener Ezine
July 3, 2009
Leadership Prep by Chris Widener
So you want to be a leader? Or you want to be a better leader? It can be done, you know. No matter where you are in your leadership journey, you CAN move forward. You CAN lead better. You CAN lead more people. You CAN lead your organization to higher ground. Yes, you CAN!
But let me tell you this: You wont do it via osmosis! It wont just happen. Growing in your leadership is not something that comes from the fairy godmother of leadership. You cant touch the hem of a great leaders garment and become Super-Leader! Oh, that it were that easy!
So what does it take?
Time.
Experience.
Training.
Hard Knocks.
A Mentor.
Discipline.
And a few others.
But lets start at the very beginning. You want to be a leader. Thats good. You want to be a better leader. Thats good too. But what comes first? Preparation. Leadership Prep. What is it? What needs to happen in order to get yourself ready to become a leader? As you get ready to take the next step in your leadership journey, take the time to go through a little reflection on Leadership Prep.
Before you become the leader you want to be:
Count the cost. Leadership is hard. There will be times that you say, Leadership isnt worth it. These people are crazy and I dont deserve this. It is true. You dont deserve it. But you choose it. You choose it because you want to lead people. You want to improve their lives. You see the higher ground that they cannot see and you desire to take them there. It will take time. It will take money. It will sap your strength and energy. Count the cost, my friend. Leadership is not for the weak and timid. Yes, the rewards are great, but so are the sacrifices. Prep yourself for the cost of leadership.
Assess your strengths and weaknesses. Too many people dive into trying to lead and end up dying out because they were not honest with themselves about their strengths and weaknesses. They get going and realize that they should have strengthened themselves in certain areas because now it is killing their ability to lead. If you know your strengths, then you can focus yourself on them and allow yourself to be successful through them. If you are aware of your weaknesses, you will be able to stay away from them, or hire to cover them, and thus allow yourself to become even more successful as a leader. So prep yourself by becoming exceedingly clear on your strengths and weaknesses.
Settle in for the marathon, not the sprint. Very few - I mean VERY few - people get big leadership assignments at early ages. And when they do, even fewer of the few see things happen fast in their leadership. No. Usually things happen slowly. Why do we think they will happen fast then? Because those are the only stories we hear on TV and read about in magazines. Twenty-five-year-old starts business that grows to $20 million a year in sales in JUST TWO YEARS, Sells a lot better than Forty-five-year-old works hard for twenty years and builds lasting business that makes a difference in her community. Right? Right. So, unless you are one of the chosen few, you will need to prep for a marathon, not a sprint. This is both a mental and emotional adjustment that needs to be made. Prep for the long haul!
Develop a learning attitude. You have perhaps heard it said, Leaders are readers. It is true. Even more so, leaders are learners. I dont know any leader who has attained any level of leadership who doesnt keep himself or herself on the edge of learning. One of my mentors runs a company that you would all know by namein fact, you probably used one of their products today, no matter where you live in the worldthat does billions of dollars a year in revenue (Yes, with a b) and he still takes time each year to go to a school of leadership! He is already a tremendously successful leader, yet he is still working on it! THAT is a learning attitude! If you want to lead, prep yourself for it by developing a learning attitude.
Acquire a love for people. In reality, we do not lead organizations or businesses. No. We lead people. We are successful if we know how to lead people. People are the name of the game. And the best way to become a leader of people is to love people. Others can tell instinctively whether or not we love them and have their best interests at heart. If they do not know that we care for them, they will not follow. Leadership is the art of directing people we care for and desire to help. In other words, we love people. If you have an issue with people, chances are you are not ready to lead them. To prep yourself for leadership, acquire a love for people. If the other things are in place, then they will want to follow you.
You CAN become a leader. I truly believe that. If you are already a leader, I know you can become better. Take a long, hard look at yourself and see if perhaps there are some areas you need to prep yourself in regard to leadership so that when you really get going you dont have to stop and go back!
Leadership Prep - thats the place to start!
-- Chris Widener
Reprinted with permission from The Chris Widener Ezine
July 2, 2009
Winning the Thought Battle by Chris Widener
If you have read my articles or heard me speak, you know that I always come down to action. We need to act if we are going to be successful!
Yet, our success starts long before our actions. In fact, our success begins in our thoughts.
The process is that thoughts become actions and actions produce results. So the equation starts with the thoughts. So the key to success is to start with and control the thoughts that we have. Good thoughts become good actions become good results.
But there is this predicament we have as humans. It is this battle we have with our thoughts. Thoughts of depression, negative thoughts, thoughts of fear, etc., constantly creep into our minds and cause us to act in certain ways that are going to produce the antithesis of the kind we want that will produce success.
So what can we do to win the battle with thoughts? Here are a few main points. Apply these immediately and then constantly and you will be on your way to winning the thought battle.
Guard your mind. Pretend that behind that forehead of yours is a very precious thing your mind because it is precious. If you had a storehouse of gold in your house, you would hire an armed guard to stand watch and keep all the bad guys out. Yet, many of us let any old thing come into our minds.
We need to keep the bad thoughts, the negative thoughts, O-U-T! Now when I say this, I mean both the ones that start in our heads and the ones that come from external sources.
Proactively place good thoughts in your head. Just like a garden, where you weed, or pull the bad stuff out, and plant, put the good stuff in, so we do the same thing with our thoughts. Buy tapes and music that will produce good, happy thoughts in your head! Watch TV programs and videos that put good thoughts in your head!
Avoid the naysayers. They are all around you. You work with them, you live near them some are even in your family! Whatever you do, do not let them affect you with their negative thoughts. Spend as little time as you can with them (unless it is your spouse or kids then you need counseling!).
Act on the positive thoughts that you do have. When a positive thought comes into your head, act on it! This will begin to produce a bridge between what you think and how you act! This will then make that transition even easier as time goes by!
Four key ideas to win the thought battle:
- Guard your mind.
- Proactively place good thoughts in your head.
- Avoid the naysayers.
- Act on the positive thoughts that you do have.
Go forth and Win the Battle!
-- Chris Widener
Reprinted with permission from Your Achievement Ezine
July 1, 2009
Attitude is Everything by Jim Rohn
The process of human change begins within us. We all have tremendous potential. We all desire good results from our efforts. Most of us are willing to work hard and to pay the price that success and happiness demand.
Each of us has the ability to put our unique human potential into action and to acquire a desired result. But the one thing that determines the level of our potential, that produces the intensity of our activity, and predicts the quality of the result we receive is our attitude.
Attitude determines how much of the future we are allowed to see. It decides the size of our dreams and influences our determination when we are faced with new challenges. No other person on earth has dominion over our attitude. People can affect our attitude by teaching us poor thinking habits or unintentionally misinforming us or providing us with negative sources of influence, but no one can control our attitude unless we voluntarily surrender that control.
No one else "makes us angry." We make ourselves angry when we surrender control of our attitude. What someone else may have done is irrelevant. We choose, not they. They merely put our attitude to a test. If we select a volatile attitude by becoming hostile, angry, jealous or suspicious, then we have failed the test. If we condemn ourselves by believing that we are unworthy, then again, we have failed the test.
If we care at all about ourselves, then we must accept full responsibility for our own feelings. We must learn to guard against those feelings that have the capacity to lead our attitude down the wrong path and to strengthen those feelings that can lead us confidently into a better future.
If we want to receive the rewards the future holds in trust for us, then we must exercise the most important choice given to us as members of the human race by maintaining total dominion over our attitude. Our attitude is an asset, a treasure of great value, which must be protected accordingly. Beware of the vandals and thieves among us who would injure our positive attitude or seek to steal it away.
Having the right attitude is one of the basics that success requires. The combination of a sound personal philosophy and a positive attitude about ourselves and the world around us gives us an inner strength and a firm resolve that influences all the other areas of our existence.
-- Jim Rohn
Reprinted with permission from Your Achievement Ezine
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