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June 30, 2009
How to Become Rich and Retire Young by Robert Kiyosaki
The following is the story of how my wife Kim, my best friend Larry Clark and I, began our journey from broke, to rich, to retired in less than 10 years. When Kim and I started, we were nearly out of money and filled with doubt. We all have doubts. The difference is what we do with those doubts.
In December 1984, Kim, Larry and I were on a skiing holiday. At night we would discuss our plans for the future. Kim and I were on our last few dollars and Larry was in the process of building another business. On New Years Day, we tried to set some goals. Larry wanted to do more than just set goals for the coming year, he wanted us to set goals that changed our lives.
"Why don't we write a plan on how we can all become financially free?" he urged.
I had talked about it and dreamt about it. But the idea of being financially free was always in the future, not today.
"Let's write it down," Larry said. "Once we write it down, we have to do it, and we'll support each other on the journey."
Kim and I looked at each other doubtfully. "It's a good idea but I think I would rather just focus on surviving for the next year."
"Come on," said Larry. "Let's go for freedom. I don't want to spend my life working just to pay bills. I want to live. I want to be rich. I want to travel the world while I'm young enough to enjoy it."
I recalled the words of my rich dad: "The biggest challenge you have is your own self-doubt and your laziness. It is your self-doubt and your laziness that define and limit who you are. It is your self-doubt and laziness that deny you the life you want."
It was time to choose. "OK, let's set the goal to be financially free." That was New Year's Day 1985. In 1994 Kim and I were free. Larry went on to build his company, which became one of Inc. Magazine's fastest growing companies of the year in 1996. Larry retired in 1998 at the age of 46 after selling his company.
How did we do it?
It's not about how we did it. It's about why we did it. From 1985 to 1994, Kim, Larry, and I focused on rich dad's three paths to great wealth:
Increasing business skills
Increasing money management skills
Increasing investment skills
The why is because I wanted to challenge my own self-doubts, my laziness and my past. It was the why that gave us the power to do the how.
My arguments against Larry's idea were things like: "But we don't have any money"; "I can't do that"; "I'll think about it next year, or once Kim and I get settled".
Rich dad had told me: "Whenever someone says something like 'I can't afford it', or 'I can't do it' to something they want, they have a big problem. Why in the world would someone say 'I can't afford it' or 'I can't do it' to something they want? Why would someone deny themselves the things they want? It makes no logical sense."
My own whys
I was fed up with being broke and always struggling for money.
I was tired of being average.
My parents had struggled under a mountain of bills.
Most painful of all, my beautiful wife Kim was in this financial mess because she loved me.
Things got worse for us before they got better. Kim and I lived in a car for about three weeks after our money ran out. So things did not get better just because we made the decision to retire rich, but it was the reasons why that kept us going.
Rich dad used to say: "If you want something, be passionate. Passion gives energy to your life." Passion is a combination of love and hate. "If you want something you do not have, find out why you love what you want and why you hate not having what you want. When you combine those two thoughts, you will find the energy to go get anything you want."
For example, I would create the following list:
LOVE
Being rich
Being free
Buying anything I want
Expensive things
Having other people do what I don't want to do
HATE
Being poor
Being required to work
Not having what I want
Cheap things
Doing things I don't want to do
So sit quietly to find and define your loves and hates. Then write down your whys. Write down your dreams, goals and plans on becoming financially free, retiring early and retiring as young as possible. Once it is in writing, you may want to show it to a friend who will support you in achieving your dreams. Take a look at this paper with your dreams, goals and plans on a regular basis. Talk about it often, ask for support, be willing to continually learn, and before you know it, things will begin to happen.
I have heard many people say: "Money doesn't buy happiness." That statement has some truth to it. But what money does do is buy me the time to do what I love and pay other people to do what I hate doing.
-- Robert Kiyosaki
Reprinted with permission from Your Achievement Ezine
June 29, 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
June 28, 2009
Zig Ziglar on Survival Tactics
The giraffe is the largest mammal that gives birth while standing up. I don't speak "giraffe," but I can imagine what the baby giraffe must think when he bounces on the ground from that great height. He just left warm, cushioned quarters in which all his needs, comforts and security were provided. Now he finds himself bouncing off (comparatively speaking) hard, cold, unwelcoming ground.
Almost immediately thereafter, a new trauma occurs in the baby giraffe's life. As he struggles to his knees, Mama Giraffe gets busy "persuading" him to stand up. She does this as he wobbles to his feet by giving him a swift kick to prod him to faster action. No sooner does he reach his feet than Mama delivers a booming kick that knocks the baby giraffe back down. . . . I can well imagine the baby giraffe thinking, "Well, make up your mind, Mom! First you kicked me to make me stand up. Then you kicked me back down!" . . .
That process is repeated several times because Mama Giraffe loves her baby. . . . Mama Giraffe knows that the only chance for survival her baby has is to be able to quickly get up and move out of harm's way. Yes, kicking the baby up and down seems like a strange way to show love. But for a baby giraffe it is the ultimate expression of love.
Caution: That approach definitely won't work in the "people" world, but the principle will. Real love is evidenced when you do what is best for the other person, whether or not they appreciate it at that moment. Think about it and I'll SEE YOU AT THE TOP!
-- Zig Ziglar
Reprinted with permission from Your Achievement Ezine
June 27, 2009
The Good News Girl by Mac Anderson
One of the most wonderful things about having a positive attitude is the number of people it touches, many times in ways you'll never know.
Recently, I stopped by a convenience store to get a newspaper and a pack of gum. The young woman at the check-out counter said, "That'll be five dollars please," and as I reached into my wallet, the thought occurred to me that a newspaper and gum didn't quite make it to five dollars.
When I looked up to get a "re-quote," she had a big smile on her face and said, "Gotcha! I got to get my tip in there somehow!" I laughed when I knew I'd been had. She then glanced down at the paper I was buying and said, "I'm sick and tired of all this negative stuff on the front pages. I want to read some good news for a change." She then said, "In fact, I think someone should just publish a Good News newspaper - a paper with wonderful, inspirational stories about people overcoming adversity and doing good things for others. I'd buy one every day!" She then thanked me for coming in and said, "Maybe we'll get lucky tomorrow; maybe we'll get some good news," and she laughed. She made my day.
The following day after my business appointments, I dropped by the same store again to pick up bottled water, but a different young lady was behind the counter. As I checked out I said, "Good afternoon" and handed her my money for the water. She said nothing - not a word, not a smile. nothing. She just handed me my change and in a negative tone ordered, "Next!"
It hit me right between the eyes: Two people, same age; one made me feel great, and the other, well, made me feel that I had inconvenienced her by showing up.
By the choices we make, by the attitudes we exhibit, we are influencing lives every day in positive or negative ways. . .our family, our peers, our friends, and even strangers we've never met before and will never meet again.
So when you brush your teeth every morning, look in the mirror and ask yourself this important question, "Who do I want to be today? 'The Grouch' or 'The Good News Girl?'" Your answer will go a long way toward determining the joy and happiness that you will experience in your life.
-- Mac Anderson
Reprinted with permission from Your Achievement Ezine
June 26, 2009
Conducting a Personal Inventory of Your "Knowledge Resources" by Denis Waitley
Self-knowledge has always been the key to preparing for competition. Knowledge of your attributes, abilities, interests, strengths, weaknesses, and traits is essential to riding the front end of the wave of change into the new century. To fully assess your own talents, realize that studies confirm that what we love and do well as children continues as our latent or manifest talent as adults.
Examination of your weekend or evening interests might reveal a gem of potential you can apply to your vocation. I strongly suggest you don't unthinkingly relegate what you love to do for yourself solely to hobbies. You might make it, or at least integrate it into your life's work.
The acquisition of knowledge, which is the new global power, is a life-long experience, not a collection of facts or skills. Not long ago, what you learned in school was largely all you needed to learn to secure a career. With knowledge expanding exponentially, this is no longer true. Hundreds of scientific papers are published daily.
Every thirty seconds, some new technological company produces yet another innovation. Your formal education has a very short shelf life. Life-long learning, once a luxury for the few, has become absolutely vital to continued success. Continue gaining expertise and avoid thinking like an expert.
Action Idea: An excellent benchmarking exercise is to spend a weekend with key associates or family members and dust off your childhood memories. Remember what you really enjoyed and wanted to do most as a child. The next activity in assessing your interests is considering your current ones. What do you most enjoy after work? What do you most want to do on weekends and vacations? What are your hobbies? Can you bring more of what you enjoy into your business life?
Action Step - Increase Your Reading, Writing and Vocabulary Proficiency. One of the most important qualities of successful leaders is an ability to express thoughts and knowledge. Research by management and human resource experts confirms that no matter what the field of employment, people with large vocabularies - those able to speak clearly and concisely, using simple as well as descriptive words - are best at accomplishing their goals. Well chosen, carefully considered words can close the sale, negotiate the raise, enhance relationships, and change destinies.
In a world of e-mail, fax dispersal, voice mail, sound bites, concise reports, business plans, and meeting briefs, the individuals who can articulate their goals, substantiate their claims, and support their visions, will own the future. In the 21st Century, literacy will be the major difference between the haves and have-nots.
Why do fewer than 10 percent of the public buy and read nonfiction books? One reason is that many would rather get home than get ahead. They are motivated to get by and get pulled along by the company, the economy, or the government.
Another reason is that many individuals believe that information found in books, computer programs, and training sessions has no value in the business world. How self-deluding!
As the new tools of productivity become the Internet, the Digital Versatile Disc, direct digital download of text, audio and video, and the combination of the interactive computer with telecommunications, the people who know how to control the new technologies will acquire power, while those who thought that education ends with the diploma are destined for low-paying, low-satisfaction jobs. In almost the blink of an eye, our society has passed from the industrial age to the knowledge era.
Increase your reading by 100 percent. Decrease your television watching, and that of any children in your family by 50 percent. Surf the Internet and subscribe to book summaries, or download free chapters from different sources. By reading book summaries, you can gain the essence of all the top business books in a very brief period of time.
Action Idea: Read at least one book each month, and listen to at least one additional audio book during commute or down time. One of the best sources for business audio books online is MP3audiobooks.com.
All kinds of reading and listening to fiction and non-fiction will increase your vocabulary, writing and presentation skills. Incredibly, a mere 3,500 words separate the average person from those with superior vocabularies.
Keep a dictionary beside you when you read and look up every word you don't fully understand. Doing that on the spot helps make the word part of your vocabulary forever. And don't depend on your computer's spellchecker for your spelling. Not all e-mail service includes spell check. Also, you may be called upon to write longhand notes, memos, or information on white boards or blackboards at meetings. You not only want to use the right words. You also will want to spell them correctly.
A great way to increase your literacy is to engage in Internet conferences and to read summaries on the web from services like Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble and other booksellers. The more interactive you become in communications and the less you indulge in prime-time television, the more successful you'll become in all areas of your life. Knowledge is the new power. And literacy is the door to knowledge.
-- Denis Waitley
Reprinted with permission from The Jim Rohn Ezine
June 25, 2009
It is a Challenge to Succeed by Jim Rohn
It is a challenge to succeed. If it were not, I'm sure more people would be successful, but for every person who is enjoying the fruit from the tree of success, many more are examining the roots. They are trying to figure it all out. They are mystified and perplexed by what seems to be some strange, complex and elusive secret that must be found if ever success is to be enjoyed. 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 engaged in designing and enjoying a fortune. Everything just seems to work out for them. While the much larger group sits in awe at how life can be so unfair, complicated and unjust.
"I am a nice person," the man says to himself. "How come this other guy is happy and prosperous, and I'm always struggling?" He asks himself, "I am a good husband, a good father and a good worker. How come nothing seems to work out for me? Life just isn't fair. I'm even smarter and willing to work harder than some of these other people who just seem to have everything going their way," he says as he slumps into the sofa to watch another evening of television.
But, you see, you've got to be more than a good person and a good worker. You've got to become a good planner, and a good dreamer. You've got to see the future finished in advance. You've got to put in the long hours and put up with the setbacks and the disappointments. You've got to learn to enjoy the process of disciplines and of putting yourself through the paces of doing the uncomfortable until it becomes comfortable. You've got to be prepared and willing to attack the challenges if you want the success because challenges are part of success.
Now that may sound like a full menu of activities, but let me assure you that the process of going from average to fortune isn't really all that difficult. Thinking about it is the difficult part. Anticipating all the effort and the changes and the disciplines is far worse in the mind than in reality. I can promise you that the challenges you'll meet on the road to success are far less difficult to deal with than the struggles and the disappointments that come from being average. Confronting and overcoming challenges is an exhilarating experience. It does something to feed the soul and the mind. It makes you more than you were before. It strengthens the mental muscles and enables you to become better prepared for the next challenge.
I've often said that to have more, we must first become more, and to become more, we must begin the process of working harder on ourselves than we do on anything else. But in addition to gathering new knowledge, new skills and new experiences; it is also important to discover new emotions. It is how we feel about what we know that makes the biggest difference in how our lives turn out. How we feel about the chances we have and the choices we have determines the intensity of our effort. Whether we try or don't try. Join or don't join. Believe or don't believe.
I'd like for you to discover some strong feelings about your life and about what you want to do with that life. You probably have much of the knowledge and a lot of the experience and perhaps most of the skills that it takes to become successful. What you may be lacking in are the strong feelings about what you want and what you want to do. You may be one of those who have become so involved in the process of earning a living that you've forgotten about the choices and the chances you have for designing your own life.
Let these strong feelings help you take a second look at your life and where you're headed. After all, you've only got one life, at least on this planet. So why not make it an adventure in achievement? Why not discover what all you can do and what all you can have? Why not discover how many others you can help and in the process how that can help you?
Why not now take the Challenge to Succeed!
To Your Success,
Jim Rohn
Reprinted with permission from The Jim Rohn Ezine
June 24, 2009
5 Reasons Why Dreams Don't Take Flight by Dr. John C. Maxwell
Most of us never see our dreams come true. Instead of soaring through the clouds, our dreams languish like a broken-down airplane confined to its hangar. Through life, I have come to identify five common reasons why dreams don't take flight.
#1 We Have Been Discouraged from Dreaming by Others
We have to pilot our own dreams; we cannot entrust them to anyone else. People who aren't following their own dreams resent us pursuing ours. Such people feel inadequate when we succeed, so they try to drag us down.
If we listen to external voices, then we allow our dreams to be hijacked. At some point, other people will place limitations on us by doubting our abilities. When surrounded by the turbulence of criticism, we have to grasp the controls tightly to keep from being knocked off course.
#2 We Are Hindered by Past Disappointments and Hurts
In the movie Top Gun, Tom Cruise plays Maverick, a young, talented, and cocky aviator who dreams of being the premier pilot in the U.S. Navy. In the film's opening scenes, Maverick showcases his flying ability but also displays a knack for pushing the envelope with regards to safety. Midway through the movie, Maverick's characteristic aggression spells disaster. His plane crashes, killing his best friend and co-pilot.
Although cleared of wrongdoing, the painful memory of the accident haunts Maverick. He quits taking risks and loses his edge. Struggling to regain his poise, he considers giving up on his dream. Although the incident nearly wrecks Maverick's career, he eventually reaches within to find the strength to return to the sky.
Like Maverick, many of us live with the memory of failure embedded in our psyche. Perhaps a business we started went broke, or we were fired from a position of leadership. Disappointment is the gap that exists between expectation and reality, and all of us have encountered that gap. Failure is a necessary and natural part of life, but if we're going to attain our dreams, then, like Maverick, we have to summon the courage to deal with past hurts.
#3 We Fall into the Habit of Settling for Average
Average is the norm for a reason. Being exceptional demands extra effort, sustained inspiration, and uncommon discipline. When we attempt to give flight to our dreams, we have to overcome the weight of opposition. Like gravity, life's circumstances constantly pull on our dreams, tugging us down to mediocrity.
Most of us don't pay the price to overcome the opposition to our dreams. We may start out inspired, but through time we fatigue. Although never intending to abandon our dreams, we begin to make concessions here and there. Through time, our lives become mundane, and our dreams slip away.
#4 We Lack the Confidence Needed to Pursue Our Dreams
Dreams are fragile. They will be buffeted by assaults from all sides. As such, they must be supplied with the extra strength of self-confidence.
In Amelia Earhart's day, women were not supposed to fly airplanes. If she had lacked self-assurance, she never would have even attempted to be a pilot. Instead, Earhart confidently chased after her dream, and she was rewarded with both fulfillment and fame.
#5 We Lack the Imagination to Dream
For thousands of years, mankind traveled along the ground: by foot, by horse-and-buggy, by locomotive, and eventually by automobile. Thanks to the dreams of Orville and Wilbur Wright, we now hop across oceans in a matter of hours. The imaginative brothers overcame ridicule and doubt to pioneer human flight, and the world has never been the same.
Many of us play small because we do not allow ourselves to dream. We trap ourselves in reality and never dare to go beyond what we can see with our eyes. Imagination lifts us beyond average by giving us a vision of life that surpasses what we are experiencing currently. Dreams infuse our spirit with energy and spur us on to greatness.
-- John C. Maxwell
Reprinted with permission from Your Achievement Ezine
June 23, 2009
The Golden Hour by Brian Tracy
You become what you think about most of the time. And the most important part of each day is what you think about at the beginning of that day.
Start Your Day Right
Take 30 minutes each morning to sit quietly and to reflect on your goals. You'll find when you read the biographies and autobiographies of successful men and women that almost every one of them began their upward trajectory to success when they began getting up early in the morning and spending time with themselves.
Feed Your Mind with Positive Ideas
This is called the Golden Hour. The first hour sets the tone for the day. The things that you do in the first hour prepare your mind and set you up for the entire day. During the first thirty to sixty minutes, take time to think and review your plans for the future.
Use Your Quiet Time Effectively
Here are four things that you can do during that quiet time in the morning.
Number one is to review your plans for accomplishing your goals and change your plans if necessary.
Number two is to think of better ways to accomplish your goals. As an exercise, assume that the way you're going about it is totally wrong and imagine going about it totally differently. What would you do different from what you're doing right now?
Number three, reflect on the valuable lessons that you have learned and are learning as you move toward your goals.
Number four is to practice daily visualization. Calmly visualize your goal as a reality. Close your eyes, relax, smile, and see your goal as though it were already a reality. Rewrite your major goals every day in the present tense. Rewrite them as though they already existed. Write "I earn X dollars." "I have a net worth of X." "I weigh a certain number of pounds." This exercise of writing and rewriting your goals every day is one of the most powerful you will ever learn.
Fasten Your Seatbelt
Your life will start to take off at such a speed that you'll have to put on your seatbelt. Remember, the starting point for achieving financial success is the development of an attitude of unshakable confidence in yourself and in your ability to reach your goals. Everything we've talked about is a way of building up and developing your belief system until you finally reach the point where you are absolutely convinced that nothing can stop you from achieving what you set out to achieve.
Everything Counts
No one starts out with this kind of an attitude, but you can develop it using the law of accumulation. Everything counts. No efforts are ever lost. Every extraordinary accomplishment is the result of thousands of ordinary accomplishments that no one recognizes or appreciates. The greatest challenge of all is for you to concentrate your thinking single-mindedly on your goal and by the law of attraction, you will, you must inevitably draw into your life the people, circumstances and opportunities you need to achieve your goals.
Become a Living Magnet
Once you've mastered yourself and your thinking, you will become a living magnet for ideas and opportunities to become wealthy. It's worked for me and for every successful person I know. It will work for you if you'll begin today, now, this very minute, to think and talk about your dreams and goals as though they were already a reality. When you change your thinking, you will change your life. You will put yourself firmly on the road to financial independence.
Action Exercises
Now, here are two things you can do every single day to keep your mind focused on your financial goals:
First, get up every morning a little bit earlier and plan your day in advance. Take some time to think about your goals and how you can best achieve them. This sets the tone for the whole day.
Second, reflect on the valuable lessons you are learning each day as you work toward your goals. Be prepared to correct your course and adjust your actions. Be absolutely convinced that you are moving rapidly toward your goals, no matter what happens temporarily on the outside. Just hang in there!
-- Brian Tracy
Reprinted with permission from Your Achievement Ezine
June 22, 2009
How to Communicate Like a Pro by Nido Qubein
Here are six techniques you can use to help you say things simply but persuasively, and even forcefully:
(1) Get your thinking straight. The most common source of confusing messages is muddled thinking. We have an idea we haven't thought through. Or we have so much we want to say that we can't possibly say it. Or we have an opinion that is so strong we can't keep it in. As a result, we are ill prepared when we speak, and we confuse everyone. The first rule of plain talk, then, is to think before you say anything. Organize your thoughts.
(2) Say what you mean. Say exactly what you mean.
(3) Get to the point. Effective communicators don't beat around the bush. If you want someone to buy something, ask for the order. If you want someone to do something, say exactly what you want done.
(4) Be concise. Don't waste words. Confusion grows in direct proportion to the number of words used. Speak plainly and briefly, using the shortest, most familiar words.
(5) Be real. Each of us has a personality -- a blending of traits, thought patterns and mannerisms -- which can aid us in communicating clearly. For maximum clarity, be natural, and let the real you come through. You'll be more convincing and much more comfortable.
(6) Speak in images. The clich that "a picture is worth a thousand words" isn't exactly true (try explaining the Internal Revenue code using nothing but pictures). But words that help people visualize concepts can be tremendous aids in communicating a message. Once Ronald Reagan's Strategic Defense Initiative became known as Star Wars, its opponents had a powerful weapon against it. The name gave it the image of a far-out, futuristic dream beyond the reach of current technology. Reagan was never able to come up with a more powerful positive image.
Your one-on-one communication will acquire real power if you learn to send messages that are simple, clear, and assertive; if you learn to monitor the hearer to determine that your message was accurately received; and if you learn to obtain the desired response by approaching people with due regard for their behavioral styles.
Your finesse as a communicator will grow as you learn to identify and overcome the obstacles to communication. Practice the six techniques I just mentioned, and you'll find your effectiveness as a message-sender growing steadily.
But sending messages is only half the process of communicating. To be a truly accomplished communicator, you must also cultivate the art of listening.
If you're approaching a railroad crossing around a blind curve, you can send a message with your car horn. But that's not the most important part of your communication task. The communication that counts takes place when you stop, look and listen.
We're all familiar with the warning on the signs at railroad crossings: Stop, Look and Listen. It's also a useful admonition for communication.
It's easy to think of communication as a process of sending messages. But sending is only half the process. Receiving is the other half. So at the appropriate time, we have to stop sending and prepare to receive.
A sign on the wall of Lyndon Johnson's Senate office put it in a down-to-earth way: "When you're talking, you ain't learning."
LISTENING PAYS
Listening pays off daily in the world of business. Smart salespeople have learned that you can talk your way out of a sale, but you can listen your way into one. They listen to their customers to find out what their needs are, then concentrate on filling those needs. Skilled negotiators know that no progress can be made until they have heard and understood what the other side wants.
LISTENING REQUIRES THOUGHT AND CARE
Listening, like speaking and writing, requires thought and care. If you don't concentrate on listening, you won't learn much, and you won't remember much of what you learn.
Some experts claim that professionals earn between 40% and 80% of their pay by listening. Yet, most of us retain only 25% of what we hear. If you can increase your retention and your comprehension, you can increase your effectiveness in the 21st century's Age of Information.
LISTEN WITH YOUR EYES
If you listen only with your ears, you're missing out on much of the message. Good listeners keep their eyes open while listening.
Look for feelings. The face is an eloquent communication medium. Learn to read its messages. While the speaker is delivering a verbal message, the face can be saying, "I'm serious," "Just kidding," "It pains me to be telling you this," or "This gives me great pleasure."
Some non-verbal signals to watch for:
- Rubbing one eye. When you hear "I guess you're right," and the speaker is rubbing one eye, guess again. Rubbing one eye often is a signal that the speaker is having trouble inwardly accepting something.
- Tapping feet. When a statement is accompanied by foot-tapping, it usually indicates a lack of confidence in what is being said.
- Rubbing fingers. When you see the thumb and forefinger rubbing together, it often means that the speaker is holding something back.
- Staring and blinking. If you've made your best offer and the other person stares at the ceiling and blinks rapidly, your offer is under consideration.
- Crooked smiles. Most genuine smiles are symmetrical. And most facial expressions are fleeting. If a smile is noticeably crooked, you're probably looking at a fake smile.
- Eyes that avoid contact. Poor eye contact can be a sign of low self-esteem, but it can also indicate that the speaker is not being truthful.
It would be unwise to make a decision based solely on these visible signals. But they can give you valuable tips on the kind of questions to ask and the kind of answers to be alert for.
GOOD LISTENERS MAKE THINGS EASY
People who are poor listeners will find few who are willing to come to them with useful information.
Good listeners make it easy on those to whom they want to listen. They make it clear that they're interested in what the other person has to say.
-- Nido Qubein
Reprinted with permission from The Jim Rohn Ezine
June 21, 2009
The Key to Making Life Unique and Worthwhile by Jim Rohn
Now the key to make life really unique and worthwhile is to share. Sharing has a certain unique magic of its own. Here's what I learned in sharing ideas.
If you share an idea with ten different people, they get to hear it once, and you get to hear it ten times. So here's part of self-interest for yourself, getting you even better prepared for the future. Share ideas. Share with your family, share with the people around you, share with other employees, share with your colleagues.
Because by sharing, two things happen. Here's what we call it. I don't know how to explain it, but I do know it happens. And I don't know all about how it happens or why it happens, it just happens.
When one person shares with another, two things happen. The audience could be transformed, and so could the speaker. If you share with someone else, they could be transformed. You may have dropped in at the right time. This may be their moment. They've got three numbers dialed into the lock already, and if you say it well and say it right you'll be the fourth number that they can dial into the lock of their personal experience and the door will come open and there's opportunity they never saw before. The person who hears could be transformed.
But here's what else is exciting. The person who speaks could be transformed. Guess what we're all looking fortransformation for our new life. The new life tomorrow, the new life this month, the new life next year, the new life this year.
The caterpillar one day says, "I think I was made for more than this crawling on the ground." So the caterpillar climbs the tree, attaches himself to a leaf and spins the cocoon. Who knows what disciplined effort it takes to spin a cocoon. But something inside the caterpillar says, "I was designed for something more than being just a caterpillar."
And then when the cocoon is ready and it opens up, out comes a butterfly that flies away, maybe singing, "I believe I can fly! I believe I can touch the sky! I used to be a caterpillar on the ground, now I fly."
I'm asking you to go through such a metamorphosis. I'm asking you often to go through a period where you say, "New skills, new things are waiting for me," and part of this will come if you'll translate for other people what you feel in your heart and in your soul. As awkward as your language might be at first, don't hesitate to do it.
Here's what sharing doesmakes room for more. Key question, if this glass is full of water can it hold any more? If the glass is full of water, can it hold any more? And the answer is yes, yes, if you pour some out. So jot that down. If you want more, you've got to pour out what you've got, and then you have the opportunity to receive more.
Now, unlike the glass that remains the same size when you pour some out; not so in the consciousness of human beings. Your capacity will increase the more you share. You'll get bigger and bigger and bigger.
Now why the self-interest wish to be bigger? Here's why to hold more of the next experience. Some people can't hold much happiness because they're too small, their thinking is too small, their activity is too small, they're too small in their ability to share, they're just too small. Can't hold much, they're too small.
But the bigger you get, the more you will receive. When happiness is poured out, you'll get more. When joy is poured out on the nation, you'll get more. When bounty is poured out from the economy, you will get more, if you share what you've got and become bigger and bigger and bigger.
Now some people are not only small, they have their glass turned upside down. Hard to get anything in. But here's what you've done in reading this ezine. You've come with an open mind, an open consciousness, ready to receive, and I promise you we'll continue to pour everything we possibly can into every issue to make it beneficial for you.
To Your Success,
Jim Rohn
Reprinted with permission from The Jim Rohn Ezine
June 20, 2009
Why You Must Read Biographies by Ron White
"Don't worry boy, it will be alright. I've took this road you are walkin' down. I've been in your shoes. It is just somethin' that you have got to go through. I had this same talk with my dad."
Those were the words I heard from my dad at the age of twelve, when my heart had flushed my eyes with tears because the life of my dog was flickering out. Through the years I have taken walks down the same road with my dad and I've heard different versions of the same speech when business was tough, friendships ended or I wasn't feeling my best.
Sometimes it is nice to know that what you are going through isn't an experience unique to you. There is comfort in knowing that others have been there and there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Often, when you are in the midst of the tunnel the only thing that catches your focus is despair, discouragement and depression. Yet, it can turn your day around when someone ventures into the tunnel walks with you and grabs your hand to say, I've been herehang in there. I turned out alright and you will as well.
Unfortunately, we don't all have someone who will tread into the tunnel and walk beside with encouragement. This is why it is so important to read biographies! A biography is a unique way to have a successful person walk beside you as you examine the story of their life. You will often be surprised that the most successful people of all time experience the same struggles as you.
Einstein was divorced, Lincoln battled depression, Ronald Reagan had his heart broken by his first wife and Sam Walton went broke twice. Where did I learn these facts? From the biographies I read! Did it make me feel better because they had hard times? Yes and no. I never delight in someone else's pain. On the other hand, it is without question that Einstein, Lincoln, Reagan and Walton were monumental successes. It is refreshing and inspiring to read that they were also human and have walked down the same road that you and I have.
What an encouragement it was when my business was struggling a few years ago to read Sam Walton's biography and my eyes halted on the page where I read that at the exact age I was at that time that he was in an almost identical financial spot! I put the book down and a smile spread across my face. If you don't know who Sam Walton is, he started a small company called Wal-Mart a few years ago and it turned out okay.
Reading Sam Walton's biography was a neat way for me to get inspired and reminded that some pretty successful people have met discouragement head on and succeeded. In a sense, while reading that book, a message from the spirit of Sam Walton said, Ron I have been there. It is hard, but don't give up. The reward is worth it. Now press on. I did and I will be forever glad that I did.
Now, go to the bookstore and pick up a biography. By the way, if you are in a rough spot or experiencing some heartache.. "Don't worry boy, it will be alright. I've took this road you are walkin' down. I've been in your shoes. It is just somethin' that you have got to go through. I had this same talk with my dad."
-- Ron White
Reprinted with permission from The Jim Rohn Ezine
June 19, 2009
The Two Choices We Face by Jim Rohn
Each of us has two distinct choices to make about what we will do with our lives. The first choice we can make is to be less than we have the capacity to be. To earn less. To have less. To read less and think less. To try less and discipline ourselves less. These are the choices that lead to an empty life. These are the choices that, once made, lead to a life of constant apprehension instead of a life of wondrous anticipation.
And the second choice? To do it all! To become all that we can possibly be. To read every book that we possibly can. To earn as much as we possibly can. To give and share as much as we possibly can. To strive and produce and accomplish as much as we possibly can. All of us have the choice.
To do or not to do. To be or not to be. To be all or to be less or to be nothing at all.
Like the tree, it would be a worthy challenge for us all to stretch upward and outward to the full measure of our capabilities. Why not do all that we can, every moment that we can, the best that we can, for as long as we can?
Our ultimate life objective should be to create as much as our talent and ability and desire will permit. To settle for doing less than we could do is to fail in this worthiest of undertakings.
Results are the best measurement of human progress. Not conversation. Not explanation. Not justification. Results! And if our results are less than our potential suggests that they should be, then we must strive to become more today than we were the day before. The greatest rewards are always reserved for those who bring great value to themselves and the world around them as a result of who and what they have become.
To Your Success,
Jim Rohn
Reprinted with permission from The Jim Rohn Ezine
June 18, 2009
Be a Person Who Practices Non-Situational Integrity by Denis Waitley
Integrity, a standard of personal morality and ethics, is not relative to the situation you happen to find yourself in and doesnt sell out to expediency. Its short supply is getting even shorter, but without it, leadership is a faade. Learning to see through exteriors is a critical development in the transition from adolescence to adulthood. Sadly, most people continue to be taken in by big talk and media popularity, flashy or bizarre looks, and expensive possessions. They move through most of their years convinced that the externals are what count, and are thus doomed to live shallow lives. Men and women who rely on their looks or status to feel good about themselves inevitably do everything they can to enhance the impression they make and do correspondingly little to develop their inner value and personal growth. The paradox is that the people who try hardest to impress are often the least impressive. Puffing to appear powerful is an attempt to hide insecurity.
In the Roman Empires final corrupt years, status was conveyed by the number of carved statues of the gods displayed in peoples courtyards. As in every business, the Roman statue industry had good and bad sculptors and merchants. As the empire became ever more greedy and narcissistic, the bad got away with as much as they could. Sculptors became adept at using wax to hide cracks and chips in marble and most people couldnt discern the difference in quality.
Statues began to weep or melt under the scrutiny of sunlight or heat in foyers. For statues of authentic fine quality, carved by reputable artists, people had to go to the artisan marketplace in the Roman Quad and look for booths with signs declaring sine cera, which translates in English to mean, without wax. We, too, look for the real thing in friends, products, and services. In people, we value sincerity, from the words, sine cera, more than almost any other virtue. We expect it from our leaders, which we are not getting in our political, media, business and sports heroes for the most part. We must demand it of ourselves.
Integrity that strengthens an inner value system is the real human bottom line. Commitment to a life of integrity in every situation demonstrates that your word is more valuable than a surety bond. It means you dont base your decisions on being politically correct. You do whats right, not fashionable. You know that truth is absolute, not a device for manipulating others. And you win in the long run, when the stakes are highest. If I were writing a single commandment for leadership it would be, You shall conduct yourself in such a manner as to set an example worthy of imitation by your children and subordinates. In simpler terms, if they shouldnt be doing it, neither should you. I told my kids, clean up your room, and they inspected the condition of my garage. I told them that honesty was our familys greatest virtue, and they commented on the radar detector I had installed in my car. When I told them about the vices of drinking and wild parties, they watched from the upstairs balcony, the way our guests behaved at our adult functions.
Its too bad some of our political and business leaders dont understand that What you are speaks so loudly that no one really pays attention to what you say. But it is even more true that if what you are matches what you say, your life will speak forcefully indeed.
Its hardly a secret that learning ethical standards begins at home. A childs first inklings of a sense of right and wrong come from almost imperceptible signals received long before he or she reaches the age of rational thought about morality. Maybe youre asking yourself what kind of model you are for future generations, remembering that people are either honest or dishonest, that integrity is all or nothing, and that children cant be fooled in such basic matters. They learn by example.
To remind myself of my responsibility to live without wax, with sincerity and integrity, I took the liberty of re-writing Edgar A. Guests poem, Sermons We See to apply to setting an example as a real winner for my children and grandchildren.
Id rather watch a winner, than hear one any day. Id rather have one walk with me, than merely show the way. The eyes a better pupil and more willing than the ear. Fine counsel is confusing, but examples always clear. And the best of all the coaches are the ones who live their deeds. For to see the truth in action is what everybody needs. I can soon learn how to do it, if youll let me see it done. I can watch your hands in action, but your tongue too fast may run. And the lectures you deliver may be very wise and true. But, Id rather get my lessons by observing what you do. For I may misunderstand you and the high advice you give. But theres no misunderstanding how you act and how you live. Id rather watch a winner, than hear one any day.
Hey, politician, business leader, motion picture producer, television actor, rock star, sports star. Hey mom, hey dad. Dont tell me how to live. Show me by your actions. Youre my role models.
Action Idea: When you talk to others, beginning right now, dont try to impress them by talking about your accomplishments. Let your actions speak for you. Ask more questions.
-- Denis Waitley
Reprinted with permission from The Denis Waitley Ezine
June 17, 2009
Your Own Magnificent Obsession
All enduring motivation must ultimately come from within the individual. That is why the words empower and envision are so vital to team performance. It must be your inner power and your own personal vision that propels you, not that of your leader.
The success of your efforts depends not so much on the efforts themselves, but rather on your motive for doing them. The greatest companies and the greatest men and women in all walks of life have achieved their greatness out of a desire to express something within themselves that had to be expressed, a desire to solve a problem using their skills as best they could. This is not to say that many of these individuals did not earn a great deal of money and prestige for what they produced. Many did. But the key to their successes was that they were motivated more by an inner magnificent obsession, a passion, than by any thought of profit or identity.
You may recall from history that the exquisitely beautiful armless statue of Venus de Milo was carved by an unknown sculptor. When a farmer dug up the soon-to-be world-famous work of art while plowing his field, a renowned museum curator sadly reflected what a great pity it was that the sculptor would never be recognized by thousands of admirers, nor would he or she ever know how valuable the statue became hundreds of years later.
The farmer retorted that it must have been a labor of love for someone to be able to have envisioned such perfection and brought it forth with just a chisel and a shapeless piece of stone. "Just creating something of such quality," said the farmer, "would have been payment in full for me."
You can't commission a masterpiece. Human greatness can't be externally motivated. It must be compelled from within. A magnificent obsession is the way you want to live, not just the things you want to own. A magnificent obsession is the person you want to be, not the title on your office door or business card. A magnificent obsession is the mind-set that you have, not the diplomas or awards you earn. It is the worldview you claim as your own, not the collection of stamps on your passport. It is uniquely yours, like your fingerprint or handwriting.
Ask yourself this question: "If it werent for money, time and personal responsibilities, what would I really love to do with my life?" You and I need to answer it from our own individual perspectives, not simply answer "to help my company, family or country." In addition to these shared visions, autograph your career and life with your own signature.
By personalizing your passion, you will experience the unlimited power from within!
-- Denis Waitley
Reprinted with permission from The Denis Waitley Ezine
June 16, 2009
Harness Your Brainpower by Harvey Mackay
Knowledge is power.
How much do you know about everything? How much do you know about a lot of things? Okay, how much do you know about a few things?
If these seem like odd questions, stop and ponder what you know versus what you don't. Then consider how you would get along if you needed good information on topics that were outside your comfort zone.
As former U.S. President Woodrow Wilson said, "I not only use all the brains I have but all that I can borrow."
I would add this: and all that I can buy, if necessary.
I rely on experts for all kinds of information. I preach the importance of building a network of experts before you need them so that they are there when you do. Whether it's a surgeon, realtor, auto mechanic or a master salesperson, I want the best. And I will return the favor whenever I can, whether it's business advice; a reference; or tickets to a sporting event, concert or the theatre.
But let me make this very clear: I also rely on my own instincts, because eventually, it all comes back to me. I weigh the information I receive from others, and make the best judgment I can. For instance, I am the first to admit that most technology baffles me. But show me how a new gizmo can make my life easier, my business more successful, save me time, or just add to my fun, and I'm sold. That's why I use a Blackberry.
I try to absorb and retain as much information from my experts as I can. You never know when it will come in handy, or when you will find another application for it.
Carl Ally, founder of Ally & Gargano, one of the 20th century's most successful advertising agencies, had an interesting take on knowledge: "The creative person wants to be a know-it-all. He wants to know about all kinds of things: ancient history, nineteenth century mathematics, current-manufacturing techniques, flower arranging and hog futures. Because he never knows when these ideas might come together to form a new idea. It may happen six minutes later or six months or six years down to road. But he has faith that it will happen."
All of us have the ability to gain more knowledge. The brain is amazing. While the old theory that we use only 10 percent of our brains has been widely debunked, there's plenty of evidence that we can increase our brainpower, retention and focus. Plenty of books and websites offer all kinds of help. I'm not endorsing any specific method, but I would encourage you to check out ways to expand your horizons.
In the meantime, you can take some basic steps to improve your knowledge:
Read. Pick out books, newspapers, websites, encyclopedias, anything with information that teaches you something you didn't already know. Play Trivial Pursuit or watch Jeopardy. Learn something new every day. In my opinion, there are no such things as useless facts. If it's part of our world, it's worth knowing. I will get on my soapbox here again: embrace lifelong learning.
Listen. Sounds simple enough, but it's so easy to be distracted. Focus on the speaker. If you don't hear it the first time, ask the person to repeat it. Make sure you understand what's been said. You will be surprised what you can learn.
Pay attention to what's happening around you. According to MENSA, the organization for people with high IQs, current research shows that at least 52 percent of our intelligence is based on our environment.
Exercise and eat healthy. What's good for the body is also good for the brain. Another reason not to put off taking care of yourself!
Get some sleep. Our country is chronically sleep-deprived, which negatively affects our thought processes. So along with "beauty sleep," go for the "smart sleep."
You will soon learn that you are capable of more than you imagined. You will also learn to recognize your limitations. If you know that you don't know something, or don't know how to find an answer, you'll know it's time to ask for help. Tap into all the brains you needthey just might not all be housed in your head.
Mackay's Moral: Sometimes being smart means recognizing when you're not.
-- Harvey Mackay
Reprinted with permission from Chris Widener Ezine
June 15, 2009
The Twin Actions of Accomplishment
When it comes to achieving accomplishments there are two foundational actions that must take place. When these two actions take place, and take place in the right order, you will become unstoppable. You will also enter into an elite group of people who actually do both.
You see, most people are given to only one or the other, and in doing so negate their opportunity to accomplish what it is that they want to accomplish. What are these two actions?
Intake and output.
Think about it. Do you want to have a healthy body? You must take in proper food and output vigorous exercise. Do you want to be financially fit? You must intake income and output investments.
The same is true in our personal and professional lives. But what specifically do we intake and output?
We intake information and we output effort through the exercise of our will.
The twin actions of accomplishment then are the intake of information and the exercising of our will.
As I said, most people do one or the other. They are simply information addicts or they are action addicts. You have some who go to every seminar in the world and then never exercise their will to put it into practice. Others are simply a flurry of action but going in no specific direction.
When you only intake information you become fat! Not physically fat but personally fat. You become lethargic. You become frustrated because all of this information was supposed to change your life!
When you only exercise your will and become a tornado of activity you become spent. You become tired because you aren't achieving anything but a busy schedule!
But when you put these two together - WOW! Look out because you will turn the world upside down! So let's look at these two a little closer.
How can you intake information?
1. Choose as close friends people who will challenge and stimulate you intellectually and personally.
2. Go back to school.
3. Buy success products and listen to them.
4. Read books.
5. Go to a seminar.
6. Get involved in an ongoing discussion group with people who want to grow.
How can you exercise the will? This is a bit simpler but not so easy.
1. You simply must act on the information.
2. Eat better foods - put down the ice cream.
3. Save more money - stop spending on superfluous items.
4. Lose weight - start walking every day.
5. Manage your time - shut off the TV.
All of these things we know what to do, but we must simply do it.
Are you a person who has all the info? Then act.
Are you a person who acts but doesn't get anywhere? Then learn.
Intake information, exercise the will. The twin actions of accomplishment.
Chris Widener
Reprinted with permission from Chris Widener Ezine
June 14, 2009
Thoughts Create Behavior by Vic Johnson
"Cause and effect are as absolute and undeviating in the hidden realm of thought as in the world of visible and material things." - As A Man Thinketh
We remember from science class Newton's physical law that "every action creates an equal and opposite reaction." Or, every cause has an effect. And because it is a law, it is absolute and undeviating. It always happens - in every circumstance, under every condition.
James Allen says the same law that applies in the physical also applies in the world of thought. Every effect must have an originating cause. Our life does not develop as a result of chance but as a result of causes.
In the thought world, a thought (the cause) creates a feeling (the effect). Feelings can eventually materialize in the physical world because they create actions or behavior. These actions cause results or outcomes, and thus our life goes.
When we say a person "looks worried" what has taken place? A negative thought of some kind (the cause) triggered a feeling of worry (the effect) that materialized in the physical world through the person's facial actions. Those feelings may also materialize in other ways. For instance, by increased blood pressure or nausea. All of these "effects" originated from the original cause which was a thought.
Dr. Wayne Dyer writes that "all of our behavior results from the thoughts that preceded itso the thing to work on is not your behavior but the thing that caused your behavior, your thoughts."
That was so liberating to me because I was so frustrated in trying to change the behaviors that I knew were causing the pain in my life. But I had been working on the wrong thing.
We cannot change anything in our life without first changing the originating cause. And everything in our life originates in our thoughts.
As Jim Rohn says: "If the idea of having to change ourselves makes us uncomfortable, we can remain as we are. We can choose rest over labor, entertainment over education, delusion over truth, and doubt over confidence. The choices are ours to make. But while we curse the effect, we continue to nourish the cause."
And that's worth thinking about.
-- Vic Johnson
Reprinted with permission from Your Achievement Ezine
June 13, 2009
Words by Zig Ziglar
Frequently, we become so pragmatic that we fail to be effective. Years ago the editor of the Dallas Morning News pointed out to the sportswriters that "Bill" was not a suitable substitute for "William," and "Charlie" was not a suitable substitute for "Charles."
Taking him literally, one of the sportswriters, in the heyday of Doak Walker of Southern Methodist University, wrote about an important game. In his story he pointed out that in the third quarter Doak Walker had left the game with a "Charles horse." I think you'll agree that the story lost some meaning with the use of "Charles."
Perhaps the ultimate absurdity occurred in an article in a national publication when the writer set up the computer to analyze Lincoln's Gettysburg Address. Incidentally, that address contains 362 words and 302 of them are one syllable. It's simple and direct but powerful and effective.
The computer, however, made some recommendations about how the speech really should have been given. For example, instead of saying, "Four score and seven years," the computer deemed that approach too wordy and suggested, "Eighty-seven years." The efficiency in the reduction is obvious, but the loss of effectiveness, power, drama, and passion is even more obvious.
When Lincoln said, "We are engaged in a great civil war," the computer questioned whether the word great was justified. This despite the fact that our nation suffered 646,392 casualties, including 364,511 deaths. The computer stated that the sentences were too long, and it criticized the statement that we could never forget what happened at Gettysburg as being negative.
I think you'll agree that eloquence and drama, combined with passion, logic, and common sense, are far more effective in inspiring people to do great things than technical correctness.
Think about it. Knowing their power, use your words carefully. You'll be a greater contributor to humankind.
-- Zig Ziglar
Reprinted with permission from Your Achievement Ezine
June 12, 2009
Dare to Dream Again by Chris Widener
"Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much, because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat." Teddy Roosevelt
Do you remember when you were a child and no dream seemed too big? Some of us thought we would walk on the moon; some dreamed of riding with Roy Rogers; others imagined stepping to the plate in a big-league game. Every one of us, when we were young, had a common trait: we were dreamers. The world hadn't gotten to us yet to show us that we couldn't possibly achieve what our hearts longed for. And we were yet still years from realizing that in some cases we weren't built for achieving our dream (I realized about my junior year of high school that I was too short and to slow to play professional basketball. The dreamer is always the last to know).
Eventually we started to let our dreams die. People began to tell us that we couldn't do the things we wanted. It was impossible. Responsible people don't pursue their dreams. Settle down, get a job, be dependable. Take care of business, live the mundane, be content.
Do you know what I say to that? Hooey!
It is time to dream again!
Why? Here are just a few reasons:
* Avoid regret. The facts are in, and someday we will all lie on our deathbed looking back through the history of our lives. We will undoubtedly think about what we wished we had done or accomplished. I for one don't want to regret what could have been, what should have been. So I am deciding today to pursue my dreams.
* The world needs people like you to dream of something great and then to pursue it with all of your heart. Maybe you belong to a business, school or organization that started out with good intentions but has settled into the same ol' same ol'. Shake them up and remind them of how they could really help people if only they would dream!
* Personal and family fulfillment. One of the things that happens when we stop pursuing our dreams is that a little piece of us dies and we become disheartened, if only in that area of our lives. Stepping up and pursuing your dream rekindles that passion and zeal that everyone has the capacity for and lets us experience fulfillment. Having a purpose puts the zip in our step and the zing in our emotions!
* Making the world a better place. All of the great accomplishments that have ever happened began with a person who had a dream. Somebody rebuffed the naysayers and said to himself or herself, "This can be done, and I am the one who will do it." And in many instances they changed the world for the better. It isn't just the Martin Luther King's and the J.F.K's either. Think of all the people we have never heard of who have started things large and small that help people worldwide every day.
* Leaving a legacy. How will your children remember you? As one who sought all that life had to offer, using your gifts and talents to their fullest extent, leading the family with a zest for life, or as an overweight couch potato who could have been? Our children need to see that we dream; that we search for something better. They in turn will do the same!
So where do we start? Here are some ideas:
* Reconnect with your dream. Set aside some time to let yourself dream. What have you placed on the backburner in order to live the status quo? Settle on one or two dreams that you can and will pursue. Don't come up with too many. That will only deter you further.
* Decide that you will do it. This may seem elementary but many people never decide and commit fully to their dream. They simply keep "thinking" about it. Tell others that you are going to do it. This puts you on the record as to what you are dreaming about. It makes you accountable. It will help you do it if for no other reason than to avoid embarrassment!
* Develop a step-by-step plan. This is absolutely essential. You must sit down and write out a few things:
* A timeline. How long will it take to the end?
* Action steps. Point-by-point what you will do and when you will do them.
* Resources you will need to draw from. What will it take? Who will need to be involved for help or advice?
* An evaluation tool. You need to evaluate from time to time whether you are progressing or not.
* A celebration. Yep, when you are done you should already have planned what you will do to celebrate. Make it big!
I have found that there is no better time than now. So, set aside some time today to get started on your dream. Follow the action plan and set your sights for the top of the mountain! You will be glad you did!
-- Chris Widener
Reprinted with permission from The Jim Rohn Ezine
June 11, 2009
The Time to Act by Jim Rohn
Engaging in genuine discipline requires that you develop the ability to take action. You don't need to be hasty if it isn't required, but you don't want to lose much time either. Here's the time to act: when the idea is hot and the emotion is strong.
Let's say you would like to build your library. If that is a strong desire for you, what you've got to do is get the first book. Then get the second book. Take action as soon as possible, before the feeling passes and before the idea dims. If you don't, here's what happens . . . .
YOU FALL PREY TO THE LAW OF DIMINISHING INTENT.
We intend to take action when the idea strikes us. We intend to do something when the emotion is high. But if we don't translate that intention into action fairly soon, the urgency starts to diminish. A month from now the passion is cold. A year from now it can't be found.
So take action. Set up a discipline when the emotions are high and the idea is strong, clear, and powerful. If somebody talks about good health and you're motivated by it, you need to get a book on nutrition. Get the book before the idea passes, before the emotion gets cold. Begin the process. Fall on the floor and do some push-ups. You've got to take action; otherwise the wisdom is wasted. The emotion soon passes unless you apply it to a disciplined activity. Discipline enables you to capture the emotion and the wisdom and translate them into action. The key is to increase your motivation by quickly setting up the disciplines. By doing so, you've started a whole new life process.
Here is the greatest value of discipline: self-worth, also known as self-esteem. Many people who are teaching self-esteem these days don't connect it to discipline. But once we sense the least lack of discipline within ourselves, it starts to erode our psyche. One of the greatest temptations is to just ease up a little bit. Instead of doing your best, you allow yourself to do just a little less than your best. Sure enough, you've started in the slightest way to decrease your sense of self-worth.
There is a problem with even a little bit of neglect. Neglect starts as an infection. If you don't take care of it, it becomes a disease. And one neglect leads to another. Worst of all, when neglect starts, it diminishes our self-worth.
Once this has happened, how can you regain your self-respect? All you have to do is act now! Start with the smallest discipline that corresponds to your own philosophy. Make the commitment: "I will discipline myself to achieve my goals so that in the years ahead I can celebrate my successes."
To Your Success,
Jim Rohn
Reprinted with permission from The Jim Rohn Ezine
June 10, 2009
Use What You've Already Got by Mark Victor Hansen
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was a brilliant man born with a God-given talent. He was composing at age five and performing before royalty by the time he was six years old. Early on, Mozart realized what his talents were, practiced and honed what he was born to do and used his natural abilities to create amazing pieces of music.
Mozart was not the first to be born with natural talents and he wasn't the last. We all have them - all of us. We only need to discover what they are and use them to the best of our abilities. You have been given amazing gifts that are meant to be shared with the world. Your job is to find out what those talents are and master them. When you focus most of your time and energy on your natural talents, you will find that you reap phenomenal rewards.
Celebrating our natural talents should be an easy task. But for many people it's emotionally exhausting. Why? Because a lot of folks fight their natural talents for one reason or another. Perhaps their parents wouldn't approve of their artistic ability to paint or sculpt, because they want them to be a successful doctor or lawyer. Maybe someone's gift wouldn't seem to have the ability to bring the kind of wealth they desire. Sometimes people are simply afraid to pursue something that seems to come so easily to them - shouldn't success be difficult? No, it shouldn't and it isn't.
These are all excuses. And all the excuses in the world won't destroy talent. It will be there, waiting for us to fight through fear and "what ifs" until we realize what we should have been doing our entire lives. We have been given natural talents for a reason - to use them to the betterment of the planet and those who inhabit it.
Have you ever noticed that when you engage in an activity in which you are naturally talented, you feel energized, excited and optimistic? That's a sign that these are the things you should be focusing upon. For example, when I stand in front of an auditorium filled with thousands of people, and speak to them about fulfilling their dreams, my body is filled with energy - so much that I'm practically buzzing all over. I'm so excited I can hardly stand still.
Your job is to find out what makes you buzz and begin to perfect it. Discover your brilliance in life and practice, practice, practice. You must hone your natural abilities to perfect them - concentrate on your strengths, not your weaknesses. Look at the world's greatest athletes. They practice what they're naturally good at - and what they love to do - every day. You don't see Michael Jordan sitting around trying to decipher a strand of DNA. If that was something he was talented at, that's what he would be doing. But it's not. He's a brilliant athlete and businessman. He sticks to what he does best and has reaped astounding rewards because of it.
There are only two steps to success - discover your brilliance and perfect it. Doing this will allow you to receive the wealth you truly deserve.
"The only waste of human resources is letting them go unused."
-- Mark Victor Hansen
Reprinted with permission from The Ron White Ezine
June 9, 2009
Leave the World a Bit Better by Ron White
Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote a poem on success. One of his measures of success in that poem was to, "Leave the world a bit better." That line has always stuck in my head. Emerson said you have succeeded if you leave the world a bit better. I have made that line part of my life philosophy. When the tide goes out, there is a mark where the water was. When the waters of life recede from the shore of my being and my heart pumps for the last time, my desire is that there will be a mark where I stood. My aim is that the mark will say, "For some decades, a man occupied this space who saw others more important than himself and made an effort to leave the world a better place for them and those yet to come."
Our society tells us that success is measured by bank accounts, power, beauty and wealth. These are often the result of hard work, luck or birth. They are not evil and I strive for some of them daily. However, they are not the marks by which I will measure the success of my life.
So how do you do it? How do you "leave the world a bit better?"
- Give a percent of your income away to a charity or church. This makes your community better.
- Save a percentage of your income to pass down to your family when you leave.
- Volunteer your time for those who are less fortunate. Are you volunteering anywhere?
- Mentor someone who needs a positive direction in life.
- Follow and get involved in politics. Our laws and leaders will determine the future. You can have a hand in that future.
Or you can amass as much wealth as you can, spend it as fast as you can on the fading desires of your heart and seek to please yourself first. Our culture might tell you that this is success. Emerson tells us that it is not. I encourage you to realize that the waters of your life will eventually withdraw from the shore. When it does, will there be a watermark?
-- Ron White
Reprinted with permission from The Ron White Ezine
June 8, 2009
The Four Steps to a Super Attitude by Brian Tracy
Decide How to React
It is not what happens to you that counts. It is how you react to what happens to you, especially when you have unexpected problems of any kind.
Here are four things you can do to assure that your attitude is the very best it can be, under all circumstances.
Focus on the Future
First, whatever challenges you face, focus on the future rather than on the past. Instead of worrying about who did what and who is to blame, focus on where you want to be and what you want to do. Get a clear mental image of your ideal successful future, and then take whatever action you can to begin moving in that direction. Get your mind, your thoughts, and your mental images on the future.
Think About the Future
Second, whenever youre faced with a difficulty, focus on the solution rather than on the problem. Think and talk about the ideal solution to the obstacle or setback, rather than wasting time rehashing and reflecting on the problem.
Solutions are inherently positive, whereas problems are inherently negative. The instant that you begin thinking in terms of solutions, you become a positive and constructive human being.
Look for the Good
Third, assume that something good is hidden within each difficulty or challenge. Dr. Norman Vincent Peale, a major proponent of positive thinking, once said, Whenever God wants to give us a gift, he wraps it up in a problem. The bigger the gift you have coming, the bigger the problem you will receive. But the wonderful thing is that if you look for the gift, you will always find it.
Seek the Valuable Lesson
Fourth, assume that whatever situation you are facing at the moment is exactly the right situation you need to ultimately be successful. This situation has been sent to you to help you learn something, to help you become better, to help you expand and grow.
Decide to Be Positive
A Positive Mental Attitude is indispensable to your success. You can be as positive as you want to be if you will simply think about the future, focus on the solution and look for the good. If you do what other successful people do, if you use your mind to exert mental control over the situation, you will be positive and cheerful most of the time. And you will reap the benefits enjoyed by all successful people.
Action Exercises
Here are three steps you can take immediately to put these ideas into action:
First, become solution-oriented with every difficulty you face. Make a habit of looking for the answers to your questions, the solutions to your problems.
Second, seek for the valuable lesson in every adversity. Make a list of every idea or insight you can gain from every setback or difficulty.
Third, think on paper. Take some time to write out every detail of the problem, and then take the most logical next step to solve it.
-- Brian Tracy
Reprinted with permission from Your Achievement Ezine
June 7, 2009
All Life Wishes to Reward Its Benefactors by Jim Rohn
Parents, leaders, employers, teachers and volunteers have you discovered one of the great positive mysteries of life? Here it is - All life seems to wish to reward its benefactor.
If you become the benefactor, you will receive these incredible rewards. If you are the benefactor to the garden, the flowers seem to bloom and say, "Look at me. Look how bright and beautiful I am because you took care of me. I wish to reward you by being beautiful, lovely, spectacular."
Your own children, if you become their benefactor, they want to reward you with their progress. I taught my daughters how to swim. And my daughters would say, as they were about to dive, "Daddy, daddy watch, watch, look, look, watch" as if to say; 'look what you have created here, you've spent the time with me and now look at me. This is the payoff. ' Watch me dive." I was their benefactor.
I have found that all life wishes to respond to the benefactor. The ones who give their time, give their effort, give their patience, give their ideas, the benefit of their experience. Whatever has benefited from that, wishes to respond. The crop wishes to grow. The child wishes to show you how much progress they've made.
And remember that whatever you move towards tends to move towards you. Just as when you move toward education, and education starts to seek you out. Or when you move toward progress and progress seems to want to now embrace you. You will find that, just as predictably, as you move towards helping those in your care they will wish to repay you with their own success and accomplishments.
-- Jim Rohn
Reprinted with permission from Your Achievement Ezine
June 6 2009
The Major Key to Your Better Future is You by Jim Rohn
Of all the things that can have an effect on your future, I believe personal growth is the greatest. We can talk about sales growth, profit growth, asset growth, but all of this probably will not happen without personal growth. Its really the open door to it all. In fact Id like to have you memorize a most important phrase. Here it is, The major key to your better future is YOU.
Let me repeat that. The major key to your better future is YOU. Put that someplace you can see it every day, in the bathroom, in the kitchen, at the office, anywhere where you can see it every day. The major key to your better future is YOU. Try to remember that every day you live and think about it. The major key is YOU.
Now, there are many things that will help your better future. If you belong to a strong, dynamic, progressive company, that would help. If the company has good products, good services that you are proud of, that would certainly help. If there were good sales aids, that would help, good training would certainly help. If there is strong leadership, that will certainly help. All of these things will help, and of course, if it doesnt storm, that will help. If your car doesnt break down, that will help. If the kids dont get sick, that will help. If the neighbors stay halfway civil, that will help. If your relatives dont bug you, that will help. If it isnt too cold, if it isnt too hot, all those things will help your better future. And if prices dont go much higher and if taxes dont get much heavier, that will help. And if the economy stays stable, those things will all help. We could go on and on with the list; but remember this, the list of things that Ive just covered and many more - all put together - play a minor role in your better future.
The major key to your better future is you. Lock your mind onto that. This is a super important point to remember. The major key is you. A friend of mine has always answered when asked, How do you develop an above-average income? He says, Simple. Become an above-average person. Work on you. My friend says, Develop an above-average handshake. He says, A lot of people want to be successful, and they dont even work on their handshake. As easy as that would be to start, they let it slide. They dont understand. My friend says, Develop an above- average smile. Develop an above-average excitement. Develop an above-average dedication. Develop an above-average interest in other people. He says, To have more, become more. Remember; work harder on yourself than you do on your job. For a long time in my life, I didnt have this figured out.
Strangely enough, with two different people in the same company one may earn an extra $100 a month, and the other may earn a $1,000. What could possibly be the difference? If the products were the same, if the training was the same, if they both had the same literature, the same tools. If they both had the same teacher, the same compensation plan, if they both attended the same meetings, why would one person earn the $100 per month and the other person earn the $1000?
Remember here is the difference...the difference is personal, inside, not outside, inside.
You see the real difference is inside you. In fact, the difference IS you. Someone once said, The magic is not in the products. The magic is not in the literature. The magic is not in the film. There isnt a magic meeting, but the magic that makes things better is inside you, and personal growth makes this magic work for you.
The magic is in believing. The magic is in daring. The magic is in trying. The real magic is in persevering. The magic is in accepting. Its in working. The magic is in thinking. There is magic in a handshake. There is magic in a smile. There is magic in excitement and determination. There is real magic in compassion and caring and sharing. There is unusual magic in strong feeling and you see, all that comes from inside, not outside. So, the difference is inside you. The real difference is you. You are the major key to your better future.
To Your Success,
Jim Rohn
Reprinted with permission from The Jim Rohn Ezine
June 5, 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
June 4, 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
June 3, 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
June 2, 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
June 1, 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
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