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March 31, 2007
Please Do These 3 Things by Ron White
I am extremely leery of any quick fix solution or overnight formula for success. In my opinion, they don't exist. With that said, the following formula is one that I have recently shared with two members of my family to encourage them to break through the rut they are in and experience success. Therefore, if I would share it with my family, I must believe in the principles. I suggested that they begin to regularly do these three things:
1. Surround themselves with positive people who believe that this life is not all that there is. Personally, I find this at my local church. This email goes out to thousands of people all over the world. I know we don't share the same faith in all cases. This message is not about my faith. It is about you finding a group of people who regularly meet together and have a belief that there is more to life than what we see. This is the first step to a positive outlook on life.
2. Exercise weekly in order to stimulate endorphins and maintain an energetic life. The exercise of walking to the kitchen or curling 12 ounces does not count as exercise. I run one mile twice a week and 2-3 days a week do strength training. This is nothing difficult but it makes a major difference on my attitude.
3. You MUST educate yourself through reading. The average CEO in America reads 4-5 books per month. The average America reads one book per year and 60% of us don't get past the first chapter! Make a promise to yourself to read at least one book per month. Read anything!
Regardless, of what you read....develop a passion for reading and learning and you will see your attitude and outlook on life begin to change. Any person who faithfully invested their time in these three areas may not break world records in levels of success. However, everything in me believes that they would see dramatic improvements. I believe in those three things so much, I encouraged my family to invest their time in these areas.
Go for More!
Ron White
Reproduced with permission from Your Achievement E-zine
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March 30, 2007
Success Is A Process by Jeffery Combs
We all have a desire to achieve some level of success. For some the desire is greater than the average person. Let's face it, everyone wants to be successful but very few are really willing to pay that price of W.E.I.T. (What Ever It Takes). I have assisted entrepreneurs through my seminars, workshops, and personal coaching programs for the past six years and I have found that there are a few key principles that assist people in achieving the levels of success that they deserve.
Success is an attitude. It is a posture that you take that states "I deserve to have it all." Success is attainable to all, yet so few achieve it. Success is a habit and has no real secrets. It all starts with your belief system. Your belief system starts with how you feel about yourself. Your own personal self-esteem is the key ingredient to so much of your success. You must first adopt a personal positive self-image of yourself. In networking your product is always going to be "YOU" and your second product is people. You are really marketing your confidence. This is why a positive self-image is so important, especially in your first conversation with your prospects. (You never get a second chance to make a first impression.) Forgiving yourself, other in your past, past mistakes & failures are paramount in your early journey to success. A key point to remember here is that you attract to your reality who and what you are. When you are positive and feel good about you, you attract like-minded individuals. The same holds true if you are negative in your thought processes. Your thought processes will always determine your bank account of love. It is essential that you learn to forgive, let go, and let go of your past. Many people drag their past into their present, which stops them from ever having a clear vision of their future.
Success is a process, not a payoff. You will pay your ten dollars at the door on your journey to success, and you will find out fast that there are no shortcuts. You will never be able to completely master every detail of your life. Attempting to do so will only lead to frustration. What will make the most difference is becoming the master of a few key principles that will allow you to have the fastest personal growth.
To accomplish this task you will begin to think exponentially rather than incrementally. (THINK BIG - ACT BIG) You must have uncommon thoughts to have uncommon results and a steady consistent plan of action. What I have found in over sixteen years of entrepreneurship is that very few people have a plan of action. "When you fail to plan, you are planning to fail." By "Plan of Action", what I am talking about is putting your goals down on paper where they are visible and you can get your hands on them to monitor your progress. You also have to have a very precise clear mental picture of where you are going on your journey to success. Make your goals reachable and realistic, yet big enough that you have to stretch to reach them. Along with goal setting, I recommend that you have a daily plan of action (Method of Operation) in place that you work from daily. If you are part-time, have down on paper exactly what you will do in the hours you commit to your enterprise. If you are full time do the same. Don’t over-promise to yourself. Put down on paper exactly what it is that you will do in the time you devote to your business. This will allow you to hold yourself accountable. Every night before you go to bed look over your daily method of operation and ask yourself how accountable you were to yourself today.
In working with over one thousand in the past six years as a personal coach, I have worked with people on developing a seven day game plan and then working it for four consecutive weeks (one FULL month). This teaches people how to become consistent. Consistent effort over a period of time coupled with personal growth will create consistent results. I also work with people on breaking networking down to what I call the "ridiculous". First of all, this is a numbers game and you will make up in numbers what you lack in skill. No matter what business or enterprises in networking you are in, the most important aspect will be collecting the results. By "breaking it down to the ridiculous", I am talking about taking enough action so that you sponsor or enroll 1 person or more a week if you are part-time, and two people or more a week if you are full-time.
This process of success will happen when you take consistent action, let go of your past, feel good about you and continually improve your internal communication.
Reproduced with permission from Your Achievement E-zine
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March 29, 2007
Stay Focused on the Big Picture by Harvey Mackay
A reader of this column sent me an email recently, thanking me for a column I had written on getting outside the box. She then told me how she had lost focus for a while, but had turned things around. She encouraged me to write a column on staying focused.
I immediately thought of my varsity golfing days at the University of Minnesota many years ago. Back then The Saint Paul Open was one of the top tournaments on the men's professional golf circuit. Prior to the tournament, I had a chance to meet Gary Player when he was taking a lesson from our team coach, Les Bolstad. Later that evening I went to dinner with the world's future #1 player when he was still an unknown.
The following day at The Saint Paul Open, I saw Gary after he teed off the first hole and ran up to him to say hi. I wanted to tell him what a great time I had the night before. His steely eyes remained focused on the fairway ahead and he never broke stride. "Harvey, please don't talk to me. I must concentrate. I will see you when I'm finished."
I remember how devastated I felt, but I learned a valuable lesson on focus. Many years later when he was world famous, my wife, Carol Ann, and I ran into Gary and his wife in South Africa. I reintroduced myself and reminded him of what happened on the golf course. Gary's wife told me, "Don't feel bad. He doesn't even talk to me on the golf course."
That's the focus that it takes to do your best. If you have the ability to focus fully on the task at hand, and shut out everything else, you can accomplish amazing things.
Arnold Palmer, another golfing legend, recalled a tough lesson he learned about focus in Carol Mann's book "The 19th Hole":
"It was the final hole of the 1961 Masters tournament, and I had a one-stroke lead and had just hit a very satisfying tee shot. I felt I was in pretty good shape. As I approached my ball, I saw an old friend standing at the edge of the gallery. He motioned me over, stuck out his hand and said, "Congratulations." I took his hand and shook it, but as soon as I did, I knew I had lost my focus. On my next two shots, I hit the ball into a sand trap, then put it over the edge of the green. I missed a putt and lost the Masters. You don't forget a mistake like that; you just learn from it and become determined that you will never do that again." Trust me, your friends will understand!
A response Babe Ruth once gave to a reporter sticks in my mind. "How is it," the Babe was asked, "that you always come through in the clutch? How is it you can come up to bat in the bottom of the 9th, in a key game with the score tied, with thousands of fans screaming in the stadium, with millions listening on the radio, the entire game on the line and deliver the game winning hit?" His answer, "I don't know. I just keep my eye on the ball."
In other words... Focus.
How many times have you heard an athlete talk about focus? It's a topic I also hear about frequently in business. The most common complaints?
Too many irons in the fire. Too many projects spinning at one time. Too many interruptions. Too many phone calls. Too many emails. Too many things to do. Too little time.
The late Peter Drucker, management consultant and author, observed, "When you have 186 objectives nothing gets done. I always ask, 'What's the one thing you want to do?' In Mexico they call me Senor Una Cosa." (translation: one thing)
Decide what's most important. Make a list every day or every week and prioritize your activities. Scale back the amount of time you spend on meetings; they can be the biggest time-wasters of all. Learn to delegate, and make sure all members of your team follow through on assigned tasks.
Set aside a specific time of day to return phone calls and emails, and keep distractions to a minimum. In other words, set rules about how others use your time. And if you're not the boss, work with your supervisor to make sure you agree on priorities.
Stay focused as best you can, and don't let things happen to you - not when you can make things happen.
Mackay's Moral: The person who is everywhere is nowhere.
Reproduced with permission from Your Achievement E-zine
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March 28, 2007
Persuaders are Tremendous by Charlie "Tremendous" Jones
All our lives we encounter persuaders. Those who were successful are largely responsible for the way we are. Because some of us are exposed to some positive persuaders we are drawn to become positive persuaders. I believe all successful persuaders are a result of having been successfully persuaded at some time in their lives.
What a strange world it would be if there were no persuaders. Life is one continuous series of persuasions. At home it is the parent persuading the child, the child persuading the parent, the salesman persuading the prospect, the lawyer persuading the jury, the boy persuading the girl or the politician persuading his constituency. And so on and on.
To be a persuader you must be persuaded and in order to continue to grow we must practice the art of persuasion. The old saying, "Nothing succeeds like Success," fits the persuader perfectly. The earlier in life you begin, the fuller your life will become. It is only in sharing and giving that we realize what we have, and we can give nothing better than persuading others to worthwhile goals, right motives and eternal values.
I think it is safe to say that sometimes in our lives we will be persuaded to become positive persuaders seeking to give and share, or we'll not be persuaded and spend the rest of our lives waiting for a break, taking and keeping.
I hope these thoughts on persuasion have increased your awareness of the great privilege and obligation of the persuader. The world needs one more positive persuader. It is you?
Tremendously,
Charles "T" Jones
Reproduced with permission from Your Achievement E-zine
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March 27, 2007
Responding, Not Reacting, To Life by Zig Ziglar
When you respond to life, that's positive; when you react to life, that's negative. Example: You get sick and go to the doctor. Chances are good that after an examination, she would give you a prescription with instructions to return in several days.
If, when you walk back in the door, the doctor starts shaking her head and says, "It looks like your body is reacting to the medicine; we're going to have to change it," you probably would get a little nervous.
However, if the doctor smiles and says, "You're looking great! Your body is responding to the medication," you would feel relieved. Yes, responding to life is good...
A few years ago, there was much turmoil in the U.S. job market. People were losing their jobs through downsizing, mergers, and takeovers. This created some unusual opportunities for many people. For example, the Wall Street Journal reported that in a five-year period, more than 15 million new businesses were created, well over half of them by women. Very few of the women had any marketable skills, and all of them had great financial need.
Most of the new businesses were "trust" businesses, meaning that the women collected the money before they delivered the goods or services. Many, possibly most, of those new businesses would never have been started had not an unfortunate event occurred in the people's lives. When those events did occur, and needs became obvious, the women chose to respond, and there is little doubt that many of them are better off now than they were before...
The message is clear: If you respond to life instead of react to it, then you've got a much better chance of achieving success.
Reproduced with permission from Your Achievement E-zine
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March 26, 2007
Respect For Others by Tony Alessandra
When I was in high school back in 1960's, everyone always divided themselves into self-contained, often exclusive, groups. These groups followed all the old clichés -- you had your greasers, your jocks, your nerds, your college prep kids, and your vocational kids -- and everyone was always careful to stay within their own group.
Although I was technically in the athletic group (or jocks) and the college prep group, I always tried to go out of my way to get along with everyone -- no matter what group they were associated with. I always got good grades, so I fit in with the smart kids. I was born and raised in New York City, so I got along with the greasers. I tried to find my connection with everyone, which was not hard at all. After all, we were all high school kids -- we had plenty to bond over with the shared experience of going to the same school.
However, the reason that I was able to build on those commonalities -- the reason people from other groups were friendly back to me -- was that I treated everyone with respect. I never gossiped about the popular crowd, never teased or taunted the nerds. I made an effort to see everyone's positive aspects, and I focused on those. In essence, I treated others the way they wanted to be treated, and it gave me the ability to adapt and be liked by just about everybody.
I have carried that philosophy throughout my whole life: I am as polite to a janitor as a CEO. As people, they both exist on the same level -- and both deserve the same amount of outward respect.
My mantra: "What goes around, comes around."
What do you have "coming around" for yourself?
Here's to more personal insight,
Tony Alessandra
Reproduced with permission from Your Achievement E-zine
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March 25, 2007
Take a Turn at Tenacious! by Chris Widener
"Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan 'press on' has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race." Calvin Coolidge
I have worked with many successful people; people who have achieved the kinds of lives they have dreamed about. I have also worked with many people who are not anywhere near where they want to be in life. Many times those who are not successful resent those who are and believe that somehow success was handed to those who have achieved much.
What I have found however is that actually the reverse is true. Those who have achieved much have worked much HARDER than those who are not successful. You wouldn't believe the stories of struggle that I hear from those who now appear on "top of the heap." Yes, they are successful, but no, it wasn't handed to them! And I find that most of the unsuccessful people who come to me actually haven't been tenacious at all. I find that with many of the people I speak to who complain about their lack of success simply haven't persevered and been tenacious. When I ask them questions I usually get excuses. Yes, there are exceptions on both sides, but I find this to be almost universally true.
If you are one who finds yourself dreaming of a better life, or looking at someone who "has it made," I would ask you to take a long, deep look inward and at your life to find whether or not you have actually been tenacious in pursuit of your dreams. How long have you gone for it? Many people who achieve much go for YEARS before they achieve what their hearts long for? How hard have you gone for it? Most people who achieve much have given up much. They have sacrificed much. They strive valiantly for what it is that resides deep in their dreams. They just plain ol' work hard!
So what are the principles of tenacity? What do you need to know in order to take your turn at the tenacious? Here are some thoughts to start your fire and get you going!
1. Sometimes you just have to outlast the others.
"Success seems to be largely a matter of hanging on after others have let go." William Feather
I have found that many people start on their dreams but most never finish. Then those who stop resent those who make it. The truth is that most people who become successful have simply mastered the art of keeping on keeping on! I myself can remember early on in my career when I would get discouraged and I literally said to myself, "One more week. Just give it one more week." Quite frankly, this is what got me through a couple of years of my work early on. I hung on as others let go.
It is easy to get disheartened. Ask those who have achieved success if they ever got disheartened and you will find some of the most amazing stories you have ever heard. Give it a try: Go to the most successful person you know and ask them if they ever thought about quitting. Ask them how they kept on going. You will be amazed at what you hear.
2. Sometimes you just have to hold on at the end.
"When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on." Franklin Roosevelt
I wonder how many people have quit just as they would have begun their entrance into success? Sure there are many who quit at the first sign of hard work, but what about those who, after the tenth time of trial then give up, just as fate would have seen them go through one last hurdle and then into the promised land? How many people were on their last hurdle and decided not to jump? How many people had just one more mountain pass to go? Or just one more river to cross?
Of course we will never know, but certainly some of the people who quit are doing so on what would have been their last trial, right?
So what does this mean for you? For me it means I do not quit because I would hate to find out later that all I needed was just one last effort and I would have achieved my goal. What if it isn't my last trial? That's okay because as long as I keep going, eventually I will get to my last trial, I will overcome it, and I will enter the Winner's Circle.
3. Sometimes the most beautiful results come from dull things under pressure.
"Diamonds are nothing more than chunks of coal that stuck to their jobs." Malcolm Forbes
If coal wasn't an inanimate object it would certainly scream, "Stop! I want out!" But that coal, when facing incredible pressure, is turned into one of earth's most precious possessions. Ugly, dirty old coal is transformed into beautiful diamonds.
Instead of looking at pressure and trials as the reason to quit, get tenacious and see them as the very thing that will make your life the beautiful thing that you desire it to be. See it as your opportunity to learn, to grow, and to be transformed. See these trials as the very things that will enable you to have the life that dream of!
Trials will surely come. Life will get hard. You will want to quit.
Then you will have a choice: Will you give up? Or will you take your turn at tenacious. The choice you make will determine much of the rest of your life.
My advice? Take your turn at tenacious. You will become stronger, and you will end up living the life you dream of!
Reproduced with permission from Your Achievement E-zine
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March 24, 2007
Acting On Your Dream by Les Brown
I have not often admitted this, but I was inspired to become a public speaker by perhaps the worst motivational speaker I've ever heard in my life.
This fellow is still working, surprisingly, so I won't give his name. He was the opening speaker in a seminar I attended early in my speaking career and he nearly closed the show early with his monotone, unenthusiastic presentation. As he spoke, the room grew as quiet as a graveyard between funerals.
I went to sleep to be awakened by what could only be called courtesy applause for his presentation. You could make more noise clapping with one hand. After the less-than-stirring speech, I leaned over to the guy sitting next to me and said, "That was really boring." And he said, "You should be so boring for the kind of money he makes." The fellow told me this terrible speaker was making $5,000 for each terrible speech.
After hearing how much money a really bad speaker could make, I decided it was time for me to go after this dream. A few days later, I caught a Greyhound bus from Miami to Orlando where I'd signed up for a seminar for beginners held by the National Speakers Association. It seemed like the bus ride took weeks. I know it took every last dollar I could scrape together. And so I was road-weary but eager to hear some inspiring, motivational, and dynamic speaking when I finally took a seat at the event. But who should walk out to lead the first session but that same terrible $5,000-per-speech speaker? I could not believe it!
All that time on a stinking bus, stopping in every one-horse town between Miami and Orlando, to hear this guy again? I nearly got up and walked out. By the time he'd gotten halfway through his speech, nearly half the audience had fled. But I stayed on until the bitter end and the speaker's parting shot, as it turned out, was worth the price of admission. He obviously had noted the exodus of the audience and the drooping eyelids of those who remained because, as he built up to his anticlimax, he stopped suddenly, looked out at the remaining numbers of aspiring public speakers and said, "You know, the only reason that I am standing up here and you are sitting down there is that I represent the thoughts that you have rejected for yourself."
I don't know about the other dozen or so people in the audience, but Mr. Monotone hit me right between the eyes with that shot. It was true. He had acted upon something that I had only dreamt of doing. I'd spent years dreaming of becoming a public speaker. But dreaming was all I had done. This guy may not have had any talent for it. He may have been the most undynamic public speaker in history. But he was up there while I was still dreaming. And so that is how I became motivated to start a new career by perhaps the worst motivational speaker I have ever heard.
Reproduced with permission from Your Achievement E-zine
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March 23, 2007
Curing the Resentment Flu - Learning to Let Go... by John Gray
When we love someone, we don't want to let them down. We try very hard to be the person and do the things that will make them happy. At some point, we become more relaxed in the company of our beloved. Maybe too relaxed for our own good. When a woman is happy in a relationship she typically begins to give and do more, believing that her partner will reciprocate. When he unknowingly doesn't live up to her expectations, resentment begins to build. She doesn't want to rock the boat, so she remains quiet - for now...
What is the Resentment Flu?
Resentment is caused when we feel like we are giving more than we are getting. It starts when our partner somehow, and quite possibly by accident, does or says something that we take personally. We begin to imagine that our partner doesn't care. It goes unresolved and burrows and festers. It can even cause us to become physically ill.
Resentment is caused when we feel like we are giving more than we are getting. How do we cure these feelings and return to our relationship with the loving, caring feelings we know are there?
The solution for women is to:
Take responsibility for giving more and getting less. Remember the best way to even the score is to gracefully give less.
Treat yourself as if you have the flu and take a break from giving so much. Just like when you don't feel well, slow down and take care of yourself physically.
Pamper yourself. Allow yourself to be pampered and give yourself some alone time, just for you. Practice receiving. Allow your partner to take care of you for a while.
When a man catches the resentment flu, he typically feels unappreciated and pulls away his support. It is important for him to remember that when his partner has the resentment flu, it is harder for her to show her support and appreciation for him. It is crucial at this time for a man to do the little things he was doing in the beginning of their relationship which made her feel loved.
The solution for men is to:
Understand her need to receive for a while before she can give again. Just like a gas tank, a woman's love tank needs regular refilling. When she is empty, it is hard for her to keep giving.
Show his love and affection for her in loving, little ways. Redirect the energy and attention you are already giving in more romantic, less practical ways.
Take responsibility for contributing to her getting the resentment flu by forgetting to do the little things. Acknowledge and allow her to have her upset feelings. Reassure her that you will be more considerate.
It is very easy to get caught up in the business of our day. We sometimes forget to stop and appreciate our partner and remember how they enrich our lives. Loving our partner without resentment is a gift we give to ourselves and each other.
John Gray is the author of 15 best-selling books, including Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus; the number one best-selling relationship book of the last decade. In the past ten years, over 30 million Mars and Venus books have been sold in over 40 languages throughout the world. An expert in the field of communication, John Gray's focus is to help men and women understand, respect and appreciate their differences in both personal and professional relationships.
Reproduced with permission from Your Achievement E-zine
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March 22, 2007
Change, the Only Constant
There's a Chinese proverb that is more relevant today that ever before: "If you haven't seen a man or woman for three days, look them over very carefully when you next encounter them, for they will have changed dramatically during that three-day period."
More changes are crammed into every day of our lives than our grandparents experienced in decades - and this process is just beginning. Every 15 seconds a new website is launched! Every 15 minutes a new technological breakthrough occurs! Every 15 days a new product or service is introduced, that didn't exist before! Consider for a moment that the musical greeting card you ordered via the web has more computing power than existed on the planet when the first satellite went into orbit in outer space.
Consider the computer's impact. Designed as a tool for managing complexity, it also adds complexity, just as freeways add more traffic. The computer enables us to sort, store, retrieve and transmit information with ever-increasing speed. But the faster data can be analyzed, the faster decisions are expected - and the greater the pressure to reach them. And the computer's efficiency is hardly lost on our competitors. They utilize them to produce goods and services of comparable quality, for less money.
As this year flies by, welcome change rather than try to resist it. Learn how to make change work for you rather than against you. Develop unique strategies and skills that enable you to create opportunities from challenges. In response to rapid change, introduce it in the form of new business systems, pricing, and marketing that increase effectiveness and efficiency; create new products and new services; lower costs and encourage ideas to enhance productivity.
In everything we do, there are more choices available today than at any other time in history. To become the "brand" or "person" of choice, give others what they want in a time-starved world. Save others time and money, and you will gain more time freedom and wealth.
This week embrace change and make it work to your advantage!
-- Denis Waitley
Reproduced with permission from the Denis Waitley Ezine.
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March 21, 2007
Your Dream Can Be Your Future by Chris Widener
Here is a basic truth you must accept and believe if you are to achieve your dream...
Your dream can be a reality! That's right, your future can actually see you living your dream. It doesn't just have to be a big wish!
When we are young we are dreamers. Nothing seems too big for us to accomplish. Nothing seems too outrageous. The world is ours on a string as the old song goes. Until... "Reality" hits. Reality is what others want to box you in with:
"You can't do that."
"Nobody has ever done that before."
"It will never work."
"You've gone off the deep end now!"
All dreamers (who eventually become accomplishers) have heard these things.
Yet they overcome them. They refuse to accept someone else's "reality" for their own life. They let the average people live their average lives, bound by fear, while they pursue their chosen future – their dream! So don't believe the people who tell you that you can't or won't. Believe your dream. Believe that it can be your future!
Once you have determined that you can actually live your dream, I want you to memorize this acronym. I've shared it before, but I found that it is tremendously helpful for reminding and motivating us toward our dreams.
D is for Dare (dare to dream while others don't)
R is for Relentless (relentlessly pursue your dream no matter what)
E is for Excellence (strive for excellence in all you do)
A is for Abandon (abandon any other alternative plans)
M is for Measure (constantly measure where you are in your dream journey)
Okay, that's great and motivating, but what about the practical stuff? Well, there is certainly practical stuff. No matter how lofty your dream, no matter how spectacular, you will live most of your life in the mundane. Richard Nixon said of the presidency that you "campaign with poetry, but govern with prose." The vision is beautiful, the actual is mundane (not bad but "everyday" so to speak).
If you are to achieve your dream, you need to plan and work and work and plan. Here are my thoughts on how to go about reaching your dream and securing it as your future: 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:
1. A timeline. How long will it take to the end?
2. Action steps. Point-by-point, what you will do and when you will do them.
3. Resources you will need to draw from. What will it take? Who will need to be involved for help or advice?
4. An evaluation tool. You need to evaluate from time to time whether you are progressing or not.
5. 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 to start making your dream a reality. 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!
Reproduced with permission from Your Achievement E-zine
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March 20, 2007
Hung By the Tongue by Gary Eby
Some people just have a knack for saying the wrong thing at the wrong time. They are being, "Hung By the Tongue!"
A state trooper pulled a man over for speeding on a deserted road. Since the road was clear and the weather fine, the trooper had indicated that he may not give the man a ticket, and let them off with a warning. He even complemented both the man and his wife for wearing their seat belts. At that point the woman leaned over and said, "Well, officer, when you drive the speeds we do, you have to wear them." That's when the trooper wrote the ticket. Hung By the Tongue!
Gene and Carolyn were entertaining for the first time since the birth of their baby. Everything ran smoothly until one of Gene's buddies arrived with his new girlfriend-a woman whom Carolyn did not particularly care for. She beckoned her husband upstairs with the excuse that they had to check on the baby. In the privacy of the nursery, she spoke freely of her disdain for the new guest. When they went downstairs to rejoin the party, they were greeted with an awkward silence-except for the occasional murmuring of the sleeping baby that came from the infant monitor sitting on the table. Hung By the Tongue!
There is an ancient Japanese proverb that says... "A tongue three inches long can kill a man six feet tall."
If you are continually being "hung by your tongue", you can be "loosed from the noose" if you would just learn to engage your mind a little bit before you speak! Here's the process... think... then speak! I believe that we need to make our words sweet... just in case we have to eat them!
The words of your mouth are a creative force. They play a big part in predestining your future. Your words are the architects of your life. The tongue is like a tool. We need to use our tools of the present to build our future we desire.
You see, your future will someday be your present. Your present will someday be your past. You can chart the course of your future by your compass...
your tongue. It will guide you like a rudder... into either troubled waters or a calm sea. But, don't be misled... it WILL guide you.
If you can change what you think about, you can change what comes out of your mouth. What comes out of your mouth will someday be in your future.
The words you speak create an atmosphere. If you are going to have a meeting and you really pump it up and build it, what happens? People come with expectancy! They come excited. Your words have set the stage for success! One of the foundational revelations of a wise leader is to learn to control his or her words!
Remember, Samson slew 1,000 Philistines with the jawbone of an ass. Way too many businesses, lives, and relationships are destroyed with the same weapon...
Be loosed from the Noose! Refuse to be... Hung By the Tongue!
Gary Eby is an International Trainer and Sales Strategist. He has the dynamic gift and ability to teach, train, motivate, and inspire. His message is a power-packed adventure that is filled with laughter and practical illustrations. Gary has conducted seminars all over the United States as well as England, Japan and Brazil. His diverse background includes the US Marines and a lifestyle mission statement that focuses on "vision, integrity and diligence." Gary has worked in the Direct Sales and Network Marketing Industries at both corporate and distribution levels which gives him a unique insight into the aspirations of both the corporate officers and field producers.
Reproduced with permission from Your Achievement E-zine
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March 19, 2007
The Power of the Tongue by Chris Widener
There is an old proverb with a lot of wisdom. It says, "The tongue has the power of life and death, and whoever loves it will eat its fruit."
It is so true. What we say has the ability to create situations, emotions, and thoughts in others. A kind word helps people, negative words hurt - sometimes for a very long time.
Most of the time we think of this concept in relation to how we treat others and that is good. In fact, I wrote an article in the last month or so called "The Power of Praising People." If you missed it, you can get it at the website.
But here I want to talk about this concept in relation to ourselves. How does what we say affect us? Tremendously. There is a simple principle here. Only say things that will create in you positive emotions, thoughts, feelings, and ultimately, actions.
Let me give you a good example. We do not allow the words "I can't" in our house. Why? Because we CAN! The very minimum is "I'll try." We ask our kids to say "I'll try." If we allow our kids, or ourselves, to fall into the trap of saying "I can't," guess what? We won't! And that's not good, is it?
Do you tell yourself negative thoughts during the day? Most of us can fall into that temptation, can't we? I was working the other day and I was brewing over something bad that had happened and I was just getting bent out of shape. So I stopped, realized I had the power to choose what I was saying to myself and began to think about and tell myself good things. And my day changed for the better.
Have you ever been in your backswing on the golf course and said to yourself, "I am going to shank this one." What happens? You shank it. This actually happens to me. So what do I do? I stop my backswing, reset myself, and tell myself I am going to hit it straight down the fairway. What happens? About half the time I hit it straight, the other half, I shank it, but increasing your ability is a future article! At the very least I increase my chances of performing better. Bad thoughts almost guarantee my failure, while good thoughts increase my chances for success dramatically.
A salesman may see someone walk through his door and say to himself, "I'm not going to be able to make this sale." I can't. I won't.
Some of us aren't even aware that we talk negatively to ourselves. Take some time today to think about what you say to yourself. Maybe ask a close friend if you have this habit. If you find yourself doing this, it is time to change!
Now, don't get me wrong. Self-talk is not a substitute for effort and ability, but it is a strong helping factor. Find some simple phrases that will help you get through the day with more success. Whatever your situation or work is, I am sure there are specific things you can say that will build you up and stick you on the road to success!
The words that you use and the conversations you have with yourself create things in you. They can create positive things or negative things. It is our choice. The tongue has the power of life and death. This is why it is so important to be diligent in using the power of the tongue to create a positive force in our lives.
Remember, your tongue has power. Use it!
Reproduced with permission from Your Achievement E-zine
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March 18, 2007
Human Relations by Zig Ziglar
Abraham Lincoln, truly one of our greatest presidents, had a rather unique approach in trying a case when he was a practicing attorney. He went to great lengths to learn everything he could about what the attorney for the "other side" would say... Then, in his arguments, Lincoln would do a superb job of presenting the case from his opponent's side of the table... On occasion, the attorney for the other side would make the observation that Lincoln had presented the opposition's case better than he could have. Perhaps you wonder why he took such an approach. First, he wanted to be fair. Second, he wanted to win the case if he believed his client was right. Needless to say, Lincoln then presented his own side with more fervor, facts, and reasons why his side was the right side. By using this procedure, Lincoln completely robbed the opposition of anything to say and built his own case in a stronger manner... He also wove in more humor and homespun stories when he presented his case. Most people, including jurors, like and trust those who give them cause to smile and who bring homespun logic to the table. What Lincoln did was simple. He practiced great human relations and used his abundant common sense. He wanted right to prevail and when he presented his case, as a general rule, the right side did win. Think about it. Take Lincoln's approach and I'll see you at the top!
Reproduced with permission from Your Achievement E-zine
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March 17, 2007
Has the Golden Rule Lost Its Glitter? by Tony Alessandra
Absolutely not! The Golden Rule has as much "glitter" as ever. I believe and practice it 110%, especially when it comes to values, ethics, honesty and consideration. However, when it comes to interpersonal communication, it can very well backfire. The Golden Rule states: "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." Basically translated, that says to treat others the way you would like to be treated, which of course isn't always the case.
An addition to the Golden Rule is The Platinum Rule: "Treat others the way they want to be treated." The focus of relationships shifts from "this is what I want, so I'll give everyone the same thing" to "let me first understand what they want and then I'll give it to them."
The goal of The Platinum Rule is personal chemistry and productive relationships. You don't have to change your personality. You simply have to understand what drives people and recognize your options for dealing with them. The Platinum Rule divides behavioral preferences into four personality styles: Director, Socializer, Relater, and Thinker. Everyone possesses the qualities of each style to various degrees and everyone has a dominant style. The key to using The Platinum Rule is understanding what a person's dominant personality style is and treating him/her appropriately.
Now to get you thinking about the concept, here is a very basic breakdown:
Directors are driven by two governing needs: to control and achieve. They are goal-oriented go-getters who are most comfortable when they are in charge of people and situations.
Socializers are friendly and enthusiastic and like to be where the action is. They thrive on admiration, acknowledgment, and compliments. They are idea-people who excel at getting others excited about their vision.
Thinkers are analytical, persistent, systematic people who enjoy problem solving. They are detail-oriented, which makes them more concerned with content than style. Thinkers are task-oriented people who enjoy perfecting processes and working toward tangible results.
Relaters are warm and nurturing individuals. They are the most people-oriented of the four styles. Relaters are excellent listeners, devoted friends, and loyal employees. They are good planners, persistent workers, and good with follow-through.
The Platinum Rule provides powerful life-skills that will serve you well in all your relationships: business, friends, family, spouse, and children.
Here's to more personal insight,
Tony Alessandra
Reproduced with permission from Your Achievement E-zine
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March 16, 2007
Enterprise is Better Than Ease by Jim Rohn
If we are involved in a project, how hard should we work at it? How much time should we put in?
Our philosophy about activity and our attitude about hard work will affect the quality of our lives. What we decide about the rightful ratio of labor to rest will establish a certain work ethic. That work ethic - our attitude about the amount of labor we are willing to commit to future fortune - will determine how substantial or how meager that fortune turns out to be.
Enterprise is always better than ease. Every time we choose to do less than we could, this error in judgment has an effect on our self-confidence. Repeated every day, we soon find ourselves not only doing less than we should, but also being less than we could. The accumulative effect of this error in judgment can be devastating.
--- FORTUNATELY, IT IS EASY TO REVERSE THE PROCESS ---
Any day we choose we can develop a new discipline of doing rather than neglecting. Every time we choose action over ease or labor over rest, we develop an increasing level of self-worth, self-respect and self-confidence. In the final analysis, it is how we feel about ourselves that provides the greatest reward from any activity. It is not what we get that makes us valuable, it is what we become in the process of doing that brings value into our lives. It is activity that converts human dreams into human reality, and that conversion from idea into actuality gives us a personal value that can come from no other source.
So feel free to not only engage in enterprise, but also to enjoy it to it's fullest along with all the benefits that are soon to come!
To Your Success,
Jim Rohn
Reproduced with permission from Your Achievement E-zine
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