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2003-05-29T08:16:00.000-07:00

Seven Character Traits Of Successful People
by Chris Widener

1. They are hard working. There is no such thing as easy money. Success takes hard work and people who are willing to do it.

2. They are honest. Those who are successful long-term are the honest ones. Dishonest people may get the first sale, but honest people will get all the rest!

3. They persevere. How many success stories will go untold because they never happened? And all because someone quit. Successful people outlast everybody else.

4. They are friendly. Have you noticed that most successful people are friendly and people oriented? This endears them to others and enables them to lead others to accomplish the task.

5. They are lifelong learners. Successful people are people who stretch themselves and grow continually, learning from all areas of life, including from their mistakes.

6. They over-deliver. The old statement of under-promise and over-deliver became famous because it made a lot of people successful, including the richest man in the world - Bill Gates

7. They seek solutions in the face of problems. Problems are opportunities to do the impossible, not just complain. Successful people are the ones who find solutions.
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Chris Widener is a popular speaker and writer as well as the President of Made for Success, a company helping individuals and organizations turn their potential into performance, and succeed in every area of their lives and achieve their dreams. Visit his two sites at MadeForSuccess.com and ExtraordinaryLeaders.com and be sure to take advantage of his newsletters.

** Learn more about Chris' Extraordinary Leaders Seminar Package

Using Mistakes To Springboard To Success
By Zig Ziglar

Each of us at one time or another has thought about how wonderful it would be to have as much foresight as hindsight. Then we could avoid making mistakes! Not only is that hope unrealistic, it's also unwise. Mistakes are often the springboard for major accomplishments.

Here's a good example: Thomas Edison was working with a lab assistant who was coming up dry after over 700 experiments. In discouragement, the assistant told Edison that after all these mistakes, errors, and false starts, he simply didn't believe that the project was valid.

Edison quickly told him that he wasn't wasting his time and that the assistant now knew more about the project than
anybody alive. Edison wisely observed that the assistant hadn't made mistakes but instead had acquired an education
as to what didn't work... the assistant went back to his project with renewed vigor.

If you take Edison's approach to life, you end up accomplishing much, much more. You need to understand that after every mistake you can look back and grow from the experience so that you can move forward with confidence and
avoid making the same mistake again.

Here are three tips for handling a mistake, either at home or work:

1. Don't let a mistake depress or discourage you. See a mistake as a step on the road to a solution. Realize that depression and discouragement are negatives that limit the future.

2. Admit the mistake. Yes, admitting your mistakes takes courage, but recognition of errors is a sign of maturity. Not to recognize them is to deny them, and denial limits your future.

3. Understand that when you confront your mistakes, you can take full advantage of them as the positive experiences they can be. When you ignore mistakes or try to conceal them, they almost always have a negative impact.

... Adapted from Zig's Success For Dummies.

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Zig Ziglar offers a weekly newsletter filled with more of his inspiring stories as well as practical ideas to help you in the areas of sales, marketing, customer service, and related topics. You can subscribe to the Newsletter by going here.

2003-04-26T14:09:00.000-07:00

'Do You Know Where You're Going To?'
by Gary Vurnum

Yes. I know that it's a line from an old Diana Ross song (sad aren't I? lol) But... all joking aside... this is a SERIOUS question!

Well... do you? Ask yourself.

Can you (hand on heart) say 'Yes!'

It's a difficult one, isn't it?

I'm not talking about answers like

- I want to be a millionaire.
- I want to be a top manager.
- I want to have a successful relationship.
- I want a pay rise.

Nope.

I'm talking about SPECIFICS!

Unless you know EXACTLY what you want... then you will never get there.

It's like saying that going on vacation... you may know what country you are going to... you may even know the resort... but, if you don't know what the name of your hotel is... you're STUCK.

You can go all that way... and still not get there.

Do you get what I mean... in my own roundabout way?

So... start thinking about being more PRECISE about what you want out of your life.

OK...

You might be one of the few people who actually DO know where they're going... but I have another question to ask you if that is the case...

'Are you doing something every day that is taking you towards where you want to go?'

This could be the one thing that is holding you back.

Your success is determined by your habits.

Read that again... it's VERY important.

You become your habits.

- If you smoke you become a smoker.
- If you drink you become a drinker.
- If you only watch TV all the time you'll be a TV bore.

But... if you do something constructive, positive, and
tangible towards your future you will be... SUCCESSFUL!

It's not rocket-science.

I bet that you've met a few idiots who have become successful, haven't you? lol

Just 5 minutes a day means an extra 30 HOURS a year (an ENTIRE working week!) that you would have spent doing something for YOU!

Isn't that worth the sacrifice?
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Written by Gary Vurnum - "How Can Gary Help You?". I'm a father, husband, author, coach, and marketer in that order. I've written an ebook called "The Science of Success" that will change your life (if you let it). Find out about it
here.

2003-04-24T21:01:00.000-07:00

Identifying Ideal Customers
By Jim Cathcart

I think everybody needs to know "who is the best customer for me?" Here's how you can generate a description of that individual.

List five of your best current customers. After you have them listed, describe as many characteristics of each one as you can.

How do they do business; how do they think; where did they go to school; what information sources do they turn to; what level of financial success are they experiencing; how many different locations are they operating from?

Also note what resource they came from. Were they a referral? Did they come from a response to advertising or direct mail, or what?

Similarly, do a detailed description of the characteristics of your five worst customers. By worst I mean the ones that are hardest to work with, the ones who are the toughest ones to please, the ones that are generating the least profitability for you in comparison to the amount of time an energy you put into dealing with them .

When you finish doing that exercise, compare your five best customers to your five worst customers and look for the characteristics that distinguish them. Then ask yourself what prospecting methods could I employ to find more of these best customers and to avoid running across more of these worst customers?

So identify an ideal customer for you. Don't focus on the negatives, focus on the positives. What does a good customer look like? What do they sound like? Where do they go? What do they do? How much money do they have? How easy are they to access?
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Jim Cathcart, Member: Speakers Roundtable - The Speakers Roundtable is a consortium of 22 of America's foremost professional speakers, sales trainers and seminar leaders. All members are dedicated to serving their training, motivation and consulting clients with pertinence, excellence and extraordinary value. Visit http://www.speakersroundtable.com to learn more of email office@SpeakersRoundtable.com

** Browse Jim Cathcart's products here.

2003-04-20T19:51:00.000-07:00

Tools of Your Craft
by Julie Jordan Scott

The shiny black exterior seemed to wink at me as the fabric cut its path through the tirelessly humming needle and thread. What would it look like when it was finished?

My dreams were huge: Would the dress she was making purrrrrr like the machine?

As a little girl, my mother used her Pfaff sewing machine tirelessly as she created this dress for me and that dress for my sister. She feverishly sewed prom dresses and wedding gowns and baby clothes and you name it, she sewed it.

All on the trusty Pfaff my Dad bought her as a newlywed.

Their fiftieth anniversary is coming this year and she still sews on that same machine. She has a fancier backup and it is the black, old fangled work horse that she loves that still gets more use.

It is a much loved tool of her craft.

As the stars twinkled all around a mountain top near Yosemite, I sighed contentedly.

The setting was a work weekend at my favorite retreat center one spring. Usually there are at least 100 people at Calvin Crest. This weekend there were three families. Feeling like a member of a pioneer expedition, I was the only woman and children outnumbered adults, 4 to 1.

My friend, Steve, is a painting contractor. I had never seen him at work before, though I had seen him driving his brightly painted vans around town occasionally.

As he donned his painting garb and took his equipment in hand, his eyes gleamed. Somehow in my paint spattered denim shorts with a brush in hand, I did not have the same music in my painting as Steve.

Painting the trim on the cabins at the retreat center was not my chosen profession. I did not even really enjoy the painting itself although the company and setting were both heavenly.

I did notice the way Steve honored his special equipment. These were the tools for HIS craft.

My craft is different than my mother’s or Steve’s. All three of us experience deep satisfaction and heart felt joy as we create. We all experience fulfillment as we complete our projects. And we all wish others could learn to relate to our craft in the same way we do.

What is your craft?

Is it related to your job or your family?

Has it changed over time?

Passion Activator:

Take a moment to free write about the Tools of Your Craft. The poem below was birthed during my Morning Pages time one day as I was thinking about how I produce these essays each day for you to read and hopefully glean ideas to improve your life.

Here is more about my tools in poem form:

Pen Paper Heart Brain Time Movement Space The Tools of My Craft Move Me from where I was To where I am To where I dream of going I love the tools of my craft

What are the tools of your craft?

To see the submissions of several of our readers, visit here, now.

Has this inspired you to write? to paint? to express more about the Tools of Your Craft?

(c) 2002
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Julie Jordan Scott is a Certified Life Purpose Coach who works with action oriented, creative people who are ready to live each moment with passion. Dare to discover your passion, decide to live YOUR destiny by subscribing to Julie's ezine by sending an email now to DiscoverYourPassion-subscribe@egroups.com or visit her website at http://www.5passions.com

2003-04-14T19:04:00.000-07:00

The Ultimate Reason To Become A Millionaire
By Mike Litman

Why should you strive for financial success?

For the money you will receive? For the attention you might garner? What is your reason?

I would like to suggest another reason for you to consider.

Recently, I was sitting down with multi-millionaire Jim Rohn, Tony Robbins' original mentor, and he told me what he feels is the best reason to become a millionaire.

He said.

"Set a goal to become a millionaire for what it makes of you to achieve it."

He went on to tell me about his own mentor.

"My own mentor, Mr. Schoaff, had an interesting way of teaching it. When I was 25 years old he said, 'I suggest, Jim, that you set a goal to become a millionaire.' I was all intrigued by that. You know, it's got a nice ring to it - millionaire.

Then Mr. Shoaff said, 'Here's why.'

"I thought to myself, 'gosh, he doesn't need to teach me why. Wouldn't it be great to have a million dollars?'

Then Shoaff said, "No. Then you'll never acquire it. Instead, set a goal to become millionaire for what it makes of you to achieve it."

"Do it for the skills you have to learn and the person you have to become. Do it for what you'll end up knowing about the marketplace. What you'll learn about the management of time and working with people.

Do it for the ability of discovering how to keep your ego in check. For what you have to learn about being benevolent. Being kind as well as being strong. What you have to learn about society and business and government and taxes and becoming an accomplished person to reach the status of millionaire."

"All that you have learned and all that you've become to reach the status of millionaire is what's valuable. Not the million dollars."

Jim Rohn told me a lot of amazing things in our time together. But, after all of the millionaires I've had the pleasure of interviewing, this lesson really stands out as advice we should all follow.

You need to ask yourself:

What kind of communication skills do I need to develop in order to become a millionaire?

Then begin working on them.

Ask yourself:

How must I think in order to become a millionaire?

Then begin thinking that way.

Ask yourself:

What kind of people do I need to associate with so I can achieve my goals faster?

Then strive to become a person those people will want to be around.

None of us can afford to underestimate the value and importance of this reason to become a millionaire.

In other words, the greatest value you will receive by becoming a millionaire is the person you have to become to make it in the first place. That is the greatest reward of your journey to success.

In fact, Jim Rohn wasn't the only millionaire who helped me to realize the power of this lesson. A couple of years ago, Chicken Soup for the Soul co-author, Jack Canfield gave me the same lesson when I sat down with him.

Jack said, "It doesn't make a lot of difference to become a millionaire. I've done that many times over and I can tell you that it's nice to have a house and a car that doesn't fall apart and all that."

"But, what's more important is who did I have to become in order to become a millionaire?"

"I had to learn how to overcome my fears. I had to learn how to talk in front of groups. I had to learn how to plan a speech. I had to learn how to ask people I was initially afraid of to loan me money, etc."

"All of that was scary. But, when I did it and survived it, I was no longer afraid to do it in the future. Now you can take away my house, my money, my car and everything, and it wouldn't matter. I know how to create more of those things because of who I've become NOT what I possess."

What these millionaires taught me is priceless.

The point is you must go after your goals and dreams with a burning desire because you will begin to see a transformation in yourself. A greater self-confidence and belief in yourself will be the first of many rewards.

Jack Canfield went on to say, "You want to set goals that are high enough that in the process of achieving those goals, you become someone worth being."

Now THAT is what I call the ultimate reason to become a millionaire!
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Mike Litman is the host of the personal development radio show, The Mike Litman Show. Mike interviews the top entrepreneurs and motivators alive today. Learn the secrets from the experts Mike has interviewed in his new book "Conversations With Millionaires"... Get full details here.

2003-04-07T18:48:00.000-07:00

Commitment Requires Personal Integrity!
by Gary Ryan Blair

Consider this question: What's the point of setting a goal if you have no intention of ever achieving it? Depending on its application or lack thereof, personal integrity is the enforcer or the terminator of success, the choice is entirely up to you!

Personal integrity is the final and most necessary ingredient of the goal setting process. It's the one that allows you to swing open the vault of success.

Your biggest concern when undertaking any new initiative is not with your skill, ability, or intelligence - IT'S WITH YOUR COMMITMENT!

There will be a sense of negligence to everything you do unless you are committed and exercise personal integrity.

The "Promised Land" is for those accountable to their actions. The most successful people in life consciously determine what they want, why they want it, and map a strategy for achievement.

They understand that personal integrity means maintaining a commitment to your commitment. It's about setting a goal and keeping your promise to achieve it - end of story!

NO EXCUSES are ever allowed, permitted, or entertained by a committed individual. Excuses, blame, and self-pity are character flaws and weaknesses that winners want no part of.

Personal integrity is what success and goal achievement is all about. The moments you feel like quitting are the times you must take a flashlight to your soul and inspect yourself for will, courage, and spirit.

Don't tarnish your goal by doing something so bush as quitting just because things got difficult. Nothing of any quality and lasting value was ever created by quitting.

It's only by persistence, faith, courage and good old-fashioned elbow grease that you truly find out what you're made of.

Lack of integrity ensures false promises and broken dreams; it negatively reinforces a sense of incompetence. Failure to honor your commitments to yourself is the biggest mistake you can make; it reflects an absolute disregard for the sanctity of your own goal.

Saturate your goal with a heavy dose of personal integrity. Without it, your goal becomes more whim than vision, more a scheme than a dream.

Lack of personal integrity is like a slow leak in a tire... eventually everything goes flat. If success is your destination, you will arrive there on a carriage called Planning pulled by a horse named Integrity.

Commitments are easier to make than to meet. But the joke is on you if you think you can achieve any goal without commitment.

You are called on to fulfill your promises. A large part of your success will come from sheer tenacity!

What's at stake at this stage is profoundly more important than the goal itself. Hanging in the balance is the essence of your life... your character and overall success.

Personal integrity builds intellectual and psychological muscle. Yet, many people have the psychological strength of a "98-pound weakling."

You make yourself vulnerable to failure every time you exercise cream puff ethics. You deprive yourself the company of success and the fruits of your efforts by quitting.

Personal integrity is the countdown clock of your goal. It starts ticking the second you begin and stops when you achieve the goal or quit.

Without personal integrity, you can say, "Farewell dream. Adios potential. Toodleloo success. Hello Mediocrity!" Your goal will find a more deserving soul... someone with courage, character, and conviction. Someone who keeps promises!

Personal integrity is not only habitual but also essential- it moves you ever closer to your goal and ultimate success.

Commitment is the heartbeat of your goal. In order to keep your goal breathing, rely on the oxygen of integrity.

Go ahead turn to personal integrity to keep your dream alive and to provide the staying power needed to cross the finish line to success.

Everything Counts!
Gary Ryan Blair
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Written by Gary Ryan Blair - The GoalsGuy is your online goal setting and personal leadership coach. Check-out My Personal Strategic Plan and learn how to achieve more in the next year than most people do in a lifetime. See why best selling author Brian Tracy said, "This is the most remarkable, simple, and practical guide for ANYONE who wants to create the ideal life!"

2003-03-18T19:05:00.000-08:00

"The Power of Giving"
By John Harricharan

It was a really hot summer's day many years ago. I was on my way to pick up two items at the grocery store. In those
days, I was a frequent visitor to the supermarket because there never seemed to be enough money for a whole week's food-shopping at once.

You see, my young wife, after a tragic battle with cancer, had died just a few months earlier. There was no insurance -- just many expenses and a mountain of bills. I held a part-time job, which barely generated enough money to feed my two young children. Things were bad -- really bad.

And so it was that day, with a heavy heart and four dollars in my pocket, I was on my way to the supermarket to purchase a gallon of milk and a loaf of bread. The children were hungry and I had to get them something to eat.

As I came to a red traffic light, I noticed on my right, a young man, a young woman and a child on the grass next to the road. The blistering noonday sun beat down on them without mercy.

The man held up a cardboard sign, which read, "Will Work for Food". The woman stood next to him. She just stared at the cars stopped at the red light. The child, probably about two years old, sat on the grass holding a one-armed doll. I noticed all this in the thirty seconds it took for the traffic light to change to green.

I wanted so desperately to give them a few dollars, but if I did that, there wouldn't be enough left to buy the milk and bread. Four dollars will only go so far. As the light changed, I took one last glance at the three of them and sped off feeling both guilty (for not helping them) and sad (because I didn't have enough money to share with them).

As I kept driving, I couldn't get the picture of the three of them out of my mind. The sad, haunting eyes of the young man and his family stayed with me for about a mile. I could take it no longer. I felt their pain and had to do something about it. I turned around and drove back to where I had last seen them.

I pulled up close to them and handed the man two of my four dollars. There were tears in his eyes as he thanked me. I smiled and drove on to the supermarket. Perhaps, both milk and bread would be on sale, I thought. And what if I only got milk alone, or just the bread? Well, it would have to do.

I pulled into the parking lot, still thinking about the whole incident, yet feeling good about what I had done. As I stepped out of the car, my foot slid on something on the pavement. There by my feet, was a twenty dollar bill. I just couldn't believe it.

I looked all around, picked it up with awe, went into the store and purchased not only bread and milk, but several other items I desperately needed.

I never forgot that incident. It reminded me that the universe was strange and mysterious. It confirmed my belief that you could never outgive the universe. I gave away two dollars and got twenty in return. On my way back from the supermarket, I drove by the hungry family and shared five additional dollars with them.

This incident is only one of many that have occurred in my life. It seems that the more we give, the more we get. It is, perhaps, one of those universal laws that say, "If you want to receive, you must first give".

There is a little rhyme that goes like this:

"A man there was, and they called him mad, The more he gave, the more he had."

Most times, we think that we don't have anything to give. Yet, if we look more closely, we'll see that even the little we have could be shared with others. Let us not wait for a time when we think we'll have lots and then we'll give. By giving and sharing the little we have, we open up the storehouse of the universe and permit rivers of good to come our way.

Don't take my word for it. Just honestly try to give and you'll be surprised at the results. Generally, the returns do not come back from those we give to. It comes back from sources we could hardly imagine. So give your way to riches.

Take a chance on this universal principle. Take a chance on yourself. Universal principles always work. Sometimes the return from giving happens very quickly as in the true story above. Other times, it takes much longer. But be assured of this: Give and you will receive -- and you'll receive lots more than you ever gave.

And when you give, don't do it with a heart of fear, but with a heart full of gratitude. You will be amazed at how it all works out. Open the gates of affluence in your life by giving a bit of what you have to those in need. As the great Teacher said, "Give and It will be given unto you." Try it. You'll like it.
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John Harricharan is an award-winning author, speaker and the creator of the ground-breaking "PowerPause" system for success. He has shared the lecture platform with such well-known speakers as Deepak Chopra, Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, Og Mandino, Eric Butterworth, C. Everett Koop and others. Click here to learn more about the "PowerPause" and see why critics are raving about it.

2003-03-12T14:43:00.000-08:00

You're Making a Lasting Impression
By Jeff Keller

One of the earliest memories I have of my father is from one of the family vacations we took together. I was about 7 years old at the time, and we were driving somewhere in the southern United States.

My brother and I were in the back of the car, with my mom and dad in the front. It was mid-afternoon on a hot summer day when my dad saw an ice cream truck and pulled over.

As my father got out of the car, he saw a group of five young boys sitting on the curb near the truck. Four of the five boys were eating ice cream. I watched as my dad went
over to the boy without the ice cream and said to him, "Would you like some ice cream?

I'll buy one for you." The boy politely told my father that he didn't want any. Sure, it was a nice gesture on the part of my dad. But it wasn't a big deal, right? Well... actually, it was.

My father's act of kindness toward a complete stranger was imprinted on my mind that day. And I believe that my own conduct has been significantly shaped by that event. My dad made a lasting impression on me in another way as well. You see, social or economic status meant very little to my father.

He didn't gravitate to those with fancy titles. He seemed just as interested in speaking to waiters and the people who swept the floors. He respected everyone and looked down on nobody. And again, my dad's conduct helped to influence the way that I deal with people to this day.

Here are a few things to consider if you want to make a lasting impression and be a positive influence on others:

1. Recognize the paradox. We don't usually make a lasting impression when we're trying to do so. Rather, it happens when we're just living our lives and doing what may seem like ordinary, everyday things. Sure, there are some who make an enduring impact through great achievement or by being a celebrity. But lasting impressions are not reserved for famous people like Oprah Winfrey or Michael Jordan.

They're available to you and me - every day, every moment. As I look back, I can't remember a time when my dad sat down with me and said, "Here's how you should treat people." I simply observed how he lived his life. So, too, people are watching your life, whether you realize it or not. This is true in all the life roles you play - be it parent, child, employee, business owner, etc.

2. Live each moment consciously. While we can't plan those encounters or situations that will create lasting impressions, we can be more aware of our behavior and the
potential influence it may have.

Too often, we live our lives on "automatic pilot," that is, we do things out of habit without realizing the effect our actions might have on others. In many of these instances, our behavior does not match what we declare to be our values. (For instance, you may think that you are "open-minded" and then catch yourself being intolerant of someone
with different viewpoints.)

Starting today, right now, realize that every interaction you have is precious. As author Dan Millman often says, "there are no ordinary moments." With this in mind, you can
consciously choose, for example, to be honest, kind and to give your best efforts at all times.

So, the next time you're about to do something, ask yourself: What action would I take right now if I knew my behavior would have a lasting effect on someone? This isn't about being perfect. There will always be times when we behave in ways that we're not proud of. Yet, as you realize the impact of your day-to-day conduct, you'll find yourself
making different choices.

3. Appreciate the ripple effect. It's hard to fathom the consequences of the lasting impressions we make. When my father asked that young boy whether he wanted some ice cream, he was affecting me - as well as everyone who would eventually come into contact with me - forever! Isn't that incredible?

Yet, it's not an exaggeration. My dad's act helped to shape my character, which in turn affects the way that I have dealt with people in the 40 years since that event. Furthermore, the people who I have met may have been affected and have passed along those values to others they have met. It's an endless cycle. Thus, there are no small acts in this world. One simple act can truly change the course of humanity.

In the end, you're going to make many lasting impressions, whether you want to or not. It's up to you whether the messages you send are positive or negative. As you go
through your day today, give a little extra consideration to how you speak and how you act. You just may be making an impression that will endure for generations.
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Jeff Keller is a motivational speaker and delivers his presentations and seminars to businesses, groups and trade associations throughout the United States and abroad. He is the author of the book, Attitude is Everything. For more information on Jeff's products and services, visit his web site. Jeff has just released his "Success From Soup To Nuts", which is already getting rave reviews! Click here to learn more and buy your copy now.

2003-02-06T10:18:00.000-08:00

Developing Desire to Succeed
by Tom Hopkins

Here are three methods of developing a burning desire to succeed. They will work - if you want them to.

1. The greatest obstacle to developing desire is a conviction that we'll never be able to fulfill it. So many people discourage desire to avoid the frustration they may encounter.

If you don't have a burning desire to better your life, you're cheating yourself and your loved ones with phony excuses. You're choosing a level of life that's poor compared to what you could have with the extra exertion you're capable of. It's all on your shoulders and there's no way you can shift a bit of the responsibility to anyone else.

2. Focus on the specific things you want. Make agreements with yourself. When I do this, I get that. Don't try to make yourself work for nothing.

3. Take it in steps. If you've never made more than minimum wage, don't aim for half a million dollars the first year. The essential element is faith in yourself.

I know former migrant farm workers who came out of the fields and make themselves wealthy. If your sunshine wants far outstrip your cold morning desire, have a talk with yourself, then have a lot more talks. Convince yourself you can succeed and will succeed.
_______
Tom Hopkins International
7531 E. 2nd St., Scottsdale, AZ 85251
Tel: (480) 949-0786 or 800/528-0446 Fax: (480) 949-1590
Visit our website for a great "Tip of the Day"

2003-01-29T03:20:00.000-08:00

Differentiate Yourself
By Michael Angier

Competition is a fact of life in business. It's good for the economy. It's good for customers and it's good for us as business owners and managers. It keeps us constantly improving our products and services. It hones our skills and stretches our imagination. All very positive.

But just how can we compete effectively?

The best way to compete is to differentiate ourselves--to stand out from our competition because of the unique gifts and special style we bring to the marketplace.

Sometimes this can be done by being first. Xerox did it in copiers. Kleenex did it in tissues. They're not generic names, but these trademarked products have become almost generic and they stand out because they were well positioned.

For most of us, this differentiating factor is not within our reach. If we can't be first on the market, we're forced to do something else.

So how do we do this?

First, we must know what our unique assets are. This takes some soul-searching. It takes some thinking.

What do we do best? What do we love doing? Where have we received the most tribute?

Are we faster, less expensive, more responsive, cleaner, lighter, hipper? Are we friendlier or easier to do business with?

If we're not any of these things, we can reinvent ourselves. We can DECIDE what we want to be known for.

But don't try to be something you're not. This reinvention should really be a discovery of latent values and qualities--things that were always there but rarely exploited.

Once we're clear on who we are and what we stand for, we must take every opportunity to show people what we're all about. We must tell our story, tell it well and tell it often. The ideal is to get other people telling our story.

Most of this is just common sense. It's just not very common. Southwest Airlines and Jet Blue are about the only airlines making any money these days. What's their secret?

Well, Southwest is known for low fares, friendly people and fun flights. Jet Blue is known for new planes (all the same type), video screens in every leather seat, low fares and friendly service.

They're known for this because they deliver on this reputation day in and day out. And they're good at telling their stories well. There's good buzz about what they do, how they do it and how well it's working. People rave about their experiences flying on these airlines.

This isn't rocket science, right? No wonder they're turning profits when others are declaring or trying to emerge from bankruptcy.

Besides having a clear vision, mission and purpose, there's probably nothing more important for you to do to compete effectively than differentiating yourself.

Of course it must be done with substance and based upon your core values. And it also must be backed up with commitment. With everyone paying attention to what's important, it will permeate the entire organization.

You'll be known for what you want to be known for. You'll have more fun doing what you do best. You'll serve your customers better. You'll stand out and step up your profits and your fulfillment--for you and your employees.
________
Copyright Success Networks International. Part of Success Net's mission is to position you for success. Free subscriptions, eCourses, memberships, eBooks and SuccessMark Cards available here.

2003-01-24T00:47:00.000-08:00

Are You a Somebody or a Nobody?
by Gary Vurnum
(c)2002

Are you ambitious? I know I am.

Maybe you're not...but you should be.

Ambition is something that we usually associate with the go-getters and the high-fliers. It shouldn't be. You have a duty to yourself to be ambitious. You are letting yourself down if you are not.

Why?

Well, if you are ambitious you have a 'spark' that bounces off of those around you. Ambition automatically generates enthusiasm, the only side-effect of which, is that it is catching!

So you see...just by being ambitious you can have a positive effect on both yourself and those around you. It's very difficult to be miserable when you are in the company of someone who is enthusiastic. Try it.

"But I don't have anything to be ambitious about", you might say.

Well that's you and my wife then! Up until only recently, she would quite happily spend any spare time she had glued to the TV. She wasn't bothered that she didn't have a hobby, an interest, or a book to read.

She was stagnating right in front of my eyes. Aged 32, going on 92!

So what changed?

Well...I did!

As time went on and I became more involved in my business... she gradually got 'caught-up' with what I was doing. Every day I would eagerly explain something about what I was doing... or I would get her to look through what I had written to check for mistakes.

After a while I noticed a very slight change in her. She would start asking ME questions, or would make little suggestions about how I could change things.

It was as if her brain had kicked into gear because she was having something to feed it with. Now she's thinking about doing a course on something she had always wanted to do but never 'had the time' to do before!

"What's this got do with me?" you may be asking.

Well, you may be thinking that ambition is not for you.

I'm here to tell you to WAKE UP!

Get a life! Get a hobby! Get an interest!

Do something, anything, that you enjoy doing.

Be ambitious for a happy and successful future. Take a few chances, get up from the sofa and get out in the wide world and design a life - your life.

Get excited about something. It's amazing how you can literally 'make' time when there is something to do that you are excited about.

You... and you alone, are in control of what you do, how you feel, what happens to you, and how you deal with it.

Stop finding excuses for NOT doing something or for NOT being someone. Go the extra mile just once... and you will be amazed at how easy it is to have a rewarding life.

Every minute wasted doing 'nothing' is a minute that you could have spent doing something, and being someone.

Don't waste your life. It's the only one you've got.

To Our Success!
________
Gary Vurnum's life turned around after the birth of his severely disabled son, and he now wants to share with others the tools he used to remain positive during the worst time of his life. His life-changing ebook "The Science of Success" is available here.

2003-01-09T18:15:00.000-08:00

Achieving Self-Mastery
By Randy Gage

How do you achieve self-mastery? Mastery comes from confidence. Confidence comes from experience. Experience comes from practice. Practice comes from commitment. And commitment comes from vision. Please read that last paragraph again. Then do the arithmetic backward and you have a roadmap to success. And notice that it all starts with vision.

Every thing that manifests in your life is a result of the vision you have for yourself. Everything. One of the common mistakes people make is to say things, like, "But I don't really have a vision."contraire ... EVERYONE has a vision.

Now it might be a positive vision, it could be a negative one, or it may be a neutral one. Now you may wonder, how you transform a neutral or negative vision into a positive one ... Glad you asked.

First, and you knew I was going to say this, programming is important. If you're watching three hours of sitcoms on TV every night, it's highly unlikely that you're ever going to believe in a positive vision for yourself. Likewise if you're reading the daily newspapers, hanging around with victims and attending a church that beats you up every week.

So of course you need to be exposed to positive programming, in the form of uplifting stories, positive reinforcement, spiritual nourishment, mental and physical challenges and the like. Next, you must make your goals real to you. And this can be easier than you may think.

If your goal is to be the number one producer in your company, just having a chart showing that on your Dream Board will go a long way toward making that the case. Every time you walk past it, your subconscious mind sees you listed in the number one slot. After enough times, that doesn't seem so audacious anymore. In fact, it starts to seem quite normal.

If you don't own the audiotape album "Crafting Your Vision," get it today! It is a collection of twelve different experts, all sharing their thoughts on vision and goal
setting. I'm one of the contributors, as is Mastermind Council member Lisa Jimenez. This album is simply a "must own" for anyone who is serious about manifesting great things in their life.

I mention it now because of a very relevant technique you'll learn from Richard Brooke in his tape. Richard recommends that you write a movie script of the vision you want to manifest in your life. So going back to our earlier example, you would write a script about you becoming the number one producer in your company.

It might be the day of the company convention where you are given the award. The key in writing this is to involve as many senses as possible. So you might talk about the birds chirping when you woke up, and the roar of the crowd as you are introduced. You could mention the smell of the tea you sip in the morning and the lilacs that are drifting in your window.

You might write about the delicious taste of the lunch you ate on the way to the convention hotel. You would describe the huge hall where the convention is being held, and the details on the stage. You would describe the heaviness of the trophy you are handed, and the warmth of the handshake from the company president as she awards you the honor.

Once you write this script, you carry it around in your planner, purse or briefcase. Then when you have a few minutes on the Metro, in line or on your lunch hour, you read a little of it.

Because so many senses are involved, it resonates with you deeper. And the deeper it does, the more of an imprint it makes on your consciousness. Once you have a vision really anchored with you, you just naturally want to achieve it. So you commit to doing the things that make it happen. Along the way to Mastery, I've discovered two insights that seem to hold true in the pursuit of Mastery in all fields and at all levels.

Once you accept and integrate them into your plan, you are well on the road to Mastery. Here they are... Number one, practice is the time to think, and plan, and analyze. Not in the Championship game. You practice because you build "muscle memory." Think about soccer players. They didn't need to think, aim, or direct their kicks on goal consciously. They see ball, kick ball.

It is an instinctive reaction, built up over hundreds or even thousands of hours of practice. They don't have fear or self-doubt; they simply do what they do best. When you're in the big game, you don't want to be having to think, question or analyze. You want to be able to relax, have fun, and let your training (practice) take over. In the case of Self-Mastery, the situation is no different.

How you respond when the business deal doesn't go your way, your marriage faces a challenge, or you're faced with an ethical dilemma is determined well ahead of time by the programming you've chosen, the wisdom you acquired, and the self-discipline you've developed along the way. That's why some of those people walking by the café seem so confident. They've done the work on themselves so they don't fear life. They embrace it, celebrate it, and revel in it.

Yes, they have setbacks, challenges, and even defeats. But they have enough confidence in themselves to know that defeat is a temporary setback, and failure is never final. Unless you want it to be. Now here is the second insight I've learned along the way. You can't look good and get better at the same time.

The first time you throw a baseball, ballroom dance, pronounce a new language, hammer a nail, paint a picture, build a bookcase, or serve a tennis ball you look silly! Disjointed, unsure, or even ridiculous. Good. You are starting truly at a place of learning.

The only way to be good, is to practice a lot of times while you are bad. Like I tell new speakers, the only way to be a good speaker is to do a lot of mediocre speeches. And after you do enough good ones, you will do great ones. And after you give enough great ones, you will be able to do world-class ones.

If your vision is strong, and your commitment is real, you don't worry about looking silly in practice. You have enough belief in yourself to put up with the cuts and scrapes or the snickers and snide comments or the sweat and toil to move another step closer to where you want to be.

Even when you hit the plateaus... Which we all must face. It is just a reality of Mastery that you don't move forward continuously. In fact, sometimes it's necessary to advance a little, plateau, fall backward, go forward and plateau again before you breakthrough to the next level. It's a just a part of the process. And once you've experienced this enough, you develop confidence. Belief. And conviction. And once you've got this, you are well on the road to true Mastery.

And in any area, the process is the same. You don't end up a Master. You achieve a level of Mastery, at which you really start the higher learning. Mastery is not a place, but a process. A continuous one that includes many plateaus and setbacks along the way. In fact, if you are not facing setbacks and having some minor failures, you really can't be moving forward.

So here are some ideas for consideration. First, evaluate yourself. What kind of vision do you have for yourself? Be honest. Is it positive, neutral, or negative? Do you have different types of vision for different areas of your life? Look for incongruence here.

For example, you may have a vision of greatness for your bowling team, but think you will always be a low level bureaucrat all your life. You may see yourself as a
successful CEO, but in a lifeless marriage. Or you may see yourself as active and healthy, but struggling financially.

Evaluate if the areas of Mastery you are moving forward include the way you make a living. Will Mastery of the things you're doing, lead to prosperity in your life? In ALL areas? Give these things some thought. And change your strategy, based upon the answers. Then you'll be on track and on target, to achieve Mastery in the areas that matter most to you!
________
Article Submitted by Randy Gage - For more than 15 years, Randy Gage has been helping people transform self-limiting beliefs into self-fulfilling breakthroughs to achieve their dreams. Randy Gage is a modern day explorer in the field of body-mind development and personal growth. He is the author of the best-selling albums, Dynamic Development and Prosperity and director of BreakthroughU.com. For more resources and to subscribe to Randy's free ezine newsletters
visit his website through the following link.

2003-01-06T05:57:00.000-08:00

Nitty-Gritty Reasons
by Jim Rohn
(excerpted from the book Seven Strategies for Wealth and Happiness)

Wouldn't it be wonderful to be motivated to achievement by such a lofty goal as benevolence? I must confess, however, that in the early years of my struggle to succeed, my motivation was a lot more down-to-earth. My reason for succeeding was more basic.

In fact, it fell into the category of what I like to call "nitty-gritty reasons." A nitty-gritty reason is the kind that any one of us can have -- at any time, on any day --
and it can cause our lives to change. Let me tell you what happened to me...

Shortly before I met Mr. Shoaff, I was lounging at home one day when I heard a knock at the door. It was a timid, hesitant knock. When I opened the door I looked down to see a pair of big brown eyes staring up at me. There stood a frail little girl of about ten.

She told me, with all the courage and determination her little heart could muster, that she was selling Girl Scout cookies. It was a masterful presentation -- several flavors, a special deal, and only two dollars per box. How could anyone refuse? Finally, with a big smile and ever-so politely, she asked me to buy. And I wanted to. Oh, how I wanted to!

Except for one thing. I didn't have two dollars! Boy, was I embarrassed! Here I was -- a father, had been to college, was gainfully employed -- and yet I didn't have two dollars to my name.

Naturally I couldn't tell this to the little girl with the big brown eyes. So I did the next best thing. I lied to her. I said, "Thanks, but I've already bought Girl Scout cookies this year. And I've still got plenty stacked in the house."

Now that simply wasn't true. But it was the only thing I could think of to get me off the hook. And it did. The little girl said, "That's okay, sir. Thank you very much."
And with that she turned around and went on her way. I stared after her for what seemed like a very long time. Finally, I closed the door behind me and, leaning my back to it, cried out, "I don't want to live like this anymore. I've had it with being broke, and I've had it with lying. I'll never be embarrassed again by not having any money in my pocket." That day I promised myself to earn enough to always have several hundred dollars in my pocket at all times.

This is what I mean by a nitty-gritty reason. It may not win me any prize for greatness, but it was enough to have a permanent effect on the rest of my life.

My Girl-Scout-cookie story does have a happy ending. Several years later, as I was walking out of my bank where I had just made a hefty deposit and was crossing the street to get into my car, I saw two little girls who were selling candy for some girls' organization. One of them approached me, saying, "Mister, would you like to buy some candy?"

"I probably would," I said playfully. "What kind of candy do you have?"

"It's almond roca."

"Almond roca. That's my favorite. How much is it?"

"It's only two dollars." Two dollars. It couldn't be! I was excited. "How many boxes of candy have you got?"

"I've got five."

Looking at her friend, I said, "And how many boxes do you have left?"

"I've got four." "That's nine. Okay, I'll take them all."

At this, both girls' mouths fell open as they exclaimed in unison, "Really?"

"Sure," I said. "I've got some friends that I'll pass some around to."

Excitedly, they scurried to stack all the boxes together. I reached into my pocket and gave them eighteen dollars. As I was about to leave, the boxes tucked under my arm, one of the girls looked up and said, "Mister, you're really something!" How about that! Can you imagine spending only eighteen dollars and having someone look you in the face and say, "You're really something!"

Now you know why I always carry a few hundred dollars on me. I'm not about to miss chances like that ever again.

And to think it all resulted from my own embarrassment, that when properly channeled, acted as a powerful motivator to help me achieve.

How about you? What nitty-gritty reasons do you have waiting to challenging and provoke you into change for the better? Look for them, they are there. Sometimes it can be as simple as a brown-eyed girl selling Girl Scout cookies.

To Your Success,
Jim Rohn
___________
Article Submitted by Jim Rohn - Announcing a Very Special Invitation - The Jim Rohn One-Year Success Plan! One of the most comprehensive resource and success plans ever created for you to reach all of your goals in the next 12 months! For details and/or to take advantage of the Special Introductory Offer go here!

2003-01-02T21:44:00.000-08:00

Take It Personally... Then Let It Go
by Jeff Keller

I recently read don Miguel Ruiz's best-selling book, The Four Agreements. It's an insightful little book with a message that seems so simple - and yet is so profound. In his book, the author invites the reader to adopt a code of conduct that includes four agreements. In this article, I'd like to focus on the second agreement, which states: "Don't Take Anything Personally."

Great advice, isn't it? But it's easier said than done. The problem is, most of us take criticism or rejection personally. Very personally. As I was reading this wisdom about not taking things personally, a story popped into my mind.

Very early in my speaking career, I was hired to give a two-hour presentation to an organization that was having a conference in New Jersey. There were about 250 people in the audience and half of them really didn't want to be there. To make matters worse, I was incorporating some new material into my presentation, material that I had not yet tested before an audience of this size.

Parts of my presentation were well received by the audience. However, some of it did not go over well. At the end of the seminar, I handed out evaluation sheets so I could get some feedback about my performance. Some of the comments were quite positive: "Excellent presentation that really made me take an in-depth view of myself" and "I loved it." So far, so good.

Then, there were the other evaluations. In response to my question, "What are the best, most usable ideas you gained from this program?" one attendee stated, "None." And there was one gentleman who offered this opinion of my presentation: "Join Toastmasters or try some tapes on speaking and presenting." Ouch!

I didn't have a pleasant drive back from New Jersey that day, and I'll admit that I took some of the comments personally. However, by the time I got home, I was able to let it go and to see things much more clearly.

Here are some things to keep in mind the next time you receive harsh comments:

1. It's not about you. When people make insulting or vicious remarks to you, it's a reflection of what's going on inside of them. The statements are based on their emotions, their experiences and their unique viewpoints. You're simply the target at the moment. Harsh criticism is usually brought on by one or more of the following:

a) Ego. Some people will criticize you to boost their own ego. They pull you down a few pegs so that they'll feel superior to you.

b) Impatience. Impatient people are also likely to make insulting remarks that are out of proportion to the situation. For instance, if an impatient person feels you should complete a task in 5 seconds - and you take 10 - you'll hear something like, "Are you a moron?" Clearly, this has nothing to do with you.

c) Childhood Influences. Many people who criticize you without regard to your feelings grew up in an environment where they were criticized harshly and rejected often. They are simply repeating the pattern.

Accept the fact that people from all of these categories will cross your path from time to time.

2. Learn from it. In most cases, you can learn from criticism and rejection. Although the comments may be harsh or exaggerated, there is some truth to be found. For instance, many of the evaluation forms I received from that audience in New Jersey provided excellent suggestions for ways I could improve my seminar.

If I simply ignored a lot of the comments that were offered "undiplomatically," I would have lost out on an opportunity to improve.

3. Laugh about it. After you get over the initial shock of a critical remark, allow yourself to have a good laugh! It reduces the tension and puts things back in perspective. On the evaluation forms I distributed that day, there was a line that said "May we quote you?" I include this because many people offer positive comments that I like to use as testimonials. In response to this question, the guy who told
me to "join Toastmasters" checked "YES" (meaning I was free to quote him). See, sometimes you just have to laugh!

4. Don't let anyone stop you from pursuing what you want to achieve. I had a rough day in New Jersey, but I wasn't going to allow a few people to stop me from moving forward and developing my skills. Life will test you to see how serious you are about pursuing a particular path. Sooner or later, you'll face the kind of feedback I got that day in New Jersey. And when you do, remember: don't let anyone crush
your dream.

If you're doing what you want to do (and aren't hurting anyone else), the only question to ask yourself is: Did I do the best I could in this situation? In New Jersey that day, I gave the best presentation I was capable of giving ... at that time. You can't ask yourself to do more than your best.

5. Cut others some slack. If there's something I've learned over the years, it's that we have to be a little more considerate of the feelings of others. Sure, we have to provide feedback and criticism at times. But we're all guilty of going overboard, whether to our family or to
people at work. We say things that we wouldn't want others to say to us. We get impatient and forget that it took us time to learn the very things we're expecting others to perform perfectly right away.

Don Miguel Ruiz gave some great advice when he said that we shouldn't take anything personally. Yet, I have to admit I'm not quite there yet. What I have done is to continue to limit the amount of time that I take things personally. What I used to take personally for years became months ... and then weeks ... and then days ... and now it's usually measured in terms of hours or minutes. I feel a whole lot better and have achieved a lot more as a result.

Work on reducing the amount of time that you take things personally - and you'll take your life to a new level.

Jeff Keller
(c) Attitude is Everything, Inc.
______
Jeff Keller is a motivational speaker and delivers his presentations and seminars to businesses, groups and trade associations throughout the United States and abroad. He is the author of the book, Attitude is Everything. For more information on Jeff's products and services, visit his web site.

2002-12-30T06:17:00.000-08:00

Zig Ziglar On Failing

Most parents experience the joy of watching their children turn over, then crawl, then stand up and then take those first steps. With outstretched arms they stand two or three steps away and encourage the little one to come to them.

Chances are about three trillion to one that when the baby falls down the parent is not going to say, "Okay, you had your chance - you blew it!

So don't you ever try to walk again!" That's absurd, but isn't it equally absurd to think we can accomplish major things in our lives without experiencing some reversals of some kind? We all need to remember that failure is an event, not a person, that success is a process and not just an instant happening. Few succeed overnight. Instead, they succeed over time.

Troy Aikman, Steve Young, Brett Favre, Dan Marino are (or were) extremely effective NFL quarterbacks and yet each of the four has thrown more incomplete passes than 99% of all the quarterbacks who ever threw a football.

Obviously, along the way they also threw an awful lot of completions. The top salesperson in the organization probably missed more sales than 90% of the sales people on the team, but he or she also made more calls than the others made.

There's never been a doctor who served many patients who, despite his or her best efforts, did not lose some of them to death. But they understood that was part of life itself.

All of us need to remember there is a vast difference between failing in an event and failing in life. Once we understand that, our chances for success substantially
increase. We need to remember that winners are people who got up one more time than they were knocked down. Think about it, keep getting up and I'll SEE YOU AT THE TOP!

... Adapted from Zig’s delightful book, Something Else To Smile About. Get your copy here.
_________
Zig Ziglar offers a free weekly newsletter filled with more of his inspiring stories as well as practical ideas to help you in the areas of sales, marketing, customer service, and related topics. You can subscribe to his newsletter by going to http://www.zigziglar.com and click on the Free Newsletter button.

2002-12-26T10:58:00.000-08:00

Journal Your 100 Life Goals
By Doreene Clement

Recording and tracking your 100 Life Goals in a journal is a powerful tool that can add to your personal and professional well being. Journaling goals is a great way to focus, clarify, and understand what your true intentions are, and how you are going to reach your goals.

In your journal you will record and track your Life Goals, 1 thru 100. (Or your 10 Life Goals, or 150, or 1,000, whatever number of goals you have now, remembering you can add to and delete from your list of Life Goals through the years.)

To start- find a blank book that is hardcover and has more pages than your number of goals. You also may use more than 1 blank book. Next, write "Goal Number 1" on page 1 of the blank book, then write your goal. (Your goals do not need to be listed in order of importance to you, they can be listed as you think of them.)

Example - Goal Number 1. I want to read over 100 books.

As you read each book you can record the titles and how you liked the book. Would you recommend it? Journal what feels important to you about what you have read.

You can leave one or more blank pages, then write your next goal. Example - Goal Number 2. I never want to get stung by a bee or a wasp.

Example - 10.02.02 I was at the Blue Door restaurant on Wednesday, sitting near an open door, and there was a bee. As I was moving away from my table to get away from the bee, it landed in my food. No bee stings for me.

Again, leave as many blank pages as you might need. Continue by listing Goal Numbers 3, 4, 5, etc. After each goal you can journal what your feelings, ideas, dreams, desires, etc., are for your goals. Journal the people, experiences and circumstances as things happen in your life to accomplish your goals.

You can also journal your Life Goals on the computer. Create a document that uses the above system. As your goals change and evolve you can edit the list, or rearrange according to the order of importance. What was number 1 on your list can change to number 55.

As you think about your Life Goals, take the time you need to create the list. It may take you days, or years. It is your list, create it in your time.

Copyright 2002 Doreene Clement All Rights Reserved
__________
Doreene Clement is the creator of, The 5 Year Journal, a journal where you can journal your life in one book for 5 years. You can tour the book at www.the5yearjournal.com - dkcomni@aol.com or 480.423.8095

2002-12-24T12:27:00.000-08:00

Focusing Strategies During Uncertain Times
by Gary Ryan Blair

There is nothing worse than uncertainty. Unmitigated certain disaster beats ongoing uncertainty hands down. Disaster is dramatic. It inspires deep feelings and provides an outlet for people to justify their fears.

Uncertainty, on the other hand, is like living your life eternally sitting in some cosmic twilight zone waiting to go out on a date with someone that you're sure you don't want anything to do with.

In response to the many requests for insight into how to remain focused during uncertain and scary times, I have created this lesson on transforming the fear and perceived negativity of any situation into opportunities for growth, progress, and achievement.

I began by asking myself this question: "How do you plan for success in a world filled more with conflicts, surprises, and uncertainty than with patterns?"

Focusing Strategies During Uncertain Times is meant to support and empower your creative thinking, communications, actions, and most importantly your results.

1. Focus On Others

Economic and political events throughout the past year have made people around the world anxious and fearful about their futures. Because of that fear, people tend to drive into themselves, and begin to feel isolated, hopeless, and helpless.

In this situation, the best defense is a good offensive strategy. Go in the opposite direction by purposefully expanding your connection with others. Focus on helping your family, friends, associates, and community to make something wonderful happen.

Forget about yourself, and focus in on others. The more you do this, the less you will need to worry about your own situation. You'll become a source of strength, confidence, and an inspiration for others to emulate.

2. Focus On Relationships

In uncertain times, people have a tendency to become frightened about the viability of the things they do and the positions they hold. Don't go there emotionally!

A wise strategic response right now would be to focus on deepening the power and possibility of all your relationships - with family, friends, associates, and community.

Every time you strengthen a relationship, you automatically increase your opportunities for growth, progress, and achievement.

3. Focus On Value

When times are uncertain, you better place a premium on the creation and delivery of greater value. What people want at all times is value creation - that is, solutions that help them eliminate their uncertainties, capture their opportunities, and reinforce their strengths.

When you focus on providing these three solutions, growth, progress, and achievement will naturally follow.

4. Focus On Opportunities

Because of uncertainty and the roll of the dice this past year, some things may have disappeared from your life. Some people never get over this. They keep replaying history and focusing on coulda, woulda, and shoulda.

A better strategy is to start an entirely new game - create history by using new ideas, new energies, new tools, and new resources to focus on new opportunities.

Read this next line a few times to make sure you completely get the point: Just because you did not see a good business opportunity when you see one does not mean that you didn't see one!

Be open and alert by focusing and capitalizing on opportunity. A big opportunity is available now for achieving far more than you ever did in the past. Stay awake
and either open or kick the door in when it knocks!

5. Focus On Progress

At some point in time, uncertainty and fear knocks the wind out of all of us. Success and achievement may not come as easy as they once did. New competitive realities will either defeat you or reveal new strengths.

Your physical muscles always get stronger from working against resistance. The same is true for the muscles in your mind, your spirit, and your character.

Focus on progress, and treat this whole period of challenge and uncertainty as a time when you can make your greatest progress.

6. Focus On Today

The "future" is uncertain; at best your plans are a hypothetical guess. The only future that has any reality is the one that you continually create for yourself through each day's contributions, achievements, and results.

Take it one day at a time. Focus on what you can do over the course of each 24 hours. Plan the day well, maximize every opportunity, continuously generate value and flawlessly execute your plan.

7. Focus On Gratitude

Uncertainty is one of those times when everyone has to make a fundamental decision: to complain or to be grateful. When things go south, the consequences of this decision are much greater.

Complaining only attracts negative thoughts, negative people, and negative results. There is no inherent value to be found from complaining.

Gratitude creates and attracts positive thoughts, positive people, and positive results. It allows for the best thinking, actions, and results to emerge.

Focus on everything that you are grateful for - communicate this - and open yourself each day to the best possible consequences.

A Final Thought

There are certainties in uncertain times. Even in uncertain times, you must go forward and actively pursue your goals.

Within that context you will discover abundant opportunities for growth, progress, and achievement. These opportunities will allow you to improve your life, your family, your community, and our world.

Everything Counts!
Gary Ryan Blair
___________
Written by Gary Ryan Blair - The GoalsGuy is your online goal setting and personal leadership coach. Check-out My Personal Strategic Plan and learn how to achieve more in the next year than most people do in a lifetime. See why best selling author Brian Tracy said, "This is the most remarkable, simple, and practical guide for ANYONE who wants to create the ideal life!" To learn more click here.

2002-12-14T12:33:00.000-08:00

Life is a Contact Sport
by Andrew Wood, The Millionaires Library

While people in business take great pains to plan out their business, plan their marketing, and project their cash flow, few, if any, plan out the people they want - no, need -- to meet!

In every industry there is a king pin. In every community there is a Mr. or Mrs. Who who makes things happen. In every media outlet there is a person that has the power to make you a star! It's your job to know who that person is in your industry or community and develop a relationship with them. If you are not sure who you need to meet, or just want to enhance your reputation in a broad way, here are a few
suggestions.

Resource Directory
The first place to start looking for new relationships is with the people you know already. Create a resource directory. List all the people you know, get all of their contact information, office phone, home phone, mobile phone, e-mail address, and pager numbers. Note where you met them, who they mentioned they knew, and any personal information that they share with you like their spouse's name.

The more you know about a person, especially their likes and dislikes, the quicker you can build rapport with them. Often when talking to people you will find that they know someone whom you would like to meet, or in other cases you may find that someone you already know has a host of connections that you have not yet uncovered.

As you get to know a person better, inquire about his or her charitable activities, the professional associations he or she is involved in, and the people he or she knows. You will often be amazed by the host of connections you have right under your feet if only you are willing to dig a little.

There are seven ways to build relationships and enhance your reputation.

The easiest way to do this is to become involved in your community, either in a business sense with a chamber of commerce or development agency, or in a charitable sense. The more visible you are in the community, the greater your chance to build your credibility, both with those you associate with and with others who see you in a role of leadership.

1. Charity - It stands to reason that the people involved in giving large donations of their time and effort to any given charity are people of means and respect in the community. From a purely personal point of view, doing charitable work will almost always boost your own personal self esteem and confidence.

There is a true sense of power and satisfaction that comes from helping those less fortunate that yourself. From a business sense it has never hurt anyone's reputation to be seen helping others less fortunate than themselves. Best of all, the relationships you can develop aiding such causes can be among your most valuable.

When picking which charity to support, there are several considerations depending on what you want to accomplish. If you want to meet certain people, pick the charity you know they support.

If you want to enhance your own reputation, don't pick a charity that is huge; they already have celebrities and stars far bigger than you hogging all the attention. Instead, pick a lesser known organization with a good name so that you can shine in its support.

2. Civic Groups - Civic groups such as the Lion's Club, Rotary Club, Pilot International, and a host of other such organizations are excellent to bring yourself into contact with more people.

3. Business and Networking Groups - Business and networking groups offer the most focus of all approaches to helping you and everyone else enhance their reputation. The secret to chambers of commerce, tip groups, and management breakfasts is to be active in your support; most people are not, so don't reap the rewards.

4. Country Clubs - In my experience there is simply no better place in the world to meet people and develop lasting relationships than a country club. I am sure that part of the attraction of golf is the enormous power the game has in networking people. Even if golf is not your game, a social membership which allows you to use the bar and dining facilities can often be the best business
investment you will ever make in your life!

5. Association Events - Association events build your credibility among your peers and also give you opportunities to meet others from associated fields. Often it is the people on the fringe of the association who can have the greatest impact on boosting your reputation.

At the last meeting I attended for the National Speakers Association, I was able to establish contact with a major distributor of audio products and a key player at the BBC, always a great contact in the UK market. The world is full of interesting and amazing people; all you have to do to open that world to you is ask.

At the same convention I walked out side of the hotel and saw that Mark Victor Hanson, author of the hit series Chicken Soup for the Soul, was standing nearby, obviously looking for a shuttle. I walked right up to him and introduced myself, then quickly inquired whether he needed a ride somewhere.

He said that he had been waiting for the shuttle to come back and take him to his hotel down the street. I immediately offered to give him a ride. I had my Ferrari driven up by the valet and spent the next 15 minutes with one of the best-selling authors in the world.

6. Trade Shows - At last year's PGA show I met two reps who had both just been let go and were looking for work. After sharing with them some creative suggestions for getting hired with another company, I was able to learn a great deal about the troubles of their previous employer.

This information provided an excellent chance to offer creative solutions to what I perceived -- well actually knew -- the company's problems to be.

7. Become a Media Expert - Have you ever noticed on TV that as soon as they have a hostage crisis, or a plane crash, or some other newsworthy event, all of a sudden they put an expert on from Harvard, or an ex military general, or somebody who seems to know a lot about the specific situation they're describing, no matter what it is?

Well the reason that they can put their finger on these people so quickly is that each TV station and radio show keeps a resident Rolodex list of experts on a thousand different topics. If you want to be considered the expert in your town, get some Rolodex cards made up and send them to all of the local media announcing that you are a resident expert in whatever your specialty happens to be, along with perhaps a couple of related topics.

Any time they have a newsworthy event and they slip through their Rolodex file, guess who's going get the call as the leading expert in the area when it comes to your topic? How do you become the expert? You become the expert by telling everybody that's what you are.

Always, always initiate. The more contact you make the more business and opportunities you will bring into your life!

How many new people have you met this month?
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The Millionaires Library author, Andrew Wood, is recognized worldwide as a business, marketing, leadership, and personal development expert. He is the author of The Millionaires Library, which delivers you the essence of knowledge from over 1000 business, sales, marketing, leadership, and personal development books in a single powerful set. To learn more visit through the following link.

2002-12-09T08:32:00.000-08:00

Ending Procrastination
by Jim Rohn

Perseverance is about as important to achievement as gasoline is to driving a car. Sure, there will be times when you feel like you're spinning your wheels, but you'll always get out of the rut with genuine perseverance. Without it, you won't even be able to start your engine.

The opposite of perseverance is procrastination. Perseverance means you never quit. Procrastination usually means you never get started, although the inability to finish something is also a form of procrastination.

Ask people why they procrastinate and you'll often hear something like this: "I'm a perfectionist. Everything has to be just right before I can get down to work. No distractions, not too much noise, no telephone calls interrupting me, and of course I have to be feeling well
physically, too.

I can't work when I have a headache." The other end of procrastination - being unable to finish - also has a perfectionist explanation: "I'm just never satisfied. I'm my own harshest critic. If all the i's aren't dotted and all the t's aren't crossed, I just can't consider that I'm done.
That's just the way I am, and I'll probably never change."

Do you see what's going on here? A fault is being turned into a virtue. The perfectionist is saying that his standards are just too high for this world. This fault-into-virtue syndrome is a common defense when people are called upon to discuss their weaknesses, but in the end it's just a very pious kind of excuse making. It certainly doesn't have anything to do with what's really behind procrastination.

Remember, the basis of procrastination could be fear of failure. That's what perfectionism really is, once you take a hard look at it. What's the difference whether you're afraid of being less than perfect or afraid of anything else? You're still paralyzed by fear. What's the difference whether you never start or never finish? You're still stuck.

You're still going nowhere. You're still overwhelmed by whatever task is before you. You?re still allowing yourself to be dominated by a negative vision of the future in which you see yourself being criticized, laughed at, punished, or ridden out of town on a rail. Of course, this negative vision of the future is really a mechanism that allows you to do nothing. It's a very convenient mental tool.

I'm going to tell you how to overcome procrastination. I'm going to show you how to turn procrastination into perseverance, and if you do what I suggest, the process will be virtually painless. It involves using two very powerful principles that foster productivity and perseverance instead of passivity and procrastination.

The first principle is: break it down.

No matter what you're trying to accomplish, whether it's writing a book, climbing a mountain, or painting a house the key to achievement is your ability to break down the task into manageable pieces and knock them off one at one time. Focus on accomplishing what's right in front of you at this moment. Ignore what's off in the distance someplace.

Substitute real-time positive thinking for negative future visualization. That's the first all- important technique for bringing an end to procrastination.

Suppose I were to ask you if you could write a four hundred-page novel. If you're like most people, that would sound like an impossible task. But suppose I ask you a different question. Suppose I ask if you can write a page and a quarter a day for one year. Do you think you could do it? Now the task is starting to seem more manageable. We're breaking down the four-hundred-page book into bite-size
pieces. Even so, I suspect many people would still find the prospect intimidating. Do you know why?

Writing a page and a quarter may not seem so bad, but you're being asked to look ahead one whole year. When people start to do look that far ahead, many of them automatically go into a negative mode. So let me formulate the idea of writing a book in yet another way. Let me break it down even more.

Suppose I was to ask you: can you fill up a page and a quarter with words-not for a year, not for a month, not even for a week, but just today? Don't look any further ahead than that. I believe most people would confidently declare that they could accomplish that. Of course, these would be the same people who feel totally incapable of writing a whole book.

If I said the same thing to those people tomorrow - if I told them, I don't want you to look back, and I don't want you to look ahead, I just want you to fill up a page and a quarter this very day - do you think they could do it?

One day at a time. We've all heard that phrase. That's what we're doing here. We're breaking down the time required for a major task into one-day segments, and we're breaking down the work involved in writing a four hundred-page book into page-and-a-quarter increments.

Keep this up for one year, and you'll write the book. Discipline yourself to look neither forward nor backward, and you can accomplish things you never thought you could possibly do. And it all begins with those three words: break it down.

My second technique for defeating procrastination is also only three words long. The three words are: write it down. We know how important writing is to goal setting. The writing you'll do for beating procrastination is very similar. Instead of focusing on the future, however, you're now going to be writing about the present just as you experience it every day.

Instead of describing the things you want to do or the places you want to go, you're going to describe what you actually do with your time, and you're going to keep a written record of the places you actually go.

In other words, you're going to keep a diary of your activities. And you're going to be amazed by the distractions, detours, and downright wastes of time you engage in during the course of a day. All of these get in the way of achieving your goals.

For many people, it's almost like they planned it that way, and maybe at some unconscious level they did. The great thing about keeping a time diary is that it brings all this out in the open. It forces you to see what you're actually doing... and what you're not doing.

The time diary doesn't have to be anything elaborate. Just buy a little spiral notebook that you can easily carry in your pocket. When you go to lunch, when you drive across town, when you go to the dry cleaners, when you spend some time shooting the breeze at the copying machine, make a quick note of the time you began the activity and the time it ends.

Try to make this notation as soon as possible; if it's inconvenient to do it immediately, you can do it later. But you should make an entry in your time diary at least once every thirty minutes, and you should keep this up for at least a week.

Break it down. Write it down. These two techniques are very straightforward. But don't let that fool you: these are powerful and effective productivity techniques. This is how you put an end to procrastination. This is how you get yourself started.

To Your Success,
Jim Rohn
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2002-11-26T06:26:00.000-08:00

Change Begins With Choice
by Jim Rohn

Any day we wish; we can discipline ourselves to change it all. Any day we wish; we can open the book that will open our mind to new knowledge. Any day we wish; we can start a new activity. Any day we wish; we can start the process of life change. We can do it immediately, or next week, or next month, or next year.

We can also do nothing. We can pretend rather than perform. And 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. As Shakespeare uniquely observed, "The fault is not in the stars, but in ourselves." We created our circumstances by our past choices. We have both the ability and the responsibility to make better choices beginning today.

Those who are in search of the good life do not need more answers or more time to think things over to reach better conclusions. They need the truth. They need the whole truth. And they need nothing but the truth.

We cannot allow our errors in judgment, repeated every day, to lead us down the wrong path. We must keep coming back to those basics that make the biggest difference in how our life works out. And then we must make the very choices that will bring life, happiness and joy into our daily lives.

And if I may be so bold to offer my last piece of advice for someone seeking and needing to make changes in their life - If you don't like how things are, change it! You're not a tree. You have the ability to totally transform every area in your life - and it all begins with your very own power of choice.

To Your Success,
Jim Rohn
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2002-11-21T07:34:00.000-08:00

Championship People Relations
by Andrew Wood, The Millionaires Library

Champions always respect the people that provide them with their livelihood. Pro golfers realize that without the fans there would be no Tour. Although Ben Hogan was never much of a talker, he had an abiding love for the fans, especially after the pouring out of public support for him after his accident.

At the US Open one year he commented, "I think these are the greatest fans in the world. They come out here, park a long way away and walk for hours in the hot sun, being pushed and shoved by marshals, just for a glimpse of the players. What other fans would do that?" These words, coming as they did from a champion who said very little, endeared him to everyone who heard them.

When it comes to building rapport with the audience, there's no one like Arnie. While it took Hogan quite a while to become cherished by the fans, Palmer was the object of their affection almost as soon as he appeared in the public eye. Early in his career he learned the value of getting the gallery on his side.

It was fun to watch him working the crowd. People he stopped to chat with wouldn't trade a few words from Arnie for $1,000, and that was a great deal of money back in the early 60s.

If he hit his ball into the gallery, he would always seek out the bruised spectator and reward him with a smile and an apology. When he holed a birdie putt or chipped in from the fringe, he would throw the ball to someone in the crowd, not just after the 18th hole, but all the way round the golf course. I can't remember him ever losing ball in the rough.

There were always dozens of fans eager to find it and lead him to it. When he hit it off line, the ball had an alarming tendency to find its way back into play. Arnie never approved or encouraged such "crowd participation," but the crowd loved him so much it happened anyway. He gave them excitement and pleasure, and they just wanted to help in any way they could. He was, after all, one of them.

What happened?

In the late 1960s Palmer was playing in the Byron Nelson Classic at the Preston Trail Country Club, outside Dallas. At one of the par three holes Arnie played a wonderful shot. The ball landed no more than a foot short of the hole and hopped over the left edge missing the flagstick by a fraction. The second bounce was about three feet beyond the hole, after which the ball spun back, rolling over the other
lip of the cup and almost going in again.

It finally came to rest less than two feet away. The roar from his Army was prolonged and ecstatic. This was what they had come to see, the stuff of which dreams are made. Palmer, of course, saw the shot pretty well from the tee, but as he strode toward the green between the packed fans he stopped and asked a delighted spectator what had happened.

The spectator babbled with joy as he described to Arnie how he had almost made a hole-in-one twice with the same shot. Palmer grinned hugely, thanked the man and moved on. Before reaching the green, and receiving yet another deafening ovation, he stopped two more times, asking the same question and rehearing the same account each time. They loved it, and he clearly enjoyed it just as much as they. What a guy!

A Cry for Help

At the 1962 Colonial National Invitational in Fort Worth, Texas, Arnie was involved in a tough 18-hole playoff. On the 9th hole Arnie was just off the green and faced a tough chip to get up and down, save par and protect his one stroke lead.

Just as he was settled over the ball, ready to play, a small boy in the gallery broke the total silence by speaking to his mother. Palmer backed off, looked around toward the boy and broke into a smile. The rest of the gallery stared coldly at the woman and made loud "shushing" sounds.

As Arnie addressed the ball again, the embarrassed mother started to scold her son. Just as he was about to play, the child started to cry as a result of the scolding. Arnie backed off once more, looked around and started to chuckle. This time, adjusting to their hero's mood, the crowd laughed with him.

The child calmed down and Arnie returned to business. Before he could complete his shot, however, he heard choking sounds behind him and a muffled cry as if for help. He turned to see the young boy's face becoming bright red. The desperate mother had her hand clamped viselike over his nose and mouth!

Arnie broke into his famous smile yet again, then walked over and patted the boy on the head, saying to his mother, "Hey, don't choke him. This isn't really all that important." The entire gallery laughed aloud. The boy was so happy at being able to breathe again that he remained quiet as Arnie marched back to his ball for the fourth time, chipped to within a few feet, made his par and went on to win the playoff.

These incidents, just two of many, are perfect examples that demonstrate what a peoples' champion Arnold Palmer was, and still is. I never saw him decline to sign an autograph or talk to a fan. He did it for me just last week on the practice putting green at the Silverado Country Club in the Napa Valley, where he was preparing to play in the Transamerica Championship.

Who among those of us lucky enough to see it will ever forget the image of him standing on the stone bridge on the 18th at St. Andrews, during the 1995 Open Championship? As he waved good-bye to us that day, on his so-called "Farewell Tour," what memories must have crowded through his mind, and what glorious memories we retain of him.

He has always given back double to the people who have revered him and made him what he is, and they love him for that even more than for the entertainment he has given them for decades. Young or old, big shot or bag boy, Arnie knew instinctively that there are no little people. We all have hopes and dreams and deserve to be treated with equal respect and dignity.
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The Millionaires Library author, Andrew Wood, is recognized worldwide as a business, marketing, leadership, and personal development expert. He is the author of The Millionaires Library, which delivers you the essence of knowledge from over 1000 business, sales, marketing, leadership, and personal development books in a single powerful set. To learn more click here!

2002-11-13T07:10:00.000-08:00

Success
by Nido Qubein

Wherever my career takes me -- from my home city of High Point, North Carolina, to the mini-state of Luxembourg; from the island city-state of Singapore to the island continent of Australia -- I encounter people pursuing a common quest: success.

Many come to me in search of a secret formula. They've labored for years, butted their heads against walls, suffered failure and rejection, and still they wonder: "Is it possible for me to achieve success, given my level of talent and education?" And I have a ready response: You can if you want to.

Success is not a matter of luck, an accident of birth, or a reward for virtue. It is a matter of decision, commitment, planning, preparation, execution, and recommitment. Success doesn't come to you; you go to it. The trail is well traveled and well marked. If you want to walk it, you can.
________________
Nido is a keynote speaker, seminar leader, corporate consultant, successful businessman and author of many books and cassette learning systems. He is a high-energy performer who will inform, entertain and inspire your group. Visit: www.nidoqubein.com or e-mail Info@nidoqubein.com

Have You Ever Wondered Why Some People Get it While Others Struggle and Feel Stuck?

Click here now to take advantage of our VERY limited time Special Offer and download a FREE sample copy.

2002-11-07T23:50:00.000-08:00

Stop Living a Life of Mediocrity
by Jon Nare

For the past five years I have asked hundreds of students and clients to think about their friends, acquaintances, and co-workers in a special sort of way. Specifically, I asked them to rate on a 10-point scale (1=awful - 10=great) the following:

o Job satisfaction
o Marital satisfaction
o Satisfaction with Life, in general

The results have been consistent and disturbing. On average, most people rate their friends, acquaintances, and co-workers as follows:

o Job -- 4.5
o Marriage -- 5.5
o Life -- 6.5

Now, those averages may not seem too bad, so let me try to put them into some perspective. How would you feel if you took a 100-pointtest and only scored 65, 55, or 45? I think the answer is obvious. The point I?m trying to make is this:

Most jobs, most marriages and most lives are MEDIOCRE, at best.

As Thoreau once said, "Most men live lives of quiet desperation." It?s sad to say that most people seem to be living a mediocre life filled with desperation.

Mediocrity is the bad news. Let me give you the good and hopeful news:

The good news is that you only have to be a little bit better than mediocre to be successful and happy!

Many self-help books intimate people. Words like "excellence", "exceptional", and "highly effective" often appear in their titles. And when you?re feeling depressed or discouraged with your life, those words seem beyond the grasp of average people.

But if it were really true that you only had to be just "a little bit better than average" to be happy, anyone could manage that.

While there is absolutely nothing wrong with being excellent and exceptional, possibly the best way to get there is to be "just a bit better than mediocre." Many people, unfortunately, have bought into the Hollywood stereotype of success. They believe that unless you are a Bill Gates, a US Senator, a movie star or the CEO of a large company, you can?t be successful or happy. Some of the happiest people I
know are cab drivers, school crossing guards, parents, teachers and factory workers.

They all have two things in common: First, whether they were conscious of it or not, they use and live the formula [(DxPxC.F.xA-R=Change]. Secondly, they make it a point to work ON as well as IN their job, marriage and life.

It is so easy to get buried IN our lives. We get so busy doing, doing, doing "it", that we never take the time to step back and examine whether doing "it" has any real meaning. One of the universals I have found in successful and happy people is that they make the absolute commitment to regularly work ON as well as IN their life.

Many churches ask their members to tithe. That means they give 10% of their income to the church.

I encourage people to get in the habit of a Personal Growth Tithe. If you would devote just 10% of your time to working ON your life, marriage, job, etc., it would make an enormous difference.

Make that difference today and leave mediocrity behind.
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Excerpt from "The Journey - A Home Study Course That Changes Lives!" Discover the exact thing you should be working on in your life that will make all the difference and take advantage of our special offer while it lasts. Click Here!

2002-11-04T11:28:00.000-08:00

Ignore Reality?
By Jim Donovan

The end of the month was quickly approaching and like many self-employed people we were experiencing a cash flow challenge. It was, in all honesty, one of the greatest tests of faith I've experienced in a very long time.

Interestingly enough, I stayed positive throughout, knowing somehow that it would all work out for the best. During the last week or two of the month my resolve was tested several times. Using everything I have learned about the law of attraction, and staying focused on what I wanted, I managed to stay "locked on," to borrow a phase from Lynn Grayborne.

The tricky part and where I believe many people get tripped up, is holding your attention on what you want, while ignoring the "reality" of what is, and being careful not to notice what has not yet happened. Let me explain.

When facing challenging times, a drop-off in revenue for example, most people devote a lot of time and energy noticing the lack of business. This is generally the
opposite of what they want. What they want is lots of business.

The law of attraction, a universal law, as valid as any other law, like gravity, tells us essentially "we attract of what we focus on." The subtlety here is that if we are
noticing the lack of revenue, we will attract that. In other words, we will attract more lack of revenue.

The challenge and I believe the real test of ones faith, is to IGNORE REALITY and only look at what we want. We then let go and trust in the Divine Power, that it will appear in the perfect way in the perfect time. The only way it cannot is if WE block its coming by holding our attention, our power as a co-creator, on less than what we want.

During my recent challenge, I knew deep within my being, at the cellular level, that everything would work out. I said to my wife Georgia, "Don't worry, everything is going to be fine, even though I don't know exactly how, I know it will." I went about my business taking appropriate actions, holding my attention on what I wanted, being appreciative for everything I already have (counting my blessings) and yes, ignoring reality.

I know that there are people who will say I was crazy or foolish and that we have to "be realistic". There was a time when I might have tried to convince them I was right. Now all I do is smile for I know better. A few days before the end of the month, in the middle of a phone call with a friend, I went on-line to check my bank balance and see what was happening, to see what checks had cleared and what yet had not cleared.

When I looked at the screen I almost feel over, because what I saw there was a very large deposit sitting in my business account. My first reaction was, "this had to be a mistake." I called to Georgia, who was in the other room, to come and take a look. Her first impression was that it was an error, but somehow it sure looked good sitting there.

I clicked on the transaction in question, and saw that it was a wire transfer from my Japanese Agent. A small part of me still thought it might be a mistake, but I rejoiced in what could only be described as a miracle. I realized right then and there that all of our positive focus and refusal to accept lack had in fact produced a significant result.

I believe this was a "sign" that our faith was not in vain. It was several days before the letter from my agent arrived explaining that they had sold a very large quantity of copies of "This is Your Life, Not a Dress Rehearsal" in Japan and this was in fact, my royalty payment.

If I have ever questioned the validity of the teachings about the power of our minds, and the law that we attract everything in our lives, that moment ended it. "What so ever you ask for in prayer, believe you have received it and it will be given unto you." This quotation from the Bible explains it all.

Exercise:

Step 1 Know what you DON'T want

Step 2 Know what you DO want

Step 3 Spend time each day feeling what you want. Experience all of the good feelings that will come with your desires. Give no attention to the fact that you do not yet have it.
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Jim Donovan is the author of the International bestsellers, Handbook To A Happier Life and This Is Your Life, Not A Dress Rehearsal. His articles, books and a free subscription to his newsletter are available through his website.

2002-10-31T10:06:00.000-08:00

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 Solution

Second, whenever you're 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.
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Brian Tracy is one of the world's leading authorities on personal and business success. His fast-moving talks and seminars are loaded with powerful, proven ideas and strategies that you can apply immediately to get better results in every area. Drop by Brian's website and take advantage of his free audio program offer.

2002-10-28T06:15:00.000-08:00

THE PRINCIPLE OF VACUUM
by Michael Angier

They say that nature abhors a vacuum. And so it is with our lives. Everyone is busy--everyone. Ask any retired people you know and they'll tell you they don't know where the time goes. Their life is full. And they're RETIRED.

You can't put any more into a full cup. And when our LIVES are filled to the brim, there's no room for anything else to come in.

As our lives become more and more frenetic, we often become stressed, our health suffers, we have less fun, and we feel more and more powerless. Our lives may feel out of control.

I think the idea of controlling time is a myth. There's no way to control time. All we can do is attempt to control EVENTS--and even many of THEM are out of our control.

What we need to do is take charge of the things over which we DO have control. This takes discipline. And it's not easy. With a finite amount of time available to us, we need to choose very carefully. This is our LIFE. It's not a dress rehearsal.

The same virtue of which we may be proud--that of sticking to something we've started--CAN work against us. Just because we elected to take something on, doesn't mean we have to do it forever. We can make new choices, negotiate new agreements and still maintain our integrity.

In order to make room for what we want, we need to get rid of what we DON'T want. This is the principle of vacuum. Our lives fill up by choice or by default. And we need to choose. This requires a ruthless evaluation of everything we do and why we do it. We can make more time for ourselves by delegating, reducing or eliminating things we're now doing that we either don't like or don't provide the payoff we want.

It may not seem immediately apparent what or how something can be eliminated, but it can be done. It starts with making a list of everything you do that you don't like doing and everything that no longer has real value to you. Don't let the thought of, "But I have to do this," get in the way of making the list. Figuring out how you'll get it handled is another step. Simply make the list and be honest.

Once you've made the list of hate-to-do's and non- or low-payoff tasks, it's time to start prioritizing. One way is to think about what you'd do if you became incapacitated. How would these things get done? WOULD they get done? What would happen if they didn't? Who else might do it? Be sure to ask yourself what you're getting out of it, and compare it to other things you could be doing that would produce more or better results.

Like I said, it's not easy. But you can do it. Look for at least three things you're now doing that you will stop doing or have done by someone else. Think of how you'd feel if you were no longer obligated to do this thing. If it's one of relief, then that's one to go for.

Wayne Dyer says relationships that operate from obligation lack integrity. I agree. Your relationship with yourself and with others should be ones of integrity. We want to eliminate the feeling of obligation. This is being truly responsible.

Create some vacuum in your life. Make some room and watch new and better things flow in.

Questions to Ponder - What do you have in your life that you no longer want? Are they things? Obligations? Jobs? Problems?

In our complex world, it's more important than ever to simplify our lives. Getting rid of things that no longer serve us is one way we can do that. What are you ready to eliminate?
___________
Copyright Success Networks International. Part of Success Net's mission is to position you for success. Free subscriptions, eCourses, memberships, eBooks and SuccessMark Cards available by clicking here.

2002-10-22T10:26:00.000-07:00

A Team is More than a Group of People
by Patricia Fripp

When John Amatt led the 1982 Canadian team on a successful Mount Everest Expedition, only three people reached the summit. Many climbers who were part of the team, whose lifetime ambition was to stand on top of Everest, made the conscious choice to stay in the base camp.

Why? Because they knew the effort was likely to fail if everyone tried to make it. They chose to forego their individual dreams in favor of helping the team succeed.

This wasn't John Amatt's first time to plan an Everest expedition. Ten years earlier, with one of his friends from Norway, he had gathered a team of world- class climbers from many different countries, for the challenge. But at the last minute, he backed out. Officially, it was to get married.

"But that was just an excuse," he said later. "I knew that, despite having the best climbers in the world, this expedition would not succeed. Everyone wanted to reach the top for their own glory or that of their country. No one seemed willing to make decisions for the good of the team."

His fears proved founded. Not only did the team not cooperate to make it to the top, at one point these sophisticated expert climbers even indulged in a rock-throwing fight.

A "team" is not just people who work at the same time in the same place. A real team is a group of very different individuals who share a commitment to working together to achieve common goals.

Most likely they are not all equal in experience, talent or education, but they are equal in one vitally important way, their commitment to the good of the organization. Any group of people -- your family, your workplace or your community -- gets the best results by working as a team.

I believe that all of us want to be part of something bigger than we are. Team relationships fulfill that basic need. They are an immensely powerful force, yet they always need to be nurtured. Be sure to show each team member exactly how far reaching his or her contribution can be. The team, each member, and the larger organization will enjoy greater enthusiasm and ultimately greater success.

What makes a team? Individuals who are not equal in talent, experience or education, but equal in commitment. It is not realistic to think we can live or work with others without some conflict, but by communicating about the differences, focusing on the common goals and not throwing verbal rocks, we will make great strides.
________
Patricia Fripp CSP,CPAE is a San Francisco-based professional speaker on Change, Teamwork, Customer Service, Promoting Business, and Communication Skills. She is the author of Get What You Want! and Past-President of the National Speakers Association. PFripp@aol.com, 1-800-634-3035, http://www.fripp.com

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2002-10-14T07:31:00.000-07:00

6 STEPS TO A STRONGER MIND
by Mark Victor Hansen

Developing your mental muscles will give you the power to accomplish anything you want in life. Sure, it takes some discipline on your part, but look at the world’s greatest bodybuilders. They don’t show up at the gym every once in a while. They create a workout schedule and they are at the gym every day, no matter what.

Hire yourself as your "mental manager". Figure out how much you’re going to pay yourself and make up a job list. Here are six jobs to assign to yourself to create a stronger mind.

1. Read Right - How much good news do you see in the newspapers? Editors usually say, "If it bleeds, it leads." Not much chance of positivity there. So, read
something else. Read books -- good books. Books that motivate you. Books that inspire you. Look up some of the great inspirational authors on amazon.com or in your local bookstore. Read them every morning and/or every night, before you go to sleep.

2. Share Your Mind - Find someone, or a group of someones, who have the same desire to share positivity. This is called masterminding. Great successes are created when great minds come together and think about the same things.

3. Find A Mentor - My mentor was Buckminster Fuller and I learned more from that man about life than I ever hoped to. Who are the people you admire most, whether you know them or not? Figure out who you’d like to emulate and study them. If they offer seminars, attend them. If they’ve written books, read them. Just a few I’d recommend are: Tony Robbins, Dr. Wayne Dyer and Zig Ziglar.

4. Listen to Motivational/Inspirational CDs and Tapes - This is one of the most important habits you can create for yourself. Find inspirational audio messages and listen to them over and over. Earl Nightingale, one of the most brilliant thinkers of our time, had this to say on the subject: "Tape listening is the most important advance in technology since the invention of the printing press." With audio tapes and CDs, speakers can reach 10 times as many people as the printed word ever could.

5. Sign Up and Attend Seminars - The motivational messages you hear at seminars, and the inspirational people you meet, reinforce your self-esteem and positive thinking. You can search out seminars via the internet, newspapers or local colleges and universities.

6. Turn Off the Television - On average, the television set in an American home is on over 7 hours a day. Just like any bad habit, it needs to be broken. I’m not saying that all television is bad. Heck no. I’m simply recommending that you cut back on your television viewing. Decide how long you’re going to watch television and then turn it off when you’re time is up. Try cutting back your television viewing one hour every day at first. You can use that time to read a book, listen to a motivational tape, walk your dog or spend time with your family.

After reading these six steps maybe you’re saying, "But Mark, I can’t do it. I just don’t know if I can be this dedicated to bettering myself?" Who else are you going to be dedicated to if not yourself? Because when it comes right down to it, folks, you are all that you’ve got. Jobs and relationships come and go. Children grow up, leave the nest and get lives of their own. Then there you are, alone with yourself. Why not create a "you" you can be proud of.

'Amaze yourself; manifest your full potential.'
Mark Victor Hansen
_______________
Article submitted by Mark Victor Hansen - Co-Author of the Chicken Soup For The Soul series of books. For over 26 years, Mark Victor Hansen has focused solely on helping people in all walks of life reshape their personal vision of what's possible for themselves. Visit http://www.markvictorhansen.com for resources, secure shopping and web-only product specials, speaking schedule and current projects. Mark is also the co-author of "The One Minute Millionaire" book, click here for details.

2002-10-03T08:40:00.000-07:00

Venturing Outside of Your Comfort Zone
by Maria Gracia

We live a life of choices. If you had a choice between comfort and risk, which would you take?

Most people would choose comfort.

Comfort is the familiar and the well-known. Our comfort zone is our personal area of thoughts and actions within which we feel comfortable and safe.

Anything we haven't thought or done, something new, lies outside the parameters of our comfort zone. When we think or do these things long enough, we often feel uncomfortable. And, after feeling uncomfortable, we sometimes get discouraged and tend to give up before ever starting something new.

Of course, to accomplish something new, to reach our goals and to achieve our dreams, we're required to venture outside of our comfort zone. You have the power to achieve your dreams. It's your choice. It's completely up to you, and no one else.

You can choose to leave your comfort zone, and spend your time fulfilling your dreams and goals. Or, you can remain within your comfort zone, and spend your time doing something else; something that has nothing to do with your dreams or goals.

Contemplate this point. The achievement of your goals and dreams is completely up to you.
_________
by Maria Gracia - Get Organized Now! http://www.getorganizednow.com
FREE Idea-Pak and E-zine filled with tips, ideas, articles and more to help you organize your home, your office and your life at the Get Organized Now! Web site!

2002-10-01T08:46:00.000-07:00

THREE KEYS TO GREATNESS
by Jim Rohn

Eight years ago I went into the studio and recorded a 56-minute video for teenagers called "Three Keys To Greatness." Although my focus was for teenagers, the principles I shared certainly apply to adults as well.

Recently I was asked to list these three things using one to two sentences for each. Now for your benefit here they are again.

1) Setting Goals. I call it the view of the future. Most people, including kids, will pay the price if they can see the promise of the future. So we need to help our kids see a well-defined future, so they will be motivated to pay the price today to attain the rewards of tomorrow. Goals help them do this.

2) Personal Development. Simply making consistent investments in our self-education and knowledge banks pays major dividends throughout our lives. I suggest having a minimum amount of time set aside for reading books, listening to audiocassettes, attending seminars, keeping a journal and spending time with other successful people. Charlie Tremendous Jones says you will be in five years the sum total of the books you read and the people you are around.

3) Financial Planning. I call it the 70/30 plan. After receiving your paycheck or paying yourself, simply setting aside 10% for saving, 10% for investing and 10% for giving, and over time this will guarantee financial independence for a teenager.

If a young person, or for that matter an adult, focused on doing these three simple things over a long period of time I believe they will be assured success!

To Your Success,
Jim Rohn
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This article was submitted by Jim Rohn, America's Foremost Business Philosopher. Copyright (c) 1999, 2002 Jim Rohn International. All rights reserved worldwide. To subscribe to the Free Jim Rohn Weekly E-zine - plus get 20 to 60% off items Jim Rohn and other motivational speaking superstars click here!

2002-09-27T09:16:00.000-07:00

The Most Important Tool for Realizing Your Dreams
by Marcia Wieder

If you were to survey big dreamers and successful people on the qualities that they value most, at the top of the list is usually INTEGRITY. Integrity is a process that deals with truth, honor and your word as your bond.

If you are committed to living a life of joy, ease and abundance, a life filled with love, generosity and contribution, integrity is a must. For this reason, it's useful to see where your life is working and perhaps where it is stuck, clogged or shutdown.

This will help you become clear about where you are and what's working or not working in your life, so you can make powerful choices about what you do and don't want. Identifying what's been left unsaid, undone or incomplete in your life, is one of the most awesome things you can do to have freedom and access to your dreams.

This assignment, if undertaken completely, may be one of the most profound things you have ever done in your life.

The Completion Inventory:

1. Ask yourself what's incomplete here and write it down.
2. Ask yourself what do you need to do to complete this, and write that down.
3. Complete what's incomplete.

The areas I recommend you visit should include but not be limited to are: your health, your body, your work, your home, your relationships, your car, your legal matters, medical issues, taxes, insurance. That's it. When you finish, you will have a list, long or short of things you need to do to live in integrity. With each item you check off your list, you'll feel lighter and freer.

You'll gain more clarity about yourself, your values and your truth. You'll find your authentic voice, make better decisions, and pursue bigger dreams. From here, living with integrity, anything is possible.
___________
Marcia Wieder is a San Francisco-based motivational speaker, specializing in goal setting, visionary thinking and team building. Her clients include Lucent, AT&T, American Express and the Young Presidents Organization. She is the author of four books, and is currently featured in her own PBS television special called Making Your Dreams Come True and is the founder of Dream University(R), her week-long program on igniting passion and discovering your purpose.
Reach her at 415 433-9552 or by visiting her website at http://www.marciaw.com

2002-09-19T15:44:00.000-07:00

"43 Specific Ways to Make This Year Your Best, Most Profitable Year Ever"

I'd like to offer you a free copy of a brand new ebook packed with great advice from 43 successful business and personal development leaders and marketing experts including Ken Blanchard, Jay Abraham, Joe Sugarman, Bob Burg, John Harricharan, and Bob Bly. It's called: "43 Specific Ways to Make This Year Your Best, Most Profitable Year Ever" For a limited time, I have permission to offer this $30 ebook free to visitors of my site. I believe it can make a BIG difference in your success this year. You can get your free copy by visiting here.

2002-09-13T15:22:00.000-07:00

10 Simple Ways to Honor Your Uniqueness
(C) 2001
Julie Jordan Scott

One message we hear from the time we are children is that it is better to give than receive. It is best to be humble. It is best to not shine a light on ourselves.

True, and not so true. We also need to recognize that until we honor ourselves with love and compassion that we will not be able to give fully to another, or shine the light on another nor will we truly understand humility.

These simply steps will take you on a path to honoring your uniqueness every day. Use them as a way to see how you are doing. Celebrate what is working, and choose to make adjustments where there is adjustment necessary.

1. Take time for quiet daily. Yes, there is much that needs to get done. Once you maintain a habit of being quiet either to contemplate, pray, meditate you will be amazed how much more efficiently you will perform your tasks, duties and projects.

2. Treat yourself with as much care, if not more, than you treat others. Love and nurture yourself as you love and nurture those around you OR as you would LIKE to nurture those around you. Once you master caring for yourself, caring for others will become effortless and spring from the heart instead of from duty.

3. Accept compliments from others with grace. Never, ever disrespect the person you are complimenting by disregarding or negating their compliment. Instead, accept it as you would a treasure box or a long awaited gift. Be grateful they can see something extra special about you!

4. Spend time investing in and cultivating close friendships. Incorporate friend building activities into your daily routine. Exercise with a friend, share meals together, keep in touch with a brief email or 10 minute daily phone call (and time the call and KEEP the appointment.)

5. Surround yourself with beauty. Honor your home by decorating as a way to express who you are at your core. If you are bold, use bold colors and accessories. Light scented candles, listen to music you love, use soaps that are lathery and smell great. Go for the multi sensory approach.

6. Give joyfully and receive with open arms. Recognize that giving and receiving are on the same continuum and not separate at all! Learning to give completely translates into receiving more than you could ever plan or expect to receive. The results take care of themselves.

7. Become a part of a larger community. This may mean a mastermind group or it may be a circle of friends or a book discussion group. Connect yourself with people who share your interests, goals and vision for the world. Synergy will empower you incredibly when you join in a community where you can equally give and receive on a very regular basis.

8. Mentor someone simply for the pleasure of observing and becoming involved in their growth. Invite someone who does not have the same level as skills as you do along for the ride with you. Listen to their input and see what you can create together. Chances are you will learn a lot from them (and vice versa!) creating both a Win/Win situation as well as learning about your own strengths and weaknesses in the process.

9. Live a purposeful, vision, values, cause oriented life. Recognize and embrace that you are creating your life as a masterful artist each and every day. You can choose each day whether you want to simply let life happen each day or if you want to create it fully. Choose the latter.

10. Love yourself with all your heart, soul, and strength without attachment to what you are achieving in your life today. Be compassionate and understanding while also standing firm in the knowledge that you are both incredibly unique and incredibly capable. When you can master this balance, being attached to your outcomes is not an issue because you will be achieving outcomes beyond your own imagination. You will be so magnetic you will wonder where YOU have been all this time! The answer? You are RIGHT there, ready and waiting to follow these simple principles. Live with Passion. Today.
___________
Julie Jordan Scott, Personal Success and Creativity Coach Dare to Discover Your Passion, Decide to Live Your Destiny! Subscribe now to the ezine that will show you how. Best of all, its completely complimentary! Send a blank email here -- or visit http://www.5passions.com now.

2002-09-09T19:18:00.000-07:00

TRAINING LESSON: GET EXCITED ABOUT UNHAPPY CUSTOMERS
by Zig Ziglar

Nobody likes to deal with unhappy, disgruntled, complaining customers. However, statistics suggest that when customers complain, business owners and managers ought to get excited about it. The complaining customer represents a huge opportunity for more business.

Consider this: For every customer who lodges a complaint, there are 24 MORE customers who have had similar unhappy experiences, but they did not complain! At least they didn't complain to the business owner or even an employee of the business.

How many of you have had a bad experience at a business? And how many of you complained about that bad experience to someone who could do something about it? Chances are, you didn't. However, you did tell someone about your unhappy experience. You told your family, friends, co-workers, and neighbors. In fact, you told everyone except someone who could do something about it!

In your business, your unhappy customers (and don't kid yourself, everyone has unhappy customers) will complain to SOMEONE, but probably not to YOU. Consequently, when a customer DOES complain to you, get excited about it. This is an opportunity for you to handle the situation professionally and re-earn that customer's loyalty. Fix the problem (if you can) and enjoy making future sales to that customer.

How do you know when customers are dissatisfied? When they complain! However, since most unhappy customers won't complain (to you), you need to ask them if they're satisfied with your product or service, or your business overall. Most businesses do not make it easy or convenient for angry customers to complain.

That's because the businesses doesn't want to invite confrontations. Get over it! Invite your customers to give you feedback, even if it's negative. Ask them to grade you on your performance. Give them the opportunity to provide comments in writing, or via voice mail.

Here's a simple idea. Create a Report Card for your business and ask your customers to give you letter grades for quality, courtesy, timeliness, reliability, etc. Give the Report Card to every customer. Don't wait for them to pick up a copy, give it to them. If you can't give it to every customer, give it to 30 or so customers every week, randomly. Be pro-active. Ask your customers to help you improve your business by grading you and providing their comments.

Welcome the complaining customer! If you do, you can reduce the overall number of complaints and the negative impact that occurs when dissatisfied customers complain to everyone but you.
_________
Zig Ziglar offers a free weekly newsletter filled with more of his inspiring stories as well as practical ideas to help you in the areas of sales, marketing, customer service, and related topics. You can subscribe to the Zig Ziglar Newsletter by visiting http://www.zigziglar.com.

2002-09-07T14:09:00.000-07:00

Have a listen to the interview with Joan Bramsch of EmpoweredParent.com. In this interview Joan shares valuable tips taken from her books Teach me , I'm Yours and Kid Safe. The interview is from Inside Books with Chuck Englund Emmy Award Winning News Anchor, Chuck Englund. Click here then look for the interview with Joan.

2002-09-05T02:42:00.000-07:00

"How To Put Spring Into Your Business: A Lesson in Proactive Renewal"
By Randy Gilbert (c)2002

It is a wonderful fact that people prosper when they understand the natural cycles of the world, learn to anticipate them, cooperate with them, and benefit by them. In nearly every cycle there is a season of renewal. Many look forward to "Spring" with great anticipation because it brings renewal. With renewal comes new life, new opportunities, and a renewed commitment to your overall objectives of happiness and abundance.

Proactive Thinkers become wise to the extent that they apply the knowledge learned from one part of life to another. If you want your business to prosper, then learn it's natural cycles and especially how to welcome springtime renewal into your business.

Hawaii is a place that many people view as not having seasons such as Spring. Many people flock there because of its year-round idyllic "summer" weather. However, having grown up there, I know that Hawaii has seasons that are just as colorful and diverse as anywhere else in the world.

One of my favorite natural cycles was of the native fruits and nuts. Each type would have it's own season of the year for ripening, which created a wonderful variety. My family learned when and where to pick guava, banana, coconuts, breadfruit, star fruit, mangos, macadamia nuts, and a variety of others with names you might not recognize so we could have delicacies all year round.

It is unfortunate that many newcomers experience "island fever" and get bored because they never learn Hawaii's seasons and how to make them a part of their lives. Similarly, many people grow tired of their business simply because they fail to recognize and prosper from its natural seasons.

Proactive Thinkers adjust their wants and desires to be cooperative with natural cycles. This timing creates balance and gives you more power. The following 3 proactive tips will increase your wisdom by helping you understand how to bring springtime renewal into your business so you can benefit by it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tip 1 - Renewal Breathes New Life Into Your Business
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In business, new life is represented by creative ideas, innovative problem-solving, and growing levels and enthusiasm. What causes new life to happen? Although, each business is a little bit different, you'll find a few common elements and you can remember them by thinking of a greenhouse.

New life for business is best cultivated when your mind is like fertile soil. Therefore, taking a day off to rest and recharge, and regularly eating healthy foods is necessary.

Brain storming sessions are best scheduled when people are warm and friendly and their energy levels are high (i.e. during the morning for 'morning people'). When this happens the seeds of new ideas come to life like magic.

Enthusiasm and the rapid growth of ideas happen when distractions are removed and there is a clean atmosphere of focus.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tip 2 - New Opportunities Are In The Winds of Change
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

One of the things that renewal brings is the wind of change, which represents new opportunities. When you explore your new opportunities, you can learn how to turn them into abundance.

Some people fear the natural cycles of business because they fear what change can bring. But when you learn that change can bring benefits, it will create adventure and excitement. You can overcome your fear by stepping back and looking at change from a different perspective; a bigger picture point of view.

For example, I used to fear losing clients until I learned that I should regularly be pruning those clients who are least productive. I discovered that when I pruned a non-productive client, I was able to take on two or three new ones who are more productive. This type of change helped my income increase significantly.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tip 3 - New Commitment to Old Goals and Objectives
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

There is a need to stay committed to the things that don't change, like your overall life goals and objectives. Therefore, you need a renewal of that commitment from time to time. It keeps alive those things you need to count on.

Your relationships also need to experience renewal or they will weaken. Building your network of business friends and associates takes a lot of continued communication and the natural cycles of business can be great 'triggers' to do that.

For example, many large retail businesses offer special discounts during holidays. This form of 'staying in touch' is a very effective form of marketing that you can use too.

Remember, these 3 proactive tips bring springtime renewal into your business through new life, new opportunities, and new commitment. When you do, your business will prosper and grow.
_____________
Randy Gilbert is the author of SUCCESS BOUND, from which portions of this article are extracted. You can contact him at Randy@DrProactive.com . To read summaries of each chapter, see the reviews of other authors and leaders, or to buy his new book click here.

2002-09-02T09:09:00.000-07:00

THE ALADDIN FACTOR - HOW TO ASK FOR AND GET EVERYTHING YOU WANT
by Mark Victor Hansen

One of the best ways to improve your odds of getting what you want from anyone is to think about your request before you actually make it. The big reason many people fail to get what they want is that they are too afraid to ask or they view their requests as all-or-nothing gambits-instead of a series of negotiations and compromises.

But there is a middle ground. Here are strategies to help you begin the "asking" process and avoid becoming angry if things don't go exactly as planned.

STEPS TO SUCCESS

Tell yourself there is nothing to fear except fear itself. Fear of punishment or rejection is why most people hesitate to ask for what they want. They are afraid that going out on an emotional limb will result in humiliation if they fail.

Strategy: Before making your request, take plenty of time to remind yourself of the importance of what you are asking for. Tell yourself the only thing that matters is whether or not you are making good and well-articulated points.

By focusing on the merits of your request-not on how you will appear to others-many of your initial fears will fade away.

Before you try to sell others, sell yourself. Two of the most important elements involved in asking for what you want and getting it are self-confidence and determination.

Unless you believe in your heart that you will eventually win over the other side, you will likely falter or become upset at the first sign of resistance. An extreme emotional reaction to any hurdle will almost certainly doom your mission, causing the other side to take you and your points less seriously.

Tell yourself from the outset that you may not get what you want immediately. The statement is not the same as saying that you will never succeed, which could hurt your morale and determination.

Instead, you are merely facing reality - accepting the fact that you may face a setback. By acknowledging this possibility, you will not be surprised or upset if you are turned down.

Organize your thoughts. You can't expect to get results you want if the other side doesn't understand your request.

Strategy: Write out exactly what you want. Then redraft your points until your reasoning is clear, ordered and can be easily related. Practice in front of a mirror, or discuss the points with friends to be sure they make sense and you didn't leave anything out.

When you ask, ask from your heart. Important requests are always better received when those making them are passionate, friendly, polite and firm. Such a stance is difficult to resist. It increases you odds of success...or at least minimizes the chance that your personality or attitude will sabotage your request.

Ask in an enthusiastic manner and voice. Maintain steady eye contact to show that you mean business but also exhibit respect and admiration for the person to whom you are speaking. In general, you stand a much better chance of getting what you want when you make people feel at ease and show them that you are truly excited about what you are requesting.

Prepare to deal with resistance. Even if you do everything right, you might still meet resistance.

The person you are asking might want to confer with someone else before he/she makes final decision...or he may want to table his answer, hoping that you'll retreat from your position once you have had some time to think about it - or he might just say no. If someone resists on challenges your request, be polite and gracious. Do not lose your temper or become discouraged. Instead of seeing the other person's resistance as a dead end, view it as part of a continuing conversation. Translate every no into a next. Realize a no doesn't mean stop...it simply means not yet.

Learn the art of saying thank you. Whether or not you get what you want, say thank you. Gratitude will leave the other person open to giving you what you want-or more of what you want-sometime in the future.

Strategy: Say thank you directly to the person-and follow up with a written note. In some cases, flowers or a gift may be appropriate.

Learning the art of expressing gratitude will force you to focus on the positive. It will also keep you from holding a grudge, which is difficult to hide and only works against you in the long run.
________________
Article submitted by Mark Victor Hansen - Co-Author of the Chicken Soup For The Soul series of books. For over 26 years, Mark Victor Hansen has focused solely on helping people in all walks of life reshape their personal vision of what's possible for themselves. Visit http://www.markvictorhansen.com for resources, secure shopping and web-only product specials, speaking schedule and current projects. Mark is also the co-author of "The One Minute Millionaire" book.

2002-08-30T11:52:00.000-07:00

FOUR TRAITS OF EFFECTIVE LEADERS
by Steve Goodier

A young officer in the Army discovered that he had no change when he tried to buy a soft drink from a vending machine. He flagged down a passing private and asked him, "Do you have change for a dollar?"

The private said cheerfully, "I think so, let me take a look."

The officer drew himself up stiffly and said, "Soldier, that is no way to address a superior. We'll start all over again. Do you have change for a dollar?"

The private came to attention, saluted smartly, and said, "No, sir!"

Each of us commands some authority. There are or will be those we guide, supervise, rear, mentor or lead. Some of us will be effective and others will feel like they're running a cemetery: they've got a lot of people under them and nobody's listening.

Much has been written and taught about leadership, but I find that at least four traits are common in all people of authority who effectively elicit cooperation and respect from those who look up to them. Whether you are a parent, whether you find yourself in the workplace, sitting on a volunteer committee or teaching someone a new skill, these traits will help you effectively guide those who would seek to follow.

These good leaders are...

L isteners. They take time to listen to the suggestions and concerns of those they endeavor to lead.

E ncouragers. They don't try to do it all themselves. Neither do they motivate by force or guilt. They encourage others and help bring out their best.

A ssertive. They say what needs to be said without being unkind. They tell the truth as they see it, openly and frankly.

D ecisive. They know what needs to be done and they make timely, even difficult, decisions when necessary. But they can also take charge without running over the people in their lives.

It's said that the trouble with being a leader today is that you can't be sure whether people are following you or chasing you. But if you develop these four traits, your authority will by valued and respected.
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Written by Steve Goodier - You may purchase Steve Goodier's books here: http://store.yahoo.com/lifesupportsystem/books.html Enter the coupon code "johi" (without quotes) in the coupon code box at checkout for a 5% discount!

2002-08-25T17:38:00.000-07:00

Why Not! Do it Today
by Julie Wininger

Everyday on the way to work I drive down a street lined with pine trees. One tree in particular captured my attention. As a sapling, it must have suffered some catastrophe. Part of its trunk grew nearly parallel to the ground, and then in an effort to change its own course of life, the trunk took a 90 degree turn attempting to stand tall and stretch toward to sun.

This tree became a symbol for me. Each day as I drove by, I saw this bent but determined tree and I would be encouraged. It was a reminder to me that even though I may not have had the best start in life, I could change direction in the parts of my life I needed to at any time.

I stopped one day to get a picture of my kindred-spirit tree. And then a week later, I hit upon an idea for another picture. I envisioned the exact angle for a perfect picture that would illustrate a topic I had planned to present at an upcoming Y-Knot seminar. But that week I was busy. On into the next week I drove by the tree and would tell myself, ?Tomorrow, I?ll stop tomorrow.?

Then one day, as I drove by ?my? tree I glanced over, and to my horror found a sawed off stump where that symbolic tree had stood. Gone. I had put off my quest until ?tomorrow? and tomorrow proved to be too late.

Granted a picture of a tree is not a great loss. But my lesson rang through clearly when I found out a man I had worked with years ago had been diagnosed with stage-four cancer. He may no longer have many tomorrows.

What have you been putting off? What would you do today if you knew you would never have the opportunity to do it again? How would you treat the people you love? Would that argument you had really matter that much? Would you make time to listen to your children?

Remembering these lessons in my own life I have spent more time with my family, taken time to contact friends, and have taken the long way home to stop and enjoy the annual, and brief, flower festival in Carlsbad, California.

I went back to the site of where the tree had once stood and found a small pinecone left as a legacy. I kept this as a symbol of growth in any direction and in the determination embodied in that special tree.

What will you do with your ?today?? Why Not! Do those things that you had been putting off until tomorrow.

© 2002 Julie Wininger
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Julie Wininger is a motivational speaker and writer. Visit her web site. Also check out the on-line version of her new inspirational screen saver by clicking here!

2002-08-14T07:49:00.000-07:00

THREE ELEMENTS YOU NEED TO BE SUCCESSFUL IN YOUR ENTREPRENEURIAL BUSINESS
by John Hayes

There are many keys to running a successful business, but here are three typical areas I see that small business owners and salespeople often ignore.

1) Have a system for everything. If you do not have a system for your business, you have chaos. What we often do in our businesses is we go out and we do the same things over and over and over again, rather than writing it down and putting it in a book. Saying to your staff "Here's how you do this, you can do this better than I can." Systematize everything.

2) You have to get out of whatever business you think that you are in (most people think that they are in the restaurant business or the sales business etc.) and get into the "capturing and keeping a customer" business. Once you get out of the car or MLM business and start to zoom in on what customers you want to capture, who's right for your business and what you need to do to keep them then you have identified a major key to running a profitable business.

3) Make sure you have the right customer. Not every customer is created equally. Find the customers who best fit what you are doing. Sometimes you might need to fire some customers. Sounds harsh, but for the survival of your enterprise you have to know where to focus your resources so that you can get the maximum return on your time and money.

Begin working on these 3 key areas: Have a system for everything, adopt the "capturing and keeping a customer" mindset and finding the right customers and you will be well on your way to having the successful business you desire.
________________
John P. Hayes, Ph.D. is the co-author with Zig Ziglar of Network Marketing For Dummies and the author of Money Making Marketing For Network Marketers audio series. To order and save up to 39% click here and choose the "other authors" link.

2002-08-13T06:24:00.000-07:00

Zig Ziglar On The Lundy-Smiths

The Lundy-Smiths are a remarkable family from inner-city New Orleans. Susie Mae Lundy and husband, Willie J. Smith, a Baptist pastor, raised nine successful children. According to FORTUNE magazine, the parents set an entrepreneurial example built around commitment, faith and hard work. Each child grew up with assigned responsibilities. By age five the six boys were expected to hose down and sweep the driveway of the family's Exxon gas station and auto repair shop.

Larry Lundy, owner of 31 Pizza Hut outlets, says they knew that what the family ate at the end of the day was contingent upon what they did during the day. That kind of motivation is pretty easy to understand--and can be very effective.

Today, Michael is a Mobil Oil executive in Houston; Harold is president of Louisiana's Grambling State University; Mark and Wilton are psychiatric counselors in Houston; Nell is an elementary school teacher in Houston; Lloyd is a vice president at Goodwill Industries in Beaumont, Texas; Jackie is an emergency room nurse and Yolanda is an accountant, both in New Orleans.

All of them are hard-working, productive citizens and they started early. Back in 1978 all the kids led a fund-raising drive that raised about $65,000 to build the church their father now leads. These "kids" have also presented their parents with 14 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

Yes, it looks like the American Dream is still alive for those who are willing to work hard and dream that American Dream, particularly if they have parents who guide and direct them early on. Think about it and I'll SEE YOU AT THE TOP!
__________
Zig Ziglar offers a free weekly newsletter filled with more of his inspiring stories as well as practical ideas to help you in the areas of sales, marketing, customer service, and related topics. You can subscribe to the Zig Ziglar Newsletter by http://www.zigziglar.com and clicking on the Free Newsletter button.

2002-08-09T09:17:00.000-07:00

Trust the Process
By John Harricharan

I want to tell you a little story. It happened during my first year in college. I was sitting in my dormitory room late one night, studying for a chemistry test scheduled
for early the following morning.

Tests seemed to be a major part of my life in those days. I longed for the time when I would never have to take another quiz, study for one more test or await the results of final exams.

I took a break from the chemistry book to reflect on the injustices of life. The food in the cafeteria seemed designed for nutrition and not enjoyment. The professors were unfair, so many projects, too much homework, too little time, too much this and too little that.

Shaking my head, I reached for a book a friend had dropped off the day before, leaned back in my chair, and switched my attention away from studying, at least for a short while. I looked at the title of the book. It was "The Night They Burned the Mountain," by Dr. Thomas Anthony Dooley.

I casually flipped the book open and thought I'd skim a few pages. My eyes settled on a sentence that was to determine, to a great extent, the path my life would take. The words read, "It's better to light one candle than to curse the darkness."

I looked once more at the words. They seemed to burn into my mind. I closed the book, went back to my chemistry book, studied for another hour and went to bed.

Before falling asleep, I looked at my professors in a different light. Instead of seeing them as demons intent on making my life miserable, I now saw them as dedicated teachers trying to impart their knowledge and wisdom to me. Perhaps the cafeteria food was not so bad after all. Tests were there so that we could measure ourselves of today against ourselves of yesterday.

What Dr. Dooley said to me that night, many years ago was this: Bring light into the situation, don't berate the darkness; be grateful for what you have, don't be angry at what you don't have; change the way you look at events and the events will change the way they appear to you.

I took the test the next day and got an "A". From that day on, I realized that the circumstances and events around us somehow reflected our inner landscape. That perspective is important and by changing the way I look at my world, I could change my very world.

Decades have come and gone since that first year in college. I have acquired various degrees in chemistry, mathematics and business and have worked in the hallowed halls of corporate America. I have written best-selling books and have lectured from Sidney, Australia to San Francisco, California; from Bali, Indonesia to Bombay, India.

There are many things I have done and still many more I have left undone. Yet, wherever I go or whatever I do, I use as one of my guideposts in life, "It's better to light one candle than to curse the darkness." Those words have stood me in good stead through the darkest nights of my soul.

I heard again Dr. Dooley's voice when I stood at the deathbed of my wife. It kept my company through the loss of my business. It was with me when my car was repossesed and when they foreclosed on my house.

Times have changed dramatically since my journeys through the "Valley of the Shadow." But have times really changed or have I changed the way I look at things? Life is a lot more pleasant now or could it be that I have learned how to look at life differently?

Change the way you look at life and life will appear the way you look at it. Look for the good in everything and the good in everything will look right back at you. The way I figure it, you could berate the thorns on the rosebush or tenderly pick a rose and enjoy its beauty.

Perspective, choose it and use it. Use it or lose it. The Universe is biased on your side. Trust the process.
__________
John Harricharan is an award-winning author, speaker and the creator of the ground-breaking "PowerPause" system for success. He has shared the lecture platform with such well-known speakers as Deepak Chopra, Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, Og Mandino, Eric Butterworth, C. Everett Koop and others. To learn more about the "PowerPause" and see why critics are raving about it visit through the following link: http://getmotivation.com/powerpause/

2002-08-04T18:29:00.000-07:00

Joan Sotkin of Pro$perityPlace.com is offering a 17 minute long lesson in Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT). Here's a short description in the event that you're not familiar with this technique: The basic theory of Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) is that all negative emotions are caused by a disturbance to your energy system. This is the same energy system that is used by acupuncture practitioners -- the meridian system.

While it might sound a tad complex, I assure you it isn't. Click here if you'd like to learn more about it as well as listen in on a free lesson (requires the free realplayer or windows media player to listen)... Oh, and while you're there let Joan know you heard about her through this site. I'd greatly appreciate it -- Josh Hinds :o)

2002-07-29T15:13:00.000-07:00

HOW TO COMMUNICATE LIKE A PRO
by Nido R. 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 cliché 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.
___________
Nido R. Qubein
Member: Speakers Roundtable
Web site: http://www.speakersroundtable.com
Email: office@SpeakersRoundtable.com

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2002-07-25T10:25:00.000-07:00

Visualize & Create Your Reality
By Hershey Wier

If any of you are not taking at least five minutes out of the day to relax, to collect your thoughts, to de-clutter and regroup, then that's your basic assignment starting today. Some days it seems that our days are filled with one crisis after another. One stream of busy-ness to another. When it seems like your world is a spinning merry-go-round, did you know you can stop? Yes, you can stop and get off. Let's try it right now.

Are you off? Good. Are you alone? Is the room quiet? Is your "Do Not Disturb" sign hanging outside your door? Now you're ready.

Sit down and relax. Smile and breathe deeply. Get oxygen moving to the far reaches of your body. From your big toe to that little lump sitting right square on the top of your head that Sally or Tommy gave you in second grade. (It was an accident, of course.)

Now, imagine an ideal situation that you would like to see yourself in in the future. Maybe you simply would like for tomorrow to be a calm, soothing day. Or, something more. Perhaps you're looking for more contentment in your family life -or - you'd like time for the hobby you've always wanted to pursue -or - the job/business/creative life endeavor you've always wanted to go after - but - just haven't had the time/courage/money/good hair days/ ________ your excuse here/all of the above - that you feel is necessary in order to go after that dream.

Got the picture?

Now put that picture in your mind's eye. No peeking - keep your eyes closed. According to Shakti Gawain, from her book Creative Visualization, pink is the color of the heart, and she calls this exercise the Pink Bubble technique. Do you see the color pink around this picture you've created? The passion of your heart is a necessary ingredient. If there is no passion to pursue the dream in this image you've created, try shifting the image around a bit to something you feel more comfortable with.

Sit a bit and absorb that dream you've created. Eyes still closed? Is your big toe and your lump still getting lots of oxygen? Good. Let that image that you've just created permeate your being. Do you feel peace with it? There may be some risk in it. That may be fine. But, do you feel peace with it?

Still got the picture? Now, when you feel complete and one with that image, send it off. See your image in a bubble, shrouded in a pink haze, floating off like a prayer. If thought is reality, and in high school many of us learned that we think and therefore we are... then you have just sent a piece of reality off into the world to do some work for you. Expect some synchronicities to flow to you. Expect to meet a key person, or learn something that will bring you one step further along on this dream..

___________
Hershey Wier, MBA, speaks, writes and coaches on personal and professional development. She founded ANEWIST Personal & Professional Development Services in order to offer fresh insight, guidance and support to people in achieving more fulfillment in their life path. Her unique blend of creative techniques and down-to-earth principles gives a balanced, enjoyable approach to creating synergistic, positive outcomes in life. Visit: HersheyWier.com

2002-07-20T23:20:00.000-07:00

One Small Step To Greatness
By Andrew Wood

Astronaut Neil Armstrong took perhaps the most famous step in history in July of 1969, as he took his first slow and awkward step off the Lunar Module. In doing so he became the first man to walk on the surface of the moon. There he made his brief but immortal speech, "One small step for man. One giant leap for mankind".

That day the world?s attention was on Armstrong as he took those first faltering steps across the surface of the moon, but think for a moment about what steps went into getting him to that point.

From the time that President Kennedy announced the goal of putting a man on the moon by the end of the decade, can you even begin to comprehend the number of steps that had to be taken? To take a man a half a million miles from the planet earth and safely back again? (And you thought you had a long commute!)

It may have only been a quarter of a million miles to get to the moon, but they probably took 90 million steps to go from the drawing board to the moon. And yet they did it. People just like you and me, working together, took enough small steps to actually put a man on the moon. If they could put a man on the moon, surely you can take a few simple steps to make your life all that you want it to be. (And if things go wrong, at least you won?t be stranded on the moon, where there is no AAA to help get you home.) No, your risks are smaller. But your rewards can be just as large!

With SMART goals in place, deadlines set, intermediate steps identified along the way, and your action plan complete. That leaves just one thing between you and victory. Action!

Where many people go wrong in trying to reach their goals is in constantly looking for the big hit, the home run, the magic answer that suddenly transforms their dreams into reality. The problem is that the big hit never comes without a great deal of little hits first. Success in most things comes not from some gigantic stroke of fate, but from simple, incremental progress.

You have to crawl before you walk, you have to walk before you run, you have to run before you ride a bike, you have to ride a bike before you drive a car. You get the idea. And if you?re Neil Armstrong, you have to fly a few planes before you get to land an Apollo spacecraft on the moon.

Now, for example, take the cure of any disease. One day some lab technician or scientist suddenly comes up with a cure for Polio; it?s heralded as an amazing breakthrough, a great discovery (which of course it is) but while the media make it sound like it all happened in the lab last night, we know instinctively that it didn?t.

Instead, a team of many dedicated people have spent months, years and perhaps even decades trying different combinations of drugs to find the one unique combination that works. (This is the only case where experimenting with drugs is considered a good thing.) Each combination that does not produce the desired result is viewed not so much as a failure, rather another way that has been found that need not be pursued. Eventually, after thousands of experiments [often with just tiny changes from one to the next] the goal is reached .

Now don?t get me wrong. I?m as excited as the next guy about finding some magic answer to my challenges. And in the same way that people win the lottery, I know that there is a chance that I might figure out some get-rich-quick plan. If I do, I promise I?ll let you know about it. But in the mean time, I?ve disciplined myself to spend no more than 20% of my energy on the big hit while the other 80% is directed on a simple, logical step-by-step plan for success.

The truth of the matter is that most of us know what we should be doing to make progress towards our goals. The real question is, are we doing it?
___________
The Millionaires Library author, Andrew Wood, is recognized worldwide as a business, marketing, leadership, and personal development expert. He is the author of The Millionaires Library, which delivers you the essence of knowledge from over 1000 business, sales, marketing, leadership, and personal development books in a single powerful set. To learn more visit through the following link!

2002-07-16T16:20:00.000-07:00

THE SIMPLEST ADVICE
© Rhoberta Shaler, PhD

In these days of do more, be more, have more, it may be wise to get off the beaten track and reflect on what is best for you in the workplace. What fits your lifestyle? What fits your integrity? What captures your interest? What warms your heart?

I once read a story about a young lawyer who was joining a prestigious firm. She was spending a quiet evening with her grandmother and she told her that she was going to do all that she could to advance in her new organization. She would take a night school course to become an expert in her specialty, and join community organizations to bring in business.

She was determined to do everything and 'learn it all'. To her mind, the picture she was painting was one of the perfect employee. Doing all those things would win her recognition, acceptance and an elevated career path.

The expected approval and enthusiasm from her grandmother was not forthcoming. Smiling at her well-meaning granddaughter, she said: "Be good at whatever you do and do only what you are willing to do well." This startled the young lawyer and caused her a great deal of deep thought. After a few nights of poor sleep, she embraced her grandmother's wisdom. Now she is the esteemed senior partner in her firm.

Hopefully, you have chosen your work carefully. If not, rethink it. If so, are you making sure that you are good at what you do? Do you stay up-to-speed in your industry? Then, add that next step, do only what you are willing to do well. This may take some honesty but it will have tremendous impact on all areas of your life.

Apply this wisdom liberally. Imagine the impact it will have on your relationships!

© Rhoberta Shaler, PhD All rights reserved worldwide.
____________
Rhoberta Shaler, PhD speaks for corporations, conferences, and conventions on 'People Skills for Sustainable Success'. Dr. Shaler trains & coaches groups and individuals to improve workplace relationships, manage conflict and anger, and to build and strengthen teams. She will engage, inform and motivate your people to shift from acceptable to exceptional. Visit her website now! Free articles & ezines for you.

2002-07-09T14:16:00.000-07:00

Success: a Lengthy Journey or State of Mind
by Fred W. Tanner, M.A.

In today's society many baby boomers are searching for something that is illusive and difficult to obtain. They search long and hard to not only find it, but to feel the satisfaction that finding it may bring. This search takes them on a journey through life that has a profound effect on their relationships with others as well as their overall happiness and well being. What they are searching for is Success.

How Do We Create Our Definition of Success?

The baby boomer generation's definition of success began forming at an early age. As children they watched their fathers and mothers work hard to achieve success through home ownership, a good paying job and the obtainment of material possessions. Some moved to bigger houses and their parents purchased more expensive cars as spendable income increased. At Christmas time they may have found that the presents got more expensive and numerous as well. In receiving all of these things many found that their working parents spent less time with them as children. Now they know that time is what they most cherished.

Some baby boomers grew up in a family where their parents worked hard but never seemed to have anything. The house was small and the car was always old and in the mechanics shop. Material possessions were never abundant. Children raised in this type of situation may have formed their definition of success from other successful people, society and the media. Not having the trappings of success made them more determined to achieve it in their adult life. They were going to be "more successful than their parents." In the final analysis were they?

As a baby boomer I followed my parents' example after high school and attended college hoping it would lead to a good career. Like many I found that it was difficult to land that perfect job after graduation and I became frustrated that success was still out of reach. After a period of job moves searching for that "perfect position" I reached the pinnacle stage of my career. Like my friends I worked to purchase the biggest house, nicer cars, better clothes and other material possessions to validate my success. Each year the debt levels increased that required a higher salary.

The additional debt caused me to feel "handcuffed" to my job. In our north Dallas neighborhood there were many of my neighbors that purchased expensive homes but did not have the money for furniture. They created an illusion of success on the outside of their stately two story homes. If success was the accumulation of material things were these people successful? Almost everything they owned of value was actually owned by the credit card companies and the mortgage holder. What price were they really paying for
success?

How Do We Evaluate Success?

There comes a time in everyone's life when one starts evaluating his or her success. Part of the evaluation is spent looking at the sacrifices made along the way and what is there to show for all the effort, blood, sweat and tears. In essence what was the price for success in tangible and intangible terms? An example might be the many moves a family had to go through for the father/mother to get the promotions and higher salaries. The impact on children frequently changing schools and making new friends. Stresses caused
by increased responsibility with each new position and the effect that stress had on the family's happiness.

Once the evaluation is completed many individuals question the value of "success" even if material possessions and the money is abundant. Some realize that the price paid to reach success was too high. They yearn for the happiness, true fulfillment and peace of
mind they never had.

Did I Ever Achieve Success?

I am one that followed the course of success established by my parents. As a baby boomer societal influences also had an impact on my definition and striving for success. I climbed the career ladder knowing that when I reached the top I would achieve success and fulfillment. I found out I was wrong. A comment that my supportive and loving wife of 23 years made to me several years ago during my hectic corporate days really made me think about what I was doing. One beautiful evening while walking the dog she said "Fred, you know we were the happiest when we first started out. You didn't make much money. We had that rental house, the old furniture and the old car." Another comment made by my oldest son when he was 16 was "dad when I grow up I don't want to be like you, you don't like your job and you never seem happy." When you receive this kind of input you know something about your path to success isn't quite right. I have also learned that many children of baby boomers are not defining success the same way my generation did.

I Finally Found Success

I gathered up the courage and gave up the high paying corporate job in north Dallas. We moved to a small Colorado town for a year of college teaching. I remember the reactions I received from family and coworkers. My wife and children were ready for adventure but my mother thought I was going through a mid life crisis. I was jumping off the "success train" established by her generation. Colleagues at work either thought I was crazy or were actually envious of my new life change. One corporate officer said that he wished that he could do something like I did, but he was afraid his wife and children would be upset to give up the big house and all of the possessions.

I'm sorry to say that I think he is still searching for success. I quickly found that giving up the corporate politics and business suits was easy. So was the two-hour daily commute to my office in north Dallas. In Colorado I walked across the street to work and wore sport shirts, khaki pants and hiking boots. Currently I am living with my family in a small college town in the North Georgia Mountains. I work at home. My wife is a schoolteacher. I have reached success at 46. I only wish I could have reached it sooner.

My New Perspective on Success

What I now realize is that success does not have to be a lengthy journey. Unfortunately most of us have to learn this by going through life striving for career achievement and paying the price. True success is based on how we view things relating to our life and career. Success does not mean obtaining material possessions or career status. I learned from friends we met in Colorado that some people with little money are successful. We had college teaching friends that did not have a great deal of money but enjoyed simple
things like making biscotti, buying a good bottle of wine, listening to jazz at the coffee shop or exploring the mountains.

They had more than I ever had when I was using society's definition of success. True success is genuine satisfaction, happiness and contentment with yourself and the world around you. Truly enjoying life, family, friends, work, hobbies and all that life has to offer.

I invite you to find it and enjoy it.
___________
Fred W. Tanner, M.A. is a professional life and business coach. He assists individuals seeking a simpler life, wanting to change careers or wanting happiness and fulfillment in their current situation. He also assists businesses in marketing, management and planning issues. First coaching session is Free. For info visit Lifebizcoach.com

2002-07-05T13:38:00.000-07:00

A MONSTER TO HUG
By Steve Goodier © 2002

One couple spent a holiday driving in the mountains. "Every time you race around one of those narrow curves," exclaimed the wife, "I just get terrified."

"Then do what I do," suggested her husband. "Close your eyes!" We are all afraid at times, but closing our eyes is not always a helpful way through fear. Better to open your eyes and face those fears head-on.

In 1972 David Miln Smith had such an opportunity. Smith, an adventurer, author and professional speaker, decided to spend a night alone in St. Michael's Cave on the island of Gibraltar as a test of courage. In his book Hug the Monster (Kansas City: Andrews and McMeel, 1996), he tells of hearing strange sounds all around him as he lay there in the pitch-black, damp, deserted cave. Most frightening was the fact that he came to believe he was not alone!

Fear became panic and he was afraid he was losing his mind. Then suddenly, as he was approaching his psychological breaking point, Smith thought to himself, "Whatever the monster looks like, I will hug it." That simple, almost silly thought brought great relief to his restless mind. He soon fell into a deep and peaceful sleep until morning. He learned that embracing his fear, literally or figuratively, allowed him to subdue it.

We each have our nights of fear. We each encounter monsters of some sort. We may fear spiders or insects, heights or crowds, abandonment or loneliness, the future or death. And most of us are occasionally visited by shadows of these monsters in the dark of night.

The next time you're afraid, try "hugging the monster." Face that fear head-on, whatever it is, and embrace it. You may be surprised at how quickly it slips away and at how confident you begin to feel. Like that beautiful spirit Eleanor Roosevelt said, "You gain strength,
courage, and confidence by every experience in which you stop to look fear in the face."

Do you have a monster to hug?
_________
You may purchase Steve Goodier's books here:LifeSupportSystem.com Enter the coupon code "johi" (without quotes) in the coupon code box at checkout for an additional 5% discount! Remember...Free shipping and Free gift wrapping!

2002-07-02T10:59:00.000-07:00

"Real leaders forever need bigger and more irresistible challenges." -- Mark Victor Hansen

2002-07-01T00:39:00.000-07:00

LISTENING TO THE COACH
by Zig Ziglar

The young athlete who aspires to greatness, generally speaking, learns a number of things from several different coaches. The first one taught him the fundamentals; the second one instilled discipline in him and taught him more of the techniques that must be mastered to excel. Finally, the coach who had the rare ability to spot the athlete's unique talent and then maximize that talent by teaching proper techniques.

The one thing coaches cannot tolerate...is the individual who grows arrogant because he excelled at a lower level and believes he has nothing else to learn. The coach clearly understands that regardless of the extent of the talent, it can be more completely utilized if the proper coaching technique is applied. That coaching technique will include teaching the athletes to become team players by fitting their individual talents into the team. That's significant, because there is a dramatic difference in an all-star team and a team of all-stars.

The coach's job is to take the stars and make them a team. The athlete who won't be coached simply never moves up to that last level, which is necessary for maximum personal performance and a must if the athlete is going to be a major contributor to the success of the team.

The blending of this talent into the "team" applies in any family, business, orchestra, stage production, or any other organization of more than two people. Think about it. Listen to the "coach," and I'll see you at the top!
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Zig Ziglar offers a free weekly newsletter filled with more of his inspiring stories as well as practical ideas to help you in the areas of sales, marketing, customer service, and related topics. You can subscribe to the Zig Ziglar Newsletter by visiting ZigZiglar.com and clicking on the Free Newsletter button.

2002-06-24T07:33:00.000-07:00

THE GREAT CHALLENGE OF LIFE
by Jim Rohn

Here's the great challenge of life - You can have more than you've got because you can become more than you are. I have found that income seldom will exceed your own personal development. Once in a while income takes a lucky jump, but unless you grow out to where it is, it will go back to where you are. Somebody once said if you took all the money in the world and divided it among everyone equally, it would soon be back in the same pockets.

However, you can have more because you can become more. You see, here is how the other side of the coin reads - unless you change how you are, you will always have what you've got. The marketing plan won't do it. It's a good plan but it won't work without you. You've got to work it. It is the human effort that counts. If you could send a sales manual out to recruit - wouldn't that be lovely? The major thing that makes the difference is what YOU do.

In order to have more, you need to become more. The guy says, "If I had a good job I would really pour it on, but I have this lousy job so I just goof off." If that is your philosophy, you are destined to stay there. Some people say if I had a lot of money I would be really generous, but I don't have much so I'm not generous.

See, you've got to change that philosophy or you will never have "the lots of money." Unless YOU change, IT won't change. Amazingly, however, when we throw out our blame list and start becoming more ourselves - the difference is everything else will begin to change around us.

To Your Success,
Jim Rohn
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To read previous articles, quotes, and Q and A from the Jim Rohn Weekly E-zine Archives, or to get a complete listing of Jim Rohn's books, audios, videos and seminar schedule, or to place an order; click here.

2002-06-16T22:55:00.000-07:00

Maximizing Your Momentum - How To Be Incredibly Effective
By Andrew Wood

There is an old Cuban proverb that says, "When the sun rises, it rises for everyone." What a great saying! (And it probably sound seven better in Spanish!) One thing is sure, everyone the world over starts the day with the same 24 hours, 1440 minutes, 86,400 seconds. The difference in what any person achieves, owns, or accomplishes in life, both personally and financially, will in almost every case boil down to one simple thing: how that person has chosen to spend his or her time.

Professional golfer Tiger Woods, for example, devoted his entire life [or at least from the age of three or four] to the pursuit of becoming the best golfer in the world. To make this dream a reality, there must have been many times as he grew up when he was faced with the conflicting decisions of going skiing in the California mountains with his friends or practicing.

Going to the beach to hang out, or playing golf. Staying out late at a party with his peers, or getting home early to rest up for a tournament the following day. It goes without saying that he gave up many opportunities for fun, adventure and pleasure in favor of using the majority of his time in pursuit of his goal. (And now, of course, he can afford to buy a ski resort or a private beach. Or perhaps throw the biggest party the world has ever seen.)

To do this in our teens [or even early twenties] is one thing. But for most of us life is a little more complicated these days. We have bills to pay, responsibilities, families, and commitments.

Despite this, unfortunately, the universal rules of life don?t change to accommodate us. Where you focus your time and effort is where you will gain success. If you focus the majority of your time and effort on the accomplishment of your goals you cannot help but move toward them. If you don?t, you won?t, since we all have our own commitments and since we can?t change the number of hours in the day.

Some of us try to play games with time, like setting our clocks ten minutes ahead so we don?t show up late. And then when we?re on time, we suddenly have got ten extra minutes to play with. But that?s not time management. That?s time manipulation. The best way to gain more time is not to steal it from our friends and family, but to use the time we?ve committed to reaching our goals to far greater effect.

While it?s naive to think that we can arrange our life in nice little increments of time [whereby we can spend uninterrupted hours a day on nothing but the pursuit of our goals], you can plan to maximize the time you do have. For most of us, the term "uninterrupted hour" is an oxymoron. To do this you have to first get all your tools in order.

There are many tools you may use that will dramatically help to maximize your momentum. They include, but are not limited to, your day planner, laptop computer, and your cell phone.
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The Millionaires Library author, Andrew Wood, is recognized worldwide as a business, marketing, leadership, and personal development expert. He is the author of The Millionaires Library, which delivers you the essence of knowledge from over 1000 business, sales, marketing, leadership, and personal development books in a single powerful set. Visit through the following link.

2002-06-13T09:16:00.000-07:00

THE MASTER OF "GOODSPEAK"
by Bob Burg

Have you ever known of someone who sets an example you can learn from, emulate, and utilize for the rest of your life? Such a person is my Dad.

Dad's ability isn't only finding the good in everyone, but also verbalizing it. He's mastered building people both directly and to others. Most people gossip. Dad finds and speaks the good. When he must correct, it's always with tact and kindness.

Most people relate to others the bad spoken of them, creating conflict. Dad always relates the good someone said about them, bringing people closer together.

Have you ever heard husbands, when speaking to others, make unkind remarks about their wives? It's one of those "macho" things. Sure, they're "only kidding," but words matter. Examples, good and bad, are set, especially for children.

Dad ALWAYS speaks of Mom in the most complimentary, glowing terms. As does she of him. They began poor and built a successful business. Although Dad was the one in the public eye and Mom more comfortable behind the scenes, Dad always made sure everyone knew who he considered to be the true driving force behind the business.

My favorite "Dad story" took place when I was 12. We were having carpet installed in our home. The crew boss was one of those stereotypical beer-guzzlin', hard-livin' guys, who would have probably belonged to Ralph Kramden's Raccoon Lodge from the old Honeymooner's TV show (nothing wrong with that - just painting a picture:-)).

For lunch, my folks bought pizza for the crew. Dad went to talk with the boss about the job. I was around the corner listening.

The boss said, "This is an expensive job. Women will really spend your money, won't they?"

Dad responded, "Well, I'll tell you, when they were right there with you before you had any money, it's a pleasure to do anything for them you possibly can."

This wasn't the answer he expected. He was looking for negative talk about wives which, to him, was natural. He tried again, "But, gee, they'll really play off that and spend all they can, won't they?"

Dad replied, as I knew he would, "Hey, when they're the reason you're successful, you want them to do the things they enjoy. There's no greater pleasure." Strike two.

The crew boss tried one more time, "And they'll take that as far as they can, huh?" Dad responded, "She's the best thing that ever happened to me. I'd do anything to make her happy."

I was trying not to laugh. I knew he wanted Dad to give in just a little bit and say, "Yeah, I guess that's true." But I knew that wouldn't happen...not in a million years!

Finally, the boss gave up. Maybe he learned something about respecting one's spouse. Maybe not. But it taught a young boy a lot about the power of respect and edification.

Mom and Dad recently celebrated their 43rd wedding anniversary. They still hold hands, and are more in love than ever. Would there be any doubt?
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Bob Burg ( http://www.burg.com ) speaks on "Endless Referrals" and "Positive Persuasion." He is author of "Endless Referrals: Network Your Everyday Contacts Into Sales" and "Winning Without Intimidation: The Art of Positive Persuasion." To sample his popular ezine go to http://www.burg.com/newsletter.html . To book him to speak at your next major convention call 800-726-3667.

2002-06-03T08:57:00.000-07:00

DEVELOP THE DO-IT-NOW HABIT
by Tom Hopkins

Self-Discipline really encompasses nearly everything in life. Do you remember in school when you were given 30 days to write a term paper? Did you start it that first night? Most of us didn't. Instead, we thought about it every night. "Got to get moving on that ratty project. But I've got almost a whole month left--it can wait." As time goes by, worry about getting a failing grade looms larger in our minds. At first the pain of starting the term paper is greater than our concern about the failing grade, so after a week we still haven't started. Two weeks go by. What are we doing every night before we go to sleep? Worrying about that F. "I better start. Tomorrow I'll get moving on it."

A week before the term paper is due, the F is getting larger--but it's still not quite large enough to offset the pain of working at preventing it. All of a sudden there are only three days left before it's due, and at last the F looms larger than the pain of working on the term paper. So we start.

As you lay it out you begin feeling some enthusiasm. "This isn't bad. I may get an A if I do this and do that." When you walk in with your paper you're happy, but you wasted 27 days worrying about starting. In other words, you operated at a deficit emotionally for 27 days when you could have been in the profit column the whole time. Move into the emotional profit column right now; starting today, get your priority tasks and actions handled promptly. Plan your actions, then act on your plans. Apply this determination to every area of your life and it will make an enormous difference in your income, growth rate in business as well as your satisfaction and growth rate personally.

The portrait of a man who was being called the Whiz Kid on Wall Street appeared on the cover of a national magazine many years ago. He was one of the first to put a conglomerate together, and some of the federal laws affecting business in the early 70's came about because of the trends that his creativity set off. At the time he was 42, he was running one of the largest industrial combines in the country, the conglomerate he had built himself. So the magazine had assigned a journalist and a team of researchers to do an in-depth report on this entrepreneur.

One of the researchers went to the small city the dynamic executive had left 15 years earlier. A few items turned up there about an alcoholic with the same name who had been sleeping on park benches at that time. The researcher passed this information along, and as the journalist was concluding his interview with the Wall Street powerhouse in his plush office, the journalist laughed and said, "Believe it or not, a man with your exact name was sleeping on park benches and getting ousted by the police when you lived in your home town. I guess the poor guy was a real wino. Isn't that something?"

The president looked up and smiled. "That was me," he said.

The reporter was flabbergasted. "This can't be. You're kidding."

The president of the conglomerate leaned back in his leather chair and shook his head. "I'm not kidding. The wino sleeping off drinks on park benches was me."

The journalist stared at him for a moment and realized that the man was telling the truth. He also realized that now he had a whole new story. When his apologies were waved aside, he said, "I have to ask, what made you change?"

Listen to what he said because so many people fit this mold: "When I was sleeping under newspapers in the park 15 years ago, I knew that someday I would do what I'm doing now. I was just waiting until I was ready to start."

Do you know how many people are like that? "Well, next year's my year. I'm going to get to work then. You just wait and see--right after the first of the year I'm gonna start shaping up." But of course the time to get going never quite comes for most people. They have good intentions, but are lacking the two most vital components of any good deed: the motivation to begin and a strategic plan to keep them moving forward.

You see, by not beginning, you're not risking failure, but you're also confining yourself to the level of success you currently have. If you're happy with that, fine. If not, make that plan and get fired up!

If your potential for greater success is nagging at you, don't wait. Time is flying by so fast. Start today to achieve the greatness you know is within you.
___________
Tom Hopkins International
7531 E. 2nd St., Scottsdale, AZ 85251
Tel: (480) 949-0786 or 800/528-0446 Fax: (480) 949-1590
http://tomhopkins.com - Visit our website for a great "Tip of the Day"

2002-05-18T10:00:00.000-07:00

An Object in Motion
By Andrew Wood

Sometimes you may think that the action needed to achieve your goals seems overwhelming and, because of this, you forgive yourself for procrastination. When you are tempted to drag your feet, remember the scientific axiom, An object in motion, once in motion, tends to remain in motion until acted upon by another force. Take this as your new motto.

You already know you can reach your smaller goals; all that holds you back from ultimate success is increasing the number of the goals that you reach.

Take some sort of action each and every day to move you closer to your goals. Start now! (This article will be over in less than one minute, so get ready.) Get out your list of goals, and pick one to start working toward. A vital part of reaching your goals is the ability to dream.

Dreams energize you. At some point, however, you must trade in your dream for the dedication and hard work that will result in success. By putting leverage on yourself as well as your staff, to develop a sense of urgency, each day you will accomplish more of the simple little tasks that amount to giant success when they are totaled.

Remember, each and every day you have choices in the things you do. Some of these choices will move you forward, just as surely as others can move you back. You are responsible for your choices!
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The Millionaires Library author, Andrew Wood, is recognized worldwide as a business, marketing, leadership, and personal development expert. He is the author of The Millionaires Library, which delivers you the essence of knowledge from over 1000 business, sales, marketing, leadership, and personal development books in a single powerful set...Click here for more info.

2002-05-11T10:43:00.000-07:00

Take Three Specific Actions
By Andrew Wood

I have made it a life-long habit to do at least three things every day [no matter how small each is] that move me forward. These are listed in the top right hand corner of my day planner. On this list are a group of simple actions or goals for the day that when completed will move me closer to my quest.

It might be sending out a thank-you letter, thereby building a relationship. It might be making a phone call to a specific client either to sell something or to develop rapport. It might be to design an ad, write two pages of a new book, or call the library to get information. The tasks change every day; the only thing that does not change is my resolve to accomplish at least three of them each and every day.

Every one of them is positive. Every one of them makes me feel good for having done it and it will make you feel good as well. Every one of them can be done in a relatively short amount of time. That means every week I cross at least 21 items off a to-do list. Now you know why I?m always in such a good mood! I even cross them off with a red pen, it?s a power color, and a powerful feeling.

And, if for any reason I do not get these three items done, and those days are rare indeed, then the ones I did not complete get added on to the next day?s total.

Winston Churchill once said, "There are plenty of good ideas if only they can be backed with the power of action." Although goals and strategies are very important, the greatest plans in the world won?t amount to a hill of beans without action. Virgil understood this many centuries ago when he said, "Fortune favors the bold."

No matter where you stand in your business, career or life [and no matter what challenges you now face] when you make the conscious decision to become a person of action [rather than being indecisive] you instantly turn the tide of life in your favor.

Often, if you are mentally ready for action, opportunities will present themselves in the most unusual ways, and you will find yourself involved in new and interesting endeavors. Action has a way of increasing opportunity, while procrastination and inaction always inhibit success. As Benjamin Disraeli said, "Action does not always bring happiness; but there is no happiness without action."
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The Millionaires Library author, Andrew Wood, is recognized worldwide as a business, marketing, leadership, and personal development expert. He is the author of The Millionaires Library, which delivers you the essence of knowledge from over 1000 business, sales, marketing, leadership, and personal development books in a single powerful set. Visit through the following link.

2002-05-06T14:16:00.000-07:00

Jim Rohn 'LIVE' in New Orleans, Los Angeles and Miami!

Take advantage of this rare opportunity to see America's Foremost Business Philosopher "live" in New Orleans on May 7, Irvine or Los Angeles on May 8 or 9 and in Ft. Lauderdale or Miami on June 12 or 13.

For more information or to Order Tickets Online, click here and go to Seminar Schedule.

2002-05-05T15:59:00.000-07:00

On Overcoming Fear
By Zig Ziglar

I came across a blurb from Catholic Digest written by Mary Kinsolving (and her message) is as relevant today as it was many years ago when it was written. Ms. Kinsolving tells a story of living in Manhattan where, as a child, her mother walked her to school four blocks away every morning and then walked home with her again in the afternoon.

One hard winter her mother came down with pneumonia and Mary had to go to school and return home by herself. She states that on the way home the second day she fell on some ice while crossing the street and at that moment a car skidded towards her and came within inches of her before it stopped. "The driver helped me up," she said, "and I managed to get home but didn't tell my mother because I didn't want her to worry."

The next morning the streets were even icier and when she came to her first cross street she was terrified and stated that she stood at the intersection for a long time. Finally, an elderly woman came over to her and said, "I don't see very well. May I hold your hand when I cross the street?" She replied, "Oh, yes," and the elderly lady took her hand and "before long we were on the other side."

Then Mary Kinsolving walked a short distance and looked back to see how the woman was doing. To her surprise, "She was crossing the street we had just crossed together and was walking by herself much faster than we had before."

Ms. Kinsolving then realized that the lady had pretended poor eyesight only to help her cross the street. Much later in life she understood that she could overcome her own fears by helping someone else. What marvelous advice from years gone past! Take that approach to life and I will SEE YOU AT THE TOP!
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Zig Ziglar offers a free weekly newsletter filled with more of his inspiring stories as well as practical ideas to help you in the areas of sales, marketing, customer service, and related topics. You can subscribe to the Zig Ziglar Newsletter by sending blank email to info@zigziglar.com with Subscribe on the Subject line. Or go to http://www.zigziglar.com and click on the Free Newsletter button.

2002-04-25T03:32:00.000-07:00

ARE YOU LEAKING ENERGY?
By Dr. Drew Rozell

Something was wrong in my kitchen. Very wrong. As I opened my freezer door I came face to face with a horrible reality. My friends, it was true: My strawberry ice cream had melted.

This wasn't the first time that $5 worth of delicious dessert was ruined before I was able to enjoy a single spoonful. You see, my refrigerator was born during a time when the Doobie Brothers blared from 8-track players and Archie Bunker was the toast of television.

Even though I'd have to throw out food every couple of weeks for over a year, I preferred not to register what this was costing me in wasted food and frustration. I pretended that somehow my major appliance had the power to heal itself. Hey, it beat the alternative of having to spend time, energy, and money it would require for a new refrigerator, right?

Why do I tell this story? Well, first of all, I believe that most of you can feel my pain around the melted ice cream. Second, I also believe that most of you have failing refrigerators somewhere in your life -- things that you know require your attention, but that you are putting up with nonetheless. In coaching jargon, these undesirable details of our lives are called "tolerations."

If our energy can be thought of as a pail of water, tolerations can be thought of as holes in the pail --- some are gushers, some pinhole leaks --- but all of them drain our energy. As human beings, we have a finite amount of mental energy to expend on our work, our personal responsibilities, and our play. Anything we are tolerating will diminish our supply of energy.

Tolerations can be mundane, such as a computer mouse that no longer tracks properly or a fresh rust spot on your car. Tolerations can also encompass larger issues such as financial struggle or a relationship with someone who treats you badly. Stop for a second. Where are you tolerating in your life?

When we let tolerations hang around in our lives, they continually gnaw at our brains, steal our attention and drain our energy. If we take the time to identify and completely handle those things that we are tolerating in our lives, we are creating an environment in which we can be less stressed and more happy.

Why do we tolerate stuff in our lives? We tolerate because we believe it's easier to ignore the problem than to make some changes. We tolerate because we feel overwhelmed with all the details of life. We tolerate when we have become so conditioned to struggling in our lives that it becomes a 'natural' part of life. We tolerate because we are not aware of the cost.

Okay, so how do we eliminate tolerations? Some tolerations just require our attention and action. For instance if your home or office is cluttered and disorganized, then devote several hours to make it perfect. Not just 'good enough,' but perfect. Unhappy with how someone is treating you? Remember that it's best to make requests rather than complain when tolerations center on another person's behavior toward you.

Handling larger tolerations can be a very daunting task -- they require us to make changes in our lives, to take action, and to tell ourselves the absolute truth about our current situation. And yes, eliminating tolerations often translates into spending money.

Upgrading your computer, repairing an unreliable car, or replacing an old refrigerator (yes, it's been replaced!) are not cheap endeavors. But once completed, the high hidden costs of putting up with these stressors will become apparent.

Note: If you consistently do not have the money handle the items on your list, you need to ask yourself what changes you need to make to rectify this huge toleration.

Personally, I find that the greatest benefit to handling tolerations comes from the constant reminders in my environment that reinforce the fact that I am living more deliberately and with more awareness each day. As strange as it may sound, every time I go to my new refrigerator, I feel good about myself and about my life. When I walk into my clean office, I feel more energized and more professional.

So begin telling yourself a new truth by writing down ten things you are tolerating -- even if you don't see the solution to the problem right now. Handle one of these smaller tolerations by the end of the day.

You will see a burst of energy from plugging these holes in your life and once you take this first step, you can expect to become a more productive and happy person.

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Personal coach Dr. Drew Rozell works with dynamic individuals worldwide to assist them in living the lives they were born to live! Meet him, read his articles on health, wealth, and self, and subscribe to his popular, free newsletter at EvolutionCoaching.com.

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2002-04-20T10:14:00.000-07:00

THE DEFINITION OF WEALTH
by Brian Tracy

If you want to be wealthy, you must understand what wealth is. Here is the best definition of wealth you will ever find. Wealth is "Cash flow from other sources."

MAKE YOUR MONEY WORK FOR YOU

What this means is that, you are not wealthy just because you earn a lot of money. You are only wealthy when your money works for you. To become wealthy, your main job is to acquire money and then put it to work making more money for you.

ADD VALUE CONTINUALLY

The key to creating wealth is simple. It is called "adding value." Successful people are those who are always looking for ways to add value in some way to a person, a company, a product or a service.

DO IT FASTER

Here is an example of adding value: Domino's Pizza. The founders of Domino's Pizza took a common food, offered by thousands of little restaurants and added a value to the pizza by delivering it more rapidly than anyone else. The added value of speed enabled Domino's to create a billion dollar empire and made the founder of Domino's, Tom Monahan, one of the richest men in the world.

BUY IT CHEAPER SOMEWHERE ELSE

Another way to add value is to buy something in one place at one price and then make it available in another place for another price. For example, buying a product or service manufactured in Europe or Asia, importing it to the United States and making it available to people to whom it was not available before, is a way of adding value for which you can charge a higher price.

IMPROVE THE LIFE OR WORK OF OTHERS

All manufacturing and marketing is based on this principle of added value. All importation and distribution aims to add value. Performing a service that enhances the life or work of another person adds value. A dentist who takes away pain is adding value. An accountant who saves a client money on taxes is adding or actually creating value. A salesperson who introduces a new product or service to a customer that helps that customer in some way is adding value. All financial success, especially business success, is based on adding value. It is based on the old saying, "Find a need and fill it."

COMBINE AND RECOMBINE THE ELEMENTS OF VALUE

All successful business is based on someone bringing together the factors of production, such as labor, capital, raw materials and management, and creating a product or service that a customer will pay a price for that is in excess of the cost of producing it.

HOW FORTUNES ARE MADE

Adding value is the way that all fortunes are made. Whenever you see an opportunity to give people what they want at a price greater than it costs you to produce that product or service, you see an opportunity to make a profit, build a business and begin moving toward financial success. Almost any business or occupation can make you financially independent if you can find a way to add enough value.

ACTION EXERCISES

Now, here are two actions you can take immediately to add more value to your time and activities:

First, take the time to be absolutely clear about what it is that people want and need to improve their lives and work. The more clear you are about their real needs, the easier it is for you to satisfy them at a higher level.

Second, look for ways to add value to what you are doing every day in every way. Never be satisfied with the status quo. One small idea to add value can be the starting point of a great fortune.
___________
Brian Tracy is a leading authority on personal and business success. As Chairman and CEO of Brian Tracy International, he is the best-selling author of 17 books and over 300 audio and video learning programs. Brian addresses more than 250,000 people each year, has spoken in 23 countries, and speaks 4 languages. Visit Brian's web site by clicking here, and get his free e-mail newsletter!

2002-04-17T01:20:00.000-07:00

Finer Than Wealth
By Steve Goodier

I love the story about an angel who suddenly appears at a faculty meeting and tells the dean of the college that, in return for his unselfish and exemplary behavior, he will be given his choice of infinite wealth, wisdom or beauty.

Without hesitating, the dean selects infinite wisdom. "Done!" says the angel, and disappears in a cloud of smoke and a bolt of lightning. Now, all heads turn toward the dean, who sits surrounded by a faint halo of light. At length, one of his colleagues whispers, "Say something."

The dean looks at them and says, "I should have taken the money."

Though wealth is highly regarded in our world, I rather suspect this fictitious academic made the better choice. Wisdom, like many other virtues, is usually more difficult to obtain and can be far more satisfying.

I've heard it said that when our hearts are empty, we collect "things." On the other hand, when our hearts are full, we tend to lose interest in most of the "stuff" of life. The "things of the heart" become all important. Things like love and joy and peace. Or wisdom. Or hope. Or faith.

And the wonderful truth is that these gifts are given freely to any who will take them! None of us has to live without love. There really is joy to be found in this life. And we can know peace - now.

Fra Giovanni gave us these immortal words in 1513:

"No heaven can come to us unless our hearts find rest in today. Take heaven! No peace lies in the future that is not hidden in his present moment. Take peace! The gloom of this world is but a shadow. Behind it, yet within reach, is joy. There is a radiance and glory in the darkness, could we but see, and to see we have only to look. I beseech you to look. Life is so generous a giver...."

You have already been offered things even finer than infinite wealth. Will you grasp them and make them yours - today?
____________
Written by Steve Goodier - You may purchase Steve's books here - Enter the coupon code "johi" (without quotes) in the coupon code box at checkout for a 5% discount! Remember... Free shipping and Free gift wrapping!

2002-04-15T07:24:00.000-07:00

Reach Beyond
By Suzie Sutton

Do you reach beyond and touch the sky
Or are you the one afraid to try?
Do you reach beyond and learn anew
You need not be the same old you?
Do you reach beyond and test your limit
Or do you tell yourself, "I'm timid"?
Do you reach beyond and lead the pack

Or do you spend your time looking back?
Do you reach beyond and strive to find
Another way to stretch your mind?
Do you reach beyond to care and share
And help others to do and dare?

Do you reach beyond and expect the best
Or have you given up the quest?
Do you reach beyond and take your place
Here and now, in time and space?
Do you reach beyond and high above

To give and find Peace and Love?
Do you reach beyond and soar
Or did you place it safe one more?

2002-04-10T14:41:00.000-07:00

Vocabulary Raises
By Adam Khan

AS ONE CLASS GRADUATED from a large university, a group of researchers gave them an English vocabulary test and then tracked those people for twenty years. Strange as it may seem, those who knew the definitions of the most words were in the highest income group twenty years later.

The researchers discovered that the people who, in the beginning, had the worst vocabulary scores were in the lowest income group twenty years later. There wasn't a single exception. Does that or doesn't that strike you as utterly astounding?

Could this really be true? And can we extrapolate the conclusion that if you started now and increased your vocabulary, your efforts could eventually put you in a higher income group than you would have been in otherwise? Let's look further.

In another study, the executive and supervisory personnel of thirty-nine manufacturing plants were given extensive testing. All of them, from the lowest level of supervisor to the top of the executive elite rated higher than average on leadership qualities. Between all the leaders, there was a close similarity in leadership ability. But there were striking differences on the vocabulary test.

Basically, the higher the person's score on the vocabulary test, the higher their position in that company. The presidents and vice presidents of the companies had an average score of 236 (a perfect score was 272). The average score for superintendents was 140. Foremen averaged 114.

Why? What's going on here?

Let's look at it this way: When you were young, you didn't know the definitions of very many words, so you didn't understand much of what people around you were saying. As you learned more words, your understanding grew. Knowing the definition of even one more word makes a difference because if there is only one word you don't know, you'll often miss more of what's being said than that one word.

The word is part of a sentence that you won't completely understand. The sentence is part of a paragraph. One unknown word can create a small gap in your understanding of the entire subject.

The most obvious way to prevent that gap is to always look up a word you don't know. The bad news is that you can't really do that while listening to a lecture and most people don't like interrupting themselves when they're reading to stop and look up a word. I know I don't. So the word doesn't get looked up, and some of the ideas are only partially understood because of it.

The larger your vocabulary, the less that happens and the more you understand what you read and hear.

The good news is that after you know a word, you are more likely to understand any sentence with that word in it for the rest of your life. Any effort you make to increase the number of definitions you know will have a far-reaching and long-lasting effect. Here are three ways you can improve your vocabulary:

1. When you read a word you aren't sure of, look it up. Then create two or three sentences with that word in it. Using the word in your own self-created sentence is the quickest way to cement that word in your memory.

2. Get vocabulary tapes for your car and listen to them while driving, speaking the words out loud (it makes it easier to remember how to pronounce them).

3. Buy or make vocabulary flash cards and keep some in your pocket to test yourself in spare moments -- while waiting in line, for example. You can pick one every morning and carry the card with you to work, trying to use that word in several sentences that day.

TAKE THESE THREE steps and, in an adscititious manner, you may just see your income go from a flat line to an upwardly pointing falciform in the vespertine years of your life. Sticks and stones may break your bones, but words may get you a promotion.

adscititious: added, supplemental, additional
falciform: in the shape of a sickle, curved
vespertine: pertaining to the evening
-- Webster's New Universal Unabridged Dictionary

__________________
Excerpted from Adam Khan's book, Self-Help Stuff That Works, a collection of powerful principles to help you accomplish more in your life and feel better doing it. Check out reviews and a sample chapter at Amazon.com. Write to Adam at adamkhan@aol.com

2002-03-30T20:49:00.000-08:00

The Myth Of What We Manage
by Chris Widener

Perhaps it is merely semantics, but an underlying problem I find that people have as it relates to the success in their life lies in a proper understanding of what exactly it is that we manage.

Think about it. We have time management (In fact I have a seminar on this very topic, some of which is excerpted below), and financial management, and relational management, weight management, career management, and many, many more.

The fact is though, that we don't manage any of those things. What we do manage is ourselves, as they relate to those things. We don't manage time. Time clicks by, second by second, whether we do anything or not. What we do is manage ourselves, and our activities, as the time passes. We make choices as to what we will do and be involved in. The problem as well as the solution lies not with time, but with us.

We don't manage money. A pile of money will sit there forever if left alone. It won't grow or shrink. What we manage is ourselves and the decisions we make in regard to how we will spend the money. Getting the idea?

So as we live our lives and pursue success, one of the keys to grab on to is the idea that the most important thing we can manage isn't a thing at all - it is our self!

How then can we manage ourselves? Here are some thoughts.

Make sure that the above is firmly engrained in your thinking: I only manage myself. I can choose how I will act and react in every situation. Dwight D Eisenhower said that "The history of free men is not written by chance, but by choice, their choice."

Know your priorities. Do you know from top to bottom what your priorities are? Have you decided what the top ten things you want to spend your time on are? How about the same with your money? Only after you know these things can you properly manage yourself into choosing to live your priorities.

Learn to say "no" with a smile on your face. Here is where most of us fail. We do not choose to say "no" to those things that are not a matter of priority (the reason "why" is another newsletter article and probably a few counseling sessions at that!). Someone calls us up and asks us to do something for them (usually because they haven't managed themselves and would like our help picking up the pieces) and we say, "Uh, I guess so." Then what?

We usually kick ourselves for the rest of the day. "Why did I ever say yes?" Instead, practice this, "Gee, I am really sorry but I am not going to be able to be involved this time. I am sure you will be able to find somebody though." Go ahead and try it right now. Weird, isn't it? That is because we don't say it very often.

Schedule your priorities into you schedule or budget or whatever structure governs that area of your life. For example, do you have a financial budget that you yourself set? Then do you first and foremost spend your money in that way, say at the beginning of the month? If you do, you will eliminate even the opportunity to blow your money on impulse decisions and expenses because your money has already been committed into your priorities.

Remember, one of the greatest gifts God gave us is the ability to choose. And we can choose to manage ourselves appropriately and according to our priorities. As we do, we will find ourselves feeling less and less of the personal pain and frustration that we feel when we are out of control.

Get goin'!

Chris Widener
_______________
Chris Widener is a popular speaker and writer as well as the President of Made for Success and Extraordinary Leaders. Join subscribers in 98 countries around the world and get Chris' FREE weekly Made for Success Ezine by sending a blank email to success-on@mail-list.com. Get his FREE daily SuccessQuote by sending a blank email to SQ@infogeneratorpro.com or visit his websites at http://www.madeforsuccess.com and http://www.extraordinaryleaders.com

2002-03-25T22:41:00.000-08:00

Unreasonable Risk-Taking
by Tony Alessandra

Unreasonable risk-takers are individuals who tend to over-emphasize the resources they have available or can acquire to accomplish their objectives. Or, they're people who under-emphasize the barriers that are likely to get in their way.

There's been a lot of emphasis in the past decade or so on risk-taking as a positive trait of high achieving individuals. Most corporate environments don't encourage risk-taking. Neither do government bureaucracies. So "unreasonable risk-taking" might not seem like much of a problem, except that we're talking about increasing power and influence with others. That demands that you take risks, provide leadership, and create visions for others. So risk-taking comes with the territory of adaptability.

This is just a note of caution to take reasonable risks. Psychologist David McClelland and others who have researched high achievers say the most successful individuals take moderate risks which have a 30 percent to 70 percent chance of being accomplished. Taking a risk on something that has less than a 30 percent chance of success is considered reckless behavior rather than reasonable risk taking. This is especially true if you're risking the resources of other people in the process.

Accomplishing something which has over 70 percent chance of success is essentially not taking a risk in the first place. Assessing risk involves both looking at what positive factors are in the plan, as well as the negative factors that stand to get in the way. There's usually no way to do an ironclad assessment of a plan. Oftentimes the factor that weights the balance in one direction or the other is the person taking the risk. How much follow-through do you have? How much energy are you going to bring to the enterprise? If the going gets tough, can you count on yourself to keep going?

A great majority of businesses begun by individuals in this country fail within the first 5 years. Starting a new business is always a risk, but a good business plan upfront will help assess the chances for success. According to Michael Gerber, who runs a nationwide training company for fledgling entrepreneurs, the number one reason for the failure of startup businesses is under-estimation of the resources it takes to keep a business going.

Under-estimate of the capital required, under-estimate of the time it takes, and under-estimate of the expertise it takes to run your own business. Yet every year, hundreds of thousands of people hang out their sign, print their business cards and wait for their first customer or client.

And the good news is that tens of thousands of those businesses do succeed. Because they've taken a reasonable risk.
__________________
Tony Alessandra Member: Speakers Roundtable
Email: office@SpeakersRoundtable.com
Speakers Roundtable is a consortium of 22 of America's foremost professional speakers, sales trainers and seminar leaders. All members are dedicated to serving their training, motivation and consulting clients with per tinence, excellence and extraordinary value. FREE Ebook - Success Secret available at http://www.speakersroundtable.com

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2002-03-14T22:58:00.000-08:00

'Inside everyone lies Greatness....or Grating. What do you feel? A Force or Friction?... Or both?'
By Doug Firebaugh

Man....

Everytime I hear someone whining or complaining about how life is really putting them through the ringer...

How things are really tough...

How things keep going wrong... (Been there!)

I think that they really are only being polished for greatness by the Force of Success Friction....

Diamonds have to be rubbed and polished by friction and the force of pressure for their brilliance to be brought out and their value to be really seen...

That is called a CLUE!!!!!!!!!!!!

blessings....

Doug Firebaugh
_________________
PowerFire Training Group, Intl
http://www.passionfire.com

2002-03-11T14:06:00.000-08:00

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
_________________
This article was submitted by Jim Rohn, America's Foremost Business Philosopher. Copyright © 1999, 2002 Jim Rohn International. All rights reserved worldwide. To subscribe to the Free Jim Rohn Weekly E-zine click here!

2002-03-08T10:59:00.000-08:00

FORGIVING MY MOM
by Charlie "Tremendous" Jones (excerpted from the Mastermind Session at the Jim Rohn Weekend Event)

I learned the wonderful lesson of forgiveness from my mother because she left us when I was eleven; I was the oldest of five. I loved her every time she came to visit us and grew very bitter every time she would leave. It was then that I made up my mind that when I had children, I would have my revenge. I resolved that she would never be allowed to see her grandchildren.

And then one day, I married Gloria and we had our first child, a son. Although my mother only lived a mile away, I knew she would never see her grandson. However, shortly after my son's birth, something happened that changed my decision forever. About six months after his birth, a truck driver introduced me to the love of God and to His forgiveness. I then realized immediately how wrong I was. I went to my mother and it was then that she taught me about forgiveness, because I had to ask her to forgive me for the resentment I had carried for all
those years.

After that I called her weekly to tell her she was the best mother a kid could ever have had. I took her to Europe, I bought her a home and I did the eulogy at her funeral and told everyone there she was the most wonderful mother a kid could ever have.

But you might say, "She left you". Yes, she made a mistake, but she never meant to do it. You see sin makes us do a lot of things that we never mean to do. So today I can truly say that one of my greatest accomplishments was I made my mother happy.

I used to say the greatest thing you could ever leave your children is a memory that you loved your mother or father even if they left you, but then I changed that to the greatest thing you can ever do is leave your children with the memory that you loved God. However, after more thought, reflection and experience I then I saw that I was wrong there too. Because my children, as they grow, will see that I'm inconsistent and that at times I'm a little bit of a hypocrite too.

So now I teach that the greatest thing you can leave your children is the memory that God loves them just as they are and accepts them and forgives them.
_______________
Charlie "Tremendous" Jones shared this, while on the topic of how we were influenced by our parents, as a guest panelist at the three hour Mastermind Session on the recently released Jim Rohn Weekend Event. Mr. Jones made four excellent contributions while at the JRWE; including a 30-minute presentation, a 30-minute VIP luncheon Q and A with Bob Burg, a panelist at the three hour Mastermind Session and a behind the scenes 25 minute interview. Click here for more information on this program that includes the complete Jim Rohn two day and an additional 9 hours and 8 bonus sessions; including two VIP lunches, a Teenager Session, the Platinum Mastermind Session, VIP Breakfast with Tony Jeary, 6 guest speakers and 9 bonus interviews (21 hours total).

2002-03-07T13:40:00.000-08:00

The QUALITIES OF SKILLFUL LEADERSHIP
by Jim Rohn

If you want to be a leader who attracts quality people, the key is to become a person of quality yourself. Leadership is the ability to attract someone to the gifts, skills, and opportunities you offer as an owner, as a manger, as a parent. I call leadership the great challenge of life.

What's important in leadership is refining your skills. All great leaders keep working on themselves until they become effective. Here are some specifics:

1) Learn to be strong but not rude. It is an extra step you must take to become a powerful, capable leader with a wide range of reach. Some people mistake rudeness for strength. It's not even a good substitute.

2) Learn to be kind but not weak. We must not mistake kindness for weakness. Kindness isn't weak. Kindness is a certain type of strength. We must be kind enough to tell somebody the truth. We must be kind enough and considerate enough to lay it on the line. We must be kind enough to tell it like it is and not deal in delusion.

3) Learn to be bold but not a bully. It takes boldness to win the day. To build your influence, you've got to walk in front of your group. You've got to be willing to take the first arrow, tackle the first problem, discover the first sign of trouble.

4) You've got to learn to be humble, but not timid. You can't get to the high life by being timid. Some people mistake timidity for humility. Humility is almost a God-like word. A sense of awe. A sense of wonder. An awareness of the human soul and spirit. An understanding that there is something unique about the human drama versus the rest of life.

Humility is a grasp of the distance between us and the stars, yet having the feeling that we're part of the stars. So humility is a virtue; but timidity is a disease. Timidity is an affliction. It can be cured, but it is a problem.

5) Be proud but not arrogant. It takes pride to win the day. It takes pride to build your ambition. It takes pride in community. It takes pride in cause, in accomplishment. But the key to becoming a good leader is being proud without being arrogant. In fact I believe the worst kind of arrogance is arrogance from ignorance. It's when you don't know that you don't know. Now that kind of arrogance is intolerable. If someone is smart and arrogant, we can tolerate that. But if someone is ignorant and arrogant, that's just too much to take.

6) Develop humor without folly. That's important for a leader. In leadership, we learn that it's okay to be witty, but not silly. It's okay to be fun, but not foolish.

Lastly, deal in realities. Deal in truth. Save yourself the agony. Just accept life like it is. Life is unique. Some people call it tragic, but I'd like to think it's unique. The whole drama of life is unique. It's fascinating. And I've found that the skills that work well for one leader may not work at all for another. But the fundamental skills of leadership can be adapted to work well for just about everyone: at work, in the community, and at home.

To Your Success,
Jim Rohn
_______________
This article was submitted by Jim Rohn, America's Foremost Business Philosopher. Copyright © 1999, 2002 Jim Rohn International. All rights reserved worldwide. To subscribe to the Free Jim Rohn Weekly E-zine Click Here!

2002-03-05T17:49:00.000-08:00

"Proactive Systems Thinking Works To Achieve Dreams and Goals"
By Randy Gilbert (c)2002

I love the curiosity of preschoolers. Daddy, why does the dog drink with its tongue? Why do flowers have different colors? Why is it dark at night? Why is my hair blonde and hers is black? Why do you paint a house? And on and on they go. We are born wanting to know about things.

When you take the time to figure out 'why' things happen, then you can discover the systems that make things work and then use them to create a better world. Successful people proactively use systems to help them achieve their dreams and goals.

Being proactive has five essential elements: future thinking, positive thinking, intelligent thinking, systems thinking, and spiritual thinking. The people who practice all five are those who become the experts and enjoy true success and abundance.

'Systems thinking' is the ability to understand how things methodically work together in a procedure or process. It also includes how laws, rules, and principals interrelate and govern our world.

Thomas Edison was a systems thinker. He was a strong believer in using systems in all of his work and experiments. He knew that all of nature followed systems, even if he couldn't understand their fine details. He approached each problem methodically, knowing that if he systematically explored each alternative, he would eventually find the best solution.

Mr. Edison also used systems thinking to become a business genius. He systematized and automated everything he could. Many of his ideas for inventions were sparked by his own needs. For example, the Dictaphone saved hundreds of hours for business managers and increased America's productivity by huge margins.

Practice systems thinking and you too will enjoy success and abundance. Here are three proactive tips to help you learn system thinking, so you will achieve your dreams and goals.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tip 1 - Learn How To Use Systems For Your Benefit
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Everything you see around you follows systems. The more you study systems, the more it will become clear that the proper use of systems is what leads to a happy and abundant lifestyle.

For example, the system of earning more has always followed the pattern of improving the quality and quantity of the service you provide, rendered with a positive attitude. If you follow this system you will earn more - guaranteed! If you don't, any increase in pay will be short lived.

Another example, it's a curious fact that our minds find a way to transform what you think about most of the time into physical reality. When you are a happy, positive person, you will systematically attract good and positive things into your life. Success is not a matter of luck; it is preparing yourself to meet opportunity.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tip 2 - Learn How To Systematically Form 'Good' Habits
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

All animals live by the habits given to them by instinct, which is why young squirrels, who have never seen a winter, begin gathering a store of nuts in the fall.

As humans we are different, because many of our habits can be controlled by our conscious minds since we have the ability to choose. You can decide on which habits you are to follow, so you can set up 'good' habits for your benefit.

For example, you can choose to develop the 'good' habit of eating certain foods that will keep you healthier. First, set up a system of buying and preparing healthy foods, and then reward yourself with positive thoughts for "eating better." It takes mental effort at first, but soon it becomes a new habit that pays huge dividends of a healthier and happier lifestyle.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tip 3 - Set Up Systems That Pay You Back Forever
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When you automate systems you free up more of your time and energy to do other more important things. Invest your creativity into developing solutions and mechanisms that give you a perpetual payback and you create an asset. Systems become your assistants and they often work for free!

For example, writing a book takes a large amount of creativity and time, but once written, it becomes an asset and your communication assistant. It even becomes a legacy that continues communicating to others when you're gone.

Here are more examples. Organize things so you know where they are and won't waste your time locating them. Use automatic features on machines to do routine tasks, such as computer address books, self-dialers, email filters, and auto-responders.

Remember, proactively practice systems thinking by recognizing their benefit, forming 'good' habits, and automating as much as possible. When you follow systems that work, you will achieve your dreams and goals.
___________
About the Author - Randy Gilbert is the author of SUCCESS BOUND, from which portions of this article are extracted. You can contact him at Randy@DrProactive.com . To read summaries of each chapter, see the reviews of other authors and leaders, or to buy his new book go Here.
Copyright 2002 Randy Gilbert. All rights reserved.

2002-03-01T00:16:00.000-08:00

“You Can’t Sell Anything If You Can’t Sell Yourself”
by Marjorie Brody, MA, CSP, CMC

What makes some sales professionals standouts and others merely competent? I’ll give you a hint, it’s not the products they are selling. Top sales professionals have an edge. They know how to develop sales presentations that deliver not only the benefits of their products, but the best of themselves to their audience.

Salespeople construct and deliver presentations around the theory that speaking is an audience-centered sport. They think about their clients as they plan, create, and deliver their presentations. Sales professionals know that the most effective presentations have to start and finish with the audience’s needs as the focus. In a world filled with parity products and services, sales professionals who best present themselves to their clientele come out on top.

In a sales situation, it is essential that your client or prospect be receptive to the communications signals you will be sending, simplified here as the three V’s – the Visual, the Vocal, and the Verbal. While all three are important, in some situations what you say may not be as important as how you say it; for still others, they way you look and the facial expressions you use will influence the impression your presentation leaves.

Your ultimate credibility as a sales professional will be determined by how well you master the three V’s.

Visual – If a “picture is worth a thousand words,” then the picture you present to your clients as you stand before them must be visually sound. Before you have had a chance to say a word, many people will judge you strictly by your appearance. Your choice of clothing for the occasion should be suitable; business dress is always appropriate, even if your client is dressed informally.

The only exceptions are if you are at a sales meeting at a resort, and everyone is dressed casually, or if your client asks you to come dressed informally. That still means professionally dressed -–neatly pressed, never sloppy. For women, nothing tight or revealing – save the sandals for the beach.

You can never be faulted for looking “too professional,” even if the audience is dressed down. Clothing should fit well, and you should be able to move comfortably in it. Always check yourself – both front and back – in a full-length mirror. You don’t want your appearance to detract from what you are going to talk about.

Good grooming and pleasant facial expressions all add to the visual impact you will be creating. When you smile, it translates into your voice and your clients will pick up on your enjoyment of speaking to them. Your body language will also send a message. Don’t cross your arms or fidget. Use gestures to emphasize points, but be careful not to flail your arms around. When standing in front of a client, lean forward. Don’t sway or bounce.

Make regular eye contact with him or her. This approach helps draw the client into your presentation. Nodding to emphasize a point also helps make a connection. If you nod occasionally the people you are talking to will also. These interactions help to create a bond between you and your customer.

Vocal – The way you sound also has an impact. If you have ever listened to someone speaking in a monotone, you know how difficult it is to pay attention to what they are saying. There are six vocal cues to remember: pitch, volume, rate, punch, pause and diction. We all have a vocal range to work with, and when we are stressed, our voices tend to rise. Most clients prefer listening to a calm, lower pitched voice, and we can all learn to speak this way.

You can learn to lower your pitch by practicing this simple exercise: Repeat the following three sentences, each time using a lower pitch: “This is my normal pitch.” “Do, Re, Me, Fa, So, La, Ti, Do.” “This is my normal voice.” Repeat these sentences until you can deepen your pitch at will. Practice this exercise several times a day; after about a month, you will have greater control of your pitch. Vary your volume, but keep it easy on the ears. Not so loud that it’s painful, and not so soft that people have to strain. It is also important to speak clearly and enunciate so you can be easily understood. If you speak too quickly or softly, clients will have to work hard to pay attention.

Vary your tone and speed, and tailor your delivery rate to accommodate any regional differences. People from the Northeast tend to speak more quickly than speakers from the South. Emphasize or “punch” certain words for effect, but don’t forget to incorporate pauses to let important points sink in. Proper diction is also essential – if you’re not sure how to pronounce a word, look it up or don’t use it. And, unless you are asking a question, your voice should drop at the end of a sentence. Finish each sentence completely and clearly, keeping your volume up while dropping your pitch.

Verbal – There are four verbal communications rules to remember:

* Use descriptive language
* Use short sentences
* Avoid buzz words and jargon
* Avoid tag questions and qualifiers (“I guess,” “I hope,” “sorta,” “probably”)

When preparing your sales presentation, keep your points focused, so you don’t ramble on in long sentences. Adding tag questions (like “I think this is a good proposal, don’t you?”) weakens your position, and using words like “umm” and “like” and “you know” detract from what you are saying. Think about what you really want to say, and then say exactly what you mean.

By mastering the three “V’s,” you will be well on the way to mastering the skills needed to effectively sell yourself, your company, and your product or service.
_______________
(C) 2002 Marjorie Brody and Brody Communications Ltd. Marjorie Brody, MA, CSP, CMC, is president of Brody Communications Ltd. in Jenkintown, PA, where she helps individuals and corporations achieve their potential by strengthening their professionalism, persuasiveness and presence. Marjorie has presented to more than 1,000 audiences, and is the author of 15 books, including Help! Was That a Career Limiting Move?, Speaking is an Audience-Centered Sport, and Professional Impressions … Etiquette for Everyone, Every Day. She has appeared on CNBC several times, Fox-TV, Oxygen Network, and been quoted in The Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, USA Today, People, Glamour, BusinessWeek, Fortune and many other national publications. Marjorie can be reached at 800-726-7936, or by visiting www.BrodyCommunications.com or www.MarjorieBrody.com

2002-02-27T01:11:00.000-08:00

Sixteen Commonsense Listening Tips
By Dr. Tony Alessandra

"The reason you don't understand me, Edith, is because I'm talkin' to you in English and you're listenin' to me in dingbat!"? - Archie Bunker

Archie was right about finding a common language or wavelength, but it takes two to communicate-- the speaker and the listener. Both need to make the effort to understand each other. According to a French proverb, "The spoken word belongs half to him that speaks and half to him who hears."

All skills require learned behaviors and rules.

The rules for good listening involve basic courtesy, sorely needed by Archie, and common sense. Some of the rules may seem obvious, but it is amazing how many people forget them and unintentionally insult the speaker.

Often, without intending to be rude, your enthusiasm for a subject and your own desire to hear yourself talk cause you to forget courtesy. At other times you may be so involved with your own point of view that you forget to listen to what your client is saying; you just plain stop listening!

So, when conversing with another person, be aware of and practice the following rules:

1. Let others tell their own stories first.

When others explain their situations, they may reveal interesting facts and valuable clues that will aid you in helping them solve their problems or satisfy their needs. By letting them speak first, you also save time. When their interests are revealed you can tailor your discussion to their particular needs, goals, and objectives and can dispense with inappropriate conversation.

2. It is impossible to listen and talk at the same time.

This basic rule of effective listening is most often broken, especially by Archie Bunker. People anxious to add their own views to the conversation try to interject comments while another person is speaking. They wait for a pause in the conversation and "rapid fire'' their comments at the other person. This interjection of random comments is irritating to the speaker and actually slows the conversation because the initial speaker must dodge the comments and still keep his train of thought. Why not wait until the speaker's point is made? Then you will have your chance.

An enormous benefit of listening to your client is that he may "sell himself." He may solve his own problems or even come up with some product benefits that hadn't occurred to you. In addition, encouraging the client to talk keeps him from feeling pressured into a sale. Building confidence and reducing tension strengthen the trust bond between you and your client.

A client who "sells himself" is likely to be more fully committed and less likely to have "buyer's remorse." He may become a staunch defender of your product, be open-minded in future dealings, and be more likely to listen to you.

3. Listen for the main ideas.

Specific facts are only important as they pertain to the main theme. They can cause misinterpretation if taken out of context. Relate stated facts to the arguments of the speaker and weigh the verbal evidence used. Take advantage of the superior speed of thought over words and periodically review a portion of the discussion that has already been completed.

A good listener also tries to guess the points the speaker will make. Ask yourself: "What is the speaker getting at?" or "What is his point?" Then get feedback. If you guess correctly, your understanding is enhanced, and your attention is increased. If you are incorrect, you learn from your mistake.

4. Be sensitive to your emotional deaf spots.

Deaf spots are words that make your mind wander or go off on a mental tangent. They set off a chain reaction that produces a mental barrier in your mind, which in turn inhibits the continued flow of the speaker's message. Everyone is affected by certain words so it is important to discover your own individual stumbling blocks and analyze why these words have such a profound effect on you.

5. Fight off distractions.

Train yourself to listen carefully to your customer's words, despite such external distractions as a ringing telephone, passersby, or other office noise. Localized distractions, such as the idiosyncrasies of the speaker, may also be irritating, but make a conscious attempt to judge the content of the message -- not the delivery.

Focus your attention on the words, ideas, feelings, and underlying intent. Through practice you can improve your power of concentration, so that you can block out external and internal distractions and attend totally to the speaker.

6. Do not trust to memory certain data that may be important.

Take brief notes because listening ability is impaired while you are writing. Remember -- you cannot effectively do two things at the same time. Write notes in words and phrases rather than complete thoughts. All you need is something to jog your memory later in the day, and then you can recall the complete content of the message. Read your notes as soon as possible to make sure you understand what you put down on paper and always review them before subsequent contact with your clients.

7. React to the message, not the person.

Don't allow your mental impression of the speaker to influence your interpretation of his message. Good thoughts, concepts, and arguments can come from some of your least favorite people. George Jefferson planted the seeds of many ideas in Archie's fertile imagination.

8. Try to appreciate the emotion behind the words (vocal and visual messages) more than the literal meaning of the words.

Try to ask yourself these questions when another person is speaking:

a. What are the other person's feelings?
b. What does he mean by what he is saying?
c. What is his point of view?
d. Why is he saying this?
e. What is implied by what he says?

9. Use feedback.

Constantly try to check your understanding of what you hear. Do not only hear what you want to hear. In addition, check to see if the other person wants to comment or respond to what you have previously said. Archie and Edith could have avoided many misunderstandings by simply using feedback.

10. Listen selectively.

Critical messages may be hidden within the broader context of a conversation. Listen in such a way that you can separate the wheat from the chaff. Always ask yourself: "What is he telling me that can help me satisfy his needs, solve his problems, and accomplish his goals?"

11. Relax.

When another person speaks, try to put him at ease by creating a relaxed, accepting environment. Do not give the speaker the
impression that you want to jump right in and speak. Give him a chance to speak his mind.

12. Try not to be critical, of the other person's point of view.

Hold your temper and your emotional feelings and try to listen to truly understand. Be patient, Archie. Allow the speaker plenty of time to fully finish his train of thought. You might find that what you were initially going to disagree with wasn't such a bad idea after all. Keep an open mind. If you give the other person half a chance to tell you his views, you might find that you have learned something.

13. Listen attentively.

Face the speaker with uncrossed arms and legs; lean slightly forward. Establish gentle, intermittent eye contact. Use affirmative head nods and appropriate facial expressions when called for, but do not overdo it. Occasionally respond to your customer with "uh huh," "go on," or "yes," to demonstrate that you are listening.

14. Create a positive listening environment.

Shoot for a private atmosphere away from sources of distraction. Make the effort to ensure that the environment is conducive to effective listening.

15. Ask questions.

Ask open-ended questions to allow the speaker to express his feelings and thoughts. A simple "yes" or "no" is not enough. Use development questions like "How can I help you?, or "Where do we go from here?" to ask the speaker for more details on specific subjects. Clarifying questions seek information by restating the speaker's remarks.

These techniques demonstrate that you're hearing correctly. If you keep the other person talking, potential ambiguities clear up. The effective use of questions also allows you to contribute to the conversation.

16. Be motivated to listen.

Without the proper attitude all the foregoing suggestions for effective listening are worthless. Try to keep in mind that there is no such thing as an uninteresting speaker, only disinterested listeners. Put out the extra effort to try to listen.

Learning to listen effectively pays off in stronger trust bonds and increased sales. Others feel relieved to find people who actively listen and try to understand what they have to say about their problems and needs. Once that occurs, the speaker generally reciprocates by listening when it's the other person's turn to speak. That leads to an open, honest information exchange; the kind Edith Bunker was yearning for. Isn't that what communication is all about?
__________________
Tony Alessandra - Member: Speakers Roundtable - Web site: http://www.speakersroundtable.com - Email: office@SpeakersRoundtable.com. Speakers Roundtable is a consortium of 22 of America's foremost professional speakers, sales trainers and seminar leaders. All members are dedicated to serving their training, motivation and consulting clients with per tinence, excellence and extraordinary value. FREE Ebook - Success Secret by visiting the web site above.

2002-02-26T05:31:00.000-08:00

The Aladdin Factor – How To Ask For And Get Everything You Want
by Mark Victor Hansen

One of the best ways to improve your odds of getting what you want from anyone is to think about your request before you actually make it. The big reason many people fail to get what they want is that they are too afraid to ask or they view their requests as all-or-nothing gambits-instead of a series of negotiations and compromises.

But there is a middle ground. Here are strategies to help you begin the "asking" process and avoid becoming angry if things don't go exactly as planned.

STEPS TO SUCCESS

Tell yourself there is nothing to fear except fear itself. Fear of punishment or rejection is why most people hesitate to ask for what they want. They are afraid that going out on an emotional limb will result in humiliation if they fail.

Strategy: Before making your request, take plenty of time to remind yourself of the importance of what you are asking for. Tell yourself the only thing that matters is whether or not you are making good and well-articulated points.

By focusing on the merits of your request-not on how you will appear to others-many of your initial fears will fade away.

Before you try to sell others, sell yourself. Two of the most important elements involved in asking for what you want and getting it are self-confidence and determination.

Unless you believe in your heart that you will eventually win over the other side, you will likely falter or become upset at the first sign of resistance. An extreme emotional reaction to any hurdle will almost certainly doom your mission, causing the other side to take you and your points less seriously.

Tell yourself from the outset that you may not get what you want immediately. The statement is not the same as saying that you will never succeed, which could hurt your morale and determination.

Instead, you are merely facing reality - accepting the fact that you may face a setback. By acknowledging this possibility, you will not be surprised or upset if you are turned down.

Organize your thoughts. You can't expect to get results you want if the other side doesn't understand your request.

Strategy: Write out exactly what you want. Then redraft your points until your reasoning is clear, ordered and can be easily related. Practice in front of a mirror, or discuss the points with friends to be sure they make sense and you didn't leave anything out.

When you ask, ask from your heart. Important requests are always better received when those making them are passionate, friendly, polite and firm. Such a stance is difficult to resist. It increases you odds of success...or at least minimizes the chance that your personality or attitude will sabotage your request.

Ask in an enthusiastic manner and voice. Maintain steady eye contact to show that you mean business but also exhibit respect and admiration for the person to whom you are speaking. In general, you stand a much better chance of getting what you want when you make people feel at ease and show them that you are truly excited about what you are requesting.

Prepare to deal with resistance. Even if you do everything right, you might still meet resistance.

The person you are asking might want to confer with someone else before he/she makes final decision...or he may want to table his answer, hoping that you'll retreat from your position once you have had some time to think about it…or he might just say no. If someone resists on challenges your request, be polite and gracious. Do not lose your temper or become discouraged. Instead of seeing the other person's resistance as a dead end, view it as part of a continuing conversation. Translate every no into a next. Realize a no doesn't mean stop...it simply means not yet.

Learn the art of saying thank you. Whether or not you get what you want, say thank you. Gratitude will leave the other person open to giving you what you want-or more of what you want-sometime in the future.

Strategy: Say thank you directly to the person-and follow up with a written note. In some cases, flowers or a gift may be appropriate.

Learning the art of expressing gratitude will force you to focus on the positive. It will also keep you from holding a grudge, which is difficult to hide and only works against you in the long run.
_________________
Written by Mark Victor Hansen - Co-Author of the Chicken Soup For The Soul series of books. For over 26 years, Mark Victor Hansen has focused solely on helping people in all walks of life reshape their personal vision of what's possible for themselves. Visit http://www.markvictorhansen.com for free articles and resources, secure shopping and web-only product specials, speaking schedule and current projects of Mark Victor Hansen!

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2002-02-21T19:54:00.000-08:00

STATISTICS ON SUCCESS
by Doug Firebaugh

* You can't do it. Look at the facts.
* You aren't smart enough. Look at the facts.
* You aren't talented enough. Look at reality.
* You cannot achieve it. The numbers are against you.
* You will never win. The odds are against you.
* You should consider the history. It cannot be done.
* You will never learn. Look at the past.
* You can't do it. Look at the facts.

Tell that to Bill Gates.
Tell that to Henry Ford.
Tell that to Steven Spielberg.
Tell that to Shania Twain.
Tell that to Thomas Edison.
Don't dare tell that to Sammy Sosa.

The only statistics that can stop you in any endeavor are the statistics that you accept as TRUE. The statistics never measure:

The Heart.
The Desire.
The Belief.
The Determination.
The Decision.
The Focus.
The Resolve.

All statistics do is give a general overview of what someone thinks is happening....when it comes to what you can do...the only thing that matters is what is happening inside of you.(CLUE!!!!) STATS... you know what that stands for?

Stopping The Ascent Towards Success. The only statistic that matters as far as success is concerned... Is the WILL TO WIN.

That is the Final Statistic...that will always overshadow all other statistics... oh... STATS also stands for... Stop The Accepting That Success...(can't happen.) It WILL.... if YOU WILL... I hope and pray you caught that....

Blessings....
Doug Firebaugh
________________
Doug Firebaugh is Chairman/CEO of PassionFire International and spent 11 years in the Network Marketing industry full-time building a National and International Business that spanned the globe. Before that he was an award winning Financial Counselor. "He has been endorsed by Zig Ziglar and Jim Rohn International" Visit Doug's site at: http://www.passionfire.com

2002-02-20T00:08:00.000-08:00

It is with a heavy heart that I dedicate today's posting here to the memory of the great Art Berg - CSP, CPAE - member of the Speaker Hall of Fame. To say that Art was an inspiration is an understatement. Through him, vast amounts of people, myself included learned to truly live life. Not simply as bystanders, but as active participants in the journey we call life. To give you a better understanding of Art's incredible positive outlook on life I'd like to share the following article sent to me a while back from him. It does an incredible job of illustrating just how inspirational he was... Josh Hinds

Excessive Happiness
By Art Berg, CSP, CPAE Speaker Hall of Fame

A few years ago, the hospital where I did my rehab in California contacted me to let me know they were going be purging their records of any data that was more than ten years old. Because that included my medical records, they gave me the option of paying the postage to have them simply mail the medical data from my four-month stay in their hospital to me. I jumped at the chance.

A few weeks later a package arrived that was thick and bulging from the reams of paperwork. For several hours I read through the reports. It was fascinating to me. First, it refreshed some old memories for me. Second, it gave me the perspective of the hospital staff, doctors and nurses regarding my rehabilitation and recovery from my spinal cord injury. It included medications, doctor's notes, complications, and my case manager's recommendations.

For years I had been curious about some things. During much of my hospital stay, my doctor kept sending psychiatrists to see me. At one time, my doctor had me separated from a room I shared with several other SCI patients to my own room-I certainly wasn't complaining, but it did seem odd at the time. Right there, in the middle of this massive medical journal, I found the reason: Excessive Happiness.

Yep, that's what it said. My medical condition was excessive happiness. The doctor felt I laughed too much and was in too good of a mood much of the time. Excessive happiness. I never knew there was such a disorder. He noted in my record that he felt my state of "excessive happiness" was keeping me in a state of denial about my condition. He felt that the problem was exacerbated by (in his words) "a loving family." His solution was to do several things:

1. Keep me in psychiatric counseling;
2. Isolate me from other patients;
3. And, limit my exposure to my family and friends.

Excessive happiness? I didn't know you could be too happy? Because of my "unique medical condition" (one I am gratefully still suffering with today), I think I am qualified to share my own perspective on what causes such a grave (sic) malady.

1. Happiness is a choice; a choice we make every day.
2. Happiness is not a condition of our circumstances or external influences; it is a state of mind and heart.
3. Happiness comes most often when we focus on solving other people's pain and problems as opposed to thinking only of our own.
4. Happiness isn't what we have or who we are. It's feeling valuable and worthy regardless of our station in life.
5. Happiness is within everyone's reach.
_______________
Art Berg CSP, CPAE Speaker Hall of Fame
Invictus Communications Inc
eSpeakers.com, Inc
artberg@artberg.com
http://www.artberg.com
http://www.espeakers.com

2002-02-18T09:58:00.000-08:00

SUCCESS IS NOT AN ACCIDENT
by Brian Tracy

Success is not a miracle. Nor is it a matter of luck. Everything happens for a reason, good or bad, positive or negative. When you are absolutely clear about what you want, you only need to copy others who have achieved it before you, and you will eventually get the same results that they have.

This is referred to in the Bible as the Law of Sowing and Reaping which says that, "Whatsoever a man soweth, that also shall he reap."

Sir Isaac Newton called it the third principle of motion. He said, "For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction." For you and I, the most important expression of this universal law is that, "Thoughts are causes and conditions are effects."

Put another way, "Thought is creative." Your thoughts are the primary creative forces in your life. You create your entire world by the way you think. All the people and situations of your life have only the meaning you give them by the way you think about them. And when you change your thinking, you change your life, some times in seconds!

The most important principle of personal or business success is simply this: You become what you think about most of the time.

It is not what happens to you but how you think about what happens to you that determines how you feel and react. It is not the world outside of you that dictates your circumstances or conditions. It is the world inside you that creates the conditions of your life.

-- Brian Tracy
______________
Brian Tracy is one of the world's leading authorities on personal and business success. Visit Brian's web site and take advantage of his FREE audio program offer - 21 Success Secrets Of Self Made Millionaires, or 21 Great Ways To Manage Your Time And Double Your Productivity.

2002-02-16T22:57:00.000-08:00

Money!
By John Ahern

"With what you get from others,
You make a living for yourself.
What you give to others,
makes a life for yourself." -- Hindu Maximum

Money is a reward for service, giving is receiving... What a great subject and certainly on the minds of the majority at the beginning of a new year. How can you earn more to continue buying the 'things' that are supposed to make you happy?

How can you squeeze a few more hours out of your already physically worn body, an earn just a little more? Stop right there! Can you continually sacrifice your health, your home, your family and your working life in the pursuit of money? The people of the world are waking up!

You will find that money just doesn't make up for it anymore. You can not continue to find ways to work harder and longer with no enjoyment. Work is living too and the sooner you see this very clearly, the happier you will be. You do not get any credits back for the time you have spent in the pursuit of money.

Yes! - money is very important to your survival and no one is suggesting that you should not have any or work hard to earn it. But you can balance your life and learn to enjoy work. Earning money is enjoyable, whatever you are doing. Increase your understanding of exactly what money is and put in place long term action plans that consistently increases your services to others. Money is a reward for service and the better you serve the more you can earn.

Know that just having money is not wealthy. Wealth is being healthy, happy, wholesome and wise. Yes, Money is an interesting subject and I love it. Here is another interesting thing about money. Up to the age of forty you spend your health making money and then after forty you spend your money making health. Stop today and balance your life. Don't sacrifice all your hours in the pursuit of money. Work is living and you deserve to be happy at work and at home.

"When you work, you fulfil a part of earth's fondest dream, assigned to you when the dream is born." - Kahlil Gibran
________________
John Ahern - Australia's leading business Happiness Coach
http://www.jdi.net.au
Copyright: John Ahern, 2002
For FREE weekly subscription email: subscribe-wwm@jdi.net.au

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2002-02-15T22:30:00.000-08:00

WINNING WITHOUT INTIMIDATION Sales Tip -- Your "Benefit Statement"
By Bob Burg

Last time, I touched briefly on the "Benefit Statement." This is a brief statement (typically, between 5-7 seconds (consisting of the benefit(s) your prospect or their company would derive from doing business with you.

The difference between features and benefits is profound. Namely that people don't buy features (what something is); they buy benefits (what it can do for them). So craft your "Benefit Statement" in such a way that the person with whom you're speaking immediately grasps the benefits of what your product or service will do for them. My prospecting mentor, Rick Hill, calls it "The Raised Eyebrow Test." Is your Benefit Statement going to cause them to raise their eyebrows in fascination and want to know more? Or, as Rick asks, "Will they simply yawn?" :-)

So, instead of saying, "I'm a stockbroker", "I'm in life insurance", or "I'm a chiropractor" (all simply features), let's look at some examples of "Benefit Statements":

Stockbroker: I help people create and manage wealth.

Life Insurance: I help people protect their families and plan for a prosperous financial future.

Network Marketer (of health products): I help people create wealth and health.

Realtor: I help people successfully sell their home, and own the home of their dreams.

Long-Term Care Insurance: We help people protect their hard-earned assets from one of life's greatest financial catastrophes.

Chiropractor: I help people heal themselves naturally, without medication.

Litigating Attorney: Our firm helps people resolve disputes in various forms and avoid costly consequences.

Rick Hills say that a good litmus test of your "Benefit Statement's" effectiveness is when your prospect responds by asking, "Oh, how do you do that?"

Remember, every single year millions of 1/4 inch drill bits are sold, and yet nobody buying any one of them actually wants a 1/4 inch drill bit. So why do they buy them then? Because they want a 1/4 inch HOLE. Remember, people buy benefits, not features.
________________
Bob Burg ( http://www.burg.com ) speaks on "Endless Referrals" and "Positive Persuasion." He is author of "Endless Referrals: Network Your Everyday Contacts Into Sales" and "Winning Without Intimidation: The Art of Positive Persuasion." To sample his popular ezine Click here. To book him to speak at your next major convention call 800-726-3667.

2002-02-14T21:11:00.000-08:00

The Foundation of Lasting Change: Awareness and Commitment:
By Rosemarie Rossetti

Changes that we make in our lives are as a result of our experiences. Something happens to us in our day-to-day lives to trigger us into action. We may have had a traumatic experience, be in physical or emotional pain, or suffered a loss. Pain and negative experiences are oftentimes a catalyst for change.

Some experiences only give us clues. The severity of the experience hasn’t been great enough to force us to make a change. Oftentimes people admit that they want to make changes in their lives. Changes that will make them happier and healthier. Common lifestyle changes include: eating less, exercising more, working less, sleeping more. There is a give and take in our daily activities. One activity may replace the other. We realize that a pattern needs to be broken. Our old habits must stop. The better life that lies ahead will only be achieved when changes are made.

Perhaps lifestyles composed of bad habits can be modified sooner than we thought. People have claimed that it takes 21 days to form a new habit. When we have recognized the habit that we need to banish, we need to replace it with other daily activities. We need to make a conscious effort that the change is being implemented in our lives and change our old routines so that the new activity will become a habit. With each day we must make a conscious effort to break old patterns as we come to realize that old patterns create the same results.

Sometimes we identify that a change in our lives is needed, however, we lack strong motivation to do anything about it. Looking back on my life, I can identify times where a change was needed far sooner than I actually made it. With reflection, I regret the time that was lost. The change made such a significant impact in my life and yet I delayed the action that was necessary to make the change happen.

How many times have you regretted not making a change soon enough? Have you been putting things off for too long? For example, have you been meaning to set aside money for your retirement by increasing the amount of money you save each month? Are you meaning to look for a new job or relationship? Are you thinking about quitting smoking or eating the wrong foods? When are you finally going to make the change?

It may be later than you think, however, it is even later if you don’t initiate action today. It is far better to make the commitment to change today, plan a strategy, set a timeline, and initiate the change.

If we only react to the climax in bad situations such as a bad relationship or job, then we set ourselves up to be reactive rather than proactive. We should foresee the consequences of our inertia and take the appropriate course of action sooner. We need not wait until the pain is intense and the situation is critical. The situation need not escalate to the point where things are out of our control and the changes are forced upon us.

We can all enhance our lives if we look at the signs and messages that nudge us to make changes. These come from books and articles we read, speakers we hear, and friends and family who council us. There are times when we get inspired and appear motivated. Too often we react to the suggestions of others by hesitating, delaying, and stalling.

It is only by recognizing the need for a change, identifying and making the change that we can grow. We need to get out of our comfort zones, become less complacent, and have the internal drive and self-esteem to take control of our lives and live with conviction.
________
To book Rosemarie Rossetti, Ph.D. to speak at a conference, contact her at: (614) 471-6100; www.RosemarieSpeaks.com. Rosemarie works with organizations and corporations that want to bring out the best in their people, and she demonstrates how to live life with conviction.

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What Happens When We Don’t Make It?
By Michael Angier

We all like to read about successes. We’re encouraged by the achievement of others and inspired to hear about how they overcame difficult odds. But what happens when things don't go as planned? What happens when we just don't make it?

Successful people don’t reach all their goals. In fact, they miss more than they make.

The fear of missing the mark is one of the reasons we don't set some goals in the first place. We don't want to fall short and we don't want anyone to know we didn't make it. We don’t want to FAIL. I’d like to share some thoughts about a goal I didn't reach. My goal at the beginning of the year was to lose 32 pounds by May 21st. I lost only 14.

There are many other goals over the past few months that WERE met--and even exceeded--but this one was one of the most important. It was also one over which I had the greatest control. It is me and me alone who determines what goes into my mouth and how often and how much I exercise. It was a doable and believable goal. I had a target date. I had a workable plan and it was a worthy goal. So what happened? There were a number of factors that contributed to coming up short, and I’m still evaluating them.

The important thing to realize, however, is that I didn’t actually fail. What happened was I missed my target date. Am I discouraged? A little. Am I disappointed? Yes. But I can’t change what is. I have to survey the results, the LACK of results and look closely at my plan and how I'll improve upon it.

Am I still committed to it? Yes, indeed. Am I resetting a target date? You bet. And that’s what’s important--not giving up. Until I realized that I had missed the target date instead of failed in the process of achieving my goal, I WAS discouraged. I was focusing on failure instead of the progress I’d made.

The truth is, I’m stronger and healthier now than I was in January. Losing 14 pounds isn’t bad. It’s not great, but it’s better than being where I was--or worse--GAINING weight.

If I can burn 14 pounds of fat in 18 weeks, I can do at least as well over the next 18 weeks--probably better. Beating myself up for not reaching my goal has no payoff. It can’t help. I get letters all the time from people disheartened because they're not making the progress they think they should. They’re discouraged because they didn’t succeed. The truth is, achieving big goals is rarely easy.

What IS easy is to focus on our shortfalls. It's easy to talk to ourselves in negative, counterproductive language: "I'll never make it." "I just can't get it right." "Why don't I ever win."

Perhaps we’re deceived by stories of "overnight" successes. We don’t see the setbacks and obstacles that were part of the success. But perseverance almost always wins out. I’m reminded that an oak tree is just a little nut that held its ground. If it were easy, we wouldn’t have the satisfaction that comes with the winning. If we didn’t have to change in order to reach the goal, we wouldn’t grow. The pain of discipline is only temporary. The glory of achievement lasts much longer.

I’m going to hang in there. I’m going to start over. And I’m going to do it. How about you? Do you let the fear of "failure" keep you from setting big goals? Will you keep on keeping on? What goal do you have that needs a recommitment? What will you overcome in order to achieve it? How are you willing to change?
______________
Michael E. Angier - Success Networks International
Visit the SuccessNet website
Win-Win Way, PO Box 2048, So
Burlington VT 05407 USA 802.862.0812 voice & fax
success@successnet.org

2002-02-12T22:53:00.000-08:00

CHANGE: EMBRACE IT OR RESIST IT
by Nido R. Qubein

If your company is going to stay in business, it has to change, and that can be scary. For many people, change is more threatening than challenging. They see it as the destroyer of what is familiar and comfortable rather than the creator of what is new and exciting. Most people, and organizations, would rather be comfortable than excellent.

But these days, if you don't change, you stagnate and die. We must implant change in the corporate culture. As a businessman myself, and as an adviser to executives, I've encountered many examples of constructive change brilliantly executed. Let me share with you some of the things I've learned.

People Will Change Only if the Alternative is Worse than the Change

Sometimes it's hard for people to internalize the need for change. A naval aviator once made an interesting observation to me that illustrates the point. He said many pilots have died because they stayed with their disabled aircraft too long. They preferred the familiarity of the cockpit to the unfamiliarity of the parachute, even though the cockpit had become a death trap.

Many businesses have died because their people preferred the familiar but deadly old ways to the risky but rewarding new ways. We must teach them that to stand pat is to perish.

People Hunger for Stability Amid Change

The steady, reliable people in any organization are often fearful of change. We must keep them in mind. We must assure them that change doesn't mean an end to their world; it means a continuation, but with improvements. Here are some things we can do:

1) Explain the reasons for the change. When people understand the logic behind change, it becomes more rational and more comfortable.

2) Show how our plans keep risks to a minimum.

3) Emphasize the things that will remain the same.

4) Let them know what to expect, step by step.

5) Let them know that top management is fully behind the change. Our confidence in the value of the changes will be reassuring to them.

6) Commend them and recognize them for the constructive changes they make.

For Change to be Successful, It Must be Planned

We must be in control of the changes instead of at their mercy. Successful changes are based on values. As Levi Strauss CEO Robert Haas told Harvard Business Review, "Values provide a common language for aligning a company's leadership and its people."

When Honeywell decided to change its orientation from national to global, it adopted a set of values that included integrity, quality, performance, mutual respect and diversity. These values enabled it to steady its course through the sea of change.

Planned Change Involves A Three-Step Process: Softening, Reshaping and Restabilizing

The softening stage is the most uncomfortable for employees. After years of doing things the same old way, they have been hardened into rigid habits. Now they have to unlearn them.

When you want to soften something, you usually apply heat. During the softening stage, we apply heat by attaching a stigma to the old behaviors we want to discontinue. We stop rewarding them. This is the time when you're likely to encounter the greatest resistance to change. Even your management people may dig in their heels. After all, you're changing the system under which they rose to their present jobs.

Here's where you need skillful communication: You must make clear the reasons for change and the consequences of not changing. The gain and the pain must be made clear to managers and employees alike.

Your staff and employees now must learn a whole new attitude toward their work. Managers must see themselves as facilitators, not dictators. Employees must see themselves as value adders, not order-takers or machine operators. This calls for a well-thought-out educational program.

Finally comes the restabilizing stage. During this period, you want the new behaviors to become a natural part of the everyday routine in the work place. Pilot projects can help managers and employees feel comfortable and natural with the new ways during this stage. Let them try out the new methods in "practice runs" to see how they work.

Throughout the change process, everyone from line workers to senior management must be convinced that the company is behind the change. CEOs themselves must take responsibility for encouraging the new behavior. They must model it as they deal with people on as many levels as possible in the organization.

It may take years to effect fundamental change, and you should never consider the job finished. Instead, you should look for ways to institutionalize change. When your people are oriented to change and educated in effective ways to bring about change, you're geared up for the future.
________________
Nido is a keynote speaker, seminar leader, corporate consultant, successful businessman and author of many books and cassette learning systems. He is a high-energy performer who will inform, entertain and inspire your group. He always provides high-content, take home value through carefully customized presentations designed to meet each client's specific needs. Visit: http://www.nidoqubein.com or e-mail Info@nidoqubein.com

2002-02-11T15:49:00.000-08:00

There Is No Time Like The Present
By Noel Peebles

We are living in "The Greatest Entrepreneurial Boom In History." We are surrounded by opportunities, but most people don't recognize them. For example, there are far more opportunities in direct marketing and internet marketing today, especially for the small guy, than I have ever known there to be in the past.

I will be so bold as to say - In 20 years from now people will look back and wish that they could have started a business, invested money, bought shares or property during the early years of the new century, when there were so many new opportunities.

Those really were "The Good Old Days", and the exciting reality is. we are living in them. HERE! NOW!!!! People in the future will look back and envy what was truly, "The Golden Age Of Opportunity." How fortunate we are to be HERE! NOW!

We have more choice of the things we buy, the food we eat, our lifestyles and our relationships. We have a longer life expectancy, thanks to breakthroughs in health care. Most of us are living in a land of equal opportunities with the freedom to express our opinions and do almost anything we want. We have the technology to travel and communicate with anyone, anywhere.

These days there are a greater variety of job options than ever before. New doors are constantly being opened with the dynamic growth in the service, information and technology sectors of this new global economy. New opportunities. New career options.

These are fast evolving times and we are experiencing the greatest technological boom since the invention of the motorcar, electricity and the telephone. We are all being affected in some way and not everyone likes it. Lay-offs in big business have become a way of life. Companies are constantly undergoing restructuring of resources with mergers, takeovers, relocations and downsizing being the norm. Why is this happening?

With the development of technology, changes have generally become easier, quicker, and less costly than ever before. These changing times bring opportunity especially for small business. New opportunities for niche marketing, opportunities to work from home, opportunities to capitalize on the ageing 'baby boomer' market, and opportunities to sell to a global market.

It's all happening HERE! NOW! in our lifetime!!!

© Market Leaders Limited.
_____________
Noel Peebles offers you his FREE mini-course "17 Powerful Secrets That Have Made Business Owners Into Millionaires". Simply send blank email to: instantsellbusiness@ReportsNetwork.com

2002-02-10T23:53:00.000-08:00

How to build great core client relationships
by Mark Victor Hansen

Professional salespeople, like any serious professionals, have a goal of building excellent relationships with other people in both their personal and professional lives. Building excellent relationships is a habit, and it produces wonderful rewards.

But relationships can be very fragile. Many marriages don't survive and many business relationships thrive for awhile and then fall apart. We call this the Double Spiral in developing our book, The Power of Focus. We are in the Upward Spiral when things are going well, when our confidence is high and our important relationships are healthy and flourishing.

The opposite is the case if we slip into the Downward Spiral. Things start to unravel, a lack of communication occurs, stress increases and life becomes a constant struggle. Relationships are polarized during the Downward Spiral.

Let's take a quick look at how the Downward Spiral shows up in real life. To more clearly understand how this can impact on your current and future client relationships, think of a personal or business relationship that didn't work out.

Create in your mind all the steps that caused this relationship to fall apart. Go back as far as you can and record what happened. When you carefully reflect on what causes relationships to fall apart, you can take steps to heal them and be better prepared for the next one.

The Upward Spiral certainly is more fun to analyze, but when you do, you stand to reap the rewards quicker in your future relationships. Repeat the process of recalling steps that caused this relationship to flourish. But this time, focus on a relationship that you gradually nourished, expanded and enriched until it blossomed into a wonderful, long-term friendship or business relationship.

You will enjoy a tremendous advantage in the marketplace when you develop an accurate blueprint that you can duplicate many times in the future. Powerful relationships ensure powerful results.

* Avoid toxic people - Before we move on, please heed this important advice: avoid toxic people! Unfortunately, there are a few people out there who see the world as one big problem, and in their eyes you're part of it. No matter how well things are going, they focus on the nitpicking little negative details. And they do it constantly. It's a habit that totally destroys relationships.

You may be thinking at this point, "Easier said than done. Do you mean if a friend I've known for years talks like this, should I just turn and walk away?" No, RUN! His constant negativity will drain the life out of you.

Now please understand, we're not talking about someone who has a genuine challenge and needs real help. We're referring
to those chronic whiners who take great pleasure in dumping all their negative garbage on your plate at every opportunity. It's the highlight of their day. Don't put up with it anymore.

* Core clients and the double win - The important step in developing the habit of Excellent Relationships is learning to nourish your most valuable relationships in a win-win atmosphere. A lot has been written and spoken about the philosophy of win-win in selling and sales negotiation.

But win-win is essentially a philosophy of how you live your life. In business, win-win means having a genuine concern for the other person; that they win as much as you do. Sadly, however, the attitude of many people in business has been to grind every last cent out of every situation. These so-called guerrilla tactics cause a lack of trust, cynicism, questionable ethics and a high level of anxiety in the marketplace.

The result is win-lose. On the other hand, win-win doesn't mean giving the farm away every time you make a deal. That's lose-win, which would eventually put you out of business. There's also another category called lose-lose. This happens when both parties are too stubborn or too egotistical to create a winning solution.

* Building excellent core client relationships. A crucial element in growing your business is building excellent core client relationships. Core clients are at the heart of your business. They buy from you consistently and are a main source of revenue. They are also happy to provide excellent referrals for new business because they genuinely love your products and service.

Amazingly, may salespeople today don't even know who their core clients are. Core clients are your passport to future growth. Unfortunately, these important relationships are often taken for granted. The attitude is, "He always orders two thousand units a month. We need to focus on new business."

* Not every deal is worth saving - New business is important. Staying in touch with your best clients is more important. It's a lot more difficult to find new customers than it is to keep and serve your old customers.

Be aware of the time you spend on people who are peripheral clients. The word peripheral is worth noting. It means at the outer edge, unimportant or not worth mentioning. Another term is dispensable. Do you have any peripheral clients in your business? If you're not sure, here's how you can spot them. They commonly take a lot of your time and energy and give you very little business in return.

Sometimes they give you no business at all. But they will question you on every little detail, and they'll place unreasonable demands on your time. Of course, you may not want to turn any business away from your door. But what is it costing you in time and energy to dabble in minor results? Some deals just aren't worth the effort.

* You don't want to lose your core clients - There's one critical element you need to understand about your core clients. You don't ever want to lose them. Here's the big question. How much real time do you spend with your more important core clients? Our research indicates that very little time is allocated to core clients. Consequently, these relationships never mature to their full potential. On the bottom line, that means a lot of money is squandered.

Now that you know who these important people are, pay more attention to them. The long-term rewards are well worth the effort. Your business will increase, and you'll also minimize the likelihood of losing any of these top clients to your competitors. You will probably offer your core clients special services and all those little extras that define you as unique.

These may include golf outings, dinners or special trips. You could take time to share ideas of advising how to handle certain challenges. Maybe you consistently provide good referrals to expand their business. The more you know about the people on your core client list and core personal list, the more you can help them. And the true spirit of win-win means that you make these contributions unconditionally.

Successful salespeople create an information file for every one of their core clients and core personal relationships. They find out everything they can about these individuals including their likes and dislikes, favorite restaurants, birthdays, anniversaries, kids' names, favorite hobbies, sports and pastimes.

* Be willing to go the extra mile - It takes time and effort to cultivate highly successful relationships. It means that you will often be required to go the extra mile. This way of living gradually becomes your new normal behavior. You do it without thinking. When win-win behavior becomes truly embedded in your everyday life, the floodgates of opportunity will open up for you like never before. You will indeed be richer for it, and we don't just mean financially.

Mark Victor Hansen

(C) 2001 Mark Victor Hansen
America's Leading Expert on Human Potential
_____________________
Written by Mark Victor Hansen - Co-Author of the Chicken Soup For The Soul series of books. For over 26 years, Mark Victor Hansen has focused solely on helping people in all walks of life reshape their personal vision of what's possible for themselves. Visit www.markvictorhansen.com for free articles and resources, secure shopping and web-only product specials, speaking schedule and current projects of Mark Victor Hansen!

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2002-02-07T19:18:00.000-08:00

THE 4 PHILOSOPHIES OF PASSION
by Robin Sharma

We all crave greater passion in our lives. We all want to have an inner sense of adventure and excitement and the feeling that every day is moving us closer to the dreams that make our hearts sing. At work, passion inspires us to shine brightly with our clients and colleagues, creating the leadership culture in the process. At home, passion allows us to connect more deeply in relationship to others, building intimacy, understanding and love. Here are 4 philosophies on how to create passion in your life:

1. The Source of Passion is Purpose. In "Leadership Wisdom from The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari" (HarperCollins), I share the 8 Rituals of Visionary Leaders, the first being "Link Paycheck to Purpose". When you link the work you are doing with some kind of a higher purpose, you awaken your emotions and in doing so your natural reservoir of passion. Whether you save lives as an emergency room doctor or serve your community as the owner of a corner store, we all have the capacity to step back from our busy lives and ask ourselves "what is the higher meaning of the work I do?" Taking the time to discover how your work adds value to human lives and in some small way makes the world a better place will open up your heart and create a spark that fuels your success.

2. Play with The Heavyweights. The kind of thinking that got you to the point you are now at will not be the kind of thinking that will get you to where you want to be. If you want to see new things in your life, you must dedicate yourself to thinking new thoughts and doing new things. One of the "new things" you can do is to "play with the heavyweights on the planet". More than any other time in the history of our evolution, there are people in the world doing great things. Start making connections with the people who inspire you. If you hear a piece of music that brings tears to your eyes, e-mail the musician and express your gratitude. If you admire a business leader, send her a handwritten note and express your appreciation. If you observe someone dreaming big in your community, invite him to lunch and get to know him. Passion is contagious and theirs will resurface within you.

3. Be Silent. You can read all the books in the world and still not be as wise as you would be by simply going deep within yourself and disovering the place of knowing that slumbers inside each and every one of us. The philosophers of the past call this inner knowing "the silent whispers of the heart". Make time to be silent and still. Let go of the mental chatter that fills your mind with information and prevents the entry of wisdom. With practice you will be delighted with the passion and understanding that appears.

4. Create a Passion Board. Today, go out and buy 5 magazines that have images of the life you intend on creating inside of them. Find pictures that speak to the child within you and fill you with joy and hope. The pictures might reflect the kind of passion you want to bring to your work or the kind of home you wish to live in or the kind of person you aim to become. Paste these images onto the whiteboard and make a collage representing your "best life". Now turn to your journal and write a page on why you want to manifest these desires into your life. Reconnect to your Passion Board every Sunday night to focus you on the Things That Truly Count and to maintain the elite performer's mindset.
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Robin S. Sharma, LL.M. is an internationally-known speaker on sales leadership, peak performance and creativity. The bestselling author of motivational books including MegaLiving, he is the managing partner of Sharma Leadership International. He can be reached at 1-888-774-2762 or e-mailed at wisdom@robinsharma.com or http://www.robinsharma.com

2002-02-05T18:51:00.000-08:00

THE FORMULA FOR FAILURE AND SUCCESS
by Jim Rohn
(Excepted from the book The Five Major Pieces to the Life Puzzle by Jim Rohn)

Failure is not a single, cataclysmic event. We do not fail overnight. Failure is the inevitable result of an accumulation of poor thinking and poor choices. To put it more simply, failure is nothing more than a few errors in judgment repeated every day. Now why would someone make an error in judgment and then be so foolish as to repeat it every day? The answer is because he or she does not think that it matters.

On their own, our daily acts do not seem that important. A minor oversight, a poor decision, or a wasted hour generally doesn't result in an instant and measurable impact. More often than not, we escape from any immediate consequences of our deeds.

If we have not bothered to read a single book in the past ninety days, this lack of discipline does not seem to have any immediate impact on our lives. And since nothing drastic happened to us after the first ninety days, we repeat this error in judgment for another ninety days, and on and on it goes. Why? Because it doesn't seem to matter. And herein lies the great danger. Far worse than not reading the books is not even realizing that it matters!

Those who eat too many of the wrong foods are contributing to a future health problem, but the joy of the moment overshadows the consequence of the future. It does not seem to matter. Those who smoke too much or drink too much go on making these poor choices year after year after year... because it doesn't seem to matter. But the pain and regret of these errors in judgment have only been delayed for a future time. Consequences are seldom instant; instead, they accumulate until the inevitable day of reckoning finally arrives and the price must be paid for our poor choices - choices that didn't seem to matter.

Failure's most dangerous attribute is its subtlety. In the short term those little errors don't seem to make any difference. We do not seem to be failing. In fact, sometimes these accumulated errors in judgment occur throughout a period of great joy and prosperity in our lives. Since nothing terrible happens to us, since there are no instant consequences to capture our attention, we simply drift from one day to the next, repeating the errors, thinking the wrong thoughts, listening to the wrong voices and making the wrong choices. The sky did not fall in on us yesterday; therefore the act was probably harmless. Since it seemed to have no measurable consequence, it is probably safe to repeat.

But we must become better educated than that!

If at the end of the day when we made our first error in judgment the sky had fallen in on us, we undoubtedly would have taken immediate steps to ensure that the act would never be repeated again. Like the child who places his hand on a hot burner despite his parents' warnings, we would have had an instantaneous experience accompanying our error in judgment.

Unfortunately, failure does not shout out its warnings as our parents once did. This is why it is imperative to refine our philosophy in order to be able to make better choices. With a powerful, personal philosophy guiding our every step, we become more aware of our errors in judgment and more aware that each error really does matter. Now here is the great news. Just like the formula for failure, the formula for success is easy to follow: It's a few simple disciplines practiced every day.

Now here is an interesting question worth pondering: How can we change the errors in the formula for failure into the disciplines required in the formula for success? The answer is by making the future an important part of our current philosophy.

Both success and failure involve future consequences, namely the inevitable rewards or unavoidable regrets resulting from past activities. If this is true, why don't more people take time to ponder the future? The answer is simple: They are so caught up in the current moment that it doesn't seem to matter. The problems and the rewards of today are so absorbing to some human beings that they never pause long enough to think about tomorrow.

But what if we did develop a new discipline to take just a few minutes every day to look a little further down the road? We would then be able to foresee the impending consequences of our current conduct. Armed with that valuable information, we would be able to take the necessary action to change our errors into new success-oriented disciplines. In other words, by disciplining ourselves to see the future in advance, we would be able to change our thinking, amend our errors and develop new habits to replace the old.

One of the exciting things about the formula for success - a few simple disciplines practiced every day - is that the results are almost immediate. As we voluntarily change daily errors into daily disciplines, we experience positive results in a very short period of time. When we change our diet, our health improves noticeably in just a few weeks. When we start exercising, we feel a new vitality almost immediately. When we begin reading, we experience a growing awareness and a new level of self-confidence. Whatever new discipline we begin to practice daily will produce exciting results that will drive us to become even better at developing new disciplines.

The real magic of new disciplines is that they will cause us to amend our thinking. If we were to start today to read the books, keep a journal, attend the classes, listen more and observe more, then today would be the first day of a new life leading to a better future. If we were to start today to try harder, and in every way make a conscious and consistent effort to change subtle and deadly errors into constructive and rewarding disciplines, we would never again settle for a life of existence - not once we have tasted the fruits of a life of substance!

To Your Success,
Jim Rohn
_______________
To order Jim Rohn's best-selling book The Five Major Pieces to the Life Puzzle, on sale for only $9, go to JimRohn.com and click on Monthly Specials.

2002-02-03T01:03:00.000-08:00

YOU ARE THE CHOSEN ONE
By Marilyn Miller

The other night, my friend Julia leaned over to me and confided, "I've just always felt like I was destined for something big. Really big. You know, like I would discover something important, or write something inspiring, and everyone would know me. I'd be famous. I've just always known I'll do something big."

She looked at me for a response. Did I approve? In the smoky downstairs bar I nodded and mumbled, "Yes I agree. I feel the same." It was true. But why? I wondered if we were alone in thinking we had something special lined up for us. Did we share delusions of grandeur? Were we crazy?

We finished our drinks, got our coats, and walked up the narrow stairs, and out onto the cold street. Then, in the frosty night, the answer hit me. No, we weren't alone. Everyone wants to be The Chosen One.

We live this vicariously at the cinema. In "Star Wars," Luke Skywalker is plucked out of his mediocre existence and thrust into purpose. In the murky swamp, Yoda confesses to Luke, "A Jedi Knight, you will be." Luke goes on to free Princess Leia, defeat the Death Star, and save the Galaxy from eternal evil. In "Harry Potter", young Harry lives with his uncaring aunt and uncle, until he finds out he's not just ordinary Harry Potter, but a wizard, a descendant of the most famous of all wizards. Immediately, he leaves his dreary suburban house, devoid of love, to attend Wizard School.

In "The Matrix", Thomas Anderson, known as "Neo", is searching for the answer to the nagging question: What is the matrix? Cyber-hacker Trinity shows up to prepare him, but it is Morpheus who professes: "You are The One, Neo." Even Clark Kent, who is given the secret to his real identity in the form of a crystal when he is eighteen, travels to an isolated northern region and returns as Superman, eager to save lives, fight for justice, and thwart the plans of evil Lex Luther.

Who hasn't longed to hear those words? Haven't we all wished someone would tap us on the shoulder and tell us, "Hey, you're actually this amazing person with special powers. You're different, and special. This is who you really are, and this is what you have to do."

The ironic truth is: You ARE that person. You ARE The Chosen One.

You have a purpose. You have a special gift, a gift that no-one else has. Maybe you know what it is, maybe you don't. Maybe it's something other people think is special, like a brilliant singing voice, or maybe it's something only you feel inside, like a blinding passion for race cars, or mathematics, or environmental protection. Maybe it's something you can make a living out of, or maybe it's something you'd rather do as a hobby. Maybe it's just enough for you to know you have a passion.

What's important to remember is that the reason we feel like we are called to do something great, is because we are! These are not delusions of grandeur! Don't quiet these thoughts a moment longer! What you decide to do with that passion, is up to you. Just know that YOU have something special - a gift no-one else has - to contribute. We find purpose when we turn our passion into action. And know, that now, more than ever, our world needs action. We were never meant to spend our lives scratching around in the dirt. We can do it! We can live larger lives! We can have the world we want. May you find your passion, and the courage to go where it takes you.

© Marilyn Miller, 2002.

2002-02-01T00:49:00.000-08:00

Guide To Affirmations

By working with affirmations, you commence the process of changing negative and unproductive beliefs, into positive life supporting beliefs, that with regular practice will create a desired future.

To obtain maximum results from doing affirmations, it is best to observe certain guidelines, this "GUIDE TO AFFIRMATIONS" outlines a course that will ensure you achieve maximum results.

CREATING YOUR AFFIRMATION
Establish in your mind the specific area in which you most want to improve or which goal you most desire attaining. There are many broad areas in which affirmations may be used. Some areas are Self-esteem, love & relationships, creative self expression, work/vocation, prosperity, health and spiritual development.

CORRECT ELEMENTS
Present Tense
An affirmation are more effective when stated in the present tense. For example; "I now have a wonderful job." Avoid affirming something in the future tense, e.g. "I am going to have a wonderful job" or the results will always be waiting to happen.

Positive
Create affirmations in the most positive terms that you can; avoiding negative statements. Affirm what you do want, rather than what you do not want. For example; "I don't want to smoke." This is a negative statement. Rather affirm; "I now enjoy being a nonsmoker." This statement is much more powerful as it is positive and reinforces your desired goal.

Short & Specific
A short affirmation are easy to say, and have a far greater impact at a subconscious level than those which are long and wordy. Keeping them specific and to the point adds power as the idea is uncluttered by extraneous elements.

Repetition
The importance of repetition cannot be overemphasized. It imprints the affirmation into your subconscious mind.

Emotions
Get involved, be passionate, use your emotions. Think carefully about the meaning of the words as you repeat them rather than typing or saying them.

Persistence
Persistence achieves results much sooner than practicing affirmations periodically. Successive sessions will have a compounding effect.

Belief
You don't necessarily have to believe your affirmation, initially. Belief will grow with your forthcoming successes.

Impress Yourself
Personalize your affirmation, they must feel right for you. The stronger the feeling an affirmation conveys, the deeper the impression it makes on your mind, and the sooner you will experience positive results.

VISUALIZATION
It is advantageous to see yourself as already having obtained your desired outcome. While holding the image, bring to mind the feelings you would have when accomplishing your goal.

By visualizing your goal your subconscious mind will work for you, behind the scenes, to encourage the manifestation of situations which will ultimately enable your goals to come true. A process of achieving your goals through the application of positive mental images will empower you to create a reality from your desires.

Each of us have five senses. We can use these senses to work for us in reaching our desired goals. By combining the elements of sight, smell, sound, taste and touch to visualize our objective it becomes real to our imagination and in so doing becomes embedded in our subconscious as a part of our reality. Imagine your goal.

As an example; if you desire to own a yacht and cruise the islands; concentrate and tune in your senses. Feel the motion of the yacht beneath you as you smell the sea air, hearing the flap of the sails and the calls of seagulls from the tropical beach you see just ahead. Taste the salt spray on your face as you enjoy the pleasure of your surroundings.

The subconscious mind, being non-critical, will believe your visualizations as being real. We can use this faculty to consciously select images which we give to our subconscious. Conversely, as we meditate on our affirmations, the subconscious mind will raise to our awareness images and sensations of our successes.

BEST TIMES FOR PRACTICING AFFIRMATIONS
We advise setting aside a special time each day for your session. Either first thing in the morning or just prior to going to bed, whenever is convenient for you.

The major benefit of the evening session is that you will continue your affirmation during your sleeping state. That is the thought process established during your session will continue to operate on a subconscious level during sleep.

In the morning when you awaken refreshed; your mind is more receptive to thought patterns and better able to concentrate and receive new stimuli.
___________
E-mail: mailto:affirm@affirmware.com.au
Web Site: http://www.affirmware.com.au

2002-01-31T00:55:00.000-08:00

GOAL SETTING
by Tom Hopkins

To accomplish anything in life, it helps if you have some idea of what you want as the results of your actions. That's called setting a goal. The whole purpose of setting goals is to plan your life rather than take life as it comes.

The most important part of goal setting is knowing what it is that you want. Once you decide what that is, write it down! After you have written your goals down, keep them somewhere where you can see them daily. As you achieve each one, add another.

Begin by setting 20 year goals. List the personal achievements you want to accomplish. Who and what do you want to be in 20 years? What do you want to own? Where, and in what kind of housing do you want to live? What are the status symbols you dream of? What do you want for your family? If you don't know what you want, how can you expect to get it?

Take a hard look at the future and at yourself. Say, "That's the person I want to be in 20 years and I'm willing and eager to pay the price to become that person."

Once you have your 20 year goals sketched out, cut them in half and there are your ten year goals. Halve them again for your five year goals. Do it one more time for your 30-month goals. Then, set up goals for the next 12 months. Work on this one carefully. Next, break the list down into months, weeks, and finally, goals for the coming week and tomorrow. What you do today can have a powerful impact on all your tomorrows!
______________
Tom Hopkins International
7531 E. 2nd St., Scottsdale, AZ 85251
Tel: (480) 949-0786 or 800/528-0446 Fax: (480) 949-1590
http://tomhopkins.com - Visit our website for a great "Tip of the Day"

2002-01-29T22:40:00.000-08:00

STAYING MOTIVATED
By Chip Lowell

Here are some of my suggestions to keep you excited while
moving towards your goals and dreams:

1) Review your short term goals daily. If you're using our online goal setting system, check your GoalTree. Nothing fires you up like seeing what your working towards!

2) Review your long term goals weekly. Same as above...

3) Model others. Take a look at others that have succeeded at what you're trying to accomplish. Are you doing everything it takes to achieve? Don't attempt shortcuts. Do everything you can to get what you desire.

4) Take action. If you feel that little is happening in a specific area of your goal, take another action right now to move it along! You'll be shocked at how good you'll feel that things are in your hands -- and not at the mercy of others.

5) Read/Watch/Listen. Keep inspired by reading about how others achieved what you want. Watch video about motivating stories. Listen to motivational and self improvement tapes. By surrounding yourself with uplifting messages, you'll be lifted right out of any doldrums you're in!

Have a great day!
Chip
________________
By Chip Lowell, creator of MyMotivator.com
MyMotivator.com helps you achieve your goals with powerful and easy web based Goal Setting software -- Sign up and start taking action today!

2002-01-28T00:10:00.000-08:00

The Lost Treasure Returns
by Mike Moore

About fifteen years ago I had the pleasure of teaching a young woman who was one of the most gifted high school seniors I have ever met. Not only was she brilliant in Math and Science, but she was also extremely talented in the visual arts. She could draw and paint beautifully. When Audrey graduated from university she did so with two degrees, one in fine arts and one in biochemistry. Not too many people shine brilliantly in two such different areas of study. She was gifted.

Just before her high school graduation Audrey presented me with a wonderful gift. It was a water color painting of a mother and her infant. A tear fell from the mothers eye as she looked lovingly at her precious child. Beneath the painting Audrey had written these words: "The love of God becomes real when, through me, it touches another." What a beautiful gift from such a sensitive, talented woman. I immediately had the piece of art framed and hung in my office.

Years passed with many moves from one office to another. Somewhere in the process of changing locations I lost the painting of the mother and child. I had no idea how I lost it or where it was and had given up hope of ever seeing it again.

Last year, after about eight years of not knowing where my treasured painting was, I received a phone call from a former colleague who said she had something of mine she thought I would like returned. It was the picture Audrey had painted for me 15 years earlier. In cleaning out a storage room she had discovered my gift. I promise I won't lose it a second time.

When I reflect on what happened to my painting I am struck by how precious gifts, when lost, have a way of finding their way back to the people who treasure them the most. To any other the painting was just that, a painting. To me it spoke of a creative, intelligent, generous woman who gave her talent to me in appreciation for our paths crossing and connecting. Because of this obvious connection it found its way home to me. I have discovered this to be true of people as well. When you really love another, and you appear to lose them, they tend to find their way back to your love even if it takes years to do so. So we live in hope.

I haven't heard from Audrey in many years, but I know that, before our lives are over, she will come back into my life in some way. We will meet again.
______________
Mike Moore is a speaker and writer on human potential, motivation and humor. You are invited to subscribe to his free newsletter Lifeline at http://www.motivationalplus.com

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2002-01-26T09:46:00.000-08:00

Fear or Excitement?
Russ

With each thing we do, there is an outcome.

We can approach the things we do with either excitement or fear. If we expect to fail or to get a negative outcome, we will approach things with fear. If we expect things to succeed or get a positive outcome, we will approach things with excitement.

The first time I went skydiving, there was a lot of fear involved for me. I couldn't help but think of all the things that could go wrong. As I jumped (got pushed) out of the plane, I remembered that people had died doing this. As I fell, I just knew that I was going to hit the ground at a speed that was going to kill me.

When my chute finally opened and my speed slowed down, I started gently floating towards the earth. I was not going to get smashed like a bug. I could land on my feet and not break my leg. Hey, this is fun. I looked forward to my next jump with a lot of excitement.

The experience was the same experience. The only real difference was the expected outcome. We are constantly presented with new things to try in our lives. Each of us has our own reasons for expecting a positive or negative outcome if we try those things.

Each of has our own reference points to work from. The whole secret to changing fear to excitement is simply to change our reference point. That is where things like positive thinking and affirmations come in. Their purpose is to get us to think of the positive things that can happen as opposed to focusing on the negative things. We can start looking at how things can work as opposed to how things can fail.

Whenever I try anything new, I do my homework, prepare for as many the possibilities as I can and focus on all the reasons why it will work. I have found that I can choose to focus on the positive or the negative. It is my mind. It is my choice. I choose not to live in fear and expect the negative things to happen. I choose to live in excitement and expect the positive things to happen.

Do you choose to live in excitement or fear? It's your mind. It's your choice. Go ahead. Choose.
_______________
Russ has a website and newsletter on personal freedom and empowerment. Go there to make changes in your life, visit Personal Freedom and Empowerment. To subscribe to his newsletter, send a blank email to:
personalfreedomandempowerment-subscribe@topica.com.

2002-01-21T01:21:00.000-08:00

5 Keys to Personal Success
by Christopher Mark Shaw

Hi,

Let me ask you to very quickly think about a dream you once had, but gave up on. And as you think about that dream, let me ask you this question.

What was it that prevented you from having that Dream ?

Was it a fear of something, uncertainty of the outcome, a lack of money, time or resources OR maybe it was simply NOT knowing exactly what it was you wanted ?

The truth of the matter is, that the only reason you haven't achieved your dream, is because you haven't totally committed yourself to achieving it. And the reason for that is because there's a tiny little part inside of you that is holding you back, and that part is something we call fear.

It could be a fear of humiliation, fear of failure, fear of rejection, fear of pain or even a fear of success because some people simply don't know how to handle success. But whatever it is, that fear, that apprehension, that reservation or that concern, whatever you want to call it, its preventing you from living your life to its full potential.

How many of you reading this now can identify with some of these emotions ???

Pain, Pleasure & Beliefs

You know, I realized years ago that everything we do, we do for one of two reasons. And these two reasons, are the primary driving forces for our behavior.

They are either our need to avoid pain, or our desire to gain pleasure and what's most interesting out of the two, is that Pain drives us faster. So in order to get what we want, what we first need to do, is find out what it is that's preventing us from having our dream.

Ladies and Gentlemen please listen carefully. The only reason you don't have what you want, is because you associate both pain and pleasure, to what it would take to have it.

Let me say that again.

The only reason you are having trouble achieving your most desired goals and objectives, is because you associate both pain & pleasure, to what it would take to have it.

For example. You say you want more money.

And yet most of you reading this article right now know how to achieve that.

For instance how many of you reading this article always find the money to pay your rent, or your mortgage, every month ( usually ) ..

Right, Just about all of you ..

That's because NOT paying your Rent or Mortgage equals pain, and so you make it an absolute MUST.

And yet when it comes to having more money in your life, you also link pain to it.

I can hear you saying now, but Christopher that's not true, because if I had more money, I could take better care of my family, I could buy a new car, I could donate to different charities, and I could have all the things I have always wanted.

And yet, at the same time you subconsciously associate pain to this by thinking things like, Gosh … If I had a lot of money then maybe I wouldn't be spiritual, maybe I would lose my friends, maybe I would become greedy, maybe I wouldn't have as much time for people and maybe I wouldn't care as much OR maybe I would have to sacrifice my family in order to achieve these things, its just not worth it.

How many of you reading this now have some of these beliefs ?

So how can we eliminate these (limiting) beliefs and behaviors ?

Well, what we need to do first, is understand what Beliefs are.

In short, a Belief is nothing more than a feeling of certainty that's been reaffirmed by your education and your personal experience(s).

We can break these beliefs down into two categories : Both Internal & External.

Now, when we look at Internal Beliefs we need to understand that these beliefs are what we call our Operating Principles, or our Rules if you like, and our External Beliefs are what we call our Global Opinions, which very simply are broad generalizations we make about life. And once you can separate these belief systems, you will be able to more easily identify with yourself and what's most important to you in any specific area of your life.

So how can we change limiting beliefs ?

Well let me offer you 5 Keys to help you Guarantee Positive Results.

1) First find out what it is that's holding you back.

Is it lack of time, money or resources, or is it a fear of some kind a perhaps a self imposed limiting belief ? Whatever it is find out what's holding you back.

2) Determine exactly what it is you want.

See until you know exactly what it is you want you cant even begin to achieve it. Make certain that you are very specific about what you want. If its a car say you want a Current Model 7 Series Midnight Blue iridescent BMW, with 17" factory fitted mags, sunroof, doe hide interior, GPS and a wood grained steering wheel. You have to be very specific !

3) Get leverage on yourself …Create an Absolute Gut Convincing Must Change Scenario.

Until you create enough reasons why you should set about achieving this goal you will never have enough drive or passion to get you to where you really want to be. Make sure you empower yourself with enough reasons, enough emotion and enough personal commitment to get you to where you want to be.

And if you simply aren't that excited about the goal you want - you had better choose another goal cause this one ain't gonna' do it for ya !

4) Take Notice and Interrupt your old behavior patterns.

That's right take notice. You are an intelligent person so take NOTICE when you screw up. Identify the moments that create the most pain within you and set about interrupting those moments by openly acknowledging your pain and what is causing it.

The sad thing is that most of us are running on auto pilot. We have been programmed and conditioned since berth to behave and respond in a certain manner that is presumed to be socially acceptable.

But hey !

We didn't set these rules up and they may very well not serve us in a positive way at all. So take notice when you feel the emotional pain of a decision, a thought or even a feeling and set about interrupting yourself every time they raise their ugly heads.

And ...

5) Condition yourself with a new behavior to replace those old limiting beliefs.

Sounds pretty simple doesn't it. Well its not, and I can personally attest to that. But what I can tell you is that is incredibly rewarding to overcome decades of unresourceful, unfounded, unbelievable and detrimental conditioning to ultimately find the true person you are at your core.

Now don't get me wrong here because I'm not saying that everyone will have lousy conditioning, but for those who have, then I'm sure you will know who I am referring to. So make a conscious decision to replace the negative thoughts with Positive thoughts.

So decide how and who you would like to be. Find a role model who you believe stands for everything you believe in and begin to live life as they do. Because if you do I can promise you that in a time uncommon to most mortals, you too will begin to develop your Keys to Personal Success.

Wishing You Continued Success ... !!!
______________________
Christopher Mark Shaw - Sydney Australia
Christopher@cabc.com.au
http://www.cabc.com.au

2002-01-17T19:39:00.000-08:00

Terrorism Anxiety
By Adam Khan

The level of anxiety in the world has been on the rise since September 11th. You may have noticed how hard it is to get rid of your own anxiety. Why? Because anxiety puts your attention on danger, and the more you resist thinking about danger, the more fixated your mind becomes. That's how the brain works. You can't fight anxiety by trying to get rid of it directly. The way to fight it is to shift your attention to accomplishing something you want, especially a goal related to the source of your anxiety. In other words, find something you want to do about terrorism.

For example, I had been reading and watching news almost compulsively since September 11th, even though I was trying to carry on with my normal life. I couldn't seem to get my thoughts off the anxiety-provoking turn of global events. But because I had spent the last ten months researching effective methods for dealing with anxiety (I was working on a new book on the subject), I knew what to do. I knew the first and most important step I could take was to find a goal in the area of my anxiety.

In my case, the web site CitizenWarrior.com is the result. I realized I had been accumulating a great deal of know-how about anxiety that was needed immediately, not someday when I finish the book. So I stopped working on the book and started working on the web site. I want to help people deal with their anxiety in a constructive way. That is my sincere desire. But the anti-anxiety method I'm advocating is not just to know what you want, it is to shift your attention to that goal every time you feel anxious. Every time
I get an anxious thought about terrorism, I think about what I want to do to the web site. This makes me feel determined and motivated rather than anxious. It converts the adrenaline from flight to fight.

That is what you can do. Think. And think HARD. What specifically are you anxious about? What are you afraid of? Specifically. And what sincere desire do you have about that anxiety-provoking situation? Keep in mind that for this method to lessen your anxiety, you must sincerely desire your goal. The stronger your desire, the better it works. If you don't know what your goal would be, then that's your goal: To find a purpose you can really get behind.

Your choice is either fight or flight. Determination or anxiety. You don't have a third option unless you can ignore the fact that we are under attack.

Decide on a heartfelt purpose in the direction of your anxiety and assert your determination to accomplish that purpose every time you feel a jolt of anxiety. USE your anxiety to strengthen your resolve. USE the jolts to intensify your motivation. Let's convert our national anxiety into national determination.
_____________
For more examples of how to use your anxiety to accomplish a purpose, click here. Write to the author, Adam Khan, at adamkhan@aol.com

2002-01-17T01:01:00.000-08:00

While you may not know it, I am huge Alabama football fan... What does that have to do with motivation and self-improvement you ask? Good question... Actually it is the lead in to the following quote I wanted to share by legendary football coach Paul "Bear" Bryant... The quote also happens to be personal favorite of mine :-) I hope you enjoy it... Josh Hinds

"If anything goes bad, I did it. If anything goes semi-good, we did it. If anything goes really good, then you did it. That's all it takes to get people to win football games for you." - Coach Paul William "Bear" Bryant

2002-01-16T04:54:00.000-08:00

READ ALL THE BOOKS
by Jim Rohn

All of the books that we will ever need to make us as rich, as healthy, as happy, as powerful, as sophisticated and as successful as we want to be have already been written.

People from all walks of life, people with some of the most incredible life experiences, people that have gone from pennies to fortune and from failure to success have taken the time to write down their experiences so that we might share in their wealth of knowledge. They have offered their wisdom and experience so that we can be inspired by it and instructed by it, and so that we can amend our philosophy by it.

Their contributions enable us to reset our sail based upon their experiences. They have handed us the gift of their insights so that we can change our plans, if need be, in order to avoid their errors. We can rearrange our lives based on their wise advice.

All of the insights that we might ever need have already been captured by others in books. The important question is this: In the last ninety days, with this treasure of information that could change our lives, our fortunes, our relationships, our health, our children and our careers for the better, how many books have we read?

Why do we neglect to read the books that can change our lives? Why do we complain but remain the same? Why do so many of us curse the effect but nourish the cause? How do we explain the fact that only three percent of our entire national population possesses a library card - a card that would give us access to all of the answers to success and happiness we could ever want?

Those who wish for the better life cannot permit themselves to miss the books that could have a major impact on how their lives turn out. The book they miss will not help!

And the issue is not that books are too expensive! If a person concludes that the price of buying the book is too great, wait until he must pay the price for not buying it. Wait until he receives the bill for continued and prolonged ignorance.

There is very little difference between someone who cannot read and someone who will not read. The result of either is ignorance. Those who are serious seekers of personal development must remove the self-imposed limitations they have placed on their reading skills and their reading habits.

There is a multitude of classes being taught on how to be a good reader and there are thousands of books on the shelves of the public libraries just waiting to be read. Reading is essential for those who seek to rise above the ordinary. We must not permit anything to stand between us and the book that could change our lives.

A little reading each day will result in a wealth of valuable information in a very short period of time. But if we fail to set aside the time, if we fail to pick up the book, if we fail to exercise the discipline, then ignorance will quickly move in to fill the void.

Those who seek a better life must first become a better person. They must continually seek after self-mastery for the purpose of developing a balanced philosophy of life, and then live in accordance with the dictates of that philosophy. The habit of reading is a major stepping-stone in the development of a sound philosophical foundation. And in my opinion it is one of the fundamentals required for the attainment of success and happiness.

To Your Success,
Jim Rohn
___________
This article was submitted by Jim Rohn, America's Foremost Business Philosopher. Copyright © 1999 - 2002 Jim Rohn International. All rights reserved worldwide. Click here to subscribe to the Free Jim Rohn Weekly E-zine.

2002-01-14T22:27:00.000-08:00

Goals Only Work When You Do
(C) Rhoberta Shaler, PhD

Goal setting seems to be a perennially hot topic! Could it be that you hear and read about it so often because its a subject that is easy to know about and difficult to practice?

It would be very surprising to find an adult in the work force who has not heard about goal setting. A Harvard study of their graduates over thirty years found that there were only a small percentage (3%) of them who actually wrote down their goals--and these were the most successful!

You can be certain that every one of those students had repeatedly heard the value of goal setting. Yet only 3% actually wrote down their goals consistently. Imagine what you can do if you both write down your goals and, then, focus on them every day, every week, until they are accomplished!

What is it the causes the "New Year's Resolution Syndrome"? You probably know the one. People make resolutions, work hard at them for a few weeks, maybe even a few months, and then forget them. Next year, they make the same New Year's Resolutions. That is the syndrome. It is self-defeating and self-sabotaging. So, why do so many people do it?

They may be making goals that are too global, too extensive, too unrealistic for the time frame, body type or current finances. That is not to say that they are not worthy goals. They need to be broken apart into smaller, more specific, attainable pieces. The elephant analogy is still the best one I know of to illustrate good goal setting. You probably know it. "How do you eat an elephant? One spoonful at a time." So it is with goals. Make spoon size goals and accomplish them. One you've mastered those, get a bigger spoon!

You may have too many people in your life who consciously or subconsciously are unwilling or unable to support you to reach your goals. Everyone has a 'personal tribe' - their friends, families, colleagues. You have created agreement among your tribe members that you are a certain way, or you do certain things. They are comfortable with you as long as you are and do those things. They may even be enthusiastic about your desire to change something or accomplish something new.

Just know that, as you change and accomplish, they may not like it. They may even go so far as to put you down in small ways or make light of your accomplishments. Do you know why? It is usually because your changes remind them, on some levels, that they could be doing it, too... and they aren't!

Surround yourself with people who want you to have what you want for yourself. Be mutually supportive and you'll all achieve your highest goals. You may have filled your schedule with so many things that there is little room for your goals to grow. We must be careful not to confuse busyness with progress. Be selective about how you use your time and what you focus on. Success often comes when you know what to leave out, rather than what to include in your life.

Notice, too, how much time you spend on trivia. It has a nasty way of taking your attention from what you say you want to focus on, doesn't it? Have you ever just "had" to clean your office before you could begin your project? Then you know how this works!

Goal setting is like the pig and chicken who were out for a walk in town early one morning. The chicken became really excited when she saw a sign that said "Ham & Eggs, $2.99". She said to the pig, "Look, we've got double billing again." The pig grunted and said, "That's all right for you to say. For you, it's all in a day's work. For me, it's total commitment." Goal setting is all in a day's work. Goal achievement is total commitment.
__________________
Rhoberta Shaler is a keynote speaker, consultant and seminar presenter who works with organizations to improve workplace relationships, build & strengthen teams and manage conflict, anger, and difficult people. Call her at Speaking About Work in Seattle, WA, toll-free, 1.877.728.6464, or email her directly at RS@SpeakingAboutWork.com or visit her web site

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2002-01-10T14:18:00.000-08:00

Quotes, quotes & more quotes.. Everybody loves inspiring quotes. As such I've included some random ones here for you. Notice you can click on the person's name the quote is attributed to and it will take you to their web site or more info about them. If you're interested in searching for other quotes drop by our sister sites Motivational Quotes Database, it's got over 13,000 quotes to search from... Enjoy, Josh Hinds :-)

"Fascination is one step beyond interest. Interested people want to know if it works. Fascinated people want to learn how it works." -- Jim Rohn

"Stay committed to your decisions, but stay flexible in your approach." -- Anthony Robbins

"Focused mind power is one of the strongest forces on earth." -- Mark Victor Hansen

"Decision making can sometimes seem like inner civil war." -- Jim Rohn

"Most people quit because of one reason and one reason only.... they decided not to win." -- Doug Firebaugh

"I found every single successful person I've ever spoken to had a turning point and the turning point was where they made a clear specific unequivocal decision that they were not going to live like this anymore. That they were going to achieve success. And some people make that decision at 15 and some people make it at 50, and most people never make it at all." -- Brian Tracy

2002-01-09T17:27:00.000-08:00

Quick news... Keynote speaker Jack Zufelt, who talks on the subject of success priniciples was interviewed recently on the Mike Litman Personal Development radio show. Click here if you'd like to hear this interview. Hurry and get over there and listen to it now!!!... You're going to love it! .. Josh Hinds

2002-01-08T13:07:00.000-08:00

PERSONAL PHILOSOPHY IS LIKE THE SET OF THE SAIL
by Jim Rohn

In the process of living, the winds of circumstances blow on us all in an unending flow that touches each of our lives. We have all experienced the blowing winds of disappointment, despair and heartbreak. Why, then, would each of us, in our own individual ship of life, all beginning at the same point, with the same intended destination in mind, arrive at such different places at the end of the journey? Have we not all been blown by the winds of circumstances and buffeted by the turbulent storms of discontent?

What guides us to different destinations in life is determined by the way we have chosen to set our sail. The way that each of us thinks makes the major difference in where each of us arrive. The major difference is the set of the sail.

The same circumstances happen to us all. We have disappointments and challenges. We all have reversals and those moments when, in spite of our best plans and efforts, things just seem to fall apart. Challenging circumstances are not events reserved for the poor, the uneducated or the destitute. The rich and the poor have marital problems. The rich and the poor have the same challenges that can lead to financial ruin and personal despair. In the final analysis, it is not what happens that determines the quality of our lives, it is what we choose to do when we have struggled to set the sail and then discover, after all of our efforts, that the wind has changed directions.

When the winds change, we must change. We must struggle to our feet once more and rest the sail in the manner that will steer us toward the destination of our own deliberate choosing. The set of the sail, how we think and how we respond, has a far greater capacity to destroy our lives than any challenges we face. How quickly and responsibly we react to adversity is far more important than the adversity itself. Once we discipline ourselves to understand this, we will finally and willing conclude that the great challenge of life is to control the process of our thinking.

Learning to reset the sail with the changing winds rather than permitting ourselves to be blown in a direction we did not purposely choose requires the development of a whole new discipline. It involves going to work on establishing a powerful, personal philosophy that will help to influence in a positive way all that we do and that we think and decide. If we can succeed in this worthy endeavor, the result will be a change in the course of our income, lifestyle and relationships, and in how we feel about the things of value as well as the times of challenge. If we can alter the way we perceive, judge and decide upon the main issues of life, then we can dramatically change our lives.

To Your Success,
Jim Rohn
__________________
This article was submitted by Jim Rohn, America's Foremost Business Philosopher. Copyright © 1999, 2001 Jim Rohn International. All rights reserved worldwide. Visit Jim's web site to subscribe to the Free Jim Rohn Weekly E-zine.

2002-01-05T15:01:00.000-08:00

Hi gang,

I think you are really going to like this...

I just received a VERY special announcement and some valuable information today that I wanted to share with you ASAP because it is very time sensitive.

Jack Zufelt, owner of the DNA of MLM Success website and one of the top MLM speakers and trainers in the world, wants to help you make 2002 YOUR best year ever in MLM.

He spent months putting this together so you could benefit from everything he has to offer, allowing you to make quantum leaps when it comes to applying his concepts -- especially when it comes to producing a large income in your MLM business (he wants to help as many people as possible make $100,000 or more in MLM).

Plus, there is a very special surprise for you that Jack has never offered anybody before. It is amazing.

Special Offer Click Here...

Time is of the extreme essence though. The last time Jack offered something similar to this, it was so extremely popular it filled up within hours and had a waiting list over 1000 long! So go to this page today...

Special Offer Click Here...

Warm Regards,
Josh Hinds