Review: Put Your Dream to the Test

10 Questions to Help You See It and Seize It

Dreams are not strictly nocturnal. They invade our waking moments, too, sneaking into our mind's eye to paint tantalizing pictures of who we desire to be and what we desire to do. Are our dreams legitimately worth pursuing? Do we have what it takes to bring them into being? John C. Maxwell answers these questions and more in his newest title, Put Your Dream to the Test.

In a meaty introduction, Maxwell differentiates worthwhile dreams from passing whims or fanciful hopes. After defining his concept of a valid dream, he moves into the book's main content: ten "test questions" to help readers determine the likelihood of their dreams becoming reality. Among other things, the questions prompt readers to consider the clarity of their dreams, a strategy for achieving them, and the sacrifices that must be made to realize their aspirations.

Put Your Dream to the Test is equal parts sobering and inspiring. On the one hand, readers may face the stark realization that, unless they make serious changes, their dreams will never happen. On the other hand, Maxwell brings encouraging clarity to the somewhat vague process of chasing a dream. His "dream test" may expose a deficiency of commitment or focus on the part of the reader, yet his writing simultaneously hands out hope by offering a roadmap for getting back on track in pursuit of a dream.

Throughout Put Your Dream to the Test, Maxwell seamlessly assembles anecdotes and quotations to illustrate his thoughts. As a result, the book flows smoothly, and its main concepts can be absorbed quickly. Since Maxwell's ideas about dreams derive from a wealth of personal experience, they present themselves effortlessly and are easily accessible to readers. Slightly over 200 pages, the book never feels prosaic, and its pages turn quickly.

Dreams do come true, but not by accident. In Put Your Dream to the Test, John C. Maxwell challenges readers to think about the output of effort that goes into fulfilling a dream. Through ten incisive questions, he leads readers into an honest self-assessment of their progress toward a dream. Written with trademark lucidity, Put Your Dream to the Test is an immensely valuable contribution to the field of leadership and seems primed to make a run at bestseller lists.

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Buy Put Your Dream to the Test, and the companion book, My Dream Map, in the GiANT online store.

A Dream That Passed the Test

President Barack Obama's inauguration symbolized, in part, fulfillment of one of America's noblest dreams - the dream of racial equality. Fittingly, President Obama took the oath of office at the same site where Martin Luther King, Jr. had given his legendary "I Have a Dream" speech almost 45 years earlier. An estimated 1.9 million onlookers gathered at the National Mall to witness the historic swearing in of America's first black president. The spectators came from every corner of the country and every continent of the globe to witness King's dream on display.

Although the United States cannot claim perfection in race relations, there's no denying the country has made substantial progress in the 45 years since Martin Luther King, Jr. articulated his dream of racial equality. What made King's dream so potent? How did his dream mobilize a movement that so radically changed American society?

Three Reasons Why MLK's Dream Passed the Test

1) King's dream was rooted in serving others

Nearly everyone gives assent to the dreams of eradicating poverty, ending war, and eliminating racism, but seldom does a man or woman devote his or her life entirely to a cause. To be frank, it's hard to live for something beyond our petty self-interests. Throughout his life, Martin Luther King pushed himself beyond a quest for personal gain to seek social justice in America. People bought into his dream, because they bought into the dreamer. They saw his personal sacrifices and rallied to his side.

All too often leaders fall prey to the trappings of power, and their dreams stray into self-centeredness. King was able to keep his leadership focused on serving society. By seeing himself small, he amplified his dream into an immensely powerful vision for the future.

2) King had a clear strategy for his dream

To expose the evils of racism, King's central strategy involved mass demonstrations of civil disobedience and emphasized the tactic of non-violent protest. Civil rights demonstrators were coached not to retaliate when struck, and were taught to shield themselves from blows reigned upon them. At no point were they to fight back against their aggressors.

The strategy worked wonders. Images of defenseless protestors being attacked by police dogs and beaten with nightsticks pricked the conscience of the nation. The appalling scenes of violence motivated many to enlist in the civil rights movement. Thanks to King's firm but restrained leadership, the United States was forced to confront the ugliness of racism, yet was spared from widespread race warfare.

3) King paid the price for his dream

Chasing the dream came at a steep price for King. He was arrested more than twenty times on dubious charges, and he was assaulted physically on four occasions. His home was bombed, and he and his family faced countless death threats.

On April 4, 1968, Martin Luther King, Jr. paid the ultimate price for his dream when he was assassinated outside of his hotel room in Memphis, TN. Although the man died, the dream lives on. Americans of every color and creed can be grateful for Martin Luther King, Jr., and the legacy his dream has given to our country.

5 Reasons Why Dreams Don't Take Flight

by Dr. John C. Maxwell

Most of us never see our dreams come true. Instead of soaring through the clouds, our dreams languish like a broken-down airplane confined to its hangar. Through life, I have come to identify five common reasons why dreams don't take flight.

#1 We Have Been Discouraged from Dreaming by Others

We have to pilot our own dreams; we cannot entrust them to anyone else. People who aren't following their own dreams resent us pursuing ours. Such people feel inadequate when we succeed, so they try to drag us down.

If we listen to external voices, then we allow our dreams to be hijacked. At some point, other people will place limitations on us by doubting our abilities. When surrounded by the turbulence of criticism, we have to grasp the controls tightly to keep from being knocked off course.

#2 We Are Hindered by Past Disappointments and Hurts

In the movie Top Gun, Tom Cruise plays Maverick, a young, talented, and cocky aviator who dreams of being the premier pilot in the U.S. navy. In the film's opening scenes, Maverick showcases his flying ability but also displays a knack for pushing the envelope with regards to safety. Midway through the movie, Maverick's characteristic aggression spells disaster. His plane crashes, killing his best friend and co-pilot.

Although cleared of wrongdoing, the painful memory of the accident haunts Maverick. He quits taking risks and loses his edge. Struggling to regain his poise, he considers giving up on his dream. Although the incident nearly wrecks Maverick's career, he eventually reaches within to find the strength to return to the sky.

Like Maverick, many of us live with the memory of failure embedded in our psyche. Perhaps a business we started went broke, or we were fired from a position of leadership. Disappointment is the gap that exists between expectation and reality, and all of us have encountered that gap. Failure is a necessary and natural part of life, but if we're going to attain our dreams, then, like Maverick, we have to summon the courage deal with past hurts.

#3 We Fall into the Habit of Settling for Average

Average is the norm for a reason. Being exceptional demands extra effort, sustained inspiration, and uncommon discipline. When we attempt to give flight to our dreams, we have to overcome the weight of opposition. Like gravity, life's circumstances constantly pull on our dreams, tugging us down to mediocrity.

Most of us don't pay the price to overcome the opposition to our dreams. We may start out inspired, but through time we fatigue. Although never intending to abandon our dreams, we begin to make concessions here and there. Through time, our lives become mundane, and our dreams slip away.

#4 We Lack the Confidence Needed to Pursue Our Dreams

Dreams are fragile. They will be buffeted by assaults from all sides. As such, they must be supplied with the extra strength of self-confidence.

In Amelia Earhart's day, women were not supposed fly airplanes. If she had lacked self-assurance, she never would have even attempted to be a pilot. Instead, Earhart confidently chased after her dream, and she was rewarded with both fulfillment and fame.

#5 We Lack the Imagination to Dream

For thousands of years, mankind traveled along the ground: by foot, by horse-and-buggy, by locomotive, and eventually by automobile. Thanks to the dreams of Orville and Wilbur Wright, we now hop across oceans in a matter of hours. The imaginative brothers overcame ridicule and doubt to pioneer human flight, and the world has never been the same.

Many of us play small because we do not allow ourselves to dream. We trap ourselves in reality and never dare to go beyond what we can see with our eyes. Imagination lifts us beyond average by giving us a vision of life that surpasses what we are experiencing currently. Dreams infuse our spirit with energy and spur us on to greatness.

John C. Maxwell is an internationally recognized leadership expert, speaker, and author who has sold over 16 million books. His organizations have trained more than 2 million leaders worldwide. Dr. Maxwell is the founder of EQUIP and INJOY Stewardship Services. Every year he speaks to Fortune 500 companies, international government leaders, and audiences as diverse as the United States Military Academy at West Point, the National Football League, and ambassadors at the United Nations. A New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Business Week best-selling author, Maxwell was named the World's Top Leadership Guru by Leadershipgurus.net. He was also one of only 25 authors and artists named to Amazon.com's 10th Anniversary Hall of Fame. Three of his books, The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, Developing the Leader Within You, and The 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader have each sold over a million copies.

6 Steps to a Stronger Mind

by Mark Victor Hansen

Our minds are all we've got. They are the source of who we, both personally and professionally, are. They determine our success or failure. They are our strength and our weakness.

With the quality of our entire lives resting on our minds, it's unbelievable that we choose to fill them with so much garbage. The amount of negativity from television, newspapers, tabloids and other media that bombards us on a daily basis is amazing. We would never think to fill our bodies with only junk food, right? Heck no. We know that if we ate nothing but French fries and ice cream we would experience negative consequences like skin blemishes, weight gain and rotting teeth.

But with mental junk food we don't see the physical consequences right away. When our minds are constantly filled with negativity and bad news, our minds begin to decay. That's why we need to develop a strong, Herculean-esque mind.

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 someone's, 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 whom 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

Reproduced with permission from the Ron White Ezine. To subscribe to Ron White's Ezine, go to http://www.MemoryInAMonth.com Copyright 2009 All rights reserved worldwide.

The Cycle of Completion: Making Way for Success

by Jack Canfield

Do you live in a state of mental and physical clutter? Do you have a bunch of unfinished business lurking around every corner?

Incomplete projects, unfinished business, and piles of cluttered messes can weigh you down and take away from the energy you have to move forward toward your goals.

When you don't complete tasks, you can't be fully prepared to move into the present, let alone your new future.

When your brain is keeping track of all the unfinished business you still have at hand, you simply can't be effective in embracing new tasks that are in line with your vision.

Old incompletes can show up in your life in lots of different ways... like not having clarity, procrastination, emotional energy blocks and even illness. Blocked energy is wasted, and a build up of that energy can really leave you stymied.

Throw-out all the clutter and FEEL how much easier it is to think!

Make a list of areas in your life (both personal and professional) where you have incompletes and messes, then develop a plan to deal with them once and for all. Fix and organize the things that annoy you.

Take your final steps in bringing closure to outstanding projects.

Make that difficult phone call. Delegate time-wasting tasks that you've let build up.
Some incompletions come from simply not having adequate systems, knowledge, or expertise for handling these tasks. Other incompletions pile up because of bad work habits.

Get into completion consciousness by continually asking yourself...What does it take to actually get this task completed?

Only then can you begin to consciously take that next step of filing completed documents, mailing in the forms required, or reporting back to your boss that the project has been completed.

The truth is that 20 things completed have more power than 50 things that are half-way completed.

Finishing writing a book, for instance, that can go out and influence the world is better than 13 books you’re in the process of writing.

When you free yourself from the mental burden of incompletes and messes, you'll be AMAZED at how quickly the things you do want in life arrive.

Another area where you'll find incompletes in your life is in your emotions. Are you holding on to old hurts, resentments, and pain? Just like the physical clutter and incompletes, your energy is being drained by holding on to and reliving past pain and anger.

Remember, you'll attract whatever feelings you're experiencing. So, if you're stuck in revengeful thinking and angered in muck, you can't possibly be directing energy toward a positive future. You need to let go of the past in order to embrace the future. Letting go involves forgiveness and moving on.

By forgiving you aren't releasing the other person from their transgression as much as you're freeing yourself from their transgression. You don't have to condone their behavior, trust them, or even maintain a relationship with them. However, you DO have to free yourself from the anger, from the pain, and from the resentment once and for all!

When learning to forgive, make sure to complete the cycle.

Acknowledge your anger, your pain, and your fear. But also own up to any part you've played in allowing it to happen or continue. Make sure to express whatever it was that you wanted from that person, and then see the whole event from the other's point of view. Allow yourself to wonder what that person was going through and what kind of needs he/she was trying to fulfill at the time.

Finally, let go and move on. Every time you go through this process you're learning how to avoid letting it happen again!

I'll be back in two weeks with another edition of Success Strategies. Until then, see if you can discover ways to immediately implement what you learned from today's message.

Jack Canfield, America's #1 Success Coach, is founder of the billion-dollar book brand Chicken Soup for the Soul© and a leading authority on Peak Performance and Life Success. If you're ready to jump-start your life, make more money, and have more fun and joy in all that you do, get your FREE success tips from Jack Canfield now at: www.FreeSuccessStrategies.com

Seven Simple Steps to Small Business Success

by Brian Tracy

Many businesspeople achieve their greatest successes in unexpected areas. They begin a business and then they find that it isn't as profitable as they had anticipated, so they change direction, using their experience and their momentum, and strike paydirt in something else. The most important thing is to begin, to take action. To move forward one step at a time, learning and growing as you go. There is enough information available in virtually every field for you to become knowledgeable enough to achieve success. But action is necessary.

The Two Parts of Success
Success author Orison Swett Marden once wrote, the first part of success is get-to-it-iveness. The second part is stick-to-it-iveness. Every business beginning requires an act of faith and courage, a bold leap into the unknown. Only one in ten people who want to start their own business ever develop enough courage to begin and enough persistence to continue. Get-to-it-iveness. And stick-to-it-iveness. The fear of failure, more than anything else, holds people back. It paralyzes action. And it makes failure inevitable.

Begin with a Dream
Fortunately, even if you know nothing about business, you can begin with a dream, a castle in the air, and then build a foundation under it.

Seven Simple Steps
The starting point of many great fortunes has been these seven simple steps. Number one, set a goal and back it with a burning desire. Number two, begin accumulating capital with a regular savings program. Nothing else is possible without this. You cannot move forward until you start a savings program.

Use Your Current Job as as Springboard
Number three, use your current job as a springboard to later success. Learn while you earn. Take the long view. Number four, experiment in business on a limited scale so you can learn the key abilities necessary for success. Number five, search for problems, needs unmet, products or services you can supply of good quality at reasonable prices.

Read Everything You Can Find
Number six, read everything you can find on your chosen field. Remain flexible. Be willing to change your mind if you get different information. And number seven, implement your plans with courage and persistence. Have complete faith in your ability to succeed and never, never give up.

Action Exercises
Now, here are two actions you can take immediately to start moving toward entrepreneurial success:

First, set a goal, make a plan and then launch your plan. Get started. Do something. Begin on a small scale with limited risk and investment but get going!

Second, resolve that, no matter what happens, you will never, never give up until you are successful. Before you accomplish anything worthwhile, you will have to pass the persistence test. And the test will come far sooner than you imagine.

-- Brian Tracy

Reproduced with permission from Jim Rohn's Weekly E-zine. To subscribe, go to www.JimRohn.com All contents Copyright © JimRohn.com except where indicated otherwise. All rights reserved worldwide.

Life is Art

by Jim Rohn

In my years teaching people to be successful, I have seen that basically people break their lives down into two major parts: Wealth-building and the rest of their lives. Having done a lot of reflection on these two topics - wealth and life - I am coming to some new conclusions about how to perceive the two.

Until recently I thought that there was a significant difference in how we should tackle the two areas. In fact, I thought that the two topics should be addressed in almost opposite fashion.

You see, wealth-building is just math. While life -- Life is art.

Think back with me to high school. Most of us were required to take math and most of us probably took art as well.

Now, think about your final exams in the two areas. Your math paper was graded on hard facts:

Ten times ten is always one-hundred
Thirty divided by three is always ten
Seven plus seven is always fourteen
Fifty minus twenty-five is always twenty-five

There is always just one answer in math. The answers are hard fact, set in stone. Math is a science. It is formulaic. You can know the outcome before it happens, every time.

But what about your final art project? Art is much more subjective. "Beauty," they say, "is in the eye of the beholder." There is no one right answer.

Think of the different styles of the famous artists:

Renoir. Monet. Picasso. Rockwell. Warhol.

Different people find different styles beautiful, and that is what makes art, art.

So how does this fit with wealth-building and life? Wealth-building is like math:

If you add $1000 to your retirement account each month and gain seven percent interest over twenty years, you can know now how much you will have then. It is math. If you buy a rental property for $200,000 now and it increases in value by three percent a year, you know exactly how much you will be able to sell it for in ten years. The beauty of math is in the knowing. You can work the system, set it on auto-pilot and the math does the work for you, and you know the outcome.

But life? Life is art. And that is the beauty of life. You do not know how it is going to turn out. Life, like art, is always changing. Different people provide different colors. When you make a mistake, you can go back, erase it or even paint right over it. You can change the scenery. Life, like art, is ever evolving, and what looks good to one person is of no interest to another. And that is what makes life beautiful.

Another lesson I think we can draw is that in life we should do our math, of course, but life isn't made up of just wealth-building. Wealth-building should serve our ability to live our lives. Jesus, the master teacher, said that our lives are not made up of the abundance of our possessions. He didn't mean that possessions aren't good, just that wealth isn't what life is all about.

So let me ask you: Are you spending more time on your math or your art? Do your math. Everybody should do their very best at their wealth-building plan so they can take care of themselves and their families.

But life is about the art. What does your canvas look like? What kind of picture are you painting? What kind of pot are you creating? What kind of statue are you sculpting? Take your time, make bold strokes, use brilliant colors, and make of your life the most beautiful masterpiece that you can.

In other words, do your math so you can focus on your art.

To Your Success,
Jim Rohn

Reproduced with permission from Jim Rohn's Weekly E-zine. To subscribe, go to www.JimRohn.com All contents Copyright © JimRohn.com except where indicated otherwise. All rights reserved worldwide.

How to Become Rich and Retire Young

by Robert Kiyosaki

The following is the story of how my wife Kim, my best friend Larry Clark and I, began our journey from broke, to rich, to retired in less than 10 years. When Kim and I started, we were nearly out of money and filled with doubt. We all have doubts. The difference is what we do with those doubts.

In December 1984, Kim, Larry and I were on a skiing holiday. At night we would discuss our plans for the future. Kim and I were on our last few dollars and Larry was in the process of building another business. On New Years Day, we tried to set some goals. Larry wanted to do more than just set goals for the coming year, he wanted us to set goals that changed our lives.

"Why don't we write a plan on how we can all become financially free?" he urged.

I had talked about it and dreamt about it. But the idea of being financially free was always in the future, not today.

"Let's write it down," Larry said. "Once we write it down, we have to do it, and we'll support each other on the journey."

Kim and I looked at each other doubtfully. "It's a good idea but I think I would rather just focus on surviving for the next year."

"Come on," said Larry. "Let's go for freedom. I don't want to spend my life working just to pay bills. I want to live. I want to be rich. I want to travel the world while I'm young enough to enjoy it."

I recalled the words of my rich dad: "The biggest challenge you have is your own self-doubt and your laziness. It is your self-doubt and your laziness that define and limit who you are. It is your self-doubt and laziness that deny you the life you want."

It was time to choose. "OK, let's set the goal to be financially free." That was New Year's Day 1985. In 1994 Kim and I were free. Larry went on to build his company, which became one of Inc. Magazine's fastest growing companies of the year in 1996. Larry retired in 1998 at the age of 46 after selling his company.

How did we do it?

It's not about how we did it. It's about why we did it. From 1985 to 1994, Kim, Larry, and I focused on rich dad's three paths to great wealth:
Increasing business skills
Increasing money management skills
Increasing investment skills

The why is because I wanted to challenge my own self-doubts, my laziness and my past. It was the why that gave us the power to do the how.

My arguments against Larry's idea were things like: "But we don't have any money"; "I can't do that"; "I'll think about it next year, or once Kim and I get settled".

Rich dad had told me: "Whenever someone says something like 'I can't afford it', or 'I can't do it' to something they want, they have a big problem. Why in the world would someone say 'I can't afford it' or 'I can't do it' to something they want? Why would someone deny themselves the things they want? It makes no logical sense."

My own whys
I was fed up with being broke and always struggling for money.
I was tired of being average.
My parents had struggled under a mountain of bills.
Most painful of all, my beautiful wife Kim was in this financial mess because she loved me.

Things got worse for us before they got better. Kim and I lived in a car for about three weeks after our money ran out. So things did not get better just because we made the decision to retire rich, but it was the reasons why that kept us going.

Rich dad used to say: "If you want something, be passionate. Passion gives energy to your life." Passion is a combination of love and hate. "If you want something you do not have, find out why you love what you want and why you hate not having what you want. When you combine those two thoughts, you will find the energy to go get anything you want."

For example, I would create the following list:
LOVE
Being rich
Being free
Buying anything I want
Expensive things
Having other people do what I don't want to do

HATE
Being poor
Being required to work
Not having what I want
Cheap things
Doing things I don't want to do

So sit quietly to find and define your loves and hates. Then write down your whys. Write down your dreams, goals and plans on becoming financially free, retiring early and retiring as young as possible. Once it is in writing, you may want to show it to a friend who will support you in achieving your dreams. Take a look at this paper with your dreams, goals and plans on a regular basis. Talk about it often, ask for support, be willing to continually learn, and before you know it, things will begin to happen.

I have heard many people say: "Money doesn't buy happiness." That statement has some truth to it. But what money does do is buy me the time to do what I love and pay other people to do what I hate doing.

-- Robert Kiyosaki

Reproduced with permission from Your Achievement Ezine. To subscribe, go to www.YourSuccessStore.com All contents Copyright © YourSuccessStore.com except where indicated otherwise. All rights reserved worldwide

Hope is the Great Activator

by Zig Ziglar

"Without hope what good is tomorrow?"

We are surrounded by people who need hope in their lives. We don't often see their need because a lack of hope is not easily communicated. People aren't prone to say, "I need hope." Nonetheless, when we listen closely, we can hear the cries of the hope-needers. Or oftentimes we can see it in their actions.

For example: The student with no hope of passing won't study. Why bother? The sales person with no hope of making the sale won't make the call. What's the purpose? The couple whose marriage is in trouble won't seek counseling because (they think) it's all over anyway. The relative who hasn't spoken to you for three years won't try. What's the hope? The senior citizen who doesn't think anyone would be interested in helping him won't ask. The nurse who doesn't think anyone appreciates her wisdom won't offer it. The manager who doesn't see a chance of being promoted often gives up. Why try?

But give any of these individuals hope and some exciting things can happen! . . .

You were born to win! But in order to be the winner you were born to be, you've got to plan to win. You've got to prepare to win. And then, and only then, can you legitimately expect to win.

Winning is not an accident. It's a result of a deliberate plan. A plan filled with hope and encouragement. Would you like to be a powerful person? Or a more powerful person? Then you need hope. People who build hope into their own lives and who share hope with others become powerful people. Doors open for these people!

Now here's the good news: Hope is a choice! Yes, that's right. You can make a decision to be a hope-filled person. You can make a decision to share hope with others. Even if your own need for hope is running a little dry, you can still give others hope. In the process of doing so, watch what happens. Your personal hope quotient is bound to rise.

Author John Maxwell says if there's hope in the future there's power in the present.

Hope is the great activator!

If you want to make things happen in your life, and you want to encourage others to make things happen in their lives, rely on hope! Discipline yourself to see the "hopeful" side of any incident. Include expressions of hope in your self-talk. Share words of hope with the people who surround you.

Are we offering you a "head in the sand" approach to life? Are we saying that you should walk around with a smile on your face and a song in your heart, oblivious to daily reality? Of course not. However, we do believe that we have a choice. Hope is a choice. We can look at any unfortunate or bothersome situation and say it's hopeless, or we can look for the hope in that situation. The choice is always ours!

Take a moment today and think about the last 24 hours. Did you spread hope, either by words or action? Or did you choose the opposite approach? Are you a hope-giver? Do you want to be? Look forward now to the next 24 hours. Think of three ways that you can be a hope giver. Now go do it . . . and watch what happens!

-- Zig Ziglar

Reproduced with permission from Your Achievement Ezine. To subscribe, go to www.YourSuccessStore.com All contents Copyright © YourSuccessStore.com except where indicated otherwise. All rights reserved worldwide.

How to Create an Empowering Vision Book

Jack Canfield

You are the author... just add dreams!

In the last edition of Success Strategies we discussed how tapping into the powers of the brain with visualization so it will begin to function as if your goals are already attained.

Your brain will work tirelessly to achieve the statements you give your subconscious mind. And when those statements are the affirmation of your goals, you are certain to achieve them!

Creating a vision book is probably your most valuable visualization tool!

This powerful visualization tool serves as your image of the future - a tangible representation of where you are going. It represents your dreams, your goals, and your ideal life.

Because your mind responds strongly to visual stimulation--by representing your goals with pictures and images you will stimulate your emotions... and your emotions are the vibrational energy that activates the Law of Attraction.

Create a personal vision book that clearly depicts the future you wish to create.

Find pictures that represent or symbolize the experiences, feelings, and possessions you want to attract into your life, and place them in your book. Have fun with the process! Use photographs, magazine cutouts, pictures from the Internet--whatever inspires you. Be creative. Include not only pictures, but anything that speaks to you.

Consider including a picture of yourself in your book. If you do, choose one that was taken in a happy moment. You will also want to post your affirmations, inspirational words, quotations, and thoughts here. Choose words and images that inspire you and make you feel good.

You can use your vision book to depict goals and dreams in all areas of your life, or in just one specific area that you are focusing on.

Keep it neat, and be selective about what you place in your vision book. It's a good idea to avoid creating a cluttered or chaotic book--you don't want to attract chaos into your life.

Use only the words and images that best represent your purpose, your ideal future, and words that inspire positive emotions in you. There is beauty in simplicity and clarity.

If you are working on visualizing and creating changes in many areas of your life, then you may want to use more than one vision book. You might use one vision book for your personal goals and another for career and financial goals. You might even want to keep your career vision book at the office or on your desk as a means of inspiration and affirmation.

How to use your vision book.

Try keeping your vision book on the nightstand next to your bed. Leave it standing in an open position as often as you are comfortable with, and spend time each morning and evening visualizing, affirming, believing, and internalizing your goals.

The time you spend visualizing in the evening just before bed is especially powerful. The thoughts and images that are present in your mind during the last forty-five minutes before going to sleep are the ones that will replay themselves repeatedly in your subconscious mind through­out the night, and the thoughts and images that you begin each day with will help you to create a vibrational match for the future you desire.

As some time goes by, and your dreams begin to manifest, look at those images that represent your achievements, and feel gratitude for how well the Law of Attraction is working in your life. Acknowledge that it is working.

Don't remove the pictures or images that represent the goals you've already achieved.

Achievement of the goals in your vision book are powerful visual reminders of what you have already consciously and deliberately attracted into your life.

I recommend you write down the date you created your vision book. The universe loves speed, and you will be amazed at just how quickly the Law of Attraction responds to your energy, commitment, and desires.

Much like a time capsule, this book will document your personal journey, your dreams, and your achievements for that particular year. It will become a record of your growth, awareness, and expansion that you will want to keep and reflect back upon in years to come.

Final thoughts on using your completed vision book:

• Look at your vision book often and feel the inspiration it provides.
• Hold it in your hands and really internalize the future it represents.
• Read your affirmations and inspirational words aloud.
• See yourself living in that manner.
• Feel yourself in the future you have designed.
• Believe it is already yours.
• Be grateful for the good that is already present in your life.
• Acknowledge any goals you have already achieved.
• Acknowledge the changes you have seen and felt.
• Acknowledge the presence of God in your life.
• Acknowledge the Law of Attraction at work in your life.
• Look at it just before going to bed and first thing upon rising.

I hope I've inspired you to create your own vision book and start implementing what you learned from today's message.

See it. Feel it. Believe it!

© 2009 Jack Canfield

Jack Canfield, America's #1 Success Coach, is founder of the billion-dollar book brand Chicken Soup for the Sou© and a leading authority on Peak Performance and Life Success. If you're ready to jump-start your life, make more money, and have more fun and joy in all that you do, get your FREE success tips from Jack Canfield now at: www.FreeSuccessStrategies.com

Operating With 20/20 Vision in Areas That Matter Most

By Stephen R. Graves

An excerpt from The Six Disciplines of Personal Sustainability by Dr. Stephen R. Graves, co-founder of GiANT Leaders Executive Coaching

A father and son were traveling home from a college football game late one night in the 1970s when the dad pulled the car onto the shoulder of the rural, desolate highway and asked his son to take over the driving. As hard as it was for him to admit, the father said his eyesight was failing him and he didn't think it safe for him to stay behind the wheel. So the son took over, and it didn't take him long to realize that his dad's eyesight wasn't the problem - it was the station wagon's headlights that were fading.

In life, we have to stay focused on the things that matter most. As Mark Twain put it, "Plain clarity is better than ornate obscurity." For the father and son with the fading headlights, the most important thing became obvious: The road in front of them for that last 15 miles! For most leaders, however, finding clarity starts with establishing priorities from a long list of things that all seem important.

Very often, our day is much like one of those tests we took in college - not every question carries the same weight. Sometimes there's a 100-point test with a 90-point question that demands the bulk of our attention. But we have a tendency to only see that there are 10 questions. What is wrong with that, one asks? Real world living tells us that not everything that floats across our screen is of equal weight and consequence. And real world living tells us that the urgent and the significant are not always the same thing. And for sure the loud and shiny are not always the strategic and the noteworthy. Even leaders who intuitively spot the critical strategies of life must guard against the tendency to spend too much time checking off the two-point questions.

What keeps us from clarity when it comes to the things that matter most? For starters: We're blinded by stubbornness, ignorance, arrogance or a self-centered agenda. We're overwhelmed by the volume of life's demands. We're too easily distracted by things that don't really... hey, look at that bird! We're too rigid and tactical.

Assessment

Have I lost my footing with regards to the priorities of life and slipped into simply going through the motions? Is there an issue or past experience that has handcuffed, bushwhacked or paralyzed my passion and clarity for life? Does the speed, complexity and myriad options of life feel like a furious European roundabout, spinning me in a circle and creating confusion, frustration and fear? Am I using creative thinking, analytical thinking, big-picture thinking and bottom-line thinking to sort and tackle the critical matters of life? Am I anchored to a promising future and a compelling vision? Do I see and sense the mission critical elements of life?

Advice

Take a few minutes at least once a day to ask yourself what you must get done tomorrow and this week. Jot those down and use them as a mental traffic light to guide you. Don't be scared to slow down and think through all the things screaming for attention. Draft a short list and put a quick score on them and MAKE yourself prioritize all the activity. As the Japanese Proverb says, "Vision without action is a daydream but action without vision is a nightmare."

About

Dr. Stephen Graves is a member of GiANT's national team of Executive Coaches who serve as trusted advisors to executives leaders helping them maximize profits and minimize losses all while maintaining balance in both life and work. GiANT provides confidential outside perspective, positive accountability, energized hope and useful strategy proven to strengthen leaders and grow organizations. If you are interested in learning more regarding how GiANT's executive coaching might be right for you, please click here or email your request to info@giantleaders.com.

5 Attributes of Inspirational Leaders

Dr. John C. Maxwell

The Sahara plays tricks on the eyes of its travelers. As the desert sun beats down on the sand, heat waves rise from the ground. Light bends as it passes through the superheated air, painting illusory pictures on the horizon. To thirsty travelers moving through the Sahara, it often appears as if an oasis looms in the distance. However, as the voyagers journey on, the oasis proves to be nothing more than a mirage.

Unfortunately, the ranks of leadership are inhabited by a host of mirages: people who look impressive from a distance, but end up being disappointments. After being fooled by a few mirages, followers become jaded about leadership. That seems as true now as it ever has been. Our trust in leaders has been shaken as politicians have reneged on promises, CEOs have squandered money entrusted to their firms, and managers have advanced self-interests above all else.

To restore society's confidence with those in power, leaders have to be able to inspire. I'm not talking about inspiring someone to buy into the corporate vision statement, to meet quarterly sales goals, or to work more efficiently. These aren't bad things, but right now, people are looking for a leader attuned to their personal needs. They want leaders who will encourage them, believe in their potential, and help them grow.

5 Attributes of an Inspirational Leader

ATTITUDE OF SERVICE

To be an inspirational leader, you must adopt an attitude of service toward those you lead. This requires laying aside selfish interests to add value to another person. In the words of Martin Luther King, Jr., "An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity." When you serve, you awaken something magnetic inside of you. People are drawn to follow you because they know you'll find ways to make them better.

AFFIRMATION

To inspire means to have a positive view of others. If we're not careful, we become fault-finders, magnifying the flaws in everyone around us. Instead, leaders should emulate gold prospectors - always on the lookout for potential gold mines. When they find traces of ore, prospectors assume there's a rich vein to unearth, and they start digging. In the same fashion, leaders ought to search for the best traits within a person and commit to uncovering them.

One of the best applications of this idea is expressed in what I call the 101 percent principle: Find the one thing that you believe is a person's greatest asset, and then give 100 percent encouragement in that area. Focusing on a person's strengths inspires them by promoting confidence, growth, and success.

ATTENTIVENESS

Great inspirers know the desires of those they lead. As much as people respect the knowledge and ability of their leaders, these are secondary concerns for them. They don't care how much their leaders know until they know how much their leaders care. When leaders attend to the deeply felt needs of their team, the determination and commitment of each team member skyrockets.

AVAILABILITY

Leaders inspire by intentionally investing time in the people they lead. They make themselves available. People cannot be nurtured from a distance or by infrequent spurts of attention. They need a leader to spend time with them - planned time, not just a conversation in passing.

In our fast-paced and demanding world, time is a leader's most precious commodity. While it feels costly to give up, nothing communicates that you value a person more than the gift of your time. In addition, investing time to develop others has a way of reaping dividends. As Ralph Waldo Emerson remarked, "It is one of the most beautiful compensations of this life that no man can sincerely try to help another without helping himself."

AUTHENTICITY

To inspire, leaders have to be genuine. More than anything else, followers want to believe in and trust their leaders. However, when leaders break promises or fail to honor commitments, they reveal themselves as being inauthentic, and they lose credibility. Trust rests upon a foundation of authenticity. To gain trust, a leader must consistently align words and deeds, while showing a degree of transparency.

Summary

Inspirational leadership can be confused with momentary charisma. I prefer to think about inspiring as more of a process than an event. More than a brilliant speech, it's cultivating habits of brilliance that manifest themselves daily. By modeling the five attributes of an inspiring leader, I trust that you'll win the respect of those you lead and earn the right to influence them.

This article is used by permission from Dr. John C. Maxwell's free monthly e-newsletter 'Leadership Wired' available at www.injoy.com.

Golden Rule of Influence Number One: Live a Life of Undivided Integrity

by Chris Widener

At eight-thirty a.m. sharp, after having left Bobby's apartment exactly at seven for an early breakfast, Bobby, Marcus, and the security team from the Lincolns arrived at their destination: a relatively small company that Bobby was thinking of taking a stake in, in the hopes of growing it. The CEO's admin told them that her boss had been caught in traffic and was just a few blocks away. In the meantime, she led them into the conference room between the CEO and CFO offices.

The boardroom had a classic high-powered look. It had beautifully ornate furniture and a killer view - the kind that is hard to come by in the concrete jungle. When Bobby and Marcus entered the room they were quickly greeted by the CFO, who asked them to sit down. The admin asked Bobby and Marcus if they would like some juice and Danish.

"No, thank you," Bobby replied

"None for me either, thanks"

They launched into the basic "getting to know you" chitchat for a few moments while the three of them waited for the CEO to arrive. During a lull in the conversation, the admin came back in and spoke to the CFO.

"Laura Jackson called. She wants to know when she will get the package that includes the business plans and strategic overview."

"Oh, I forgot to mail it! Do me a favor. Tell her I mailed it yesterday. Then overnight it to her today. Tell her she should get it tomorrow."

"Will do," she said before disappearing through the doors again.

"I hate when I forget to do things," the CFO said as he turned to Bobby. "I must be getting old."

A few minutes later the CEO entered the boardroom, apologizing for his tardiness. He asked the CFO if he had the financial sheets available.

"Sure do," he said as he handed Bobby and Marcus a short stack of papers. "The top two sheets are the overview, the next ten sheets have all the details."

Bobby turned to Marcus. "Give those a once over, will you? Let me know if anything pops out at you." Marcus began to delve into the paperwork. He loved this, barely out of business school and here he was sitting at the right hand of one of the biggest movers and shakers in the world, helping him decide whether or not to go through with a deal. Who would have thought? As he started through the paperwork, he also tried to keep an ear to the conversation. Bobby was known for his keen intuitive sense of which deals were right and which ones were wrong. Sure, he looks at the numbers, but he trusts his gut a lot, as well.

After about twenty minutes of give-and-take, Bobby thanked them for their time and told them that he would get back to them by the end of the day. One-day decisions may seem like a quick turnaround on a 50 million dollar deal, but in the overall scheme of Bobby's wealth, it was a pretty minor decision. Bobby had attended the meeting himself only because the CEO was a friend of a friend and he also thought it would give Marcus some action.

They discussed the meeting on the car ride back. "So, what did you think?" Bobby asked Marcus.

"It was great. I can't think of a better way to get my feet wet."

Bobby spoke to the driver. "Larry, can we hit a Starbucks? I'll have the usual." He turned to Marcus. "Anything for you?"

"Sure, a tall black drip."

"Got it," Larry said from the front.

"So, Marcus, let's see what Northwestern did for you. How did those numbers look to you?"

"I thought they looked really good." He was a little bit hesitant. They really did look good, but he just hoped that Bobby thought the same thing. He didn't want to end up on the wrong side of the fence right off the bat, missing some crucial piece of information. He wanted to impress Bobby. "What did you think?"

"I agree. The financials look very good. This 50 million could turn into four or five hundred million in six to seven years."

"So, are you going to do it?"

Just then the Lincoln pulled over for Larry's run into the Starbucks. "Well, let's talk about it a bit. We know the science works, right?"

"The science?"

"Yeah, remember? The science and the art? The science is the numbers. Those work on this deal. What about the art?’

"Oh, yeah. Well, the two guys seemed sharp. They seemed like they knew what they were doing. They had a plan for expansion. What did you think?"

"Okay…" Marcus didn't get where Bobby was going with this.

"Those two guys were trying to influence me to put 50 million dollars of my money into their business, right? Which means I'd have to hold them to my Golden Rules of Influence. Unfortunately, their CFO broke rule number one before the meeting ever began."

Reproduced with permission from the Chris Widener Ezine. To subscribe to Chris Widener's Ezine, go to http://www.ChrisWidener.com Copyright 2009 Chris Widener International. All rights reserved worldwide.

Ambitiously Pursuing Your Own Self-Direction

By Jim Rohn

What is the origin of true ambition? There exists really only one place to find true ambition and that is within you – in every thought, in every movement, in every motivation. Your ambition is an expression of who you truly are, your own self-expression.

Self-expression. Isn't self-expression really self-direction? How you think, how you move, how you motivate yourself. Ambition is a result of self-direction and self-direction is one of the six key principles necessary for building ambition. Positive self-direction says, "I know who I am and I know where I want to go. I'm accumulating knowledge and experiences and feelings and philosophies that will help prepare me for opportunities that I know will show up without notice or any help on my part." Because you know where you want to go, you have already been working on the parts of your personality that will make you better. Working on your attitude, working on your health, working on your time management skills. Putting it all down on paper. And you constantly see yourself in the place you want to be, going in the direction you want to go.

Direction determines destination. So here is a question you must ask yourself, "Are all the disciplines that I'm currently engaged in taking me where I want to go?" What an important question to ask yourself at the beginning of the month, the beginning of the week, the beginning of the day. Because here is what you don't ever want to do - kid yourself. Kid your neighbor, kid me and kid the marketplace, but don't kid yourself - fingers crossed - hoping you will arrive at a good destination when you're not even headed that way. You have to ask yourself often, AM I? Am I doing the disciplines that are taking me in the direction I want to go? Don't neglect to ask these important questions, questions that help determine your direction, the set of your sail, your destination.

Is this the direction I want for my life?
Is this someone else's direction?
Is this a goal I have been ingrained with since my childhood?
Is this goal my parent's, my spouse's, my boss', my children's or is it MINE?

Ask yourself these questions and then debate them. After you have answered these questions within yourself, then take it one step further and ask, "What am I doing that is working or not working?" Debate it all. Work with your mind to figure out the best possible direction for you - your self-direction. And then ambitiously pursue your own self-direction. Let the power of your own ambition take you where you want to go, to do what you want to do, to create the life you want to live!

Reproduced with permission from Your Achievement Ezine. To subscribe, go to www.YourSuccessStore.com All contents Copyright © YourSuccessStore.com except where indicated otherwise. All rights reserved worldwide.

Enterprise is Better Than Ease

by Jim Rohn

If we are involved in a project, how hard should we work at it? How much time should we put in?

Our philosophy about activity and our attitude about hard work will affect the quality of our lives. What we decide about the rightful ratio of labor to rest will establish a certain work ethic. That work ethic - our attitude about the amount of labor we are willing to commit to future fortune - will determine how substantial or how meager that fortune turns out to be.

Enterprise is always better than ease. Every time we choose to do less than we could, this error in judgment has an effect on our self-confidence. Repeated every day, we soon find ourselves not only doing less than we should, but also being less than we could. The accumulative effect of this error in judgment can be devastating.

--- FORTUNATELY, IT IS EASY TO REVERSE THE PROCESS ---

Any day we choose we can develop a new discipline of doing rather than neglecting. Every time we choose action over ease or labor over rest, we develop an increasing level of self-worth, self-respect and self-confidence. In the final analysis, it is how we feel about ourselves that provides the greatest reward from any activity. It is not what we get that makes us valuable, it is what we become in the process of doing that brings value into our lives. It is activity that converts human dreams into human reality, and that conversion from idea into actuality gives us a personal value that can come from no other source.

So feel free to not only engage in enterprise, but also to enjoy it to its fullest along with all the benefits that are soon to come!

Reproduced with permission from Jim Rohn's Weekly E-zine. To subscribe, go to www.JimRohn.com All contents Copyright © JimRohn.com except where indicated otherwise. All rights reserved worldwide.