by Ron White
"Everybody I know says that they need just one thing... what they really mean is that they need just one thing more." —Rich Mullins (Singer/Songwriter)
"The trouble is not getting the man that you want. The trouble is wanting the man once you get him!" —Elizabeth Taylor, after her 7th marriage.
Do you remember the success of the Interstate Department Store? No? Well, don't feel alone because I don't remember either. However, have you ever heard of Toys R Us? Guess what? It is the same store. The success of Toys R Us occurred when they chose to focus on ONE THING: toys.How about 7Up? In the late 1970s, they had a 7.5% market share with one flavor of cola drink. Then they couldn't resist the lure of line extensions and, before you knew it, they had several flavors and a market share of 2.5%.The lesson is: if you attempt to become everything to all people, you will surely only succeed in becoming nothing to everyone. In your personal life, you know the temptation. You know the temptation of always desiring what is on the other side or what you don't have. So you drop what is in your hand to grab something else—only to later wish you could have what you used to hold. This analogy could pertain to relationships, where you live, or even a career.The trick to life is not getting what you want. It is wanting it once you get it. The challenge is to focus on one thing. I have a friend who has five or six great ideas to make money. Which one will succeed for her? As her friend, I hope one does. But, in my heart, I know that none of them will because she can't select ONE THING and focus on it.
Therefore, all her ventures are doomed.There is something to be said for the power of focus. In business, remember that IBM used to own the word computer. They no longer do and part of that is because they got into every business you can think of. Toys R Us owns "toys," FedEx owns the word "overnight." It is about ONE THING when it comes to branding.In life, you will not find contentment by bouncing from one situation to the next. That will only come when you are able to rest and focus on ONE THING. Decide what is important to you and focus on that ONE THING for a successful business or life. Yes, there will be rough roads, but I assure you that the answer is not in the other hand.Action Points:
1. Examine your life and ask yourself if you are focused.
2. Ask yourself what you could eliminate in your life that is simply a distraction.
3. Question your desires to see if they are only a result of wanting what you don't have or a genuine issue that you are willing to make your long-term focus.
4. Remember the lesson of Toys R Us: Line extensions don't ensure more success—focus does.
-- Ron White
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.
Sunday, July 26, 2009
A Chance Encounter
by Jim Rohn and Chris Widener
“The only way things are going to change for you is when you change.”
“Crud!”His hand hit the dashboard as he said it. “I can't stand this car!”That about sums up Michael Jones's life—crud. And... he can't stand it.Forty years old, a wife of 15 years whom he doesn’t know how to connect with, and two kids he barely knows. Add to that a boring job that doesn’t challenge him and hardly pays the bills. In a word, crud.Where had his life gone? Out of college, he and his wife, Amy, had been so filled with dreams. Their lives were ahead of them, and nothing seemed impossible. They were full of potential and wanted to do so much. But now they were nowhere near where they had hoped to be.Michael loved Amy, but their marriage just wasn’t what it could be. They had grown apart through the years, and he had no idea how to fix it. The kids are great, but, again, there was just no connection with them like he thought “normal” families should have.And his job... definitely not what he wanted. A man his age making $40,000 a year with no upside? This was hardly what he had imagined for his life. It was what it was, and it seemed like he was stuck—stuck with a dead-end job and poor relationships. This wasn’t the success and happiness he and Amy had planned for.But his life was about to change...“This car is the worst,” he thought as it convulsed and finally died. Going about 30 miles an hour when it stopped running, he guided it as it coasted to a stop along the road.
He was on his way to a sales call and he had never taken this road before. It was a long, winding road that acted as a shortcut between two major roads. “Not many houses on this road,” he observed.After the car rolled to a stop, Michael got out and walked around the car. It wasn’t as though he would be able to tell what was wrong from walking around; he knew zero about cars. He knew how to put gas in it, turn the key over, and that was about it. “No smoke,” he thought, “that has to be good.”He popped the hood and looked at the engine. All the wires seemed connected. All the caps were on. He didn’t have any idea what to do.“I should have taken shop class in high school,” he thought.Michael reached inside his jacket for his cell phone. He figured he would call a mechanic friend he knew and see if he could get some help. He flipped the phone open and saw the worst—no cell coverage there!“Just my luck,” he said out loud. “They can put a man on the moon and clone a sheep, but they can’t put a cell site up where I need it.”He looked around, trying to decide which way to start walking. About 200 feet up ahead, there was a bend in the road, but he couldn’t see what was farther on, so he decided to go that way, hoping there might be a house beyond the bend.As he walked, he kicked the gravel along the road.Frustrated, alone and stuck. That’s how he felt right now—about this situation and his life in general.As he turned the corner, Michael came across something he had never seen in real life before. Sure, he had seen many in magazines and on TV, but never something like this with his own eyes.“Nice pad.” Michael found himself standing in front of the most beautiful home he had ever seen.
Home may not even be the right word for it. Right at the roadside was a huge gated entrance. The large brick-and-wrought-iron fence stretched at least 500 feet along the roadside, and the gate was at least 10 feet high. Behind the gate was a house that had to be more than 10,000 square feet. It was a white plantation style home that had twelve two-story pillars across the front, which made sense since the sign at the side of the gate said “Twelve Pillars.” It was magnificent. Michael stood in front of the gate for a few minutes, just looking in awe at the structure.Finally, he snapped back to reality and realized that he had to get his car fixed. He didn’t see any other houses nearby, but he didn’t know how to get to the house in front of him, either.Just then, he saw an old man in white overalls emerge from what looked like a workshop just to the right of the driveway. The old man walked toward the gate.When he got about 25 feet from the gate, the old man said, “Can I help you, young man?”
This excerpt is from Jim Rohn and Chris Widener's book Twelve Pillars. Discover a special program based on this popular book that can help you save more, do more and become more! Get special bonuses—including a hardcover copy of the book—when you order now. Or, call 800-929-0434.
“The only way things are going to change for you is when you change.”
“Crud!”His hand hit the dashboard as he said it. “I can't stand this car!”That about sums up Michael Jones's life—crud. And... he can't stand it.Forty years old, a wife of 15 years whom he doesn’t know how to connect with, and two kids he barely knows. Add to that a boring job that doesn’t challenge him and hardly pays the bills. In a word, crud.Where had his life gone? Out of college, he and his wife, Amy, had been so filled with dreams. Their lives were ahead of them, and nothing seemed impossible. They were full of potential and wanted to do so much. But now they were nowhere near where they had hoped to be.Michael loved Amy, but their marriage just wasn’t what it could be. They had grown apart through the years, and he had no idea how to fix it. The kids are great, but, again, there was just no connection with them like he thought “normal” families should have.And his job... definitely not what he wanted. A man his age making $40,000 a year with no upside? This was hardly what he had imagined for his life. It was what it was, and it seemed like he was stuck—stuck with a dead-end job and poor relationships. This wasn’t the success and happiness he and Amy had planned for.But his life was about to change...“This car is the worst,” he thought as it convulsed and finally died. Going about 30 miles an hour when it stopped running, he guided it as it coasted to a stop along the road.
He was on his way to a sales call and he had never taken this road before. It was a long, winding road that acted as a shortcut between two major roads. “Not many houses on this road,” he observed.After the car rolled to a stop, Michael got out and walked around the car. It wasn’t as though he would be able to tell what was wrong from walking around; he knew zero about cars. He knew how to put gas in it, turn the key over, and that was about it. “No smoke,” he thought, “that has to be good.”He popped the hood and looked at the engine. All the wires seemed connected. All the caps were on. He didn’t have any idea what to do.“I should have taken shop class in high school,” he thought.Michael reached inside his jacket for his cell phone. He figured he would call a mechanic friend he knew and see if he could get some help. He flipped the phone open and saw the worst—no cell coverage there!“Just my luck,” he said out loud. “They can put a man on the moon and clone a sheep, but they can’t put a cell site up where I need it.”He looked around, trying to decide which way to start walking. About 200 feet up ahead, there was a bend in the road, but he couldn’t see what was farther on, so he decided to go that way, hoping there might be a house beyond the bend.As he walked, he kicked the gravel along the road.Frustrated, alone and stuck. That’s how he felt right now—about this situation and his life in general.As he turned the corner, Michael came across something he had never seen in real life before. Sure, he had seen many in magazines and on TV, but never something like this with his own eyes.“Nice pad.” Michael found himself standing in front of the most beautiful home he had ever seen.
Home may not even be the right word for it. Right at the roadside was a huge gated entrance. The large brick-and-wrought-iron fence stretched at least 500 feet along the roadside, and the gate was at least 10 feet high. Behind the gate was a house that had to be more than 10,000 square feet. It was a white plantation style home that had twelve two-story pillars across the front, which made sense since the sign at the side of the gate said “Twelve Pillars.” It was magnificent. Michael stood in front of the gate for a few minutes, just looking in awe at the structure.Finally, he snapped back to reality and realized that he had to get his car fixed. He didn’t see any other houses nearby, but he didn’t know how to get to the house in front of him, either.Just then, he saw an old man in white overalls emerge from what looked like a workshop just to the right of the driveway. The old man walked toward the gate.When he got about 25 feet from the gate, the old man said, “Can I help you, young man?”
This excerpt is from Jim Rohn and Chris Widener's book Twelve Pillars. Discover a special program based on this popular book that can help you save more, do more and become more! Get special bonuses—including a hardcover copy of the book—when you order now. Or, call 800-929-0434.
The First Step for Getting Better Results
by Jim Rohn
How dramatically we can change our results is largely a function of imagination. In 1960, it was a technological impossibility for man to travel into outer space. Within 10 years, however, the first man stepped out onto the surface of the moon. The miraculous process of converting the dream into reality began when one voice challenged the scientific community to do whatever was necessary to see to it that America "places a man on the moon by the end of this decade." That challenge awakened the spirit of a nation by planting the seed of possible future achievement into the fertile soil of imagination. With that one bold challenge, the impossible became a reality.
—The same principle applies to every other area of your life!
—Can a poor person become wealthy? Of course! The unique combination of desire, planning, effort and perseverance will always work its magic. The question is not whether the formula for success will work, but rather whether the person will work the formula. That is the unknown variable. That is the challenge that confronts us all. We can all go from wherever we are to wherever we want to be. No dream is impossible, provided we first have the courage to believe in it.
To Your Success,
Jim Rohn
How dramatically we can change our results is largely a function of imagination. In 1960, it was a technological impossibility for man to travel into outer space. Within 10 years, however, the first man stepped out onto the surface of the moon. The miraculous process of converting the dream into reality began when one voice challenged the scientific community to do whatever was necessary to see to it that America "places a man on the moon by the end of this decade." That challenge awakened the spirit of a nation by planting the seed of possible future achievement into the fertile soil of imagination. With that one bold challenge, the impossible became a reality.
—The same principle applies to every other area of your life!
—Can a poor person become wealthy? Of course! The unique combination of desire, planning, effort and perseverance will always work its magic. The question is not whether the formula for success will work, but rather whether the person will work the formula. That is the unknown variable. That is the challenge that confronts us all. We can all go from wherever we are to wherever we want to be. No dream is impossible, provided we first have the courage to believe in it.
To Your Success,
Jim Rohn
Create That Winning Feeling
by Bob Proctor
I believe we would all agree that having a winning feeling is prerequisite to achieving outstanding results. A person can’t possibly expect to win if they’re constantly focusing on failure! The real secret here is to capture that winning feeling of success as often as you can to create the environment necessary to succeed. If you’ve been a little down in the dumps, feeling insecure or perhaps not feeling as confident in your ability as you’d like, I have a great tip for you.
My suggestion to anyone looking for a success track to run on, or to a person who is looking to get back on one, is to start capitalizing on short-term victories. That means specifically focus on tasks you can achieve daily. The principle is to start with an adversity over which you can succeed, and gradually take on more and more difficult tasks. Nothing succeeds like success. Another technique used by many people in developing or maintaining a winning feeling is what we call the reflection method. Think back during a time where you were really successful at something… we all have times to which we can relate. It could have been a sale, a particular speech, a school play, or standing up to the town bully.
Each one of us can reflect back on a moment in time to recapture that winning feeling. Professional sports coaches often replay winning games of the past for their team prior to a big game to stimulate and create a winning feeling! Years ago, a good friend of mine had left his job and a company that he had worked with for many years. He was one of the top VPs with his company and had done extremely well. He had left because he wanted to start his own business. I told him he could use one of our offices until such time as he was ready to open up his own office. In any event, I happened to be in the office one afternoon and Grant, who normally was very upbeat and positive, was really having a difficult time. After a few moments of small talk, it became apparent what the problem was. Grant had hit the terror barrier and the possibility of starting his own company was overwhelming him… he just didn’t think he could do it. Here’s a man who had risen to the top of his field, made a high six-figure income for years… and yet was still having doubts as to his ability to start his own company. I asked Grant to go home, get a notebook and start to write down all of his accomplishments, as far back as he could remember. The look on his face was priceless—I’m sure he thought I’d lost my mind. I told him that the accomplishment could be small or large… it didn’t really matter. The point was to focus on something positive. I still remember him asking, “Well, what if I only fill half a page.” I just smiled and asked him to do his best and start writing.
Monday morning came and Grant was back in the office with a notebook full of accomplishments. I smiled and said, “You must have been fairly confident, you picked up a good sized notebook!” We both had a good laugh. Grant went on to build a multimillion-dollar financial planning company and later franchised the operation to extend across Canada and the United States! This is a great exercise for anyone needing a bit of a boost. What would give you a winning feeling of pride and satisfaction? Remember… a winning feeling is a confident feeling and one that forgets misses, and reinforces successful attempts.
— Bob Proctor
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.
I believe we would all agree that having a winning feeling is prerequisite to achieving outstanding results. A person can’t possibly expect to win if they’re constantly focusing on failure! The real secret here is to capture that winning feeling of success as often as you can to create the environment necessary to succeed. If you’ve been a little down in the dumps, feeling insecure or perhaps not feeling as confident in your ability as you’d like, I have a great tip for you.
My suggestion to anyone looking for a success track to run on, or to a person who is looking to get back on one, is to start capitalizing on short-term victories. That means specifically focus on tasks you can achieve daily. The principle is to start with an adversity over which you can succeed, and gradually take on more and more difficult tasks. Nothing succeeds like success. Another technique used by many people in developing or maintaining a winning feeling is what we call the reflection method. Think back during a time where you were really successful at something… we all have times to which we can relate. It could have been a sale, a particular speech, a school play, or standing up to the town bully.
Each one of us can reflect back on a moment in time to recapture that winning feeling. Professional sports coaches often replay winning games of the past for their team prior to a big game to stimulate and create a winning feeling! Years ago, a good friend of mine had left his job and a company that he had worked with for many years. He was one of the top VPs with his company and had done extremely well. He had left because he wanted to start his own business. I told him he could use one of our offices until such time as he was ready to open up his own office. In any event, I happened to be in the office one afternoon and Grant, who normally was very upbeat and positive, was really having a difficult time. After a few moments of small talk, it became apparent what the problem was. Grant had hit the terror barrier and the possibility of starting his own company was overwhelming him… he just didn’t think he could do it. Here’s a man who had risen to the top of his field, made a high six-figure income for years… and yet was still having doubts as to his ability to start his own company. I asked Grant to go home, get a notebook and start to write down all of his accomplishments, as far back as he could remember. The look on his face was priceless—I’m sure he thought I’d lost my mind. I told him that the accomplishment could be small or large… it didn’t really matter. The point was to focus on something positive. I still remember him asking, “Well, what if I only fill half a page.” I just smiled and asked him to do his best and start writing.
Monday morning came and Grant was back in the office with a notebook full of accomplishments. I smiled and said, “You must have been fairly confident, you picked up a good sized notebook!” We both had a good laugh. Grant went on to build a multimillion-dollar financial planning company and later franchised the operation to extend across Canada and the United States! This is a great exercise for anyone needing a bit of a boost. What would give you a winning feeling of pride and satisfaction? Remember… a winning feeling is a confident feeling and one that forgets misses, and reinforces successful attempts.
— Bob Proctor
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.
The Magic Is in You
by Vic Johnson
When he realizes that he is a creative power, and that he may command the hidden soil and seeds of his being out of which circumstances grow; he then becomes the rightful master of himself." —As a Man Thinketh
While reading an old classic, The Message of a Master by John McDonald, I was rocked by an incredibly insightful passage: “The cause of the confusion prevailing in your mind that weakens your thoughts is the false belief that there is a power or powers outside you greater than the power within you.” Stop and think about that. What keeps us from attempting greater things—from reaching for the brass ring in our life?
What makes us take that great idea that could make our family financially free and bury it underneath a lot of reasons why it’d never work? What stops us from that career change that would result in working in a profession we could really enjoy, and could get passionate about? There’s only one thing that EVER stops us from forward momentum and McDonald nailed it: “The false belief that there is a power or powers outside you greater than the power within you.” As I once heard a speaker say, “The magic is in YOU!” As James Allen tells us, once we realize that we can create our circumstances, then, and only then, are we truly the master of our life and our destiny.
Regardless of your particular spiritual beliefs, you may find these words from the Gospel of John very enlightening, “He that believeth in me, the works that I do, shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do.” That would indicate to me that we are already “endowed” with the power to do amazing things—far more amazing than most of us will ever attempt—if we’d only understand and BELIEVE that the power is within, not without. And that’s worth thinking about.
— Vic Johnson
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.
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Choosing to Cheat
Rubber bands are made to stretch. They're flexible to a point, but expand them too far and SNAP! They break. There's a limit to their elasticity.
Many times our lives feel like rubber bands. We're pulled in different directions by two primary commitments: work and family. As we stretch ourselves to meet expectations on each side, the tension mounts. Try as we might to give our attention and energy generously to both, we end up falling short. There never seems to be enough time in the day to fully satisfy the relationships with our loved ones and the demands of our jobs.
When stretched to the breaking point, what's the solution? Choose to cheat. That's the seemingly odd advice from Andy Stanley, pastor of North Point Community Church in Alpharetta, GA.
Everyone Cheats
According to Stanley, we'll never have enough time to attain our ideal career productivity, relationship to our spouse and kids, physical fitness, service to the community, financial goals, and devotion to hobbies. Regardless of our discipline in managing time and controlling our schedules, something or somebody is going to feel cheated. It's unavoidable. The issue isn't whether to cheat, but choosing where to cheat and how to go about it.
Regrettably, many of us choose to cheat our families. Although we do so for a variety of reasons, Stanley points out one of the most notable: work has measureable rewards. Whether it's an income level or a position that we seek, there's a concrete goal at the office. At home, the rewards of family relationships are less distinct. Family life is more about being than doing, and in a culture driven by achievement and material success, we can easily lose perspective of the intangible, but incalculable benefits of loving relationships.
How to Stop Cheating at Home (and to Start Cheating at Work)
You may justify cheating time spent at home because you feel the duty of provision. After all, you need to pay the mortgage, fund tuition, etc. Take a second to think about the big picture, though. Will owning your dream house really matter if you've sacrificed your marriage to pay for it? Will sending your kids to the finest private school outweigh the emotional estrangement that results from neglecting to spend time with them?
As Andy Stanley advises, "In the marketplace you're expendable. In the home, you play a unique role no one else can fill." As a father or mother, sister or son, the support you bring to your family is irreplaceable. Someone else can be hired to take your place at the office. No one can fill your shoes at home.
Stanley is quick to stress that cheating on the job doesn't mean cutting corners or doing shoddy work. Rather, cheating means "reallocating your limited time assets according to predetermined priorities." He outlines three steps toward cheating at work rather than at home.
1) Make Up Your Mind
Don't wait for the opportune moment or hold out hope that your schedule will slow down. Nothing will change if your commitment is conditional upon a more favorable pace at the office. Resolve to make the sacrifices at work to give a greater piece of yourself to the ones you love the most.
2) Create an Exit Strategy
When he set out to conquer the Aztec empire, the Spanish explorer Hernán Cortés burned his ships to eliminate the option of retreat. In a like manner, be extreme about cutting off the avenues by which work intrudes on your family relationships. You may want to institute specific non-negotiables in your work habits. Perhaps you commit to leaving the office no later than 6:00 pm, or maybe you choose never to check emails on Saturday or Sunday.
3) Set Up a Trail
Don't jeopardize your employment by suddenly cutting our early or turning down assignments. Ask for permission to adopt a more family-friendly schedule. When doing so, be armed with creative options and alternatives. Instead of issuing an ultimatum, seek a gradual change. The best course of action may be to initiate a trial period for your new work habits. This will help to alleviate any concerns your boss may have. Chances are that performance, not number of hours, is what your employer prizes most. A trial run allows you to prove that you can handle your responsibilities in the new arrangement.
Summary
In Choosing to Cheat, Andy Stanley gives much-needed advice on elevating the people we love above the profession we do. Leaders would be wise to heed his advice on how to cheat selectively. Life demands tradeoffs, and I think we'd all agree that in the end we want to be surrounded by loved ones instead of loneliness.
Many times our lives feel like rubber bands. We're pulled in different directions by two primary commitments: work and family. As we stretch ourselves to meet expectations on each side, the tension mounts. Try as we might to give our attention and energy generously to both, we end up falling short. There never seems to be enough time in the day to fully satisfy the relationships with our loved ones and the demands of our jobs.
When stretched to the breaking point, what's the solution? Choose to cheat. That's the seemingly odd advice from Andy Stanley, pastor of North Point Community Church in Alpharetta, GA.
Everyone Cheats
According to Stanley, we'll never have enough time to attain our ideal career productivity, relationship to our spouse and kids, physical fitness, service to the community, financial goals, and devotion to hobbies. Regardless of our discipline in managing time and controlling our schedules, something or somebody is going to feel cheated. It's unavoidable. The issue isn't whether to cheat, but choosing where to cheat and how to go about it.
Regrettably, many of us choose to cheat our families. Although we do so for a variety of reasons, Stanley points out one of the most notable: work has measureable rewards. Whether it's an income level or a position that we seek, there's a concrete goal at the office. At home, the rewards of family relationships are less distinct. Family life is more about being than doing, and in a culture driven by achievement and material success, we can easily lose perspective of the intangible, but incalculable benefits of loving relationships.
How to Stop Cheating at Home (and to Start Cheating at Work)
You may justify cheating time spent at home because you feel the duty of provision. After all, you need to pay the mortgage, fund tuition, etc. Take a second to think about the big picture, though. Will owning your dream house really matter if you've sacrificed your marriage to pay for it? Will sending your kids to the finest private school outweigh the emotional estrangement that results from neglecting to spend time with them?
As Andy Stanley advises, "In the marketplace you're expendable. In the home, you play a unique role no one else can fill." As a father or mother, sister or son, the support you bring to your family is irreplaceable. Someone else can be hired to take your place at the office. No one can fill your shoes at home.
Stanley is quick to stress that cheating on the job doesn't mean cutting corners or doing shoddy work. Rather, cheating means "reallocating your limited time assets according to predetermined priorities." He outlines three steps toward cheating at work rather than at home.
1) Make Up Your Mind
Don't wait for the opportune moment or hold out hope that your schedule will slow down. Nothing will change if your commitment is conditional upon a more favorable pace at the office. Resolve to make the sacrifices at work to give a greater piece of yourself to the ones you love the most.
2) Create an Exit Strategy
When he set out to conquer the Aztec empire, the Spanish explorer Hernán Cortés burned his ships to eliminate the option of retreat. In a like manner, be extreme about cutting off the avenues by which work intrudes on your family relationships. You may want to institute specific non-negotiables in your work habits. Perhaps you commit to leaving the office no later than 6:00 pm, or maybe you choose never to check emails on Saturday or Sunday.
3) Set Up a Trail
Don't jeopardize your employment by suddenly cutting our early or turning down assignments. Ask for permission to adopt a more family-friendly schedule. When doing so, be armed with creative options and alternatives. Instead of issuing an ultimatum, seek a gradual change. The best course of action may be to initiate a trial period for your new work habits. This will help to alleviate any concerns your boss may have. Chances are that performance, not number of hours, is what your employer prizes most. A trial run allows you to prove that you can handle your responsibilities in the new arrangement.
Summary
In Choosing to Cheat, Andy Stanley gives much-needed advice on elevating the people we love above the profession we do. Leaders would be wise to heed his advice on how to cheat selectively. Life demands tradeoffs, and I think we'd all agree that in the end we want to be surrounded by loved ones instead of loneliness.
Utilizing The Law of Attraction
by Jack Canfield
The law of attraction states that you will attract into your life--whether wanted or unwanted--whatever you give your energy, focus, and attention to. You are constantly giving off vibrations of energy when you think and feel. These vibrations can be picked up and received by other people. That's why people say, "he has good vibes," or "he gives off bad vibes." You are constantly giving off vibrations -- literally!
If you're feeling excited, enthusiastic, passionate, happy, joyful, loving, appreciative, abundant, prosperous, relaxed and peaceful, you are giving off positive vibrations. On the other hand, if you're feeling bored, anxious, worried, confused, sad, lonely, hurt, angry, resentful, guilty, disappointed, frustrated, overwhelmed, stressed out, or depressed, then you are giving off negative vibrations. The law of attraction states that the universe responds to whatever you are offering -- by giving you more of whatever you are vibrating. It doesn't care whether it is good for you or not; it simply responds to your vibration. If you saw the film The Secret, you saw this explained in great detail. The problem is that most of the time, you are not aware of what vibration you are offering. You are simply responding to things outside of you--current events, the news, how people treat you, the stock market, how much money you are making, how your children are doing in school, whether or not your favorite sports team wins--and then having a feeling that is either positive or negative.
When you are simply responding unconsciously to what happens around you, you tend to stay "stuck" in your current condition. This is why most people's lives never seem to change very much. They get stuck in a repeating cycle of recreating the same reality over and over by the vibration they are sending out. It works like this... First you observe what you currently have and are currently receiving in your life. You call this your "reality." You respond to what you observe with a feeling, positive or negative, which then gives off that vibration to the universe. The law of attraction then responds to this vibration and brings you more of what you were vibrating. This keeps the cycle going over and over, until you choose to change it through the exertion of your will. You are a victim of your lack of awareness of the law of attraction. The Process of Intentional Creation It is possible to get out of this vicious cycle and create what you want instead of continually recreating what you already have. It is a simple, three-step process that you can begin immediately. If you've been implementing the action steps I coach you through in The KEY to Living the Law of Attraction, you have already begun this process.
Step 1: Identify what you truly desire & eliminate the negative It is important to focus on what you want rather than what you don't want. You must state it in the positive and filter out the words don't, not and no. Remember, your mind works in pictures and if you say I don't want to be mad, you are creating the picture and thus the vibration of being mad. You must create the opposite of what you don't want.
Step 2: Raise your vibration level Your job in stage two is to create a vibrational match for that which you say you want to have. How would you be feeling if you already had those things--the perfect job, the perfect relationship, the amount of money that you want to have? Your job is to identify what makes you feel good and do more of it, then learn not to tolerate your negative feelings. Affirmations are an important component in raising your vibrational level to what it is you want. Remember, the law of attraction does not respond to the words you use or the thoughts you think. It simply responds to how you feel about what you say and how you feel about what you think. For information on how to create even more effective affirmations, review chapter 10 in The Key to Living the Law of Attraction, where you'll find my guidelines for creating effective visualizations.
Step 3. Release it and allow it. In this third step, you simply release your affirmation, your vibration, and your feelings to the universe to take care of your "request" or "order" as I call it. But you have to abstain from any doubts. If you doubt you can have it in any way, then you are not allowing it. You are pushing it away and you end up with contradictory messages to the universe. It is only when the contradictory thoughts, talk, and images are removed that your desired results will manifest. The faster you remove your resistance, the faster your dreams can be realized.
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: http://www.freesuccessstrategies.com/
The law of attraction states that you will attract into your life--whether wanted or unwanted--whatever you give your energy, focus, and attention to. You are constantly giving off vibrations of energy when you think and feel. These vibrations can be picked up and received by other people. That's why people say, "he has good vibes," or "he gives off bad vibes." You are constantly giving off vibrations -- literally!
If you're feeling excited, enthusiastic, passionate, happy, joyful, loving, appreciative, abundant, prosperous, relaxed and peaceful, you are giving off positive vibrations. On the other hand, if you're feeling bored, anxious, worried, confused, sad, lonely, hurt, angry, resentful, guilty, disappointed, frustrated, overwhelmed, stressed out, or depressed, then you are giving off negative vibrations. The law of attraction states that the universe responds to whatever you are offering -- by giving you more of whatever you are vibrating. It doesn't care whether it is good for you or not; it simply responds to your vibration. If you saw the film The Secret, you saw this explained in great detail. The problem is that most of the time, you are not aware of what vibration you are offering. You are simply responding to things outside of you--current events, the news, how people treat you, the stock market, how much money you are making, how your children are doing in school, whether or not your favorite sports team wins--and then having a feeling that is either positive or negative.
When you are simply responding unconsciously to what happens around you, you tend to stay "stuck" in your current condition. This is why most people's lives never seem to change very much. They get stuck in a repeating cycle of recreating the same reality over and over by the vibration they are sending out. It works like this... First you observe what you currently have and are currently receiving in your life. You call this your "reality." You respond to what you observe with a feeling, positive or negative, which then gives off that vibration to the universe. The law of attraction then responds to this vibration and brings you more of what you were vibrating. This keeps the cycle going over and over, until you choose to change it through the exertion of your will. You are a victim of your lack of awareness of the law of attraction. The Process of Intentional Creation It is possible to get out of this vicious cycle and create what you want instead of continually recreating what you already have. It is a simple, three-step process that you can begin immediately. If you've been implementing the action steps I coach you through in The KEY to Living the Law of Attraction, you have already begun this process.
Step 1: Identify what you truly desire & eliminate the negative It is important to focus on what you want rather than what you don't want. You must state it in the positive and filter out the words don't, not and no. Remember, your mind works in pictures and if you say I don't want to be mad, you are creating the picture and thus the vibration of being mad. You must create the opposite of what you don't want.
Step 2: Raise your vibration level Your job in stage two is to create a vibrational match for that which you say you want to have. How would you be feeling if you already had those things--the perfect job, the perfect relationship, the amount of money that you want to have? Your job is to identify what makes you feel good and do more of it, then learn not to tolerate your negative feelings. Affirmations are an important component in raising your vibrational level to what it is you want. Remember, the law of attraction does not respond to the words you use or the thoughts you think. It simply responds to how you feel about what you say and how you feel about what you think. For information on how to create even more effective affirmations, review chapter 10 in The Key to Living the Law of Attraction, where you'll find my guidelines for creating effective visualizations.
Step 3. Release it and allow it. In this third step, you simply release your affirmation, your vibration, and your feelings to the universe to take care of your "request" or "order" as I call it. But you have to abstain from any doubts. If you doubt you can have it in any way, then you are not allowing it. You are pushing it away and you end up with contradictory messages to the universe. It is only when the contradictory thoughts, talk, and images are removed that your desired results will manifest. The faster you remove your resistance, the faster your dreams can be realized.
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: http://www.freesuccessstrategies.com/
The Cost Question
By Dr. John C. Maxwell
Want to Live the Dream? Pay the Price.
Have you ever been strolling through a shopping mall or car lot when - POW! - THE perfect product captures your attention? Perhaps it's the sporty convertible with a V-8 engine and unbelievable acceleration. Maybe it's the adorable dress that's exactly your style, has a flattering fit, and accentuates all of your finest features.
Whatever the case, there's an initial moment when you're enamored with THE product. For a split second reality is suspended as you imagine the joys of owning it. Unfortunately, two words generally bring this pleasant daydream crashing to a halt: price tag.
The Dream Is Free, but the Journey Isn't
When you first think about a dream, you only see possibilities and potential. As my friend Collin Sewell observed, all dreams begin obstacle-free. However, at some point we have to confront the
Cost Question: Am I willing to pay the price of my dream?
If you want to achieve a dream, you have to be willing to do more than just imagine the outcome. You have to be willing to pay a price to start the journey. Dreams don't fall into our laps by accident or good fortunate. They must be attained at the cost of personal sacrifice.
The Price Must Be Paid Sooner Than You Think
Dreams can't be bought on impulse. Buy now, pay later financing isn't an option. If you want to own a dream, then be prepared to make a hefty down payment.
I think most people realize that there will be some cost for achieving their dream. They have a vague notion that someday they will have to pay a price. But they don't realize how quickly the costs come. Stepping toward a dream is like launching a rocket; massive amounts of energy must be expended at the beginning. Otherwise, gravity takes hold and the journey never gets off the ground.
The Price Will Be Higher Than You Expect
All dreams have price tags attached, and the cost is always higher than we expect to pay. Not once in my conversations with successful people have I heard someone say, "Getting to the top was much easier than I anticipated." The reverse is true. Those at the pinnacle of their professions point to the hardships and sacrifices they had to endure to reach the top.
Having done a good deal of travel, I've learned the taxi principle: ALWAYS find out the cost before you get in the cab. Unfortunately, dreams are far too complex for us to accurately access the costs upfront. A noble dream is worth the expense, but the full costs won't be apparent until we're already on the journey.
The Price Must Be Paid More Than Once
As a young leader, I mistakenly thought acquiring a dream was like buying a ticket to Six Flags: pay once and enjoy the rides. Experience has taught me otherwise. Following a dream forces you to make continual sacrifices.
Just as a rocket must shed weight to escape gravity, so to a leader has to let go of some goals to accomplish others. You have to give up to go up.
Let's face it: dreams don't work unless you do. Easing off the accelerator and coasting won't get you to your desired destination. For dreams to be apprehended, leaders must have an appetite for hard labor.
It Is Possible To Pay Too Much for Your Dream
Although sacrifices go hand in hand with success, it is possible to overpay for a dream. Don't mortgage relationships or discard your moral compass in pursuit of career goals. I've seen it happen all too often. I've watched people sacrifice marriages, neglect their kids, ignore their health, and abandon their conscience - all in the name of a "dream."
As Jesus of Nazareth once said, "What does it profit a man to gain the whole world but lose his own soul?" Some prices aren't worth paying. Do not allow your dream to dictate your values. Rather, make sure your values inform and govern your dream.
This article is used by permission from Dr. John C. Maxwell's free monthly e-newsletter 'Leadership Wired' available at http://www.injoy.com/.
Want to Live the Dream? Pay the Price.
Have you ever been strolling through a shopping mall or car lot when - POW! - THE perfect product captures your attention? Perhaps it's the sporty convertible with a V-8 engine and unbelievable acceleration. Maybe it's the adorable dress that's exactly your style, has a flattering fit, and accentuates all of your finest features.
Whatever the case, there's an initial moment when you're enamored with THE product. For a split second reality is suspended as you imagine the joys of owning it. Unfortunately, two words generally bring this pleasant daydream crashing to a halt: price tag.
The Dream Is Free, but the Journey Isn't
When you first think about a dream, you only see possibilities and potential. As my friend Collin Sewell observed, all dreams begin obstacle-free. However, at some point we have to confront the
Cost Question: Am I willing to pay the price of my dream?
If you want to achieve a dream, you have to be willing to do more than just imagine the outcome. You have to be willing to pay a price to start the journey. Dreams don't fall into our laps by accident or good fortunate. They must be attained at the cost of personal sacrifice.
The Price Must Be Paid Sooner Than You Think
Dreams can't be bought on impulse. Buy now, pay later financing isn't an option. If you want to own a dream, then be prepared to make a hefty down payment.
I think most people realize that there will be some cost for achieving their dream. They have a vague notion that someday they will have to pay a price. But they don't realize how quickly the costs come. Stepping toward a dream is like launching a rocket; massive amounts of energy must be expended at the beginning. Otherwise, gravity takes hold and the journey never gets off the ground.
The Price Will Be Higher Than You Expect
All dreams have price tags attached, and the cost is always higher than we expect to pay. Not once in my conversations with successful people have I heard someone say, "Getting to the top was much easier than I anticipated." The reverse is true. Those at the pinnacle of their professions point to the hardships and sacrifices they had to endure to reach the top.
Having done a good deal of travel, I've learned the taxi principle: ALWAYS find out the cost before you get in the cab. Unfortunately, dreams are far too complex for us to accurately access the costs upfront. A noble dream is worth the expense, but the full costs won't be apparent until we're already on the journey.
The Price Must Be Paid More Than Once
As a young leader, I mistakenly thought acquiring a dream was like buying a ticket to Six Flags: pay once and enjoy the rides. Experience has taught me otherwise. Following a dream forces you to make continual sacrifices.
Just as a rocket must shed weight to escape gravity, so to a leader has to let go of some goals to accomplish others. You have to give up to go up.
Let's face it: dreams don't work unless you do. Easing off the accelerator and coasting won't get you to your desired destination. For dreams to be apprehended, leaders must have an appetite for hard labor.
It Is Possible To Pay Too Much for Your Dream
Although sacrifices go hand in hand with success, it is possible to overpay for a dream. Don't mortgage relationships or discard your moral compass in pursuit of career goals. I've seen it happen all too often. I've watched people sacrifice marriages, neglect their kids, ignore their health, and abandon their conscience - all in the name of a "dream."
As Jesus of Nazareth once said, "What does it profit a man to gain the whole world but lose his own soul?" Some prices aren't worth paying. Do not allow your dream to dictate your values. Rather, make sure your values inform and govern your dream.
This article is used by permission from Dr. John C. Maxwell's free monthly e-newsletter 'Leadership Wired' available at http://www.injoy.com/.
Walking a New Road
by Jim Rohn
Here is a good question to ask yourself. Ten years from now you will surely arrive. The question is, where? We don't want to kid ourselves about where. We don't want to kid ourselves about the road we're walking.At age 25, I had a day shortly after I met my mentor Mr. Shoaff called "do not kid myself anymore" day. I didn't want to be disillusioned anymore. Up until then, I had been using the crossed-finger theory. But after meeting Mr. Shoaff, I finally decided that the crossed-finger theory was not going to get me what I wanted. That it wasn't where the treasure lies. That I was going to have to make sure which way I was headed.
Then, with the help of Mr. Shoaff, I found with a few reading disciplines, and a few disciplines of mind, and a few disciplines of activity, that when exercised, can begin making all the difference in the world as to where you will arrive.Just a few changes. Sometimes we get the idea that we're doing about 10% and there's about 90% more that we need in order to make the difference for our fortune, but probably the opposite is true. We're doing enough things to have bought and shared in the good life so far. And maybe all we need is that extra 5% or 10% of intellectual change. Activity change. A refinement of discipline. A refinement of thought. And all we need is the ideas to make those simple changes and the equity starts gathering in one year, three years, five years, 10 years.I have a good comment for you: Now's the time to fix the next 10 years. Now, you may have to come to grips with reality and with truth; that's what was good for me when I met Mr. Shoaff. I was 25 years old, he was 44 years old. And he brought me a wealth of experience and he started asking me the tough questions. "Big question", he said, "Are you reading the books that are going to take you where you want to go in the next 5 years?"Excellent question. See, you want to make sure. I would assume for all of you, to get to where you want to be in the next 5 years, you are either reading the right books or you're not. You're either engaged in the disciplines or you're not. But, here's what we don't want to engage in: disillusion. Hoping without acting. Wishing without doing.
The key is to take a look and say, "Where am I? What could I do to make the changes to make sure that I can take more certain daily steps toward the treasure I want, the mental treasure, the personal treasure, the spiritual treasure, the financial treasure? I don't want to make any more errors. Now's the time to adjust my daily program to take me where I want to go."In lecturing for more than 40 years, I've gotten letters and personal testimonies of people that have done such remarkable things with just a few suggestions. And that is why seminars, tapes and books can be so valuable. Here's a key idea for us all to remember: We could all use a little coaching. When you're playing the game, it's sometimes hard to see it all.But the key is to start right now making these changes to walk this new road. And here's what's exciting to me: just a few daily disciplines makes a great deal of difference in one year, three years, five years. And before you know it, you will be walking a brand new road.
To Your Success,
Reproduced with permission from Jim Rohn's Weekly E-zine. To subscribe, go to http://www.jimrohn.com/ All contents Copyright © JimRohn.com except where indicated otherwise. All rights reserved worldwide.
Here is a good question to ask yourself. Ten years from now you will surely arrive. The question is, where? We don't want to kid ourselves about where. We don't want to kid ourselves about the road we're walking.At age 25, I had a day shortly after I met my mentor Mr. Shoaff called "do not kid myself anymore" day. I didn't want to be disillusioned anymore. Up until then, I had been using the crossed-finger theory. But after meeting Mr. Shoaff, I finally decided that the crossed-finger theory was not going to get me what I wanted. That it wasn't where the treasure lies. That I was going to have to make sure which way I was headed.
Then, with the help of Mr. Shoaff, I found with a few reading disciplines, and a few disciplines of mind, and a few disciplines of activity, that when exercised, can begin making all the difference in the world as to where you will arrive.Just a few changes. Sometimes we get the idea that we're doing about 10% and there's about 90% more that we need in order to make the difference for our fortune, but probably the opposite is true. We're doing enough things to have bought and shared in the good life so far. And maybe all we need is that extra 5% or 10% of intellectual change. Activity change. A refinement of discipline. A refinement of thought. And all we need is the ideas to make those simple changes and the equity starts gathering in one year, three years, five years, 10 years.I have a good comment for you: Now's the time to fix the next 10 years. Now, you may have to come to grips with reality and with truth; that's what was good for me when I met Mr. Shoaff. I was 25 years old, he was 44 years old. And he brought me a wealth of experience and he started asking me the tough questions. "Big question", he said, "Are you reading the books that are going to take you where you want to go in the next 5 years?"Excellent question. See, you want to make sure. I would assume for all of you, to get to where you want to be in the next 5 years, you are either reading the right books or you're not. You're either engaged in the disciplines or you're not. But, here's what we don't want to engage in: disillusion. Hoping without acting. Wishing without doing.
The key is to take a look and say, "Where am I? What could I do to make the changes to make sure that I can take more certain daily steps toward the treasure I want, the mental treasure, the personal treasure, the spiritual treasure, the financial treasure? I don't want to make any more errors. Now's the time to adjust my daily program to take me where I want to go."In lecturing for more than 40 years, I've gotten letters and personal testimonies of people that have done such remarkable things with just a few suggestions. And that is why seminars, tapes and books can be so valuable. Here's a key idea for us all to remember: We could all use a little coaching. When you're playing the game, it's sometimes hard to see it all.But the key is to start right now making these changes to walk this new road. And here's what's exciting to me: just a few daily disciplines makes a great deal of difference in one year, three years, five years. And before you know it, you will be walking a brand new road.
To Your Success,
Reproduced with permission from Jim Rohn's Weekly E-zine. To subscribe, go to http://www.jimrohn.com/ All contents Copyright © JimRohn.com except where indicated otherwise. All rights reserved worldwide.
The Entrepreneurial Spirit
by Tom Peters
Fred Karl, designer of the Viking Range and owner of the company said, "I was a weird kid. I began designing towns when I was 12." We all know that "weird" can be good, if we don’t judge others through our lens. Being weird increases creativity if we allow it to flourish. Fred Karl let his weirdness flourish abundantly.Karl’s headquarters for Viking is located in his home town of Greenwood, Mississippi. Karl has restored old buildings to house his operations, so not only does his product, the Viking Range, generate income for the small Mississippi town, Karl is revitalizing the town through his restoration work.
He remembered a bustling place in the '60s that had "gone way downhill" by the time he returned there after a tour of duty in Vietnam. The little town of Greenwood, previously sustained by the cotton industry, wasn’t ever going to be the same. But Fred Karl saw the possibilities and brought all his talents to bear to create a new Greenwood.Fred Karl designed the first Viking Range for his wife and hoped that he would sell 1,000 a year; now he sells that many in a week. Just like most startups today, he had little money. Fred Karl bartered his building design skills to obtain office space to work in. The local people called the new range Fred was designing his "Stove Project." What kept his spirit going was the encouragement from the town—support he knew he wouldn’t get if he moved to a big city. That little "Stove Project" eventually became the big business of Viking Range.Feeling a little weird lately? Take time to see where your passion and entrepreneurial spirit is calling you.
Even in corporate America, the entrepreneurial spirit must remain alive. That spirit can solve the toughest of corporate problems, if only we let it.
-- Tom Peters
Reproduced with permission from Your Achievement Ezine. To subscribe, go to http://www.yoursuccessstore.com/ All contents Copyright © YourSuccessStore.com except where indicated otherwise. All rights reserved worldwide.
Fred Karl, designer of the Viking Range and owner of the company said, "I was a weird kid. I began designing towns when I was 12." We all know that "weird" can be good, if we don’t judge others through our lens. Being weird increases creativity if we allow it to flourish. Fred Karl let his weirdness flourish abundantly.Karl’s headquarters for Viking is located in his home town of Greenwood, Mississippi. Karl has restored old buildings to house his operations, so not only does his product, the Viking Range, generate income for the small Mississippi town, Karl is revitalizing the town through his restoration work.
He remembered a bustling place in the '60s that had "gone way downhill" by the time he returned there after a tour of duty in Vietnam. The little town of Greenwood, previously sustained by the cotton industry, wasn’t ever going to be the same. But Fred Karl saw the possibilities and brought all his talents to bear to create a new Greenwood.Fred Karl designed the first Viking Range for his wife and hoped that he would sell 1,000 a year; now he sells that many in a week. Just like most startups today, he had little money. Fred Karl bartered his building design skills to obtain office space to work in. The local people called the new range Fred was designing his "Stove Project." What kept his spirit going was the encouragement from the town—support he knew he wouldn’t get if he moved to a big city. That little "Stove Project" eventually became the big business of Viking Range.Feeling a little weird lately? Take time to see where your passion and entrepreneurial spirit is calling you.
Even in corporate America, the entrepreneurial spirit must remain alive. That spirit can solve the toughest of corporate problems, if only we let it.
-- Tom Peters
Reproduced with permission from Your Achievement Ezine. To subscribe, go to http://www.yoursuccessstore.com/ All contents Copyright © YourSuccessStore.com except where indicated otherwise. All rights reserved worldwide.
Self-Preservation
By Dr. John C. Maxwell
The most recognizable symbols of Ancient Egypt - the mummy and the pyramid - were elaborate attempts at self-preservation. The Egyptian pharaohs believed their spirits would remain inside their bodies after death to embark on a journey into the afterlife. On account of this belief, the pharaohs spared no expense to ensure their bodies would transition securely and comfortably into the hereafter. It was not uncommon for a pharaoh to begin drawing up plans for his pyramid as the first order of business after ascending to the throne.
Generations of Egyptians were forced into decades of backbreaking labor to build pyramids so that the deceased body of one pharaoh would be pampered in the afterlife. To construct a pyramid, stones averaging 2.5 tons had to be hewn out of rock quarries by laborers with primitive tools, hauled across the desert, and carried up ramps to be set into place. Archeologists estimate the Pyramids at Giza took between 20,000 and 30,000 workers about 80 years to build!
The primary purpose of the extravagant pyramids was to protect the pharaoh's body, which itself was mummified for maximum preservation. A team of embalmers spent 70 days performing a variety of activities to prepare a pharaoh's body for burial. When they had finally finished, the mummy was laid to rest in an ornate coffin and placed inside of the pyramid.
The pharaohs exhausted staggering amounts of their kingdom's wealth and work force to preserve themselves. The exorbitant expenditures left many Egyptians in poverty and robbed the economy of essential funds. By frittering away national resources on self-preservation, the pharaohs likely accelerated the deterioration of their mighty kingdom.
The Me-First Mentality
As evidenced by the ancient Egyptians, leaders have prioritized self-preservation for thousands of years. Regrettably, self-preservation runs contrary to the true nature of leadership, which involves serving constituents. By operating with a me-first mentality, leaders deprive and exploit those they lead instead of equipping and inspiring them. In the process, they provoke resentment, lose respect, and accomplish little.
Although self-preservation sabotages leadership, throughout history men and women in authority have been preoccupied with protecting their position and status. What drives leaders to be so inwardly focused?
Root Causes of a Self-Preserving Leader
1) They Fear Change
Change can be viewed as a threat or an opportunity. Either way, it's inevitable. A self-preserving leader dreads change and erects barriers to it whenever possible. After change proves to be unavoidable, the self-preserving leader is jostled has trouble coping with new realities.
2) They Stop Growing
Leaders who stop growing eventually start clinging to position instead of merit. These leaders rely on experience and seniority to compensate for their decline in knowledge and ability. The lure of self-preservation sucks them into the narrow confines of their comfort zones, and, as a consequence, they dodge assignments that require learning new skills or breaking with the usual routine.
3) They Lose Self-Belief
Insecure leaders place others at arm's length and guard their turf. Having lost self-belief, they fear being exposed as incompetent. These sorts of people live with a tremendous sense of vulnerability. For this reason, they respond poorly to failure, seeing it as an indictment of their ineptitude rather than a learning experience.
In Conclusion
Whatever the source, self-preservation causes leaders foolishly to expend their energies and influence fortifying their own position. In doing so, they malnourish the persons they should be serving. By neglecting the effectiveness of their people, self-preserving leaders indirectly minimize the extent of their own influence.
This article is used by permission from Dr. John C. Maxwell's free monthly e-newsletter 'Leadership Wired' available at http://www.injoy.com/
The most recognizable symbols of Ancient Egypt - the mummy and the pyramid - were elaborate attempts at self-preservation. The Egyptian pharaohs believed their spirits would remain inside their bodies after death to embark on a journey into the afterlife. On account of this belief, the pharaohs spared no expense to ensure their bodies would transition securely and comfortably into the hereafter. It was not uncommon for a pharaoh to begin drawing up plans for his pyramid as the first order of business after ascending to the throne.
Generations of Egyptians were forced into decades of backbreaking labor to build pyramids so that the deceased body of one pharaoh would be pampered in the afterlife. To construct a pyramid, stones averaging 2.5 tons had to be hewn out of rock quarries by laborers with primitive tools, hauled across the desert, and carried up ramps to be set into place. Archeologists estimate the Pyramids at Giza took between 20,000 and 30,000 workers about 80 years to build!
The primary purpose of the extravagant pyramids was to protect the pharaoh's body, which itself was mummified for maximum preservation. A team of embalmers spent 70 days performing a variety of activities to prepare a pharaoh's body for burial. When they had finally finished, the mummy was laid to rest in an ornate coffin and placed inside of the pyramid.
The pharaohs exhausted staggering amounts of their kingdom's wealth and work force to preserve themselves. The exorbitant expenditures left many Egyptians in poverty and robbed the economy of essential funds. By frittering away national resources on self-preservation, the pharaohs likely accelerated the deterioration of their mighty kingdom.
The Me-First Mentality
As evidenced by the ancient Egyptians, leaders have prioritized self-preservation for thousands of years. Regrettably, self-preservation runs contrary to the true nature of leadership, which involves serving constituents. By operating with a me-first mentality, leaders deprive and exploit those they lead instead of equipping and inspiring them. In the process, they provoke resentment, lose respect, and accomplish little.
Although self-preservation sabotages leadership, throughout history men and women in authority have been preoccupied with protecting their position and status. What drives leaders to be so inwardly focused?
Root Causes of a Self-Preserving Leader
1) They Fear Change
Change can be viewed as a threat or an opportunity. Either way, it's inevitable. A self-preserving leader dreads change and erects barriers to it whenever possible. After change proves to be unavoidable, the self-preserving leader is jostled has trouble coping with new realities.
2) They Stop Growing
Leaders who stop growing eventually start clinging to position instead of merit. These leaders rely on experience and seniority to compensate for their decline in knowledge and ability. The lure of self-preservation sucks them into the narrow confines of their comfort zones, and, as a consequence, they dodge assignments that require learning new skills or breaking with the usual routine.
3) They Lose Self-Belief
Insecure leaders place others at arm's length and guard their turf. Having lost self-belief, they fear being exposed as incompetent. These sorts of people live with a tremendous sense of vulnerability. For this reason, they respond poorly to failure, seeing it as an indictment of their ineptitude rather than a learning experience.
In Conclusion
Whatever the source, self-preservation causes leaders foolishly to expend their energies and influence fortifying their own position. In doing so, they malnourish the persons they should be serving. By neglecting the effectiveness of their people, self-preserving leaders indirectly minimize the extent of their own influence.
This article is used by permission from Dr. John C. Maxwell's free monthly e-newsletter 'Leadership Wired' available at http://www.injoy.com/
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Act to Create It
by Jack Canfield
If you want to live a dream life, not only must you decide what you want, turn your dream into measurable goals, break those goals down into specific action steps, and visualize and affirm your desired outcomes — you must start taking action!
I recommend making the commitment to do something every day in at least three different areas of your life that moves you in the direction of your goal.
If one of your goals is physical fitness, make a commitment to do some sort of exercise — aerobics, weight training, stretching — four to five times a week for a minimum of twenty minutes.
I read recently that if you simply go for a 30 minute walk four times a week, that would put you in the top 1% of those people getting physical exercise!
If your goal is financial independence, start saving and investing a portion of your income every month with no exceptions.
If your goal is to write a book, write for a minimum of one hour every day.
DON'T LET FEAR STOP YOU Most people never get what they want because they let their fears stop them. They are afraid of making a mistake, looking foolish, getting ripped off, being rejected, being hurt, wasting their time, and feeling uncomfortable.
Fear is self-created by imagining catastrophic consequences that have yet to happen. It is all in your mind. In fact, you can actually scare yourself by imagining negative and harmful images. But simply stop the catastrophic thoughts and images, and the fear goes away.
REJECTION IS A MYTH One of the biggest fears that stops people from asking for support, guidance, advice, money, a date, a job, the sale, or anything else is the fear of rejection.
In fact, it’s been known to literally paralyze people. They become tongue-tied and refuse to reach for the phone or get up and walk across the room. They break out in a sweat at the mere thought of asking for what they want.
I have come to realize that the whole concept of rejection is false — that rejection doesn’t really exist. Think about it for a moment. If you asked someone to join you for dinner, and they said no, you could tell yourself that you had been rejected. But think about it. Did you have anyone to eat dinner with before you asked them? No! Did you have anyone to eat dinner with after you asked them? No! Did your life really get worse? No. It stayed the same!
ACT AS IFOne of the secrets of success is to start acting like a success before you are one. Act as if. If you had already achieved your dream, what kinds of clothes would you be wearing? How would you act? How would you treat others? Would you tithe a portion of your income to your church or favorite charities? Would you have more self-confidence? Would you take more time to spend with your loved ones?
I suggest that you begin to do those things now!
When I decided that I wanted to be an “international” consultant, I immediately went and applied for a passport, bought an international clock that told me what time it was anywhere in the world, printed business cards with the words “International Self-Esteem and Peak Performance Consultant,” and decided I would like to first go to Australia. I bought a poster of the Sydney Opera House and placed it on my refrigerator.
Within one month, I received an invitation to speak in Sydney and Brisbane. Since then, I have spoken and conducted trainings in over 30 countries and continue to expand my business around the globe.
Start acting as if you already have everything you want.
Most people think that if they have a lot of money, they could do the things they want to do, and they would be much happier. In fact, the reverse is true.
If you start by creating a state of happiness and abundance, then do the things you are inspired to do from that state of being, you will end up having all the things you ultimately desire.
BE, DO AND HAVE EVERYTHING YOU WANT... STARTING NOW!
Remember, the proper order of this is to start now and be who you want to BE, then DO the actions that go along with being that person, and soon you will find that you can easily HAVE everything you want in life--health, wealth and fulfilling relationships.
© 2009 Jack Canfield
* * *
If you want to live a dream life, not only must you decide what you want, turn your dream into measurable goals, break those goals down into specific action steps, and visualize and affirm your desired outcomes — you must start taking action!
I recommend making the commitment to do something every day in at least three different areas of your life that moves you in the direction of your goal.
If one of your goals is physical fitness, make a commitment to do some sort of exercise — aerobics, weight training, stretching — four to five times a week for a minimum of twenty minutes.
I read recently that if you simply go for a 30 minute walk four times a week, that would put you in the top 1% of those people getting physical exercise!
If your goal is financial independence, start saving and investing a portion of your income every month with no exceptions.
If your goal is to write a book, write for a minimum of one hour every day.
DON'T LET FEAR STOP YOU Most people never get what they want because they let their fears stop them. They are afraid of making a mistake, looking foolish, getting ripped off, being rejected, being hurt, wasting their time, and feeling uncomfortable.
Fear is self-created by imagining catastrophic consequences that have yet to happen. It is all in your mind. In fact, you can actually scare yourself by imagining negative and harmful images. But simply stop the catastrophic thoughts and images, and the fear goes away.
REJECTION IS A MYTH One of the biggest fears that stops people from asking for support, guidance, advice, money, a date, a job, the sale, or anything else is the fear of rejection.
In fact, it’s been known to literally paralyze people. They become tongue-tied and refuse to reach for the phone or get up and walk across the room. They break out in a sweat at the mere thought of asking for what they want.
I have come to realize that the whole concept of rejection is false — that rejection doesn’t really exist. Think about it for a moment. If you asked someone to join you for dinner, and they said no, you could tell yourself that you had been rejected. But think about it. Did you have anyone to eat dinner with before you asked them? No! Did you have anyone to eat dinner with after you asked them? No! Did your life really get worse? No. It stayed the same!
ACT AS IFOne of the secrets of success is to start acting like a success before you are one. Act as if. If you had already achieved your dream, what kinds of clothes would you be wearing? How would you act? How would you treat others? Would you tithe a portion of your income to your church or favorite charities? Would you have more self-confidence? Would you take more time to spend with your loved ones?
I suggest that you begin to do those things now!
When I decided that I wanted to be an “international” consultant, I immediately went and applied for a passport, bought an international clock that told me what time it was anywhere in the world, printed business cards with the words “International Self-Esteem and Peak Performance Consultant,” and decided I would like to first go to Australia. I bought a poster of the Sydney Opera House and placed it on my refrigerator.
Within one month, I received an invitation to speak in Sydney and Brisbane. Since then, I have spoken and conducted trainings in over 30 countries and continue to expand my business around the globe.
Start acting as if you already have everything you want.
Most people think that if they have a lot of money, they could do the things they want to do, and they would be much happier. In fact, the reverse is true.
If you start by creating a state of happiness and abundance, then do the things you are inspired to do from that state of being, you will end up having all the things you ultimately desire.
BE, DO AND HAVE EVERYTHING YOU WANT... STARTING NOW!
Remember, the proper order of this is to start now and be who you want to BE, then DO the actions that go along with being that person, and soon you will find that you can easily HAVE everything you want in life--health, wealth and fulfilling relationships.
© 2009 Jack Canfield
* * *
Winning the Thought Battle
by Chris Widener
If you have read my articles or heard me speak, you know that I always come down to action. We need to act if we are going to be successful!Yet, our success starts long before our actions. In fact, our success begins in our thoughts.The process is that thoughts become actions and actions produce results. So the equation starts with the thoughts. So the key to success is to start with and control the thoughts that we have. Good thoughts become good actions become good results.But there is this predicament we have as humans. It is this “battle” we have with our thoughts. Thoughts of depression, negative thoughts, thoughts of fear, etc., constantly creep into our minds and cause us to act in certain ways that are going to produce the antithesis of the kind we want that will produce success.So what can we do to win the battle with thoughts? Here are a few main points. Apply these immediately and then constantly and you will be on your way to winning the thought battle.Guard your mind. Pretend that behind that forehead of yours is a very precious thing – your mind – because it is precious. If you had a storehouse of gold in your house, you would hire an armed guard to stand watch and keep all the bad guys out. Yet, many of us let any old thing come into our minds. We need to keep the bad thoughts, the negative thoughts, O-U-T! Now when I say this, I mean both the ones that start in our heads and the ones that come from external sources.Proactively place good thoughts in your head. Just like a garden, where you weed, or pull the bad stuff out, and plant, put the good stuff in, so we do the same thing with our thoughts. Buy tapes and music that will produce good, happy thoughts in your head! Watch TV programs and videos that put good thoughts in your head!Avoid the naysayers. They are all around you. You work with them, you live near them – some are even in your family! Whatever you do, do not let them affect you with their negative thoughts. Spend as little time as you can with them (unless it is your spouse or kids – then you need counseling!).Act on the positive thoughts that you do have. When a positive thought comes into your head, act on it! This will begin to produce a “bridge” between what you think and how you act! This will then make that transition even easier as time goes by!Four key ideas to win the thought battle:- Guard your mind.- Proactively place good thoughts in your head.- Avoid the naysayers.- Act on the positive thoughts that you do have.Go forth and Win the Battle!
-- Chris Widener
If you have read my articles or heard me speak, you know that I always come down to action. We need to act if we are going to be successful!Yet, our success starts long before our actions. In fact, our success begins in our thoughts.The process is that thoughts become actions and actions produce results. So the equation starts with the thoughts. So the key to success is to start with and control the thoughts that we have. Good thoughts become good actions become good results.But there is this predicament we have as humans. It is this “battle” we have with our thoughts. Thoughts of depression, negative thoughts, thoughts of fear, etc., constantly creep into our minds and cause us to act in certain ways that are going to produce the antithesis of the kind we want that will produce success.So what can we do to win the battle with thoughts? Here are a few main points. Apply these immediately and then constantly and you will be on your way to winning the thought battle.Guard your mind. Pretend that behind that forehead of yours is a very precious thing – your mind – because it is precious. If you had a storehouse of gold in your house, you would hire an armed guard to stand watch and keep all the bad guys out. Yet, many of us let any old thing come into our minds. We need to keep the bad thoughts, the negative thoughts, O-U-T! Now when I say this, I mean both the ones that start in our heads and the ones that come from external sources.Proactively place good thoughts in your head. Just like a garden, where you weed, or pull the bad stuff out, and plant, put the good stuff in, so we do the same thing with our thoughts. Buy tapes and music that will produce good, happy thoughts in your head! Watch TV programs and videos that put good thoughts in your head!Avoid the naysayers. They are all around you. You work with them, you live near them – some are even in your family! Whatever you do, do not let them affect you with their negative thoughts. Spend as little time as you can with them (unless it is your spouse or kids – then you need counseling!).Act on the positive thoughts that you do have. When a positive thought comes into your head, act on it! This will begin to produce a “bridge” between what you think and how you act! This will then make that transition even easier as time goes by!Four key ideas to win the thought battle:- Guard your mind.- Proactively place good thoughts in your head.- Avoid the naysayers.- Act on the positive thoughts that you do have.Go forth and Win the Battle!
-- Chris Widener
Attitude is Everything
by Jim Rohn
The process of human change begins within us. We all have tremendous potential. We all desire good results from our efforts. Most of us are willing to work hard and to pay the price that success and happiness demand.Each of us has the ability to put our unique human potential into action and to acquire a desired result. But the one thing that determines the level of our potential, that produces the intensity of our activity, and predicts the quality of the result we receive is our attitude.Attitude determines how much of the future we are allowed to see. It decides the size of our dreams and influences our determination when we are faced with new challenges. No other person on earth has dominion over our attitude. People can affect our attitude by teaching us poor thinking habits or unintentionally misinforming us or providing us with negative sources of influence, but no one can control our attitude unless we voluntarily surrender that control.No one else "makes us angry." We make ourselves angry when we surrender control of our attitude. What someone else may have done is irrelevant. We choose, not they. They merely put our attitude to a test. If we select a volatile attitude by becoming hostile, angry, jealous or suspicious, then we have failed the test. If we condemn ourselves by believing that we are unworthy, then again, we have failed the test.If we care at all about ourselves, then we must accept full responsibility for our own feelings. We must learn to guard against those feelings that have the capacity to lead our attitude down the wrong path and to strengthen those feelings that can lead us confidently into a better future.If we want to receive the rewards the future holds in trust for us, then we must exercise the most important choice given to us as members of the human race by maintaining total dominion over our attitude. Our attitude is an asset, a treasure of great value, which must be protected accordingly. Beware of the vandals and thieves among us who would injure our positive attitude or seek to steal it away.Having the right attitude is one of the basics that success requires. The combination of a sound personal philosophy and a positive attitude about ourselves and the world around us gives us an inner strength and a firm resolve that influences all the other areas of our existence.
-- Jim Rohn
The process of human change begins within us. We all have tremendous potential. We all desire good results from our efforts. Most of us are willing to work hard and to pay the price that success and happiness demand.Each of us has the ability to put our unique human potential into action and to acquire a desired result. But the one thing that determines the level of our potential, that produces the intensity of our activity, and predicts the quality of the result we receive is our attitude.Attitude determines how much of the future we are allowed to see. It decides the size of our dreams and influences our determination when we are faced with new challenges. No other person on earth has dominion over our attitude. People can affect our attitude by teaching us poor thinking habits or unintentionally misinforming us or providing us with negative sources of influence, but no one can control our attitude unless we voluntarily surrender that control.No one else "makes us angry." We make ourselves angry when we surrender control of our attitude. What someone else may have done is irrelevant. We choose, not they. They merely put our attitude to a test. If we select a volatile attitude by becoming hostile, angry, jealous or suspicious, then we have failed the test. If we condemn ourselves by believing that we are unworthy, then again, we have failed the test.If we care at all about ourselves, then we must accept full responsibility for our own feelings. We must learn to guard against those feelings that have the capacity to lead our attitude down the wrong path and to strengthen those feelings that can lead us confidently into a better future.If we want to receive the rewards the future holds in trust for us, then we must exercise the most important choice given to us as members of the human race by maintaining total dominion over our attitude. Our attitude is an asset, a treasure of great value, which must be protected accordingly. Beware of the vandals and thieves among us who would injure our positive attitude or seek to steal it away.Having the right attitude is one of the basics that success requires. The combination of a sound personal philosophy and a positive attitude about ourselves and the world around us gives us an inner strength and a firm resolve that influences all the other areas of our existence.
-- Jim Rohn
Accentuating the Positive
by Dr. Tony Alessandra
It's been estimated that we each have upwards of 50,000 thoughts per day. How many of yours are negative? Sometimes you have to do a mental spring cleaning to get rid of those negative ones that have become ingrained attitudes. Stopping self-destructive thoughts is like stopping any other bad habit—it takes time and effort.Among the most effective ways to do this are visualization and affirmations. Affirmations are positive statements about yourself that you repeat over and over in your head until they're programmed into your subconscious.Visualization, or "imagineering" as Walt Disney called it, is mentally picturing yourself the way you want to be. You've heard the old saying "I'll believe it when I see it"? Well, the reverse is also true: "I'll see it when I believe it!" Affirmations and visualizations may not feel true at first. They may not even be true! But they can become so.Consider what happens when you tell yourself over and over, "I'm lousy at remembering names." There will never be any improvement there. So if you catch yourself saying, "I'm terrible at remembering names," stop and immediately say to yourself, "I'm good at remembering names."Or consider the effect of telling yourself, "I'm feeling pretty good today." Or "I can lose ten pounds." Or "I am good at getting people to see things my way." Anything you say to yourself over and over will actually influence your reality.Writing down your affirmations in some handy place-above your desk, on your bathroom mirror, on the dashboard of your car-will help keep them in mind as well as in sight. Use affirmations and visualizations to project what success will feel like and look like. Imagine, in as much detail as you possibly can, how you feel as the boss singles you out for exceeding your quota, or how the audience hangs on your every word during your speech, or how your confident presence causes heads to turn everywhere you go.
-- Dr. Tony Alessandra
It's been estimated that we each have upwards of 50,000 thoughts per day. How many of yours are negative? Sometimes you have to do a mental spring cleaning to get rid of those negative ones that have become ingrained attitudes. Stopping self-destructive thoughts is like stopping any other bad habit—it takes time and effort.Among the most effective ways to do this are visualization and affirmations. Affirmations are positive statements about yourself that you repeat over and over in your head until they're programmed into your subconscious.Visualization, or "imagineering" as Walt Disney called it, is mentally picturing yourself the way you want to be. You've heard the old saying "I'll believe it when I see it"? Well, the reverse is also true: "I'll see it when I believe it!" Affirmations and visualizations may not feel true at first. They may not even be true! But they can become so.Consider what happens when you tell yourself over and over, "I'm lousy at remembering names." There will never be any improvement there. So if you catch yourself saying, "I'm terrible at remembering names," stop and immediately say to yourself, "I'm good at remembering names."Or consider the effect of telling yourself, "I'm feeling pretty good today." Or "I can lose ten pounds." Or "I am good at getting people to see things my way." Anything you say to yourself over and over will actually influence your reality.Writing down your affirmations in some handy place-above your desk, on your bathroom mirror, on the dashboard of your car-will help keep them in mind as well as in sight. Use affirmations and visualizations to project what success will feel like and look like. Imagine, in as much detail as you possibly can, how you feel as the boss singles you out for exceeding your quota, or how the audience hangs on your every word during your speech, or how your confident presence causes heads to turn everywhere you go.
-- Dr. Tony Alessandra
Success is Easy, But So Is Neglect
by Jim Rohn
People often ask me how I became successful in that six-year period of time while many of the people I knew did not. The answer is simple: The things I found to be easy to do, they found to be easy not to do. I found it easy to set the goals that could change my life. They found it easy not to. I found it easy to read the books that could affect my thinking and my ideas. They found that easy not to. I found it easy to attend the classes and the seminars, and to get around other successful people. They said it probably really wouldn't matter. If I had to sum it up, I would say what I found to be easy to do, they found to be easy not to do. Six years later, I'm a millionaire and they are all still blaming the economy, the government, and company policies, yet they neglected to do the basic, easy things.In fact, the primary reason most people are not doing as well as they could and should, can be summed up in a single word: neglect.It is not the lack of money - banks are full of money. It is not the lack of opportunity - America, and much of the free World, continues to offer the most unprecedented and abundant opportunities in the last six thousand years of recorded history. It is not the lack of books – libraries are full of books – and they are free! It is not the schools – the classrooms are full of good teachers. We have plenty of ministers, leaders, counselors and advisors.Everything we would ever need to become rich and powerful and sophisticated is within our reach. The major reason that so few take advantage of all that we have is simply neglect.Neglect is like an infection. Left unchecked it will spread throughout our entire system of disciplines and eventually lead to a complete breakdown of a potentially joy-filled and prosperous human life. Not doing the things we know we should do causes us to feel guilty and guilt leads to an erosion of self-confidence. As our self-confidence diminishes, so does the level of our activity. And as our activity diminishes, our results inevitably decline. And as our results suffer, our attitude begins to weaken. And as our attitude begins the slow shift from positive to negative, our self-confidence diminishes even more... and on and on it goes.So my suggestion is that when giving the choice of "easy to" and "easy not to" that you do not neglect to do the simple, basic, "easy"; but potentially life-changing activities and disciplines.
To Your Success,
Jim Rohn
People often ask me how I became successful in that six-year period of time while many of the people I knew did not. The answer is simple: The things I found to be easy to do, they found to be easy not to do. I found it easy to set the goals that could change my life. They found it easy not to. I found it easy to read the books that could affect my thinking and my ideas. They found that easy not to. I found it easy to attend the classes and the seminars, and to get around other successful people. They said it probably really wouldn't matter. If I had to sum it up, I would say what I found to be easy to do, they found to be easy not to do. Six years later, I'm a millionaire and they are all still blaming the economy, the government, and company policies, yet they neglected to do the basic, easy things.In fact, the primary reason most people are not doing as well as they could and should, can be summed up in a single word: neglect.It is not the lack of money - banks are full of money. It is not the lack of opportunity - America, and much of the free World, continues to offer the most unprecedented and abundant opportunities in the last six thousand years of recorded history. It is not the lack of books – libraries are full of books – and they are free! It is not the schools – the classrooms are full of good teachers. We have plenty of ministers, leaders, counselors and advisors.Everything we would ever need to become rich and powerful and sophisticated is within our reach. The major reason that so few take advantage of all that we have is simply neglect.Neglect is like an infection. Left unchecked it will spread throughout our entire system of disciplines and eventually lead to a complete breakdown of a potentially joy-filled and prosperous human life. Not doing the things we know we should do causes us to feel guilty and guilt leads to an erosion of self-confidence. As our self-confidence diminishes, so does the level of our activity. And as our activity diminishes, our results inevitably decline. And as our results suffer, our attitude begins to weaken. And as our attitude begins the slow shift from positive to negative, our self-confidence diminishes even more... and on and on it goes.So my suggestion is that when giving the choice of "easy to" and "easy not to" that you do not neglect to do the simple, basic, "easy"; but potentially life-changing activities and disciplines.
To Your Success,
Jim Rohn
Building Rapport
by Tony Jeary
What: Dictionary.com defines Rapport as...1. A relationship of mutual understanding or trust between people2. A feeling of sympathetic understanding3. A sympathetic compatibilityIn the world of presentations, all of these can apply. In our context, Rapport is an important connection made between the presenter and the participants based upon some level of real or perceived commonality.Why: Rapport is important because it reduces tension. It allows the audience members to be more open to your message, more likely to accept your logic and facts, and be ready to respond favorably to your proposed actions.Without rapport, the presenter is at risk of being dismissed out of hand, without getting a chance to get the facts on the table or argue the case. In extreme cases, people may say (to themselves) “Who you are speaks so loud I can't hear what you're saying.”How: The ability to build rapport begins with knowing your audience.With a clear picture of the participants' backgrounds, likes and dislikes and views on the subject at hand, you can be prepared to build a positive relationship. Importantly, you can also avoid sensitive areas and potential “hot buttons” that might otherwise cause unintentional triggering of emotional reactions.Here are nine specific suggestions on how to use your audience knowledge in a positive way to build the rapport that you need:1. Meet & greet beforehand, and turn these people into Audience Champions who can provide support during the session.2. Make contact. Shake hands, and when appropriate, demonstrate warmth by placing a hand on their shoulder or even by giving a hug.3. Use a Host Introduction. This provides trust transference and establishes initial credibility.4. Demonstrate that you've done your homework. Communicate the research you've done and the knowledge you have about the participants' situation. Share their thoughts, and express the doubts that they may have about you or your proposition. Show how what you're going to say directly relates to and benefits their world.5. Understand that like attracts like. When people are similar to each other they tend to like each other. When people are not like each other they tend not to like each other. Language and attire are the first tip-offs – if you're presenting to a corporate board, suit up and use the big words. If you're meeting on the plant floor, lose the tie and adjust your vocabulary accordingly.6. Adjust your body language, tonality, volume, pitch, and speaking speed to suit the audience. These factors can have a significantly greater impact on how your communication is received than the words that you use in your pitch. Especially in one-on-ones, sales situations and small groups, try to match the voice tonality and physiology of the other person. If they are fast talkers and your pace tends to be slow it would behoove you to speed it up. If they sit ramrod straight and cross their legs – you do the same. You will be amazed at how this simple technique will help you make your point.7. Eye contact is very important as well, both before and during the presentation. A friend and associate of ours, Jim Heaney, recommends that as you shake hands, you hold eye contact long enough to note the color of the person's eyes. This demonstrates that you care about them personally and can make them feel special. In large room settings where you can't see well past the stage lights, pick target faces in the audience and hold your direction for about 7-10 seconds. Even though you don't make literal eye contact, you'll be perceived as making a connection that will add warmth to your delivery.8. Demonstrate Caring and Generosity. Give away things of value, make yourself accessible, and incorporate a personal touch. Learn people's names and use them.9. Prove you respect their time – begin and end on time.Benefits:A. Good rapport, established early, will get you past a critical "credibility checkpoint", and open minds to what you have to say and message you are trying to deliver.B. In addition to basic receptivity, skilled use of the techniques noted above will set you up for a more effective and a much easier "close." People will be open to what your call to action is suggesting.C. In addition to credibility and compatibility for the moment, a good job in building rapport for a single event sets you up to come back again, and gives you a “leg up” for future presentations.Action Plan:- Before your next presentation, think about who will be attending and do your homework.- Plan ahead to set up key supporters. Contact and arrange for both a strong Host Introduction and for positive Audience Champions.- Work out the words that both you and your supporters will be comfortable with, and be careful not to go overboard with glowing comments. The rest of the audience will spot an insincere "shill" a mile away.-- Tony Jeary
What: Dictionary.com defines Rapport as...1. A relationship of mutual understanding or trust between people2. A feeling of sympathetic understanding3. A sympathetic compatibilityIn the world of presentations, all of these can apply. In our context, Rapport is an important connection made between the presenter and the participants based upon some level of real or perceived commonality.Why: Rapport is important because it reduces tension. It allows the audience members to be more open to your message, more likely to accept your logic and facts, and be ready to respond favorably to your proposed actions.Without rapport, the presenter is at risk of being dismissed out of hand, without getting a chance to get the facts on the table or argue the case. In extreme cases, people may say (to themselves) “Who you are speaks so loud I can't hear what you're saying.”How: The ability to build rapport begins with knowing your audience.With a clear picture of the participants' backgrounds, likes and dislikes and views on the subject at hand, you can be prepared to build a positive relationship. Importantly, you can also avoid sensitive areas and potential “hot buttons” that might otherwise cause unintentional triggering of emotional reactions.Here are nine specific suggestions on how to use your audience knowledge in a positive way to build the rapport that you need:1. Meet & greet beforehand, and turn these people into Audience Champions who can provide support during the session.2. Make contact. Shake hands, and when appropriate, demonstrate warmth by placing a hand on their shoulder or even by giving a hug.3. Use a Host Introduction. This provides trust transference and establishes initial credibility.4. Demonstrate that you've done your homework. Communicate the research you've done and the knowledge you have about the participants' situation. Share their thoughts, and express the doubts that they may have about you or your proposition. Show how what you're going to say directly relates to and benefits their world.5. Understand that like attracts like. When people are similar to each other they tend to like each other. When people are not like each other they tend not to like each other. Language and attire are the first tip-offs – if you're presenting to a corporate board, suit up and use the big words. If you're meeting on the plant floor, lose the tie and adjust your vocabulary accordingly.6. Adjust your body language, tonality, volume, pitch, and speaking speed to suit the audience. These factors can have a significantly greater impact on how your communication is received than the words that you use in your pitch. Especially in one-on-ones, sales situations and small groups, try to match the voice tonality and physiology of the other person. If they are fast talkers and your pace tends to be slow it would behoove you to speed it up. If they sit ramrod straight and cross their legs – you do the same. You will be amazed at how this simple technique will help you make your point.7. Eye contact is very important as well, both before and during the presentation. A friend and associate of ours, Jim Heaney, recommends that as you shake hands, you hold eye contact long enough to note the color of the person's eyes. This demonstrates that you care about them personally and can make them feel special. In large room settings where you can't see well past the stage lights, pick target faces in the audience and hold your direction for about 7-10 seconds. Even though you don't make literal eye contact, you'll be perceived as making a connection that will add warmth to your delivery.8. Demonstrate Caring and Generosity. Give away things of value, make yourself accessible, and incorporate a personal touch. Learn people's names and use them.9. Prove you respect their time – begin and end on time.Benefits:A. Good rapport, established early, will get you past a critical "credibility checkpoint", and open minds to what you have to say and message you are trying to deliver.B. In addition to basic receptivity, skilled use of the techniques noted above will set you up for a more effective and a much easier "close." People will be open to what your call to action is suggesting.C. In addition to credibility and compatibility for the moment, a good job in building rapport for a single event sets you up to come back again, and gives you a “leg up” for future presentations.Action Plan:- Before your next presentation, think about who will be attending and do your homework.- Plan ahead to set up key supporters. Contact and arrange for both a strong Host Introduction and for positive Audience Champions.- Work out the words that both you and your supporters will be comfortable with, and be careful not to go overboard with glowing comments. The rest of the audience will spot an insincere "shill" a mile away.-- Tony Jeary
Carpe Diem! Seize this Day!
by Dr. Denis Waitley
What each of us is doing this minute is the most important event in history for us. We have decided to invest our resources in this opportunity rather than in any other. It is helpful to remember this when we consider the passage of time.As the years pass, I am acutely aware that the bird of time is on the wing. At my fiftieth high school reunion, I saw old people who claimed to be my former classmates. We all had big name tags printed in capital letters so we wouldn't have to squint with our reading glasses on trying to associate the name with each well-traveled face. It was only yesterday that I was really enjoying high school. What had happened to the five decades in between? Where had they flown?To the side of the bandstand, where the big-band sound of the late 1940s and 50s blared our favorite top-ten hits, there was a poster with a printed verse for all of us to see. I read the words out loud:"There are two days in every week about which we should not worry, two days which should be kept free from fear and apprehension.“One of these days is Yesterday, with its mistakes and cares, its faults and blunders, its aches and pains. Yesterday has passed forever beyond our control. All the money in the world cannot bring back Yesterday. We cannot undo a single act we performed; we cannot erase a single word we said. Yesterday is gone.“The other day we should not worry about is Tomorrow, with its possible adversities, its burdens, its large promise, and poor performance. Tomorrow is also beyond our immediate control. Tomorrow's sun will rise, either in splendor or behind a mask of clouds; but it will rise. Until it does, we have no stake in tomorrow, for it is as yet unborn. This leaves only one day: Today.“Anyone can fight the battles of just one day. It is only when you and I add the burdens of those two awful eternities - Yesterday and Tomorrow - that we break down. It is not the experience of Today that drives us mad, it is remorse and bitterness for something which happened Yesterday and the dread of what Tomorrow may bring. Let us, therefore, live this one full Today."Malcolm Forbes believed the important thing is never to say die until you're dead, and he lived that example to the hilt. It is, as we realize when we suddenly attend our fiftieth high school reunion, a short journey. But it also is difficult to be depressed and active at the same time. So get active! And make today your best day ever!-- Dr. Denis Waitley
What each of us is doing this minute is the most important event in history for us. We have decided to invest our resources in this opportunity rather than in any other. It is helpful to remember this when we consider the passage of time.As the years pass, I am acutely aware that the bird of time is on the wing. At my fiftieth high school reunion, I saw old people who claimed to be my former classmates. We all had big name tags printed in capital letters so we wouldn't have to squint with our reading glasses on trying to associate the name with each well-traveled face. It was only yesterday that I was really enjoying high school. What had happened to the five decades in between? Where had they flown?To the side of the bandstand, where the big-band sound of the late 1940s and 50s blared our favorite top-ten hits, there was a poster with a printed verse for all of us to see. I read the words out loud:"There are two days in every week about which we should not worry, two days which should be kept free from fear and apprehension.“One of these days is Yesterday, with its mistakes and cares, its faults and blunders, its aches and pains. Yesterday has passed forever beyond our control. All the money in the world cannot bring back Yesterday. We cannot undo a single act we performed; we cannot erase a single word we said. Yesterday is gone.“The other day we should not worry about is Tomorrow, with its possible adversities, its burdens, its large promise, and poor performance. Tomorrow is also beyond our immediate control. Tomorrow's sun will rise, either in splendor or behind a mask of clouds; but it will rise. Until it does, we have no stake in tomorrow, for it is as yet unborn. This leaves only one day: Today.“Anyone can fight the battles of just one day. It is only when you and I add the burdens of those two awful eternities - Yesterday and Tomorrow - that we break down. It is not the experience of Today that drives us mad, it is remorse and bitterness for something which happened Yesterday and the dread of what Tomorrow may bring. Let us, therefore, live this one full Today."Malcolm Forbes believed the important thing is never to say die until you're dead, and he lived that example to the hilt. It is, as we realize when we suddenly attend our fiftieth high school reunion, a short journey. But it also is difficult to be depressed and active at the same time. So get active! And make today your best day ever!-- Dr. Denis Waitley
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