Wednesday, September 28, 2011
LEADING WITH PASSION
An excerpt from Leading with Passion
by John J. Murphy
Light a match in a dark room and watch as the light instantly overcomes the darkness. Observe the power and grace of that single, solitary flame dancing with life. Now light several candles or kindle a fire and experience the added warmth and comfort extending from that first, vulnerable flame through others. This is the heart and soul of leadership - the essence of inspiring others. It is about courageously casting off fear, doubt and limiting beliefs and giving people a sense of hope, optimism and accomplishment. It is about bringing light into a world of uncertainty and inspiring others to do the same. This is what we call passion, the fire within.
Passion is a heartfelt energy that flows through us, not from us. It fills our hearts when we allow it to and it inspires others when we share it. It is like sunlight flowing through a doorway that we have just opened. It was always there. It just needed to be accepted and embraced. Under the right conditions, this "flow" appears effortless, easy and graceful. It is doing what it is meant to do. It is reminding us that we are meant to be purposeful. We are meant to be positive. We are meant to be passionate. We feel this when we listen to and accept our calling in life. We feel it as inspiration when we open the door of resistance and let it in.
Inspiration springs forth when we allow ourselves to be "in-spirit," aligned with our true essence. Stop and think about it: When you feel truly passionate and inspired about someone or something, what frame of mind are you in? What are you willing to do? What kind of effort are you willing to put forth? How fearful are you? Chances are, you feel motivated to do whatever it takes, without fear or doubt, to turn your vision into reality. You grow in confidence. You believe you can do it. You are committed from the heart and soul.
The purpose of this book is to clarify and offer ten key factors for leading with passion and inspiring peak performance. These "essentials" serve to guide and remind leaders how they can "open the door" and facilitate flow. By practicing these essentials, you will tap the extraordinary potential in yourself and others and realize results you may never have dreamed possible. Look to any inspiring leader and you will see these key factors in action. Observe the best of the best and you will witness the power of passionate leadership. Make no mistake - leading with passion inspires world change. It is the only thing that ever really has.
An excerpt from
An Enemy called Average
by John Mason
What we say is important. Our vocabulary should be filled with words of hope and dreams. Be known as someone who speaks positively.
Recently I saw a sign under a mounted large mouth bass. It read, "If I had kept my mouth shut I wouldn't be here." How true! Don't jump into trouble mouth first.
Let me pose this question for you: Starting today what would happen if you changed what you said about your biggest problem, your biggest opportunity?
I don't know if you've had this conversation or not, but last month I turned to my wife, Linda, while we were sitting together in our family room and said, "Just so you know, I never want to live in a vegetative state dependent on some machine. If that ever happens, just pull the plug."
She immediately got up, walked over and unplugged the TV.
"Our words create our worlds," says Dean Sikes. Your words have the power to start fires or quench passion.
Don't be like the man who joined a monastery in which the monks were allowed to speak only two words every seven years. After the first seven years had passed, the new initiate met with the abbot, who asked him, "Well, what are your two words?"
"Food's bad," replied the man, who then went back to his silence.
Seven years later the clergyman asked, "What are your two words now?"
"Bed's hard," the man responded.
Seven years later - twenty-one years after his initial entry into the monastery - the man met with the abbot for the third and final time. "And what are your two words this time?" the abbot asked.
"I quit."
"Well, I'm not surprised," the cleric answered disgustedly. "All you've done since you got here is complain!"
Don't be like that man; don't be known as a person whose only words are negative. If you're a member of the "negative grapevine," resign.
Contrary to what you may have heard, talk is not cheap. Talk is powerful!
Sunday, September 25, 2011
It's not what you look at that matters...
An excerpt from Stress is a Choice by David Zerfoss
Rule #1: Many of us seem to have an endless to-do list, but does all that rushing around stop us from seeing the big picture?
Mary kept up a constant and hectic schedule of work travel. It kept her metabolism and adrenaline high. Add this to the fact that she was keeping up with two very active, triple sports-playing teenage sons, which meant there was not much time to think about simplifying.
Besides...she was very content. She was busy being busy.
During one business trip out west, she traveled with one of her company's sales representatives. His name was Bob and he was quite up in years. Mary often wondered why Bob continued to work at such a late age in life and chose to keep such a sizable, multi-state territory.
This particular trip they were traveling an especially long car route visiting customers throughout New Mexico and then on to Colorado. After driving several hours through the dry and rocky terrain without even a single traffic light in sight for miles, Bob looked over to her and said, "Are you overwhelmed by the vastness of the landscape and wondering when it will ever end?" "Yes." she replied. "How did you know what I was thinking?" Bob explained, everyone who traveled with him felt the very same thing. Then, Bob went on to share a profound rule with Mary about simplifying.
Bob explained to her that we all can choose to easily get lost in and feel overwhelmed by our surroundings.
"Do you see that little tree sprouting up there among all those large rock formations?" Bob asked. Mary strained her eyes but could not find what he was seeing. As they got closer, Bob pointed out the small sprouting tree he had seen when it was far off in the distance.
Bob shared with Mary that he handles these long drives by looking for the little things among the overwhelming, complex landscape. He doesn't focus on just seeing what is all around him, but rather chooses to look for what he might just be missing.
SO WHAT IS YOUR SPROUT THAT U R MISSING?
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Friday, September 23, 2011
good thots
We need to do unto ourselves as we do unto others."
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An excerpt from Oil for Your Lamp
by Lisa Hammond and BJ Gallagher
Virtually every woman we know has the same problem - she knows what's good for her, but she often doesn't do it. She knows she should eat less and exercise more, but still she doesn't make healthy choices. She knows she needs to spend her time and money more effectively, but good time and money management elude her. She finds herself always putting others first, while neglecting her own needs and wants. She doesn't get enough rest or sleep and her endless to-do list hangs overhead like the sword of Damocles. As our friend Brenda Knight laments frequently, "Why am I always riding in the back of my own bus?"
We don't do the things we know are good for us because we are so busy taking care of others that we neglect ourselves. The problem isn't lack of information - we have plenty of information about the importance of sleep, healthy foods, and exercise. The problem is how we prioritize our lives.
Psychologists tell us that some people are inner-directed and some are other-directed. That is, some people focus on their own internal guidance system for making choices about how to spend their time and energy. Their own self-interest ranks very high on their list of priorities. "What's best for me?" is a key guiding principle in determining where they focus their attention and how they make day-to-day decisions.
And some people are other-directed, which means that their primary focus is external, not internal. They are primarily concerned with relationships, especially people they care about. "How can I help others?" is a key question in how they spend their time and energy. Building and nurturing relationships with loved ones, family, friends, neighbors, and coworkers is the guiding principle in their lives.
Research indicates that, in general, men tend to be more inner-directed, while women tend to be more other-directed. There are exceptions, of course, but as a group, men are focused on themselves while women are focused on other people. Men like to build things while women like to build relationships.
This difference in psychological orientation goes a long way toward helping us understand why we women often do such a poor job of taking care of ourselves. We run around filling others' lamps with oil, but forget to fill our own lamps first. Then we wonder why we're often exhausted, frazzled, stressed-out, anxious and/or depressed!
Awareness is the first step toward solving a problem. So the first section of this book is devoted to helping us acknowledge the problem and understand the reasons for it. Chapter 1 looks at how girls are socialized, growing up to be women who put others first. Chapter 2 examines the values women have adopted in the past 50 years, beginning with the feminist movement - leading us to believe that we can have it all - all at once. And Chapter 3 explores the corresponding myth that we can DO it all.
But don't be discouraged. Help is on the way - in Section II, we'll get into solutions for the problem. We'll learn the value of doing nothing, how to play again, how to become more inner-directed, and most important, how to ask for help.
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When you realize that every part of your life is working to
bring you closer to knowing your true nature more completely,
then life can only get better."
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An excerpt from
Secrets of the World Class
by Steve Siebold
The Middle Class competes...the World Class creates.
The Middle Class avoids risk...the World Class manages risk.
The Middle Class loves to be comfortable. The World Class is comfortable being uncomfortable.
The Middle Class hungers for security...The World Class doesn't believe security exists.
The Middle Class sacrifices growth for safety. The World Class sacrifices safety for growth.
The Middle Class focuses on having...The World Class focuses on being.
The Middle Class is frustrated...The World Class is grateful.
The Middle Class has pipe dreams...The World Class has vision.
The Middle Class trades time for money...The World Class trades ideas for money.
The Middle Class is problem oriented...The World Class is solution oriented.
The Middle Class sees itself as a victim. The World Class sees itself as responsible.
The Middle Class thinks it knows enough...The World Class is eager to learn.
The Middle Class chooses fear...The World Class chooses growth
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"Your job is to clarify what your passions are. God's job is to organize
how they will be realized."
You draw more into your life of what you give attention to.
When you put your attention on things which bring you joy,
happiness, and fulfillment, you get more of that."
- The Passion Test
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An excerpt from Oil for Your Lamp
by Lisa Hammond and BJ Gallagher
Virtually every woman we know has the same problem - she knows what's good for her, but she often doesn't do it. She knows she should eat less and exercise more, but still she doesn't make healthy choices. She knows she needs to spend her time and money more effectively, but good time and money management elude her. She finds herself always putting others first, while neglecting her own needs and wants. She doesn't get enough rest or sleep and her endless to-do list hangs overhead like the sword of Damocles. As our friend Brenda Knight laments frequently, "Why am I always riding in the back of my own bus?"
We don't do the things we know are good for us because we are so busy taking care of others that we neglect ourselves. The problem isn't lack of information - we have plenty of information about the importance of sleep, healthy foods, and exercise. The problem is how we prioritize our lives.
Psychologists tell us that some people are inner-directed and some are other-directed. That is, some people focus on their own internal guidance system for making choices about how to spend their time and energy. Their own self-interest ranks very high on their list of priorities. "What's best for me?" is a key guiding principle in determining where they focus their attention and how they make day-to-day decisions.
And some people are other-directed, which means that their primary focus is external, not internal. They are primarily concerned with relationships, especially people they care about. "How can I help others?" is a key question in how they spend their time and energy. Building and nurturing relationships with loved ones, family, friends, neighbors, and coworkers is the guiding principle in their lives.
Research indicates that, in general, men tend to be more inner-directed, while women tend to be more other-directed. There are exceptions, of course, but as a group, men are focused on themselves while women are focused on other people. Men like to build things while women like to build relationships.
This difference in psychological orientation goes a long way toward helping us understand why we women often do such a poor job of taking care of ourselves. We run around filling others' lamps with oil, but forget to fill our own lamps first. Then we wonder why we're often exhausted, frazzled, stressed-out, anxious and/or depressed!
Awareness is the first step toward solving a problem. So the first section of this book is devoted to helping us acknowledge the problem and understand the reasons for it. Chapter 1 looks at how girls are socialized, growing up to be women who put others first. Chapter 2 examines the values women have adopted in the past 50 years, beginning with the feminist movement - leading us to believe that we can have it all - all at once. And Chapter 3 explores the corresponding myth that we can DO it all.
But don't be discouraged. Help is on the way - in Section II, we'll get into solutions for the problem. We'll learn the value of doing nothing, how to play again, how to become more inner-directed, and most important, how to ask for help.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
When you realize that every part of your life is working to
bring you closer to knowing your true nature more completely,
then life can only get better."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
An excerpt from
Secrets of the World Class
by Steve Siebold
The Middle Class competes...the World Class creates.
The Middle Class avoids risk...the World Class manages risk.
The Middle Class loves to be comfortable. The World Class is comfortable being uncomfortable.
The Middle Class hungers for security...The World Class doesn't believe security exists.
The Middle Class sacrifices growth for safety. The World Class sacrifices safety for growth.
The Middle Class focuses on having...The World Class focuses on being.
The Middle Class is frustrated...The World Class is grateful.
The Middle Class has pipe dreams...The World Class has vision.
The Middle Class trades time for money...The World Class trades ideas for money.
The Middle Class is problem oriented...The World Class is solution oriented.
The Middle Class sees itself as a victim. The World Class sees itself as responsible.
The Middle Class thinks it knows enough...The World Class is eager to learn.
The Middle Class chooses fear...The World Class chooses growth
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"Your job is to clarify what your passions are. God's job is to organize
how they will be realized."
You draw more into your life of what you give attention to.
When you put your attention on things which bring you joy,
happiness, and fulfillment, you get more of that."
- The Passion Test
Thursday, September 22, 2011
GOOD THOTS
An excerpt from
The Right to Lead
by John C. Maxwell
What gives a man or woman the right to lead? It certainly isn't gained by election or appointment. Having position, title, rank or degrees doesn't qualify anyone to lead other people. And the ability doesn't come automatically from age or experience, either.
No, it would be accurate to say that no one can be given the right to lead. The right to lead can only be earned. And that takes time.
The Kind of Leader Others Want to Follow
The key to becoming an effective leader is not to focus on making other people follow, but on making yourself the kind of person they want to follow. You must become someone others can trust to take them where they want to go.
As you prepare yourself to become a better leader, use the following guidelines to help you grow:
1. Let go of your ego
The truly great leaders are not in leadership for personal gain. They lead in order to serve other people. Perhaps that is why Lawrence D. Bell remarked, "Show me a man who cannot bother to do little things, and I'll show you a man who cannot be trusted to do big things."
2. Become a good follower first
Rare is the effective leader who didn't learn to become a good follower first. That is why a leadership institution such as the United States Military Academy teaches its officers to become effective followers first - and why West Point has produced more leaders than the Harvard Business School.
3. Build positive relationships
Leadership is influence, nothing more, nothing less. That means it is by nature relational. Today's generation of leaders seem particularly aware of this because title and position mean so little to them. They know intuitively that people go along with people they get along with.
4. Work with excellence
No one respects and follows mediocrity. Leaders who earn the right to lead give their all to what they do. They bring into play not only their skills and talents, but also great passion and hard work They perform on the highest level of which they are capable.
5. Rely on discipline, not emotion
Leadership is often easy during the good times. It's when everything seems to be against you - when you're out of energy, and you don't want to lead - that you earn your place as a leader. During every season of life, leaders face crucial moments when they must choose between gearing up or giving up. To make it through those times, rely on the rock of discipline, not the shifting sand of emotion.
6. Make adding value your goal
When you look at the leaders whose names are revered long after they have finished leading, you find that they were men and women who helped people to live better lives and reach their potential. That is the highest calling of leadership - and its highest value.
7. Give your power away
One of the ironies of leadership is that you become a better leader by sharing whatever power you have, not by saving it all for yourself. You're meant to be a river, not a reservoir. If you use your power to empower others, your leadership will extend far beyond your grasp.
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Life is like a game of tennis. The player who serves well seldom loses."
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An excerpt from
Customer Love
by Mac Anderson
The following story was told by my friend Phillip Van Hooser, in his book titled: Willie's Way. I really like it and hope you will too.
The conversation was pleasant. Earlier in the day I had presented a service professionalism training program for the Georgia Club Managers' Association, a group of managers representing some of the finest city, athletic, golf, and country clubs throughout the state of Georgia. Now I found myself dining with nine of the most highly respected leaders in the field of club management. Somewhere between the appetizer and the salad, Manuel de Juan, general manager of the host, Capital City Club, spoke.
"Phillip, I thoroughly enjoyed your presentation today. I especially enjoyed the stories you shared to illustrate your content points. As a matter of fact, at one point during your presentation, I almost interrupted you to share one of my stories I thought you might enjoy."
He said, "The occasion was Easter Sunday and the day found more than 500 club members and their guests crowded into the overflowing Capital City Club restaurant. As they waited to dine, a club member and his four dinner guests approached the bar where they were greeted by the head bartender, Bob, who quickly began to take and fill each drink order. Everything progressed as might be expected until one of the guests placed an order for a specialty drink.
'I would like a sazerac, please.'
'A sazerac?' Bob asked curiously. 'Sir, I'm sorry but I'm unfamiliar with that particular drink. However, if you'll share its ingredients with me, I will be happy to make you one.'
'That's the problem,' the guest explained. 'I was in New Orleans on business recently and I stayed at the Fairmont Hotel. During my visit, I went into the hotel bar and the bartender suggested I try the house specialty, a sazerac. I remember the name of the drink because it was the same as that of the bar. Anyway, I tried the drink and I loved it.
Since then though, whenever I've tried to order it in other bars around the country I always get the same response, 'never heard of it.' I was hoping a place like the Capital City Club would be different. But never mind. Don't worry about it. Just give me a Bloody Mary instead.'
Bob filled the revised drink order, and as soon as the guest left the bar to rejoin his party, Bob took his break and headed straight to the nearest telephone. He called information and requested the number for the Fairmont Hotel in New Orleans, Louisiana. Once connected to the Fairmont, Bob asked for the Sazerac Bar. Within seconds, Bob was talking directly with a previously anonymous professional colleague in a bar several hundred miles away.
'My name is Bob and I am the head bartender at the Capital City Club here in Atlanta. A few minutes ago I had a gentleman order a sazerac. He told me he was introduced to it while visiting your bar. I was wondering if you would be willing to share the recipe with me so I can fill his order?'
Bob's New Orleans counterpart was happy to oblige.
Within a few short minutes, Bob confidently approached the guest's table. Imagine the guest's level of surprise, satisfaction, and sheer delight when Bob said, 'Excuse me, sir, but I have your sazerac. I hope it's to your liking. I have taken the liberty of writing down the ingredients on this index card so you can have them with you in your travels. I hope you enjoy your time here at the Capital City Club. I'm glad I had the opportunity to serve you.'
One of my favorite definitions of listening is from Jim Cathcart. He said listening is wanting to hear. And you see, Bob wanted to hear...and he did. Great service is always about wanting to hear.
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At 211 degrees...water is hot.
At 212 degrees...it boils.
And with boiling water, comes steam.
And steam can power a locomotive.
And, it's that one extra degree that...
Makes all the difference.
Worrying does not empty tomorrow of its troubles, it empties
today of its strength.' - Unknown author
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n excerpt from
Courage Does Not Always Roar
by Bobi Seredich
"By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail."
- Benjamin Franklin
Sometimes we can get blindsided by the events that happen in our lives. Certified Financial Planner Rebecca Kennell shares the story of two of her clients, Pam and Tom, whose lack of planning could have been averted with the courage to take responsibility for the future.
Both in their fifties, Pam and Tom had not really done any long-term financial planning. Theirs was a second marriage, and Tom knew he should have a will or trust, but somehow he just didn't get around to it. Soon after Tom and Pam's meeting with Rebecca, Tom had a bicycle accident. The resulting x-rays revealed lung cancer and he passed away three months later, with the will kit still in the closet.
Without a will, a bitter probate battle developed. Tom and Pam had only been married a year and a half and the life insurance policy that Tom held listed his daughter, rather than Pam, as beneficiary. The result? Probate lasted two years, causing Pam a great deal of stress and costing her $30,000 in court costs. Suffering from a lack of sleep and distraught by the double impact of the death of her spouse and fighting with his daughter, Pam finally turned to anti-depressants to help balance herself emotionally. She developed physical effects, ranging from skin rashes to stomach problems - she was a mess, both physically and emotionally. Tom's death caused her deep heartache and presented problems she was never prepared to handle.
Pam was not very sophisticated financially when she married Tom, and he was just beginning to teach her about his assets when he passed away. She didn't bring a lot of assets or income to the marriage and mistakenly felt she didn't then have the "right" to discuss these topics. This is an error Rebecca sees many times in counseling clients. "If you are entering into a marriage partnership, you not only have a 'right' to discuss all of these topics, you should discuss them to avoid any future miscommunication," Rebecca advises.
Although Pam felt overwhelmed by this extremely stressful situation, she swallowed her pride and became wiser financially and stronger physically. She began to take charge of her own financial future - learning what to fight for in probate and what to let go of. Even more importantly, with Rebecca's help, she became financial savvy...understanding her assets and setting up her own trust.
"A lot of people are in denial about end-of-life planning," said Rebecca. "But that really turns out to be a selfish decision, one that leaves everyone around you having to make very hard choices. Sometimes it starts disagreements that can last for a generation."
Not only did Pam have to make end of life decisions for Tom, she had to deal with his daughter and an ex-wife who was still very angry at Tom for their divorce two years earlier. The best gift you can give your loved ones is putting your plan in place so there's no guesswork or disagreement in an emotionally stressful time.
Rebecca suggests taking small steps to protect your future. "It's important to be prepared," said Rebecca. "It can start with something as small as getting organized - having file folders and putting beneficiary information in a file for both spouses to share. Sometimes it just takes one spouse stating the obvious to get the conversation started, 'If something happens, I'll need to take over for the two of us. If I can't find things, they might be lost forever.'"
Smart planning doesn't only relate to end of life decisions. "While no one goes into marriage thinking about divorce, it's something that affects a lot of couples in this country," says Rebecca. "Women lose a lot of their inheritance though death or divorce when documents aren't updated." As one of our clients said, "I don't want to be sad and broke."
Death and divorce are highly emotional times. It takes courage to take the long view and protect yourself for the future before these events happen. Death is inevitable and divorce affects millions every year. As Rebecca says, "You can't stick your head in the sand and think that it won't happen to me."
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An excerpt from
Attitude is Everything
by Vicki Hitzges
I used to worry. A lot. The more I fretted, the more proficient I became at it. Anxiety begets anxiety. I even worried that I worried too much! Ulcers might develop. My health could fail. My finances could deplete to pay the hospital bills.
A comedian once said, "I tried to drown my worries with gin, but my worries are equipped with flotation devices." While not a drinker, I certainly could identify! My worries could swim, jump and pole vault!
To get some perspective, I visited a well known, Dallas businessman, Fred Smith. Fred mentored such luminaries as motivational whiz Zig Ziglar, business guru Ken Blanchard and leadership expert John Maxwell. Fred listened as I poured out my concerns and then said, "Vicki, you need to learn to wait to worry."
As the words sank in, I asked Fred if he ever spent time fretting. (I was quite certain he wouldn't admit it if he did. He was pretty full of testosterone-even at age 90.) To my surprise, he confessed that in years gone by he had been a top-notch worrier!
"I decided that I would wait to worry!" he explained. "I decided that I'd wait until I actually had a reason to worry-something that was happening, not just something that might happen-before I worried."
"When I'm tempted to get alarmed," he confided, "I tell myself, 'Fred, you've got to wait to worry! Until you know differently, don't worry.' And I don't. Waiting to worry helps me develop the habit of not worrying and that helps me not be tempted to worry."
Fred possessed a quick mind and a gift for gab. As such, he became a captivating public speaker. "I frequently ask audiences what they were worried about this time last year. I get a lot of laughs," he said, "because most people can't remember. Then I ask if they have a current worry - you see nods from everybody. Then I remind them that the average worrier is 92% inefficient - only 8% of what we worry about ever comes true."
Charles Spurgeon said it best. "Anxiety does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow, but only empties today of its strength."
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If the first thing you do when you wake up in the morning is eat a live frog, then nothing worse can happen for the rest of the day!"
Brian Tracy says that your "frog" should be the most difficult item on your things to do list, the one you're most likely to procrastinate on; because, if you eat that first, it'll give you energy and momentum for the rest of the day.
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An excerpt from
Eat That Frog!
by Brian Tracy
The 80/20 Rule is one of the most helpful of all concepts of time and life management. It is also called the "Pareto Principle" after its founder, the Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto, who first wrote about it in 1895. Pareto noticed that people in his society seemed to divide naturally into what he called the "vital few", the top 20 percent in terms of money and influence, and the "trivial many", the bottom 80 percent.
He later discovered that virtually all economic activity was subject to this principle as well. For example, this principle says that 20 percent of your activities will account for 80 percent of your results, 20 percent of your customers will account for 80 percent of your sales, 20 percent of your products or services will account for 80 percent of your profits, 20 percent of your tasks will account for 80 percent of the value of what you do, and so on. This means that if you have a list of ten items to do, two of those items will turn out to be worth five or ten times or more than the other eight items put together.
Number of Tasks versus Importance of Tasks
Here is an interesting discovery. Each of the ten tasks may take the same amount of time to accomplish. But one or two of those tasks will contribute five or ten times the value of any of the others.
Often, one item on a list of ten tasks that you have to do can be worth more than all the other nine items put together. This task is invariably the frog that you should eat first.
Focus on Activities, Not Accomplishments
The most valuable tasks you can do each day are often the hardest and most complex. But the payoff and rewards for completing these tasks efficiently can be tremendous. For this reason, you must adamantly refuse to work on tasks in the bottom 80 percent while you still have tasks in the top 20 percent left to be done.
Before you begin work, always ask yourself, "Is this task in the top 20 percent of my activities or in the bottom 80 percent?"
The hardest part of any important task is getting started on it in the first place. Once you actually begin work on a valuable task, you will be naturally motivated to continue. A part of your mind loves to be busy working on significant tasks that can really make a difference. Your job is to feed this part of your mind continually.
Motivate Yourself
Just thinking about starting and finishing an important task motivates you and helps you to overcome procrastination. Time management is really life management, personal management. It is really taking control of the sequence of events. Time management is having control over what you do next. And you are always free to choose the task that you will do next. Your ability to choose between the important and the unimportant is the key determinant of your success in life and work.
Effective, productive people discipline themselves to start on the most important task that is before them. They force themselves to eat that frog, whatever it is. As a result, they accomplish vastly more than the average person and are much happier as a result. This should be your way of working as well.
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"When you know that everything matters - that every move counts as much as any other - you will begin living a life of permanent purpose. A life of permanent purpose will make you a better parent, a better spouse, and a more valuable friend. Your productivity and financial success will soar to new heights while the old days of uncertainty, doubt, and depression fade into the past."
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An Excerpt From
Finish Strong: Teen Athlete
by Dan Green
Western Oregon University's Sara Tucholsky had no idea that the first - and, as it turns out, only - home run of her career would cause ripples that would make her last swing of the bat as a college softball player a national media sensation.
With two runners on and her team down a run to Central Washington University, Sara hit a home run to centerfield. As she rounded first base, she missed the bag. When she turned to tag the base, she injured her knee. Able only to crawl back to the base, Sara was told that she would be called out if her teammates came to her aid. If a pinch runner checked into the game, her home run would count only as a single.
Players and fans alike were stunned when Central Washington first baseman Mallory Holtman, the conference's all-time home run leader, asked the umpire if there was any rule against opponents helping an injured player around the bases.
She was told that there was not. Together, Holtman and shortstop Liz Wallace picked up Tucholsky and carried her around the bases, stopping at each bag to allow Sara to touch it with her good leg. "It was the right thing to do," Holtman said in an interview on national television, after the respectful act of sportsmanship had been witnessed by millions on ESPN and had become a YouTube sensation.
The three runs sent Western Oregon to a 4-2 victory, ending Central Washington's chances of winning the conference and advancing to the playoffs.
"It's a great story," Western Oregon coach Pam Knox said, "something I'll never forget - the game's about character and integrity and sportsmanship, and it's not always about winning and losing."
As it turns out, the players who helped Sara had no idea of the circumstances surrounding the at-bat, or that the story would make headlines around the country. "We didn't know that she was a senior or that this was her first home run," Wallace said Wednesday. "That makes the story more touching than it was. We just wanted to help her." The gesture left Sara's Western Oregon teammates in tears. "I hope I would do the same for her in the same situation," Sara said. Central Washington coach Gary Frederick called the act of sportsmanship "unbelievable."
"In the end, it is not about winning and losing so much," Holtman, who initiated the act, said. "It was about this girl. She hit it over the fence and was in pain, and she deserved a home run."
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hey say "you can't choose your parents." All of us have circumstances that cannot be changed, whether it's the home we're born into or a physical condition we're struggling with.
In that case, our choice isn't to change our circumstances, but to change our ATTITUDE.
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An excerpt from
Secrets of the World Class
by Steve Siebold
I have had the privilege of competing against, coaching, being coached by and observing world-class performers since I was six years old. As a junior tennis player competing throughout the United States from ages 7 - 18, I became fascinated with what it takes to become a champion. My dream was to be ranked among the Top 10 players in the world, but I fell short. At my best, I hovered around the Top 500 in the world, and that's as high as I could seem to reach. Deep down, I knew I had the talent to make my dream a reality, and I knew the missing link was mental. After I hung up my racquet for the last time, I became obsessed with uncovering the mental toughness secrets of champions.
Starting in 1984, I spent every free moment conducting interviews with champions, reading their books and studying everything I could get my hands on about the psychology of peak performance. My friends said I was obsessed. They were right. This book is the result of my 20-year obsession.
When I started to implement the ideas in this book, my whole life changed. It wasn't overnight, but sometimes it seemed like it. There's no magic here, just practical thought processes, habits and philosophies drawn from the greatest performers in the world.
This book contains no theories. Every secret comes straight from the street of experience, either my own or that of our clients. This book is loaded with ideas you can implement immediately. Some will be familiar and some new. All of them have the power to catapult your results, no matter how high you're flying. It's been said that speakers and writers espouse wisdom on the very topic they need most. Now that you know my story, you know this is true for me. After 20 years of studying and teaching mental toughness to people throughout the United States, Canada and 10 other countries, I can honestly tell you that many times I still think like a complete amateur, operating out of the same middle-class consciousness that I ridicule in this book. After all these years, my mental toughness growth is still a work in progress.
The good news is that mental toughness is a skill that can be learned, and the tougher you get, the bigger you'll dream and the more fun you'll have.
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An excerpt from
The Strangest Secret
by Earl Nightingale
George Bernard Shaw said, "People are always blaming their circumstances for what they are. I don't believe in circumstances. The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want, and if they can't find them, make them."
Well, it's pretty apparent, isn't it? And every person who discovered this believed (for a while) that he was the first one to work it out. We become what we think about.
Now, it stands to reason that a person who is thinking about a concrete and worthwhile goal is going to reach it, because that's what he's thinking about. And we become what we think about.
Conversely, the person who has no goal, who doesn't know where he's going, and whose thoughts must therefore be thoughts of confusion, anxiety, fear and worry - his life becomes one of frustration, fear, anxiety and worry. And if he thinks about nothing...he becomes nothing.
How does it work? Why do we become what we think about? Well, I'll tell you how it works, as far as we know. To do this, I want to tell you about a situation that parallels the human mind.
Suppose a farmer has some land, and it's good, fertile land. The land gives the farmer a choice; he may plant in that land whatever he chooses. The land doesn't care. It's up to the farmer to make a decision.
We're comparing the human mind with the land because the mind, like the land, doesn't care what you plant in it. It will return what you plant, but it doesn't care what you plant.
Now, let's say that the farmer has two seeds in his hand - one is a seed of corn, the other is nightshade, a deadly poison. He digs two little holes in the earth and he plants both seeds - one corn, the other nightshade. He covers up the holes, waters and takes care of the land...and what will happen? Invariably, the land will return what was planted. As it's written in the Bible,
"As ye sow, so shall ye reap."
Remember, the land doesn't care. It will return poison in just as wonderful abundance as it will corn. So up come the plants - one corn, one poison. The human mind is far more fertile, far more incredible and mysterious than the land, but it works the same way. It doesn't care what we plant...success...or failure. A concrete, worthwhile goal...or confusion, misunderstanding, fear, anxiety, and so on. But what we plant it must return to us.
You see, the human mind is the last great, unexplored continent on earth. It contains riches beyond our wildest dreams. It will return anything we want to plant.
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The Right to Lead
by John C. Maxwell
What gives a man or woman the right to lead? It certainly isn't gained by election or appointment. Having position, title, rank or degrees doesn't qualify anyone to lead other people. And the ability doesn't come automatically from age or experience, either.
No, it would be accurate to say that no one can be given the right to lead. The right to lead can only be earned. And that takes time.
The Kind of Leader Others Want to Follow
The key to becoming an effective leader is not to focus on making other people follow, but on making yourself the kind of person they want to follow. You must become someone others can trust to take them where they want to go.
As you prepare yourself to become a better leader, use the following guidelines to help you grow:
1. Let go of your ego
The truly great leaders are not in leadership for personal gain. They lead in order to serve other people. Perhaps that is why Lawrence D. Bell remarked, "Show me a man who cannot bother to do little things, and I'll show you a man who cannot be trusted to do big things."
2. Become a good follower first
Rare is the effective leader who didn't learn to become a good follower first. That is why a leadership institution such as the United States Military Academy teaches its officers to become effective followers first - and why West Point has produced more leaders than the Harvard Business School.
3. Build positive relationships
Leadership is influence, nothing more, nothing less. That means it is by nature relational. Today's generation of leaders seem particularly aware of this because title and position mean so little to them. They know intuitively that people go along with people they get along with.
4. Work with excellence
No one respects and follows mediocrity. Leaders who earn the right to lead give their all to what they do. They bring into play not only their skills and talents, but also great passion and hard work They perform on the highest level of which they are capable.
5. Rely on discipline, not emotion
Leadership is often easy during the good times. It's when everything seems to be against you - when you're out of energy, and you don't want to lead - that you earn your place as a leader. During every season of life, leaders face crucial moments when they must choose between gearing up or giving up. To make it through those times, rely on the rock of discipline, not the shifting sand of emotion.
6. Make adding value your goal
When you look at the leaders whose names are revered long after they have finished leading, you find that they were men and women who helped people to live better lives and reach their potential. That is the highest calling of leadership - and its highest value.
7. Give your power away
One of the ironies of leadership is that you become a better leader by sharing whatever power you have, not by saving it all for yourself. You're meant to be a river, not a reservoir. If you use your power to empower others, your leadership will extend far beyond your grasp.
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Life is like a game of tennis. The player who serves well seldom loses."
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An excerpt from
Customer Love
by Mac Anderson
The following story was told by my friend Phillip Van Hooser, in his book titled: Willie's Way. I really like it and hope you will too.
The conversation was pleasant. Earlier in the day I had presented a service professionalism training program for the Georgia Club Managers' Association, a group of managers representing some of the finest city, athletic, golf, and country clubs throughout the state of Georgia. Now I found myself dining with nine of the most highly respected leaders in the field of club management. Somewhere between the appetizer and the salad, Manuel de Juan, general manager of the host, Capital City Club, spoke.
"Phillip, I thoroughly enjoyed your presentation today. I especially enjoyed the stories you shared to illustrate your content points. As a matter of fact, at one point during your presentation, I almost interrupted you to share one of my stories I thought you might enjoy."
He said, "The occasion was Easter Sunday and the day found more than 500 club members and their guests crowded into the overflowing Capital City Club restaurant. As they waited to dine, a club member and his four dinner guests approached the bar where they were greeted by the head bartender, Bob, who quickly began to take and fill each drink order. Everything progressed as might be expected until one of the guests placed an order for a specialty drink.
'I would like a sazerac, please.'
'A sazerac?' Bob asked curiously. 'Sir, I'm sorry but I'm unfamiliar with that particular drink. However, if you'll share its ingredients with me, I will be happy to make you one.'
'That's the problem,' the guest explained. 'I was in New Orleans on business recently and I stayed at the Fairmont Hotel. During my visit, I went into the hotel bar and the bartender suggested I try the house specialty, a sazerac. I remember the name of the drink because it was the same as that of the bar. Anyway, I tried the drink and I loved it.
Since then though, whenever I've tried to order it in other bars around the country I always get the same response, 'never heard of it.' I was hoping a place like the Capital City Club would be different. But never mind. Don't worry about it. Just give me a Bloody Mary instead.'
Bob filled the revised drink order, and as soon as the guest left the bar to rejoin his party, Bob took his break and headed straight to the nearest telephone. He called information and requested the number for the Fairmont Hotel in New Orleans, Louisiana. Once connected to the Fairmont, Bob asked for the Sazerac Bar. Within seconds, Bob was talking directly with a previously anonymous professional colleague in a bar several hundred miles away.
'My name is Bob and I am the head bartender at the Capital City Club here in Atlanta. A few minutes ago I had a gentleman order a sazerac. He told me he was introduced to it while visiting your bar. I was wondering if you would be willing to share the recipe with me so I can fill his order?'
Bob's New Orleans counterpart was happy to oblige.
Within a few short minutes, Bob confidently approached the guest's table. Imagine the guest's level of surprise, satisfaction, and sheer delight when Bob said, 'Excuse me, sir, but I have your sazerac. I hope it's to your liking. I have taken the liberty of writing down the ingredients on this index card so you can have them with you in your travels. I hope you enjoy your time here at the Capital City Club. I'm glad I had the opportunity to serve you.'
One of my favorite definitions of listening is from Jim Cathcart. He said listening is wanting to hear. And you see, Bob wanted to hear...and he did. Great service is always about wanting to hear.
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At 211 degrees...water is hot.
At 212 degrees...it boils.
And with boiling water, comes steam.
And steam can power a locomotive.
And, it's that one extra degree that...
Makes all the difference.
Worrying does not empty tomorrow of its troubles, it empties
today of its strength.' - Unknown author
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n excerpt from
Courage Does Not Always Roar
by Bobi Seredich
"By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail."
- Benjamin Franklin
Sometimes we can get blindsided by the events that happen in our lives. Certified Financial Planner Rebecca Kennell shares the story of two of her clients, Pam and Tom, whose lack of planning could have been averted with the courage to take responsibility for the future.
Both in their fifties, Pam and Tom had not really done any long-term financial planning. Theirs was a second marriage, and Tom knew he should have a will or trust, but somehow he just didn't get around to it. Soon after Tom and Pam's meeting with Rebecca, Tom had a bicycle accident. The resulting x-rays revealed lung cancer and he passed away three months later, with the will kit still in the closet.
Without a will, a bitter probate battle developed. Tom and Pam had only been married a year and a half and the life insurance policy that Tom held listed his daughter, rather than Pam, as beneficiary. The result? Probate lasted two years, causing Pam a great deal of stress and costing her $30,000 in court costs. Suffering from a lack of sleep and distraught by the double impact of the death of her spouse and fighting with his daughter, Pam finally turned to anti-depressants to help balance herself emotionally. She developed physical effects, ranging from skin rashes to stomach problems - she was a mess, both physically and emotionally. Tom's death caused her deep heartache and presented problems she was never prepared to handle.
Pam was not very sophisticated financially when she married Tom, and he was just beginning to teach her about his assets when he passed away. She didn't bring a lot of assets or income to the marriage and mistakenly felt she didn't then have the "right" to discuss these topics. This is an error Rebecca sees many times in counseling clients. "If you are entering into a marriage partnership, you not only have a 'right' to discuss all of these topics, you should discuss them to avoid any future miscommunication," Rebecca advises.
Although Pam felt overwhelmed by this extremely stressful situation, she swallowed her pride and became wiser financially and stronger physically. She began to take charge of her own financial future - learning what to fight for in probate and what to let go of. Even more importantly, with Rebecca's help, she became financial savvy...understanding her assets and setting up her own trust.
"A lot of people are in denial about end-of-life planning," said Rebecca. "But that really turns out to be a selfish decision, one that leaves everyone around you having to make very hard choices. Sometimes it starts disagreements that can last for a generation."
Not only did Pam have to make end of life decisions for Tom, she had to deal with his daughter and an ex-wife who was still very angry at Tom for their divorce two years earlier. The best gift you can give your loved ones is putting your plan in place so there's no guesswork or disagreement in an emotionally stressful time.
Rebecca suggests taking small steps to protect your future. "It's important to be prepared," said Rebecca. "It can start with something as small as getting organized - having file folders and putting beneficiary information in a file for both spouses to share. Sometimes it just takes one spouse stating the obvious to get the conversation started, 'If something happens, I'll need to take over for the two of us. If I can't find things, they might be lost forever.'"
Smart planning doesn't only relate to end of life decisions. "While no one goes into marriage thinking about divorce, it's something that affects a lot of couples in this country," says Rebecca. "Women lose a lot of their inheritance though death or divorce when documents aren't updated." As one of our clients said, "I don't want to be sad and broke."
Death and divorce are highly emotional times. It takes courage to take the long view and protect yourself for the future before these events happen. Death is inevitable and divorce affects millions every year. As Rebecca says, "You can't stick your head in the sand and think that it won't happen to me."
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An excerpt from
Attitude is Everything
by Vicki Hitzges
I used to worry. A lot. The more I fretted, the more proficient I became at it. Anxiety begets anxiety. I even worried that I worried too much! Ulcers might develop. My health could fail. My finances could deplete to pay the hospital bills.
A comedian once said, "I tried to drown my worries with gin, but my worries are equipped with flotation devices." While not a drinker, I certainly could identify! My worries could swim, jump and pole vault!
To get some perspective, I visited a well known, Dallas businessman, Fred Smith. Fred mentored such luminaries as motivational whiz Zig Ziglar, business guru Ken Blanchard and leadership expert John Maxwell. Fred listened as I poured out my concerns and then said, "Vicki, you need to learn to wait to worry."
As the words sank in, I asked Fred if he ever spent time fretting. (I was quite certain he wouldn't admit it if he did. He was pretty full of testosterone-even at age 90.) To my surprise, he confessed that in years gone by he had been a top-notch worrier!
"I decided that I would wait to worry!" he explained. "I decided that I'd wait until I actually had a reason to worry-something that was happening, not just something that might happen-before I worried."
"When I'm tempted to get alarmed," he confided, "I tell myself, 'Fred, you've got to wait to worry! Until you know differently, don't worry.' And I don't. Waiting to worry helps me develop the habit of not worrying and that helps me not be tempted to worry."
Fred possessed a quick mind and a gift for gab. As such, he became a captivating public speaker. "I frequently ask audiences what they were worried about this time last year. I get a lot of laughs," he said, "because most people can't remember. Then I ask if they have a current worry - you see nods from everybody. Then I remind them that the average worrier is 92% inefficient - only 8% of what we worry about ever comes true."
Charles Spurgeon said it best. "Anxiety does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow, but only empties today of its strength."
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If the first thing you do when you wake up in the morning is eat a live frog, then nothing worse can happen for the rest of the day!"
Brian Tracy says that your "frog" should be the most difficult item on your things to do list, the one you're most likely to procrastinate on; because, if you eat that first, it'll give you energy and momentum for the rest of the day.
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An excerpt from
Eat That Frog!
by Brian Tracy
The 80/20 Rule is one of the most helpful of all concepts of time and life management. It is also called the "Pareto Principle" after its founder, the Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto, who first wrote about it in 1895. Pareto noticed that people in his society seemed to divide naturally into what he called the "vital few", the top 20 percent in terms of money and influence, and the "trivial many", the bottom 80 percent.
He later discovered that virtually all economic activity was subject to this principle as well. For example, this principle says that 20 percent of your activities will account for 80 percent of your results, 20 percent of your customers will account for 80 percent of your sales, 20 percent of your products or services will account for 80 percent of your profits, 20 percent of your tasks will account for 80 percent of the value of what you do, and so on. This means that if you have a list of ten items to do, two of those items will turn out to be worth five or ten times or more than the other eight items put together.
Number of Tasks versus Importance of Tasks
Here is an interesting discovery. Each of the ten tasks may take the same amount of time to accomplish. But one or two of those tasks will contribute five or ten times the value of any of the others.
Often, one item on a list of ten tasks that you have to do can be worth more than all the other nine items put together. This task is invariably the frog that you should eat first.
Focus on Activities, Not Accomplishments
The most valuable tasks you can do each day are often the hardest and most complex. But the payoff and rewards for completing these tasks efficiently can be tremendous. For this reason, you must adamantly refuse to work on tasks in the bottom 80 percent while you still have tasks in the top 20 percent left to be done.
Before you begin work, always ask yourself, "Is this task in the top 20 percent of my activities or in the bottom 80 percent?"
The hardest part of any important task is getting started on it in the first place. Once you actually begin work on a valuable task, you will be naturally motivated to continue. A part of your mind loves to be busy working on significant tasks that can really make a difference. Your job is to feed this part of your mind continually.
Motivate Yourself
Just thinking about starting and finishing an important task motivates you and helps you to overcome procrastination. Time management is really life management, personal management. It is really taking control of the sequence of events. Time management is having control over what you do next. And you are always free to choose the task that you will do next. Your ability to choose between the important and the unimportant is the key determinant of your success in life and work.
Effective, productive people discipline themselves to start on the most important task that is before them. They force themselves to eat that frog, whatever it is. As a result, they accomplish vastly more than the average person and are much happier as a result. This should be your way of working as well.
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"When you know that everything matters - that every move counts as much as any other - you will begin living a life of permanent purpose. A life of permanent purpose will make you a better parent, a better spouse, and a more valuable friend. Your productivity and financial success will soar to new heights while the old days of uncertainty, doubt, and depression fade into the past."
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An Excerpt From
Finish Strong: Teen Athlete
by Dan Green
Western Oregon University's Sara Tucholsky had no idea that the first - and, as it turns out, only - home run of her career would cause ripples that would make her last swing of the bat as a college softball player a national media sensation.
With two runners on and her team down a run to Central Washington University, Sara hit a home run to centerfield. As she rounded first base, she missed the bag. When she turned to tag the base, she injured her knee. Able only to crawl back to the base, Sara was told that she would be called out if her teammates came to her aid. If a pinch runner checked into the game, her home run would count only as a single.
Players and fans alike were stunned when Central Washington first baseman Mallory Holtman, the conference's all-time home run leader, asked the umpire if there was any rule against opponents helping an injured player around the bases.
She was told that there was not. Together, Holtman and shortstop Liz Wallace picked up Tucholsky and carried her around the bases, stopping at each bag to allow Sara to touch it with her good leg. "It was the right thing to do," Holtman said in an interview on national television, after the respectful act of sportsmanship had been witnessed by millions on ESPN and had become a YouTube sensation.
The three runs sent Western Oregon to a 4-2 victory, ending Central Washington's chances of winning the conference and advancing to the playoffs.
"It's a great story," Western Oregon coach Pam Knox said, "something I'll never forget - the game's about character and integrity and sportsmanship, and it's not always about winning and losing."
As it turns out, the players who helped Sara had no idea of the circumstances surrounding the at-bat, or that the story would make headlines around the country. "We didn't know that she was a senior or that this was her first home run," Wallace said Wednesday. "That makes the story more touching than it was. We just wanted to help her." The gesture left Sara's Western Oregon teammates in tears. "I hope I would do the same for her in the same situation," Sara said. Central Washington coach Gary Frederick called the act of sportsmanship "unbelievable."
"In the end, it is not about winning and losing so much," Holtman, who initiated the act, said. "It was about this girl. She hit it over the fence and was in pain, and she deserved a home run."
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hey say "you can't choose your parents." All of us have circumstances that cannot be changed, whether it's the home we're born into or a physical condition we're struggling with.
In that case, our choice isn't to change our circumstances, but to change our ATTITUDE.
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An excerpt from
Secrets of the World Class
by Steve Siebold
I have had the privilege of competing against, coaching, being coached by and observing world-class performers since I was six years old. As a junior tennis player competing throughout the United States from ages 7 - 18, I became fascinated with what it takes to become a champion. My dream was to be ranked among the Top 10 players in the world, but I fell short. At my best, I hovered around the Top 500 in the world, and that's as high as I could seem to reach. Deep down, I knew I had the talent to make my dream a reality, and I knew the missing link was mental. After I hung up my racquet for the last time, I became obsessed with uncovering the mental toughness secrets of champions.
Starting in 1984, I spent every free moment conducting interviews with champions, reading their books and studying everything I could get my hands on about the psychology of peak performance. My friends said I was obsessed. They were right. This book is the result of my 20-year obsession.
When I started to implement the ideas in this book, my whole life changed. It wasn't overnight, but sometimes it seemed like it. There's no magic here, just practical thought processes, habits and philosophies drawn from the greatest performers in the world.
This book contains no theories. Every secret comes straight from the street of experience, either my own or that of our clients. This book is loaded with ideas you can implement immediately. Some will be familiar and some new. All of them have the power to catapult your results, no matter how high you're flying. It's been said that speakers and writers espouse wisdom on the very topic they need most. Now that you know my story, you know this is true for me. After 20 years of studying and teaching mental toughness to people throughout the United States, Canada and 10 other countries, I can honestly tell you that many times I still think like a complete amateur, operating out of the same middle-class consciousness that I ridicule in this book. After all these years, my mental toughness growth is still a work in progress.
The good news is that mental toughness is a skill that can be learned, and the tougher you get, the bigger you'll dream and the more fun you'll have.
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An excerpt from
The Strangest Secret
by Earl Nightingale
George Bernard Shaw said, "People are always blaming their circumstances for what they are. I don't believe in circumstances. The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want, and if they can't find them, make them."
Well, it's pretty apparent, isn't it? And every person who discovered this believed (for a while) that he was the first one to work it out. We become what we think about.
Now, it stands to reason that a person who is thinking about a concrete and worthwhile goal is going to reach it, because that's what he's thinking about. And we become what we think about.
Conversely, the person who has no goal, who doesn't know where he's going, and whose thoughts must therefore be thoughts of confusion, anxiety, fear and worry - his life becomes one of frustration, fear, anxiety and worry. And if he thinks about nothing...he becomes nothing.
How does it work? Why do we become what we think about? Well, I'll tell you how it works, as far as we know. To do this, I want to tell you about a situation that parallels the human mind.
Suppose a farmer has some land, and it's good, fertile land. The land gives the farmer a choice; he may plant in that land whatever he chooses. The land doesn't care. It's up to the farmer to make a decision.
We're comparing the human mind with the land because the mind, like the land, doesn't care what you plant in it. It will return what you plant, but it doesn't care what you plant.
Now, let's say that the farmer has two seeds in his hand - one is a seed of corn, the other is nightshade, a deadly poison. He digs two little holes in the earth and he plants both seeds - one corn, the other nightshade. He covers up the holes, waters and takes care of the land...and what will happen? Invariably, the land will return what was planted. As it's written in the Bible,
"As ye sow, so shall ye reap."
Remember, the land doesn't care. It will return poison in just as wonderful abundance as it will corn. So up come the plants - one corn, one poison. The human mind is far more fertile, far more incredible and mysterious than the land, but it works the same way. It doesn't care what we plant...success...or failure. A concrete, worthwhile goal...or confusion, misunderstanding, fear, anxiety, and so on. But what we plant it must return to us.
You see, the human mind is the last great, unexplored continent on earth. It contains riches beyond our wildest dreams. It will return anything we want to plant.
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Quotes on Leadership
Though leadership may be hard to define, the one characteristic common to all leaders is the ability to make things happen."
-Ted W. Engstrom
"Leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality."
-Warren G. Bennis
"Management is doing things right. Leadership is doing the right things."
-Peter Drucker
"One of the true tests of leadership is the ability to recognize a problem before it becomes an emergency."
-Arnold H. Glasgow
"Not everything that is faced can be changed. But nothing can be changed until it is faced."
-James Baldwin
"If you want to know why your people are not performing well, step up to the mirror and take a peek."
-Ken Blanchard
"The first responsibility of a leader is to define reality, the last is to say "Thank you." In between the two, the leaders must become a servant."
-Max De Pree
"They don't care how much you know until they know how much you care."
-Theodore Roosevelt
"The greatest management principle in the world is: the things that get rewarded and appreciated get done."
-Michael LeBoeuf
"Excellence is...caring more than others think is wise;
Risking more than others think is safe;
Dreaming more than others think is practical.
Expecting more than others think is possible."
-Winston Churchill
"You get the best efforts from others not by lighting a fire beneath them, but by building a fire within."
-Bob Nelson
"Quality is never an accident: It is always the result of high intention, sincere effort, intelligent direction and skillful execution. It represents the wise choice of many alternatives."
-William A. Foster
"Values are critical guides for making decisions. When in doubt, they cut through the fog like a beacon in the night."
-Robert Townsend
"A leader's job is to look into the future and see the organization not as it is, but as it should be."
-Jack Welch
"Giving people a little more than they expect is a good way to get back a lot more than you'd expect."
-Robert Half
"The most important persuasion tool you have in your entire arsenal is integrity."
-Zig Ziglar
"To lead the people, walk behind them."
-Lao Tzu
WOMEN N MOTIVATION
We have too many high sounding words, and too few actions that correspond with them."
-Abigail Adams
(1744 - 1818)
"The surest test of discipline is its absence."
-Clara Barton
(1821 - 1912)
"If I can stop one heart from breaking I shall not live in vain."
-Emily Dickinson
(1830 - 1886)
"The triumph can't be had without the struggle."
-Wilma Rudolph
(1940 - 1994)
"I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel."
-Maya Angelou
(1928 - )
"I attribute my success to this - I never gave or took any excuse."
-Florence Nightingale
(1820 - 1910)
"A single act of kindness throws out roots in all directions, and the roots spring up and make new trees."
-Amelia Earhart
(1898 - 1937)
An excerpt from
The 100/0 Principle
by Al Ritter
What is the most effective way to create and sustain great relationships with others? It's The 100/0 Principle: You take full responsibility (the 100) for the relationship, expecting nothing (the 0) in return.
Implementing The 100/0 Principle is not natural for most of us. It takes real commitment to the relationship and a good dose of self-discipline to think, act and give 100 percent.
The 100/0 Principle applies to those people in your life where the relationships are too important to react automatically or judgmentally. Each of us must determine the relationships to which this principle should apply. For most of us, it applies to work associates, customers, suppliers, family and friends.
• STEP 1 - Determine what you can do to make the relationship work...then do it. Demonstrate respect and kindness to the other person, whether he/she deserves it or not.
• STEP 2 - Do not expect anything in return. Zero, zip, nada.
• STEP 3 - Do not allow anything the other person says or does (no matter how annoying!) to affect you. In other words, don't take the bait.
• STEP 4 - Be persistent with your graciousness and kindness. Often we give up too soon, especially when others don't respond in kind. Remember to expect nothing in return.
At times (usually few), the relationship can remain challenging, even toxic, despite your 100 percent commitment and self-discipline. When this occurs, you need to avoid being the "Knower" and shift to being the "Learner." Avoid Knower statements/ thoughts like "that won't work," "I'm right, you are wrong," "I know it and you don't," "I'll teach you," "that's just the way it is," "I need to tell you what I know," etc.
Instead use Learner statements/thoughts like "Let me find out what is going on and try to understand the situation," "I could be wrong," "I wonder if there is anything of value here," "I wonder if..." etc. In other words, as a Learner, be curious!
Principle Paradox
This may strike you as strange, but here's the paradox: When you take authentic responsibility for a relationship, more often than not the other person quickly chooses to take responsibility as well. Consequently, the 100/0 relationship quickly transforms into something approaching 100/100. When that occurs, true breakthroughs happen for the individuals involved, their teams, their organizations and their families.
____________________________________________________________________________________
"The boisterous sea of liberty is never without a wave."
Thomas Jefferson
(1743-1826)
"Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again more intelligently."
Henry Ford
(1863-1947)
"Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless."
Mother Teresa
(1910-1997)
"If we are together nothing is impossible. If we are divided all will fail."
Winston Churchill
(1874-1965)
"As we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same."
Nelson Mandela
(1918 - )
"The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather in a lack of will."
Vince Lombardi
(1913-1970)
"All the adversity I've had in my life, all my troubles have strengthened me...You may not realize it when it happens, but a kick in the teeth may be the best thing in the world for you."
Walt Disney
(1901-1966)
"The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams."
Eleanor Roosevelt
(1884-1962)
"Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony."
Mahatma Gandhi
(1869-1948)
"I know in my heart that man is good. That what is right will eventually triumph. And there is purpose and worth to each and every life."
Ronald Reagan
(1911-2004)
"Liberty without learning is always in peril; learning without liberty is always in vain."
John F. Kennedy
(1917-1963)
"Luck is a dividend of sweat. The more you sweat, the luckier you get."
Ray Kroc
(1902-1984)
"The time is always right to do what is right."
Martin Luther King, Jr.
(1929-1968)
"There are two ways of exerting one's strength; one is pushing down, the other is pulling up."
Booker T. Washington
(1856-1915)
"An investment in knowledge pays the best interest."
Benjamin Franklin
(1706-1790)
"Do what you can, with what you have, where you are."
Theodore Roosevelt
(1858-1919)
"Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful."
Albert Schweitzer
(1875-1965)
"There is only one boss. The customer. And they can fire everybody in the company from the chairman on down, simply by spending their money somewhere else."
Sam Walton
(1918-1992)
"Things turn out best for the people who make the best of the way things turn out."
John Wooden
(1910 - 2010)
"What we have once enjoyed we can never lose. All that we love deeply becomes a part of us."
Helen Keller
(1880-1968)
Genius is childhood recaptured at will." The imagination and creativity we had at five too often begins to fade at fifteen.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
An excerpt from
Stress is a Choice
by David Zerfoss
Several years ago while listening to my pastor give a Sunday sermon, he spoke about how life is made up of a series of choices. It made me realize that my hectic professional and personal life was of my choosing. Therefore, a life of stress had become my choice.
Many of us hurry through life going from one place to the next, focused on conquering the next mountain, making the next deal, running the next errand, and believing we will never have enough time to do all the things we need to get done. Yet, there is all the time in the world if we just realize that we are the creators of this life we choose to live.
That's right. Life is a series of choices and being free from stress is one of those choices.
Whether your business life is overly complicated or your personal life (or both), you have chosen this current system of chaos. The world is a tantalizing swirl of getting the next "fix," tempting us to fit more and more things, people and processes into our lives, personally and professionally. And because we are so busy being busy, it's easy to be lured into the fray, with our lengthy to-do lists. Yet, the greatest achievements have often come from the simplest of ideas and in the simplest forms.
To experience a simplified life, we first have to learn to slow down long enough to see through all the clutter. We need to realize that we are powerful magnets that attracted this life to ourselves - no matter what - good or bad.
After you read through the 10 Rules to Simplify Your Life, my wish for you is that you commit to simplify and enroll others for support. Take out a blank sheet of paper and create the life you truly want to live - with less stress and complexity - one that is anchored by a clear sense of your unique and simple purpose.
=====================================================================================
-Ted W. Engstrom
"Leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality."
-Warren G. Bennis
"Management is doing things right. Leadership is doing the right things."
-Peter Drucker
"One of the true tests of leadership is the ability to recognize a problem before it becomes an emergency."
-Arnold H. Glasgow
"Not everything that is faced can be changed. But nothing can be changed until it is faced."
-James Baldwin
"If you want to know why your people are not performing well, step up to the mirror and take a peek."
-Ken Blanchard
"The first responsibility of a leader is to define reality, the last is to say "Thank you." In between the two, the leaders must become a servant."
-Max De Pree
"They don't care how much you know until they know how much you care."
-Theodore Roosevelt
"The greatest management principle in the world is: the things that get rewarded and appreciated get done."
-Michael LeBoeuf
"Excellence is...caring more than others think is wise;
Risking more than others think is safe;
Dreaming more than others think is practical.
Expecting more than others think is possible."
-Winston Churchill
"You get the best efforts from others not by lighting a fire beneath them, but by building a fire within."
-Bob Nelson
"Quality is never an accident: It is always the result of high intention, sincere effort, intelligent direction and skillful execution. It represents the wise choice of many alternatives."
-William A. Foster
"Values are critical guides for making decisions. When in doubt, they cut through the fog like a beacon in the night."
-Robert Townsend
"A leader's job is to look into the future and see the organization not as it is, but as it should be."
-Jack Welch
"Giving people a little more than they expect is a good way to get back a lot more than you'd expect."
-Robert Half
"The most important persuasion tool you have in your entire arsenal is integrity."
-Zig Ziglar
"To lead the people, walk behind them."
-Lao Tzu
WOMEN N MOTIVATION
We have too many high sounding words, and too few actions that correspond with them."
-Abigail Adams
(1744 - 1818)
"The surest test of discipline is its absence."
-Clara Barton
(1821 - 1912)
"If I can stop one heart from breaking I shall not live in vain."
-Emily Dickinson
(1830 - 1886)
"The triumph can't be had without the struggle."
-Wilma Rudolph
(1940 - 1994)
"I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel."
-Maya Angelou
(1928 - )
"I attribute my success to this - I never gave or took any excuse."
-Florence Nightingale
(1820 - 1910)
"A single act of kindness throws out roots in all directions, and the roots spring up and make new trees."
-Amelia Earhart
(1898 - 1937)
An excerpt from
The 100/0 Principle
by Al Ritter
What is the most effective way to create and sustain great relationships with others? It's The 100/0 Principle: You take full responsibility (the 100) for the relationship, expecting nothing (the 0) in return.
Implementing The 100/0 Principle is not natural for most of us. It takes real commitment to the relationship and a good dose of self-discipline to think, act and give 100 percent.
The 100/0 Principle applies to those people in your life where the relationships are too important to react automatically or judgmentally. Each of us must determine the relationships to which this principle should apply. For most of us, it applies to work associates, customers, suppliers, family and friends.
• STEP 1 - Determine what you can do to make the relationship work...then do it. Demonstrate respect and kindness to the other person, whether he/she deserves it or not.
• STEP 2 - Do not expect anything in return. Zero, zip, nada.
• STEP 3 - Do not allow anything the other person says or does (no matter how annoying!) to affect you. In other words, don't take the bait.
• STEP 4 - Be persistent with your graciousness and kindness. Often we give up too soon, especially when others don't respond in kind. Remember to expect nothing in return.
At times (usually few), the relationship can remain challenging, even toxic, despite your 100 percent commitment and self-discipline. When this occurs, you need to avoid being the "Knower" and shift to being the "Learner." Avoid Knower statements/ thoughts like "that won't work," "I'm right, you are wrong," "I know it and you don't," "I'll teach you," "that's just the way it is," "I need to tell you what I know," etc.
Instead use Learner statements/thoughts like "Let me find out what is going on and try to understand the situation," "I could be wrong," "I wonder if there is anything of value here," "I wonder if..." etc. In other words, as a Learner, be curious!
Principle Paradox
This may strike you as strange, but here's the paradox: When you take authentic responsibility for a relationship, more often than not the other person quickly chooses to take responsibility as well. Consequently, the 100/0 relationship quickly transforms into something approaching 100/100. When that occurs, true breakthroughs happen for the individuals involved, their teams, their organizations and their families.
____________________________________________________________________________________
"The boisterous sea of liberty is never without a wave."
Thomas Jefferson
(1743-1826)
"Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again more intelligently."
Henry Ford
(1863-1947)
"Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless."
Mother Teresa
(1910-1997)
"If we are together nothing is impossible. If we are divided all will fail."
Winston Churchill
(1874-1965)
"As we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same."
Nelson Mandela
(1918 - )
"The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather in a lack of will."
Vince Lombardi
(1913-1970)
"All the adversity I've had in my life, all my troubles have strengthened me...You may not realize it when it happens, but a kick in the teeth may be the best thing in the world for you."
Walt Disney
(1901-1966)
"The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams."
Eleanor Roosevelt
(1884-1962)
"Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony."
Mahatma Gandhi
(1869-1948)
"I know in my heart that man is good. That what is right will eventually triumph. And there is purpose and worth to each and every life."
Ronald Reagan
(1911-2004)
"Liberty without learning is always in peril; learning without liberty is always in vain."
John F. Kennedy
(1917-1963)
"Luck is a dividend of sweat. The more you sweat, the luckier you get."
Ray Kroc
(1902-1984)
"The time is always right to do what is right."
Martin Luther King, Jr.
(1929-1968)
"There are two ways of exerting one's strength; one is pushing down, the other is pulling up."
Booker T. Washington
(1856-1915)
"An investment in knowledge pays the best interest."
Benjamin Franklin
(1706-1790)
"Do what you can, with what you have, where you are."
Theodore Roosevelt
(1858-1919)
"Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful."
Albert Schweitzer
(1875-1965)
"There is only one boss. The customer. And they can fire everybody in the company from the chairman on down, simply by spending their money somewhere else."
Sam Walton
(1918-1992)
"Things turn out best for the people who make the best of the way things turn out."
John Wooden
(1910 - 2010)
"What we have once enjoyed we can never lose. All that we love deeply becomes a part of us."
Helen Keller
(1880-1968)
Genius is childhood recaptured at will." The imagination and creativity we had at five too often begins to fade at fifteen.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
An excerpt from
Stress is a Choice
by David Zerfoss
Several years ago while listening to my pastor give a Sunday sermon, he spoke about how life is made up of a series of choices. It made me realize that my hectic professional and personal life was of my choosing. Therefore, a life of stress had become my choice.
Many of us hurry through life going from one place to the next, focused on conquering the next mountain, making the next deal, running the next errand, and believing we will never have enough time to do all the things we need to get done. Yet, there is all the time in the world if we just realize that we are the creators of this life we choose to live.
That's right. Life is a series of choices and being free from stress is one of those choices.
Whether your business life is overly complicated or your personal life (or both), you have chosen this current system of chaos. The world is a tantalizing swirl of getting the next "fix," tempting us to fit more and more things, people and processes into our lives, personally and professionally. And because we are so busy being busy, it's easy to be lured into the fray, with our lengthy to-do lists. Yet, the greatest achievements have often come from the simplest of ideas and in the simplest forms.
To experience a simplified life, we first have to learn to slow down long enough to see through all the clutter. We need to realize that we are powerful magnets that attracted this life to ourselves - no matter what - good or bad.
After you read through the 10 Rules to Simplify Your Life, my wish for you is that you commit to simplify and enroll others for support. Take out a blank sheet of paper and create the life you truly want to live - with less stress and complexity - one that is anchored by a clear sense of your unique and simple purpose.
=====================================================================================
Monday, May 02, 2011
good thots
Do it because you would, not because you think you should.
-- Alan Cohen
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The 100/0 Principle applies to those people in your life where the relationships are too important to react automatically or judgmentally. Each of us must determine the relationships to which this principle should apply. For most of us, it applies to work associates, customers, suppliers, family and friends.
• STEP 1 - Determine what you can do to make the relationship work...then do it. Demonstrate respect and kindness to the other person, whether he/she deserves it or not.
• STEP 2 - Do not expect anything in return. Zero, zip, nada.
• STEP 3 - Do not allow anything the other person says or does (no matter how annoying!) to affect you. In other words, don't take the bait.
• STEP 4 - Be persistent with your graciousness and kindness. Often we give up too soon, especially when others don't respond in kind. Remember to expect nothing in return.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I complained to God when my foundation was shaking, only to discover that it was God who was shaking it.
-- Charles Weston
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"If you dream it, you can do it."
-Walt Disney
"The only place success comes before work is in the dictionary."
-Vince Lombardi
"Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony."
-Mahatma Gandhi
"You can't build a reputation on what you're going to do."
-Henry Ford
"Far and away the best prize that life has to offer is the chance to work hard at work worth doing."
-Theodore Roosevelt
"The future starts today, not tomorrow."
-Pope John Paul II
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sow a thought, reap a word. Sow a word, reap a deed. Sow a deed, reap a habit. Sow a habit, reap a character. Sow a character, reap a destiny.
-- Charles Reade
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Only those who see the invisible can do the impossible.
-- Author unknown
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The brick walls are not there to keep us out; the brick walls are there to give us a chance to show how badly we want something."
~Randy Pausch
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------If you live your life the right way, the karma will take care of itself...your dreams will come to you."
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Golf is deceptively simple and endlessly complicated. It satisfies the soul and frustrates the intellect. It is at the same time rewarding and maddening - it is without a doubt the greatest game mankind has ever invented."
~Arnold Palmer
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Eternity does not start after you die; it begins when you really live.
-- Alan Cohen
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The greatest good you can do for another is not just share your riches, but reveal to them their own.
-- Benjamin Disraeli
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
What makes you think you could have a future with someone when you don't have a present?
-- Alan Cohen
All of man's troubles stem from his inability to sit quietly in a room alone.
-- Pascal
When you embrace the human, you liberate the divine.
-- Alan Cohen
Success is the intentional, pre–mediated use of choice and decision. Unless you choose – with certainty – what it is you want, you accept table scraps by default!-
The DIFFERENCE between what one person and another achieves depends more on goal CHOICES than on ABILITIES.
The profound differences between successful people and others are the goals they choose to pursue. Individuals with similar talents, intelligence, and abilities will achieve different results because they select and pursue different goals.
Each decision affects WHAT YOU BECOME.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Life is not about waiting for the storms to pass...
it's about learning how to dance in the rain!"
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A good guru reminds you, "G.U.R.U." -- Gee, you are you.
-- Author unknown
To prefer is to be alive. To prefer without being attached is to be even more alive.
-- Alan Cohen
Perfection is not a condition to be attained. It is an attitude to be cultivated.
-- Alan Cohen
The wise man in the storm prays to God, not for safety from danger, but for deliverance from fear.
-- Emerson
Prayer is the attunement of your mind with the blessing that already exists.
-- Alan Cohen
Do not wait until all the conditions are perfect for you to begin. Beginning makes the conditions perfect.
-- Alan Cohen
It is not because life is difficult that we do not dare. Life is difficult because we do not dare.
-- Seneca
Improve Your Public Speaking
by Being Yourself
Those who find public speaking daunting — and who doesn't to some degree? — may think they need to become better actors to improve. Acting rarely helps, though. Don't try to be someone else or channel a smooth-talking alter ego. Focus on being exactly who you are. While some people may be natural public speakers, most have to work hard at it. Practice organizing your thoughts, modulating your voice, and connecting with your audience. This isn't a matter of rehearsing what you're going to say. It's practicing the skills that allow you to be flexible and capable every time you are up in the front of the room.
-- Alan Cohen
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The 100/0 Principle applies to those people in your life where the relationships are too important to react automatically or judgmentally. Each of us must determine the relationships to which this principle should apply. For most of us, it applies to work associates, customers, suppliers, family and friends.
• STEP 1 - Determine what you can do to make the relationship work...then do it. Demonstrate respect and kindness to the other person, whether he/she deserves it or not.
• STEP 2 - Do not expect anything in return. Zero, zip, nada.
• STEP 3 - Do not allow anything the other person says or does (no matter how annoying!) to affect you. In other words, don't take the bait.
• STEP 4 - Be persistent with your graciousness and kindness. Often we give up too soon, especially when others don't respond in kind. Remember to expect nothing in return.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I complained to God when my foundation was shaking, only to discover that it was God who was shaking it.
-- Charles Weston
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"If you dream it, you can do it."
-Walt Disney
"The only place success comes before work is in the dictionary."
-Vince Lombardi
"Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony."
-Mahatma Gandhi
"You can't build a reputation on what you're going to do."
-Henry Ford
"Far and away the best prize that life has to offer is the chance to work hard at work worth doing."
-Theodore Roosevelt
"The future starts today, not tomorrow."
-Pope John Paul II
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sow a thought, reap a word. Sow a word, reap a deed. Sow a deed, reap a habit. Sow a habit, reap a character. Sow a character, reap a destiny.
-- Charles Reade
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Only those who see the invisible can do the impossible.
-- Author unknown
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The brick walls are not there to keep us out; the brick walls are there to give us a chance to show how badly we want something."
~Randy Pausch
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------If you live your life the right way, the karma will take care of itself...your dreams will come to you."
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Golf is deceptively simple and endlessly complicated. It satisfies the soul and frustrates the intellect. It is at the same time rewarding and maddening - it is without a doubt the greatest game mankind has ever invented."
~Arnold Palmer
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Eternity does not start after you die; it begins when you really live.
-- Alan Cohen
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The greatest good you can do for another is not just share your riches, but reveal to them their own.
-- Benjamin Disraeli
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
What makes you think you could have a future with someone when you don't have a present?
-- Alan Cohen
All of man's troubles stem from his inability to sit quietly in a room alone.
-- Pascal
When you embrace the human, you liberate the divine.
-- Alan Cohen
Success is the intentional, pre–mediated use of choice and decision. Unless you choose – with certainty – what it is you want, you accept table scraps by default!-
The DIFFERENCE between what one person and another achieves depends more on goal CHOICES than on ABILITIES.
The profound differences between successful people and others are the goals they choose to pursue. Individuals with similar talents, intelligence, and abilities will achieve different results because they select and pursue different goals.
Each decision affects WHAT YOU BECOME.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Life is not about waiting for the storms to pass...
it's about learning how to dance in the rain!"
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A good guru reminds you, "G.U.R.U." -- Gee, you are you.
-- Author unknown
To prefer is to be alive. To prefer without being attached is to be even more alive.
-- Alan Cohen
Perfection is not a condition to be attained. It is an attitude to be cultivated.
-- Alan Cohen
The wise man in the storm prays to God, not for safety from danger, but for deliverance from fear.
-- Emerson
Prayer is the attunement of your mind with the blessing that already exists.
-- Alan Cohen
Do not wait until all the conditions are perfect for you to begin. Beginning makes the conditions perfect.
-- Alan Cohen
It is not because life is difficult that we do not dare. Life is difficult because we do not dare.
-- Seneca
Improve Your Public Speaking
by Being Yourself
Those who find public speaking daunting — and who doesn't to some degree? — may think they need to become better actors to improve. Acting rarely helps, though. Don't try to be someone else or channel a smooth-talking alter ego. Focus on being exactly who you are. While some people may be natural public speakers, most have to work hard at it. Practice organizing your thoughts, modulating your voice, and connecting with your audience. This isn't a matter of rehearsing what you're going to say. It's practicing the skills that allow you to be flexible and capable every time you are up in the front of the room.
Thursday, March 17, 2011
good thots
"No stream or gas drives anything until it is confined. No Niagara is ever turned into light and power until it is tunneled. No life ever grows great until it is focused, dedicated and disciplined."
~Harry E. Fosdick
The truth is simple. If it were complicated, everyone would understand it.
-- Source unknown
The more you recognize the immense good within you, the more you magnetize immense around you.
-- Alan Cohen
Walk to the edge.
Listen hard. Laugh. Play with abandon.
Practice wellness.
Continue to learn.
Choose with no regret.
Appreciate your friends.
Lead or follow a leader.
Do what you love.
Live as if this is all there is.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Life Begins When You Do
by Mary Anne Radmacher
Nearly everyone postpones one grand thing or a collection of mighty hopes and dreams.
Between the quote marks of our lives are phrases like these: "When things slow down...when I finish my degree...when I get certified...as I acquire a deeper knowledge base...when I have kids...when the kids are grown...when I get well...when I marry...when I divorce...when I retire...when I get that promotion, that raise, that job, that house, that whatever the fill-in-the blank is for your specific postponing of life..."
Your Life Begins When You Do.
You may think you are postponing the longing of your soul until life aligns itself with your vision, until elements conspire to be more favorable...but as it happens, life just lolls along at the same remarkable consistent and disinterested cadence. Life is impartial. YOUR personal, subjective life (dreams, satisfactions, contentment, achievements, vision, fullness, passion, aspirations) begins when you begin.
From my teens into adulthood, I said, "I want to be an artist." One day I changed the sentence to, "I am an artist." My view changed. Life began. I looked behind me and saw that I had been accidentally living as an artist. I had been laying down a path that was only now visible to eyes that had begun to see. Beginning my life as an artist made my heart's longing and the small, tentative labors of my hands - visible and tangible. I began by opening the door and simply believing that I could live my dream. I began living that dream by seeing that I could.
Your purpose, that thing that among the many to-dos of your days, is what you must do. Embrace the truth of your purpose each minute of your precious life...for how very true it is that life begins when you do.
If you would dream it
BEGIN it.
If you have an idea
OPEN it.
If there is longing
ACKNOWLEDGE it.
If there is mission
COMMIT it.
If there is daring
DO it.
If there is love
SPEAK it.
If there is resource
USE it.
If there is abundance
SHARE it.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
You will never find time for anything. If you want time, you must make it.
-- Charles Buxton
The first power that meets us at the threshold of the soul's domain is the power of imagination.
-- Dr. Franz Hartmann
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
An excerpt from
The Strangest Secret
by Earl Nightingale
George Bernard Shaw said, "People are always blaming their circumstances for what they are. I don't believe in circumstances. The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want, and if they can't find them, make them."
Well, it's pretty apparent, isn't it? And every person who discovered this believed (for a while) that he was the first one to work it out. We become what we think about.
Now, it stands to reason that a person who is thinking about a concrete and worthwhile goal is going to reach it, because that's what he's thinking about. And we become what we think about.
Conversely, the person who has no goal, who doesn't know where he's going, and whose thoughts must therefore be thoughts of confusion, anxiety, fear and worry - his life becomes one of frustration, fear, anxiety and worry. And if he thinks about nothing...he becomes nothing.
How does it work? Why do we become what we think about? Well, I'll tell you how it works, as far as we know. To do this, I want to tell you about a situation that parallels the human mind.
Suppose a farmer has some land, and it's good, fertile land. The land gives the farmer a choice; he may plant in that land whatever he chooses. The land doesn't care. It's up to the farmer to make a decision.
We're comparing the human mind with the land because the mind, like the land, doesn't care what you plant in it. It will return what you plant, but it doesn't care what you plant.
Now, let's say that the farmer has two seeds in his hand - one is a seed of corn, the other is nightshade, a deadly poison. He digs two little holes in the earth and he plants both seeds - one corn, the other nightshade. He covers up the holes, waters and takes care of the land...and what will happen? Invariably, the land will return what was planted. As it's written in the Bible,
"As ye sow, so shall ye reap."
Remember, the land doesn't care. It will return poison in just as wonderful abundance as it will corn. So up come the plants - one corn, one poison. The human mind is far more fertile, far more incredible and mysterious than the land, but it works the same way. It doesn't care what we plant...success...or failure. A concrete, worthwhile goal...or confusion, misunderstanding, fear, anxiety, and so on. But what we plant it must return to us.
You see, the human mind is the last great, unexplored continent on earth. It contains riches beyond our wildest dreams. It will return anything we want to plant.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
n excerpt from
Oil for Your Lamp
by Lisa Hammond & BJ Gallagher
Virtually every woman we know has the same problem - she knows what's good for her, but she often doesn't do it. She knows she should eat less and exercise more, but still she doesn't make healthy choices. She knows she needs to spend her time and money more effectively, but good time and money management elude her. She finds herself always putting others first, while neglecting her own needs and wants. She doesn't get enough rest or sleep and her endless to-do list hangs overhead like the sword of Damocles. As our friend Brenda Knight laments frequently, "Why am I always riding in the back of my own bus?"
We don't do the things we know are good for us because we are so busy taking care of others that we neglect ourselves. The problem isn't lack of information - we have plenty of information about the importance of sleep, healthy foods, and exercise. The problem is how we prioritize our lives.
Psychologists tell us that some people are inner-directed and some are other-directed. That is, some people focus on their own internal guidance system for making choices about how to spend their time and energy. Their own self-interest ranks very high on their list of priorities. "What's best for me?" is a key guiding principle in determining where they focus their attention and how they make day-to-day decisions.
And some people are other-directed, which means that their primary focus is external, not internal. They are primarily concerned with relationships, especially people they care about. "How can I help others?" is a key question in how they spend their time and energy. Building and nurturing relationships with loved ones, family, friends, neighbors, and coworkers is the guiding principle in their lives.
Research indicates that, in general, men tend to be more inner-directed, while women tend to be more other-directed. There are exceptions, of course, but as a group, men are focused on themselves while women are focused on other people. Men like to build things while women like to build relationships.
This difference in psychological orientation goes a long way toward helping us understand why we women often do such a poor job of taking care of ourselves. We run around filling others' lamps with oil, but forget to fill our own lamps first. Then we wonder why we're often exhausted, frazzled, stressed-out, anxious and/or depressed!
Awareness is the first step toward solving a problem. So the first section of this book is devoted to helping us acknowledge the problem and understand the reasons for it. Chapter 1 looks at how girls are socialized, growing up to be women who put others first. Chapter 2 examines the values women have adopted in the past 50 years, beginning with the feminist movement - leading us to believe that we can have it all - all at once. And Chapter 3 explores the corresponding myth that we can DO it all.
But don't be discouraged. Help is on the way - in Section II, we'll get into solutions for the problem. We'll learn the value of doing nothing, how to play again, how to become more inner-directed, and most important, how to ask for help.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Good things are not too good to be true. They are good enough to be true.
-- Alan Cohen
~Harry E. Fosdick
The truth is simple. If it were complicated, everyone would understand it.
-- Source unknown
The more you recognize the immense good within you, the more you magnetize immense around you.
-- Alan Cohen
Walk to the edge.
Listen hard. Laugh. Play with abandon.
Practice wellness.
Continue to learn.
Choose with no regret.
Appreciate your friends.
Lead or follow a leader.
Do what you love.
Live as if this is all there is.
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Life Begins When You Do
by Mary Anne Radmacher
Nearly everyone postpones one grand thing or a collection of mighty hopes and dreams.
Between the quote marks of our lives are phrases like these: "When things slow down...when I finish my degree...when I get certified...as I acquire a deeper knowledge base...when I have kids...when the kids are grown...when I get well...when I marry...when I divorce...when I retire...when I get that promotion, that raise, that job, that house, that whatever the fill-in-the blank is for your specific postponing of life..."
Your Life Begins When You Do.
You may think you are postponing the longing of your soul until life aligns itself with your vision, until elements conspire to be more favorable...but as it happens, life just lolls along at the same remarkable consistent and disinterested cadence. Life is impartial. YOUR personal, subjective life (dreams, satisfactions, contentment, achievements, vision, fullness, passion, aspirations) begins when you begin.
From my teens into adulthood, I said, "I want to be an artist." One day I changed the sentence to, "I am an artist." My view changed. Life began. I looked behind me and saw that I had been accidentally living as an artist. I had been laying down a path that was only now visible to eyes that had begun to see. Beginning my life as an artist made my heart's longing and the small, tentative labors of my hands - visible and tangible. I began by opening the door and simply believing that I could live my dream. I began living that dream by seeing that I could.
Your purpose, that thing that among the many to-dos of your days, is what you must do. Embrace the truth of your purpose each minute of your precious life...for how very true it is that life begins when you do.
If you would dream it
BEGIN it.
If you have an idea
OPEN it.
If there is longing
ACKNOWLEDGE it.
If there is mission
COMMIT it.
If there is daring
DO it.
If there is love
SPEAK it.
If there is resource
USE it.
If there is abundance
SHARE it.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
You will never find time for anything. If you want time, you must make it.
-- Charles Buxton
The first power that meets us at the threshold of the soul's domain is the power of imagination.
-- Dr. Franz Hartmann
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
An excerpt from
The Strangest Secret
by Earl Nightingale
George Bernard Shaw said, "People are always blaming their circumstances for what they are. I don't believe in circumstances. The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want, and if they can't find them, make them."
Well, it's pretty apparent, isn't it? And every person who discovered this believed (for a while) that he was the first one to work it out. We become what we think about.
Now, it stands to reason that a person who is thinking about a concrete and worthwhile goal is going to reach it, because that's what he's thinking about. And we become what we think about.
Conversely, the person who has no goal, who doesn't know where he's going, and whose thoughts must therefore be thoughts of confusion, anxiety, fear and worry - his life becomes one of frustration, fear, anxiety and worry. And if he thinks about nothing...he becomes nothing.
How does it work? Why do we become what we think about? Well, I'll tell you how it works, as far as we know. To do this, I want to tell you about a situation that parallels the human mind.
Suppose a farmer has some land, and it's good, fertile land. The land gives the farmer a choice; he may plant in that land whatever he chooses. The land doesn't care. It's up to the farmer to make a decision.
We're comparing the human mind with the land because the mind, like the land, doesn't care what you plant in it. It will return what you plant, but it doesn't care what you plant.
Now, let's say that the farmer has two seeds in his hand - one is a seed of corn, the other is nightshade, a deadly poison. He digs two little holes in the earth and he plants both seeds - one corn, the other nightshade. He covers up the holes, waters and takes care of the land...and what will happen? Invariably, the land will return what was planted. As it's written in the Bible,
"As ye sow, so shall ye reap."
Remember, the land doesn't care. It will return poison in just as wonderful abundance as it will corn. So up come the plants - one corn, one poison. The human mind is far more fertile, far more incredible and mysterious than the land, but it works the same way. It doesn't care what we plant...success...or failure. A concrete, worthwhile goal...or confusion, misunderstanding, fear, anxiety, and so on. But what we plant it must return to us.
You see, the human mind is the last great, unexplored continent on earth. It contains riches beyond our wildest dreams. It will return anything we want to plant.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
n excerpt from
Oil for Your Lamp
by Lisa Hammond & BJ Gallagher
Virtually every woman we know has the same problem - she knows what's good for her, but she often doesn't do it. She knows she should eat less and exercise more, but still she doesn't make healthy choices. She knows she needs to spend her time and money more effectively, but good time and money management elude her. She finds herself always putting others first, while neglecting her own needs and wants. She doesn't get enough rest or sleep and her endless to-do list hangs overhead like the sword of Damocles. As our friend Brenda Knight laments frequently, "Why am I always riding in the back of my own bus?"
We don't do the things we know are good for us because we are so busy taking care of others that we neglect ourselves. The problem isn't lack of information - we have plenty of information about the importance of sleep, healthy foods, and exercise. The problem is how we prioritize our lives.
Psychologists tell us that some people are inner-directed and some are other-directed. That is, some people focus on their own internal guidance system for making choices about how to spend their time and energy. Their own self-interest ranks very high on their list of priorities. "What's best for me?" is a key guiding principle in determining where they focus their attention and how they make day-to-day decisions.
And some people are other-directed, which means that their primary focus is external, not internal. They are primarily concerned with relationships, especially people they care about. "How can I help others?" is a key question in how they spend their time and energy. Building and nurturing relationships with loved ones, family, friends, neighbors, and coworkers is the guiding principle in their lives.
Research indicates that, in general, men tend to be more inner-directed, while women tend to be more other-directed. There are exceptions, of course, but as a group, men are focused on themselves while women are focused on other people. Men like to build things while women like to build relationships.
This difference in psychological orientation goes a long way toward helping us understand why we women often do such a poor job of taking care of ourselves. We run around filling others' lamps with oil, but forget to fill our own lamps first. Then we wonder why we're often exhausted, frazzled, stressed-out, anxious and/or depressed!
Awareness is the first step toward solving a problem. So the first section of this book is devoted to helping us acknowledge the problem and understand the reasons for it. Chapter 1 looks at how girls are socialized, growing up to be women who put others first. Chapter 2 examines the values women have adopted in the past 50 years, beginning with the feminist movement - leading us to believe that we can have it all - all at once. And Chapter 3 explores the corresponding myth that we can DO it all.
But don't be discouraged. Help is on the way - in Section II, we'll get into solutions for the problem. We'll learn the value of doing nothing, how to play again, how to become more inner-directed, and most important, how to ask for help.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Good things are not too good to be true. They are good enough to be true.
-- Alan Cohen
Monday, March 07, 2011
good thots
Aim for service and success will follow."
~Albert Schweitzer
"Great customer service has to come from the inside out. You cannot mandate it. You can't threaten, reward, or coerce people to care. You can only awaken the desire and then give them the permission and encouragement to make it come alive in their work."
~Barbara Glan
~Albert Schweitzer
"Great customer service has to come from the inside out. You cannot mandate it. You can't threaten, reward, or coerce people to care. You can only awaken the desire and then give them the permission and encouragement to make it come alive in their work."
~Barbara Glan
Sunday, March 06, 2011
good thots
Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough; we must do.
-- Goethe
The ability to simplify means to eliminate the unnecessary so that the necessary may speak."
~Hans Hofmann
"Don't lower your expectations to meet your performance. Raise your level of performance to meet your expectations. Expect the best of yourself, and then do what is necessary to make it a reality."
~Ralph Marston
The less you believe you have to do, the more you achieve what you need to do.
-- Alan Cohen
Very little is needed to make a happy life; it is all within yourself, in your way of thinking."
~Marcus Aurelius
"One of the most important keys to living a happy life is to clearly identify your core values. You must decide what matters most."
~Mac Anderso
The only man I know who behaves sensibly is my tailor; he takes my measurements anew each time he sees me. The rest go on with their old measurements and expect me to fit them.
-- George Bernard Shaw
The only question in life is whether or not you are going to answer a hearty 'Yes!' to your adventure."
~Joseph Campbell
"There are two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle."
~Albert Einstein
A man's life is what his thoughts make of it."
~Marcus Aurelius
"People with goals succeed because they know where they're going. It's that simple."
~Earl Nightingale
When I'm tempted to get alarmed," he confided, "I tell myself, 'Fred, you've got to wait to worry! Until you know differently, don't worry.' And I don't. Waiting to worry helps me develop the habit of not worrying and that helps me not be tempted to worry."
-- Goethe
The ability to simplify means to eliminate the unnecessary so that the necessary may speak."
~Hans Hofmann
"Don't lower your expectations to meet your performance. Raise your level of performance to meet your expectations. Expect the best of yourself, and then do what is necessary to make it a reality."
~Ralph Marston
The less you believe you have to do, the more you achieve what you need to do.
-- Alan Cohen
Very little is needed to make a happy life; it is all within yourself, in your way of thinking."
~Marcus Aurelius
"One of the most important keys to living a happy life is to clearly identify your core values. You must decide what matters most."
~Mac Anderso
The only man I know who behaves sensibly is my tailor; he takes my measurements anew each time he sees me. The rest go on with their old measurements and expect me to fit them.
-- George Bernard Shaw
The only question in life is whether or not you are going to answer a hearty 'Yes!' to your adventure."
~Joseph Campbell
"There are two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle."
~Albert Einstein
A man's life is what his thoughts make of it."
~Marcus Aurelius
"People with goals succeed because they know where they're going. It's that simple."
~Earl Nightingale
When I'm tempted to get alarmed," he confided, "I tell myself, 'Fred, you've got to wait to worry! Until you know differently, don't worry.' And I don't. Waiting to worry helps me develop the habit of not worrying and that helps me not be tempted to worry."
Tuesday, March 01, 2011
good thots
You will never be the person you can be if pressure, tension and discipline are taken out of your life."
~James G. Bilkey
"The ultimate goal of the world class thinker is to ascend to the highest level of awareness in the shortest amount of time. The more aware you become, the more successful, fulfilled and happy you will be."
~Steve Siebold
As soon as you trust yourself, you will know how to live.
-- Goethe
~James G. Bilkey
"The ultimate goal of the world class thinker is to ascend to the highest level of awareness in the shortest amount of time. The more aware you become, the more successful, fulfilled and happy you will be."
~Steve Siebold
As soon as you trust yourself, you will know how to live.
-- Goethe
good thots
You never know when a moment and a few sincere words can have an impact on a life."
~Zig Ziglar
"Think of special ways you can appreciate others that will touch their lives in a personal way. These gifts are especially meaningful when they are given for no special reason except to show that you care about them, and you appreciate their presence in your life."
~Barbara Glanz
To love yourself right now, just as you are, is to give yourself heaven.
-- Alan Cohen
TWICE AS MUCH IN HALF THE TIME
First, grab a pencil and paper. Think back to the time you started school, all the way back to kindergarten. One of the first things you learned was how to identify shapes. Next you learned to draw them. On that sheet of paper I want you to do something very simple. Draw one triangle. That was simple, wasn't it? Now, draw as many triangles as you can in twenty seconds. Stop. Count how many you were able to draw. Write down that number. Do you think there might be another way to complete this activity and draw more in less time?
Start at one side of the paper and draw connected W's all the way across the page. Now put a line across the top and the bottom. See how many you can draw in twenty seconds using this method. Wow, that creates a lot of triangles! In only a few seconds you have learned to do this activity more efficiently and effectively in a much shorter amount of time. A seemingly insignificant change can make a significant difference in what can be accomplished in a given amount of time. In fact, you most likely made up to four or five times as many triangles the second time around.
What if you could do four or five times your sales volume by making a simple change? Or what if you could get four or five times as much done each day by making a simple change? Would that work for you?
If so, always be on the lookout for "new" ways to do "old" things, and keep your mind open to using alternative methods and plans of action. This book is filled with simple things that can make a profound difference. Are you ready to learn some new ways to manage your life and your time even better?
Then let's get started!
~Zig Ziglar
"Think of special ways you can appreciate others that will touch their lives in a personal way. These gifts are especially meaningful when they are given for no special reason except to show that you care about them, and you appreciate their presence in your life."
~Barbara Glanz
To love yourself right now, just as you are, is to give yourself heaven.
-- Alan Cohen
TWICE AS MUCH IN HALF THE TIME
First, grab a pencil and paper. Think back to the time you started school, all the way back to kindergarten. One of the first things you learned was how to identify shapes. Next you learned to draw them. On that sheet of paper I want you to do something very simple. Draw one triangle. That was simple, wasn't it? Now, draw as many triangles as you can in twenty seconds. Stop. Count how many you were able to draw. Write down that number. Do you think there might be another way to complete this activity and draw more in less time?
Start at one side of the paper and draw connected W's all the way across the page. Now put a line across the top and the bottom. See how many you can draw in twenty seconds using this method. Wow, that creates a lot of triangles! In only a few seconds you have learned to do this activity more efficiently and effectively in a much shorter amount of time. A seemingly insignificant change can make a significant difference in what can be accomplished in a given amount of time. In fact, you most likely made up to four or five times as many triangles the second time around.
What if you could do four or five times your sales volume by making a simple change? Or what if you could get four or five times as much done each day by making a simple change? Would that work for you?
If so, always be on the lookout for "new" ways to do "old" things, and keep your mind open to using alternative methods and plans of action. This book is filled with simple things that can make a profound difference. Are you ready to learn some new ways to manage your life and your time even better?
Then let's get started!
Thursday, February 24, 2011
good thots
A can-do attitude makes the impossible, possible."
~Scott Beare
"Our dreams form our vision, our vision establishes our beliefs, and our beliefs determine the actions needed to accomplish our dreams. This chain of events allows us to take charge of our destiny."
~Scott Beare
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
n excerpt from The Richest Man in Town
by V.J. Smith
I'm so glad I found you.
My friend, Aaron "Marty" Martinson, wrote those words in a note to me. On the pages that follow, you will discover that he didn't find me. I found him. And, thanks to Marty, I remembered a few things about life that I hadn't really thought about for a long time.
For years I had grand visions of writing a book about a leader who changed the course of history. I filled my personal library with biographies of presidents and statesmen. I wanted to understand what made their lives great - and what might be missing from mine.
In looking for answers I turned to books written by people who are successful in business and industry. For a while I searched for excellence, then I compared my habits to those of highly effective people. Like millions of people, I thought success equaled happiness.
The book I've written, though, is about a simple man who ran a cash register. He worked hard and was good to people. That, in turn, made him happy.
Can it be so simple? so free of complications? Marty thought so. He showed me how to be a better person, not one wealthier or more successful or more powerful.
He changed my life - forever.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If you fall in love with potential, you learn to live with desperation.
-- Source unknown
Endings arrange themselves naturally when you are complete within yourself.
-- Alan Cohen
The meeting of two personalities is like the contact of two chemical substances: if there is any reaction, both are transformed."
~Carl Jung
"It is not what you give your friend, but what you are willing to give...that determines the quality of friendship."
~Mary Dixon
The secret of joy in work is contained in one word - excellence. To know how to do something well is to enjoy it."
~Pearl Buck
"The big secret in life is that there is no secret. Whatever your goal, you can get there if you are willing to work. It is called massive action. Action is the gas in the tank. Without you, the car will not run."
~Marcy Blochowiak
We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light.
-- Plato
~Scott Beare
"Our dreams form our vision, our vision establishes our beliefs, and our beliefs determine the actions needed to accomplish our dreams. This chain of events allows us to take charge of our destiny."
~Scott Beare
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
n excerpt from The Richest Man in Town
by V.J. Smith
I'm so glad I found you.
My friend, Aaron "Marty" Martinson, wrote those words in a note to me. On the pages that follow, you will discover that he didn't find me. I found him. And, thanks to Marty, I remembered a few things about life that I hadn't really thought about for a long time.
For years I had grand visions of writing a book about a leader who changed the course of history. I filled my personal library with biographies of presidents and statesmen. I wanted to understand what made their lives great - and what might be missing from mine.
In looking for answers I turned to books written by people who are successful in business and industry. For a while I searched for excellence, then I compared my habits to those of highly effective people. Like millions of people, I thought success equaled happiness.
The book I've written, though, is about a simple man who ran a cash register. He worked hard and was good to people. That, in turn, made him happy.
Can it be so simple? so free of complications? Marty thought so. He showed me how to be a better person, not one wealthier or more successful or more powerful.
He changed my life - forever.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If you fall in love with potential, you learn to live with desperation.
-- Source unknown
Endings arrange themselves naturally when you are complete within yourself.
-- Alan Cohen
The meeting of two personalities is like the contact of two chemical substances: if there is any reaction, both are transformed."
~Carl Jung
"It is not what you give your friend, but what you are willing to give...that determines the quality of friendship."
~Mary Dixon
The secret of joy in work is contained in one word - excellence. To know how to do something well is to enjoy it."
~Pearl Buck
"The big secret in life is that there is no secret. Whatever your goal, you can get there if you are willing to work. It is called massive action. Action is the gas in the tank. Without you, the car will not run."
~Marcy Blochowiak
We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light.
-- Plato
Friday, February 18, 2011
good thots
We want people to feel with us more than to act for us."
~George Eliot
"Many people have forgotten how to slow down, truly empathize and make each contact count as a genuine, sincere encounter. It's still all about people and their feelings."
~Tom Asacker
Every person in this life has something to teach me, and as soon as I accept that, I open myself to truly listening."
~Catherine Doucette
"From the moment we wake up each morning to the time we hit the pillow at night, we hear what people have to say, but are we really listening?"
~Mac Anderson
Benjamin Franklin pointed out that, "The U.S. Constitution doesn't guarantee happiness, only the pursuit of it. You have to catch up to it yourself."
A lot of us pin our happiness to external factors...if only we had more money...or a better house...or whatever your latest "want" is, but your happiness has been...and always will be... right inside yourself.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
An excerpt from The Road to Happiness
by Mac Anderson and BJ Gallagher
When I travel on business, I like to talk to the taxi drivers who take me from the airport to my hotel, or to a convention center, or to a restaurant. Taxi drivers are often immigrants with interesting personal histories and unusual cultural backgrounds. I ask them how long they've been in America, how they chose which city to live in, and what they like best about where they live. Of course, I also ask them for advice on good local restaurants and any special attractions they'd recommend to a visitor. I've had some great experiences on my travels, thanks to the advice of taxi drivers!
On one trip about ten years ago, I was making conversation with the taxi driver, asking him my usual questions about how he came to live where he lived. Then I asked him a hypothetical question: "If you could live anywhere in the world-and if money was no object-where would you live?"
Without hesitating even for a second, he replied, "I live in my heart. So it really doesn't matter where my body lives. If I am happy inside, then I live in paradise, no matter where my residence is."
I felt humbled and a little foolish for my question. Of course he was right-happiness is an inside job. He had reminded me of something I already knew, but had forgotten. If you can't find happiness inside yourself, you'll never find it in the outside world, no matter where you move. Wherever you go, there you are. You take yourself with you.
I am grateful for the wisdom of that taxi driver. And I'm grateful for all the wisdom others have shared with me about how to be happy.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
~George Eliot
"Many people have forgotten how to slow down, truly empathize and make each contact count as a genuine, sincere encounter. It's still all about people and their feelings."
~Tom Asacker
Every person in this life has something to teach me, and as soon as I accept that, I open myself to truly listening."
~Catherine Doucette
"From the moment we wake up each morning to the time we hit the pillow at night, we hear what people have to say, but are we really listening?"
~Mac Anderson
Benjamin Franklin pointed out that, "The U.S. Constitution doesn't guarantee happiness, only the pursuit of it. You have to catch up to it yourself."
A lot of us pin our happiness to external factors...if only we had more money...or a better house...or whatever your latest "want" is, but your happiness has been...and always will be... right inside yourself.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
An excerpt from The Road to Happiness
by Mac Anderson and BJ Gallagher
When I travel on business, I like to talk to the taxi drivers who take me from the airport to my hotel, or to a convention center, or to a restaurant. Taxi drivers are often immigrants with interesting personal histories and unusual cultural backgrounds. I ask them how long they've been in America, how they chose which city to live in, and what they like best about where they live. Of course, I also ask them for advice on good local restaurants and any special attractions they'd recommend to a visitor. I've had some great experiences on my travels, thanks to the advice of taxi drivers!
On one trip about ten years ago, I was making conversation with the taxi driver, asking him my usual questions about how he came to live where he lived. Then I asked him a hypothetical question: "If you could live anywhere in the world-and if money was no object-where would you live?"
Without hesitating even for a second, he replied, "I live in my heart. So it really doesn't matter where my body lives. If I am happy inside, then I live in paradise, no matter where my residence is."
I felt humbled and a little foolish for my question. Of course he was right-happiness is an inside job. He had reminded me of something I already knew, but had forgotten. If you can't find happiness inside yourself, you'll never find it in the outside world, no matter where you move. Wherever you go, there you are. You take yourself with you.
I am grateful for the wisdom of that taxi driver. And I'm grateful for all the wisdom others have shared with me about how to be happy.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thursday, February 17, 2011
good thots
A Wealth of Love
by Mitch Axelrod
How do you measure your wealth?
I measure mine by how much love is in my life.
Love for myself, other people and all living things.
Love for my work and to serve others.
Love to choose my life, livelihood and living.
Love for my soul, role and goal.
Love for being alive.
I am blessed with a wealth of love.
I've stopped trying to be perfect.
I simply want to be myself.
I want to love myself and others unconditionally.
Love is the greatest wealth.
The more you give you get.
The more you give and get the richer you are.
Love is the greatest power.
Love requires no force.
It can stop conflict, topple regimes and end wars.
Love is the ultimate game.
When we all play our best the world will transform.
No reason to wait.
Valentine’s Day is a great day to play.
Call or write someone you love and tell them.
Don’t hold back.
Play the game of love full out.
Give 100%.
You'll be wealthier for it.
You’re a player.
You CAN change the game.
I’ll meet you on the field.
Happy Valentine's Day.
by Mitch Axelrod
How do you measure your wealth?
I measure mine by how much love is in my life.
Love for myself, other people and all living things.
Love for my work and to serve others.
Love to choose my life, livelihood and living.
Love for my soul, role and goal.
Love for being alive.
I am blessed with a wealth of love.
I've stopped trying to be perfect.
I simply want to be myself.
I want to love myself and others unconditionally.
Love is the greatest wealth.
The more you give you get.
The more you give and get the richer you are.
Love is the greatest power.
Love requires no force.
It can stop conflict, topple regimes and end wars.
Love is the ultimate game.
When we all play our best the world will transform.
No reason to wait.
Valentine’s Day is a great day to play.
Call or write someone you love and tell them.
Don’t hold back.
Play the game of love full out.
Give 100%.
You'll be wealthier for it.
You’re a player.
You CAN change the game.
I’ll meet you on the field.
Happy Valentine's Day.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Character may be manifested in the great moments, but it is made in the small ones."
~Phillips Brooks
"Without character, even the most talented leader's contribution to his followers will be far short-reaching, shallower than its potential, and easily forgotten."
~John C. Maxwell
The more you live by external shoulds, the farther you drift from the power inherent in your own spirit.
-- Alan Cohen
As I see it, every day you do one of two things: build heath or produce disease in yourself."
~Adelle Davis
"Above all, you must maintain a positive mental attitude, looking for the good in every situation, and remain determined to be a completely positive person."
~Brian Tracy
Circumstances don't matter. Only state of being matters.
-- Bashar
Walk to the edge.
Listen hard. Laugh. Play with abandon.
Practice wellness.
Continue to learn.
Choose with no regret.
Appreciate your friends.
Lead or follow a leader.
Do what you love.
Live as if this is all there is.
~Phillips Brooks
"Without character, even the most talented leader's contribution to his followers will be far short-reaching, shallower than its potential, and easily forgotten."
~John C. Maxwell
The more you live by external shoulds, the farther you drift from the power inherent in your own spirit.
-- Alan Cohen
As I see it, every day you do one of two things: build heath or produce disease in yourself."
~Adelle Davis
"Above all, you must maintain a positive mental attitude, looking for the good in every situation, and remain determined to be a completely positive person."
~Brian Tracy
Circumstances don't matter. Only state of being matters.
-- Bashar
Walk to the edge.
Listen hard. Laugh. Play with abandon.
Practice wellness.
Continue to learn.
Choose with no regret.
Appreciate your friends.
Lead or follow a leader.
Do what you love.
Live as if this is all there is.
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
good thots
Only in love are we free.
-- Alan Cohen
I have an everyday religion that works for me. Love yourself first and everything else falls into line.
-- Lucille Ball
All of life is a self-fulfilling prophecy, and you get to decide which prophecy your self will fulfill.
-- Alan Cohen
We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit."
~Harry Truman
"Committing to excellence means sharing the risk required in generating maximum returns and pursuing victory together. Effective team members know that achieving peak performance requires positive attitudes and inspiring beliefs on everyone's part."
~John J. Murphy
Say Thank You, Even for Routine Things
There is far too little praise and appreciation in most work environments. Even those who are good about giving positive feedback can tend to reserve it for "above and beyond" moments. Yet, the routine work that people are expected to do every day often goes unnoticed and underappreciated. Genuine gratitude goes a long way in engaging people and binding them together. Once a week, say thank you to an employee. Don't only focus on the extra mile they may have gone, but on the ordinary things they do to make your team, unit, or company hum. Be specific: explain the behavior or task that you are grateful for and the positive impact it has on you and the company.
-- Alan Cohen
I have an everyday religion that works for me. Love yourself first and everything else falls into line.
-- Lucille Ball
All of life is a self-fulfilling prophecy, and you get to decide which prophecy your self will fulfill.
-- Alan Cohen
We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit."
~Harry Truman
"Committing to excellence means sharing the risk required in generating maximum returns and pursuing victory together. Effective team members know that achieving peak performance requires positive attitudes and inspiring beliefs on everyone's part."
~John J. Murphy
Say Thank You, Even for Routine Things
There is far too little praise and appreciation in most work environments. Even those who are good about giving positive feedback can tend to reserve it for "above and beyond" moments. Yet, the routine work that people are expected to do every day often goes unnoticed and underappreciated. Genuine gratitude goes a long way in engaging people and binding them together. Once a week, say thank you to an employee. Don't only focus on the extra mile they may have gone, but on the ordinary things they do to make your team, unit, or company hum. Be specific: explain the behavior or task that you are grateful for and the positive impact it has on you and the company.
Friday, February 11, 2011
Imperfect action is better than perfect inaction."
~Harry Truman
"We all seek purpose in life. Most of us wonder how we can make a positive difference during our brief time on earth. But asking and doing are different things."
~Mac Anderson
THREE STEPS FOR ASKING A FAVOUR
Whether they are holding a door open or introducing you to a potential client, everyone offers favors at different times in life. But, asking someone for a big favor can be daunting. Next time you need someone's help, follow these three steps.
Set the stage. Be explicit about the nature of your request. The phrase, "I have a favor to ask," implies a contract in which you will someday try to return the favor.
Explain the reason. People like to know why they are being asked to do something. Saying "Can you cover that meeting for me?" is far less effective than "Can you cover that meeting for me because I have another meeting I can't miss?"
Give an out. No one feels good about being forced to do something. Offer an escape route by saying. "If you can't, I understand," or "I know you're busy."
The idea of your ideal self is more real than your idea of your current self.
-- Alan Cohen
holiest spot on earth is where an ancient hatred has become a present love.
-- A Course in Miracles
Some Quotes From Finding Joy
by Mac Anderson
The greatest risk in life is...never taking one.
-Unknown
By being yourself, you put something wonderful in the world that was not there before.
-Edwin Elliot
Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful.
-Herman Cain
Far away there in the sunshine are my highest aspirations. I may not reach them, but I can look up and see their beauty, believe in them, and try to follow where they lead.
-Louisa May Alcott
How far you go in life depends on your being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving, and tolerant with the weak...because in your life you will have been all of these.
-George Washington Carver
Every thought is a seed. If you plant crab apples, don't count on harvesting Golden Delicious.
-Bill Meyer
Selected quotes from Great Quotes from Great Leaders
Compiled by Peggy Anderson
"A man wrapped up in himself makes a very small bundle."
Benjamin Franklin
(1706 - 1790)
Imagine it. Try it. Prove it. Do it!"
~BJ Gallagher and Warren H. Schmidt
"The Land of Opportunity is an attitude. It is an openness to new ideas, a willingness to listen, an eagerness to learn, a desire to grow, and the flexibility to change."
~BJ Gallagher and Warren H. Schmidt
Often he who does too much, does too little."
~Italian Proverb
"Focus is not a 'business only' thing. Each person has only twenty-four hours per day, and how we spend those hours shows what's important in our lives. The question we must ask ourselves is...Are we focusing on what really matters?"
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
~Mac Anderson
The Star Thrower
Inspired by the writing of Loren Eiseley
One day a man was walking along the beach when he noticed a figure in the distance. As he got closer, he realized the figure was that of a boy picking something up and gently throwing it into the ocean.
Approaching the boy, he asked, "What are you doing?"
The youth replied, "Throwing starfish into the ocean. The sun is up and the tide is going out. If I don't throw them in, they'll die."
"Son," the man said, don't you realize there are miles and miles of beach and thousands of starfish? You can't possibly make a difference!"
After listening politely, the boy bent down, picked up another starfish, and threw it into the surf.
Then, smiling at the man, he said, "I made a difference for that one."
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pray for your desired experience rather than the thing that represents the experience.
-- Alan Cohen
"We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give."
Winston Churchill
(1874 - 1965)
"Whatever you do a thing, act as if all the world were watching."
Thomas Jefferson
(1743 - 1826)
"Do not wait for leaders; do it alone, person to person."
Mother Teresa
(1910 - 1997)
"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy."
Martin Luther King, Jr.
(1929 - 1968)
"It's kind of fun to do the impossible."
Walt Disney
(1901 - 1966)
"Once you learn to quit, it becomes a habit."
Vince Lombardi
(1913 - 1970)
"Women are like teabags. We don't know our true strength until we are in hot water!"
Eleanor Roosevelt
(1882 - 1962)
"A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new."
Albert Einstein
(1879 - 1955)
"Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever."
Mahatma Gandhi
~Harry Truman
"We all seek purpose in life. Most of us wonder how we can make a positive difference during our brief time on earth. But asking and doing are different things."
~Mac Anderson
THREE STEPS FOR ASKING A FAVOUR
Whether they are holding a door open or introducing you to a potential client, everyone offers favors at different times in life. But, asking someone for a big favor can be daunting. Next time you need someone's help, follow these three steps.
Set the stage. Be explicit about the nature of your request. The phrase, "I have a favor to ask," implies a contract in which you will someday try to return the favor.
Explain the reason. People like to know why they are being asked to do something. Saying "Can you cover that meeting for me?" is far less effective than "Can you cover that meeting for me because I have another meeting I can't miss?"
Give an out. No one feels good about being forced to do something. Offer an escape route by saying. "If you can't, I understand," or "I know you're busy."
The idea of your ideal self is more real than your idea of your current self.
-- Alan Cohen
holiest spot on earth is where an ancient hatred has become a present love.
-- A Course in Miracles
Some Quotes From Finding Joy
by Mac Anderson
The greatest risk in life is...never taking one.
-Unknown
By being yourself, you put something wonderful in the world that was not there before.
-Edwin Elliot
Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful.
-Herman Cain
Far away there in the sunshine are my highest aspirations. I may not reach them, but I can look up and see their beauty, believe in them, and try to follow where they lead.
-Louisa May Alcott
How far you go in life depends on your being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving, and tolerant with the weak...because in your life you will have been all of these.
-George Washington Carver
Every thought is a seed. If you plant crab apples, don't count on harvesting Golden Delicious.
-Bill Meyer
Selected quotes from Great Quotes from Great Leaders
Compiled by Peggy Anderson
"A man wrapped up in himself makes a very small bundle."
Benjamin Franklin
(1706 - 1790)
Imagine it. Try it. Prove it. Do it!"
~BJ Gallagher and Warren H. Schmidt
"The Land of Opportunity is an attitude. It is an openness to new ideas, a willingness to listen, an eagerness to learn, a desire to grow, and the flexibility to change."
~BJ Gallagher and Warren H. Schmidt
Often he who does too much, does too little."
~Italian Proverb
"Focus is not a 'business only' thing. Each person has only twenty-four hours per day, and how we spend those hours shows what's important in our lives. The question we must ask ourselves is...Are we focusing on what really matters?"
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
~Mac Anderson
The Star Thrower
Inspired by the writing of Loren Eiseley
One day a man was walking along the beach when he noticed a figure in the distance. As he got closer, he realized the figure was that of a boy picking something up and gently throwing it into the ocean.
Approaching the boy, he asked, "What are you doing?"
The youth replied, "Throwing starfish into the ocean. The sun is up and the tide is going out. If I don't throw them in, they'll die."
"Son," the man said, don't you realize there are miles and miles of beach and thousands of starfish? You can't possibly make a difference!"
After listening politely, the boy bent down, picked up another starfish, and threw it into the surf.
Then, smiling at the man, he said, "I made a difference for that one."
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pray for your desired experience rather than the thing that represents the experience.
-- Alan Cohen
"We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give."
Winston Churchill
(1874 - 1965)
"Whatever you do a thing, act as if all the world were watching."
Thomas Jefferson
(1743 - 1826)
"Do not wait for leaders; do it alone, person to person."
Mother Teresa
(1910 - 1997)
"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy."
Martin Luther King, Jr.
(1929 - 1968)
"It's kind of fun to do the impossible."
Walt Disney
(1901 - 1966)
"Once you learn to quit, it becomes a habit."
Vince Lombardi
(1913 - 1970)
"Women are like teabags. We don't know our true strength until we are in hot water!"
Eleanor Roosevelt
(1882 - 1962)
"A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new."
Albert Einstein
(1879 - 1955)
"Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever."
Mahatma Gandhi
Monday, February 07, 2011
good thots
Wilderness is not a luxury but a necessity of the human spirit."
~Edward Abbey
"Within you there is stillness and sanctuary to which you can retreat at anytime and be yourself."
~Hermann Hesse
~Edward Abbey
"Within you there is stillness and sanctuary to which you can retreat at anytime and be yourself."
~Hermann Hesse
Sunday, February 06, 2011
good thots
your attitude is a small thing that makes a big difference
It is comforting to think that we can love so powerfully that fate itself wheels and turns at the command of our souls.
-- Roger Ebert
The idea of appreciating life, even in hard times, is guaranteed to keep your attitude positive and your day bright.
It is comforting to think that we can love so powerfully that fate itself wheels and turns at the command of our souls.
-- Roger Ebert
The idea of appreciating life, even in hard times, is guaranteed to keep your attitude positive and your day bright.
Saturday, February 05, 2011
good thots
When we choose not to focus on what is missing from our lives but are grateful for the abundance that's present....we experience heaven on earth."
Life's not about waiting for the storms to pass... it's about learning to dance in the rain."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Learning to Dance in the Rain
by Mac Anderson and BJ Gallagher
The date was July 16, 2008. It was late in the afternoon and I was sitting in my hotel room in Louisville, Kentucky. I was scheduled to speak that evening for the Kentucky Association of School Administrators (KASA). I was a little "down in the dumps." I hadn't gotten to exercise lately because of my traveling schedule and recently I'd experienced some mild bouts of vertigo (that inner ear condition that can cause the room to start spinning.) You got it...speaking and "spinning" are not good partners!
My keynote presentation was scheduled for 7:00 PM, but I had been invited to show up at 6:00 to see a performance they said I'd enjoy. Little did I know that I was about to see something I would never forget.
They introduced the young musician. Welcome...Mr. Patrick Henry Hughes. He was rolled onto the stage in his wheelchair, and began to play the piano. His fingers danced across the keys as he made beautiful music.
He then began to sing as he played, and it was even more beautiful. For some reason, however, I knew that I was seeing something special. There was this aura about him that I really can't explain and the smile...his smile was magic!
About ten minutes into Patrick's performance, someone came on the stage and said..."I'd like to share a 7-minute video titled, The Patrick Henry Hughes story." And the lights went dim.
Patrick Henry Hughes was born with no eyes, and a tightening of the joints which left him crippled for life. However, as a child, he was fitted with artificial eyes and placed in a wheelchair. Before his first birthday, he discovered the piano. His mom said, "I could hit any note on the piano, and within one or two tries, he'd get it." By his second birthday, he was playing requests (You Are My Sunshine, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star). His father was ecstatic. "We might not play baseball, but we can play music together."
Today, Patrick is a junior at the University of Louisville. His father attends classes with him and he's made nearly all A's, with the exception of 3 B's He's also a part of the 214 member marching band. You read it right...the marching band! He's a blind, wheelchair-bound trumpet player; and he and his father do it together. They attend all the band practices and the half-time performance in front of thousands. His father rolls and rotates his son around the field to the cheers of Patrick's fans. In order to attend Patrick's classes and every band practice, his father works the graveyard shift at UPS. Patrick said..."My dad's my hero."
But even more than his unbelievable musical talent, it was Patrick's "attitude of gratitude" that touched my soul. On stage, between songs, he would talk to the audience about his life and about how blessed he was. He said, "God made me blind and unable to walk. BIG DEAL! He gave me the ability...the musical gifts I have...the great opportunity to meet new people."
When his performance was over, Patrick and his father were on the stage together. The crowd rose to their feet and cheered for over five minutes. It gave me giant goose bumps!
My life was ready to meet Patrick Henry Hughes. I needed a hero, and I found one for the ages. If I live to be a hundred, I'll never forget that night, that smile, that music, but most importantly, that wonderful "attitude of gratitude."
I returned to Chicago and shared Patrick's story with my wife, my friends, and our team at Simple Truths. About two weeks later, I received a letter from a friend. He said, "Mac, I don't know who said it, but I think you'll love this quote."
"Life is not about waiting for the storms to pass...
it's about learning how to dance in the rain!"
I thought...that's it! We all face adversity in our life. However, it's not the adversity, but how we react to it that will determine the joy and happiness in our life. During tough times, do we spend too much time feeling sorry for ourselves, or, can we, with gratitude...learn how to dance in the rain?
It almost sounds too simple to feel important, but one word...gratitude, can change your attitude, thus, your life, forever. Sarah Breathnack said it best...
"When we choose not to focus on what is missing from our lives but are grateful for the abundance that's present....we experience heaven on earth."
Life's not about waiting for the storms to pass... it's about learning to dance in the rain."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Learning to Dance in the Rain
by Mac Anderson and BJ Gallagher
The date was July 16, 2008. It was late in the afternoon and I was sitting in my hotel room in Louisville, Kentucky. I was scheduled to speak that evening for the Kentucky Association of School Administrators (KASA). I was a little "down in the dumps." I hadn't gotten to exercise lately because of my traveling schedule and recently I'd experienced some mild bouts of vertigo (that inner ear condition that can cause the room to start spinning.) You got it...speaking and "spinning" are not good partners!
My keynote presentation was scheduled for 7:00 PM, but I had been invited to show up at 6:00 to see a performance they said I'd enjoy. Little did I know that I was about to see something I would never forget.
They introduced the young musician. Welcome...Mr. Patrick Henry Hughes. He was rolled onto the stage in his wheelchair, and began to play the piano. His fingers danced across the keys as he made beautiful music.
He then began to sing as he played, and it was even more beautiful. For some reason, however, I knew that I was seeing something special. There was this aura about him that I really can't explain and the smile...his smile was magic!
About ten minutes into Patrick's performance, someone came on the stage and said..."I'd like to share a 7-minute video titled, The Patrick Henry Hughes story." And the lights went dim.
Patrick Henry Hughes was born with no eyes, and a tightening of the joints which left him crippled for life. However, as a child, he was fitted with artificial eyes and placed in a wheelchair. Before his first birthday, he discovered the piano. His mom said, "I could hit any note on the piano, and within one or two tries, he'd get it." By his second birthday, he was playing requests (You Are My Sunshine, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star). His father was ecstatic. "We might not play baseball, but we can play music together."
Today, Patrick is a junior at the University of Louisville. His father attends classes with him and he's made nearly all A's, with the exception of 3 B's He's also a part of the 214 member marching band. You read it right...the marching band! He's a blind, wheelchair-bound trumpet player; and he and his father do it together. They attend all the band practices and the half-time performance in front of thousands. His father rolls and rotates his son around the field to the cheers of Patrick's fans. In order to attend Patrick's classes and every band practice, his father works the graveyard shift at UPS. Patrick said..."My dad's my hero."
But even more than his unbelievable musical talent, it was Patrick's "attitude of gratitude" that touched my soul. On stage, between songs, he would talk to the audience about his life and about how blessed he was. He said, "God made me blind and unable to walk. BIG DEAL! He gave me the ability...the musical gifts I have...the great opportunity to meet new people."
When his performance was over, Patrick and his father were on the stage together. The crowd rose to their feet and cheered for over five minutes. It gave me giant goose bumps!
My life was ready to meet Patrick Henry Hughes. I needed a hero, and I found one for the ages. If I live to be a hundred, I'll never forget that night, that smile, that music, but most importantly, that wonderful "attitude of gratitude."
I returned to Chicago and shared Patrick's story with my wife, my friends, and our team at Simple Truths. About two weeks later, I received a letter from a friend. He said, "Mac, I don't know who said it, but I think you'll love this quote."
"Life is not about waiting for the storms to pass...
it's about learning how to dance in the rain!"
I thought...that's it! We all face adversity in our life. However, it's not the adversity, but how we react to it that will determine the joy and happiness in our life. During tough times, do we spend too much time feeling sorry for ourselves, or, can we, with gratitude...learn how to dance in the rain?
It almost sounds too simple to feel important, but one word...gratitude, can change your attitude, thus, your life, forever. Sarah Breathnack said it best...
"When we choose not to focus on what is missing from our lives but are grateful for the abundance that's present....we experience heaven on earth."
Thursday, February 03, 2011
good thots
You can't depend on your judgment when your imagination is out of focus."
~Mark Twain
"Even those experiences that we deem calamitous can carry the seeds of a greater blessing. It is often in retrospect, however, that the benefit reveals itself. And whether or not it reveals itself and how quickly is does so, is dependent upon only one thing: our own individual perspective."
~Kate Nowak
Never doubt that a small group of committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."
~Margaret Mead
"Leading with a clear and compelling vision helps align team members with a sense of direction and focus. It gives the team something to aim at, something to make happen, something to manifest into positive results."
~John J. Murphy
Each one has to find its peace from within. And peace, to be real, must be unaffected by outside circumstances."
~Mahatma Gandhi
"Give yourself the time you need to find your dynamic balance and rhythm before your body decides for you. Remember, you want your life to be a marathon not a hundred-yard-dash, so pace yourself."
Peter Drucker, the legendary management consultant and author says this about teamwork:
"The leaders who work most effectively, it seems to me, never say "I." And that's not because they have trained themselves not to say "I." They don't think "I." They think "we;" they think "team." They understand their job to be to make the team function. They accept responsibility and don't sidestep it, but "we" gets the credit...This is what creates trust, what enables you to get the task done."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
an Excerpt From
Pulling Together
by John Murphy
At the center of every high performance team is a common purpose-a mission that rises above and beyond each of the individual team members. To be successful, the team's interests and needs come first. This requires "we-opic" vision (What's in it for we?), a challenging step up from the common "me-opic" mindset.
Effective team players understand that personal issues and personality differences are secondary to team demands. This does not mean abandoning who you are or giving up your individuality. On the contrary, it means sharing your unique strengths and differences to move the team forward. It is this "we-opic" focus and vision-this cooperation of collective capability-that empowers a team and generates synergy, the power of teamwork.
Cooperation means working together for mutual gain-sharing responsibility for success and failure and covering for one another on a moment's notice. It does not mean competing with one another at the team's expense, withholding important data or information to "one-up" your peers, or submitting to group think by going along, so as not to make waves. These are rule breakers that are direct contradictions to the team-first mindset.
High performance teams recognize that it takes a joint effort to synergize, generating power above and beyond the collected individuals. It is with this spirit of cooperation that effective teams learn to capitalize on individual strengths and offset individual weaknesses, using diversity as an advantage.
Effective teams also understand the importance of establishing cooperative systems, structures, metrics, incentives and rewards. We get what we inspect, not what we expect. Think about it. Do you have team job descriptions, team performance reviews and team reward systems? Do you recognize people by pitting them against standards of excellence, or one another? What are you doing to cultivate a team-first, cooperative environment in this competitive, "me-opic" world?
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tension is who you think you should be. Relaxation is who you are.
-- Chinese Proverb
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ten Steps to True Happiness
A team of experts believe that they have found the essential ingredients to make a
person's life happier. Based on best knowledge and research, the team came up with
a 10-point plan for happiness listed below.
The 10 steps to happiness
1. Plant something and nurture it.
2. Count your blessings - at least five - at the end of each day.
3. Take time to talk - have an hour-long conversation with a loved one each week.
4. Phone a friend whom you have not spoken to for a while and arrange to meet up.
5. Give yourself a treat every day and take the time to really enjoy it.
6. Have a good laugh at least once a day.
7. Get physical - exercise for half an hour three times a week.
8. Smile at and/or say hello to a stranger at least once each day.
9. Cut your TV viewing by half.
10. Spread some kindness - do a good turn for someone every day.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Life will bring you pain all by itself. Your responsibility is to create joy."
~Milton Erickson
"When it comes to life, the critical thing is whether you take things for granted or take them with gratitude."
~G.K. Chesterton
Ease will take you to success faster and more efficiently than struggle.
-- Alan Cohen
The best way to discover what you believe is to hear what you say and then realize how you feel about it.
-- Source unknown
Acting as if your life is good is closer to the truth than acting as if it is not.
-- Alan Cohen
always arrive late at the office, but I make up for it by leaving early."
~Charles Lamb
"Every day I get up and look through the Forbes list of the richest people in America. If I'm not there, I go to work."
~Robert Orben
~Mark Twain
"Even those experiences that we deem calamitous can carry the seeds of a greater blessing. It is often in retrospect, however, that the benefit reveals itself. And whether or not it reveals itself and how quickly is does so, is dependent upon only one thing: our own individual perspective."
~Kate Nowak
Never doubt that a small group of committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."
~Margaret Mead
"Leading with a clear and compelling vision helps align team members with a sense of direction and focus. It gives the team something to aim at, something to make happen, something to manifest into positive results."
~John J. Murphy
Each one has to find its peace from within. And peace, to be real, must be unaffected by outside circumstances."
~Mahatma Gandhi
"Give yourself the time you need to find your dynamic balance and rhythm before your body decides for you. Remember, you want your life to be a marathon not a hundred-yard-dash, so pace yourself."
Peter Drucker, the legendary management consultant and author says this about teamwork:
"The leaders who work most effectively, it seems to me, never say "I." And that's not because they have trained themselves not to say "I." They don't think "I." They think "we;" they think "team." They understand their job to be to make the team function. They accept responsibility and don't sidestep it, but "we" gets the credit...This is what creates trust, what enables you to get the task done."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
an Excerpt From
Pulling Together
by John Murphy
At the center of every high performance team is a common purpose-a mission that rises above and beyond each of the individual team members. To be successful, the team's interests and needs come first. This requires "we-opic" vision (What's in it for we?), a challenging step up from the common "me-opic" mindset.
Effective team players understand that personal issues and personality differences are secondary to team demands. This does not mean abandoning who you are or giving up your individuality. On the contrary, it means sharing your unique strengths and differences to move the team forward. It is this "we-opic" focus and vision-this cooperation of collective capability-that empowers a team and generates synergy, the power of teamwork.
Cooperation means working together for mutual gain-sharing responsibility for success and failure and covering for one another on a moment's notice. It does not mean competing with one another at the team's expense, withholding important data or information to "one-up" your peers, or submitting to group think by going along, so as not to make waves. These are rule breakers that are direct contradictions to the team-first mindset.
High performance teams recognize that it takes a joint effort to synergize, generating power above and beyond the collected individuals. It is with this spirit of cooperation that effective teams learn to capitalize on individual strengths and offset individual weaknesses, using diversity as an advantage.
Effective teams also understand the importance of establishing cooperative systems, structures, metrics, incentives and rewards. We get what we inspect, not what we expect. Think about it. Do you have team job descriptions, team performance reviews and team reward systems? Do you recognize people by pitting them against standards of excellence, or one another? What are you doing to cultivate a team-first, cooperative environment in this competitive, "me-opic" world?
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tension is who you think you should be. Relaxation is who you are.
-- Chinese Proverb
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ten Steps to True Happiness
A team of experts believe that they have found the essential ingredients to make a
person's life happier. Based on best knowledge and research, the team came up with
a 10-point plan for happiness listed below.
The 10 steps to happiness
1. Plant something and nurture it.
2. Count your blessings - at least five - at the end of each day.
3. Take time to talk - have an hour-long conversation with a loved one each week.
4. Phone a friend whom you have not spoken to for a while and arrange to meet up.
5. Give yourself a treat every day and take the time to really enjoy it.
6. Have a good laugh at least once a day.
7. Get physical - exercise for half an hour three times a week.
8. Smile at and/or say hello to a stranger at least once each day.
9. Cut your TV viewing by half.
10. Spread some kindness - do a good turn for someone every day.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Life will bring you pain all by itself. Your responsibility is to create joy."
~Milton Erickson
"When it comes to life, the critical thing is whether you take things for granted or take them with gratitude."
~G.K. Chesterton
Ease will take you to success faster and more efficiently than struggle.
-- Alan Cohen
The best way to discover what you believe is to hear what you say and then realize how you feel about it.
-- Source unknown
Acting as if your life is good is closer to the truth than acting as if it is not.
-- Alan Cohen
always arrive late at the office, but I make up for it by leaving early."
~Charles Lamb
"Every day I get up and look through the Forbes list of the richest people in America. If I'm not there, I go to work."
~Robert Orben
Thursday, January 27, 2011
good thots
ife is either a daring adventure or nothing at all."
~Helen Keller
"Your life has the potential to be a wondrous journey, filled with exciting moments and astonishing experiences. It can be a thrilling ride if you are open to exploring all that is available to you. Adventure is the result of your willingness to live life with a spirit of enthusiasm."
~Chérie Carter-Scott
Give life even a small crack of faith, and the universe will rush to show you what you can have.
-- Alan Cohen
~Helen Keller
"Your life has the potential to be a wondrous journey, filled with exciting moments and astonishing experiences. It can be a thrilling ride if you are open to exploring all that is available to you. Adventure is the result of your willingness to live life with a spirit of enthusiasm."
~Chérie Carter-Scott
Give life even a small crack of faith, and the universe will rush to show you what you can have.
-- Alan Cohen
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