THE MORE YOU SUCCEED, THE MORE YOU'LL SEE THIS

One of the most difficult parts of becoming more successful in life... any area of life really-- from your studies, to career, to social success, to financial, all areas -- is that the better you get, the more gets thrown on your plate. Because achievers get noticed. You want more of how you're feeling when you're succeeding. So succeeding or being accomplished, to many, becomes a double edged sword. If you quit, you're a quitter. And if you continue to grow and excel, you could become overwhelmed and, voila', you feel like a failure even though you're not. Happens to everyone in some way at some time. And so each of us finds our place that we feel most comfortable. And we settle in... for life. Just like a vehicle stuck in the mud.The more you try to move, the deeper you get. So it's way easier to stay where you are at. Being disorganized is one of the major reasons for people feeling stuck. Because the more that gets thrown at you, the more organized you have to be.
And I've seen people get ingiant arguments because one person was supposed to do some task (in addition to many others, of course), it didn't get done, and so when it's pointed out, explosion..."I'm just one person! What do you expect?!"And the more this happens to them, or to their friends, the more they're convinced that just staying small is the way to go, because doing more only gets you in trouble,makes you feel bad about yourself, gets you criticized, makes you angry at life. Better to just stay quiet, not raise your hand, give no suggestions, answer no questions, be average, be like everyone else. That, my friend, is what being disorganized on any level can and does lead to.The answer for a growing number of people is to learn both the conscious and unconscious thought and belief systems of people who are extremely organized. Because when you structure your thoughts, your life and your surroundings, you can get two times, three times, even tens times as much done as most other people... often without even breaking a sweat. Work, then, becomes play, and you get to play more often.
Imagine if you never had to hunt for your keys again.
Imagine you had a place for everything and it was always there.
Imagine that you were able to get everything done on time, on schedule and on budget, because you were able to plan for all those "unexpected" problems and delays that everyone else forgets about. When your mind is organized, that is what happens.You don't forget questions that you are supposed to ask. Your kids, your direct reports, your students... all on track because you are on track.
Imagine nothing falling through the cracks in your life.That is how it is when you are organized. Stress goes down. Productivity goes up. Fun is life.

DECEMBER 25TH

“ And it came to pass in the seven and thirtieth year of the captivity of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, in the five and twentieth day of the month, that evil-merodach king of Babylon in the first year of his reign lifted up the head of Jehoiachin king of Judah, and brought him forth out of prison, And spake kindly unto him, and set his throne above the throne of the kings that were with him in Babylon, And changed his prison garments: and he did continually eat bread before him all the days of his life. And for his diet, there was a continual diet given him of the king of Babylon, every day a portion until the day of his death, all the days of his life”. - Jeremiah 52:31-34.

To all readers and visitors to this web site I want to share with you the significance of the Christmas day, it is a special day Jesus Christ was born into this world to deliver mankind from his sinful way. I have studied the weather pattern over the years of that particular day the firmaments bear witness to this unique day across all countries and tribes. There is a glory over the surface of the earth while some are having snow, others fog, or harmattan haze.
In the text above King Jehoiachin of Judah was delivered on a Christmas day (in the twelfth month in the five and twentieth day of the month) hundred of years before Jesus was born. Seven significant events will happen in your life on this particular glorious day.
1. Your head will be lifted. You may have been experiencing downward trend in your life, marriage, business and workplace, you will no longer be the tail but the head. God is about changing your situation for the better because Jesus came into the world this same day to deliver you. Everyone that sees you as nobody will begin to see you as somebody very special your head will no longer be bowed but be lifted high.
2. You will be brought out of prison. Some people have been bounded without freedom under bondage of their task masters for quite sometime, you will be set free now just like those that set up Daniel into the lion’s pit, your prisoners will replace you in the prison while you will be set free, Jesus will liberate you and grant you permanent freedom.
3. You will be spoken kindly of. People have used their tongue to describe you negative. God will change their tongue and they will begin to speak well of you, they have said you are useless, good for nothing, cannot make it, never do well, under achiever all this negative qualities they describe you with they will no longer see you that way any more. A change for the better in you they will begin to see and speak of.
4. Your throne above the throne of the kings. You are meant to be a king because the son of a king is also a king, but you reign like a slave, God will dethrone everyone sitting on your throne and enthrone where you belong, to rule and reign in Christ Jesus.
5. Your garment will be changed. The garment you put on which has become a filthy rag casting aspersions at you. The way you dress is the way you will be addressed, you were addressed badly everywhere you turn to, today your garment or robe will change and as a king a sign of royalty is the kings garment. God is removing your present garment and replacing it with a new one.
6. You will continually eat bread. You may be lacking a daily bread but the great provider is already here to provide the bread you will eat all the days of your life. Every lack will be turned to abundance in your life because Jesus was born on this day like no other day.
7. You will be given a continual diet all the days until death. A diet is a food with all essential ingredients needed for growth and development. You might having lacking the essential nutrients needed for you to succeed and become great God is going to provide to you this day those nourishments needed by you for life.

WHO'S YOUR MENTOR

Who is your mentor? Who shows you the ropes, teaches you the tricks and shows you the way?This week I had several people contact me about coaching in 2009, which is a very good thing. But, I also had several conversations with people who "don't need a coach" and don't have any mentors. I noticed they didn't seem to make as much money or achieve as many of their goals in 2008. Is that you?Over and over again, I'm struck that the real winners in life always learn from those who went ahead of them. Winners ALWAYS have mentors! They learn from the experts and benefit from the success of others. Sometimes they have a personal coach - and I think that's a good thing! But often they have informal relationships with men and women who are willing to teach them. Sometimes, mentoring comes in the form of a MasterMind group or team.One of my most valuable sources of information are the seminars, workshops and lectures I attend every year.
I remember hearing a colleague say he wouldn't attend anymore seminars 'because they cut the budget and (his employer) won't pay for it anymore." How terribly short-sighted!The cost of workshops is nothing! The cost of travel, tuition and hotels is NOTHING if you learn one new idea or avoid one mistake. The chance to rub shoulders with the best and brightest in your field is priceless! In 2009, "just do it!"Double (or triple!) your budget for books and seminars, for coaching and teaching. Call the most successful people you know and buy them lunch. Take them to the best restaurant you can afford, and pick their brains. Hire a coach. Are there seminars you "might" attend in 2009? Register now! Make it a Christmas present or use any excuse you have to, but make sure you get the "helping hand" you need to make 2009 your best year ever!

Quotes of the Week
"Love is a passport to the impossible, so do not be disturbed if the seas are sometimes rough." -- Lois Wyse
"The best way to have a good idea is to have lots of ideas." -- Linus Pauling
"What a wonderful life I've had! I only wish I'd realized it sooner." -- Colette
"It is a mistake to try to look too far ahead. The chain of destiny can only be grasped one link at a time." -- Sir Winston Churchill

A TIME FOR NEW BEGINNINGS

This is the time when almost everyone celebrates. Some of us celebrate Christmas, others celebrate Hanukkah or the Solstice, and almost everyone celebrates the New Year--at least for business purposes. (Many people around the world traditionally use other calendars.) Whatever tradition you follow, this is a time for reflection, affirmation and joy.Personally, I don't think it's a coincidence that in the Northern Hemisphere this week is also our Winter Solstice which brings longer days, more light and the rebirth of spring. I've noticed that it's dark when I get up in the morning, it's dark when I quit in the afternoon, and I'm really looking forward to warmer days and more light! My hunch is that our ancestors felt pretty much the same way.I understand that on his deathbed, the writer and philosopher, Goethe's last words were, "More light!" and on these dark winter mornings, I agree!The combination of our traditional celebrations and the start of a New Year make this a natural time to review the past and preview the future. After all, even the sun is coming back! (My apologies to our subscribers in the Southern Hemisphere - your time will come in June!)Through the year, we work hard. We are busy and we have so much "stuff" to do that it is easy to lose our way, to take loved ones for granted and neglect our values in the rush to pay our bills and get through the day. I often think the best gift of the holidays is time to slow down, decorate our homes, spend time with loved ones and remember our roots.Too often, we become distracted by the rush and noise of daily life. Sometimes we lose our way and forget our most important goals and priorities. When that happens--and it happens to all of us at some point--we often criticize ourselves, sometimes harshly. I always tell clients to "Stop that!" Criticizing ourselves is mostly a waste of time, and worse, it can become a way to avoid starting again and moving in the direction you truly want to go.I'm no sailor or pilot, but I love the reality that ships and planes are off-course almost the entire time they are traveling to their destination. Wind and currents and human failures and the thousands of "little things" constantly toss them off-course.Isn't that how life really is? We have a destination, of course. We have values and desires, and we know our ultimate goals, but much of the time we are tossed by the winds and currents of life. We are swamped with a project at work, or an illness at home. We get caught up in a hobby or forget to say "I love you" as much as we should. That's not "good", of course, but I think it is real life. We are simply ships and planes, doing the best we can and being tossed around a bit.The difference is that sailors and pilots are never surprised or discouraged or "lost" because a gust of wind knocks them off-course. They simply adjust and keep right on going and (this is important) almost every ship and plane eventually finds the right harbor or lands at the right airport. We should learn from that.This holiday season, take time to review and affirm your course in life. Take time to shop and do all the "stuff" you have to do - that part is important - but in the midst of the hoopla, sit down with a pen and paper to review and remember your roots, your loved ones and your values.Take a moment to review and re-affirm your goals and chart a new course. If you've wandered a bit off-course, so what? If you've been tossed and blown away from your major goals, note that fact, plot a new course and get back to work. A New Year is about to begin, and the sun is coming back! Start over, start again. Even nature says it's a time for new beginnings.

THE ARENA OF SUCCESS

"The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement; and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly." Theodore Roosevelt

I Am - the Arena of Values
I Should - the Arena of Responsibility
I Could - the Arena of Possibility
I Would - the Arena of Negotiation
I Want To - the Arena of Vision
I Will - the Arena of Dedication
I Do - the Arena of Accomplishment

In this article we are going to be looking at the "Arenas" that every person, organization, or business can operate out of. They are Values, Responsibility, Possibility, Negotiation, Vision, Dedication, and Accomplishment. The degree of our success is directly related to the degree in which we excel in and balance these arenas. As you go through each segment, think practically, because these are intended to be more than intellectual ideas. They are intended to help you solidify them into your life and turn your potential into performance. Though this article is specific to business and industry, the principles here are easily translated into personal application.

I Am - The Arena of Values.

Every person, organization and business has values. They may not know what they are, or they may not be able to articulate what they are, but they have them. The values of a business are what they believe in. What do they think is important? What do they hold as dear to the organization? Customer satisfaction is a simple value that a business may hold, for example. What a company values will affect the way the business runs and the employees act and work, so it is important to know what your business values are. Here are some questions for you to ask. I would encourage you to involve as many top-level people in this process as possible, as well as others, even down to the lowest levels of the organization. What do we think is important? What do we hope to accomplish? What do we believe in as we go about our work? Another item to deal with is Values Dissonance. That is when you state your values and find that they are not in action in the company. This then, takes teamwork and leadership to make sure that everybody is on the same page with your corporate values. The first step in a successful organization, or for your own life for that matter, is to determine your values. I would encourage you to spend some time on this if you haven't already. And if you have, continue to make sure that everybody in the organization knows and believes in them.

MAKING SALES IN TOUGH TIMES

The best way to sum up a strategy for succeeding in uncertain economic times is a very old saying, “When the going gets tough, the tough get going.” When business as a whole slows down, many business people say there’s little they can do to change the market and they have to just ride it out.
If that’s the way you think, let me ask you this, where would we be if we all thought that way about our planet? Simple awareness and desire in millions of people to see improvement in the way we care for our planet is beginning to show positive signs. The gloom and doom projections for the destruction of the earth, as we know, it are being altered by you and your neighbor recycling aluminum cans, glass bottles and paper products. If you can make a difference in something as major as saving the planet, there is definitely something you can do about the effects of a business slowdown.
The key to finding success within crisis lies in how well you handle what is happening. Succeeding or failing primarily depends on your attitude—and this is never more true than in challenging times.
In the good times we don’t pay much attention to our attitudes, but challenges are constant in our lives. In business, the economic climate is always changing. For much of the time, the changes that take place are caused by outside factors that we’re powerless to control. However, we can control how we react to a situation.
The challenge with many companies and salespeople is that they tend to let themselves become inefficient in good times. They see all the great business they’re doing today and fail to continue to take care of yesterday’s business or prepare for tomorrow’s business. They make keeping on top of the latest industry news a low priority. Then, when things get tough, it’s hard for them to buckle down and become more effective. They’ve lost some of their competitive edge.
By competitive edge, I don’t mean with the competition. I mean the competitive edge within the company—to make each department the most efficient and productive it can be tomorrow versus where it is today.
When you recognize you are in a slump, sit down and analyze what you’re doing different today from when you were at your peak of performance. Good salespeople, like good businesses, keep records and know what worked best and when. They don’t just run out and randomly try new things to turn business around. They rely on their knowledge and expertise to give them a solid footing from which to test new ideas.
One of the most important elements in surviving a business slump is having your overhead under control. However, be careful not to be so thrifty that others think you’re not doing well. First and foremost, don’t cut costs in highly visible areas if possible. If you’re having a tough time, no one should be able to tell by looking at you. Continue with a high level of grooming. Take care of your briefcase and sales tools. Keep your car clean and neat. You may have to wash it yourself or hire the neighbor’s kid to do it instead of having it detailed, but that’s okay as long as it looks good. The point is to keep things looking good and eventually they will be good again.
In good times or bad, selling is still a numbers game. The salespeople who have the highest visibility make the most sales.
Another key point to remember is that if you are facing tough times, chances are many of your regular customers are feeling the pinch as well. They may consider making changes in the amount of business they do with you or changing to lower quality materials or less service. Now is not the time to let that happen. Your best accounts should be contacted weekly during tough times. Let them know you care. Give them positive news with each call. Let them feel you are in it with them and that they are important to you. Sticking by them in tough times builds loyalty. Then, when the economy swings back around, as it always does, who are they going to remember? You.
Successful salespeople set everything else aside when they believe that the right time to cope with a major challenge has arrived. Then, they put all their energy into dealing with that challenge. They face it squarely and get creative with their solutions.
Then, there are those who do the opposite. They ignore the challenge as long and as thoroughly as they can. Rather than taking action, they worry. When they finally decide which move to make, they often find they have already lost the opportunity.
Remember: a drop of negativity is like a pebble falling into a still pool. Its impact reverberates in all directions, spreading all the way to the outward edge of the pool. Then, it comes back. Positive thoughts or actions work the same way. By spreading positive thoughts and performing positive acts with the people around you, they will in turn share that positive thought or attitude with those they meet. Just like the pebble, the positivity spreads out until you, as an individual, have made a powerful, affect on something that you once thought was a problem too large for one person to make a dent in.

BE SMART, BUILD STRONG, DO WELL IN 2009

I hope you've had a wonderful and profitable 2008! The year is essentially over and whatever you've got "in the bag" is about what you'll have for the year. Did it work out the way you hoped? Did the dreams, plans, hopes and expectations you had for the year come true? I hope so! If 2008 has been a great year, please accept my congratulations, give yourself a pat on back and celebrate! All I ask is that you take notes.
Write down the "recipe!" How did you stay on track? Who assisted you? What problems did you over-come? What is your recipe for an even better year in 2009? Take notes!On the other hand, if 2008 is drawing to a close and you are not where you wanted to be, I hope you will also take notes. Where did you go astray? What problems were unanticipated? What didn't work the way you hoped? Learn from these things so you can "do it different" in 2009!And as you review the year, please note the following paradox: For many people the economy has little to do with whether or not they had a wonderful year! If the things you can control--your time, your effort, your focus, your daily activities--were on track but the stock market crashed, or even if you lost your home or your job, 2008 might still have been a banner year! True, no one would enjoy the "bad" things, but if you worked hard and stayed on track, give yourself credit for what you did right! If you did your part, know deep in your heart that you have everything you need to put the "externals" back together. If you "built it" once, you can build it again, smarter and faster and better than ever. But I also want to address those who look at the calendar and have to honestly admit, "my recipe isn't working." If you look at the year and in your personal opinion (the only one that matters) you can't give yourself high marks for performance, persistence, creativity and (most of all) results, please have the courage to ask, "Why not?"Here are a few of the most common weaknesses that hold people back:
1. Lack of clarity. Many people "sort of muddle" through life. They have a set of fantasies or hopes or wishes, perhaps some images or expectations in their mind, but they never truly define their outcomes in advance. If this is you, take time to finally DECIDE exactly what you want. Write it down. Tell other people. Make the commitment and go get it.
2. Lack of focus. Some people are clear about what they want, but they are lazy or undisciplined, fearful or distracted and never "lay claim" to their outcomes. They want a promotion, but they also want too many other things and never focus their time, effort, creativity and emotion on "going for it." If you are clear about WHAT you want, focus on GETTING IT.
3. Poor strategy. Some people never develop specific, effective plans to get what they want. They want a promotion, but never ask their boss exactly what is required to get it. They want more money, but never devise a strategy to increase sales. They want to be better parents or life partners but never take a class, read a book or take other steps to make it happen. Make a plan and then "work your plan." until you get there.
4. Poor teamwork. This may be the most common, and perhaps the most easily corrected mistake. Too many of us try to "do it myself." Big mistake! Almost no one succeeds on their own! We need cheerleaders, supporters, mentors, coaches and partners. Have and use a MasterMind! Share your dream with people who care and who can help you achieve it! The new year is around the corner. It will be filled with opportunities to live better and smarter than ever before. Over the holidays, take time to think clearly, take notes and make changes. Notice what did you right, and write it down. Determine to continue your best activities in the new year. But be honest about your weaknesses, your mistakes, your "blind spots," and write them down as well. Take notes and wherever necessary, make changes.

Quotes of the Week

"If you can DREAM it, you can DO it." -- Walt Disney
"Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you'll land among the stars." -- Les Brown
"Aerodynamically a bumblebee shouldn't be able to fly, but the bumblebee doesn't know that so it goes on flying anyway." -- Mary Kay Ash
"You don't get to choose how you're going to die, or when. You can only decide how you're going to live. Now." -- Joan Baez

THE ART OF GIVIVNG

In the pursuit of the life we dream of, this journey we are on for successful living, the focus is usually on figuring out what it is exactly that we want and then setting ourselves on course for going and getting it. This is very important: Know what you want to get for your life and then pursue it.
But there is another aspect of achieving the life you dream of that seems on the surface to actually be counter-productive to getting the life you want, yet is imperative to the successful life. It is giving.
Giving – of yourself, your time, your money, your energy – is something that takes us from simply being successful people in the traditional sense of the term, to being people who lead successful lives.
Giving is what makes us fully human. It is the essence of what we are, people who are here on earth together, not simply people who hope to clamor to the top of the pile in the survival of the fittest. Yes, pursue your life and your success with wild abandon; be responsible for yourself and take ownership of your life, realizing that you cannot be responsible for others, but also allow yourself to become a giving person.
Giving is also what allows us to accomplish things far beyond ourselves; and that is part of what living the life of our dreams is all about, right? Accomplishing great things through ourselves – and others!
How do we do that? Here are some ideas:
Make your giving purposeful. Give to people and organizations that fulfill purposes that you believe in. This way, they feel good, you feel good, and the work you believe in gets done. Giving purposefully will give you the ability to know that your giving is doing something great.
Make your giving proactive. Take control of your giving. When we control our giving it becomes proactive rather than reactive. We know that we are doing what we want to do rather than what others may manipulate us to do. We can avoid a lot of the wondering about validity that comes when we give out of reaction. Giving proactively will give you a lot of peace of mind.
Make your giving methodical. Every month my wife and I write out our charity checks before any other checks. We do that on purpose to keep our hearts in the right place. Every month, month in and month out, year after year, we go about our giving. Our goal is to give away $1,000,000 by the end of our lives (and we may have to even readjust that goal as time goes by since we set it when we were only 24 years old and we are well on our way to that goal.) This isn’t done by giving big chunks from time to time. It is accomplished by checks each and every month, methodically. Giving methodically allows you to build up larger gifts over time.
Make your giving generous. Don’t be a tightwad! Loosen up the purse strings a bit. Think of your giving in regard to how you can be generous, not how you can cover your charitable bases. I have found that it isn’t the extra money given to charity that breaks people. It is usually mismanagement. And at the end of your life you will most likely not know the difference financially, though you will in your heart. Making your giving generous allows you to give even greater amounts over time.
Make your giving increasing. Don’t just give the same amount from year to year – increase your giving. I think there are two good times to readjust your giving: The first of the year and any time your income goes up. Bump your giving up then, if you can. This will keep you on pace with your giving goals and you will notice the increase less from your bottom line. Make your giving increasing and your giving will keep pace with your income.
Make your giving from the heart. Don’t just let your giving be a mind issue. Let it be a heart issue. This is what gives us our humanity. What causes make your eyes tear up? What causes really mean something to your heart when you are honest with yourself? Start giving to these causes! Let your checkbook be a reflection of your heart! Make your giving from the heart and you will allow your heart to grow.
(Sometimes) Make your giving spontaneous. Sometimes… Allow yourself to be spontaneous with your giving. Do allow yourself to react sometimes. Will you get taken advantage of? Yes, sometimes. But you will also be doing something within yourself that will keep you from becoming cynical. Sometimes, as life has been good to you and you find yourself blessed, let yourself be the blessing to someone else. Make your giving spontaneous (sometimes) and you will battle the disease of cynicism about charity that can creep in.
These are just a few ideas that you can implement right now to begin the art of giving in your life. The key is to decide that you will become a giver, and not merely a taker. You will choose to leave something behind in this world and not merely try to get something out of it.
And as we all commit to that, our world will be a better place and we can all live the lives that we dream of.

PRACTICE GOLDEN RULE SELLING

To improve your sales performance, adopt the Golden Rule mentality. The Golden Rule says to, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." It also says, "Love your neighbor as yourself." The Golden Rule mentality in sales, says simply, "Sell unto others as you would have them sell unto you."
Different Strokes For Different Folks
What does this mean? Aren't there all kinds of different personalities that require different approaches and techniques? Well, yes and no. Practicing the golden rule in selling simply means that you sell to other people the way you would like to be sold to. You sell with the same honesty, integrity, understanding, empathy and thoughtfulness that you would like someone else to use in selling to you.
Seek First to Understand
If you would like a salesperson to take the time to thoroughly understand you and your situation before making a recommendation, you practice the same thing with your customers. If you would like a salesperson to give you honest information and to help you make an intelligent buying decision, you practice the same with your customer. If you would like a salesperson to be thoroughly knowledgeable about the strengths or weaknesses of his or her product or service, and that of his or her competitors, then you do the same with your product or service and your competitors.
Care About Your Customers
Perhaps the most important part of golden rule selling is the emotional component embraced in the word, "caring." Top sales professionals care about their customers. They care about themselves, their companies, their products and services, and they really care about helping their customers to make good buying decisions. If you think about the very best salespeople you know, you will recognize that they are caring individuals.
They Don't Care How Much You Know
If you think about your very best customers, you will recall that these are invariably people you care about, and who care about you. When you think about the people you buy from, you will recall that they seem to care about you more than the average. In every part of your business life, you will find that the significant people all have the denominator of caring as part of their character and their personalities.
Action Exercises
Here are two things you can do immediately to put these ideas into action.
First, resolve today to sell to your customers with the same honesty, empathy and understanding that you would like them to use in selling to you.
Second, take time to genuinely care about your customers, their individual needs and their unique situations. Make people feel important and they will make you feel important.

THE GREAT BUSINESS DISCOVERY OF 2008

We are nearing the end of 2008 and one of the most important (and profitable) investments you can make is to review the past few months very, very carefully. To an amazing degree, we humans are creatures of habit. We are great examples of Newton's law that, "a body set in motion tends to remain in motion." We tend to plunge blindly ahead, repeating yesterday's mistakes and failing to learn from experience. Yes, we take great pride in the fact that we "can" learn, but my observation is that we rarely do. We assume that what worked last year will be the best way forward next year. Now, of course, we all know we should be innovative, creative and original. We know that, but do we do it? When Jack Welch was the head of General Electric, he insisted that half the company's profits come from products and services that were less than five years old. Why? Because he knew that yesterday's methods would never work in tomorrow's world. Take time - several hours, perhaps more - to carefully review the following questions:
1. What worked best last year? What surprised me, inspired me or taught me something new for my work or business?
2. What did not work, or is working less and less well? What was less profitable or less effective than I expected? What should I drop altogether in the new year?
3. What's new in my field? What are my colleagues doing that I should apply to my business?
One of the absolute BEST things any professional, business owner or manager can do is invest in seminars and conferences. The chance to get away and "see the forest for the trees" is incredibly valuable. Conferences generate new perspectives, and new ideas create vast new opportunities! Invest in yourself!

Quotes of the Week
"The great tragedy of life is not death, but what dies inside of us while we live." -- Norman Cousins
"It takes great courage to faithfully follow what we know to be true." -- Sara E. Anderson
"Our background and circumstances may have influenced who we are, but we are responsible for who we become." -- Barbara Geraci
"Be patient with yourself. Self-growth is tender; it's holy ground. There is no greater investment." -- Stephen Covey

WINNING THE THOUGHT BATTLE

If you have read my articles or heard me speak, you know that I always come down to action. We need to act if we are going to be successful!
Yet, our success starts long before our actions. In fact, our success begins in our thoughts.
The process is that thoughts become actions and actions produce results. So the equation starts with the thoughts. So the key to success is to start with and control the thoughts that we have. Good thoughts become good actions become good results.
But there is this predicament we have as humans. It is this “battle” we have with our thoughts. Thoughts of depression, negative thoughts, thoughts of fear etc constantly creep into our minds and cause us to act in certain ways that are going to produce the antithesis of the kind we want that will produce success.
So what can we do to win the battle with thoughts? Here are a few main points. Apply these immediately and then constantly and you will be on your way to winning the thought battle.
Guard your mind. Pretend that behind that forehead of yours is a very precious thing – your mind – because it is precious. If you had a storehouse of gold in your house, you would hire an armed guard to stand watch and keep all the bad guys out. Yet, many of us let any old ting come into our minds. We need to keep the bad thoughts, the negative thoughts O-U-T! Now when I say this, I mean both the ones that start in our heads and the ones that come from external sources.
Proactively place good thoughts in your head. Just like a garden, where you weed, or pull the bad stuff out, and plant, put the good stuff in, so we do the same thing with our thoughts. Buy tapes and music that will produce good, happy thoughts in your head! Watch TV programs and videos that put good thoughts in your head!
Avoid the naysayers. They are all around you. You work with them, you live near them – some are even in your family! Whatever you do, do not let them affect you with their negative thoughts. Spend as little time as you can with them (unless it is your spouse or kids – then you need counseling!)
Act on the positive thoughts that you do have. When a positive thought comes into your head, act on it! This will begin to produce a “bridge” between what you think and how you act! This will then make that transition even easier as time goes by!
Four key ideas to win the thought battle:
- Guard your mind.
- Proactively place good thoughts in your head.
- Avoid the naysayers.
- Act on the positive thoughts that you do have.
Go forth and Win the Battle!

DEVELOPING THE THANK YOU NOTES HABIT

I learned the value and power of thank you notes early in life. When I was a young child, my parents occasionally went out with friends for dinner. Invariably, when my parents returned from an evening out, I saw my mother sit down at her little desk in the hallway as soon as she got home and begin to write. One night I asked her what she was doing. Her answer came straight out of Emily Post: “We had such a wonderful time with our dear friends this evening that I want to jot them a note to thank them for their friendship and the wonderful dinner.” My mother’s simple act of gratitude, expressed to people who already knew that she and my father appreciated and enjoyed their friendship, helped to keep my parents’ friendships strong for their entire lifetimes.
Because I understood that building relationships is what selling is all about, I began early in my career to send thank you notes to people. I set a goal to send ten thank you notes every day. That goal meant that I had to meet and get the names of at least ten people every day. I sent thank you notes to people I met briefly, people I showed properties to, people I talked with on the telephone, and people I actually helped to own new homes. I became a thank you note fool. And guess what happened? By the end of my third year in sales, my business was 100% referrals! The people I had expressed gratitude to were happy to send me new clients as a reward for making them feel appreciated and important.
I understand that you may not be comfortable at first with starting the Thank You note habit so I took the time to write out ten situations in which sending a Thank You note is appropriate. Then, to help you even more, I’ve drafted the notes for you.
1. Telephone contact. Thank you for talking with me on the telephone. In today’s business world, time is precious. You can rest assured that I will always be respectful of the time you invest as we discuss the possibility of a mutually beneficial business relationship.
2. In Person Contact. Thank you. It was a pleasure meeting you, and my thank you is for the time we shared. We have been fortunate to serve many happy clients, and it is my wish to some day be able to serve you. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to call.
3. After Demonstration or Presentation. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to discuss with you our association for the mutual benefit of our firms. We believe that quality, blended with excellent service, is the foundation for a successful business.
4. After Purchase. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to offer you our finest service. We are confident that you will be happy with this investment towards future growth. My goal is now to offer excellent follow-up service so you will have no reservations about referring others to me who have similar needs as yours.
5. For a Referral. Thank you for your kind referral. You may rest assured that anyone you refer to me will receive the highest degree of professional service possible.
6. After Final Refusal. Thank you for taking your time to consider letting me serve you. It is with sincere regrets that your immediate plans do not include making the investment at this time. However, if you need further information or have any questions, please feel free to call. I will keep you posted on new developments and changes that may benefit you.
7. After They Buy From Someone Else. Thank you for taking your time to analyze my services. I regret being unable, at this time, to prove to you the benefits we have to offer. We keep constantly informed of new developments and changes, so I will keep in touch with the hope that in the years ahead we will be able to do business.
8. After They Buy From Someone Else, But Offer to Give You Referrals. Thank you for your gracious offer of giving me referrals. As we discussed, I am enclosing three of my business cards. I thank you in advance for placing them in the hands of three of your friends, acquaintances, or relatives that I might serve. I will keep in touch and be willing to render my services as needed.
9. To Anyone Who Gives You Service. Thank you. It is gratifying to meet someone dedicated to doing a good job. Your efforts are sincerely appreciated. If my company or I can serve you in any way, please don’t hesitate to call.
10. Anniversary Thank You. Thank you. It is with warm regards that I send this note to say hello and again, thanks for your past patronage. We are continually changing and improving our products and services. The power of expressed gratitude is immense. Put this tool to work for you today!

YOUR TOOLS FOR SUCCESS IN 2009

About 100 years ago, Mark Twain observed that "the difference between the right word and almost the right word is the difference between lightening and the lightening bug," and that applies to the tools we use every day.A while back, Mary and I spent a few days on the Oregon coast for a bit of renewal and goal-setting. We stayed in a lovely condominium, right on the beach with a beautiful fireplace, nice furniture and a fantastic view of the sunset. Everything was perfect, except....The knives in the kitchen were cheap, mismatched, and dull. The first evening, I squashed (rather than sliced) a tomato and later I struggled to trim a steak. Small things, but really, really annoying! The next day we drove into town and I found a housewares shop, spent a few dollars for a good knife, and returned with my "treasure." That knife made cooking easier and my weekend better!
It's a trivial story, so what's the point? Simple: The winners in life use good tools, including sharp knives!High achievers invest in themselves, their business and their future. They have a great coach, a strong support team, and they keep their tools "sharp" all the time. And, what intrigues me, is how little it costs to have the best. In fact, it doesn't "cost"--it pays to have good tools!What exactly are these high-quality tools?Some professions need to impress clients with fancy offices or elaborate technical equipment, but far more often the winners in life invest in tools that are amazingly simple and sometimes, they're free! Here are some examples:
1. Written goals. Winners use a notebook, ring-binder or similar document to identify their most important objectives. They know where they are going. They know their outcomes in advance and their only investment is a pen, a piece of paper and a few hours' time.
2. A calendar. I prefer year-at-a-glance wall calendars so we can color-code important dates far ahead of time. We color in our birthdays and anniversary, vacations and family times. We use a different color for business trips and similar commitments. It lets us see the ebb-and-flow of our lives; it keeps us focused and excited all year long.
3. A daily plan. I use little 3x5 cards. My assistant uses her electronic planner. There are lots of systems on the market, but the key is to plan each day in advance, selecting your priorities and doing the most important things first. High achievers plan the night before, or first thing in the morning. They know the value of a day, and never leave it to chance.
4. A support team. Whether you have a business partner, a professional coach, or a master-mind group, winners have advisors to keep them on track and focused. President Roosevelt called it his "kitchen cabinet" (separate from his official Cabinet officers) and they helped him set his course.
5. Thinking time. High achievers schedule time to plan, to review, to brain-storm and review, to meditate or journal. High achievers have a system to maintain perspective and chart their course. Bill Gates takes an entire week every three months to plan, and it seems to have worked well for him.
6. Great equipment. Mainly, I'm talking about your personal computer but the principle applies to whatever equipment you use. I am frequently amazed at the bright, ambitious winners who contact me for coaching and in our interview I learn that they "can't afford" to up-grade their equipment or "don't have time" to master the software they already have! Would you hire a carpenter with a rusty saw or a broken hammer? Winners own and use good tools!
I'll close with another personal story. My preferred form of exercise has always been walking and jogging, and I still remember when I bought my first pair of specialized running shoes, about 30 years ago. I had no idea shoes could make such a difference! My legs stopped aching, I ran further and faster, and I was astonished! In the store the shoes seemed terribly expensive; the first morning, I knew they were a bargain! Good tools make all the difference.

STRICKLY BUSINESS: HOW TO LOSE CUSTOMERS, FAST!

I had an astonishingly bad experience with a major clothing store this week, and I want to tell you about it. Perhaps it will remind all of us that perceptions count and integrity matters.As a favor to Mary I agreed to call a major catalog retailer and order some outfits she had picked out. I figured it would take 10 minutes to call the number, order the items, bill the credit card, and be done with it. And it might have been that simple except for one little thing.At the end of the call, the order taker asked permission to "include information about our travel club" in the shipment. I wasn't interested and vaguely replied that would be fine. She then repeated the offer and said she needed a specific yes or no. That got my attention and I started asking questions.It turns out that once I agreed to her offer, I was actually agreeing to let them bill my credit card for membership in the club unless I specifically declined within thirty days. Later, a supervisor admitted that almost everyone ignores the offer and throws it away with the paperwork they put in every shipment. Then, thirty days later, the company bills their credit cards.I suppose what they are doing is perfectly legal, but I found it outrageous! For a $39 membership fee, they lost us as customers, forever. In one stupid move, they trashed their reputation and we won't be back.My point? Trust is a vital business asset. Honesty, integrity, fairness and openness may be the "right" things, but they are also the SMART things when it comes to business! Never trick your customers! Never appear to take a short-cut, and always make the customer glad they did business with you.

Quotes of the Week
"Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it. Begin it now." -- Goethe
"In each of us are places where we have never gone. Only by pressing the limits do you ever find them." -- Dr. Joyce Brothers
"The greatest thing in the world is to know how to be one's own self" -- Montaigne
"It's kind of fun to do the impossible." -- Walt Disney

HOW TO CREATE THE LIFE YOU DESERVE

Many years ago I heard Jim Rohn say that we all get the results we deserve. He acknowledge that some of us are afflicted with limitations, illness or situations that seem wildly unfair, but in terms of how we live our lives, he argued that we get the results we deserve.I was very skeptical, even outraged. Many of us work hard and do our best and yet fail to get the income, relationships or life we "deserve." Over the years however, I've gradually come to think Jim was right. I've often written that "reality never lies." Our income always reflects the long-term results of our skills, our efforts and the market's assessment of the value we contribute. Personally, I'm not a sports fan and I think the salaries of today's super-stars are outrageous. But, given their remarkable skills, their dedication, and the market's willingness to pay, reality says playing sports can be an incredibly valuable activity! Reality never lies. Your income, relationships and circumstances always reflect the decisions you've made and the actions you've taken in the past. Reality is a mirror of who we are and how we've lived our lives.
Another truth is that "we become what we think about all day long." Yes, our lives are influenced by circumstances beyond our control, but our results are influenced far more by our thoughts, our attitudes and our actions, things over which we have almost total control. Your life is literally created with your head, your heart and your hands!If we choose to associate with people who are going nowhere, our chances for unusual success are reduced. If we choose education over television, our chances of success improve. If we think about opportunity, our chances of finding it are much greater than if we focus on limitations and unfairness. We become what we think about. Over time, we create our world with the thoughts we think.
Recently, I attended a seminar on ethics and cultural diversity. Before it started, at the coffee station, I heard one person dismiss the event with the comment, "It's ethics, so close your eyes, sit still and wait for it to end." What a terrible expectation! And, sadly, what a prediction for the day she would have. I intentionally chose to anticipate stimulating ideas, good debate, connecting with friends, and a good lunch. She and I attended the same seminar...or did we? At the end of the day, I would guess our results were very different.In the months ahead, the news media will talk about economic turmoil and how "bad" things are, and you can focus on that if you wish but I don't recommend it. What's the point?
Instead, renew your commitment to the life you want! Decide how you will live, focus on it, and make it happen! This is the time to invest in a shelf of books to inspire and educate yourself in 2009. Now is the time to improve your skills, expand your network, and transform your health. You are in charge of these things! Take action. Why wait? And for goodness sake, why not?Invest in yourself. Surround yourself with beauty and inspiration. Get around great ideas, ambitious people, and unique opportunities. Attend the seminars, read the books, take the classes, listen to audio programs. This is your life! In the long run, we all get the life we create for ourselves. It's not easy and life isn't fair, but our thoughts, our attitudes and our actions influence our results to a remarkable degree. Go get (create) the life you deserve!

HEAD OR TAILS? TURNING LOSS INTO GAIN

Why did we lose this account? Why did we win this account?
It's like looking at two different sides of the same coin. It doesn't matter what end you happen to be gazing at, you're still holding a coin that has monetary value.
But right now, that coin isn't adding up to the right amount. In two separate Miller Heiman bi-weekly polls, we've found a disconnect in how sales professionals are viewing their customer's purchasing behavior:

Miller Heiman Polls Question Majority Response
Poll 1 Why we lost Price 54%
Poll 2 Why we won Relationship 40%

More than half of sales professionals polled believe they lost because of a customer's issue with the price. On the other hand, they're also convinced that when they win, it's because customers appreciate the established relationship. The answer to the two questions should be the same. If a sales professional lost because of price, they should also have won because of price. If they are reporting they won because of the relationship, it stands to reason that the relationships in other accounts were not cultivated well enough to warrant a win.
"Were it true that everyone bought based on the lowest price, no organization would need a sales force," said Bob Miller, founder of Miller Heiman. Furthermore, the results of the 2008 Miller Heiman Sales Best Practices Study indicated that only 26 percent of respondents indicated they get feedback from customers on their proposals. This statistic reflects an opportunity for many organizations to look at the hard facts of why they're winning and why they're losing.
Whatever side of the coin you gaze at, the truth is: you've got money in your hand! And the one way to reap the value is by performing win/loss reviews on your sales force's accounts.
You may not relish the idea of reconnecting with individuals who decided not to close a sale with you. However, by remaining disciplined and asking the tough questions you need to ask, you can glean important information with which to construct a list of dos or don'ts for future sales. Performing win/loss reviews call attention to the details of a lost sale that led to its failure. They also shed light to the sales practices that helped secure wins. By collecting this information, you can begin to understand what best practices to leverage within the sales force, and avoid those actions that turn customers away.
Win/loss reviews are a cost-effective way to fuel sales practices when times are tough. But the key to coaxing the most return from a deal review is turning your findings into action. Much like holding a coin in your pocket, it isn't good for much until you spend it. Simply having the knowledge is not enough to make it valuable, you must convert it to something that performs for you.
You've got your coin, now put it to good use!

THE MICROWAVE IS SLOW

Moments, life is full of moments. If not for moments, time wouldn't exist. It takes a day's full of moments to deem it a day. And it's the quality of those moments that determines success. When we focus too much of our time on the "faster" we are at risk of "missing out". The old adage "you never hear the business man say before his death, 'I wish I would have spent more time in the office". We as a society must, and I mean must slow down! Now, I'm not speaking of the business world, I of all people understand the need to be current and up to speed, but we MUST not let the desire for speed seep into our personal lives. If the "need for speed" finds its way into your personal relationships, the end result will be relationships based on convenience, not substance. This includes all relationships, marriage, father, mother, sister, brother, daughter, son, friend, neighbor, employee, employer, co-worker, etc.
I have discovered some life principles that have allowed me to "savor" the moments in my life; I would like to share them with you in the next few paragraphs. I trust that as you ponder these principles, you will bring to mind the ones who are closest to you and re-discover the blessings you have been given.
Principle #1 - Perspective
Perspective is the tool that regulates the amount of sorrow or joy one feels. When we maintain a healthy perspective on life, we avoid the dramatic swings of emotions. The key to using perspective with your moments is to consider condition of those around you. Regardless of the moment, whether joyful or heart wrenching you have it pretty good. I know, hearing this in the midst of a turmoil filled circumstance is the last thing you want to listen to. It was through maintaining a healthy perspective in my most turmoil filled circumstance that I was and am able to overcome seemingly impossible odds. The tools of perspective maintenance are numerous and relative to the individual. You know your circumstance, you understand your plight, and I believe that you are capable of determining your perspective.
Principle #2 - Purpose
Purpose is the fuel for all action. Why do you do what you do? This is the most fundamental question we can ask of ourselves. Why do you coach your child's little league team? Why do you buy Christmas gifts for your spouse? Why do you commute to your office every day? What's your purpose? Maintaining a healthy purpose will assist you in savoring the moments that accomplish the purpose.
Principle #3 - Preparation
How does preparation fit into moment savoring? Great question, here's what I've learned. If we don't prepare our minds on a consistent basis to look for moments we miss them. When we daily prepare our minds to notice these precious moments we are more apt to take it all in. Take for example, when we attend a professional sporting event. Most of us, anticipate the events of that day, the tailgating, hot dogs, beer, chips, dip, nachos, cheering the wave, etc. We spend ample time preparing our minds and setting expectations. Well, why not translate that preparation to our daily lives. When you wake in the morning, prepare your mind for the experiences that follow. Keep your mind alert to the "great moments". As you commute home, prepare your mind for the greeting or welcome. Take special notice of your children's' facial expression as they see you. Just like anything in life, preparation is key to success. Prepare to savor the moments.
So, the days that followed my microwave experience were full of introspective thought. Thoughts of all the moments that I have let pass me by. Moments of Childhood, Fatherhood, Marriage, Family, Career, Friendship, Hardships, Joy, Happiness, and the list goes on and on. Like I mentioned earlier, life is full of moments. It's what we do these moments that provides us with fulfillment or discontentment. What moments are you letting pass by? Are you focusing too much of your attention on the speed of life instead of the value of life? My only advice to now is to take a breath, look around you and let the moment sink in. Wherever you are, the office, coffee shop, airport, home, ferry, train or plane, look around and let the moment sink in. What has brought you there? Look around and take notice of those around you. Consider their moments, their life stories and experiences. Let the moment sink in, take inventory and appreciate it. Savor all that you have been given. For you never know when the next moment will be your last.

YOUR DATE WITH DESTINY

Destiny. What a powerful word. And the great thing about it? Everyone has one! You have a destiny! Another great thing about destiny? We have a significant role in shaping our own destiny! In essence, you can choose your date with destiny – powerful!
Your destiny is the dream that lies within you of your desired and preferred future. And the things that we choose each day are what lead us to that destiny: Our actions, our words, our attitudes, and our relationships. They all add up to develop and shape that date on which we will reach our destiny.
Here are some thoughts to think about as you work on shaping your Date with Destiny:
The Mental Question: Do you believe that you can achieve a life of abundance?
The frank truth is that many people simply do not believe that they can achieve what lies in their heart. Success is for someone else, a better person, or a smarter person. This is not true and is perhaps the greatest obstacle we face on the journey to our destiny. If we are to achieve the abundance in life we must first believe we can, or face our own continual self-sabotage of what a college professor of mine called “stinkin’-thinkin.’”
Here is the truth:
It doesn’t matter what your intelligence is.
It doesn’t matter what your current resources are.
It doesn’t matter what you currently earn.
It doesn’t matter what family you came from.
Nothing in your current circumstances matter in whether or not you can achieve your destiny! Nothing! Now, your current state may make it a longer or harder journey than someone else, but the possibility is always there no matter what your current circumstances are.
And that is the message we need to continually tell ourselves. “I can do it.” Not “I can’t do it.” Clear vision. Do you have one of your destiny? Here are some questions to determine whether or not your vision is clear.
Can you describe it in intricate detail?
Can you “see” it?
Can you “feel” it?Can you “hear” it?
Here are a couple of illustrations.
Perhaps you came from a dysfunctional family and your dream is to have great moments with your family. Let’s start with a Thanksgiving meal.
Can you see each person there?
What are they wearing?
Are they smiling?
What is the conversation?
Can you hear the laughter?
Can you experience the joy?
Can you smell the turkey?
Can you see people hugging each other and saying “This was wonderful,” as they leave?
Another scenario: Your company.
Can you see the large building you are in?
Can you see the workers?
Can you feel the positive attitude they have as they carry out their work?
Can you experience the excitement as you get the quarterly results?
Can you see yourself handing out healthy bonuses that bring pleasant surprises to your employees?
This is where it begins. A clear vision of your destiny. Consider your resources. Are you aware of the resources you will need in order to set your date with destiny? Do you know how you will go about getting them?
What are your natural gifts and talents that you have? How can you best utilize them in achieving your destiny?
What are your current level of resources?
Money?
Time?
Emotional health?
Help from others such as friends, family, employees or volunteers?What will be your needed future level of resources? And have you developed a plan to achieve this level?
The last thing I would encourage you to do is fix a date in the future that you believe you could believe you will be living your destiny by. A real date. What this enables you to do is then begin to work backwards in setting goals to move you along the way, proving you with future points to strive for and evaluation point to reflect upon.
Here are the points again:
Answer the mental question: Do I really believe?
Develop a clear vision.
Consider the resources needed.
Set a date with destiny.
Develop a plan to get there.

THE PRIMARY KEY TO ALL PERSONAL SUCCESS

I owe EVERYTHING I have to one very important skill. If it weren't for this one skill, I would not be able to help anyone discover the tremendous Power that lies within them, nor would I have been able to reach a level of success where I enjoy as much happiness and joy as I do today. When I was in high-school, I was a very insecure kid - full of self-doubts, and scared out of my wits to reach out and make friends. In my mind, I was a nobody, and before I would be interesting enough for people to accept me, I had to become more than I was. Because of that belief, I started reading self-help books and anything I could find on personal relationships. Luckily, I stumbled on a book that opened my mind to a concept I'd never considered. It was called "The Greatest Salesman in the World" and was written by Og Mandino. In the preface of the book, the author talked about some of the 1000s of letters from readers telling about how the book helped them find their niche in life and reach personal success in areas that seemed to have nothing at all to do with sales. In some cases, the book literally saved their lives. At that time of my life, I didn't want anything to do with selling anything, so this was a radical concept to me - that selling was in some way related to personal success. Very quickly, I discovered the truth of it, as every situation in life requires that you 'sell' an idea to someone. When you want to make friends, you have to 'sell' yourself as someone who is enjoyable to spend time with. The same is true when you want to ask someone out on a date. When you go in for a job interview, you have to 'sell' yourself as the best choice for the position. When you counseling a friend, you're 'selling' them on taking your suggestions and acting on them. When you negotiate to buy a car or house, you're 'selling' the seller on the idea of lowering the price. And if you're the one selling a car or house, you're very definitely selling. Selling the idea that what you have is worth at least as much as you're asking for it. And if you have a business, your ability to sell will spell either success or failure for that business. In short, sales skills are the most important key to success in all areas of life.

OBAMA: THE CHALLENGE OF LEADERSHIP

What would I say if given just one more chance to give a short speech that would challenge people to step forward and lead? Here it is:
The topic of leadership has been and continues to be one of the most vital topics in human history. From ancient civilizations to modern day multi-national corporations, men and women of passion, fervor and zeal have sought to discover the secrets of moving others beyond the gray of their mundane reality to the rich array of colors that embody the palate of the extraordinary life.
Every organization or collection of people, from large to small, requires ardent and skilled leaders. It has been said that everything rises and falls on leadership, and it is true. Every group – families, cities, churches, associations and yes, even nations – fulfills its purposes and potential based on the leadership it is shown.
As leaders we are given the charge, the responsibility, and the privilege to see grand visions, to dream lofty dreams, to forge new ground, and to challenge and encourage those who would follow our leadership to ascend the heights with us. We beckon them to come. We implore them. All for their own good. This is to lead them toward their possibilities.
Be assured that there will be a leader of every group. There will be those who influence others, even if you don’t. There may even be unscrupulous people who use their abilities to lead others astray. The quote “All it takes for evil to prevail is for the good man to do nothing,” remains true today, as it has through the annals of time. This is the compelling motive for you to rise up and lead the way for others.
Our families depend on it.
Our community groups depend on it.
Our nations depend on it.
People will follow you for two reasons:
-They follow you because of your character, for who you are.
-They also follow you for your skills, for what you can do. Make it your every effort to impart skillful and honorable leadership for them that would look to you for your wisdom, your guidance and your belief in the promise of the human spirit.
Someone will lead. Will it be you? If not you, then who will lead? If you will not lead now, then when?
Today, more than ever, you are needed. Your strong character is needed. Your finely honed skills are needed. I know you will rise to the challenge.
Lead boldly. Lead with faith. Lead others to the pinnacle of the human existence. This is the highest calling and the reward is of the utmost kind.
You can also become an OBAMA!

MAGIC 8-BALL

Do you remember that little toy many of us had when we were little that supposedly “answered” questions? It was a black eight ball like one you would play pool with that had a window in it that, when turned upside down, would display a floating unit inside with pre-scripted answers to your questions. What is funny about this is that there was a remote chance that the answers could be reasonably close to a possible answer!
This got me to thinking: Are there a set group of answers you could find most of the answers to life’s situations in? I think we could come close, so I sat down and thought about all of the issues that I deal with in people’s lives and realized that most answers do come from the same pool of answers.
Why is this? Because there is nothing new under the sun and the problems of the human existence tend to repeat themselves.
So here are MY answers. See if one of them won’t do the trick for your question, problem, or situation.
You Need Clearer Vision. Sometimes the problem lies in the fact that our vision isn’t clear enough. We “kind of” know where we are going and that means we “kind of” get there! By getting our vision clearer, we are able to refine our path, which brings us the results we are looking for on our journey.
Question: Do you need to clear up your vision before you move on?
Stop Whining – Life Isn’t Fair. Yes, some people have it better than others. Sometimes that is just the way it is. But to get our minds on that fact is useless, and to constantly lament the fact that an office mate “gets all the breaks” is simply whining. It is time to get over it and quit focusing in on your differences and start focusing in on creating the life that you want, because you can live the life you dream of if you redirect your whining energy into success energy!
Question: Are you spending more energy whining or working on your success plan?
Persevere and Give It Time. Sometimes it is hard, that is true. Sometimes we just need to go one more day. I have had this happen in my life many times. There have been times in my life when my whole goal was to get through another week. Plug away, push through, and persevere. Give it time and you will find yourself making ground toward your desired destination.
Question: Is this a time when you simply need to keep persevering and giving your situation time to work itself out?
Increase Your Skills. There are times we don’t get what we want because we just don’t have the skills. That is the bad news. The good news is that we can always increase our skills! Sometimes we find ourselves in a spot where the proper thing to do is to readdress our skill level so the next time we take a stab at it we can succeed because of our increased skill level.
Question: Is it time to refocus on increasing your skills?
Forgive Them and Move On. People will burn you. I have had countless people burn me in my life. It happens. Sometimes we even burn other people, even when we aren’t trying to. The key to success is to forgive them and move on. Unforgiveness will root you in your undesired past through your memory and that is not where you want to live the rest of your life! When you forgive those who burn you, you set yourself free.
Question: Whom do you need to forgive?
Time for An Attitude Adjustment! It has been said that “Your attitude determines your altitude” and it is true! Sometimes we do not achieve what we want to because our attitude stinks. And a stinky attitude affects a lot of what happens to us including how others treat us. Sometimes we have to take a long look in the mirror and realize that we need to see a change in our attitude.
Question: Is your attitude the element that is holding you back?
When all else is said and done, at least you have a great family. Many times we get caught up in things that just really don’t matter. Much of what we consider to be “so important” just isn’t. The most important thing we can do is lead a healthy family life and raise our children to become great people themselves! If you can rest in this, my friend, you can truly rest.
Question: Are you valuing your family as you should?
You need to take a break and gets some rest. All work and no play makes Johnny and Suzie a dull boy and girl! Sometimes when I am dealing with people and helping them to sort things out, I simply tell them to walk away for a while. They need a break. They need a rest. Time away will make them stronger for the battle when they re-enter the arena.
Question: Is it time for you to take a break?
What do you think? Is there an answer for you in the above statements? I think if we are honest with ourselves, almost all of life’s situations could be answered by one of the above! So, the next time you need a little advice, read the article again and see if you don’t find the answer!

ACHIEVING SUCCESS IN BUSINESS

Perhaps the most sought after goal in our present society is success in business. Whether you want to be promoted into high paying management positions, or wish to start your own independent enterprise, knowledge of the business world is important.
As you plan a course of action towards accomplishing your goal, keep in mind the small goals that put you closer to the end. And be prepared to change often. You may need to change companies, or to take opportunities in other department as those positions open.
Create an aura of success around you. People who are successful dress that way. Even if you’re not in a high income bracket, act as though you have already achieved without being egotistical or overspending. Develop an expertise in an area. Don’t keep special information to yourself, but be quick to learn all there is about your position and the tasks surrounding getting that job done.
Capitalize on your strengths, and let others help you develop your weakness into assets. Get to know the people in the company and the people in the industry. Read all the trade journals and magazines relating to your company. Make appointments with people who a successful in your field and learn from them.
You need to have a total commitment to succeed in business. Most people who make it to the executive boardroom put in long hours, often at the sacrifice of everything else. Regardless of the physical effort involved, you must mentally be engrossed in your business and the company enterprises. In order to help yourself develop fully, you might seek a mentor, someone who will offer you time and teach you the ropes. This person is someone who believes in your ability, someone who you can develop a mutually beneficial business relationship with. Some people become friendly with all their co-workers and find that is a way to advance. But don’t try to be extroverted if it’s not real to you. Most people who successfully run their own business are individuals who like to work alone.
As you increase your activities and accomplishments, you increase your potential to reach higher. The more you achieve, the more confidence you develop to achieve more. You don’t have to be the same as everyone else and fit like a vegetable in a patch. Be unique, different. Capitalize on your own self-image. Don’t fall victim to self-consciousness. Trust your intuition. Hunches and inner feelings usually are the best route to travel, regardless of what seems to be the logical choice. Make decisions quickly and with firmness. A true leader will handle theses responsibilities efficiently. That’s what makes you different and why you’ll rise to the top.
Be persistent in attaining your goals, but be open and sincere. Many people choose not to increase their own accomplishments and will give you the right of way to be successful. If you are having personal difficulties with any co-workers, try to know more about these people from a personal angle. Be interested in them and their accomplishments and goals. You might be able to turn opposition into friendship.
Above all, use your integrity. If the goal is not worthy of your inner desires, it will be hard to attain. If your methods are not sincere, you will receive opposition. If your actions are not honest you will suffer the consequences. Turn all negative qualities into positive aspects, then watch yourself achieve.

QUOTE FOR TODAY
“The secret of success is learning how to use pain and pleasure instead of having pain and pleasure use you. If you do that, you’re in control of your life. If you don’t, life controls you.” – Anthony Robbins

WHY BRILLIANT PEOPLE FAIL

Yesterday afternoon I was in a meeting, and the ball got rollin with discussion about a question I got from a client about her fear of stepping out of her older sister's shadow... of taking action on what has evolved into her passion. She's young and wants to go into business and learn how to manage and run a growing organization with the dream one day of going into either politics or journalism. She also wants to lose over 50 pounds and keep it off for good because she wants to be taken seriously, and knows that she is seen as weak by many people. And it makes her feel weak, too, knowing that she hasn't been able to control her food urges and be super healthy. Wanting to be a leader of people, she said she knows that she must get in control over herself before she can lead others effectively. I told her that those are huge ambitions that would require total dedication, confidence and the ability to stare fear in the face and squash it... take its power away. Because there is very little in life that can stop you from doing things you truly want to do.
Big goals and dreams are just like small ones except that there are more steps, they take longer and when you get closer, the risks are higher. Because in life, when you want something very cool, you are probably competing with other people... they want the same thing you do. Or they just don't want you to succeed, and remind them of their mediocrity... how they aren't going after their dreams.
Dream stealers. These are people you want to stay away from. Every big goal you could have has its own risks. You can piss off family and friends who don't want you to change, grow, get new friends that aren't like them, and/or they don't want you to move away.Their wrath can come out in a lot of strange ways.The big thing is when you endure failures, or get slowed on your journey toward success (at anything), you will be criticized... sometimes mercilessly. Often this hammering can come from inside your own family...the exact people who are supposed to be on your side.You must push on. If you fall down or get derailed enough times on your path toward your dreams, your reputation can take many massive hits. And ooooooh, it can hurt. Make you want to quit.
Criticism can HURT. But it won't kill you. And it does not have to stop you. There can be other things to fear...Loss of money and security. Loss of physical health, in the form of injury or even the risk of death. But you can keep going in spite of the risks. Now, I've seen many people take stupid, unnecessary risks. I've taken my share of ill-advised gambles. But there are two ways of handling failures (mistakes, setbacks, errors, accidents, delays). They can either stop you, where the only thing you learn is that you are never going to reach your objective...OR, they can make you more determined, teaching you dozens of lessons that you use to win in the future. It's always our choice. Because if your life is the same now as it was 5 or 10years ago, it's fear that made it that way. If you are on the path to having a life, in 5 or 10 years, that looks about the same as it does right now, it's fear that will make it so. Because every day we are given choices. Most people can be pretty much whatever they make their mind up to be.
The average person has scary high potential. But the average person uses hardly any of it. Either you stare down fear, and go after your biggest dreams every single day, or you do little and end up with a meaningless life. Releasing the fears that are stamped on us when we are children is the key to unlocking your unlimited potential. Shrinking the lifelong fears that have kept you small, unimportant, unappreciated, underutilized, and way too often unwanted or unloved can be so easy. It's all in how you communicate with yourself. When you change the way you communicate with yourself, through your habitual, moment-by-moment mental pictures, your affirmations, the questions you are posing to yourself all through the day... when you make yours similar to the people who are now doing what you want to do, then your days will magically get better. Because doing what you need to do to make those dreams come true, in all areas of your life, mental and physical health, education, relationships, spiritual, career, financial, will become natural. Easy.

THE SUBTLETY OF LANGUAGE

I have found that sometimes the subtle difference in our attitude, which of course can make a major difference in our future, can be as simple as the language we use. The difference in even how you talk to yourself or others. Consciously making a decision to quit saying what you don't want and to start saying what you do want. I call that faith. Believing the best, hoping for the best and moving toward the best.
A few examples could be, instead of saying "What if somebody doesn't respond" you start saying, "What if they do respond?" Instead of saying "What if someone says no?" You say, "What if they say yes?" Instead of "What if they start and quit?" say, "What if they start and stay?" or "What if it doesn't work out ?" You say, "What if it does work out?" and the list goes on and on.
I found that when you start thinking and saying what you really want then your mind automatically shifts and pulls you in that direction. And sometimes it can be that simple, just a little twist in vocabulary that illustrates your attitude and philosophy.
Our language can also affect how others perform and behave around us. A teenager says to a parent, "I need $10." And if the parents learn to say, "No comprende. That kind of language doesn't work here. We've got plenty of money, but that's not how you get $10." Then you teach your teenager how to ask, "How can I earn $10?"
That is the magic of words. There is plenty of money here. There is money for everybody, but you just have to learn the magic words to get them. For everything you could possibly want. If you just learn the philosophy. How could I earn $10? Because you can't go to the soil and say, "Give me a harvest." You know the soil smiles and says, "Who is this clown that brings me his need and brings me no seed." And if you said to the soil, "I've got this seed and if I planted it, would you work while I sleep?" And the soil says, "No problem. Give me the seed. Go to sleep and I'll be working while you're sleeping."
If you just understand these simple principles, teaching them to a teenager (or adult) is sometimes just a matter of language. It's like an investment account instead of a savings account. Simple language, but so important. It is easy to stumble through almost a lifetime and not learn some of these simplicities. Then you have to put up with all the lack and all the challenges that don't work out simply from not reading the book, not listening to the tape, not sitting in the class, not studying your language and not being willing to search so you can then find.
But here is the great news.
You can start this process anytime. For Jim Rohn it was at age 25. At 25 he was broke. Six years later he became a millionaire. Somebody says, "What kind of revolution, what kind of change, what kind of thinking, what kind of magic had to happen? Was it you?" And I say, "No. Any person, any six years, 36 to 42, 50 to 56. Whatever six years; whatever few years you go on an intensive, accelerated personal development curve, learning curve, application curve, and learning the disciplines. Now, it might not take the same amount of time, but I'm telling you the same changes and the same rewards in some different fashion are available for those who pay that six year price. And you might find that whether it's in the beginning to help get you started, or in the middle to keep you on track, that your language can have a great impact on your attitude, actions and results.

YOU CAN MAKE IT HAPPEN!

History abounds with tales of experts who were convinced that the ideas, plans, and projects of others could never be achieved. However, accomplishment came to those who said, "I can make it happen."
The Italian sculptor Agostino d'Antonio worked diligently on a large piece of marble. Unable to produce his desired masterpiece, he lamented, "I can do nothing with it." Other sculptors also worked this difficult piece of marble, but to no avail. Michelangelo discovered the stone and visualized the possibilities in it. His"I-can-make- it-happen" attitude resulted in one of the world's masterpieces - David.
The experts of Spain concluded that Columbus's plans to discover a new and shorter route to the West Indies was virtually impossible. Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand ignored the report of the experts. "I can make it happen," Columbus persisted. And he did. Everyone knew the world was flat, but not Columbus. The Nina, the Pinta, the Santa Maria, along with Columbus and his small band of followers, sailed to"impossible" new lands and thriving resources.
Even the great Thomas Alva Edison discouraged his friend, Henry Ford, from pursuing his fledgling idea of a motorcar. Convinced of the worthlessness of the idea, Edison invited Ford to come and work for him. Ford remained committed and tirelessly pursued his dream. Although his first attempt resulted in a vehicle without reverse gear, Henry Ford knew he could make it happen. And, of course, he did.
"Forget it," the experts advised Madame Curie. They agreed radium was a scientifically impossible idea. However, Marie Curie insisted, "I can make it happen."
Let's not forget our friends Orville and Wilbur Wright. Journalists, friends, armed forces specialists, and even their father laughed at the idea of an airplane. "What a silly and insane way to spend money. Leave flying to the birds," they jeered. "Sorry," the Wright brothers responded. "We have a dream, and we can make it happen." As a result, a place called Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, became the setting for the launching of their "ridiculous" idea.
Finally, as you read these accounts under the magnificent lighting of your environment, consider the plight of Benjamin Franklin. He was admonished to stop the foolish experimenting with lighting. What an absurdity and waste of time! Why, nothing could out do the fabulous oil lamp. Thank goodness Franklin knew he could make it happen. You too can make it happen!

EDGAR A. GUEST: KEEPER OF THE SPRING

The late Peter Marshall was an eloquent speaker and for several years served as the chaplain of the US Senate. He used to love to tell the story of the "Keeper of the Spring," a quiet forest dweller who lived high above an Austrian village along the eastern slope of the Alps. The old gentleman had been hired many years earlier by a young town council man to clear away the debris from the pools of water up in the mountain crevices that fed the lovely spring flowing through their town. With faithful, silent regularity, he patrolled the hills, removed the leaves and branches, and wiped away the silt that would otherwise have choked and contaminated the fresh flow of water. The village soon became a popular attraction for vacationers. Graceful swans floated along the crystal clear spring, the mill wheels of various businesses located near the water turned day and night, farmlands were naturally irrigated, and the view from restaurants was picturesque beyond description. Years passed. One evening the town council met for its semiannual meeting. As they reviewed the budget, one man's eye caught the salary figure being paid the obscure keeper of the spring. Said the keeper of the purse, "Who is the old man? Why do we keep him on year after year? No one ever sees him. For all we know, the strange ranger of the hills is doing us no good. He isn't necessary any longer." By a unanimous vote, they dispensed with the old man's services. For several weeks, nothing changed. By early autumn, the trees began to shed their leaves. Small branches snapped of and fell into the pools, hindering the rushing flow of sparkling water.
One afternoon someone noticed a slight yellowish-brown tint in the spring. A few days later, the water was much darker. Within another week, a slimy film covered sections of the water along the banks, and a foul odor was soon detected. The mill wheels moved more slowly, some finally ground to a halt. Swans left,as did the tourists. Clammy fingers of disease and sickness reached deeply into the village. Quickly, the embarrassed council called a special meeting. Realizingtheir gross error in judgment, they rehired the old keeper of the spring, and within a few weeks, the veritable river of life began toclear up. The wheels started to turn, and new life returned to the hamlet in the Alps. Never become discouraged with the seeming smallness of your task, job,or life. Cling fast to the words of Edward Everett Hale: "I am onlyone, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can dosomething; and because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to dosomething I can do. " The key to accomplishment is believing that whatyou can do will make a difference.

HOW TO TALK TO ANYBODY, ANYTIME.

You know the situation: There you are at a business or social function and you end up with someone who you have never met before. Some people get amazingly uncomfortable with this situation because they simply don’t know how to start or carry on a conversation. Yet successful people are always going to find themselves in these kinds of situations because they are always stretching themselves and putting themselves into situations to help them and their businesses grow and that means meeting new people. So if you are going to be successful, one thing you have to get down is how to talk to anybody, anytime. Good news: It is easier than you think!
First, a couple of things not to do. One, don’t get flustered and excuse yourself. That is the easy way out, and you never know if you didn’t just leave who would have become your best friend or closest business associate. Stick around! Secondly, don’t start talking about yourself. Sure, introduce yourself, but don’t launch into a half-hour monologue about your accomplishments. The other person will either roll their eyes back into their head or simply give you a new nickname: Joe “let me tell you a story about myself” Schmoe. This leads me to the key.
Talk about the person you have just met. Don’t talk about yourself – talk about them! And the key is to ask questions. Now, there are obviously some people you just will not be able to talk to because they are absolute bores or they are angry or upset or something, but I have found that that is only about 1% of the people, if even that. For the most part, if you persist in asking questions, you will be able to talk to anybody, anytime.
There are three segments to this process:
Ask questions.Find connections.Go in those directions.What you are trying to do is to find common ground. What makes people afraid to talk to others is that they are afraid they won’t have anything in common. I have found that usually, if you ask questions for a minute or two, you can always find a connection with someone, and then you’re set. The worst that could happen is that you ask the person questions for a few minutes and find nothing. But what will that person tell others? That you seem to have a genuine interest in others. That is a great reputation to have!
That is another key here. You can’t be a selfish, arrogant person and be successful. I am talking true well-rounded success, not just collecting a pot full of money.
The best way to describe this process is to write out a mock conversation. You will notice the kinds of questions I would ask, when I find a connection, and how I would go in that direction.
“Hi, I’m Chris. What is your name?”
“Joe.”“Well, Joe, what do you do for a living?”
“I sell insurance.” (Possible connection here. Everybody has insurance)
“Oh yeah? What kind of insurance?”
“I insure Oil rigs in the Adriatic Sea.” (Whoops. Lost connection)
“Wow. That’s must be fascinating. Married or kids, Joe?” (I have a wife and kids, maybe we can show pictures)
“No, actually, I’m single.” (It isn’t looking good yet)
“So, who do you know here at the party?”
“Well, nobody. I am the brother of the host’s accountant. I’m in town for a week and my brother had to make an appearance.” (It is going in the wrong direction here)
“So where are you from?”
“Nebraska.” (Bingo, there it is. The connection! Now let’s go in that direction)
“Really? My dad was from Nebraska. Even though he died when I was four, my grandmother used to take me back to visit my relatives every summer growing up. It sure was a lot of fun. Were you city folk, or did you live on a farm?”
“I grew up on a pig farm.”
“That’s what my relatives did! As a kid I always wanted to ride one of those sows. Luckily my uncles never let me attempt it.”
There you are. Now just start asking questions about what they did growing up, how they liked it etc.
If you get adept enough at asking questions of others, you will inevitably find a connection to talk about. And having something in common with someone is the start to a long and mutually beneficial relationship – one of the foundations of success!
I am in a career where I meet new people all the time and this is exactly what I do. I am no better conversationalist than most of you. It is just a proven way of getting a relationship off the ground with someone you have just met.
Here it is again:
Ask questions, find connections, go in those directions.

GET INSPIRED

"People with goals succeed because they know where they are going. It's as simple as that." - Earl Nightingale

Success or failure as a human being is not a matter of luck, circumstances, fate, or any of the other tiresome old clichés. Those are only excuses. The power to achieve the life of your dreams is in your hands-and the first step toward activating it is feeding your mind with positive information. It is a proven fact that 2% of the world's top achievers constantly fill their minds with positive, high-impact content from books, audios and videos. In fact, these top 2% out-earn their equally talented counterparts because they understand the hidden power of setting goals, keeping motivated and working on their communication skills. Jim Rohn says it best, "You cannot change your destination overnight, but you can change your direction overnight." I have had the privilege of reading Jim Rohn and dozens of other luminaries in the industry. With a serious financial crisis looming, now more than ever is the time to feed your mind and sharpen your skills.

YOUR MEMORY IS FAR BETTER THAN YOU THINK

A Russian journalist named Shereshersky never took or made notes. He could listen to long speeches and recall them line for line. He simply used basic memory principles in everyday life.
Did you know that if you were shown 1000 pictures very quickly, you could with 99 % accuracy; pick those that you have seen before even if they are mixed in 100 new pictures.
Memory techniques are not new; they have existed since the time of the ancient.
Memory is simply a mental activity for recalling information that has been received or experienced. Memory involves three process 1) Receiving 2) Retaining 3) retrieving data, just like computer processors. Like most things, memorizing something is a decision. The brain has an incredible capacity to hold information/data, potential is most times not maximized because most people are lazy, don’t bother or simply don’t want to task their minds. The exception leader should however have the capacity to memorize things. This ability separates the rice from chaff. It spells out an outstanding leader. There are basic and advance memory techniques (mnemonics). The latter is very sophisticated and powerful, but requires a lot of time and effort to be mastered. Strategies for receiving, retaining and retrieving information:
-Reduce distractions: Choose a quiet location.
-Start studying earlier so you have time to rehearse stored information.
-Read with a purpose.
-Take breaks between studying different topics. New memories can interfere with other recently learned information.
-Organize information: Separate them into meaningful groups.
-Deeply process the information: Meditate on it, think about it over and over. You can reverse the learning curve by RECALL. The number of times you recall something from short term memory to long term memory. For example, take the information, about five minutes later, go over it, an hour later, do the same thing, 3 hours later. 6 hours later and 3 times a day for the second and third days. By then it would have been moved to long term memory.
-Use your sense and creativity to enhance storage and retrieval. For example if you are going to the grocery store to buy tomatoes, just imagine that you tripped over a basket of tomatoes and your bum landed on the floor messing up your white kaftan. Now, that is horrific! You’ll most probably laugh at that thought, but most likely will not forget tomatoes.
-Numbering or counting things is also an aid to learning. It helps to check yourself to see if you remember all the items. Use humor! Make up jokes using facts and figures, you need to recall.
-Writing things down can help remember things. It is a form of rehearsal.
-Remembering things by where they are placed is an effective way to trigger memory.
-Peg/Association system. Start by using a structure of something you already know as framework for pegging items. We will incorporate a little bit of exaggeration because the more bizarre and silly things are, the more we take note and remember them.
Let try this. To remember a short list of different things, we’ll use body parts as pegs. You want to remember: Car, Periwinkles, Shoes and Pawpaw.
Put the car on your head, imagine a car on your head and you are trying to keep still so it does not fall off. Imagine suddenly you wake up and your face is in a bucket of live periwinkles crawling around your face.
Tie the shoe strings together and flip them over your shoulder.
Squash the over-ripe pawpaw between your fingers and watch the mess it’s making.
Now sit down and think about these bizarre things. You will see that you can remember the list without going back to where you wrote them. You can use this method to remember a list of things you want to do. Finally employ the help of diaries/day planners, PDA’S, alarm clocks, timers, post it notes and of course assistants. You can chunk the information into smaller numbers of units.
There are factors that significantly affect your memory.
Negative Effects
-Drug and Alcohol
-Fatigue can affect your ability to take incoming information or retrieve stored information.
-Stress and tension feelings of anxiety and/or depression can affect the ability to assimilate or store information and retrieve information.
-Some medical conditions and drugs used for treatment can also affect your memory.
Positive Effects
-Exercise and good health are associated with better brain oxygenation.
-Diet surely plays an important role in memory enhancement, antioxidant for example are unknown as immune boosting properties. They are also key brain boosters, because they improve the flow of oxygen through the body by fighting free radicals.
-Eating foods that are rich in fiber and nutrients also help to resist and combat disease that can affect your memory.
-Some of the best foods for memory enhancement include: sweet potatoes, black currants, blue berries, watermelon, cantaloupe tomatoes, Red cabbage, Straw berries, and Olive oil.
More tips
- Pay attention to what you are learning and decide to remember it.
- Storage seems to increase if we pronounce the names of the items aloud.
- Teach someone else what you have learnt. You are reciting and understanding it some more when you teach.
- Make notes and remember the 7 items is the maximum your short term memory can hold per time.
- Go over what you want to buy, people you want to see and so on. Whatever the list might be you will get used to using it and get better at it.

QUOTE FOR TODAY
“Nature gave men two ends… one to sit on and one to think with. Ever since then man’s success or failure has been dependent on the one he used most.” – George R. Kilpatrick