Thursday, July 31, 2008
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Monday, July 28, 2008
Friday, July 25, 2008
Monday, July 21, 2008
Saturday, July 19, 2008
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Charting Your Course to Success Article
Chris Widener's EzineJuly 3, 2008Issue 90
Welcome!
In my book, Twelve Pillars, written with Jim Rohn, I talk about your associations – that is, the people you hang around with. Have you ever given much thought to your associations? If not, you should, because they affect you in many ways. I believe that we should classify our relationships with people into three categories: Expanded Association, Limited Association and No Association.
Expanded Associations: These are those who you should spend more time with because they challenge you to become more.
Limited Association: These are those who aren't necessarily bad for you, but they don't challenge you to be better either. You should limit your time with them.
No Association: These are people who not only don't challenge you to be better person, they -- speaking very bluntly here -- suck the life out of you and bring out your worst. Avoid these people.
When we start proactively determining what kinds of people we are going to spend time with, we can actually shape what kind of people we become and what kind of success we have. There is an old proverb that says, bad company corrupts good character. BUT... The reverse is true as well: Good company produces good character!
Take some time and think about the people you spend your time with. Then make sure that you are maximizing your relationships!
You Are Made for Success!Chris Widener
P.S. Today's issue is going out to 104,573 subscribers. If you've gained value from what you read in my Ezine, then I would like to thank you in advance for forwarding this issue to friends, family and associates!
In This Issue.......
1. Charting Your Course to Success Article2. Made for Success Quote and Commentary3. The Last Word... 4. If you fail to plan, you plan to fail...5. More Information
1. Charting Your Course to Success Article
Seven "Have-to's" to Achieve Personal Growth by Chris Widener
Quite frankly, I wish personal growth would just happen! I wish I would just get better and money would fall out of the sky. I wish my waist would get smaller even as I sit on the couch in front of a warm fire eating Breyer's Vanilla Bean ice cream. Oh, how I wish it was easy!
Okay, enough whining, enough dreaming, enough lack of reality. I have it out of my system! The reality is that it is work to grow personally. The sooner we realize that, even lovingly embrace that, the sooner we jump on the highway of success! The fact is that we "have to" do some things!
As my uncle the truck driver use to say to me when I was a kid, "Wish in one hand and spit in the other – then see which one fills first." (Remember, he was a trucker, and somebody else may have been a bit more elegant, but I still remember it today, 25 years later. I recommend however that you take it at face value. It isn't a fun experiment to actually carry out.
Without any further ado, here are the seven "have-to's" to achieve personal growth for yourself. Don't wish anymore! Get on the ball and start reaping the rewards!
1. You have to know what it is that you want. Wanting personal growth isn't enough. Do you want more money? How much? Do you want to lose weight? How much? Do you want a spouse? Who? Do you want to travel? Where? Do you want more freedom in your professional life? What would that look like? Clearly define in your mind what it is that you want! Once you do…
2. You have to decide that you really want it. Do you really want it? That is the place to start, really, because I have realized working with people that many of them really don't want what they think they want once I talk them through all of the issues. Is this what you really want or is it a dream you have to escape something else? For example, do you really want to quit your job and start your own company? Do you want the risk of reputation? The risk of capital loss? Do you want to work from six in the morning until nine at night, seven days a week for the next two to three years? Do you really want it? Yes? Proceed…
3. You have to be willing to sacrifice to get it. What will you give up to get personal growth? I know what I have to give up to be able to fit into size 32 pants – mud pie! Now, you may not think that is so bad, but you don't know how bad I love mud pie! I know that it is a sacrifice for me to get to the gym every day of the week (okay, I usually take two Sunday afternoon's a month off). I know how much I write the check out for each month to belong to the gym – it would feed a small army. This is sacrifice, all of it. What are you willing to sacrifice to get personal growth in your life? Are you willing? Then proceed…
4. You have to be willing to be criticized. Surprisingly, the average person doesn't like the average achiever. Why? Because they make the average person feel, well, average. They resent that the achiever makes choices they don't make, even though they could too. And they secretly resent that the achiever benefits from rewards that they don't. It seems odd, but working with thousands of people over the years I have seen enough jealousy and envy to fill every seat in the Rose Bowl. Can you handle that to various degrees? Then see number five…
5. You have to decide you want it more than other pleasures. What is more pleasurable: Ice cream every night or a proper weight? What is more pleasurable: Sitting on the couch or pounding away on a treadmill? What is more pleasurable: Spending your money on the things you want right now or saving for later? What is more pleasurable: Getting off at five every night or working endlessly on the weekends? What is more pleasurable: Reading a favorite novel or a technical book? What is more pleasurable: Four weeks of vacation or one? You get the point. In order to grow personally or professionally, there will have to be a desire to work hard in spite of the pleasures that call your name. And if you work it right, in the end there will be plenty of time to reward yourself with the pleasures of accomplishment. Do you want it more that other pleasures? Really? Then let's move on… 6. You have to take a long-term approach. Why do most people fail to accomplish their personal growth goals? Because they take a short-term approach. They know what to do. They do it for a week or a month, then they quit. Every January the gym gets so busy. Then February rolls around and I have no problem getting on the machines! In order to accomplish your personal growth goals, you absolutely, positively must view it as a long-term goal. For example, when most people want to lose weight, what do they do? They change their diet until they lose it. Then what? They change it back and gain the weight back. Instead, they ought to say, I am changing the way I eat for the rest of my life and slowly but surely my weight will take care of itself. And it does! Are you capable of seeing your personal goals in the log-term? Well then you are ready for number seven…
7. You have to diligently, methodically, and relentlessly work at it. Every day, every week, every year. The more you put into it, the more you get out of it. I was on a conference call with Zig Ziglar last night and he made an incredible revelation. For 25 years he has read for three hours a day! No wonder he oozes information! That is diligence. That is methodical. That is relentless! Can you do the same for yourself in the area you want to grow in? Certainly! But will you, that is the question. If you do, you will achieve any dream you set forth for yourself!
You can achieve personal growth! It is entirely possible for you to live your dreams! Put the above to work and you will see them unfold before your very eyes! Just remember, it won't just happen to you, you "have-to" do some things!
2. Made for Success Quote and Commentary
"Character is not a gift. It is a conquest and its kingdom lives upstream. You never get there by drifting." -- Dale Turner
Chris' Commentary:I read this quote the other day in the local newspaper and immediately committed it to memory. What great imagery to show us a truth about an aspect of true success. Truly successful living means we are becoming, more and more, people of character. We do not wake up one day as people of character, nor will we slowly drift there. No, we must constantly be determining areas of our lives where we can be making ground in our character and finding the will to make it happen.
Action Point: Take some time today to ask yourself where in your character you may be cutting corners. Then make a decision to begin to do what is morally and ethically right in that area. That decision will reap tremendous rewards!
3. The Last Word...
My good friend, Jim Rohn and I have collaborated on several projects in recent years... This week's last word offering comes from Jim and his simple, yet profound wisdom...
Change Begins with Choice by Jim Rohn
Any day we wish; we can discipline ourselves to change it all. Any day we wish; we can open the book that will open our mind to new knowledge. Any day we wish; we can start a new activity. Any day we wish; we can start the process of life change. We can do it immediately, or next week, or next month, or next year.
We can also do nothing. We can pretend rather than perform. And if the idea of having to change ourselves makes us uncomfortable, we can remain as we are. We can choose rest over labor, entertainment over education, delusion over truth, and doubt over confidence. The choices are ours to make. But while we curse the effect, we continue to nourish the cause. As Shakespeare uniquely observed, "The fault is not in the stars, but in ourselves." We created our circumstances by our past choices. We have both the ability and the responsibility to make better choices beginning today. Those who are in search of the good life do not need more answers or more time to think things over to reach better conclusions. They need the truth. They need the whole truth. And they need nothing but the truth.
We cannot allow our errors in judgment, repeated every day, to lead us down the wrong path. We must keep coming back to those basics that make the biggest difference in how our life works out. And then we must make the very choices that will bring life, happiness and joy into our daily lives.
And if I may be so bold to offer my last piece of advice for someone seeking and needing to make changes in their life - If you don't like how things are, change it! You're not a tree. You have the ability to totally transform every area in your life - and it all begins with your very own power of choice.
To Your Success,Jim Rohn
To learn more about one project Jim and I worked on click here: http://twelvepillars.jimrohn.com
4. If you fail to plan, you plan to fail...
A little over a year ago, Jim Rohn and I collaborated on a new project that is designed to help you have more, do more and become more!
Did you know that most people are sabotaging their chances for achievement?
The reason is because they don't have a plan. You know the saying, "if you fail to plan, you plan to fail".
Welcome!
In my book, Twelve Pillars, written with Jim Rohn, I talk about your associations – that is, the people you hang around with. Have you ever given much thought to your associations? If not, you should, because they affect you in many ways. I believe that we should classify our relationships with people into three categories: Expanded Association, Limited Association and No Association.
Expanded Associations: These are those who you should spend more time with because they challenge you to become more.
Limited Association: These are those who aren't necessarily bad for you, but they don't challenge you to be better either. You should limit your time with them.
No Association: These are people who not only don't challenge you to be better person, they -- speaking very bluntly here -- suck the life out of you and bring out your worst. Avoid these people.
When we start proactively determining what kinds of people we are going to spend time with, we can actually shape what kind of people we become and what kind of success we have. There is an old proverb that says, bad company corrupts good character. BUT... The reverse is true as well: Good company produces good character!
Take some time and think about the people you spend your time with. Then make sure that you are maximizing your relationships!
You Are Made for Success!Chris Widener
P.S. Today's issue is going out to 104,573 subscribers. If you've gained value from what you read in my Ezine, then I would like to thank you in advance for forwarding this issue to friends, family and associates!
In This Issue.......
1. Charting Your Course to Success Article2. Made for Success Quote and Commentary3. The Last Word... 4. If you fail to plan, you plan to fail...5. More Information
1. Charting Your Course to Success Article
Seven "Have-to's" to Achieve Personal Growth by Chris Widener
Quite frankly, I wish personal growth would just happen! I wish I would just get better and money would fall out of the sky. I wish my waist would get smaller even as I sit on the couch in front of a warm fire eating Breyer's Vanilla Bean ice cream. Oh, how I wish it was easy!
Okay, enough whining, enough dreaming, enough lack of reality. I have it out of my system! The reality is that it is work to grow personally. The sooner we realize that, even lovingly embrace that, the sooner we jump on the highway of success! The fact is that we "have to" do some things!
As my uncle the truck driver use to say to me when I was a kid, "Wish in one hand and spit in the other – then see which one fills first." (Remember, he was a trucker, and somebody else may have been a bit more elegant, but I still remember it today, 25 years later. I recommend however that you take it at face value. It isn't a fun experiment to actually carry out.
Without any further ado, here are the seven "have-to's" to achieve personal growth for yourself. Don't wish anymore! Get on the ball and start reaping the rewards!
1. You have to know what it is that you want. Wanting personal growth isn't enough. Do you want more money? How much? Do you want to lose weight? How much? Do you want a spouse? Who? Do you want to travel? Where? Do you want more freedom in your professional life? What would that look like? Clearly define in your mind what it is that you want! Once you do…
2. You have to decide that you really want it. Do you really want it? That is the place to start, really, because I have realized working with people that many of them really don't want what they think they want once I talk them through all of the issues. Is this what you really want or is it a dream you have to escape something else? For example, do you really want to quit your job and start your own company? Do you want the risk of reputation? The risk of capital loss? Do you want to work from six in the morning until nine at night, seven days a week for the next two to three years? Do you really want it? Yes? Proceed…
3. You have to be willing to sacrifice to get it. What will you give up to get personal growth? I know what I have to give up to be able to fit into size 32 pants – mud pie! Now, you may not think that is so bad, but you don't know how bad I love mud pie! I know that it is a sacrifice for me to get to the gym every day of the week (okay, I usually take two Sunday afternoon's a month off). I know how much I write the check out for each month to belong to the gym – it would feed a small army. This is sacrifice, all of it. What are you willing to sacrifice to get personal growth in your life? Are you willing? Then proceed…
4. You have to be willing to be criticized. Surprisingly, the average person doesn't like the average achiever. Why? Because they make the average person feel, well, average. They resent that the achiever makes choices they don't make, even though they could too. And they secretly resent that the achiever benefits from rewards that they don't. It seems odd, but working with thousands of people over the years I have seen enough jealousy and envy to fill every seat in the Rose Bowl. Can you handle that to various degrees? Then see number five…
5. You have to decide you want it more than other pleasures. What is more pleasurable: Ice cream every night or a proper weight? What is more pleasurable: Sitting on the couch or pounding away on a treadmill? What is more pleasurable: Spending your money on the things you want right now or saving for later? What is more pleasurable: Getting off at five every night or working endlessly on the weekends? What is more pleasurable: Reading a favorite novel or a technical book? What is more pleasurable: Four weeks of vacation or one? You get the point. In order to grow personally or professionally, there will have to be a desire to work hard in spite of the pleasures that call your name. And if you work it right, in the end there will be plenty of time to reward yourself with the pleasures of accomplishment. Do you want it more that other pleasures? Really? Then let's move on… 6. You have to take a long-term approach. Why do most people fail to accomplish their personal growth goals? Because they take a short-term approach. They know what to do. They do it for a week or a month, then they quit. Every January the gym gets so busy. Then February rolls around and I have no problem getting on the machines! In order to accomplish your personal growth goals, you absolutely, positively must view it as a long-term goal. For example, when most people want to lose weight, what do they do? They change their diet until they lose it. Then what? They change it back and gain the weight back. Instead, they ought to say, I am changing the way I eat for the rest of my life and slowly but surely my weight will take care of itself. And it does! Are you capable of seeing your personal goals in the log-term? Well then you are ready for number seven…
7. You have to diligently, methodically, and relentlessly work at it. Every day, every week, every year. The more you put into it, the more you get out of it. I was on a conference call with Zig Ziglar last night and he made an incredible revelation. For 25 years he has read for three hours a day! No wonder he oozes information! That is diligence. That is methodical. That is relentless! Can you do the same for yourself in the area you want to grow in? Certainly! But will you, that is the question. If you do, you will achieve any dream you set forth for yourself!
You can achieve personal growth! It is entirely possible for you to live your dreams! Put the above to work and you will see them unfold before your very eyes! Just remember, it won't just happen to you, you "have-to" do some things!
2. Made for Success Quote and Commentary
"Character is not a gift. It is a conquest and its kingdom lives upstream. You never get there by drifting." -- Dale Turner
Chris' Commentary:I read this quote the other day in the local newspaper and immediately committed it to memory. What great imagery to show us a truth about an aspect of true success. Truly successful living means we are becoming, more and more, people of character. We do not wake up one day as people of character, nor will we slowly drift there. No, we must constantly be determining areas of our lives where we can be making ground in our character and finding the will to make it happen.
Action Point: Take some time today to ask yourself where in your character you may be cutting corners. Then make a decision to begin to do what is morally and ethically right in that area. That decision will reap tremendous rewards!
3. The Last Word...
My good friend, Jim Rohn and I have collaborated on several projects in recent years... This week's last word offering comes from Jim and his simple, yet profound wisdom...
Change Begins with Choice by Jim Rohn
Any day we wish; we can discipline ourselves to change it all. Any day we wish; we can open the book that will open our mind to new knowledge. Any day we wish; we can start a new activity. Any day we wish; we can start the process of life change. We can do it immediately, or next week, or next month, or next year.
We can also do nothing. We can pretend rather than perform. And if the idea of having to change ourselves makes us uncomfortable, we can remain as we are. We can choose rest over labor, entertainment over education, delusion over truth, and doubt over confidence. The choices are ours to make. But while we curse the effect, we continue to nourish the cause. As Shakespeare uniquely observed, "The fault is not in the stars, but in ourselves." We created our circumstances by our past choices. We have both the ability and the responsibility to make better choices beginning today. Those who are in search of the good life do not need more answers or more time to think things over to reach better conclusions. They need the truth. They need the whole truth. And they need nothing but the truth.
We cannot allow our errors in judgment, repeated every day, to lead us down the wrong path. We must keep coming back to those basics that make the biggest difference in how our life works out. And then we must make the very choices that will bring life, happiness and joy into our daily lives.
And if I may be so bold to offer my last piece of advice for someone seeking and needing to make changes in their life - If you don't like how things are, change it! You're not a tree. You have the ability to totally transform every area in your life - and it all begins with your very own power of choice.
To Your Success,Jim Rohn
To learn more about one project Jim and I worked on click here: http://twelvepillars.jimrohn.com
4. If you fail to plan, you plan to fail...
A little over a year ago, Jim Rohn and I collaborated on a new project that is designed to help you have more, do more and become more!
Did you know that most people are sabotaging their chances for achievement?
The reason is because they don't have a plan. You know the saying, "if you fail to plan, you plan to fail".
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Making the Choice Not to Worry
More damage is done by worrying than by what is being worried about. This is because 90 percent of all worries never come to pass. Over the years, I have made it a deliberate point not to worry. If something happens at work or at home that would constitute a worry, I have learned to address the potential worry and say, "I'm going to wait to worry." Then when I objectively and realistically address the issue, the "obvious" need for worrying goes away.
For me to enjoy life, remain healthy, and be full of peace, worry cannot be part of my daily routine. I've seen its disastrous effects on the lives of people and their children. Here are a few of the side effects of worrying:
Self-doubt - It is a downward spiral that focuses on the negative and why things cannot be done versus why things can be done. It is a sinkhole, a debilitating attitude, and a terrible habit.
Mediocrity - Capable people who worry are rendered incapable of accomplishing their intended goal. Worry makes you peck around on the ground like a chicken when you were intended to soar like an eagle.
Fright - People who worry are not being cautious or thinking things over; they are simply scared. Running scared is the enemy of success, peace, contentment, happiness, joy, and laughter.
No spark - The excitement is gone. Worry lets the air out of all you do, draining the fun and excitement from everything.
No creativity - The freedom to be creative is squelched by worry. You simply cannot excel to your full potential when worry controls your thoughts.
Improper shaping - You are molded and shaped by your thinking, and worries should not shape your future.
Hazy results - Those who worry are second-guessing themselves, which produces a hesitancy that brings with it an unclear focus. Such a hazy goal will produce a hazy result.
Bad habits - Worrying is a habit, the result of preconditioning and years of practice. The destructive habit of worrying turns people into prisoners.
Physical ailments - The body reacts adversely to internal worries. John Edmund Haggai insightfully stated, "A distraught mind inevitably leads to a deteriorated body."
Wasted time - Over 90 percent of what you worry about never comes to pass. To worry is to waste time; therefore, the more you worry, the less you accomplish.
Make the decision for yourself to live life worry-free. It is not only possible, but it is also very enjoyable!
For me to enjoy life, remain healthy, and be full of peace, worry cannot be part of my daily routine. I've seen its disastrous effects on the lives of people and their children. Here are a few of the side effects of worrying:
Self-doubt - It is a downward spiral that focuses on the negative and why things cannot be done versus why things can be done. It is a sinkhole, a debilitating attitude, and a terrible habit.
Mediocrity - Capable people who worry are rendered incapable of accomplishing their intended goal. Worry makes you peck around on the ground like a chicken when you were intended to soar like an eagle.
Fright - People who worry are not being cautious or thinking things over; they are simply scared. Running scared is the enemy of success, peace, contentment, happiness, joy, and laughter.
No spark - The excitement is gone. Worry lets the air out of all you do, draining the fun and excitement from everything.
No creativity - The freedom to be creative is squelched by worry. You simply cannot excel to your full potential when worry controls your thoughts.
Improper shaping - You are molded and shaped by your thinking, and worries should not shape your future.
Hazy results - Those who worry are second-guessing themselves, which produces a hesitancy that brings with it an unclear focus. Such a hazy goal will produce a hazy result.
Bad habits - Worrying is a habit, the result of preconditioning and years of practice. The destructive habit of worrying turns people into prisoners.
Physical ailments - The body reacts adversely to internal worries. John Edmund Haggai insightfully stated, "A distraught mind inevitably leads to a deteriorated body."
Wasted time - Over 90 percent of what you worry about never comes to pass. To worry is to waste time; therefore, the more you worry, the less you accomplish.
Make the decision for yourself to live life worry-free. It is not only possible, but it is also very enjoyable!
It's All About Attitude
Each of us has an overall pattern of thinking that is either positive or negative. The pattern you choose affects every aspect of your life. First of all, your basic attitude affects your belief in your potential for success. A negative attitude causes you to doubt your ability to achieve, while belief in your potential makes you willing to take the necessary action for success.
A positive attitude will also allow you to view challenges as opportunities rather than threats. People with negative attitudes think, “I can’t…” or “I doubt…” In contrast, each time you act from a positive attitude, your self-confidence is enhanced, your ability to achieve is proven, and you know you can succeed.
Finally, people who have a negative attitude have buried the ability to see opportunity. A positive attitude opens your eyes to so many opportunities that your challenge becomes which opportunity to choose.
Who You Are
Attitude gives us the power to become who we want to become, and determines who others think we are. Who you are is not determined by how you look, where you live, or who your parents were. Who you are is a function of specific choices that you have made. You are where you are and what you are because of the dominating thoughts in your mind. After all, as a man “thinks in his heart, so is he” (Proverbs 23:7). We are what we think we are—not what we appear to be on the outside. An absolutely essential ingredient for success is a positive selfimage. The world operates on the basis of the law of attraction: what you are and what you think will attract corresponding conditions. If you have a negative self-image, you attract negative results. If your selfimage is positive, you attract positive results. This may appear simplistic, but it is absolutely true.
Your mental picture of yourself determines the measure of confidence you bring to using your potential and working toward your goals. Psychologists estimate we use less than a third of our actual potential. By increasing your potential even slightly, you can make a sizable improvement in your effectiveness.
The Hidden Good
Regardless of external circumstances, beginning at an early age everyone is insulted, left out, taken advantage of, and discounted by others. And to add to the burden, uncontrollable, negative events naturally happen in life as well. However, when you make the decision to view your world with an attitude of gratitude, you are training yourself to focus on the good in life. Of the 100 companies I’ve started since the age of 19, 65 percent have not survived. They could be called “failures,” but with my positive attitude, I’ve never considered that I’ve failed at anything. These “failures” were only temporary setbacks and I learned to be grateful for each one because they all taught me something invaluable about myself. I know that in every adversity there is a seed of equivalent or greater benefit if I believe it, look for it, and work for it.
Goal-Oriented Attitude
Setting goals is vital to successfully achieving your improvement and personal development plans. It is the key to all fulfillment and achievement. Confidence, determination and innate personality traits contribute to success; but they all come into focus through goal-setting.
Probably 75 percent of my personal success has come through setting goals. (The other 25 percent is a combination of focus, desire, preparation and hard work.) If I’m not making the progress I would like to make and am capable of making, it is simply because my goals are not clearly defined.
There is something almost mystical about setting a resolute goal after you have developed a plan and set a deadline for its attainment. Such a goal produces a burning desire, the necessary self-confidence and the determination to follow through. Having a wild imagination is one thing, but being very disciplined and organized makes you different from the rest. It is common to dream, but rare to follow through and see dreams realized. Goal-setting is simply writing down your dreams, crystallizing your thinking and then developing a plan with a deadline for its attainment.
Along the way, you will face obstacles, but overcoming adversities and temporary defeats will make you stronger. When you reach your goal you will have accomplished much more than you set out to do. When I first started in the insurance business, my goal was to write a million dollars worth of business, but I only made one sale out of 14 initial presentations. My highest monthly income during the first nine months was $87. But I believed in my goal and never wavered from it.
Eventually I hit the million dollar mark and the year after that, sold almost four million!
A Worry-Free Attitude
More damage is created by worrying than the actual manifestation of whatever it is you’re worried about. This is because more than 90 percent of all worries never come to pass.
A positive attitude will also allow you to view challenges as opportunities rather than threats. People with negative attitudes think, “I can’t…” or “I doubt…” In contrast, each time you act from a positive attitude, your self-confidence is enhanced, your ability to achieve is proven, and you know you can succeed.
Finally, people who have a negative attitude have buried the ability to see opportunity. A positive attitude opens your eyes to so many opportunities that your challenge becomes which opportunity to choose.
Who You Are
Attitude gives us the power to become who we want to become, and determines who others think we are. Who you are is not determined by how you look, where you live, or who your parents were. Who you are is a function of specific choices that you have made. You are where you are and what you are because of the dominating thoughts in your mind. After all, as a man “thinks in his heart, so is he” (Proverbs 23:7). We are what we think we are—not what we appear to be on the outside. An absolutely essential ingredient for success is a positive selfimage. The world operates on the basis of the law of attraction: what you are and what you think will attract corresponding conditions. If you have a negative self-image, you attract negative results. If your selfimage is positive, you attract positive results. This may appear simplistic, but it is absolutely true.
Your mental picture of yourself determines the measure of confidence you bring to using your potential and working toward your goals. Psychologists estimate we use less than a third of our actual potential. By increasing your potential even slightly, you can make a sizable improvement in your effectiveness.
The Hidden Good
Regardless of external circumstances, beginning at an early age everyone is insulted, left out, taken advantage of, and discounted by others. And to add to the burden, uncontrollable, negative events naturally happen in life as well. However, when you make the decision to view your world with an attitude of gratitude, you are training yourself to focus on the good in life. Of the 100 companies I’ve started since the age of 19, 65 percent have not survived. They could be called “failures,” but with my positive attitude, I’ve never considered that I’ve failed at anything. These “failures” were only temporary setbacks and I learned to be grateful for each one because they all taught me something invaluable about myself. I know that in every adversity there is a seed of equivalent or greater benefit if I believe it, look for it, and work for it.
Goal-Oriented Attitude
Setting goals is vital to successfully achieving your improvement and personal development plans. It is the key to all fulfillment and achievement. Confidence, determination and innate personality traits contribute to success; but they all come into focus through goal-setting.
Probably 75 percent of my personal success has come through setting goals. (The other 25 percent is a combination of focus, desire, preparation and hard work.) If I’m not making the progress I would like to make and am capable of making, it is simply because my goals are not clearly defined.
There is something almost mystical about setting a resolute goal after you have developed a plan and set a deadline for its attainment. Such a goal produces a burning desire, the necessary self-confidence and the determination to follow through. Having a wild imagination is one thing, but being very disciplined and organized makes you different from the rest. It is common to dream, but rare to follow through and see dreams realized. Goal-setting is simply writing down your dreams, crystallizing your thinking and then developing a plan with a deadline for its attainment.
Along the way, you will face obstacles, but overcoming adversities and temporary defeats will make you stronger. When you reach your goal you will have accomplished much more than you set out to do. When I first started in the insurance business, my goal was to write a million dollars worth of business, but I only made one sale out of 14 initial presentations. My highest monthly income during the first nine months was $87. But I believed in my goal and never wavered from it.
Eventually I hit the million dollar mark and the year after that, sold almost four million!
A Worry-Free Attitude
More damage is created by worrying than the actual manifestation of whatever it is you’re worried about. This is because more than 90 percent of all worries never come to pass.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)