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.

OSMOSIS THOUGHTS by Doug Firebaugh

They are called "Osmosis Thoughts."

What are they?

They are the thoughts you start thinking just by being around certain people....and by almost "Osmosis", you start being influenced by their thinking and words...and beliefs...

That can be good...or bad....

We have talked about the importance of your thoughts and how they drive your life (CLUE!!!!!!!)

But the question is...

Are they YOUR thoughts...or other's thoughts driving Your life?

If you have a great Thinking Pattern...positive and solution focused...odds are you were influenced by someone...and by osmosis you dared to think that way...

If you have a not so great thinking Pattern...negative and problem focused...odds are you were influenced to think that way as well....

Are you thinking "Phantom thoughts?"

If you are...make sure they contain Power and Passion, not Problems and Poison...

Your thinking TRULY drives your life...

Who is behind your steering wheel?

Make Motivation Last by Zig Ziglar

Is motivation something that gets you excited for the moment and lets you down the next day, or can it endure for a long time?

I see the impact of motivation in people's lives every day. I get many letters and phone calls from people who say motivation has completely changed their lives. Yet other people say that motivation has had little impact on them.

A study at Stanford University has provided the reason for the variance. According to the study, only 5 percent of the people who buy into a concept are able to implement it; the other 95 percent don't have the resources to do so. Those few words created as much excitement in me as any single sentence ever has, because they made something crystal clear: The books and tapes are the resources! That's why I get so many more letters from people who say that my books and tapes have changed their lives than I get from people who say that my speech changed their lives.

The next time you see an author who presents a philosophy or concept that you believe can enrich your life, I encourage you to take the following steps:

Check out the author's credentials and see whether he or she can document the results you hear being touted.

If the evidence is solid, buy the book or tapes.

Books and tapes give you the resources you need to implement the concepts. When you take those steps, you make certain that the motivation you feel at the moment can survive the day and impact your future over the long haul. People who are concerned about their futures take the necessary steps today in the form of growing, learning, studying, and planning for their futures. This process generates enthusiasm and excitement about their futures, so they take the necessary action to ensure those futures. People who aren't concerned about their futures because they don't think they have futures are the ones who take no action. They drift along, singing the old Doris Day song, "Que Sera, Sera," and they drift into their declining years without any excitement or, in most cases, without any resources to enjoy even the basics of life without depending on others.

It's interesting to note that these two groups of people live at the same time, possibly in the same area, and may work in the same job or profession. It's not the absence of opportunity but the absence of motivation that is the problem for the second group. If you think you have no future, let me suggest that having a future is a matter of choice. If you continue to read books and start setting specific goals, you are doing something about your future. Your excitement (motivation) grows, and from that point on, you can develop the actions that dramatically enrich your future.

Four Steps to Success! by Jim Rohn

Let me pass on to you these four simple steps to success:

Number one is good ideas. Be a collector of good ideas. My mentor taught me to keep a journal when I was twenty five years old. I've been doing it now all these years. They will be passed on to my children and my grandchildren. If you hear a good health idea, capture it, write it down. Don't trust your memory. Then on a cold wintry evening, go back through your journal, the ideas that changed your life, the ideas that saved your marriage, the ideas that bailed you out of bankruptcy, the ideas that helped you become successful, the ideas that made you millions. What a good review. Going back over the collection of ideas that you gathered over the years. So be a collector of good ideas for your business, for your relationships, for your future.

The next step to success is to have good plans. A good plan for the day, a good plan for the future, a good health plan, a good plan for your marriage. Building anything is like building a house, you need to have a plan. Now here is a good time management question: When should you start the day? Answer: As soon as you have it finished. It is like building a house, building a life. What if you just started laying bricks and somebody asks, "What are you building?" And you say, "I have no idea." See they would come and take you away to a safe place. So, don't start the house until you finish it. Now, is it possible to finish the house before you start it? Yes, but it would be foolish to start before you had it finished. Not a bad time management idea. Don't start the day until it is pretty well finished -- at least the outline of the day. Leave some room to improvise. Leave some room for extra strategies, but finish it before you start it.

And here is the next piece that is a little more challenging: Do not start the week until you have it finished. Lay it out, structure it, then put it to work. Then the next one is a little tougher yet; do not start the month until you have it finished.

And finally the big one, don't start the year until it is finished on paper. It's not a bad idea, toward the end of the year, to sit down with your family for the family structure plans, sit down in your business for the business plans, sit down with your financial advisor for your investments and map out the year... properties to buy, properties to sell, places to go with your family, lay out the year. I finally learned to do that. It was also helpful for my family to show them where they appeared on my calendar. You know I used to have my business things on there and I used to have my lectures and my seminars all laid out on my calendar, and guess what the children said, "Where are we on the game plan, please show us our names on the game plan." So you need to do it for your children, for your spouse, for your friends.

Now, here is the third step to success, and it can be really challenging. Learning to handle the passing of time. It takes time to build a career, it takes time to make changes, so give your project time, give your people time. If you're working with people, give them time to learn, grow, change, develop, produce. And here is the big one, give yourself time. It takes time to master something new. It takes time to make altered changes and refinement in philosophy as well as activity. Give yourself time to learn, time to get it, time to start some momentum, time to finally achieve. It is easy to be impatient with yourself. I remember when I first tried to learn to tie my shoes. The shoe strings, it seemed like it would take me forever. Finally I got it and it didn't take forever, but it seemed like for a while I'd never learn, I'd get it backwards; the bow goes up and down instead of across. How do I straighten that out? Finally I got it, it just took time.

Mama taught me a little bit about playing the piano. "Here is the left hand scale", she'd say. I got that, it was easy. Then she said, "Here is the right hand scale." I got that, that was easy. Now she said, "We are going to play both hands at the same time." I said, "Well, how can you do that?" Now one at a time was easy... but at the same time? Looking at this hand and looking at that hand, finally I got it. Finally I got where I could play the scales with both hands. Then I remember the day she said, "Now we are going to read the music and play with both hands." I thought, "You can't do all that." But you know, sure enough I'm looking at the music, looking at each hand, a little confused at first, but finally I mastered it. It took a little time to read the music and play with both hands. Then I remember the day she said, "Now we are going to watch the audience, read the music and play with both hands. I thought, "Now that is going too far!" How could you possibly do that? But see adding them one at a time and giving myself time to master one before we went to the next one; sure enough I got to where I could watch the audience, read the music and play with both hands. So the lesson here is: Give yourself time, you can become a better pro, you can better master the art of parenting, you can better master the art of managing time, conserving resources, working together as a partner. Give yourself time.

And here's the last one; learning to solve problems. Business problems, family problems, financial problems, emotional problems, etc. -- challenges for us all. Here's the best way to treat a problem: As an opportunity to grow. Change if you have to, modify if you must, discard an old philosophy that wasn't working well for a new one. The best phrase my mentor ever gave me was when he said, "Mr. Rohn if you will change, everything will change for you." Wow, I took that to heart, and sure enough the more I changed the more everything changed for me.

So learn to master good ideas, have good plans, handle the passing of time and solve problems, and you will be on your way to more success than you could ever imagine!

K.I.S.S. a book by Mark

Why are we all so afraid of the truth when we’re so often told the truth will set us free? How is it that as “intelligent” (and as you will later see I use that word very loosely) human beings at the head of the food chain we still feel its necessary to “be nice” rather than “be straight”.

How many times have you been asked by your loved ones “How do I look”? now the “correct” thing to say at this point is to tell them what they want to hear, something like you look great darling, because that’s what they are really asking, they do not want the truth. You may remember the line from the film “A Few Good Men” when the great Jack Nicholson roars under questioning from Tom Cruise “You can’t handle the truth” and how right he is. We can not handle the truth.

As children we are constantly told by our patents, our teachers and everyone else who can get a word in edgeways, “tell the truth”, “honesty is the best policy” and all that kind of stuff. So why in the previous scenario with our loved one when asked the question “how do I look” and you want to say “you look awful” but in fact you end up lying throughout your teeth and giving them what they want.

When asked our opinion by someone we care for, why can we not tell the truth, will this then not set us free, you know the answer, of course not, we are more likely to get in to trouble. But if we are to follow these wise words from our all knowing elders from days of old, the truth can only the right way, if only it could be that easy, you’re saying. Well why the hell not.

Life is very simple when you get down to basics and it’s to basics I wish to take you too now, bear with me. A long long long time ago we were not here, that is to say we had not yet crawled out from the primordial soup that helped to create us, now if you are one of those “god created man etc” types (far me it from me to argue with that one so early on in the book) then that’s cool also the concept is the same, either way it all happened a very very long time ago and things were a little different. If I may be so bold to paint a typical scenario it was probably some thing like this:

You woke up in a cave, you went outside to find something to kill (assuming it didn’t kill you first) then you ate it then you returned to you cave only to repeat the process a little later when the desire for food reared its ugly little head again. Is this too simplistic or are you getting the picture. Net result life was simple, really simple. And we all knew our place in the circle of life (did you see the Lion King, great film, just hated that Scar, little shit!) or so we thought.

I am sure in day s of old when your “mate” asked you how he (or she) looked in the new pelt you recently beat to death for them and as we had not yet become “civilized”, if you thought they resembled a wild boar dressed as a Neanderthal in drag you probably would have said so blissfully ignorant of committing some caveman faux pas because some smart arse git hadn't invented them yet.

At what point in our glorious rise to world dominance did we all agree to say its ok to lie when we’re being polite? What I am trying to say is when did we stop talking straight, when did we invent this thing this way we speak to each other were under the rules of basic human society we all agree to tell the truth but we no have a few sub-clauses or exceptions. Perhaps more importantly whom can we blame, because that’s something else we love to do, blame? Pass the buck, let somebody else shoulder the burden of responsibility ‘cause it’s all too much for me. No sir not my fault it was him sir, honest. Sound familiar? We’ll come back here later.

Enough of that, so we then “evolved” we got cell phones, digital stuff and Professional Financial Advisors and now, we really are in control, still got the old cave (can’t shake those basic instincts) but now we call it a condo. But at least we can sleep at night firmly assured that we are on top of the food chain, ain’t nobody gonna eat me no more, no sir, I do my hunter gathering in Tesco’s. Really?

Put you hand up right now if you would really love to say what you feel but never do, come on lets see those hands, I know I am not alone on this. There are zillions of people on this planet, who are, as we speak going through this dance we call civility, who would rather say when asked the question “how do I look darling” simply say “you look like shit darling”. But you know as well as I that just wont happen, will it?

We would rather blatantly lie to the one we promised to “always be truthful to” in this case because that’s the right thing to do. NO IT IS NOT! If you think that the dress she has just spent an entire months salary on looks terrible, surly if you love them as much as you say you do the its your place to tell them so, isn’t it? I mean that’s part of being there, to say the things that others feel they shouldn’t. But we still don’t. We say one thing we mean something else.

Lets go wandering for a while and have a little fun on the way…

Attitude ... by Mark

Honesty by Mark

Motivating Yourself - How Do You Look at Challenges?

If you are feeling unmotivated lately, you're not alone. Many people are having a harder time being self-motivated. Managers and team leaders have less time to motivate the people who work with them. Anxiety levels are high, tempers are short, and few people are as focused and productive as they want to be. There are many reasons to feel unmotivated right now. Economic uncertainty is high on the list. Layoffs, overstated earnings reports, industries in crisis, every day there are stories in the news that cause us worry.

Most of us relate to news about the economy based on our perspective as someone who is:

Employed, but uncertain about future job security.

Secure in your job, but feeling overworked.

Un-employed or under-employed.

Regardless of which category you fall in to, the current economic climate creates a very challenging time in which to try to stay motivated, but staying motivated is crucial to our personal job security. The employed can't afford to succumb to malaise. Most have to stay ahead of an ever-increasing workload in order to prove their value to their organizations. The un-employed and under-employed need to keep motivated in order to find steady work.

There are many things you can do to keep yourself motivated during uncertain times. One of the most important is to reframe your perceptions of the challenges we face.

Challenges as Opportunities

How many times have you heard this statement?: "Let's not think of this as a challenge. Let's consider it an opportunity." Sometimes you should view challenges as opportunities, but, if you are like me, you probably feel like you have had more "opportunities" in the past couple of years than you can stand. Most of the time, when you are right in the middle of it, a challenge feels like … well … a challenge, a pain in the neck, something to get through.

When this is the case, then go ahead and simply get through it. Don't listen to the excuses of that procrastinating (or critical) little voice in your head. Break the challenge into manageable pieces, find little ways to reward yourself as you complete each piece, and keep your perspective throughout.

When the challenge has passed look for two things: lessons learned and successes achieved.

Lessons Learned

When you don't meet a particular challenge in a way that makes you proud, ask yourself, "What can I learn from this that will help me grow?" For myself, I'm in a position of leadership in my professional association. Although I try to do my best, my performance isn't always stellar. My leadership gaffes, on occasion, have included dumping projects on people instead of delegating them, praising one person and inadvertently upsetting another, and failing to use all the resources available to me.

While I've tried to look at each of these situations to see what I can do to correct the problem, I've also tried to find the management lesson in each. Look for the lesson. It's a more motivating perspective than focusing on your short-comings and can help you rise to similar challenges more effectively in the future.

Successes Achieved

Sometimes you come through a challenge with a huge success. Other times the success seems insignificant, but it's a success nonetheless. When you achieve a success of any size, what do you do? If you are like most people, you ignore it. Big mistake!

To motivate yourself, you have to be willing to recognize yourself. In my book, Make Their Day! Employee Recognition That Works, an entire chapter is devoted to self-recognition. Self-recognition is a very powerful but under-used tool.

A few organizations do an excellent job of encouraging self-recognition. Some companies ask their people to do formal presentations showing off their successes. It's just one of the ways they are encouraged to recognize themselves.

If you are like most people, you don't have many formal opportunities for self-recognition. That doesn't mean you can't recognize yourself anyway. Tell others about your accomplishments. There is nothing wrong with announcing in your team meeting, "I'm happy to report I have finished my certification training," or telling a friend, "Wow, that was a difficult job interview, but I think I presented myself well."

Look for other, more subtle ways to recognize yourself. For instance, you can recognize your value and potential by providing yourself with opportunities to learn and grow. When your employer provides the training you want, don't you feel they are recognizing your value to the organization? You do the same thing when you invest in your own training.

Keep a journal of your accomplishments. If you are feeling particularly unmotivated, force yourself to note at least one success every day. It doesn't have to be huge. Every success is noteworthy. It might be nothing more than connecting with two people in your network or cleaning off your desk.

The important thing is that you note something. At the end of the week, go back and review what you have written. Forcing yourself to identify your successes is motivating. So is rereading past successes. They can build up your confidence when you need it most.

When reviewing a challenge that you have just completed, resist the urge to focus on what went wrong. Instead, look for the lessons learned and the successes achieved. You'll feel better prepared to take on the next "opportunity" that comes your way.

Tips for Motivating Yourself

Get a friend or colleague who will hold you accountable. If you know someone will be asking you about your progress, it can motivate you to have something to report.

Break tasks into manageable pieces. Big challenges can appear less daunting when you separate them into smaller tasks.

Do a little analysis. If there is a particular challenge that you are avoiding, see if you can't figure out what is holding you back. It might give you greater perspective on how to proceed. Just don't get caught by analysis paralysis!

Look for the lessons. When things don't go exactly as you planned, don't beat yourself up thinking what you should have done differently. Ask yourself what can learn from the experience, but remember to look forward, not backwards as you review your performance.

Reward yourself. As you complete each task, reward yourself. When you meet the challenge, think big!

Find some way to celebrate your success.

Crazy Ones ...

"Here's to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones
who see things differently. They're not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them,
disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can't do is ignore them. Because they change things.
They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are
crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do."

Apple Inc.

Digital Etiquette (Professionalism and Good Manners) by Mark

If Someone Sends You An Sms/Text Message – REPLY
If Someone Sends You An E-Mail – REPLY
If Someone Calls You – REPLY
If Someone Leaves You A Message – REPLY
Its takes only a few seconds to reply to any of the above and shows good character with integrity. Ignoring/refusing to reply (for what ever reason) or you just cant be bothered shows your true character to the person who sent you the message.
Ignorance In Any Language/Culture Is Still IGNORANCE
If You Want To Be A Professional With Integrity And Good Self Esteem Treat People They Way You Would Like Them To Treat You … You might be surprised at the outcome
IT’S CALLED THE ‘BEING A TRUE PROFESSIONAL’
Anything Less In NOT Acceptable

What Constitutes A Good Life? by Jim Rohn

The ultimate expression of life is not a paycheck. The ultimate expression of life is not a Mercedes. The ultimate expression of life is not a million dollars or a bank account or a home.

Here's the ultimate expression of life in my opinion, and that is living a good life. Here's what we must ask constantly, "What for me would be a good life?" And you have to keep going over and over the list.

A list including areas such as spirituality, economics, health, relationships and recreation. What would constitute a good life? I've got a short list.

1) Productivity. You won't be happy if you don't produce. The game of life is not rest. We must rest, but only long enough to gather strength to get back to productivity. What's the reason for the seasons and the seeds, the soil and the sunshine, the rain and the miracle of life? It's to see what you can do with it. To try your hand, other people have tried their hand; here's what they did. You try your hand to see what you can do. So part of life is productivity.

2) Good friends. Friendship is probably the greatest support system in the world. Don't deny yourself the time to develop this support system. Nothing can match it. It's extraordinary in its benefit. Friends are those wonderful people who know all about you and still like you.

A few years ago I lost one of my dearest friends. He died at age 53 - heart attack. David is gone, but he was one of my very special friends. I used to say of David that if I was stuck in a foreign jail somewhere accused unduly and if they would allow me one phone call, I would call David. Why? He would come and get me. That's a friend. Somebody who would come and get you.

Now we've all got casual friends. And if you called them they would say, "Hey, if you get back, call me we'll have a party." So you've got to have both, real friends and casual friends.

3) Your culture. Your language, your music, the ceremonies, the traditions, the dress. All of that is so vitally important that you must keep it alive. In fact it is the uniqueness of all of us that when blended together brings vitality, energy, power, influence, uniqueness and rightness to the world.

4) Spirituality. It helps to form the foundation of the family that builds the nation. And make sure you study, practice and teach. Don't be careless about the spiritual part of your nature; it's what makes us who we are, different from animal, dogs, cats, birds and mice. Spirituality.

5) Don't miss anything. My parents taught me not to miss anything. Don't miss the game. Don't miss the performance, don't miss the movie, don't miss the show, don't miss the dance. Go to everything you possibly can. Buy a ticket to everything you possibly can. Go see everything and experience all you possibly can. This has served me so well to this day.

Just before my father died at age 93 if you were to call him at 10:30 or 11:00 at night, he wouldn't be home. He was at the rodeo, he was watching the kids play softball, he was listening to the concert, he was at church, he was somewhere every night.

Live a vital life. Here's one of the reasons why. If you live well, you will earn well. If you live well it will show in your face, it will show in the texture of your voice. There will be something unique and magical about you if you live well. It will infuse not only your personal life but also your business life. And it will give you a vitality nothing else can give.

6) Your family and the inner circle. Invest in them and they'll invest in you. Inspire them and they'll inspire you. With your inner circle take care of the details. When my father was still alive, I used to call him when I traveled. He'd have breakfast most every morning with the farmers. Little place called The Decoy Inn out in the country where we lived in Southwest Idaho.

So Papa would go there and have breakfast and I'd call him just to give him a special day. Now if I was in Israel I'd have to get up in the middle of the night, but it only took five minutes, ten minutes. So I'd call Papa and they'd bring him the phone. I'd say, "Papa I'm in Israel." He'd say, "Israel! Son, how are things in Israel?" He'd talk real loud so everybody could hear - my son's calling me from Israel. I'd say, "Papa last night they gave me a reception on the rooftop underneath the stars overlooking the Mediterranean." He'd say, "Son, a reception on the rooftop underneath the stars overlooking the Mediterranean." Now everybody knows the story. It only took 5 - 10 minutes, but what a special day for my father, age 93.

If a father walks out of the house and he can still feel his daughter's kiss on his face all day, he's a powerful man. If a husband walks out of the house and he can still feel the imprint of his wife's arms around his body he's invincible all day. It's the special stuff with the inner circle that makes you strong and powerful and influential. So don't miss that opportunity.

Here's the greatest value. The prophet said, "There are many virtues and values, but here's the greatest, one person caring for another." There is no greater value than love. Better to live in a tent on the beach with someone you love than to live in a mansion by yourself. One person caring for another, that's one of life's greatest expressions. So make sure in your busy day to remember the true purpose and the reasons you do what you do. May you truly live the kind of life that will bring the fruit and rewards that you desire.

TODAY IS YESTERDAY'S TOMORROW by Jim Rohn

The problem with waiting until tomorrow is that when it finally arrives, it is called today. Today is yesterday's tomorrow. The question is what did we do with its opportunity? All too often we will waste tomorrow as we wasted yesterday, and as we are wasting today. All that could have been accomplished can easily elude us, despite our intentions,until we inevitably discover that the things that might have been have slipped from our embrace a single, unused day at a time.

Each of us must pause frequently to remind ourselves that the clock is ticking. The same clock that began to tick from the moment we drew our first breath will also someday cease.

Time is the great equalizer of all mankind. It has taken away the best and the worst of us without regard for either. Time offers opportunity but demands a sense of urgency.

When the game of life is finally over, there is no second chance to correct our errors. The clock that is ticking away the moments of our lives does not care about winners and losers. It does not care about who succeeds or who fails. It does not care about excuses, fairness or equality. The only essential issue is how we played the game.

Regardless of a person's current age, there is a sense of urgency that should drive them into action now - this very moment. We should be constantly aware of the value of each and every moment of our lives - moments that seem so insignificant that their loss often goes unnoticed.

We still have all the time we need. We still have lots of chances - lots of opportunities - lots of years to show what we can do. For most of us, there will be a tomorrow, a next week, a next month, and a next year. But unless we develop a sense of urgency, those brief windows of time will be sadly wasted, as were the weeks and months and years before them.
There isn't an endless supply!

So as you think of your dreams and goals of your future tomorrow, begin today to take those very important first steps to making them all come to life.

‎"Those who stand strong will stand forever."
Joshua D. Clark

Tragically, few people ever come close to discovering the wellspring of strength that flows inside of them. Rather than push themselves a little harder, a little farther in those make or break moments in life, they fold like a lawn chair. Instead of powering through the problems they encounter, they give in to the temptation to quit and consequently cave. They could have, should have and probably wished they would have been stronger than the moment - but weren't.

You don't have to make that mistake. Whenever the going gets tough, you need to get a little tougher. And wherever a problem attempts to overpower you, you need to stand a little stronger. Then power right through it with everything you've got.

Never, ever doubt, not even for a fleeting moment, that you do not have what it takes to overcome any adversity you face. You've got what it takes - and a whole lot more. Yes, you do.

When it counts, you need to make it count. Conquer your fears and you'll conquer the moment

The Cookie Thief by Valerie Cox

A woman was waiting at an airport one night
With several long hours before her flight
She hunted for a book in the airport shop
Bought a bag of cookies and found a place to drop
She was engrossed in her book but happened to see
That the man beside her as bold as could be
Grabbed a cookie or two from the bag between
Which she tried to ignore to avoid a scene
She munched cookies and watched the clock
As this gutsy cookie thief diminished her stock
She was getting more irritated as the minutes ticked by
Thinking "If I wasn't so nice I'd blacken his eye"
With each cookie she took he took one too
And when only one was left she wondered what he'd do
With a smile on his face and a nervous laugh
He took the last cookie and broke it in half
He offered her half as he ate the other
She snatched it from him and thought "Oh brother
This guy has some nerve and he's also rude
Why he didn't even show any gratitude"
She had never known when she had been so galled
And sighed with relief when her flight was called
She gathered her belongings and headed for the gate
Refusing to look back at the thieving ingrate
She boarded the plane and sank in her seat
Then sought her book which was almost complete
As she reached in her baggage she gasped with surprise
There was her bag of cookies in front of her eyes
"If mine are here" she moaned with despair
"Then the others were his and he tried to share"
"Too late to apologize she realized with grief"
That she was the rude one, the ingrate, the thief

A Course in Miracles - Light in the Dream

If you knew Who walks beside you on THIS way, which YOU have chosen, fear would be impossible. You do NOT know, because the journey into darkness has been long and cruel, and you have gone deep into it. A little flicker of your eyelids, closed so long, has not yet been sufficient to give you confidence in yourselves, so long despised. You go TOWARD love, still hating it, and TERRIBLY afraid of its judgment upon you. And you do NOT realize that you are NOT afraid of love, but only OF WHAT YOU MADE OF IT.

Tao Te Ching

The Tao that can be spoken is not the eternal Tao
The name that can be named is not the eternal name
The nameless is the origin of Heaven and Earth
The named is the mother of myriad things

Thus, constantly free of desire
One observes its wonders
Constantly filled with desire
One observes its manifestations

These two emerge together but differ in name
The unity is said to be the mystery
Mystery of mysteries, the door to all wonders

6 Steps To A Stronger Mind by Mark Victor Hansen

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

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

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

Developing your mental muscles will give you the power to accomplish anything you want in life. Sure, it takes some discipline on your part, but look at the world's greatest bodybuilders. They don't show up at the gym every once in a while. They create a workout schedule and they are at the gym every day, no matter what.

Hire yourself as your "mental manager". Figure out how much you're going to pay yourself and make up a job list. Here are six jobs to assign to yourself to create a stronger mind.

1. Read Right
How much good news do you see in the newspapers? Editors usually say, "If it bleeds, it leads." Not much chance of positivity there. So, read something else. Read books - good books. Books that motivate you. Books that inspire you. Look up some of the great inspirational authors on amazon.com or in your local bookstore. Read them every morning and/or every night, before you go to sleep.

2. Share Your Mind
Find someone, or a group of someone's, who have the same desire to share positivity. This is called masterminding. Great successes are created when great minds come together and think about the same things.

3. Find A Mentor
My mentor was Buckminster Fuller and I learned more from that man about life than I ever hoped to. Who are the people you admire most, whether you know them or not? Figure out whom you'd like to emulate and study them. If they offer seminars, attend them. If they've written books, read them. Just a few I'd recommend are: Tony Robbins, Dr. Wayne Dyer and Zig Ziglar.

4. Listen to Motivational/Inspirational CDs
This is one of the most important habits you can create for yourself. Find inspirational audio messages and listen to them over and over. Earl Nightingale, one of the most brilliant thinkers of our time, had this to say on the subject: "Tape listening is the most important advance in technology since the invention of the printing press." With audiotapes and CDs, speakers can reach 10 times as many people as the printed word ever could.

5. Sign Up and Attend Seminars
The motivational messages you hear at seminars, and the inspirational people you meet, reinforce your self-esteem and positive thinking. You can search out seminars via the internet, newspapers or local colleges and universities.

6. Turn Off the Television
On average, the television set in an American home is on over 7 hours a day. Just like any bad habit, it needs to be broken. I'm not saying that all television is bad. Heck no. I'm simply recommending that you cut back on your television viewing. Decide how long you're going to watch television and then turn it off when you're time is up. Try cutting back your television viewing one hour every day at first. You can use that time to read a book, listen to a motivational tape, walk your dog or spend time with your family.

After reading these six steps maybe you're saying, "But Mark, I can't do it. I just don't know if I can be this dedicated to bettering myself?" Who else are you going to be dedicated to if not yourself? Because when it comes right down to it, folks, you are all that you've got. Jobs and relationships come and go. Children grow up, leave the nest and get lives of their own. Then there you are, alone with yourself. Why not create a "you" you can be proud of.

'Amaze yourself; manifest your full potential.'

Dividing the Financial Pie by Jim Rohn

I believe real-life economics must be one of the most glaring omissions in our educational system. I say this because in my travels to lecture throughout the world, I constantly run into otherwise well-educated people -- doctors, lawyers, top corporate personnel, even entrepreneurs - who haven't the vaguest idea as to how to manage their finances.

So if you will indulge me, I would like to share a simple formula of how money should be allocated for the creation of wealth.

Taxes -

Yes, I did say taxes. Now this is a topic that can get people pretty heated! Just the mention of the word makes people groan, sigh, panic or break out into a cold sweat! But we must deal with taxes. You know what they say, "The only sure things are death and taxes." I realize that the topic of taxes may seem like a strange place to begin the discussion of creating wealth. And yet throughout our lives, whether young or old, we must learn the necessity of paying taxes. And as soon as they have any money at all, our children, too, must learn that when they spend money they immediately become consumers. And all consumers of goods and services, no matter how young, must pay taxes. Why?

Because we have all agreed to live as a society, and for that society to function properly, there are some things we cannot do for ourselves alone. For example, we cannot each build a piece of the street. The machinery would be too expensive, and it would take too long to learn how to use it. So we have a government. And a government is made up of people who do things for us that we cannot or do not want to do ourselves. Because the streets, the sidewalks, the police, and the fire department must all be paid for, we've agreed to add some money each time we buy something and give it to the government.

We then move on to federal taxes. Here is a good way to explain federal taxes. I call it "The Care and Feeding of the Goose that Lays the Golden Eggs." It's so important to feed the goose -- not to abuse the goose or tear off its wings -- but to feed and care for it.

What's that you say? The goose eats too much? That's probably true. But then, don't we all eat too much? If so, let not one appetite accuse another. If you step on the scales and you're ten pounds too heavy, you've got to say, "Yes, the government and I are each about ten pounds too heavy. Looks like we both eat too much." No question about it. Every appetite must be disciplined -- yours, mine, and the governments'. Hey, we could all go on a diet!

My mentor, Mr. Shoaff urged me early on to become a happy taxpayer. Now, I must admit it took a while, but I finally did become a happy taxpayer. Part of this transformation occurred when I began to understand the function of taxes and that it is right for everyone to pay his or her fair share.

I finally decided I didn't mind picking up my share of the tab for defense. It's so necessary for our safety as a country to keep the international bullies away. Some people say, "Why bother with all that expensive equipment? They won't come over here." Obviously, those people haven't been reading their history books.

Others say, "We're not about to pick up the tab for defense." Well then, I suggest they go to a place which doesn't offer defense as part of the package. If one is going to enjoy the benefits, one should pay a share.

Now, let me add this: Don't pay more than you should. By all means take advantage of the incentives. They were given to you as a reward for channeling your money into areas the government thinks helps the economy.

All I'm saying is that when everything has been computed, all legitimate deductions have been taken, and you reach that last line on your income tax form, whatever the amount, pay it. And pay with happiness, knowing that you're feeding the goose that lays the golden eggs - the golden eggs of freedom, safety, justice, and free enterprise. Some goose! Some eggs!

The 70/30 Rule -

After you pay your fair share of taxes, you must learn to live on seventy percent of your after-tax income. This is important because of the way you'll allocate your remaining thirty percent. The seventy percent you will spend on necessities and luxuries. The thirty percent? Let's allocate it in the following ways:

1) Charity

Of the thirty percent not spent, one-third should go to charity. Charity is the act of giving back to the community that which you have received in order to help those who need assistance. I believe that contributing ten percent of your after-tax income is a good amount to strive for. (You may choose a larger or smaller amount -- it's your plan.)

The act of giving should be taught early in life. The best time to teach a child the act of charity is when he gets his first dollar. Take him on a visual tour. Take him on a tour of a place where people are truly helpless so that he learns compassion. If a child understands, he won't have any trouble parting with a dime. Children have big hearts.

There is another reason why the act of giving should be taught early and when the amounts are small: It's pretty easy to take a dime out of a dollar. But it's considerably harder to give away a hundred thousand dollars out of a million. You say, "Oh, if I had a million I'd have no trouble giving a hundred thousand." I'm not so sure. A hundred thousand is a lot of money. We'd better start you early so you'll develop the habit before the big money comes your way.

2) Capital Investment

With your next ten percent of your after-tax income you're going to create wealth. This is money you'll use to buy, fix, manufacture, or sell. The key is to engage in commerce, even if only on a part-time basis.

So how do you go about creating wealth with the ten percent of your income you set aside for that purpose? There are lots of ways. Let your imagination roam. Take a close look at those skills you developed at work or through your hobbies; you may be able to convert these into a profitable enterprise.

In addition, you can also learn to buy a product at wholesale and sell it for retail. Or you can purchase a piece of property and improve it. And if you're fortunate enough to work at a place where you're rewarded for additional productivity, you can work for more income and use this income to invest in an ownership position through the purchase of stocks.

Use this ten percent to purchase your equipment, products, or equity -- and get started. There is no telling what genius lies sleeping inside you waiting to be awakened by the spark of opportunity.

Here is an exciting thought! Why not work full time on your job and part time on your fortune? Why not, indeed? And what a feeling you'll have when you can honestly say, "I'm working to become wealthy. I'm not just working to pay my bills." When you have a wealth plan, you'll be so motivated that you'll have a hard time going to bed at night.

3) Savings

The last ten percent should be allotted to savings. I consider this to be one of the most exciting parts of your wealth plan because it can offer you peace of mind by preparing you for the "winters" of life. And through the magic of compounding interest, greatly aided by the new tax-free retirement programs available to every working person in this country, you can accumulate a princely sum over the years.

Let me give you the definition of "rich" and "poor." Poor people spend their money and save what's left. Rich people save their money and spend what's left.

Twenty years ago, two people each earned a thousand dollars a month and they each earned the same increases over the years. One had the philosophy of spending money and saving what's left; the other had the philosophy of saving first and spending what's left. Today, if you knew both, you'd call one poor and the other wealthy.

So, remember that giving, investing and saving, like any form of discipline, has a subtle effect. At the end of the day, a week, a month, the results are hardly noticeable. But let five years lapse and the differences become pronounced. At the end of ten years, the differences are dramatic.

And it all starts with the same amount of money -- just a different philosophy.

Challenge of Life by Jim Rohn

Here's the great challenge of life - You can have more than you've got because you can become more than you are.

I have found that income seldom will exceed your own personal development. Once in a while income takes a lucky jump, but unless you grow out to where it is it will go back to where you are. Somebody once said if you took all the money in the world and divided it among everyone equally, it would soon be back in the same pockets. However, you can have more because you can become more. You see, here is how the other side of the coin reads - unless you change how you are, you will always have what you've got. The marketing plan won't do it. It's a good plan but it won't work without you. You've got to work it. It is the human effort that counts. If you could send a sales manual out to recruit - wouldn't that be lovely? The major thing that makes the difference is what YOU do.

In order to have more, you need to become more. The guy says "If I had a good job I would really pour it on, but I have this lousy job so I just goof off." If that is your philosophy you are destined to stay there. Some people say if I had a lot of money I would be really generous, but I don't have much so I'm not generous. See, you've got to change that philosophy or you will never have "the lots of money". Unless YOU change, IT won't change. Amazingly, however, when we throw out our blame list and start becoming more ourselves - the difference is everything else will begin to change around us.

The Awakening

A time comes in your life when you finally get it... when, in the midst of all your fears and insanity, you stop dead in your tracks and somewhere the voice inside your head cries out - ENOUGH! Enough fighting and crying or struggling to hold on. And, like a child quieting down after a blind tantrum, your sobs begin to subside, you shudder once or twice, you blink back your tears and begin to look at the world through new eyes. This is your awakening

You realize it's time to stop hoping and waiting for something to change or for happiness, safety and security to come galloping over the next horizon. You come to terms with the fact that neither of you is Prince Charming or Cinderella and that in the real world there aren't always fairy tale endings (or beginnings for that matter) and that any guarantee of "happily ever after" must begin with you... and in the process a sense of serenity is born of acceptance

You awaken to the fact that you are not perfect and that not everyone will always love, appreciate or approve of who or what you are ... and that's OK. They are entitled to their own views and opinions. And you learn the importance of loving and championing yourself... and in the process a sense of new found confidence is born of self-approval

You stop complaining and blaming other people for the things they did to you (or didn't do for you) and you learn that the only thing you can really count on is the unexpected. You learn that people don't always say what they mean or mean what they say and that not everyone will always be there for you and that it's not always about you. So, you learn to stand on your own and to take care of yourself... and in the process a sense of safety and security is born of self-reliance

You stop judging and pointing fingers and you begin to accept people as they are and to overlook their shortcomings and human frailties.... and in the process a sense of peace and contentment is born of forgiveness.

You realize that much of the way you view yourself, and the world around you, is as a result of all the messages and opinions that have been ingrained into your psyche. And you begin to sift through all the junk you've been fed about how you should behave, how you should look, how much you should weigh, what you should wear, what you should do for a living, how much money you should make, what you should drive, how and where you should live, who you should marry, the importance of having and raising children, and what you owe your parents, family, and friends

You learn to open up to new worlds and different points of view. And you begin reassessing and redefining who you are and what you really stand for. You learn the difference between wanting and needing and you begin to discard the doctrines and values you've outgrown, or should never have bought into to begin with and in the process you learn to go with your instincts.

You learn that it is truly in giving that we receive. And that there is power and glory in creating and contributing and you stop maneuvering through life merely as a "consumer" looking for your next fix. You learn that principles such as honesty and integrity are not the outdated ideals of a bygone era but the mortar that holds together the foundation upon which you must build a life.

You learn that you don't know everything, it's not your job to save the world and that you can't teach a pig to sing. You learn to distinguish between guilt and responsibility and the importance of setting boundaries and learning to say NO. You learn that the only cross to bear is the one you choose to carry and that martyrs get burned at the stake. Then you learn about love. How to love, how much to give in love, when to stop giving and when to walk away

You learn to look at relationships as they really are and not as you would have them be. You stop trying to control people, situations and outcomes. And you learn that alone does not mean lonely. You also stop working so hard at putting your feelings aside, smoothing things over and ignoring your needs.

You learn that feelings of entitlement are perfectly OK.... and that it is your right to want things and to ask for the things you want... and that sometimes it is necessary to make demands

You come to the realization that you deserve to be treated with love, kindness, sensitivity and respect and you won't settle for less. And you learn that your body really is your temple. And you begin to care for it and treat it with respect. You begin to eat a balanced diet, drink more water, and take more time to exercise. You learn that being tired fuels doubt, fear, and uncertainty and so you take more time to rest. And, just as food fuels the body, laughter fuels our soul. So you take more time to laugh and to play.

You learn that, for the most part, you get in life what you believe you deserve... and that much of life truly is a self-fulfilling prophecy

You learn that anything worth achieving is worth working for and that wishing for something to happen is different from working toward making it happen.

More importantly, you learn that in order to achieve success you need direction, discipline and perseverance. You also learn that no one can do it all alone...and that it's OK to risk asking for help. You learn the only thing you must truly fear is the greatest robber baron of all: FEAR itself. You learn to step right into and through your fears because you know that whatever happens you can handle it and to give in to fear is to give away the right to live life on your own terms. And you learn to fight for your life and not to squander it living under a cloud of impending doom.

You learn that life isn't always fair, you don't always get what you think you deserve and that sometimes-bad things happen to unsuspecting, good people. On these occasions you learn not to personalize things.

You learn that God isn't punishing you or failing to answer your prayers. It's just life happening. And you learn to deal with evil in its most primal state-the ego.

You learn that negative feelings such as anger, envy and resentment must be understood and redirected or they will suffocate the life out of you and poison the universe that surrounds you. You learn to admit when you are wrong and to build bridges instead of walls. You learn to be thankful and to take comfort in many of the simple things we take for granted, things that millions of people upon the earth can only dream about: a full refrigerator, clean running water, a soft warm bed, a long hot shower. Slowly, you begin to take responsibility for yourself by yourself and you make yourself a promise to never betray yourself and to never, ever settle for less than your heart's desire.

And you hang a wind chime outside your window so you can listen to the wind. And you make it a point to keep smiling, to keep trusting, and to stay open to every wonderful possibility.

Finally, with courage in your heart and God by your side you take a stand, you take a deep breath, and you begin to design the life you want to live as best you can.

WOW !

Prayer of Saint Francis

O LORD, Make Me An Instrument Of Your Peace
Where There Is Hatred, Let Me Sow Love;
Where There Is Injury, Pardon;
Where There Is Discord, Unity;
Where There Is Doubt, Faith;
Where There Is Error, Truth;
Where There Is Despair, Hope;
Where There Is Sadness, Joy;
Where There Is Darkness, Light.
O Divine Master,
Grant That I May Not So Much Seek
To Be Consoled, As To Console;
To Be Understood, As To Understand;
To Be Loved, As To Love.
For It Is In Giving That We Receive;
It Is In Pardoning That We Are Pardoned;
It Is In Dying That We Are Born To Eternal Life.

"The Dyer Dozen" by Wayne Dyer

1) Want more for others than you want for yourself. Whatever you perceive to be missing, want that MORE for others and it will automatically come to you as the first recipient.

2) Think from the end. Begin to see yourself surrounded by people and events and things that constitute your perfect life. "Act as if" it has already happened. Because all that you need, you already have.

3) Be an appreciator in your life. Look for that which is valuable rather than worthless. When you depreciate you take value away, when you appreciate, you add value. Make it a point therefore to always add value.

4) Stay in rapport with Source Energy. Constantly reminding you of connection is how Source thinks.

5) Resistance is deviation from the Source. Every thought you have that is different from the Source you originated from is resistance. Fear, anger, shame, depression, can't, won't, shouldn't, are all resistance. Love, happiness, joy, tenderness are all Source inspired. You are what you believe and you will have in your life whatever you believe you can have.

6) Contemplate yourself surrounded by the conditions you want to produce. You are one with Source and can create anything you desire. Source can't be anything other than it is, neither can you. Your base material is the All That Is.

7) Understand the art of allowing. Taking the path of least resistance. Every thought with resistance in it, creates path of least allowing. Are you pulling energy from Source or pushing against the Flow?

8) Practice radical humility. You are not the body or mind you are in. You are not the posessions you have, you are the Divine Source. Come home to your real self and realize that you are no better or worse than anyone else.

9) Stay in a constant state of gratitude: stay in a state of being generous and grateful. Rumi said: "Trade your knowldege for bewilderment" Be in constant awe and wonder at the generosity and beauty of life and be grateful for it.

10) Keep in mind that you can never resolve a problem by condemning it. When you use shame, you are using the lowest energy out in the universe. You can't shame your way into the Source just like no amount of poverty you live in can lift anyone else up out of poverty. Be the example you wish to see in the world.

11) Play the match game - always ask do I match Source in my intention?

12) Meditate: The quiet mind is your way of staying connected to Source. You cannot divide Source/God. Everything else has a polarity/dichotomy except for silence. You cut silence in half and you get more silence. Cut Source in half and you get more Source. You can't divide it. Stay in the Gap.

The above is from Dr. Wayne Dyer's PBS presentation on The Power of Intention.

The 4 Principles of Spirituality

The 1st Principle States:

“Whomsoever You Encounter Is The Right One”

This Means That No One Comes Into Our Life By Chance. Everyone Who Is Around Us, Anyone With Whom We Interact, Represents Something, Whether To Teach Us Something Or To Help Us Improve A Current Situation.

The 2nd Principle States:

“Whatever Happened Is The Only Thing That Could Have Happened”

Nothing, Absolutely Nothing Of That Which We Experienced Could Have Been Any Other Way. Not Even In The Least Important Detail. There Is No “If Only I Had Done That Differently…, Then It Would Have Been Different…”. No. What Happened Is The Only Thing That Could Have Taken Place And Must Have Taken Place For Us To Learn Our Lesson In Order To Move Forward. Every Single Situation In Life Which We Encounter Is Absolutely Perfect, Even When It Defies Our Understanding And Our Ego.

The 3rd Principle States:

“Each Moment In Which Something Begins Is The Right Moment”

Everything Begins At Exactly The Right Moment, Neither Earlier Nor Later. When We Are Ready For It, For That Something New In Our Life, It Is There, Ready To Begin.

This Is The 4th Principle, The Final One:

“What Is Over, Is Over”

It Is That Simple. When Something In Our Life Ends, It Helps Our Evolution. That Is Why, Enriched By The Recent Experience, It Is Better To Let Go And Move On.

If These Words Strike A Chord, It’s Because You Meet The Requirements And Understand That Not One Single Snowflake Falls Accidentally In The Wrong Place

Be Good To Yourself

Love With Your Whole Being.

Always Be Happy

Three Principles for Great Success By: Brian Tracy

Get Better Results than Ever Before

There are several principles of military strategy that you can apply to your business, every single day. These can help you to think better and get better results than ever before.

Do the Unexpected

One really helpful military principle that can be applied to business is the Principle of Surprise. The principle of surprise says, "do the unexpected!" In sales and marketing, this means to be continually seeking ways to out-flank or upset your competition.

Do the Opposite of Before

Sometimes doing exactly the opposite of what you have been doing up till now can turn out to be the perfect solution. The natural tendency for a person, when they find themselves in a hole, is to dig deeper. In many cases, the solution is to go and dig somewhere else. Remember, the first law of holes is, "When you find yourself in one, stop digging."

Follow-up and Follow-Through

A second military principle that applies to business is the Principle of Exploitation. The principle of exploitation emphasizes the importance of follow-up and follow-through. In business, this means that, when you get an opportunity, you exploit it to the fullest extent possible. If you have a great promotional idea or product or service, you sell all you can. You take advantage of your idea or breakthrough and use every opportunity to capitalize on it.

Work Harmoniously With Others

The third principle of military strategy that applies to personal and corporate thinking is the Principle of Cooperation. In business, this is often called the principle of synergy. In military terms, this is often called the principle of "concerted action." In business terms, your ability to work effectively and harmoniously with other individuals and groups is more responsible for your success than any other quality.

Win the Cooperation of Key People

A key part of strategic thinking is for you to identify the individuals, groups and organizations whose cooperation you will require to achieve your goals. Make a list of them and then organize the list in order of importance. Then ask yourself, "How am I going to win their cooperation?"

Answer Everyone's Favorite Question

Everybody wants to know, "what's in it for me?" The effective executive is always looking for ways to help or assist others knowing that this is the only sure way to create within them a desire to help you to achieve your goals.

By doing the unexpected, by following up and following through, and by constantly looking for ways to get other people to cooperate with you, you will accomplish more in a shorter time than you might ever have imagined.

Action Exercises
Here are two things you can do immediately to apply these ideas in your business and in your work:

First, look at your job, especially the areas where you are experiencing frustration, and question whether or not there is a completely different way of approaching your problem or situation. Do the unexpected. Perhaps you should be doing exactly the opposite of what you are doing today. All success in business comes from surprising the competition in some way.

Second, identify the people, groups and organizations whose assistance you will need to achieve your goal. Continually look for ways to earn their support and cooperation by thinking in terms of what is in it for them.

The Continuous Improvement Formula By: Brian Tracy

Put Your Career on the Fast Track
There are many things you can do to put your career onto the fast track. You can set clear, specific goals for each area of your life and then make plans to accomplish them. You can plan your work and work your plan.

Ask For Greater Responsibility
You can accept 100% responsibility for everything you are and everything you become. You can refuse to make excuses or to blame others. You can tell your boss that you want greater responsibilities and then when you get them, put your whole heart into doing an excellent job.

Utilize Your Inborn Talents
In the parable of the talents in the New Testament, Jesus says, "Oh good and faithful servant, you have been faithful over small things. I will make you master over large things."

If you too will carry out every assignment to the very best of your ability, you will be given larger and more important things to do and you'll be paid more as a result.

"Master your time and master your life!"
Wouldn't you like to have more time to do the things you like, be with the people that make you happy, and also make more money?

It's easy… become the master of your time. I have created a practical and simple program on time management to help you achieve the outstanding life you deserve. Click for more >>

Dedicate Yourself to Continuous Improvement
The key to long term success is for you to dedicate yourself to continuous improvement. If you become one tenth of one percent more productive each day, that amounts to 1/1000th improvement per working day. Is that possible? Of course it is!

Improve A Little At A Time
If you become one tenth of one percent more productive each day, that amounts to one half of one percent more productive each week. One half of one percent more productive each week amounts to two percent more productive each month and 26% more productive each year.

The cumulative effect if becoming a tiny bit better at your field and more productive amounts to a tremendous increase in your value and your output over time.

How to Double Your Productivity
Twenty-six percent more productive each year, with compounding, amounts to doubling your overall productivity and performance every 2.7 years. If you become 26% more productive each year, with compounding, times 10 years, you will be 1004% more productive over the next decade. That is an increase of ten times over ten years.

The Reason For All Great Successes
This is called the Law of Accumulation, or the Principle of Incremental Improvement. It is the primary reason for all great success stories. By the yard, it's hard. But inch by inch, anything's a cinch!

Become A 1000% Person
Make a decision, right now, to be a 1000% person. Commit yourself to continuous personal and professional development. Read, listen to audio programs and take additional courses. This process will completely transform your life.

Action Exercises
Here are two things you can do to put these ideas into action immediately.

First, make a plan to become a little bit better every single day. Learn and apply one new idea each day to help you to become more productive and effective at your work. The incremental effect will amaze you.

Second, be patient. Don't expect overnight changes or instant results. Remember the story of the tortoise and the hare. Become a little bit better each day and your future will take care of itself.

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.

The four parts of visualization by Brian Tracy

Did you know that there are four parts of visualization that you can learn and practice to assure that you use this incredible power to its best advantage all the days of your life.

How Often?

The first aspect of visualization is frequency, the number of times that you visualize a particular goal as achieved of yourself performing in an excellent way in a particular event or circumstance. The more frequently you repeat a clear mental picture of your very best performance or result, the more rapidly it will appear as part of your reality.

How Long?

The second element of visualization is the duration of the mental image, the length of time that you can hold the picture in your mind each time you replay it. When you deeply relax, you can often hold a mental picture of yourself performing at your best for several seconds, and even several minutes. The longer you can hold your mental picture, the more deeply it will be impressed into your subconscious mind and the more rapidly it will express itself in your subsequent performance.

How Clearly?

The third element of visualization is vividness. There is a direct relationship between how clearly you can see your desired goal or result in your mind and how quickly it comes into your reality. This element of visualization is what explains the powers of the Law of Attraction and the Law of Correspondence. The vividness of your desire directly determines how quickly it materializes in the world around you. Here is an interesting point. When you set a new goal for yourself, your image or picture of this goal will usually be vague and fuzzy. But the more often you write it, review it, and repeat it mentally, the clearer it becomes for you. Eventually, it will become crystal clear. At that point, the goal will suddenly appear in your world exactly as you imagined it.

How Intensely?

The fourth element of visualization is intensity, the amount of emotion that you attach to your visual image. In reality, this is the most important and powerful part of the visualization process. Sometimes, if your emotion is intense enough and your visual image is clear enough, your goal will immediately come true.

Of course, the elements of frequency, duration, vividness, and intensity can help you or hurt you. Like nature, the power of visualization is neutral. Like a two-edged sword, it can cut in either direction. It can either make you a success or make you a failure. Visualization brings you whatever you vividly and intensely imagine, whether good or bad.

Action Exercise

Continually feed your mind with clear, exciting, emotional pictures. Remember, your imagination is your preview of life's coming attractions

WHERE DO GREAT SALESPEOPLE COME FROM? by Jeffrey Gitomer

Which came first, the salesperson or the egg? This is the enigma (or should I say the eneggma) of the evolution of the right salesperson.

The mystery of finding, interviewing, hiring, growing, and retaining great sales people is critical to your success. Where do they come from? How do you hire the best one? How do get them to grow to be great?

At a recent seminar on the subject, I began by asking five questions, so I could understand the audience's needs better. To my surprise, the questions actually provided the solutions they were looking for. It gave the group an introspective look at their own sales people and sales process -- and at the same time gave them solutions.

I'm going to repeat that seminar introduction for you right now. If you want to find out the secret behind attracting and growing great salespeople in your organization, go get a flip chart or a blank computer screen and take this self-analysis.

Ask yourself these five questions. These five will lead to more questions and actions. The answers to these action items and questions (*) will define the sales person and
the sales process at your company. Those answers will lead you to the beginning of your search for the perfect salesperson, and will identify the strengths and weaknesses
of your existing team. All secrets will be revealed if you just take a hard look at yourself. WOW. Here goes:

1. What constitutes a great salesperson?

Someone with characteristics like: Has a positive attitude. Is hungry. Can communicate well. Is self-motivated. Takes criticism well. Has a good track record. Is solution-oriented. Looks professional. Is persistent. Can take rejection. Here are the action items and questions:

* List every characteristic you need in a great salesperson.
* Do your salespeople possess these characteristics?
* What are you doing to help them acquire them?
* Will you hire someone without them?

2. Where did you (do you) find your great salespeople?

Salespeople don't just appear -- and they usually don't respond to newspaper ads. Here are the action items and questions:

* List the places you're most likely to find a good person (competitor's parking lots are not a place).
* Where are you looking for yours?
* Where did you find your present team?
* Did advertising work?
* Where should you network to find good people?
* What is your game plan to find the right person?

3. Why did your present team join you?

What made your present staff say yes to the offer you made them? What are the biggest benefits of working for you? Here are the action items and questions:

* List the benefits and the lures of working for your company.
* Did you have to do a sales-job to get salespeople to join you?
* Are you attractive enough to get salespeople to call you?
* What do you need to add or change to attract the right salesperson?

4. Why did you fire them?

It was all their fault -- or was it? You're the one who hired them. At one time you thought they were great. What happened? Here are the action items and questions:

* List the reasons they were fired.
* What happened between the interview and the job performance?
* What could you have done differently?
* What do you need to add or change so that more don't get the axe?

5. Why did they leave (fire) you?

This is the toughest reality -- and the biggest area of denial. They left for a reason -- and it's critical you find the truth and deal with it. You create the legacy for the destiny of your sales force, not them. Here are the action items and questions:

* List the reasons you were fired (they left).
* What could you have done to prevent it?
* Will they continue to leave?
* Are you investing in your salespeople (to make them better)?
* What do you need to add or change so that more don't leave?

5.5 Take positive action. Salespeople are your most valuable resource. Invest time in writing the definitions; creating and cultivating the environment necessary to attract them; identifying who's right for your company's culture; and making a proactive, positive plan to keep them. (Keep in mind the reality that unless someone sells
something, there's no reason for anyone else to come to work.)

If you make your own chart of:

* what characteristics you want,
* where to search,
* why they'll join,
* how you'll interview them,
* why you will fire them and how to prevent it,
* why they fire you and how to prevent it --

Your answers will be apparent -- and the puzzle of getting great salespeople will be solved. Almost.

Integrity - Its gone Missing ...

Adherence To Moral And Ethical Principles; Soundness Of Moral Character; Honesty.

Integrity is a concept of consistency of actions, values, methods, measures, principles, expectations, and outcomes. In ethics, integrity is regarded as the honesty and truthfulness or accuracy of one's actions. Integrity can be regarded as the opposite of hypocrisy, in that it regards internal consistency as a virtue, and suggests that parties holding apparently conflicting values should account for the discrepancy or alter their beliefs.

The word "integrity" stems from the Latin adjective integer (whole, complete). In this context, integrity is the inner sense of "wholeness" deriving from qualities such as honesty and consistency of character. As such, one may judge that others "have integrity" to the extent that they act according to the values, beliefs and principles they claim to hold.

A value system's abstraction depth and range of applicable interaction may also function as significant factors in identifying integrity due to their congruence or lack of congruence with observation. A value system may evolve over time while retaining integrity if those who espouse the values account for and resolve inconsistencies.

How can you adhere To Moral And Ethical Principles when there is NONE?

Moral Character? - There is only Lying, Cheating, Back Stabbing and My Favorite - RIPPING PEOPLE OFF - Do they qualify as morals now?

Honesty? - Now there's a good joke

Tired lah ...

Maintaining Honesty and Integrity by Jim Rohn

For a leader, honesty and integrity are absolutely essential to survival. A lot of business people don't realize how closely they're being watched by their subordinates. Remember when you were a kid in grammar school, how you used to sit there staring at your teacher all day? By the end of the school year, you could do a perfect imitation of all your teacher's mannerisms. You were aware of the slightest nuances in your teacher's voice - all the little clues that distinguished levels of meaning, that told you the difference between bluff and "now I mean business".

And you were able to do that after eight or nine months of observation. Suppose you had five or 10 years. Do you think there would have been anything about your teacher you didn't know?

Now fast forward and use that analogy as a manager. Do you think there's anything your people don't know about you right this minute? If you haven't been totally aboveboard and honest with them, do you really think you've gotten away with it? Not too likely. But if you've been led to believe that you've gotten away with it, there might be a good probability that people are afraid of you, and that's a problem in its own right.

But there is another side of this coin. In any organization, people want to believe in their leaders. If you give them reason to trust you, they're not going to go looking for reasons to think otherwise, and they'll be just as perceptive about your positive qualities as they are about the negative ones.

A situation that happened some years ago at a company in the Midwest illustrates this perfectly. The wife of a new employee experienced complications in the delivery of a baby. There was a medical bill of more than $10,000, and the health insurance company didn't want to cover it. The employee hadn't been on the payroll long enough, the pregnancy was a preexisting condition, etc,etc,..

In any case, the employee was desperate. He approached the company CEO and asked him to talk to the insurance people. The CEO agreed, and the next thing the employee knew, the bill was gone and the charges were rescinded. Then he told some colleagues about the way the CEO had so readily used his influence with the insurance company, they just shook their heads and smiled. The CEO had paid the bill out of his own pocket, and everybody knew it, no matter how quietly it had been done.

Now an act of dishonesty can't be hidden either, and it will instantly undermine the authority of a leader. But an act of integrity and kindness like the example above is just as obvious to all concerned. When you're in a leadership position, you have the choice of how you will be seen, but you Will be seen one way or the other, make no mistake about it.

One of the most challenging areas of leadership is your family. Leadership of a family demands even higher standards of honesty and integrity, and the stakes are higher too. You can replace disgruntled employees and start over. You can even get a new job for yourself, if it comes to that. But your family can't be shuffled like a deck of cards. If you haven't noticed, kids are great moral philosophers, especially as they get into adolescence. They're determined to discover and expose any kind of hypocrisy, phoniness, or lack of integrity on the part of authority figures, and if we're parents, that means us. It's frightening how unforgiving kids can be about this, but it really isn't a conscious decision on their part; it's just a necessary phase of growing up.

They're testing everything, especially their parents.

As a person of integrity yourself, you'll find it easy to teach integrity to your kids, and they in turn will find it easy to accept you as a teacher. This is a great opportunity and also a supreme responsibility, because kids simply must be taught to tell the truth: to mean what they say and to say what they mean.

"Praise is one the world's most effective teaching and leadership tools. Criticism and blame, even if deserved, are counter productive unless all other approaches have failed."

Now for the other side of the equation, we all know people who have gotten ahead as a result of dishonest or unethical behavior. When you're a kid, you might naively think that never happens, but when you get older, you realize that it does. Then you think you've really wised up. But that's not the real end of it. When you get older, you see the long-term consequences of dishonest gain, and you realize that in the end it doesn't pay.

"Hope of dishonest gain is the beginning of loss". I don't think that old saying refers to loss of money. I think it actually means loss of self-respect. You can have all the material things in the world, but if you've lost respect for yourself, what do you really have? The only way to ever attain success and enjoy it is to achieve it honestly with pride in what you've done.

This isn't just a sermon, it's very practical advice. Not only can you take it to heart - you can take it to the bank.

Becoming a Person of Integrity By: Brian Tracy

Integrity is a value, like persistence, courage and industriousness. Even more than that, it is the value that guarantees all the other values. You are a good person to the degree to which you live your life consistent with the highest values that you espouse. Integrity is the quality that locks in your values and causes you to live consistent with them.

Integrity is the foundation of character. And character development is one of the most important activities you can engage in. Working on your character means disciplining yourself to do more and more of those things that a thoroughly honest person would do, under all circumstances.

To be impeccably honest with others, you must first be impeccably honest with yourself. You must be true to yourself. You must be true to the very best that is in you, to the very best that you know. Only a person who is living consistent with his or her highest values and virtues is really living a life of integrity. And when you commit to living this kind of life, you will find yourself continually raising your own standards, continually refining your definition of integrity and honesty.

You can tell how high your level of integrity is by simply looking at the things you do in your day-to-day life. You can look at your reactions and responses to the inevitable ups and downs of life. You can observe the behaviors you typically engage in and you will then know the person you are.

The external manifestation of high integrity is high-quality work. A person who is totally honest with himself or herself will be someone who does, or strives to do, excellent work on every occasion. The totally honest person recognizes, sometimes unconsciously, that everything he or she does is a statement about who he or she really is as a person.

When you start a little earlier, work a little harder, stay a little later and concentrate on every detail, you are practicing integrity in your work. And whether you know it or not, your true level of integrity is apparent and obvious to everyone around you.

Perhaps the most important rule you will ever learn is that your life only becomes better when you become better.

All of life is lived from the inside out. At the very core of your personality lie your values about yourself and life in general. Your values determine the kind of person you really are. What you believe has defined your character and your personality. It is what you stand for, and what you wont stand for, that tells you and the world the kind of person you have become.

Ask yourself this question: What are your five most important values in life? Your answer will reveal an enormous amount about you. What would you pay for, sacrifice for, suffer for and even die for? What would you stand up for, or refuse to lie down for? What are the values that you hold most dear? Think these questions through carefully and, when you get a chance, write down your answers. Heres another way of asking that question. What men and women, living or dead, do you most admire? Once you pick three or four men or women, the next question is: Why do you admire them? What values, qualities, or virtues do they have that you respect and look up to? Can you articulate those qualities? What is a quality possessed by human beings in general that you most respect? This is the starting point for determining your values. The answers to these questions form the foundation of your character and your personality.

Once you have determined your five major values, you should now organize them in order of importance. What is your first, most important value? What is your second value? What is your third value? And so on. Ranking your values is one of the very best and fastest ways to define your character.

Remember, a higher order value will always take precedence over a lower order value. Whenever you are forced to choose between acting on one value or another, you always choose the value that is the highest on your own personal hierarchy.

Who you are, in your heart, is evidenced by what you do on a day-to-day basis, especially when you are pushed into a position where you have to make a choice between two values or alternatives. Ralph Waldo Emerson said, Guard your integrity as a sacred thing. In study after study, the quality of integrity, or a persons adherence to values, ranks as the number one quality sought in every field. When it comes to determining whom they will do business with, customers rank the honesty of a salesperson as the most important single quality. Even if a they feel that a salespersons product, quality and price is superior, customers will not buy from that salesperson if they feel that he or she is lacking in honesty and character.

Likewise, integrity is the number one quality of leadership. Integrity in leadership is expressed in terms of constancy and consistency. It is manifested in an absolute devotion to keeping ones word. The glue that holds all relationships together-including the relationship between the leader and the led-is trust, and trust is based on integrity.

Integrity is so important that functioning in our society would be impossible without it. We could not make even a simple purchase without a high level of confidence that the price was honest and that the change was correct. The most successful individuals and companies in America are those with reputations of high integrity among everyone they deal with. This level of integrity builds the confidence that others have in them and enables them to do more business than their competitors whose ethics may be a little shaky. Earl Nightingale once wrote, If honesty did not exist, it would have to be invented, as it is the surest way of getting rich. A study at Harvard University concluded that the most valuable asset that a company has is how it is known to its customers, its reputation.

By the same token, your greatest personal asset is the way that you are known to your customers. It is your personal reputation for keeping your word and fulfilling your commitments. Your integrity precedes you and affects all of your interactions with other people. There are several things you can do to move you more rapidly toward becoming the kind of person that you know you are capable of becoming. The first, as I mentioned, is to decide upon your five most important values in life. Organize them in order of priority. Then write a brief paragraph defining what each of those values means to you. A value combined with a definition becomes an organizing principle, a statement that you can use to help you make better decisions. It is a measure and standard which enables you to know how closely you are adhering to your innermost beliefs and convictions.

The second step to developing integrity and character in yourself is to study men and women of great character. Study the lives and stories of people like George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Winston Churchill, Florence Nightingale, Susan B. Anthony and Margaret Thatcher. Study the people whose strength of character enabled them to change their world. As you read, think about how they would behave if they were facing the difficulties that you face.

Napoleon Hill, in his book, The Master Key to Riches, tells about how he created an imaginary board of personal advisors made up of great figures of history. He chose people like Napoleon, Lincoln, Jesus, and Alexander the Great. Whenever he had to make a decision, he would relax deeply and then imagine that the members of his advisory council were sitting at a large table in front of him. He would then ask them what he should do to deal effectively with a particular situation. In time, they would begin to give him answers, observations, and insights that helped him to see more clearly and act more effectively.

You can do the same thing. Select someone that you very much admire for their qualities of courage, tenacity, honesty, or wisdom. Ask yourself, What would Jesus do in my situation? or, What would Lincoln do if he were here at this time? You will find yourself with guidance that enables you to be the very best person that you can possible be.

The third and most important step in building your integrity has to do with formulating your approach based on the psychology of human behavior. We know that if you feel a particular way, you will act in a manner consistent with that feeling. For example, if you feel happy, you will act happy. If you feel angry, you will act angry. If you feel courageous, you will act courageously.

But we also know that you don't always start off feeling the way you want to. However, because of the Law of Reversibility, if you act as if you had a particular feeling, the action will generate the feeling consistent with it. You can, in effect, act your way into feeling. You can fake it until you make it.

You can become a superior human being by consciously acting exactly as the kind of person that you would most like to become. If you behave like an individual of integrity, courage, resolution, persistence and character, you will soon create within yourself the mental structure and habits of such a person. Your actions will become your reality. You will create a personality that is consistent with your highest aspirations.

The more you walk, talk, and behave consistent with your highest values, the more you will like yourself and the better you will feel about yourself. Your self-image will improve and your level of self-acceptance will go up. You will feel stronger, bolder, and more capable of facing any challenge.

There are three primary areas of your life where acting with integrity is crucial. These are the three areas of greatest temptation for forsaking your integrity, as well as the areas of greatest opportunity for building your integrity. When you listen to your inner voice and do what you know to be the right thing in each of these areas, you will have a sense of peace and satisfaction that will lead you on to success and high achievement.

The first area of integrity has to do with your relationships with your family and your friends, the people close to you. Being true to yourself means living in truth with each person in your life. It means refusing to say or do something that you dont believe is right. Living in truth with other people means that you refuse to stay in any situation where you are unhappy with the behavior of another person. You refuse to tolerate it. You refuse to compromise. Psychologists have determined that most stress and negativity comes from attempting to live in a way that is not congruent with your highest values. It is when your life is out of alignment, when you are doing and saying one thing on the outside, but really feeling and believing something different on the inside, that you feel most unhappy. When you decide to become an individual of character and integrity, your first action will be to neutralize or remove all difficult relationships from your life.

This doesnt mean that you have to go and hit somebody over the head with a stick. It simply means that you honestly confront another person and tell them that you are not happy. Tell them that you would like to reorganize this relationship so that you feel more content and satisfied. If the other person is not willing to make adjustments so that you can be happy, it should be clear to you that you don't want to be in this relationship much longer anyway. The second area of integrity has to do with your attitude and behavior toward money. Casualness toward money brings casualties in your financial life. You must be fastidious about your treatment of money, especially other peoples money. You must guard your credit rating the same way you would guard your honor. You must pay your bills punctually, or even early. You must keep your promises with regard to your financial commitments.

The third area of integrity has to do with your commitments to others, especially in your business, your work and your sales activities. Always keep your word. Be a man or a woman of honor. If you say that you will do something, do it. If you make a promise, keep it. If you make a commitment, fulfill it. Be known as the kind of person that can be trusted absolutely, no matter what the circumstances.

Your integrity is manifested in your willingness to adhere to the values you hold most dear. Its easy to make promises and hard to keep them, but if you do, every single act of integrity will make your character a little stronger. And as you improve the quality and strength of your character, every other part of your life will improve as well.