Adopted from Jim Rohn
We are not born with courage, but neither are we born with fear. Maybe some fears are brought on by your own experiences, by what someone has told you, by what you've read in the papers. Some fears are valid, like walking alone in a bad part of town at two o'clock in the morning. But once you learn to avoid that situation, you won't need to live in fear of it.
Fears, even the most basic ones, can totally destroy our ambitions. Fear can destroy fortunes. Fear can destroy relationships. Fear, if left unchecked, can destroy our lives. Fear is one of the many enemies lurking inside us.
Let me tell you about five of the other enemies we face from within:
The first enemy that you've got to destroy before it destroys you is indifference. What a tragic disease this is. "Ho-hum, let it slide. I'll just drift along." Here's one problem with drifting: you can't drift your way to the top of the mountain.
The second enemy we face is indecision. Indecision is the thief of opportunity and enterprise. It will steal your chances for a better future. Take a sword to this enemy.
The third enemy inside is doubt. Sure, there's room for healthy skepticism. You can't believe everything. But you also can't let doubt take over. Many people doubt the past, doubt the future, doubt each other, doubt the government, doubt the possibilities and doubt the opportunities. Worst of all, they doubt themselves. I'm telling you, doubt will destroy your life and your chances of success. It will empty both your bank account and your heart. Doubt is an enemy. Go after it. Get rid of it.
The fourth enemy within is worry. We've all got to worry some. Just don't let it conquer you. Instead, let it alarm you. Worry can be useful. If you step off the curb in New York City and a taxi is coming, you've got to worry. But you can't let worry loose like a mad dog that drives you into a small corner. Here's what you've got to do with your worries: drive them into a small corner. Whatever is out to get you, you've got to get it. Whatever is pushing on you, you've got to push back.
The fifth interior enemy is over-caution. It is the timid approach to life. Timidity is not a virtue; it's an illness. If you let it go, it'll conquer you. Timid people don't get promoted. They don't advance and grow and become powerful in the marketplace. You've got to avoid over-caution.
Do battle with the enemy. Do battle with your fears. Build your courage to fight what's holding you back, what's keeping you from your goals and dreams. Be courageous in your life and in your pursuit of the things you want and the person you want to become.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
7 Principles to Maximize Your Profits in Any Market
ADOPTED FROM BRIAN TRACY
The most pressing problem or need facing business owners today is the ability to attract more customers and make more sales.
There are seven essential elements of high profit businesses. In times of turbulence and rapid change, when all bets are off in the current economy, it is essential that you come back to these seven principles over and over again. Here they are.
Principle One: Become a Great Leader.
The fact is that the best businesses have the best leaders, at every level. The job of the leader is to establish the vision, values, mission, purpose and goals of the company. If the leader is not absolutely clear about each one of these, it is not possible for anyone else in the company to be clear about them either.
The leader’s job is to lead. It is to make the critical decisions that determine the fate and future of the business. The job of the leader is to be clear about what he or she wants to accomplish and then get everyone in the company focused on that end goal.
The leader must be goal-oriented. He/She must have clear, specific written goals and plans to achieve each critical business objective, especially those of sales, cash flow and profitability.
The leader must be result-oriented. He must focus the limited resources of the company on those areas where the greatest results are possible.
In addition, you must be people-oriented, solution-oriented, sales-oriented, and cash flow-oriented. These are the requirements of leadership in a turbulent business in a tough market economy.
Principle Two: Develop a Great Business Plan.
The process of developing a business plan forces you to think through every critical element that will determine your business success. You must have a plan for selecting your products and services, developing your marketing, selecting the right people, getting the money you need, designing your sales process, arranging for distribution, service and collection of payments, and many other factors.
Especially, you must be absolutely clear about the critical numbers in your business. There is always one number that is more indicative and predictive of your success than any other and you must decide what it is. It may be number of sales, size of sales, profitability of sales, number of repeat purchases per customer, or rate of growth. There are thirty-five different measures that may be applicable to your business and you must be absolutely clear about which measure is most important to you.
Principle Three: Surround Yourself with Great People.
Your ability to interview, select, hire and deploy excellent people is the control valve on your success in business. Fortunately, you can become excellent at the process of finding and keeping good people with a little instruction, guidance and practice.
The best companies have the best people. The second best companies have the second best people. The third best companies are on their way out of business. Sometimes, the selection or de-selection of a single person can have a major difference on your business results.
Principle Four: Offer a Great Product or Service.
This is perhaps the most important element of business success. The product or service must be truly excellent. It must cause customers to say, upon using your product or service, that, “This is a great product!”
This is where the rubber meets the road. This is where your business intelligence most shows itself. This is where you demonstrate that you are on the high road to greater sales and profitability. It is when you can continually focus on making your product or service so attractive and helpful that people literally want to tear it out of your hands.
Fortunately, most products start off as average or below average. They are then improved over time, making them more and more attractive and desirable to more and more customers until people start to say, “This is a great product!” This is one of the most important strategies and skills that you learn in our book.
Principle Five: Develop a Great Marketing Plan.
In reality, all strategy is marketing strategy. The key to success or failure in your business, once you have an excellent product or service to sell, is to attract more qualified prospects to your offerings.
Your marketing plan must position your product or service as the most desirable and attractive of all similar products or services available in your market at this time. You must practice specialization, differentiation, segmentation, and concentration. You and your team must be absolutely excellent, every single day, at getting the phone to ring, at getting more and more people to call you and contact you to learn more about your products and services.
Your marketing plan will determine your success or failure as much, if not more, than any other single factor.
Principle Six: Perfect a Great Sales Process.
The rule is that, “nothing happens until a sale takes place.” It is amazing how many companies have excellent products and services, excellent people, and excellent plans, but they have given little or no thought to the sales process. The sales process refers to every single point of contact that you have with a potential customer, from the first time they see or hear about you, all the way through to the closing of the sale and the payment of the price you charge.
You and your sales team must be excellent at prospecting, establishing rapport, identifying needs accurately, presenting persuasively, answering objections, closing the sale, and getting re-sales and referrals from happy customers.
One small improvement in any one of these key areas can lead to dramatic improvements in the number of sales you make, the amount of cash you have coming in, and the profitability of your business.
Principle Seven: Create a Great Customer Experience.
In the final analysis, your ability to satisfy your customers at such a high level that they say, “This is a great company!” and they want to buy from you again, and bring their friends, is the key determinant of your success.
The key to a great customer experience is to make your customers feel happy, pleased, satisfied and wonderful about dealing with you. This is something that you must work on, in competition with every other company who wants to offer a great customer experience. Fortunately, there are specific, proven, tested methods and techniques that you can use to get your customers to come back to you over and over again, and to refer you enthusiastically to others.
The most pressing problem or need facing business owners today is the ability to attract more customers and make more sales.
There are seven essential elements of high profit businesses. In times of turbulence and rapid change, when all bets are off in the current economy, it is essential that you come back to these seven principles over and over again. Here they are.
Principle One: Become a Great Leader.
The fact is that the best businesses have the best leaders, at every level. The job of the leader is to establish the vision, values, mission, purpose and goals of the company. If the leader is not absolutely clear about each one of these, it is not possible for anyone else in the company to be clear about them either.
The leader’s job is to lead. It is to make the critical decisions that determine the fate and future of the business. The job of the leader is to be clear about what he or she wants to accomplish and then get everyone in the company focused on that end goal.
The leader must be goal-oriented. He/She must have clear, specific written goals and plans to achieve each critical business objective, especially those of sales, cash flow and profitability.
The leader must be result-oriented. He must focus the limited resources of the company on those areas where the greatest results are possible.
In addition, you must be people-oriented, solution-oriented, sales-oriented, and cash flow-oriented. These are the requirements of leadership in a turbulent business in a tough market economy.
Principle Two: Develop a Great Business Plan.
The process of developing a business plan forces you to think through every critical element that will determine your business success. You must have a plan for selecting your products and services, developing your marketing, selecting the right people, getting the money you need, designing your sales process, arranging for distribution, service and collection of payments, and many other factors.
Especially, you must be absolutely clear about the critical numbers in your business. There is always one number that is more indicative and predictive of your success than any other and you must decide what it is. It may be number of sales, size of sales, profitability of sales, number of repeat purchases per customer, or rate of growth. There are thirty-five different measures that may be applicable to your business and you must be absolutely clear about which measure is most important to you.
Principle Three: Surround Yourself with Great People.
Your ability to interview, select, hire and deploy excellent people is the control valve on your success in business. Fortunately, you can become excellent at the process of finding and keeping good people with a little instruction, guidance and practice.
The best companies have the best people. The second best companies have the second best people. The third best companies are on their way out of business. Sometimes, the selection or de-selection of a single person can have a major difference on your business results.
Principle Four: Offer a Great Product or Service.
This is perhaps the most important element of business success. The product or service must be truly excellent. It must cause customers to say, upon using your product or service, that, “This is a great product!”
This is where the rubber meets the road. This is where your business intelligence most shows itself. This is where you demonstrate that you are on the high road to greater sales and profitability. It is when you can continually focus on making your product or service so attractive and helpful that people literally want to tear it out of your hands.
Fortunately, most products start off as average or below average. They are then improved over time, making them more and more attractive and desirable to more and more customers until people start to say, “This is a great product!” This is one of the most important strategies and skills that you learn in our book.
Principle Five: Develop a Great Marketing Plan.
In reality, all strategy is marketing strategy. The key to success or failure in your business, once you have an excellent product or service to sell, is to attract more qualified prospects to your offerings.
Your marketing plan must position your product or service as the most desirable and attractive of all similar products or services available in your market at this time. You must practice specialization, differentiation, segmentation, and concentration. You and your team must be absolutely excellent, every single day, at getting the phone to ring, at getting more and more people to call you and contact you to learn more about your products and services.
Your marketing plan will determine your success or failure as much, if not more, than any other single factor.
Principle Six: Perfect a Great Sales Process.
The rule is that, “nothing happens until a sale takes place.” It is amazing how many companies have excellent products and services, excellent people, and excellent plans, but they have given little or no thought to the sales process. The sales process refers to every single point of contact that you have with a potential customer, from the first time they see or hear about you, all the way through to the closing of the sale and the payment of the price you charge.
You and your sales team must be excellent at prospecting, establishing rapport, identifying needs accurately, presenting persuasively, answering objections, closing the sale, and getting re-sales and referrals from happy customers.
One small improvement in any one of these key areas can lead to dramatic improvements in the number of sales you make, the amount of cash you have coming in, and the profitability of your business.
Principle Seven: Create a Great Customer Experience.
In the final analysis, your ability to satisfy your customers at such a high level that they say, “This is a great company!” and they want to buy from you again, and bring their friends, is the key determinant of your success.
The key to a great customer experience is to make your customers feel happy, pleased, satisfied and wonderful about dealing with you. This is something that you must work on, in competition with every other company who wants to offer a great customer experience. Fortunately, there are specific, proven, tested methods and techniques that you can use to get your customers to come back to you over and over again, and to refer you enthusiastically to others.
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Einstein's Ability to Risk and Willingness to Be Wrong
ADOPTED FROM JIM ROHN
The early life of Albert Einstein gives us some clues to the great man that he would become. He was never one to dominate conversation to prove his intellect. Even as a child he didn’t talk much. It has been said that he didn’t talk until the age of 3 (there are conflicting accounts on this). However, what is not conflicting is that it took him a little longer to talk than the average child. But, we must remember that Albert Einstein was far from average.
Einstein’s parents hardly coddled their firstborn. They gave him tremendous freedom to roam and grow. This no doubt had a positive outcome on his development. When he was just 4 years old, he was allowed to roam the neighborhood alone. Believe it or not, his parents even encouraged him to cross the street on his own at this young age. They watched the first few times to ensure that he looked both ways, but soon he was on his own doing this.
Now, keep in mind when he was crossing the street he wasn’t dodging Fords, Chevrolets, Mercedes or cars with a lot of horsepower. He was dodging only true horse power! In other words, he was dodging horse-drawn carriages. But, it was still very dangerous for this young child. In our world today, I would not encourage my 4-year-old to roam the neighborhood alone or even allow him near the street. With that being said, the principles of self-reliance and risk that Einstein’s parents implemented in his life are ones that we can perhaps model on a smaller scale. Einstein certainly modeled this behavior with his own son on a smaller scale.
In his late 20s, Einstein moved to Zurich with his first wife, Mileva, and their son. Friedrich Adler was living near Einstein and they became great friends. They would often get together to share ideas. Oftentimes their sons would get rowdy and it would be hard for the two men to talk. Other parents might barge in and tell their sons to be quiet, that they are having a meeting. Not Adler and Einstein. These great thinkers would climb into the attic to carry on their conversation. They allowed their boys to grow and explore even if they were noisy.
His freedom as a child and the freedom he gave his son were in part due to his attitude on failure. He was not afraid to fail. After all, he tackled some of the most perplexing questions of our universe. Many would have shied away from tackling these questions simply because the rate of failure seemed extraordinarily high. However, it is evident that Einstein was not afraid to be wrong or to fail.
When Einstein was 50 years old, reporters were hounding him for an interview during the time in which he was working on a unified field theory. Put into layman’s terms, this meant he was working on a theory that would put the entire universe into a mathematical equation. He had the attention of the world. Reporters parked outside his home in hopes of an interview. Many kept all-night vigils waiting for the story. As a rule, Einstein did not chase the spotlight and dodged the requests often. It was the same in this instance as well. He did, however, allow an interview with one reporter from the New York Times. You see the New York Times was edited by Carr Van Anda, and Van Anda had found an error in one of Einstein’s previous equations. Imagine that! The editor of the New York Times finding an error in the math of Einstein! Don’t you think that Einstein must have been irate that the editor would point this out? He must have been insulted. Actually, on the contrary, Einstein was impressed and that is the reason he allowed an interview to this reporter from the New York Times. You see, Einstein was not afraid to be wrong, and when corrected he was not insulted.
At Princeton, Albert Einstein was more like a kindly uncle. When he arrived in 1935, he was asked what he would require for his study. He replied, “A desk, some pads and a pencil, and a large wastebasket—to hold all of my mistakes.”
Albert Einstein spent his last two decades trying to reconcile quantum physics with relativity. His holy grail—a so-called “Unified Field Theory”—eluded him. He once casually mentioned to a colleague that he was on the verge of his “greatest discovery ever,” before admitting that “it didn’t pan out” just two weeks later.
One day in his twilight years, he received a letter from a 15-year-old girl asking for help with a homework assignment. She soon received a curious reply: a page full of unintelligible diagrams, along with an attempt at consolation: “Do not worry about your difficulties in mathematics,” Einstein told her, “I can assure you that mine are much greater!”
The man who was the greatest success at mathematics also failed a lot at them. But that didn’t stop him from moving forward.
Not only was he willing to take risks in math, he also risked when he gambled. While attending a physics symposium in Las Vegas one year, Albert Einstein, to the astonishment of many of his sober-minded colleagues, spent a fair amount of time at the craps and roulette tables.
“Einstein is gambling as if there were no tomorrow,” an eminent physicist remarked one day. “What troubles me,” another replied, “is that he may know something!”
Too often in life, we attempt to spend all our energy demonstrating how we are right instead of accepting constructive criticism and getting better. This was not true of Einstein. Not only was he not afraid of being wrong, he was not afraid of being corrected. Ask yourself honestly: How do you respond when you are corrected? Do you lash out or are you grateful?
If you want to develop the mind of Einstein, you must not be afraid to fail and allow yourself the opportunity to fail. Herman Melville put it this way: “He who has never failed somewhere, that man cannot be great.”
Thomas Edison, when he was constructing the light bulb, built 1,000 prototypes that did not work before he successfully built one that we still use today. A reporter asked Edison how it felt to fail 1,000 times. Edison replied, “You misunderstand. I did not fail 1,000 times. I successfully found 1,000 ways that the light bulb would not work.” Edison, like Einstein, did not view failure the way so many do. They viewed it as acceptable and a way to learn and grow.
The fear of failure could have paralyzed Einstein and Edison, yet it did not. What about you? Are you so paralyzed with fear that you have settled for mediocrity? Don’t allow that to happen. Embrace risk and failure. Learn that it is okay to be wrong, and run headlong into the rewards of risk, as Einstein did.
The early life of Albert Einstein gives us some clues to the great man that he would become. He was never one to dominate conversation to prove his intellect. Even as a child he didn’t talk much. It has been said that he didn’t talk until the age of 3 (there are conflicting accounts on this). However, what is not conflicting is that it took him a little longer to talk than the average child. But, we must remember that Albert Einstein was far from average.
Einstein’s parents hardly coddled their firstborn. They gave him tremendous freedom to roam and grow. This no doubt had a positive outcome on his development. When he was just 4 years old, he was allowed to roam the neighborhood alone. Believe it or not, his parents even encouraged him to cross the street on his own at this young age. They watched the first few times to ensure that he looked both ways, but soon he was on his own doing this.
Now, keep in mind when he was crossing the street he wasn’t dodging Fords, Chevrolets, Mercedes or cars with a lot of horsepower. He was dodging only true horse power! In other words, he was dodging horse-drawn carriages. But, it was still very dangerous for this young child. In our world today, I would not encourage my 4-year-old to roam the neighborhood alone or even allow him near the street. With that being said, the principles of self-reliance and risk that Einstein’s parents implemented in his life are ones that we can perhaps model on a smaller scale. Einstein certainly modeled this behavior with his own son on a smaller scale.
In his late 20s, Einstein moved to Zurich with his first wife, Mileva, and their son. Friedrich Adler was living near Einstein and they became great friends. They would often get together to share ideas. Oftentimes their sons would get rowdy and it would be hard for the two men to talk. Other parents might barge in and tell their sons to be quiet, that they are having a meeting. Not Adler and Einstein. These great thinkers would climb into the attic to carry on their conversation. They allowed their boys to grow and explore even if they were noisy.
His freedom as a child and the freedom he gave his son were in part due to his attitude on failure. He was not afraid to fail. After all, he tackled some of the most perplexing questions of our universe. Many would have shied away from tackling these questions simply because the rate of failure seemed extraordinarily high. However, it is evident that Einstein was not afraid to be wrong or to fail.
When Einstein was 50 years old, reporters were hounding him for an interview during the time in which he was working on a unified field theory. Put into layman’s terms, this meant he was working on a theory that would put the entire universe into a mathematical equation. He had the attention of the world. Reporters parked outside his home in hopes of an interview. Many kept all-night vigils waiting for the story. As a rule, Einstein did not chase the spotlight and dodged the requests often. It was the same in this instance as well. He did, however, allow an interview with one reporter from the New York Times. You see the New York Times was edited by Carr Van Anda, and Van Anda had found an error in one of Einstein’s previous equations. Imagine that! The editor of the New York Times finding an error in the math of Einstein! Don’t you think that Einstein must have been irate that the editor would point this out? He must have been insulted. Actually, on the contrary, Einstein was impressed and that is the reason he allowed an interview to this reporter from the New York Times. You see, Einstein was not afraid to be wrong, and when corrected he was not insulted.
At Princeton, Albert Einstein was more like a kindly uncle. When he arrived in 1935, he was asked what he would require for his study. He replied, “A desk, some pads and a pencil, and a large wastebasket—to hold all of my mistakes.”
Albert Einstein spent his last two decades trying to reconcile quantum physics with relativity. His holy grail—a so-called “Unified Field Theory”—eluded him. He once casually mentioned to a colleague that he was on the verge of his “greatest discovery ever,” before admitting that “it didn’t pan out” just two weeks later.
One day in his twilight years, he received a letter from a 15-year-old girl asking for help with a homework assignment. She soon received a curious reply: a page full of unintelligible diagrams, along with an attempt at consolation: “Do not worry about your difficulties in mathematics,” Einstein told her, “I can assure you that mine are much greater!”
The man who was the greatest success at mathematics also failed a lot at them. But that didn’t stop him from moving forward.
Not only was he willing to take risks in math, he also risked when he gambled. While attending a physics symposium in Las Vegas one year, Albert Einstein, to the astonishment of many of his sober-minded colleagues, spent a fair amount of time at the craps and roulette tables.
“Einstein is gambling as if there were no tomorrow,” an eminent physicist remarked one day. “What troubles me,” another replied, “is that he may know something!”
Too often in life, we attempt to spend all our energy demonstrating how we are right instead of accepting constructive criticism and getting better. This was not true of Einstein. Not only was he not afraid of being wrong, he was not afraid of being corrected. Ask yourself honestly: How do you respond when you are corrected? Do you lash out or are you grateful?
If you want to develop the mind of Einstein, you must not be afraid to fail and allow yourself the opportunity to fail. Herman Melville put it this way: “He who has never failed somewhere, that man cannot be great.”
Thomas Edison, when he was constructing the light bulb, built 1,000 prototypes that did not work before he successfully built one that we still use today. A reporter asked Edison how it felt to fail 1,000 times. Edison replied, “You misunderstand. I did not fail 1,000 times. I successfully found 1,000 ways that the light bulb would not work.” Edison, like Einstein, did not view failure the way so many do. They viewed it as acceptable and a way to learn and grow.
The fear of failure could have paralyzed Einstein and Edison, yet it did not. What about you? Are you so paralyzed with fear that you have settled for mediocrity? Don’t allow that to happen. Embrace risk and failure. Learn that it is okay to be wrong, and run headlong into the rewards of risk, as Einstein did.
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
TOUCHING THE HEAVENLIES
After the long way to freedom,I have been evaluating my life and identified an area that needs maturity. The area of relationship. This is an area that has been a great challege from my childhood. I grew up in a pastor's family, where relationships with the opposite sex, were termed as wickedness. With this perspective being a major player in my habits, I hated wickedness with the whole of my heart. Any day my mind would think of a lady, I would kneel before God and curse my wicked mind. This was not to be so for long. The situation changed when I joined high school and met very able peers who expressed their emotions freely. I termed this as wickedness at first but soon realized that these guys were actually enjoying themselves. In my four years I had become a celebrity in breaking the heart of ladies. I would date a lady, then after going to bed with her,that would be the end of our affair. This habit become my character as I dated many ladies. After leaving high school,I joined college where freedom was guaranteed, I now had numberless affairs that lasted as long as we had not gone to bed. While this continued, I never knew that I was carving my destiny which was obviously not very good. Having left college and already making money, I decided to change for the best by giving my hand in marriage to a virgin girl. This to me would have tamed the wild Kiago. This conditioning worked for 1 year after our wedding. The worst happened when the monister resurfaced from its deserted pit. This time it was double what it used to be. Concurrent relationships made my day. I could not help sleeping out of my matrimonial home. My wife could not believe what I had amounted to. I never went to church, I drank wine in pubs and spent in lodges. My spiritual life was really affected. I could not help but venture into new relationships every dsy. I now want and desire change in my relationships. In the other areas, God has blessed me but in relationships, I need help.
With this mess, I have decided to write a book with the title: "Touching the heavenlies". The masterpiece will reveal all my romantic experiences and the lessons that can be picked from them.
I am still yours faithfully
Kiago
With this mess, I have decided to write a book with the title: "Touching the heavenlies". The masterpiece will reveal all my romantic experiences and the lessons that can be picked from them.
I am still yours faithfully
Kiago
Harness the Power of Your Associations
Jim Rohn says you become an average of the five people you associate with most. The people we spend our time with determine what conversations dominate our attention, and what observations, attitudes and opinions we repetitively are introduced to.
Spend your time with a team of high-achievers and you’ll be inspired to stretch for your next accomplishment, be it in your business, finances or personal agenda. On the converse, hang out with people who are “less than inspired” and you could quickly find yourself stagnant.
Evaluate and shift your associations into 3 categories:
1. Disassociation
There are some people you might need to break away from completely—these are negative, toxic people who infect you with their bad attitude. It’s difficult to ignore someone and their negative influences but doing so will put YOU in control of deciding the quality of life you want to have. Then surround yourself with the people who represent and support that vision.
2. Limited Associations
There are some people who you can spend three hours with, but not three days. Others you can spend three minutes with, but not three hours. Decide how much you can “afford” to be influenced, based on how those people represent themselves.
3. Expanded Associations
Whatever area of your life you want to see improvement in, find someone who represents the success you want, the parenting skills you want, the relationship you want, the lifestyle you want, and spend more time with those people. Join organizations, clubs, businesses and health clubs where these people are and make friends.
Decide who of your friends are the best influences and make more time for them; it’s an investment of time that will prove profitable.
Spend your time with a team of high-achievers and you’ll be inspired to stretch for your next accomplishment, be it in your business, finances or personal agenda. On the converse, hang out with people who are “less than inspired” and you could quickly find yourself stagnant.
Evaluate and shift your associations into 3 categories:
1. Disassociation
There are some people you might need to break away from completely—these are negative, toxic people who infect you with their bad attitude. It’s difficult to ignore someone and their negative influences but doing so will put YOU in control of deciding the quality of life you want to have. Then surround yourself with the people who represent and support that vision.
2. Limited Associations
There are some people who you can spend three hours with, but not three days. Others you can spend three minutes with, but not three hours. Decide how much you can “afford” to be influenced, based on how those people represent themselves.
3. Expanded Associations
Whatever area of your life you want to see improvement in, find someone who represents the success you want, the parenting skills you want, the relationship you want, the lifestyle you want, and spend more time with those people. Join organizations, clubs, businesses and health clubs where these people are and make friends.
Decide who of your friends are the best influences and make more time for them; it’s an investment of time that will prove profitable.
Thursday, September 9, 2010
LONG WALK TO FREEDOM
'Freedom is coming tomorrow' is a song that was done in South Africa as its citizen fought tirelesslly from the captivity of their colonial masters. Iam in my office today and thinking about my financial freedom. Your and My freedom are pegged on our daily efforts to be better than we were yesterday. The secret I have on this long walk is forever moving forward amidst obstacles. Have you ever desired something and realized that at first it looked very impossible, then when you achieved it become like play? then keep on desiring big things and you will forever get big results.
My experince this year has been very outstanding. I desired to venture into transport as from June this year, this happened in August when i acquired my first bus. I have come to the conclusion that "You get what you desire"
I Desire financial freedom before I turn forty. This is my financial desire and will pursue it with all have. What do you desire badly and cannot live without it?
I wish you a blessed evening.
My experince this year has been very outstanding. I desired to venture into transport as from June this year, this happened in August when i acquired my first bus. I have come to the conclusion that "You get what you desire"
I Desire financial freedom before I turn forty. This is my financial desire and will pursue it with all have. What do you desire badly and cannot live without it?
I wish you a blessed evening.
Monday, January 18, 2010
The Miracle Of Personal Development
Adopted from Jim Rohn
"If you want to be wealthy and happy, learn this lesson well: Learn to work harder on yourself than you do on your job.”
I’ve been working on my own personal development. And I must admit that this has been the most challenging assignment of all. This business of personal development lasts a lifetime.
You see, what you become is far more important than what you get. The important question to ask on the job is not, “What am I getting?” Instead, you should ask, “What am I becoming?” Getting and becoming are like Siamese twins: What you become directly influences what you get. Think of it this way: Most of what you have today you have attracted by becoming the person you are today.
I’ve also found that income rarely exceeds personal development. Sometimes income takes a lucky jump, but unless you learn to handle the responsibilities that come with it, it will usually shrink back to the amount you can handle.
If someone hands you a million dollars, you’d better hurry up and become a millionaire. A very rich man once said, “If you took all the money in the world and divided it equally among everybody, it would soon be back in the same pockets it was before.”
It is hard to keep that which has not been obtained through personal development.
So here’s the great axiom of life:
To have more than you’ve got, become more than you are.
This is where you should focus most of your attention. Otherwise, you just might have to contend with the axiom of not changing, which is:
Unless you change how you are, you’ll always have what you’ve got.
"If you want to be wealthy and happy, learn this lesson well: Learn to work harder on yourself than you do on your job.”
I’ve been working on my own personal development. And I must admit that this has been the most challenging assignment of all. This business of personal development lasts a lifetime.
You see, what you become is far more important than what you get. The important question to ask on the job is not, “What am I getting?” Instead, you should ask, “What am I becoming?” Getting and becoming are like Siamese twins: What you become directly influences what you get. Think of it this way: Most of what you have today you have attracted by becoming the person you are today.
I’ve also found that income rarely exceeds personal development. Sometimes income takes a lucky jump, but unless you learn to handle the responsibilities that come with it, it will usually shrink back to the amount you can handle.
If someone hands you a million dollars, you’d better hurry up and become a millionaire. A very rich man once said, “If you took all the money in the world and divided it equally among everybody, it would soon be back in the same pockets it was before.”
It is hard to keep that which has not been obtained through personal development.
So here’s the great axiom of life:
To have more than you’ve got, become more than you are.
This is where you should focus most of your attention. Otherwise, you just might have to contend with the axiom of not changing, which is:
Unless you change how you are, you’ll always have what you’ve got.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
2010
sori for not writing for a long time. try this stuff!
Action vs. Self-Delusion by Jim Rohn
Knowledge fueled by emotion equals action. Action is the ingredient that ensures results. Only action can cause reaction. Further, only positive action can cause positive reaction.
Action. The whole world loves to watch those who make things happen, and it rewards them for causing waves of productive enterprise.
I stress this because today I see many people who are really sold on affirmations. And yet there is a famous saying that “faith without action serves no useful purpose.” How true!
I have nothing against affirmations as a tool to create action. Repeated to reinforce a disciplined plan, affirmations can help create wonderful results.
But there is also a very thin line between faith and folly. You see, affirmations without action can be the beginnings of self-delusion. And for your well-being, there is little worse than self-delusion.
The man who dreams of wealth, and yet walks daily toward certain financial disaster, and the woman who wishes for happiness, and yet thinks thoughts and commits acts that lead her toward certain despair, are both victims of the false hope that affirmations without action can manufacture. Why? Because words soothe and, like a narcotic, they lull us into a state of complacency. Remember this: To make progress, you must actually get started!
The key is to take a step today. Whatever the project, start today. Start clearing out a drawer of your newly organized desk—today. Start setting your first goal—today. Start listening to motivational programs—today. Start a sensible weight-reduction plan—today. Start calling on one tough customer a day—today. Start putting money in your new “investment for fortune” account—today. Write a long-overdue letter—today. Anyone can! Even an uninspired person can start reading inspiring books.
Get some momentum going on your new commitment for the good life. See how many activities you can pile on your new commitment to the better life. Go all out! Break away from the downward pull of gravity. Start your thrusters going. Prove to yourself that the waiting is over and the hoping is past, that faith and action have now taken charge.
It’s a new day, a new beginning for your new life. With discipline, you will be amazed at how much progress you’ll be able to make. What have you got to lose except the guilt and fear of the past?
Now, I offer you this challenge: See how many things you can start and continue in this, the first day of your new beginning.
Action vs. Self-Delusion by Jim Rohn
Knowledge fueled by emotion equals action. Action is the ingredient that ensures results. Only action can cause reaction. Further, only positive action can cause positive reaction.
Action. The whole world loves to watch those who make things happen, and it rewards them for causing waves of productive enterprise.
I stress this because today I see many people who are really sold on affirmations. And yet there is a famous saying that “faith without action serves no useful purpose.” How true!
I have nothing against affirmations as a tool to create action. Repeated to reinforce a disciplined plan, affirmations can help create wonderful results.
But there is also a very thin line between faith and folly. You see, affirmations without action can be the beginnings of self-delusion. And for your well-being, there is little worse than self-delusion.
The man who dreams of wealth, and yet walks daily toward certain financial disaster, and the woman who wishes for happiness, and yet thinks thoughts and commits acts that lead her toward certain despair, are both victims of the false hope that affirmations without action can manufacture. Why? Because words soothe and, like a narcotic, they lull us into a state of complacency. Remember this: To make progress, you must actually get started!
The key is to take a step today. Whatever the project, start today. Start clearing out a drawer of your newly organized desk—today. Start setting your first goal—today. Start listening to motivational programs—today. Start a sensible weight-reduction plan—today. Start calling on one tough customer a day—today. Start putting money in your new “investment for fortune” account—today. Write a long-overdue letter—today. Anyone can! Even an uninspired person can start reading inspiring books.
Get some momentum going on your new commitment for the good life. See how many activities you can pile on your new commitment to the better life. Go all out! Break away from the downward pull of gravity. Start your thrusters going. Prove to yourself that the waiting is over and the hoping is past, that faith and action have now taken charge.
It’s a new day, a new beginning for your new life. With discipline, you will be amazed at how much progress you’ll be able to make. What have you got to lose except the guilt and fear of the past?
Now, I offer you this challenge: See how many things you can start and continue in this, the first day of your new beginning.
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