"We must teach our children not to spend their money a dollar at a time. If you spend your money a dollar at a time, you’ll wind up with trinkets instead of treasures. You can’t buy much of value a dollar at a time." —Jim Rohn
Month: November 2011
Here is your Friday story – Give Yourself the Gift of Gratitude
Here is your Friday story,
Give Yourself the Gift of Gratitude
For some, Thanksgiving is the beginning of a holiday season filled with joy and happiness at the prospect of spending time with family. For others, it's a sadder time blemished by bad memories or dread. Some people see their lives filled with abundant blessings and find thankfulness easy and natural; others are so pre-occupied with tending to past wounds or current crises that they simply don't feel grateful.
Regardless of where you fit on this spectrum, I hope you will approach this Thanksgiving with a commitment to give yourself and others who deserve it the gift of gratitude.
Sincerely thanking others for something they did or for the role they play in your life is not merely good manners and good ethics. I think William James was right when he said, "The deepest craving of human nature is the need to be appreciated." Fortunately, it's a need easily met. It costs so little and means so much. Just putting appreciation into words can make someone's day, or even change their life.
But there is another side of gratitude and it should play a much larger part in your life. Expressing gratitude is what you do for others, but experiencing gratitude is what you must do for yourself. Willie Nelson, after struggling with depression and addiction, said, "When I started counting my blessings my whole life turned around."
Feeling gratitude is a potent tonic that can immeasurably improve your happiness and sense of well-being. Author Melodie Beatie tells us why. "Gratitude" she says, "unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more."
The platitudes are true. The key to happiness is deciding to be happy. It's not getting more than you have; it's appreciating what you have.
So, whether things are going well or poorly, this Thanksgiving, open up a new emotional bank account and start filling it with all the things that deserve your gratitude. If you do, you will have even more to be grateful for.
Michael Josephson
www.whatwillmatter.com
Click here for our printable version
Sent to you as a courtesy of:
Josh Hinds
Inspirational Speaker, Author, and Coach
http://www.JoshHinds.com
From Insight of the Day emails
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Stop introducing new benefits.
Stop introducing new benefits.
When prospects don't have the confidence that they have the skills necessary for our opportunity, here is what most sponsors do:
They start introducing new benefits.
They tell the prospect about three-way calls, nice brochures, perfect videos, fancy meetings, car bonuses, and lots of other nice benefits. But they are missing the point.
The prospect doesn't think he can do it, so it doesn't matter how good the benefits are.
The solution?
Instead of talking about more benefits, concentrate on showing your prospect how simple it can be to do your business. Maybe you can give your prospect a "one-minute presentation."
If you don't know the skill of how to do a "one-minute presentation" - simply take this free mini-course at:
http://www.fortunenow.com/products/item18.cfm
Why make it simple?
It will give your prospect confidence that he can be successful in your business. That's what is holding your prospect back -
Confidence.
From Tom Big Al’s Newsletter, wow powerful and great stuff. Just keep it simple.
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The Champion Within Article – The Safari Called Life by Denis Waitley
The Champion Within Article
The Safari Called Life by Denis Waitley
Many of my current keynote presentations to major corporations have focused on my recent experiences in Africa and how they can be applied to our individual and collective performance in pursuit of excellence and quality of life. I view life as a way of traveling on a mysterious, ever-challenging safari, where the trail is blazed by our daily choices, actions and responses.
There is an oft-repeated cliché I have heard ever since I was a boy: “It’s a jungle out there!” Every television and newspaper headline seems to shout about the perils of existence. Bad news is always the special meal of the day and because of the media’s increasing preoccupation with what’s wrong in the world, each generation believes it is living in the most difficult times in history. How are we to face our deepening feelings of apprehension and fear in view of increasing global unrest and insecurity? How can we achieve survival, success and serenity in this savage paradise called life?
What I have learned on my annual pilgrimages to Africa on safari can be applied to our own daily lives. Life in every environment today is a savage paradise. Savage to the ignorant, uneducated, unskilled, prejudiced and ill-informed. A paradise to those who have learned to adapt to and manage change, remain flexible, unhook prejudices, view failures and mistakes as temporary detours and target corrections, and remain lifelong learners. Our safari guides were comfortable and at ease in the dangerous ecosystem of Africa. We, on the other hand, felt vulnerable, insecure and hesitant. We were the newcomers, the tourists. They were the guides, confident through training and experience.
In my book, Safari to the Soul, I mention another book that had made similar points, titled The Jungle Is Neutral, written by Col. F. Spencer Chapman, an officer in the British army during World War II. Col. Chapman survived for four years as a guerrilla fighter in Malaya. Cut off from the outside world, which listed him as “missing, believed killed,” he was isolated deep in the jungle, undergoing ordeals such as few individuals have ever lived to document. He escaped twice from prison camps because, in his own words: “I needed to get back to my assignment!”
When questioned later about his adversaries being expert jungle fighters and the fact that he was up against scorpions, yellow fever, malaria, poisonous snakes, incessant rain, wild tigers, leeches and undergrowth so thick it can take four hours to walk a mile, these were Col. Chapman’s observations:
“I had my bouts with most of what you mentioned. Some of it I was prepared for. Some of it I learned on the job. I managed to get around by bicycle, dugout canoe, mostly on foot, and some of the time on my belly crawling through the jungle muck. The jungle provides drinking water, fruit and food, shelter and plenty of places to hide. I also made friends with the tribal chiefs and natives who had lived there all their lives and who taught me coping skills.”
When it was brought to his attention that others who spent only days or weeks in the jungle swore that the jungle is hostile, cruel and vindictive, Col. Chapman answered resolutely: “To me, the jungle is neutral. It is your knowledge, attitude, skills and habits that see you through. The jungle is what it is. It doesn’t think. It is the backdrop for your journey. Your preparation, training, resourcefulness and dedication are what count.”
On your own safari in pursuit of your professional and personal goals, as you look forward to a new beginning and the climb to a higher level, where you have never journeyed before, remember that acronym called the “KASH-flow” of life.
K is for Knowledge. Invest fully in your lifelong learning. The shelf-life of your formal education, with any and all of your degrees, is about eighteen months. Every five minutes there is a new scientific or technological breakthrough that upgrades or obsoletes what had gone before. Knowledge is the new power and the greatest tool for combating fear and prejudice.
A is for Attitude. Examine your “why” and compare it with those who are peak performers in every business. View problems as opportunities to grow and understand that virtually every successful entrepreneur has been a problem-solver and risk-taker. Taking the calculated risk is what creates security. Seeking security, provided by others, is the greatest risk to your personal freedom and fulfillment. Your attitude is either the lock on or key to your door of success.
S is for Skills. Attend meetings, conference calls and take advantage of every opportunity to gain insights and experiences from successful role models and mentors. We learn by observation, imitation and repetition. Model yourself after mentors with proven track records of success, whose character traits and personal lives match their professional accomplishments. Behind every world-class athlete, there is a world-class coach. The same holds true in every business arena. Surround yourself with winning coaches.
H is for Habits. By the inch, success is a cinch. By the yard, it’s hard. Break your major goals down into mini-goals and stair-step your way to the top by establishing a dynamic daily routine that eliminates time-wasting activities and maximizes performance-achieving activities. Remember, the more you train, the more you gain. Habits are like submarines. They run silent and deep. Repetition is the key. Habits grow, over time, from cobwebs into cables to shackle or strengthen our lives. Practice makes permanent. Only perfect practice makes perfect. You don’t break habits, you replace them.
By using the KASH formula, you will increase your cash flow and your productivity, giving you more free time to go on safaris when and where you want to. Instead of a tourist, you’ll become a tour guide, with a greater awareness of your environment, courage based on skills and training, and an attitude of confidence to turn every stumbling block you face into a stepping stone to success and fulfillment.
Life is a safari into a savage paradise. The quality of your journey will depend on your preparation, choices and responses. Become a guide, instead of a tourist!
—Denis Waitley
Start your own personal self-discovery safari with the guidance of Denis Waitley. With his 6-CD set, Denis inspires and motivates you with tales of his own personal safari. Click here for information or to order
From Denis Waitley’s Newsletter, a power article to do with our environment and how we see it.
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