We have 24 hours in a day, yet feel like we can never accomplish everything we desire in that time frame. It’s so easy to procrastinate, put things off and wait until someone else comes along to give us that push to action. Why do we struggle with self-motivation? To take a page out of Shakespeare’s world with a minor substitution, to do or not to do can be the statement that sends your world to new heights or keeps your life in stall out mode.

When I first started living on my own in college, I learned that the professors give you a syllabus for the semester that outlines when papers, quizzes, tests and projects are due- along with percentages of what your grade will be based on. They won’t tell you how to manage your workload amongst all your classes. They won’t be urging you on to get that book read, that paper written, the studying you need to put in for the big mid-term or final. It’s all left up to you. If you didn’t develop good study skills in your formative years, you’ll certainly have to develop the mindset in college to know how to manage your time effectively- or you’ll be swimming in stress and possible failure.

It was at this point that I learned to break tasks down into smaller chunks, and understand that if I have 20 books to read in a semester, I need to look at how much I can realistically accomplish each day as well as fitting in my normal daily living activities, socializing, meal times and adequate sleep. I would write out daily and weekly to do lists and cross each off as they were accomplished. If I needed assistance in the form of studying for tests, I would seek out teaching assistant or my professors during their office hours. I worked on teamwork to get the material embedded in my head- so we would form study session groups in our dorm.

I wasn’t very good at waiting until the last minute to accomplish major 15-20 page papers. I often volunteered to be first when it came to class presentations- because I felt my preparation and attention to detail would be a good barometer for my classmates to aspire to. If I want to accomplish my dreams, I know I have to be one to come up with the desire, the plans, writing it down, breaking it up into manageable tasks and then taking each step forward every day to achieving my goals.

So I’m urging you to develop lists called “To Do Now”, starting with your most difficult tasks at the top and working your way down to your easiest tasks. If you aren’t able to accomplish something that day- transfer this task to your “To Do Now” list for the following day. Write out what you want to accomplish the night before you go to bed- it will give you the impetus to know what you have to get going on when you awake. If you need some inspiration in the morning, seek out the comfort of positive material from Success magazine or authors such as W. Clement Stone, Napoleon Hill, John Maxwell, Brian Tracy, Deepka Chopra, Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, Jim Rohn, Denis Waitley, T. Harv Eker, Marcus Buckingham, and hundreds of others. Look in the mirror and reflect on how wonderful, special and unique of a person you are. You have talents and abilities the world needs in their lives everyday- so shine like the bright beacon of light you are.

You don’t want to look back at the end of the year and wonder where the time went- you want to feel like you have more to offer to this world and can’t wait to tackle each day with gusto.

Begeister von Jim Rohn einem unglaublich guten Redner. Nach dem ich sein Werk “The Day that turns your life around” angehört habe, wollte ich mehr.

In seinem Werk “Cultivating an Unshakeable Character” geht es darum seinen eigenen Charakter zu entwickeln. Wie ein Kunstwerk sei unser Charakter und wir sind die Künstler die das Kunstwerk meiseln. Genau wie Michelangelos David sind wir bzw. unser Charakter ein Klumpen Stein der geformt werden muss. Wir selber entscheiden wie das Kunstwerk aussehen soll.

Jim Rohn - Cultivating an Unshakable Character

Dieses Programm betrachte die 12 Säulen des Charakters, die innere Quelle welche dich unterstützt und unterhält auf der Reise durch das Leben. Diese Säulen formen die Grundlage des persönlichen und beruflichen Erfolgs. Ohne diese sind Erreichtes vergänglich und sehr unbefriedigend.

Experten stimmten überein, dass die Bildung des Charakters ein effektiver und anhaltender Weg ist Gesundheit, Ruf, Karriere und Privatleben zu verbessern.

Das Programm spricht folgende Themen an:

• Mut
• Integrität und Ehrlichkeit
• Beharrlichkeit
• Wissen
• Verantwortung
• Humor
• Flexibilität
• Geduld
• Selbsvertrauen
• gute Gesundheit
• Leistung
• Leben auf dem Höhepunkt

Jim Rohn is considered a “Business Philosopher”. He does not claim to teach novel truths, only fundamentals – and as he is fond of saying: “There are no new fundamentals. Truth is not new, it’s old. You’ve got to be a little suspicious of the guy who says, ‘come over here, I want to show you my manufactured antiques!’ No, you can’t manufacture antiques.” Whoever renders service to many puts himself in line for greatness – great wealth, great return, great satisfaction, great reputation, and great joy.

Jim Rohn’s “Five Major Pieces To The Life Puzzle”

• Philosophy - how you think
• Attitude - how you feel
• Action - what you do
• Results - measure often to see if you are making progress
• Lifestyle - the kind of life you can make for yourself out of the first four pieces

Meiner Meinung nach ist das Hörbuch ein nice-to-have und es ist auch sehr interessant. Aber irgendwie kam nach dem ersten Werk nicht mehr so viel Content dazu. Vielleicht beim nächsten Werk.

Somit kein Must-Have.

An Attitude of Gratitude

The need for appreciation is a deep, subconscious desire of every person you meet. When you satisfy this need, you will become one of the most popular people in your world. And what is the key to expressing gratitude and appreciation? Simple. Just say thank you on every occasion.

—Brian Tracy

Emotions

Our emotions need to be as educated as our intellect. It is important to know how to feel, how to respond, and how to let life in so that it can touch you.

Civilization is the intelligent management of human emotions.

Measure your emotions. You don’t need an atomic explosion for a minor point.

Emotions will either serve or master, depending on who is in charge.

Women have an incredible ability to pick up on emotional signals. For example, there are some wolves that are so clever they have learned to dress up like sheep. Man says, “Looks like a sheep. Talks like a sheep.” Woman says, “Ain’t no sheep!”

_____

The following Thankful Thanksgiving is by Jim Rohn.

You may be wondering why I would call this article a Thankful Thanksgiving. Aren’t all Thanksgivings Thankful? Unfortunately, no. As a person who has experienced over 75 Thanksgivings, I recognize that being thankful is something that we have to work at, even on Thanksgiving.

If your home is like most, your Thanksgiving Day will be very busy, with either traveling to where you want to go or preparing your home to have others over for the day. Either way, that can be very hectic and emotionally trying, which doesn’t lend itself to preparing your heart to be reflective and thankful. In fact, Thanksgiving weekend is the most traveled weekend in America. Airports are full, and don’t always provide much room for contemplation of your good fortune.

This means all the more that if we want to be the kind of people who are characterized by thankfulness, then we must make sure that we focus on it, and not just on Thanksgiving Day, but at all times during the year.

Here are a few key words as well as some thoughts that are simple and practical to apply—something you can use right away in your quest for becoming more thankful:

Time. Set aside time regularly to be quiet, to reflect. We live in the fastest-paced time ever. From the moment we awake to the moment we collapse into bed, we have the opportunity to go at full speed and never slow down. If we schedule time every day in which we can be quiet and reflect, we will free our hearts and minds from the tyranny of the urgent and rushed.

Thought. Give thought to the many blessings you have. Living in a consumer culture, most of us are fully aware of what we do not have and how we absolutely must have “it.” But how often do we reflect upon that which we already have? Take some time each day and think of one or two things that you have that you may typically take for granted, and then take a moment and give thanks for those. In fact, I make it a part of my reflection time to review a list of things that I’m thankful for.

Generosity. Be generous toward those with less and not envious of those with more. We tend to look at others who may be wealthier than ourselves and think, “I sure wish I had what he does.” That kind of thinking breeds envy and jealousy rather than contentment. What can we do to break that cycle? I would suggest being generous to those who are less fortunate than yourself. Go to work at a food bank. And not just during the holidays—everybody works there then—but on a regular basis during the year. That will remind you of how good you really have it.

Ask. Ask a friend what they are thankful for. The next time you are at lunch with a friend, ask him or her what they are most thankful for. You will be amazed at the answers you receive and you will create a meaningful bond with your friends as you focus on this powerful question.

Acknowledge. Lastly, tell those you love how thankful you are for having them in your life. So many times we neglect to take the time to craft the words to express to those closest to us what their presence in our lives means to us. Take the opportunity of Thanksgiving Day to write them a note, or sometime during the day put your hand on their shoulder, look them in the eyes and tell them. Let them know what they mean to you, and in return you’ll begin to create the possibility of deeper, richer, more fulfilling relationships with those you love.

Of course, we should do what we can to make the most of the day we call Thanksgiving, but wouldn’t it be a shame if the only time we reflected on our blessings was that one Thursday in November? And the answer is, of course! So let’s do our best to be aware of the many great gifts that we have each and every day of the year. As we do so we will see our hearts soar and our minds will experience more and more peace as we regularly remember and remain aware of our good fortune.

To Your Success,
Jim Rohn

“A leader is someone who helps improve the lives of other people or improve the system they live under.”
Sam Ervin

“The challenge of leadership is to be strong, but not rude;
be kind, but not weak;
be bold, but not bully;
be thoughtful, but not lazy;
be humble, but not timid;
be proud, but not arrogant;
have humor, but without folly.”
Jim Rohn

“The key to successful leadership today is influence, not authority.”
Kenneth Blanchard

“The boss drives people; the leader coaches them. The boss depends on authority; the leader on good will. The boss inspires fear; the leader inspires enthusiasm. The boss says “I”; The leader says “WE”. The boss fixes the blame for the breakdown; the leader fixes the breakdown. The boss says, “GO”; the leader says lets, “GO!”
H. Gordon Selfridge

“Outstanding leaders go out of their way to boost the self-esteem of their personnel. If people believe in themselves, it’s amazing what they can accomplish.”
Sam Walton

The ultimate leader is one who is willing to develop people to the point that they eventually surpass him or her in knowledge and ability.”
Fred A. Manske, Jr.

“Make no mistake, as you change your leadership style to one of a coach you will face challenges. There will be times when you question why am I doing this. However, you must at all times keep the long term benefits of being a coach at the forefront of your mind.”
Byron & Catherine Pulsifer, from Challenges in Adopting a Coaching Style

“A good coach will make his players see what they can be rather than what they are.”
Ara Parasheghian

“A good coach passes on information quickly. They do not hold back information that affects my job.”
Byron & Catherine Pulsifer, from People’s Expectations of a Coach

“The test of a good coach is that when they leave, others will carry on successfully.”
Author Unknown

“You get the best effort from others not by lighting a fire beneath them, but by building a fire within.”
Bob Nelson

“No person can be a great leader unless he takes genuine joy in the successes of those under him.”
W. A. Nance

“With all the information available today, the manager can no longer have all the answers. Whereas, in a coaching role, you are not expected to have all the answers. In a coaching role, you ask the questions and rely on your staff, who become the experts, to provide the information.”
Byron & Catherine Pulsifer, from Why All This Talk of Coaching Rather Than Managing?

“The highest of distinctions is service to others.”
King George VI

“You cannot manage men into battle.
You manage things; you lead people.”
Grace Murray Hopper

“One of the true tests of leadership is the ability to recognize a problem before it becomes an emergency.”
Arnold Glasow

“A good coach will make his players see what they can be rather than what they are.”
Ara Parasheghian

“The speed of the leader determines the rate of the pack.”
Wayne Lukas

“The man who follows a crowd will never be followed by a crowd.”
R. S. Donnell

“My father gave me the greatest gift anyone could give another person, he believed in me.”
Jim Valvano, Basketball Coach

“Out of clutter, find Simplicity. From discord, find Harmony. In the middle of difficulty lies Opportunity.” Albert Einstein

“Don´t wish it was easier; wish you were better. Don´t wish for less problems; wish for more skills. Don´t wish for less challenges; wish for more wisdom.” Jim Rohn

“The problem is not that there are problems. The problem is expecting otherwise and thinking that having problems is a problem.” — Theodore Rubin

“Mountains DO Move. . . One Stone at a Time.” — Rick Beneteau

We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act but a habit.
- Aristotle

Keep the mind strong

This weeks installment of Vitamins for the Mind by Jim Rohn point to some very obvious basics.

As always, I encourage you to allow yourself to make it a spectacular day… CSea Perkins

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Success is neither magical nor mysterious. Success is the natural consequence of consistently applying fundamentals.

There are no new fundamentals. You’ve got to be a little suspicious of someone who says, “I’ve got a new fundamental.” That’s like someone inviting you to tour a factory where they are manufacturing antiques.

Some things you have to do every day. Eating seven apples on Saturday night instead of one a day just isn’t going to get the job done.

Success is nothing more than a few simple disciplines, practiced every day; while failure is simply a few errors in judgment, repeated every day. It is the accumulative weight of our disciplines and our judgments that leads us to either fortune or failure.

“Learn how to separate the majors and the minors. People don’t do well simply because they major in minor things.”

– Jim Rohn

“Traditional marketing is geared towards big business. Before I wrote the original Guerrilla Marketing in 1984, I couldn’t find any books on marketing for companies that invested less than $300,000 monthly. Although it is now true that many Fortune 500 companies buy Guerrilla Marketing by the caseload to distribute to their sales and marketing people, the essence of Guerrilla Marketing –the soul and sprit of Guerrilla Marketing – is small businesses: companies with big dreams but tiny budgets.”
-Jay Conrad Levinson, Guerrilla Marketing

DRCOP MARKETING
www.drcop.com

At least once a day I seek out the comfort of an empty book and my nearest source of ink to write on it. I feel it’s important to have a private source that I can vent to, write down the daily events and ponder future goals and ideas with. If I don’t feel like I understand something, I can read and re-read it at my leisure so that I gain objectivity over these issues.

I remember English teachers in elementary school encouraging us to grab even a small notebook and just jot down your thoughts once a day as they strike your mind. Observe, report, reflect, explore- it may not have been easy to fill a notebook at first but I believe with practice and concerted effort, my journal entries became more than just a historical document of my life.

The therapists that work with my daughters both encourage our girls to have a notebook with them at all times. Instead of blasting someone verbally when you feel you’ve been wronged, write out how you truly feel on paper. Decide to take the 5 or 10 minutes to place the energy in another direction and possibly you won’t say something out loud you may later regret and have to apologize for later on.

What will I capture in my journal? Quotations that mean something to me that I feel I want to incorporate in my life. I’ll take notes on many of the books that I’m reading so I can later organize them in my laptop. Sometimes I’ll just elaborate on my daily work or family life. Other entries can be looks into my past and how much I’ve grown as a man. I don’t really have a plan of action when I’m writing with pen and paper- I just let the words flow spontaneously and care more about getting things out of my head daily.

If you are new to journaling, I would recommend going to your favorite book store and finding yourself a nice leather bound offering to keep your thoughts in. I find that I need a new journal every 3-4 months, so I really enjoy looking at the variety that exists as I want something that I’ll be able to add to my library of books for the rest of my life. Don’t worry about what you will say- just set aside some time each day to write. The discipline itself I believe will lift your spirits, make you work both the left and right sides of your brain and be a journey of self-discovery you’ve probably not taken in quite some time.

Jim Rohn, Mark Victor Hansen and Harvey Mackay all have special thoughts regarding the use of journals. Some of my favorite things they’ve said are captured in my journals. I don’t trust my memory to remember something special an hour or two after it enters my mind- it’s best to ink it to paper and then you can expand upon it at a later time. If you don’t feel comfortable at first with writing, consider purchasing a digital voice recorder and carry that will you to capture ideas, quotes, thoughts and insights.

Take action today. Express yourself in writing. Creativity can be unleashed at any time in your life. You may surprise yourself in decisions that you haven’t been able to reach a conclusion with that can have instant clarity with the written word.

“Indecision is the thief of opportunity. You cannot change your destination overnight but you can change your direction overnight.”

-Jim Rohn-

natural vs. chemically induced ... choose wisely

Our weekly visit from Jim Rohn.  Today he brings another version of ‘vitamins for the mind’.  These are always nourishing and plentiful.

It is indeed balance we live for.  Jim brings the food for a healthy mind… CSea

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My father taught me to always do more than you get paid for as an investment in your future.

Whether you stay six weeks, six months or six years, always leave it better than you found it.

Don’t bring your need to the marketplace; bring your skill. If you don’t feel well, tell your doctor, but not the marketplace. If you need money, go to the bank, but not the marketplace.

If you make a sale, you can make a living. If you make an investment of time and good service in a customer, you can make a fortune.

Don’t just let your business or your job make something for you; let it make something of you.

Lack of homework shows up in the marketplace as well as in the classroom.

Where you start in the marketplace is not where you have to stay.

The worst days of those who enjoy what they do are better than the best days of those who don’t.

We get paid for bringing value to the marketplace. It takes time to bring value to the marketplace, but we get paid for the value, not the time.

Here’s the major problem with going on strike for more money: You cannot get rich by demand.

I have mentioned before the inspiration that I get from reading Jim Rohn’s weekly ezine.

This week he extolls the virtues of Personal Development. I would love to hear whether his quotes below resonate with you too?

“Learn to work harder on yourself than you do on your job”

Ways I am working hard on myself this month have included:

• drinking 2 litres (5 pints) of water most days
• taking time out to read
• planning pauses for reflection into my day
• thinking about exercising (an area for improvement I think!)

“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.”

It has become very evident to me recently that those who succeed at work are those who are more bothered about “What am I becoming?” rather than “What am  I getting?”.

By putting focus on personal development you gain control over ‘what am I becoming?‘. This could mean that ‘What am I getting?’, is actually, ‘What I want‘.

If you would like to read more by Jim Rohn you can subscribe to his ezine here.

I think the text below speaks for itself. So, all I will say is that I am now off to collate my BIG goals and stick them back on my bathroom mirror.

The following article is taken from Jim Rohn’s weekly e-zine. Click here for the full e-zine

"The Modern Day (Real Life) Indiana Jones by Vic Johnson (excerpted from the 2004 Jim Rohn Weekend Leadership Event CDs/DVDs)

One of my life’s most valuable possessions is my journal. Why? Because my journal contains my dreams! And my dreams are my future!

I learned this principle from a story about a 15 year old boy by the name of John Goddard. John, one day, happened to hear his parents and another adult talking, and the other adult had been telling John’s parents about how miserable his life was and how much he had failed. He wished he was John’s age again and could live his life over and do some things differently.

Well, John heard the anguish in his voice, I suppose, and he made a vow that he was going to do something at 15 years old. So at 15 years old he took out a legal pad and began to write the things he wanted to do in his life, what he wanted to accomplish. Before he was finished he had 127 things on his list. He called it, "My Life List".

Today John is in his late 70’s. Of his original 127 goals, John over the last 55-60 years has accomplished 111 of them, plus 400 other ones that he set along the way. And just so you know these weren’t some small goals, here are some of the goals that John Goddard has accomplished that were on his list:

- He’s climbed Mount Kilimanjaro, he’s climbed Mount Ararat, in fact, he’s climbed every major peak in the world.

Now just that, how many people just doing that, would be one great life experience? But that’s just one of 500+ for John Goddard.

- He took Marco Polo’s route through all of Asia and China.

- He ran a mile in five minutes, he broad jumped 15 feet, high jumped five feet, and so on…

- He was the first person to explore the entire 4,200 mile length of the Nile River (that was his number one goal!). When he was 15 years old, no person had ever done it, but that fifteen year old boy didn’t know that, it didn’t matter to him. He put it on his list and when he did it, USA Today named him the modern day Indiana Jones. He’s been down not just the Nile River. He’s been down the Amazon, down the Congo, etc.

- He’s been to 122 countries and lived with 260 different tribes.

- He’s explored the Reefs of Florida, the Great Barrier Reefs and so on…

- He’s flown 40 different types of aircrafts. Still holds civilian air speed records. Just that alone would be a great life experience; that was just one of John Goddard’s goals.

- He’s read the Bible cover to cover.

- He’s taught himself French, Spanish, Arabic (who reading this could not learn a foreign language in the next couple of years?).

And that is just a portion of over 500 dreams that John Goddard has accomplished.

I hope we all learn from John Goddard! Here are two major points that were impressed upon me:

1) John Goddard’s goals (dreams) were written down. How many of you have heard that before, to write your goals and dreams down? Because for 20 years I heard it and I had never written mine down, until just three years ago. Brian Tracy says if you’ll write your goals down you have a 100 times greater chance of success, just by writing them down. Now I look at that mathematically and then by an inverse way, from an opposite way. What it says to me that if I don’t write my goals down, I only have a 1 in 100 chance of succeeding. Write your goals and dreams down.

2) His dreams were BIG! I’ve found that a small dream will not give you the bullet proofing you are going to need. A small dream won’t protect you when bad times come. A small dream does not have any power at all – it has to be BIG!

So get started today! Go get a journal (or wipe the dust off the one you have) and write down your BIG goals! And then get started on your life story!

Vic Johnson"

Very appropriate title for everyone; you ARE a genius.  Jim is sharing very valuable solutions to expand your horizons.

In order to accept the potential of your genius and maximize your life, read this article a couple of times.  Apply it to what is happening in your world right now, identify and be grateful… CSea Perkins

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Take care to feed and stimulate your brain, and you will expand your mind. A healthy brain is central to a healthy mind. The two are inextricably connected. We need to see the human brain and mind with wonder, awe and inspiration.

But first, what do we mean by “learning?”

Here’s how some dictionaries define it:

–the act, process, or experience of gaining knowledge or skill
–knowledge or skill gained through schooling or study
–behavioral modification especially through experience or conditioning
–to gain knowledge, comprehension, or mastery through experience or study

brain food

Keep this in mind; learning is gaining knowledge through various means.

Now, a little about the brain:

The brain is the equivalent of a human supercomputer. Your brain is more complicated than any computer mankind has ever made. Maximizing your brain’s ability is essential to becoming the success you desire to become—because it controls who you are. It is the command center involved in and controlling absolutely everything you do. Your brain determines how you think, feel and act.

Simply put: When your brain is working at peak performance, it allows you to be your best, because it controls the rest.

Here are some facts about the brain:

It is about 2% of body weight.
It consumes about 20-30% of the body’s energy.
There are about 100 billion neurons in the brain.
Each neuron or nerve cell is connected to other nerve cells in the brain.
There are more than 1,000,000,000,000,000 connections in the brain.
Each one of these neurons is a little “learning center” capable of storing knowledge.

Needless to say, most of us have barely scratched the surface when it comes to tapping into those neurons!

There are some basic influences on the brain that shape how it functions and how far it develops.

Some of these include genes, health, injury, self-talk, life experiences, stress and study (or lack of it). Notice I said that these influence the brain, but they do not determine how far you can go or what you can learn, except perhaps in the case of severe injury or mental retardation. In other words, you have the incredible opportunity to go as far as you desire!

—Jim Rohn

Ideas can be life-changing. Sometimes all you need to open the door is just one more good idea” [Jim Rohn].

Greg and I are notorious for listening to business leaders, inspirational speakers or books on CD when we travel. I keep a small notebook handy to write down any compelling  phrases or ideas I hear.

One recent quote I heard by John Maxwell, contributor to SUCCESS magazine, was this:

On any given day
you can massively change the direction of your life.

That’s pretty powerful stuff when you think about it. Sometimes, it only takes “one” to set the plan in motion, open the door, make the difference:

One idea.

One introduction.

One response.

One person.

One invitation.

One approval.

One commitment.

One change.

One phone call.

One day . . .

to change your life.

I was having lunch with a friend earlier this week and she mentioned how much she enjoys meeting new people. “It only takes one, you know,” she said.

“One, what, exactly?” I asked, perplexed.

“One person.  It only takes one person to take you from being an orphan to a Queen. And you never know who that person will be. That’s why it is so fun.”

I immediately realized she was talking about the Bible story of Esther. She was right.  One person played a pivotal role in introducing Esther to her destiny.

Our conversation started me thinking about the power of one. Not 100 or 1,000 or 1 million.  Just one.  And the potential one contains, if you’re willing to harness it.

Too often we overlook the opportunity because it appears insignificant. We’re conditioned to believe that unless it is huge and extravagant and over-the-top, it’s meaningless. We avoid the small as we chase after the enormous.  We waste the day hoping for a better next year.

Is today your day?  The day when you discover your “one” which equips you to massively change the direction of your life?

Or are you content to continue waiting for a brighter inspiration, a larger check, a more compelling argument?

Lao Tzu said, ”If  you do not change direction, you may end up where you are heading.”  I say, “It only takes one turn to change your direction.”

Whatever you are, be a good one!

Deanna

PS: Today marks my 150th blog posting. It only took one comment from one friend, “What could it hurt?” to get this thing up and running.  What a difference “one” can make.

This is from @LSUCoachStarkey’s http://hoopthoughts.blogspot.com He thanks McNeese St. Assistant Women’s Basketball Coach: the following is by Chris Widener but was passed onto me from Sallie Guillory, the assistant women’s basketball coach at McNeese State — thanks Sallie! I THANK COACH STARKEY! YOU NEED TO CHECK OUT HIS BLOG!

********************************************************************

The topic they assigned me was “Simply the Best.” So as I prepared, I asked myself, “What characteristics would help someone pass the “Best” test?” That is, what are the characteristics of those who become the “best” at what they do? Here are the thoughts I shared with them:

The Best are Optimists.

 You can’t get to the top if you don’t think that there is a top or if you think you can’t make it. One characteristic of those who reach the peak is that they always believe that things can get better or be done better. This pushes them on to be their best.

The Best have a Quest for Leadership.

Someone has to lead – it may as well be the best! Those who attain it get there because they want to. They want to lead and help make a difference. And they want to be equipped with the skills necessary to lead others on to a better place.

The Best are Adept at the Two Most Important Pieces of Time and Personal Management: Prioritize and Execute.

 The Best Focus on Building Relationships.

 The Best Make No Excuses.

 The Best Understand that the Good is the Enemy of the Best.

 The Best Dare to Dream.

Want to be the best at what you do? Take inventory on the above characteristics and then start moving to bring your life in line with the characteristics of the “best.” Then when you get to the top you will know that you have passed the “Best” test.

I learned a tip from the great Jim Rohn who took it from Pareto’s law (80/20). Spend your one on one time with the  top 20% of your sales people and spend group time with the 80%. Your 80% are going to eat up your time. When they come to your office or grab you in the hall, ask them to bring their comment/question/complaint to your scheduled group meeting.

Doing so will ensure your best people are getting time with you while not ignoring those that with your help will grow in better sales people.

Confident Leader

Another excellent article from Jim Rohn.  When reading about the skill and qualities integral to effective Leadership, think of those in your team that are qualified.  They can use your assistance in honing their skills.  They look to you for advise and constructive criticism.  Be kind, be generous and be understood… CSea

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If you want to be a leader who attracts quality people, the key is to become a person of quality yourself. Leadership is the ability to attract someone to the gifts, skills and opportunities you offer as an owner, as a manager, as a parent. I call leadership the great challenge of life.

What’s important in leadership is refining your skills. All great leaders keep working on themselves until they become effective. Here are some specifics:

1) Learn to be strong but not rude. It is an extra step you must take to become a powerful, capable leader with a wide range of reach. Some people mistake rudeness for strength. It’s not even a good substitute.

2) Learn to be kind but not weak. We must not mistake kindness for weakness. Kindness isn’t weak. Kindness is a certain type of strength. We must be kind enough to tell somebody the truth. We must be kind enough and considerate enough to lay it on the line. We must be kind enough to tell it like it is and not deal in delusion.

3) Learn to be bold but not a bully. It takes boldness to win the day. To build your influence, you’ve got to walk in front of your group. You’ve got to be willing to take the first arrow, tackle the first problem, discover the first sign of trouble.

4) You’ve got to learn to be humble, but not timid. You can’t get to the high life by being timid. Some people mistake timidity for humility. Humility is almost a God-like word. A sense of awe. A sense of wonder. An awareness of the human soul and spirit. An understanding that there is something unique about the human drama versus the rest of life. Humility is a grasp of the distance between us and the stars, yet having the feeling that we’re part of the stars. So humility is a virtue; but timidity is a disease. Timidity is an affliction. It can be cured, but it is a problem.

5) Be proud but not arrogant. It takes pride to win the day. It takes pride to build your ambition. It takes pride in community. It takes pride in cause, in accomplishment. But the key to becoming a good leader is being proud without being arrogant. In fact I believe the worst kind of arrogance is arrogance from ignorance. It’s when you don’t know that you don’t know. Now that kind of arrogance is intolerable. If someone is smart and arrogant, we can tolerate that. But if someone is ignorant and arrogant, that’s just too much to take.

6) Develop humor without folly. That’s important for a leader. In leadership, we learn that it’s okay to be witty, but not silly. It’s okay to be fun, but not foolish.

Lastly, deal in realities. Deal in truth. Save yourself the agony. Just accept life like it is. Life is unique. Some people call it tragic, but I’d like to think it’s unique. The whole drama of life is unique. It’s fascinating. And I’ve found that the skills that work well for one leader may not work at all for another. But the fundamental skills of leadership can be adapted to work well for just about everyone: at work, in the community and at home.

To Your Success,
Jim Rohn

The Ant Philosophy by Jim Rohn

Over the years I’ve been teaching kids about a simple but powerful concept – the ant philosophy. I think everybody should study ants. They have an amazing four-part philosophy, and here is the first part: ants never quit. That’s a good philosophy. If they’re headed somewhere and you try to stop them; they’ll look for another way. They’ll climb over, they’ll climb under, and they’ll climb around. They keep looking for another way. What a neat philosophy, to never quit looking for a way to get where you’re supposed to go.

Second, ants think winter all summer. That’s an important perspective. You can’t be so naive as to think summer will last forever. So ants are gathering in their winter food in the middle of summer.

An ancient story says, “Don’t build your house on the sand in the summer.” Why do we need that advice? Because it is important to think ahead. In the summer, you’ve got to think storm. You’ve got to think rocks as you enjoy the sand and sun.

The third part of the ant philosophy is that ants think summer all winter. That is so important. During the winter, ants remind themselves, “This won’t last long; we’ll soon be out of here.” And the first warm day, the ants are out. If it turns cold again, they’ll dive back down, but then they come out the first warm day. They can’t wait to get out.

And here’s the last part of the ant philosophy. How much will an ant gather during the summer to prepare for the winter? All that he possibly can. What an incredible philosophy, the “all-that-you-possibly-can” philosophy.

Wow, what a great philosophy to have – the ant philosophy. Never give up, look ahead, stay positive and do all you can.

Jim Rohn

One of the major reasons why people are not doing well is because they keep trying to get through the day.  A more worthy challenge is to try to get from the day.  We must become sensitive enough to observe and ponder what is happening around us.  Be alert.  Be awake. 

So be a good observer of both life and the world around you. 
-Jim Rohn

dreams coming true; photo by Joe Potrebenko

Be a collector of good ideas, but don’t trust your memory. The best collecting place for all of the ideas and information that comes your way is your journal.

The reason I spend so much money for my journals is to press me to find something valuable to put in them.

There are three things to leave behind: your photographs, your library and your personal journals. These things are certainly going to be more valuable to future generations than your furniture!

Don’t use your mind for a filing cabinet. Use your mind to work out problems and find answers; file away good ideas in your journal.

“How much should you earn? As much as you possibly can. It doesn’t matter whether you earn $10,000 a year or $100,000 a year as long as you’ve done the best you can.” —Jim Rohn

“The man says, ‘If I had a fortune, I’d take good care of it. But I only have a paycheck and I don’t know where it all goes.’ Wouldn’t you love to have him running your company?” —Jim Rohn

Jim Rohn erzählt aus seinem Leben. Eine Geschichte nach dem Prinzip “vom Tellerwäscher zum Millionär”. Bis zum 25. Lebensjahr war er ein Waisenkind das von Familie zu Familie weitergereicht wurde.

Mitte seiner 20er Jahre lernte er John Earl Shoaff kennen. Danach veränderte sich sein Leben. Rohn schloss sich Shoaffs Direktvertriebsargentur an. Durch kontinuierliche Selbstentwicklung wurde er mit 31 Millionär. Bedauerlicherweise starb sein Mentor noch kurz vor Erreichen dieses Ziels. Rohn erkannte das Verlangen vieler Leute seine Geschichte zu hören um ihnen Hoffnung zu geben und machte dies zu seinem Lebensprojekt. Mit seinen Büchern, Seminaren und anderen Verbreitungsmitteln half er unzähligen Leute ein besseres Leben zu führen.

Zurecht trägt er den Namen “Geschäftsphilosophe”. Er harrt aber auf der Sache, dass er keine Geschichten erzählt sondern nur Fakten.

Sehr herzerwärmend erzählt er in dieser Audioversion sein Leben und seine Erfahrungen die er gemacht hat und gibt sie weiter an die Personen die sich dafür interessieren.

Jim Rohn - The Day That Turns Your Life Around