Using Our Strength by Zig Ziglar

Some years ago Brenda Reyes was honored as the Texas Business Woman of the Year, a recognition bestowed by the Texas Association of Mexican American Chambers of Commerce. The 9,000-member group annually honors a businesswoman for her financial success, community involvement and professional service.

Ms. Reyes enrolled in the University of New Orleans, then decided to enlist in the Marines. She later returned to finish college. In addition to the many lessons in honor and discipline she learned in the Marine Corps, her tour gave her the incentive to search for and capitalize on her strengths.

After college, she recognized her aptitude for computers, so in her spare time she set up computer systems for friends who had lost patience with the process. At first she volunteered to help others, but soon she realized she could turn her knowledge into a career. She opened her first software development business in 1986 in her hometown of New Orleans and later moved her company (Innovative Computer Group) to Dallas.

She has faced some tough situations and some hard-core Marines…. She has kept pace with all of the technological changes, she has courageously moved to expand her business, and the results are obvious by her recognition as Texas Business Woman of the Year.

Brenda Reyes has set a good example and taught all of us a lesson in using what we have to its greatest advantage.

—Zig Ziglar

Vitamins for the Mind by Jim Rohn--Leadership

Vitamins for the Mind by Jim Rohn

Leadership

Leaders, whether in the family, in business, in government, or in education, must not allow themselves to mistake intentions for accomplishments.

Managers help people to see themselves as they are. Leaders help people to see themselves better than they are.

Leaders must not be naive. I used to say, “Liars shouldn’t lie.” What a sad waste of words that is! I found out liars are supposed to lie. That’s why we call them liars—they lie! What else would you expect them to do?

We must learn to help those who deserve it, not just those who need it. Life responds to deserve, not need.

My mentor said, “Let’s go do it,” not “You go do it.” How powerful when someone says, “Let’s”!

Leaders must understand that some people will inevitably sell out to the evil side. Don’t waste your time wondering why; spend your time discovering who.

When dealing with people, I generally take the obvious approach. When someone says, “This always happens to me and that always happens to me. Why do these things always happen to me?” I simply say, “Beats me. I don’t know. All I know is that those kinds of things seem to happen to people like you.”

We could all use a little coaching. When you’re playing the game, it’s hard to think of everything.

A good objective of leadership is to help those who are doing poorly to do well and to help those who are doing well to do even better.

As a leader you should always start with where people are before you try to take them to where you want them to go.

The Great Leadership Challenge by Jim Rohn

(excerpted from Leading an Inspired Life)

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

Learn to be strong but not impolite. 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.

Next, learn to be kind but not weak. We must not mistake weakness for kindness. Kindness isn’t weak. Kindness is a certain type of strength. We must be kind enough to tell someone 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.

Next, 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. Like the farmer, if you want any rewards at harvest time, you have got to be bold and face the weeds and the rain and the bugs straight on. You’ve got to seize the moment.

Here’s the next step. 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. But humility is a virtue; timidity is a disease. It’s an affliction. It can be cured, but it is a problem.

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.

Here’s a good tip: Learn to be proud but not arrogant. It takes pride to build your ambitions. It takes pride in your community. It takes pride in a cause, in accomplishment. But the key to becoming a good leader is to be proud without being arrogant.

Do you know the worst kind of arrogance? Arrogance from ignorance. It’s 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.

The next step is learning to develop humor without folly. In leadership, we learn that it’s okay to be witty but not silly; fun but not foolish.

Next, deal in realities. Deal in truth. Save yourself the agony of delusion. Just accept life as it is. Life is unique. The whole drama of life is unique. It’s fascinating.

Life is unique. Leadership is unique. The skills that work well for one leader may not work at all for another. However, the fundamental skills of leadership can be adopted to work well for just about everyone: at work, in the community and at home.

To Your Success,
Jim Rohn

Thoughts Create Behavior by Vic Johnson

(excerpted from Day by Day with James Allen)

“Cause and effect are as absolute and undeviating in the hidden realm of thought as in the world of visible and material things.” —As a Man Thinketh

We remember from science class Newton’s physical law that “every action creates an equal and opposite reaction.” Or, every cause has an effect. And because it is a law, it is absolute and undeviating. It always happens—in every circumstance, under every condition.

James Allen says the same law that applies in the physical also applies in the world of thought. Every effect must have an originating cause. Our life does not develop as a result of chance but as a result of causes.

In the thought world, a thought (the cause) creates a feeling (the effect). Feelings can eventually materialize in the physical world because they create actions or behavior. These actions cause results or outcomes, and thus our life goes.

When we say a person “looks worried,” what has taken place? A negative thought of some kind (the cause) triggered a feeling of worry (the effect) that materialized in the physical world through the person’s facial actions. Those feelings may also materialize in other ways. For instance, by increased blood pressure or nausea. All of these “effects” originated from the original cause, which was a thought.

Dr. Wayne Dyer writes that “all of our behavior results from the thoughts that preceded it…. So the thing to work on is not your behavior but the thing that caused your behavior, your thoughts.”

That was so liberating to me because I was so frustrated in trying to change the behaviors that I knew were causing the pain in my life. But I had been working on the wrong thing.

We cannot change anything in our life without first changing the originating cause. And everything in our life originates in our thoughts.

As Jim Rohn says: “If the idea of having to change ourselves makes us uncomfortable, we can remain as we are. We can choose rest over labor, entertainment over education, delusion over truth, and doubt over confidence. The choices are ours to make. But while we curse the effect, we continue to nourish the cause.”

And that’s worth thinking about.

—Vic Johnson

Vitamins for the Mind by Jim Rohn

Service

One customer, well taken care of, could be more valuable than $10,000 worth of advertising.

Good service leads to multiple sales. If you take good care of your customers, they will open doors you could never open by yourself.

How do you deserve a fortune? Render fortunes of service.

You have to do more than you get paid for because that’s where the fortune is.

Whoever renders service to many puts himself in line for greatness—great wealth, great return, great satisfaction, great reputation and great joy.

Success Is Easy, But So Is Neglect by Jim Rohn

(excerpted from The Challenge to Succeed CD series)

People often ask me how I became successful in that six-year period of time while many of the people I knew did not. The answer is simple: The things I found to be easy to do, they found to be easy not to do. I found it easy to set the goals that could change my life. They found it easy not to. I found it easy to read the books that could affect my thinking and my ideas. They found that easy not to do. I found it easy to attend the classes and the seminars, and to get around other successful people. They said it probably really wouldn’t matter. If I had to sum it up, I would say what I found to be easy to do, they found to be easy not to do. Six years later, I’m a millionaire and they are all still blaming the economy, the government, and company policies, yet they neglected to do the basic, easy things.

In fact, the primary reason most people are not doing as well as they could, and should, can be summed up in a single word: neglect.

It is not the lack of money—banks are full of money. It is not the lack of opportunity—America, and much of the world, continues to offer the most unprecedented and abundant opportunities in the last six thousand years of recorded history. It is not the lack of books—libraries are full of books, and they are free! It is not the schools—the classrooms are full of good teachers. We have plenty of ministers, leaders, counselors and advisors.

Everything we would ever need to become rich and powerful and sophisticated is within our reach. The major reason that so few take advantage of all that we have is simply neglect.

Neglect is like an infection. Left unchecked, it will spread throughout our entire system of disciplines and eventually lead to a complete breakdown of a potentially joy-filled and prosperous human life.

Not doing the things we know we should do causes us to feel guilty, and guilt leads to an erosion of self-confidence. As our self-confidence diminishes, so does the level of our activity. And as our activity diminishes, our results inevitably decline. And as our results suffer, our attitude begins to weaken. And as our attitude begins the slow shift from positive to negative, our self-confidence diminishes even more... and on and on it goes.

So my suggestion is, when given the choice of “easy to” and “easy not to,” that you do not neglect to do the simple, basic, “easy” but potentially life-changing activities and disciplines.

To Your Success,
Jim Rohn

JimRohn.com

Words Can Make a Difference by Zig Ziglar

As a youngster, I heard a little rhyme that said, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me.” That’s untrue. Words can give us hope and encouragement, or they can break our spirits and dash our hopes.

It has been said that one picture is worth 10,000 words, but the person who said that had obviously never read the Bill of Rights, the Declaration of Independence or the 23rd psalm. They’d never read Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address, or the impassioned pleas of Martin Luther King, Winston Churchill or Patrick Henry. Those words changed the course of history and gave individuals and nations a hope for a better future.

Charles Osgood said, “Compared to the spoken word, a picture is a pitiful thing, indeed.” For example, a father who was attending a three-day seminar with his teenage son stood up and, for the first time in the boy’s memory, said, “I love you, Son, and I’m proud of you.” A joyous, tear-filled coming together was the result of that father uttering those words. Yes, our words have awesome power.

In the business community, a service representative could respond to a question by saying, “I’ll have to get back to you with the answer,” or “I’ll be happy to get back to you with the answer.” In describing a friend, someone could say, “She is a bright, attractive, ambitious, hardworking woman, but she wears glasses.” The connotation is obviously negative. They could say, “She is a bright, attractive, ambitious, hardworking woman and she wears glasses.” What a difference one word can make!

Yes, the changing of words changes the thought. Thought leads us into either positive or negative action. Needless to say, the right words produce the right thoughts, which produce the right action, which produce good results. Think about it. Use the right words, and I’ll see you at the top!

—Zig Ziglar

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Vitamins for the Mind by Jim Rohn

Vitamins for the Mind by Jim Rohn--JimRohn.com

Sowing and Reaping

You must get good at one of two things: sowing in the spring or begging in the fall.

God has the tough end of the deal. What if, instead of planting the seed, you had to make the tree? That would keep you up late at night, trying to figure that one out.

Plant—don’t chant.

One of my good friends always says, “Things don’t just happen; things happen just.”

The soil says, “Don’t bring me your need; bring me your seed.”

"The guy says, ‘When you work where I work, by the time you get home, it’s late. You’ve got to have a bite to eat, watch a little TV, relax and get to bed. You can’t sit up half the night planning, planning, planning.’ And he’s the same guy who is behind on his car payment!" —Jim Rohn

Let It Be You by Jim Rohn

1. Let It Be You by Jim Rohn

Each and every day, there are people all around the country and world who are living their dreams. Millionaires are made every day. Families are experiencing tremendous relationships. People are becoming more and more healthy. Lifelong learners are growing intellectually and improving their chances for success.

The fact is, living the life of your dreams is possible. People prove that every day. Someone somewhere is going to get rich, get healthy and improve their life. My recommendation is this: Let it be you!

Have you ever wanted to make more money? Have you ever looked at someone who has money and wished it could be you? People think about getting wealthy all the time, when only a small percentage actually do. But any of the masses could. Someone is going to start a business. Someone is going to make a great investment. Someone is going to begin the journey to great wealth. So why not let it be you?

Someone is going to decide to improve their relationships. Someone is going to enjoy love with their family. Someone is going to schedule some meaningful time with their friends. So why not let it be you?

Someone is going to go back to school to improve their life. Someone is going to become a lifelong learner. Someone is going to set a goal to read a book or listen to a CD each week for the next year. So why not let it be you?

Someone is going to look in the mirror and see that they need to lose a little weight and make the decision to become healthy. Someone will run their first marathon. Someone will join an aerobics class and improve their health. Why not let it be you?

I think that by now you get the point: Everyday people are improving their lives. Whether you do or don’t doesn’t matter to those who do. They are going to do it, regardless. It is simply a matter of a decision being made. Let that person be you!

You may be asking, “OK, Jim, but how?’ Well, let’s cover the very simple actions.

The first and most important thing to do is to make a commitment to work on yourself. Are you going to improve or stay the same? No matter what you have achieved, you are at a certain point right now. What you have achieved in the past is fine, but it doesn’t make a difference for the future. The decision about what you will become is made each and every day. Each day, someone is making the decision to better himself. Let that person be you!

The second is to make a plan. Once you have decided to become better, you will have to have a plan. It doesn’t have to be a long, intricate plan. It can be simple. Save a dollar a day. Walk a mile a day. Read an article a day. It’s a simple plan with achievable goals. Someone is going to develop a plan that will take them into the future of their dreams. Let it be you!

The third is to begin to act. All of the great ideas, without action, become stale and useless. The key to turning dreams into reality is action. People who have great ideas are a dime a dozen. People who act on their dreams and ideas are the select few, but they are the ones who gain the health, wealth and wisdom that is available. Someone will act today. Let it be you.

My encouragement to you is to stop looking at others who live the good life, wishing that you were as well, and begin to commit to your improvement, develop a plan and act on it. Someone is going to. Let it be you!

To Your Success,
Jim Rohn

JimRohn.com

Keeping a Journal—One of the Three Treasures to Leave Behind by Jim Rohn

Keeping a Journal—One of the Three Treasures to Leave Behind by Jim Rohn

If you're serious about becoming a wealthy, powerful, sophisticated, healthy, influential, cultured and unique individual, keep a journal. Don't trust your memory. When you listen to something valuable, write it down. When you come across something important, write it down.

I used to take notes on pieces of paper and torn-off corners and backs of old envelopes. I wrote ideas on restaurant placemats. On long sheets, narrow sheets and little sheets and pieces of paper thrown in a drawer. Then I found out that the best way to organize those ideas is to keep a journal. I've been keeping these journals since the age of 25. The discipline makes up a valuable part of my learning, and the journals are a valuable part of my library.

I am a buyer of blank books. Kids find it interesting that I would buy a blank book. They say, "Twenty-six dollars for a blank book? Why would you pay that?" The reason I pay $26 is to challenge myself to find something worth $26 to put in there. All my journals are private, but if you ever got a hold of one of them, you wouldn't have to look very far to discover it is worth more than $26.

I must admit, if you got a glimpse of my journals, you'd have to say that I am a serious student. I'm not just committed to my craft, I'm committed to life, committed to learning new concepts and skills. I want to see what I can do with seed, soil, sunshine and rain to turn them into the building blocks of a productive life.

Keeping a journal is so important. I call it one of the three treasures to leave behind for the next generation. In fact, future generations will find these three treasures far more valuable than your furniture.

The first treasure is your pictures. Take a lot of pictures. Don't be lazy in capturing the event. How long does it take to capture the event? A fraction of a second. How long does it take to miss the event? A fraction of a second. So don't miss the pictures. When you're gone, they'll keep the memories alive.

The second treasure is your library. This is the library that taught you, that instructed you, that helped you defend your ideals. It helped you develop a philosophy. It helped you become wealthy, powerful, healthy, sophisticated, and unique. It may have helped you conquer some disease. It may have helped you conquer poverty. It may have caused you to walk away from the ghetto. Your library, the books that instructed you, fed your mind and fed your soul, is one of the greatest gifts you can leave behind.

The third treasure is your journals: the ideas that you picked up, the information that you meticulously gathered. But of the three, journal writing is one of the greatest indications that you're a serious student. Taking pictures, that is pretty easy. Buying a book at a book store, that's pretty easy. It is a little more challenging to be a student of your own life, your own future, your own destiny. Take the time to keep notes and to keep a journal. You'll be so glad you did. What a treasure to leave behind when you go. What a treasure to enjoy today!

—Jim Rohn

Quotes of The Week 09.02.2009

Quotes of The Week 09.02.2009

Learning/Education

"If money is your hope for independence, you will never have it. The only real security that a man can have in this world is a reserve of knowledge, experience and ability." —Henry Ford

"Success is a process that continues, not a status that you reach. If you are alive, there are lessons to be learned." —Denis Waitley

"The reading of all good books is indeed like a conversation with the noblest men of past centuries who were the authors of them, nay a carefully studied conversation, in which they reveal to us none but the best of their thoughts." —Rene Descartes

"Education is, after all, a serious business. Its lifeblood is standards. If there are no standards, how do we call something higher education?" —William J. Bennett

"I believe people should study a little bit every day. It should become habitual, like brushing your teeth, combing your hair, having a shower or getting dressed. Study the mind, the laws of the universe and paradigms. There's enough information on those subjects to keep a person studying forever." —Bob Proctor

"In times of change, the learners shall inherit the earth, while the learned find themselves beautifully equipped to deal with a world that no longer exists." —Eric Hoffer

"Next in importance to freedom and justice is popular education, without which neither freedom nor justice can be permanently maintained." —James A. Garfield

"If someone is going down the wrong road, he doesn't need motivation to speed him up. What he needs is education to turn him around." —Jim Rohn

Please Do These Three Things by Ron White

1. Please Do These Three Things by Ron White

I am extremely leery of any quick-fix solution or overnight formula for success. In my opinion, they don't exist. With that said, the following formula is one that I have shared with members of my family to encourage them to break through the rut they are in and experience success. Therefore, if I would share it with my family, I must believe in the principles. I suggested that they begin to regularly do these three things:

1. Surround themselves with positive people who believe that this life is not all there is. Personally, I find this at my local church. This e-mail goes out to thousands of people all over the world. I know we don't share the same faith in all cases. This message is not about my faith; it is about you finding a group of people who regularly meet together and have a belief that there is more to life than what we see. This is the first step to a positive outlook on life.

2. You must exercise weekly in order to stimulate endorphins and maintain an energetic life. The exercise of walking to the kitchen or curling 12 ounces does not count as exercise. I run a mile twice a week, and two to three days a week do strength training. This is nothing difficult, but it makes a major difference in my attitude.

3. You MUST educate yourself through reading. The average CEO in America reads four to five books per month. The average American reads one book per year, and 60 percent of us don't get past the first chapter! Make a promise to yourself to read at least one book per month. Read anything!

Regardless, of what you read… develop a passion for reading and learning, and you will see your attitude and outlook on life begin to change. Any person who faithfully invests their time in these three areas may not break world records in levels of success. However, everything in me believes that they would see dramatic improvements. I believe in those three things so much, I encouraged my family to invest their time in these areas.

—Ron White