Pain vs. Pleasure

Everything we do is a result of our need to avoid pain or our desire to gain pleasure. People try to change and fail because they try to change the behavior not the cause behind it. We often fail to act on what we know is right because we associate more pain in doing that necessary thing than not doing it. The key in any long term change is to gain leverage on ourselves by associating so much pain in not making the change that it is simple for us to do what is necessary to go in our preferred direction. When talking before about the "falls syndrome" we need to keep fresh in our minds the pain associated with not making the the changes necessary now, the behaviors will then follow easily.

People fear of loss is greater than their desire for gain. Which would motivate you more keeping someone from stealing 100k you've earned in the last 5 years or the potential for you to earn 100k in the next 5 years? Most people would work harder to keep what they have then to take the risk necessary to get what they really want. People who experience pain don't always change because we all have a pain threshold. Finally we reach a level that cannot be accepted anymore. In our business many people do not work as hard as the should. They don't learn and pay attention as much as they should. They desire for big things but that potential for gain is not enough to change their behaviors over a consistent period of time. Then one day when the pain of failure becomes too high the pain actually becomes their friend and ally. It drives them to finally do what it takes to produce the results they always wanted. Donald Trump receives great pain from being 2nd place in anything. Mother Teresa's pain was from seeing some suffer. Helping others helped her pain. We need to link pain to our bad habits. I use to love the feeling of being super full after gorging on food. I have now started linking that feeling to great pain.

If we fail to direct our own associations to pain and pleasure, we're living like animals or machines, continually reacting to our environment allowing whatever comes up next to determine how we feel and the quality of our lives.

Steps to reach solid decisions

1. Keep in mind the true power in making solid decisions. It is only measured by the new ACTION taken.
2. Hardest part is making a true commitment. Most successful people can make decisions quickly and keep to them because they have clear values and desires already established in their lives. They are slow to change if ever and they never leave without taking specific action towards that decision.
3. Make decisions often. Keep on task. Don't let the short term failures or ups and downs of emotions cause you to question the decisions already made.
4. Learn from your decisions. More importantly learn from the decisions of others. Failure is a gift in disguise why not allow someone else to give you gifts. Why beat ourselves up over mistakes when it is the cause of our future development and getting better.
5. Stay committed to your decisions but flexible to the approach. Don't get stuck on the means but rather the end goal.
6. Enjoy making decisions. Many times in our business we make tons of decisions a day whether to stay focused with the utmost amount of energy towards our business creating a vision that will lead the world ahead or not. It is so easy to decide to relax. We need to love making decisions to carry onward and keep going. The very next person you call or training you attend may release the flood gates of your dreams to open. To have these dreams come true we need to live life with that expectancy.

It's your decisions, not conditions, that determine your destiny.

Changing of the seasons

No season lasts forever because life is a cycle of planting, reaping, resting, and renewal. Think back over your lives. Have there been times of lack before? I would imagine so, as well as there have been times of abundance. What if we didn't freak out so much when we hit winter again? Winter is not infinite. It won't stay here forever and in fact in our business winter will end sooner if we focus on planting and creating momentum in our business. If we are faced with these challenges let's focus extra hard on planting and if we see the snow all over the fields why not grab some sleds and go enjoy ourselves since we know we will be reaping soon.

Leading by example!!

Marita brings on 3 incredible certified
people in only 2 days!!!!!!!






Mark sells 7 paid websites in only 1 week!!!!

Moving Ahead

"How, dear sir, did you cross the flood?""By not halting friend, and by not straining I crossed the flood.""But how is it, dear sir, that by not halting and by not straining you crossed the flood?""When I came to a standstill, friend, then I sank; but when I struggled, then I got swept away. It is in this way, friend, that by not halting and by not straining I crossed the flood."-Buddha

ARDIE GOES EXEC!!!!!!

CONGRATS ARDIE WAHL FOR GOING EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR!!!!!!

Focused Action

Many times people spend countless amounts of energy but seem to not realize the results they envision. Like a magnifying glass when it is held still and focused it can create a beam of light that can start a fire. So can we when we realize our top priorities and focus on them. When you truly know where you should be headed, your priorities become clearer and your actions start to take on major significance towards your desired result.

GREAT PASSION + CLEAR MISSION = FOCUSED ACTION

When things come up in your business, which they will, follow this plan:

1. Determine the validity of the need.
2. Look for a leadership opportunity to be able to incorporate someone new. Your focus should be on only a few things and delegate the rest.
3. Make sure to delegate to the right people.
4. When bringing on new leaders make sure to publicly give credit to them. Build confidence and trust in them.

Many of us have heard before of the Pareto Principle. It states that 20% of your priorities will give you 80% of the production. In our business we need to focus on recruiting. If our desire is to help non-profits how many more could we help with 1,000 people in our team? If we want to earn money from shopping, wouldn't it be easier to have 1,000 business builders helping us find the customers? Many times because it's easier and possibly "sexier" we think we should focus on other things than going through the numbers necessary to find interested talented people to be in our team. The reality is that this effort is what the Pareto Principle reflects that our time focused on these activities will not lead to the 80% of our desired result. I did not love recruiting. In fact I was terrible at it in the beginning. I learned to love it because instead of focusing on the work I focused on the result. I then began to tie the work emotionally into the passion for the desired result. I soon loved to do the work. Everything works this way. For many new people they have not placed enough passion and enjoyment to reaching their goals and attaching that desire to the work necessary.

Leadership must be determined and developed

Qualifications:

1. Known for their sphere of influence
2. People who can be part of a team
3. Trusted among the other people
4. Hungry for the task at hand
5. Competent and intelligent
6. Responsible

To Develop Commitments

1. Commitment starts in the heart. Before achievement.
2. Commitment is tested by action. Talk is cheap.
3. Commitment opens the door of accomplishment.
4. Commitment can be measured. Evaluate it as often as possible. Check your calendar and checkbook.
5. Commitment enables a leader to make decisions.
6. Commitment flourishes with public accountability.

It's the little things that matter

If you're on the river of life it's likely you are going to hit a few rocks. The key is when you do go aground, notice not "if", instead of beating yourself up for being such a failure remember there are no failures in life. Learn from the experience. Use whatever life gives you in the moment.

In order to succeed, you must have a long-term focus. Most of our problems like overeating, drinking, smoking, feeling overwhelmed and giving up on our dreams come from a short term focus. Success and failure are not overnight experiences. It's all the small decisions along the way that cause people to fail. Failure to follow-up, failure to take action, persist, manage our mental and emotional states. Failure to control what we focus on.

Conversely, success is the result of making small decisions, holding yourself to a higher standard, deciding to contribute, feeding your mind rather than allowing the environment to control you.

What controls our actions?

1. Core beliefs and unconscious rules
2. your life values
3. your references
4. the habitual questions that you ask yourself
5. the emotional states you experience in each moment

We must overcome our fears of making the wrong decisions. No matter what decisions we make, be flexible, look at the consequences, learn from them, and use those lessons to make better decisions in the future.

Success is the result of good judgment. Good judgment is the result of experience, and experience is the result of bad judgment. Failing over and over again and reaping the benefit from all the experience. These seemingly bad experiences are sometimes the most important. When people succeed they relax and party when they fail they think and begin to make new distinctions that will help them grow further.

A role model or expert is essential because we can learn from someone else's mistakes and how to navigate the rapids that are sure to come.

JUST DO IT

Most decisions are more like wish lists, stating preferences. The word decision comes from the Latin roots de, which means "from", and caedere, which means "to cut". Making a true decision means committing to achieving a result, and then cutting yourself off from any other possibility. The challenge for many of us is that we haven't made a true decision in so long we forgot what it feels like.

The way to make better decisions is to make more of them. This will help provide valuable distinctions to make evaluations and therefore decisions in the future. That information is the power of the future when acted upon. Repition is the mother of skill.
It is in the moments of decision that your end result is shaped. 3 decisions that you make every moment control your destiny.

1. What to focus on
2. What things mean to you
3. What to do to create the results you desire

People who are doing more than you are making these decisions differently.

Today is the day!!

Will today be the day you finally decide that who you are as a person is much more than you've been demonstrating? Will today be the day you decide once and for all to make your life consistent with the quality of the person you are by proclaiming, "THIS IS WHO I AM. THIS IS WHAT MY LIFE IS ABOUT. AND THIS IS WHAT I'M GOING TO DO. NOTHING WILL STOP ME FROM ACHIEVING MY DESTINY. I WILL NOT BE DENIED!!!!"

It's not important initially to know how you will achieve a certain result. What is important is to decide you will find a way no matter what.

1. Decide what you want
2. TAKE MASSIVE ACTION
3. Notice what's working and what isn't
4. change your approach until you begin to achieve it

Deciding to produce a result causes other events to be set in motion to make it come about. As soon as you truly commit to making something happen the "how" will reveal itself.

Take Control

Most people overestimate where they can be in one year and underestimate what can be achieved in 10 years.

How am I going to live the next 10 years of my life? How am I going to live today in order to create the tomorrow I am committed to? What am I going to stand for from now on? What's important to me now and will be in the long-term?

The difference in the results that people produce comes down to what they've done differently from others in the same situations. Different actions produce different results. If we want to direct our lives we must take control of our consistent actions.

What precedes and determines the actions we take? The power of our DECISIONS!!! Our decisions, not conditions, determine our destiny. Many people are interested in success but that is not a decision. There is a big difference between being interested in something and committed to it.

Set a standard for your life and don't slip below it. Make a decision now and it will change in an instant.

Focus

When we really start to focus our energy on finding and creating a desired result we will start to see new patterns and strategies to make that desired result become a reality. Our brain has a part in it called the reticular activating system that helps sort our unnecessary stimuli. When something starts to become our focus it now kicks in this ras and we start to see it clearer and more often. Have you ever felt the itch of a bug crawling on you and then after started feeling them all over? These itches were always there but our ras was not focused on them till we saw the bug. Without the ras we would be overwhelmed with too many stimuli. This holds true for why when we start to focus on success we open the door to things that were unnoticed before.

These are some questions I asked myself on my way to success. How can I take immediate control of my life? What can I do today that will make a difference-that could help me and others to shape our destinies? How can I expand, learn, grow and share that knowledge with others in a meaningful and enjoyable way?

The sad thing is information is so available to us and we don't take advantage of using it. The average American that buys a book only 10% read past the first chapter.

To Make A Lasting Change

1. Raise your standards. What do I demand of myself? All the things that I will no longer tolerate and accept. All the things that I aspire to become.
2. Change your limiting beliefs. We can't only change the standards we must also change our beliefs to meet them. Beliefs tell us what we think is possible. We certainly can and will meet the new standards belief needs to be possible first.
3. To attain our new standard we must change our strategy. Find a role model that is already doing it. Don't do what we think is the strategy but do what they think is the strategy. They are the one's who have done it so who should we model, us or them?

Many people know what to do, but few people actually do what they know. Knowing is not good enough we must take action!!

Don't leave ourselves trying to control outside situations which we have no control over. We control the inside, our emotions and that is where we need to focus.

There is no quick fix.

Think Wealthy

Here's a rule for you. If you want to become successful, find out what failures do and don't do it. If you want to be wealthy, find out what poor people think about, and avoid thinking in those ways. Instead, find out how wealthy people think. Find out what they read. Find out how they spend their time. Study their lives, read their stories and autobiographies and listen to their words when they are interviewed and on tape. The more you find out what financially successful people think and talk about most of the time, and do the same things, the more rapidly you will enjoy the same rewards that they do.

Closing

Chances are good that salespeople can close too soon for some of their potential clients. When and how to close the sale is a matter of instinct that's developed from experience.

When potential clients get a little uncomfortable and start to back off verbally or non-verbally (body language), here are the pressure-relieving words you need to say:
Phraseology: “Let me apologize, John. I didn't mean to push you. I know you may still have a lot of questions; however, you wouldn't have let me discuss (your product or service) with you to this point if you weren't at least somewhat interested, would you? (Pause briefly for a sign of their agreement.)
I may have covered the details a little fast, but we have agreed that (go back to a benefit summary, one that has been agreed upon thus far), haven't we?”

When you start to get “yes” responses, you have begun to rebuild the momentum carrying you to the final agreement. You can now gently go back into closing the sale. If you receive any negative responses during your benefit summary, you'll discover concerns that haven't been properly addressed. Handle them, and continue moving toward the final agreement.

The Power of Now

If you are going to jump up and down for every success, or drag yourself down in pity for every conceived failure we are going to ruin the power of now. When we can freely flow into the next presentation, learning from our past attempts that is when we are on top of our game. Many times our emotions taint the future outcomes that were sure to come if we just kept focused. It's almost like having 2 selves. 1. the instructor who is critiquing every shot good or bad and 2. the player who actually goes out and plays. There are plenty of times and ways to learn without us personally being dragged down by self 1 when we just need to be growing and doing with our self 2.

To produce at our best we must live every second in the present. Will we be learning things from past mistakes? Of course. But the moment we let our emotions control our future moments we are not advancing from these great lessons but slowing down our "flow" of natural progression forward to success.

4 D's

1. Desire- This is where it all starts. Having the inner fire and ambition to get things going. To strive for a higher place. To know that where we are now is nice but nothing compared to where we are destined to be.
2. Decision- To make the commitment necessary to achieve any worthwhile result. It won't happen by accident. Things that don't take much decision usually don't produce many rewards. We need to sacrifice and commit to making our desire come true.
3. Determination- Are tough times going to come? Of course. How hard these bumps in the road truly are depends on our level of determination. Don't stand in the way of a determined person, the problems seem to leap out of their way because they know they will be wasting their time.
4. Discipline- To reach our true goal we are going to need to create new disciplines. We cannot rely on the habits that have created our results thus far in life. We need to forge ahead and master new disciplines that will guide us like a magnet to our desires.

Control our words and we control our emotions

Are there words that we use that make us feel certain emotions? Of course. When you say someone is scolded, how do you feel? When someone is totally messed up, how does that make us feel, what is described? Could words like being guided instead of scolded may a world of difference in what happens to our emotions? What about working on getting better, instead of totally messed up?

This may sound simple but often the simple lessons are the most important. Let's make sure to use words that help us grow. Good careful self-talk will limit the negative messages we send ourselves and increase the positive ones.

Affirmations vs. Questions

Repeating affirmations over and over like "I am productive, I am productive, I am productive" can create a feeling of productiveness if done with enough emotion but truly it will leave us without changing how we feel. We are still possibly left with not knowing what to take action on in the given moment.

When we ask questions to ourselves like "What can I do right now that is productive?" our mind will then search for the answers that we know already and create the change by reminding us what we need to do to be productive and then doing it. We know what to do now.

Words from Buddha

"As the fletcher whittles and makes straight his arrows, so the master directs his straying thoughts."

Focus on where you want to go and the actions will follow.

Be patient because there is a lag time between the focus of your desires and those same desires taking place in your physical life.

Law of Attraction

Many people want to attract incredible people into their lives that will help their business grow by leaps and bounds. The reality is that to attract someone confident we have to be confident. To attract someone productive we have to be productive. To attract someone committed we have to be committed. I think we all the idea here. We have to be more in order to attract that into our business and our lives. It all starts and ends with us and our growing towards success

In the end the choice you make makes you.

Ability may get you to the top, but it takes character to stay there. To achieve our potential as a leader we need mental and moral strength. The leader must set the example. Physical conditioning is good because without it we are less likely to get energy to fight for our beliefs, ideals, and standards. Often people who fall physically fall in more ways than just that, but in their work habits as well.

Our skills will always be improving. When we are through learning we are through. You must know everything you can. Soak it up like a sponge. Not only with what you agree with because if you already agree it is likely you are already doing it. The things that will improve our results will challenge us and be different from what we are doing now. My muscles beg out in pain as I push them harder. The harder I push the stronger they are. The more weight they can carry without strain. We need to be able to execute quickly and correctly. All aspects of where our focus is not only parts of it. What are the systems that are in place to make sure we stay a life long learner and improve? It's what you learn after you know it all that counts.

The star of the team is the team. We need to be selfless. Sacrifice personal interest for the team. Good team spirit can increase productivity exponentially. What we put out there for our team and others will come back to us. Just like the farmer who plants the seeds reaps the harvest if cared for correctly.

We need to have poise and be true to ourself, not getting rattled, unbalanced, frustrated, regardless of the situation. Our poise is improved by having a solid foundation. You must earn the right to be confident and work hard to be solid. Our confidence comes from the knowledge that our preparation and work ethic is complete. That we have done all things possible to ready ourselves for the task.

Deep inside most success stories is a will for greatness. A love for the hard battle, not the easy no result approach. Knowing that through this effort we are giving ourselves a true opportunity to live the lives we've dreamed of. When the going gets tough the tough get going.

All of this has to be founded in our faith in the future. Accomplishing big goals and dreams takes time. If difficult goals could be accomplished quickly more people would be achievers. Genius is nothing but an aptitude for patience. Success is ALWAYS attainable when defined correctly, that is the effort to do the best you are capable.

People get what they work for

Gradually I discovered that there is a golden thread that runs through all teachings and makes them work for those who sincerely accept and apply them, and that thread can be named in a single word-BELIEF. It is this same element of factor, belief, which causes people to be cured by mental healing, enables others to climb the latter of success, and gets great results for all who accept it.

Most leave their desires vague so they get vague outcomes. Virtually anything can be yours, and you can be anything, if you are able to develop a "knowing" about it that you don't ever need to question. Our belief power is found in the relationship between the conscious and the subconscious. The subconscious continually expresses our deepest beliefs and desires. It is our servant that renews and guides, but to get the most out of it requires great respect for and faith in what it can do. Imagery helps guide it so we must feed it mental pictures of what we desire. It can then go to work to make that image true. Somehow the subconscious is connected to all other parts of our mind, and through the law of attraction it will attract events and people that will assist us in helping the vision become a reality. The belief has to become part of us, settled in the subconscious as fact. Repetition will help it get in there. This is why we spend so much time working on goal setting.

Manage better

Clarity about goals saves a huge amount of energy that can be deployed productively in other areas.

1. Agree on goals. (No more than 1/2 dozen) with team members. Make sure each goal is written down. From this point on they will exactly what is expected of them and you will be in agreement. Make sure these are not your goals projected on them but a good fit for what the result they would like to achieve. If these are done right you shouldn't have to spend much energy on them unless it's to further their production. They are here to produce results.
2. People should reread goals frequently as a means of ensuring that performance matches expectations. Once in the morning and once in the evening is suggested. They should report back to you on daily results. This is so you have more opportunity to praise them and give them immediate realtime positive feedback.
3. If the person has skills to do it right and it's not being done then handle it stern and address the action not the person themselves you don't want it to be a personal thing but an action thing. Let them know that it is not up to the usual standards and remind them of their value. "Take a minute-look at your goals-look at your performance-see if your behavior matches your goals."

Discipline does not work with people who are not secure in what they are doing. Majority of people new to a home business are VERY insecure in what they are doing and the only thing that works with them is encouragement. When goals are set properly they will think that when it is fair to bring it up when they are not met.

Courage

Leadership requires courage.

1. Seek the truth in yourself. It's us that we answer to the most. Why would we want to fool ourselves? You never will find yourself until you face the truth.
2. Change-Courage is the power to let go of the familiar. Everything evolves and so shall we.
3. Express your convictions. Convictions help us to stand alone. The test of courage comes when we are the minority.
4. Overcome obstacles. Whatever you do, someone will think you're wrong. Expect trouble. Project courage.
5. Learn and grow. You haven't learned until you step out, take a risk, and do something new.
6. Take the high road. There is no traffic jam up there.
7. Lead others. Leadership is the expression of courage that compels others to do the right thing.

John Wooden's 2nd tier

Discipline yourself and others won't have to.

4 traits that involve control and direction of your mental faculties.

1. Self-control: Essential for consistency in leadership. Control of emotions, resolve to resist the easy choice and temptation. Discipline when necessary but hold no grudges. Self-control of little things leads to control of bigger things. Lead by example (seems like we can't get away from that one regardless of how hard we try ;) ).
2. Alertness: "It's what you learn after you know it all that counts." The ability to constantly observe, absorb, and learn from what's going on around you. Constantly be awake, alive, and alert to evaluating yourself and improving. Most of what we learn comes from others.
3. Initiative: Don't live in fear of making a mistake. "The team that makes the most mistakes usually wins." Don't make sloppy careless mistakes but mistakes that result from assertive action based on proper assessment of risk. Failure to act is often the greatest failure of all.
4. Intentness: "The one who once most wisely said 'Be sure you're right, then go ahead' might well have added this to it 'Be sure you are wrong before you quit'! Persistence over the long term will always result in more success than short little energy bursts.

Frank Bettger "How I Raised Myself From Failure to Success In Selling" 1947

The ability to speak in front of other people heightens your general level of courage and is a cornerstone of a successful life.

We need more ENTHUSIASM!!!!! The act of being excited can create the feeling. Smiling creates happiness.

Sit down and plan the week ahead. How do we expect to reach our destination if we don't start taking some time to plot the course?

Selling is the easiest job in the world if you work hard-but the hardest job in the world if you try to work it easy.

Success is not achieved from concentrating on the whole. But rather every hour and every moment being productive. Break the big goal and dream into little pieces.

Organization and discipline are more important to success than great amounts of energy.

Here's a secret-doing more gives you greater energy to achieve more.

The best sales people don't "sell" they find what the other person wants and fill that void.

Be a good listener.

Invest time and money in learning your business. Become an expert.

Praise your competitors. It will make you look even more confident and worthy of trust.

Use testimonials.

Use magic question to build rapport "How did you happen to get into this business?"

Prepare for every meeting.

Don't talk too long.

Use their name tons.

Smile frequently. Spend 30 days concentrating on smiling more.

Don't engage in argument instead ask ?'s that bring them to your viewpoint.

Charisma

Most people think of charisma as something mystical almost undefineable. They think it comes at birth or not at all. This is not true. Charisma is the ability to draw people to you or your cause. Like skills and traits someone maybe more natural with charisma but this can be learned.
What makes someone charismatic?

1. Confidence-poise and optimism as a powerful communicator.
2. Conviction-know where you are going and speak straight from the heart.
3. Connection-focus not on yourself but on others.
4. Compassion-exude warmth and love.

How do we attain and have more charisma?

1. Love life. Celebrate every small thing you can. Don't complain, even to yourself. Enjoy the journey, both the peaks and the valleys.
2. Put a "10" on everyone's forehead. Expect the best of people and treat them well.
3. Give people hope. Leaders are dealers of hope.
4. Share yourself. Be vulnerable and real. Share your heart, wisdom, and resources.

8 Secrets to Speak Well

1. Talk about BIG IDEAS. Limit it to 1 idea, that is all most can remember.
2. Speak in the moment. About them and what's happening in the moment that they are dealing with in their business or lives in order to win them over.
3. Keep it simple
4. Be a straight shooter-true message. People will accept a mistake, not perpetuation of a lie. Honesty!
5. Be an optimist. Balance reality with hope. See and talk about what is possible. Set the course.
6. Focus on the future. Through tough times create and instill hope! What can be done, what do you believe is possible.
7. Be real. The title that you have can put people off. Make sure you have a connection with them. Humanize yourself and maintain authority.
8. Stand for something BIG. PURPOSE. You embody the mission!!!

Being the leader

When you are the leader you are in it 24-7. Somebody is always watching. It's not just when you are in front of people giving a presentation it's body language, tonality, expressions of all kinds every minute of every day. If I am walking around moping about something unrelated people are going to assume the business is causing the problems. If I answer the phone not so energetic they are going to think that sales are down.

Many times we don't communicate properly with our team. We don't form that vital bond of trust. If we don't form it with them we must realize that they will look elsewhere to get it. They may look to their opinionated spouse or friend who is negative to give them support where you are not. Good leaders will build this bond of trust. The way to do that is through honesty, integrity, spreading the vision, listening, giving feedback.

We need to have emotional intelligence which is interpreted as the ability to communicate empathy and compassion, treat people well, and relate to them on a human level. We do this through clarity, knowledge of our company, managerial skills, follow-through (doing what we say we will do when we say we'll do it), and humility.

Warren Bennis "On Becoming a Leader" 1989

True leaders are not interested in proving themselves, they want above all to be able to express themselves fully.

Life is not a competition but a flowering.

Real learning is the process of remembering what is important to you, and becoming a leader is therefore the act of becoming more and more like your true self.

Becoming a leader involves:

1. Continuous learning and never-dying curiosity
2. A compelling vision:leaders must first define their reality (what they believe is possible) then set about managing their dream.
3. Develop the ability to communicate that vision and inspire others to follow it.
4. Tolerate uncertainty and taking on risk: a degree of daring.
5. Personal integrity, self knowledge, candor, maturity, and welcome critique.
6. Original-Leaders learn from others but are not made by others.
7. Reinvention-to create new things sometimes involves recreating yourself.
8. Take time off to reflect, which brings answers and resolve.
9. Passion for the promises of life: a belief in the best for yourself and others.
10. Seeing success in small everyday increments and joys, not waiting years for the big success to arrive.
11. Using the context of your life, rather than surrendering to it.

Leadership is a choice and involves leading yourself first.

Horatio Alger-Ragged Dick 1867

Horatio Alger wrote Ragged Dick among others telling the stories with a poor boy makes good type from the streets of New York.

Whatever you do, you will be more successful if you do it with honesty, fairness, and to the best of your ability.

Make your own luck. Luck happens to those who greatly increase their chances of it happening.

Whatever you do, do it with your utmost. Even if you don't like it.

Become a reader. Be a saver but be generous.

Your future position depends mainly upon yourself, it will be high or low as you choose to make it.

Alcohol saps drive and erodes good character.

Strive for success not just for fortune but to gain a tenacity, discipline, frugality, and optimism. These are qualities that cannot be bought.

Attitude spreads

A healthy attitude is contagious but don't wait to catch it from others. Be a carrier.

We are like a spider

A spider knows how to produce within itself to help create its destiny. There is something in you that wants you to produce, that has been put inside you already to create the ability for you to produce. Your destiny will come from what's inside you not who's around you. There is an outflow of your life and your energy coming through you to others. You're not being defeated because of anything else but not releasing the power that is already within you. Trouble is meant to distract you. Like when we knock down a spider web, the spider can't be happy but continues to work along to recreate what has just crashed down. We need to make up our mind that we are going to produce no matter what. We were created for to produce. Even with setbacks you can't stop because it's inside of you. It's ready to come out this season this year. We have to work it out, we don't have a second to waste. Just like the spider we have to get back to creating when knocked down. It shows up deep within our spirit way before the checkbook will show the result. Other people can't take what's inside. Do you still have it in you? Get back up and do it again, and if necessary again....Keep on over and over. The spider has no spine but will release a thread to catch its fall. It keeps on producing even when falling. Our producing will stop our fall as well. Spider has 8 eyes but poor vision. Even with poor vision it is an avid hunter. It has hairy follicles on legs to sense movements. It walks by faith not by sight. We need to discern more with our heart then you can with your eyes. Sense it in your heart. I've got a feeling!!! That part of us that first felt the dream showed it's within us. Now we have to keep getting back up regardless of the obstacles. A spider holds onto it web and walks around with ease although an insect gets stuck. We've survived things in the past that has killed and stopped others dreams. This was the fight for producing showing itself before and it is here now to show itself again.

Success

Success is peace of mind which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you made the effort to become the best of which you are capable.

Don't worry about being better than someone else, you don't control them.

Winning the race, doing best, not scoreboard that is what matters. When this is truly accepted your preparation and performance and your ability to withstand setbacks and defeats as well as challenges imposed by victory will be better.

Focus on the process rather than the prize.

Reputation is what others perceive you as being and their opinion maybe right or wrong. Character is what you really are, nobody knows that but you.

Before you can lead others you must lead yourself.

4 p's planning, preparation, practice, and performance.

Get as specific as possible with team members to be clear as to what they need to do to be successful in their given area.

Truth

One large ship is approaching what appears to be another large ship. They are on course for a head on collision. "Please change your course 10 degrees west." The other replies by blinking out its message "You change 10 degrees west". The captain frustrated pulls rank and shoots back " I have 35 years experience change your course 10 degrees west". The reply comes back "I am a lowly seaman 4th class you change your position 10 degrees east". The captain is not getting enraged. He blasts his final warning " I am a 50,000 ton freighter. Change your course 10 degrees west". The simple reply comes back "I am a lighthouse you change your course"

Like the captain we need to change our course when confronted with truth.

Wooden

The player who gives his best is sure of success. While the player who gives less is a failure. It's a competition not between us individually but within us. If in sales someone is making 10 sales a day that may not be their true best. I maybe making only 3 sales but if that is my best than I should be excited with that.

Those things we see tend to be more meaningful and memorable than the objects we just hear about. That is why it is good to make as many calls to prospects with the newer people in your team listening. There is no more powerful leadership tool than your own personal example.

Industriousness-nothing gets done if you stay in bed. We need to work hard and make it as fun as possible. Turn it into a game as much as you can. Joy makes the longest journey too short.

Enthusiasm-comes from your heart being in your work. You must be enthusiastic if you want to stimulate others. The enthusiastic man does not recognize defeat in tough times, his love of the game and desire to help others carry him through. The energy and enjoyment, drive and dedication you exude stimulate the team. We have to learn to not only be excited through the good times, anyone can do that. The true success is the person that sees the end goal and jumps over hurdles and problems with excitement due to that goal in mind.

Industriousness and enthusiasm are cornerstones, they are contagious.

The 3 blocks in between those deal with others: friendship, loyalty, and cooperation.
Friendship-"To make a friend is to be a friend". We need to have respect and camraderie(a spirit of good will) Do not be buddies. No favorites.

Loyalty-first to your own standards. "There is a destiny that makes us brothers, none goes his way alone. All that we send out to others comes back into your own."

Cooperation-When the best leaders work is done the people say, "We did it ourselves". Welcome differences. Listen. What's right not who's right. A good leader is much like a prison guard. But the prison guard carries a rifle. They both still have the final word. Don't share blame.

We are here for significance.

I rejoice in life for its own sake. Life is no brief candle to me. It's a sort of splendid torch which I've got hold of for the moment, and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handling it on to future generations.

Success is generally defined in terms of financial assets, achievement, fame, recognition, and wealth. In a word our "outcome". On the other hand there is "significance" while less tangible it concerns the process. Significance is importance, meaning, essence, relevance, and value. Significance guides us by a desire for something greater than just tangible success.

To spur on significance we need a sense of urgency. Life is short and we need to utilize every second. We are challenged to priortize our life so we can make every minute and moment special. We also have to see the whole not just the small part that is today. Our continued focus is most important as we look at the whole picture of our life not just specific pieces. Why do I stay focused and continue in sales so passionately is because of the whole not the day to day grind. Our lives are made for a gigantic significance. Keep in mind you are here for an impact. It may not seem like you personally can impact the world but you may impact the life of one person.

Purpose

The question for each of us is whether we allow the obstacles that are for sure to happen to take us off our path or we move forward despite them. A plant that receives its nourishment from the sun will move around all kinds of obstacles until it blooms into its destiny of a beautiful flower. In this case the plant's purpose is to reach toward the sun. Like the flower, a clear understanding of our purpose will enable us to move around, jump over, or break through our obstacles and bloom where we are planted now.

To help find meaning and purpose where we are:

1. Find your place- put yourself in an environment that will unleash your talents and is quick to recognize your contributions. Realize that our purpose most likely won't be about us but what we can help grow into the lives of others. Finding this maybe scary as it may mean leaving the safety of our present workplace. But, in order to reach true fulfillment we may have to enter into these unchartered waters or bloom right where we are planted now. Many times people feel frustrated and feel that their purpose is not being fulfilled where they are. The reality is that our fulfilling our purpose won't be easy and we have got to work through all obstacles. There are many flowers blooming on the sides of great mountains.

2. Align what you do with your passion-it won't always be perfect because every situation has it's fair share of mundane tasks that have to be completed every day. However, make sure by and large that your passion can be shown through the company values and your day to day goals.

3. Trust that you will find it-don't be frustrated if you feel like you are not where you need to be. Press on. Moving onwards in a disciplined matter will only make that path clearer. Sitting around for it to find you won't happen.

Be your own boss

Everywhere we look there are the people that live a life of freedom. Freedom to do the things they want, spend time with family, help the community, focus on their dreams, and be free of financial constraints that burden many. In those same places we see people crippled by constraints too busy to love and live the way they truly want. In all of us is this desire for that freedom but many times we lack the knowledge on how to get it. There are so many principles and methods to gain it but the first one that we must come to grips with is that they all involve in being our own boss. Think of those people that have what we want, what do they do on average. Where do they work? How do they earn their income? There maybe one for every hundred that don't own a business but the other 99 are their own boss. Then we try to buck the trend and think we can do it without running the show. That's like someone wanting to lose weight and thinking that the all you can eat buffets may actually help in that process although all the people that are in great shape don't frequent them. Look at the gas station, grocery store, laundry mat, and every other business we drive by. It's so simple I can't believe it took me so long to figure it out. Knowing this now we can start to build the foundation of this subject. Knowing this will help us forge ahead through the difficulty that lies in learning anything worthwhile. Make that commitment to yourself and your family.