Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Discipline = Success


An excerpt from
The Power of Discipline
by Brian Tracy

Why are some people more successful than others? Why do some people make more money,
live happier lives and accomplish much more in the same number of years than the great
majority?

I started out in life with few advantages. I did not graduate from high school. I worked at
menial jobs. I had limited education, limited skills and a limited future.

And then I began asking, "Why are some people more successful than others?" This
question changed my life.

Over the years, I have read thousands of books and articles on the subjects of success and
achievement. It seems that the reasons for these accomplishments have been discussed and
written about for more than two thousand years, in every conceivable way. One quality that
most philosophers, teachers and experts agree on is the importance of self-discipline. As Al
Tomsik summarized it years ago, "Success is tons of discipline."

Some years ago, I attended a conference in Washington. It was the lunch break and I was
eating at a nearby food fair. The area was crowded and I sat down at the last open table by
myself, even though it was a table for four.

A few minutes later, an older gentleman and a younger woman who was his assistant came
along carrying trays of food, obviously looking for a place to sit.

With plenty of room at my table, I immediately arose and invited the older gentleman to join
me. He was hesitant, but I insisted. Finally, thanking me as he sat down, we began to chat
over lunch.

It turned out that his name was Kop Kopmeyer. As it happened, I immediately knew who he
was. He was a legend in the field of success and achievement. Kop Kopmeyer had written
four large books, each of which contained 250 success principles that he had derived from
more than fifty years of research and study. I had read all four books from cover to cover,
more than once.

After we had chatted for a while, I asked him the question that many people in this situation
would ask, "Of all the one thousand success principles that you have discovered, which do
you think is the most important?"

He smiled at me with a twinkle in his eye, as if he had been asked this question many times,
and replied, without hesitating, "The most important success principle of all was stated by
Thomas Huxley many years ago. He said, 'Do what you should do, when you should do it,
whether you feel like it or not.'"

He went on to say, "There are 999 other success principles that I have found in my
reading and experience, but without self-discipline, none of them work."

Self-discipline is the key to personal greatness. It is the magic quality that opens all doors for
you, and makes everything else possible. With self-discipline, the average person can rise as
far and as fast as his talents and intelligence can take him. But without self-discipline, a
person with every blessing of background, education and opportunity will seldom rise above
mediocrity.

Monday, January 21, 2013

Letter from mother to daughter

I hope my girl can appreciate her mom like this.

My dear girl, the day you see I'm getting old, I ask you to please be patient, but most of all, try to understand what I'm going through.

If when we talk, I repeat the same thing a thousand times, don't interrupt to say: "You said the same thing a minute ago"... Just listen, please. 


Try to remember the times when you were little and I would read the same story night after night until you would fall asleep.

When I don't want to take a bath, don't be mad and don't embarrass me. 


Remember when I had to run after you making excuses and trying to get you to take a shower when you were just a girl?

When you see how ignorant I am when it comes to new technology, give me the time to learn and don't look at me that way. 


Remember, honey, I patiently taught you how to do many things like eating appropriately, getting dressed, combing your hair, and dealing with life's issues every day. 

The day you see I'm getting old, I ask you to please be patient, but most of all, try to understand what I'm going through.

If I occasionally lose track of what we're talking about, give me time to remember, and if I can't, don't be nervous, impatient or arrogant. 


Just know in your heart that the most important thing for me is to be with you.
And when my old, tired legs don't let me move as quickly as before, give me your hand the same way that I offered mine to you when you first walked.

When those days come, don't feel sad ... just be with me, and understand me while I get to the end of my life with love.

I'll cherish and thank you for the gift of time and joy we shared. 


With a big smile and the huge love I've always had for you, I just want to say, I love you, my darling daughter.

Mom

Sunday, January 20, 2013

7 choices


An excerpt from Seven Choices for Success and Significance by Dr. Nido R. Qubein
What is success? Only you can define it in your own life. In my own life, I have attempted to define both Success and Significance.
To me, Success is secular. Significance is spiritual.
It doesn’t matter how you define your own spirituality. Spiritual matters are always finer, deeper, and longer lasting than secular matters.

Success focuses on three Fs:
• Fans
• Fame
• Fortune
Success is focused on tasks, even goals.

Significance also focuses on three Fs:
• Faith
• Family
• Friends

But, significance focuses on purpose. Why am I here? What do I do with the talents, experiences and skills that I have? How can I make the world a better place? How do I plant seeds of greatness in the lives of those around me? How do I make an impact in the circles of influence where I find or place myself?
To choose success and significance, you must be a strategic thinker who:
• Has a clear vision of what you want to accomplish
• Develops a solid strategy that answers three questions:
- Who or what are we today?
- Who do we want to become?
- How do we get there?
• Employs practical systems to achieve your goals
• Commits to consistent execution because in consistency, success
emerges.
When implementing your strategic plan for success, it really comes down to three “Ds”:

Decide what you want most to achieve

Determine the first step to getting what you want

Do the first thing that will start you moving toward your goal.

Using these seven keys, you can choose success and significance. But keep this in mind: success is not a matter of luck, not an accident of birth, not a reward for virtue. The most successful people I know are the ones who have something to do, somewhere to be and someone to love.
No one is responsible for your success or your joy. You must search for it and be in a continual state of earning it.
To merely succeed is not an end in itself. You must use your success to impact other people…to impact the world…to Live Life from the Inside Out.

It all starts with the choices you make – they determine the person you will become.

Friday, January 18, 2013

RIP "Abby"

The advice columnist, most popularly known in the "Dear Abby" columns, has passed away.
These are some of her gems.


On life’s little surprises 
DEAR ABBY: Our son was married in January.  Five months later his wife had a ten-pound baby girl.  They said the baby was premature.  Tell me, can a baby this big be that early? — Wondering
DEAR Wondering: The baby was on time, the wedding was late.
On love
DEAR ABBY: Is it possible for a man to be in love with two women at the same time? — Jake
DEAR Jake: Yes, and also hazardous
On men
DEAR ABBY: I know boys will be boys, but my ‘boy’ is seventy-three and he’s still chasing women.  Any suggestions? — Annie
DEAR Annie: Don’t worry.  My dog has been chasing cars for years, but if he ever caught one, he wouldn’t know what to do with it.
On good manners
DEAR ABBY: When you are being introduced, is it alright to say, “I’ve heard a lot about you?” — Rita
DEAR Rita: It depends on what you heard.
On politics
DEAR ABBY: I have always wanted to have my family history traced, but I can’t afford to spend a lot of money to do it. Any suggestions? — Sam in CAL
DEAR Sam: Yes. Run for public office.
On the fine line between art and commerce
DEAR ABBY: What inspires you most to write? — TED
DEAR Ted: The Bureau of Internal Revenue.
On perfection
DEAR ABBY: I am forty-four years old and I would like to meet a man my age with no bad habits. — ROSE
DEAR Rose: So would I.
On mortality
DEAR ABBY: Do you think about dying much? — Curious
DEAR Curious: No, it’s the last thing I want to do.

Thursday, January 17, 2013

I'm not cash rich...yet, but at least I have time

Time is a finite resource, and we all place infinite demands on it.
I view time as an opportunity, as a chance to make choices
about how I spend that resource—because it is our choice.
And that’s something people often forget

Get your present, Today

The truth is the only day each
of us has to live is today.
We can respect and fondly
remember the past because
it got us to where we are now.

We can look forward
hopefully to a better future
full of love and happiness.

Still, we can only live now.
Let us all then choose
love and joy today.

Let us all share kindness and goodness
with everyone everywhere right now.
Let us all revel in cheerfulness, happiness,
and delight this very moment.

If we do so the past will become
a glorious memory and
the future a vision of joy.

May we all live
a joyous and loving life
one day at a time.

Remember, yesterday is history,
tomorrow is a mystery,
and today is the present,
that's why it is called a Gift

Thursday, January 10, 2013

Life is.....


As a scientist, I am not sure anymore that life can be reduced
to a class struggle, to dialectical materialism, or any set of formulas.
Life is spontaneous and it is unpredictable, it is magical.
I think that we have struggled so hard with the tangible that we have forgotten the intangible.
 - Diane Frolov and Andrew Schneider, Northern Exposure, Zarya, 1994

Carpe Diem

Seize the momentAuthor unknown
Too many people put off something that brings them joy just because they haven't thought about it, don't have it on their schedule, didn't know it was coming or are too rigid to depart from their routine. I got to thinking one day about all those women on the Titanic who passed up dessert at dinner that fateful night in an effort to cut back. From then on, I've tried to be a little more flexible.

How many women out there will eat at home because their husband didn't suggest going out to dinner until after something had been thawed? Does the word "refrigeration" mean nothing to you? How often have your kids dropped in to talk and sat in silence while you watched Jeopardy on television?

I cannot count the times I called my sister and said, "How about going to lunch in a half hour?" She would gasp and stammer, "I can't." Check one:
           "My hair is dirty."
           "I wish I had known yesterday."
           "I had a late breakfast."
           "It looks like rain."
           And my personal favorite: "It's Monday."
She died a few years ago. We never did have lunch together.  Because Americans cram so much into their lives, we tend to schedule our headaches. We live on a sparse diet of promises we make to ourselves when all the conditions are perfect.

We'll go back and visit the grandparents when we get Stevie toilet-trained.
We'll entertain when we replace the carpet.
We'll go on a second honeymoon when we get two more kids out of college.

Life has a way of accelerating as we get older. The days get shorter, and the list of promises to ourselves gets longer.

One morning, we awaken, and all we have to show for our lives is a litany of, "I'm going to," "I plan on," and "Someday, when things are settled down a bit."

When anyone calls my 'seize the moment' friend, she is open to adventure and available for trips. She keeps an open mind on new ideas. Her enthusiasm for life is contagious. You talk with her for five minutes and you're ready to trade your bad feet for a pair of roller blades and skip an elevator for a bungee cord.

My lips had not touched ice cream in 10 years. I love ice cream. It's just that I might as well apply it directly to my hips with a spatula and eliminate the digestive process. The other day, I stopped the car and bought a triple-decker. If my car had hit an iceberg on the way home, I would have died happy.

Now, go on and have a nice day. 


Do something you WANT to do - not just something on your SHOULD DO list.

Wednesday, January 09, 2013

An adopted child


Legacy of an adopted child
Once there were two women
Who never knew each other.
One you do not remember
The other you call Mother.

Two different lives
Shaped to make you one.
One became your guiding star
The other became your sun.

The first one gave you life
And the second taught you to live it.
The first gave you a need for love
The second was there to give it.

One gave you a nationality
The other gave you a name.
One gave you a talent
The other gave you aim.

One gave you emotions
The other calmed your fears.
One saw your first sweet smile
The other dried your tears.

One sought for you a home
That she could not provide.
The other prayed for a child
And her hope was not denied.

And now you ask me through your tears
The age old question unanswered through the years.
Heredity or environment
Which are you a product of?
Neither my, Darling, neither.
Just two different kinds of Love.

Tuesday, January 08, 2013

Succesful entrepreneurship


What makes one a successful entrepreneur?

One of the key qualities are creativity traits, the ability to face any hardship and the skill to build an interactive team that works well together. Of course, it would also help if one has an expertise in a certain area of work.

If you want to start a business, it is very important for you to master the skills that will be able to help you take the business forward. You have to learn to take the advantage of opportunities that present themselves to you.

One of the most important qualities to have to be a successful entrepreneur is sound business ethics. You have to treat people with respect and fairness, have integrity n your dealings with them and lead your team ethically. This is one quality that will take you a long way with the people that you deal with.

Optimism is another useful ingredient to have. It is an asset that will help you get through the difficult times when you first begin your business. Being visionary is another good quality to possess. Grasping the big picture, creating a compelling vision of the business’s future to others and inspiring them to make that vision to come true is a mark of an entrepreneur.

The other traits you need to be a successful entrepreneur include taking the initiative to problem-solve, motivating others, being self-motivated, having the drive to work hard to realise your goals, being brave enough to take risks and make decisions in the face of uncertainties and being resilient enough to pick yourself up if things don’t go as planned. And constantly learning from your mistakes. You must also learn to build good relationships with the people who work closely with you i.e. your team, customers, suppliers, investors and more.

Good leadership qualities is imperative and trust others to do a good job and delegates. Communications skills also play a role in your success. Though it is your business, have the ability to listen to others’ opinions. Arrogance and insisting that you are always right can often cause discord and unhappiness. Be emotional aware of the people around you. The more aware you are, the easier it will be for you to work with others. Being emotionally aware can also work in your favour especially in helping you to gauge the mood when negotiating with others.

As mentioned earlier, having critical and creative thinking skills will help you go a long way in being successful. To be a successful entrepreneur, you will often be required to come up with fresh new ideas and make decisions about projects so being able to come up with a variety of ideas be it for new opportunities, recognising opportunities or problem solving would be a good quality to possess.

Having expert knowledge on what you are doing is important but not imperative. Sometimes being business savvy is enough. But you must be goal-orientated. Set goals, create plan to achieve them and carry out that plan.

Having good planning and organising skills is also a plus. And of course, making decisions, especially the tough ones. But you need knowledge in several areas to be able to run a good business. Having business knowledge and finding a business model that best suits and works for you is important. Once you know what you want and understand the market you are attempting to venture into get an understanding of what you need to make that business successful. Don’t be afraid to get advice from people who have the knowledge or expertise to guide you.

Assess your skills and work hard and you will be successful in running your business. But you must remember that there is no real right set of characteristics to being successful. Sometimes certain general traits work well. Get a sense of your strengths and weaknesses and see if you are capable of being an entrepreneur. Not everyone has the capacity for it. See if it fits your personality and if it does seem like the perfect career decision for you, then go for it.

“Nothing is impossible in this world. If you have the will to succeed, you can achieve anything"

Monday, January 07, 2013

There's no such thing as a happy ending?

I always wanted a happy ending...
Now I've learned, the hard way, that some poems don't rhyme,
and some stories don't have a clear beginning, middle and end.
Life is about not knowing, having to change, taking the moment
and making the best of it without knowing what's going to happen next.
Delicious ambiguity...........

Father's Day at school

Daddy's day at school
Her hair up in a ponytail, her favorite dress tied with a bow.
Today was Daddy's Day at school, and she couldn't wait to go.

But her mommy tried to tell her, that she probably should stay home.
Why the kids might not understand, if she went to school alone.

But she was not afraid; she knew just what to say.
What to tell her classmates, on this Daddy's Day.

But still her mother worried, for her to face this day alone.
And that was why once again, she tried to keep her daughter home.

But the little girl went to school, eager to tell them all.
About a dad she never sees, a dad who never calls.

There were daddies along the wall in back, for everyone to meet.
Children squirming impatiently, anxious in their seats.

One by one the teacher called, a student from the class.
To introduce their daddy, as seconds slowly passed.

At last the teacher called her name, every child turned to stare.
Each of them were searching, for a man who wasn't there.

"Where's her daddy at?" she heard a boy call out.
"She probably doesn't have one," another student dared to shout.

And from somewhere near the back, she heard a daddy say.
"Looks like another deadbeat dad, too busy to waste his day.

The words did not offend her, as she smiled at her friends.
And looked back at her teacher, who told her to begin.

And with hands behind her back, slowly she began to speak.
And out from the mouth of a child, came words incredibly unique.

"My Daddy couldn't be here, because he lives so far away.
But I know he wishes he could be with me on this day.

And though you cannot meet him, I wanted you to know.
All about my daddy, and how much he loves me so.

He loved to tell me stories, he taught me to ride my bike.
He surprised me with pink roses, and taught me to fly a kite.

We used to share fudge sundaes and ice cream in a cone.
And though you cannot see him, I'm not standing all alone.

"Cause my daddy's always with me, even though we are apart
I know because he told me, he'll forever be here in my heart"

With that her little hand reached up, and lay across her chest.
Feeling her own heartbeat, beneath her favorite dress.

And from somewhere in the crowd of dads, her mother stood in tears.
Proudly watching her daughter, who was wise beyond her years.

For she stood up for the love of a man not in her life.
Doing what was best for her, doing what was right.

And when she dropped her hand back down, staring straight into the crowd.
She finished with a voice so soft, but its message clear and loud.

"I love my daddy very much, he's my shining star.
And if he could he'd be here, but heaven's just too far.

But sometimes when I close my eyes, it's like he never went away."
And then she closed her eyes, and saw him there that day.

And to her mother's amazement, she witnessed with surprise.
A room full of daddies and children, all starting to close their eyes.

Who knows what they saw before them, who knows what they felt inside.
Perhaps for merely a second, they saw him at her side.

"I know you're with me Daddy," to the silence she called out.
And what happened next made believers, of those once filled with doubt.

Not one in that room could explain it, for each of their eyes had been closed.
But there placed on her desktop, was a beautiful fragrant pink rose.

And a child was blessed, if only a moment, by the love of her shining bright star.
And given the gift of believing, that heaven is never too far.

Friday, January 04, 2013

A Long Walk

A Long Walk
In a remote village in Central America the word got out among the peoples of the region that one of the American missionaries that had served this country for many years was about to return to the US to live our the remaining years of her life.

The nationals desired to honor her for her years of service with a public time of appreciation. News of the event went to all parts of the country in which the missionary was known to the people. One very old and very poor man walked to the ceremony over mountainous terrain for 4 days to bring his gift to the missionary.

The gift consisted of 2 coconuts, but it was all the man had. The missionary recognized the man as coming from the remote village in the mountains.

"Brother, I cannot believe that you would walk so far to present me with this gift," said the missionary to the man.

His response?

"Long walk part of gift."

Action with Purpose!


An excerpt from Goals by Gary Ryan Blair

The odds that you’ll succeed without taking action are about the same as winning the lottery without buying a ticket!
For those times when you feel trapped, stressed, or in a prison of your own making, take purposeful action. It’s your Get-Out-Of-Jail-Free card.
In real estate, it’s location, location, location.

In goal-setting, it’s action, action, action.

You can’t just stick out your thumb and hitchhike your way to success, you’ve got to roll up your sleeves and do the work that needs to be done.
Be seduced by the attractiveness of your goal. Inaction leads to impotence.
Taking purposeful action immunizes you from “Goal Parkinson’s,” a long, slow goodbye to your dreams, talents and destiny.
A quality life is accomplished when thoughtful attention, goal setting, and purposeful action click into position. Whether your dream is to be or not to be is largely dependent upon your actions.
The cure for the ills of procrastination is a heavy prescription of action, until the day arrives when your dreams and their achievement are one in the same.
When that day arrives, dream bigger dreams and take more action.
A good plan will almost always get you in the door, but it is action that seals the deal.
So you want a guarantee?
Well here it is: Without purposeful action, the only guarantee is failure and mediocrity!
Don’t tiptoe toward your goal, walk confidently before it waltzes off into the arms of neglect.
Dreams become reality through one simple mode of transportation: purposeful action.
The continuation of bad habits, such as procrastination and poor follow through, is like having an addiction to weapons of mass destruction.
It is tragically un-hip to procrastinate.
Unfortunately, the vast majority of people never display their true potential; it never has an opening night…never makes a debut.
The bulk of potential resides deep within each individual just waiting to come out, and it stays there because people are afraid.
The mechanics of achieving a goal makes it easy for people to relate t the necessity of action.
But when action is not purposeful, it can be an Achilles heel.
When we operate without planning, we remain forever scattered and confused.
You’re always busy, but not much gets accomplished.
Without a deeper appreciation and application of planning the most you can expect is marginal improvement.
Intimidate your fears through purposeful goal-directed activity.
Since when is being the underdog any reason for not pursuing your dreams?
Remember, it’s not the size of the dog in the fight…it’s the fight in the dog!
Don’t just pursue your goal…inhabit it.
Wear it, act it, live it, taste it!
Get committed – take action.
Life is not a scratch-and-sniff test!
When you set a goal, there’s a distance between your current reality and desired reality.
Procrastination increases the distance and minimizes the chances of achievement.
Procrastination is the mother of regret.
It postpones the future, aborts liftoff at the last minutes.
Unless you take action to achieve your goals, life becomes a constant series of postponements, cancellations, and missed opportunities.
You will never attain your goals simply by thinking and talking about them.
You must take action as all success comes down to execution.


Wednesday, January 02, 2013

Make your Life Worthwhile

First entry of 2013, and not at a good time.
To lose a client who's the company I used to work for makes me want to curse and swear, but my opponent's day of reckoning will come.
I know it. I believe it will.
I will remain strong, perhaps grow even stronger.
You can try to stop me, but I will be relentless.
I will not stop growing my company, and I never give up. Not ever.
Like ever.
Read this article by Jim Rohn and I hope you grow stronger through your trials of life too.

Four Words that Make Life Worthwhile


by Jim Rohn

Over the years as I've sought out ideas, principles and strategies to life's challenges, I've come across four simple words that can make living worthwhile.

First, life is worthwhile if you Learn.

What you don't know WILL hurt you.
You have to have learning to exist, let alone succeed.
Life is worthwhile if you learn from your own experiences - negative or positive.
We learn to do it right by first sometimes doing it wrong. We call that a positive negative.
We also learn from other people's experiences, both positive and negative.
I've always said that it is too bad failures don't give seminars. Obviously, we don't want to pay them so they aren't usually touring around giving seminars.
But that information would be very valuable - we would learn how someone who had it all then messed it up. Learning from other people's experiences and mistakes is valuable information because we can learn what not to do without the pain of having tried and failed ourselves.
We learn by what we see so pay attention.
We learn by what we hear so be a good listener.
Now I do suggest that you should be a selective listener, don't just let anybody dump into your mental factory.
We learn from what we read so learn from every source; learn from lectures; learn from songs; learn from sermons; learn from conversations with people who care.
Always keep learning.

Second, life is worthwhile if you Try.

You can't just learn; now you have to try something to see if you can do it.
Try to make a difference, try to make some progress, try to learn a new skill, try to learn a new sport.
It doesn't mean you can do everything, but there are a lot of things you can do, if you just try.
Try your best. Give it every effort.
Why not go all out?

Third, life is worthwhile if you Stay.

You have to stay from spring until harvest.
If you have signed up for the day or for the game or for the project - see it through.
Sometimes calamity comes and then it is worth wrapping it up.
And that's the end, but just don't end in the middle.
Maybe on the next project you pass, but on this one, if you signed up, see it through.

And lastly, life is worthwhile if you Care.

If you care at all you will get some results, if you care enough you can get incredible results.
Care enough to make a difference.
Care enough to turn somebody around.
Care enough to start a new enterprise.
Care enough to change it all.
Care enough to be the highest producer.
Care enough to set some records.

Care enough to win.