The “Bounce-Back Kid”

He died three times on the way to the hospital after a head-on collision on his motorcycle caused by a car abruptly turning into his lane.  I’m talking about a remarkable young man named Billy Wright, but I’m getting ahead of the story.

While in college, Billy persuaded his father to sign a note with him for $125,000 so he could buy a motorcycle dealership.  After signing the note it occurred to him that he had no one-on-one sales experience so he went to the bookstores, bought numerous books on sales and motivation and studied them.  He decided that the best way to build a business was to build repeat business, so he became heavily involved in relationship-selling and did constant follow-up on all of his customers.  His business the first year was $250,000 and after eight years he was doing $1.5 million a year.  Roughly 80% of his sales were repeat sales.  Things were going well – then the accident.

Billy was unconscious for four and a half months and his injuries were so severe that his doctors said that if he had been a smoker and had not been in such superb physical condition, he wouldn’t have survived.

Through the four and a half months of coma he lost 70 pounds.  The first year he was awake he began what he calls the most important educational year of his life.  His wife provided him with books and tapes and for the next twelve months, Billy says he learned more than he had the previous 27 years of his life.  It was a turning point and prepared him for what lay ahead.

The trauma and expense were too much and he lost almost everything, including his wife, money and business, but he still had a positive attitude and the will to win.  Today he is busy building a successful career in the automobile business.

It’s true.  The person who won’t be beat can’t be beat.  Buy that idea, maintain the right attitude, and I’ll SEE YOU AT THE TOP!

By Zig Ziglar

The Power in Praising Your Family

One of the keys to success is to have successful relationships. We are not islands, and we don’t get to the top by ourselves. And one of the key ways to become successful in our relationships is to be “life-giving” people to others. With every person we meet, we either give life to or take life.

You know what I mean. There are people who encourage you, and after spending time with them, you feel built up. Then there are others who make you feel torn down. Successful people are people who have mastered the art of building up others. This is especially true of our families.

One of the ways we build up our families is to praise them. There is power in praising people! Something begins to happen in them, in you, and in your relationship when you praise someone. Can you remember a time when someone told you something about you in a praising manner? It was great, wasn’t it? You probably liked that person more after they praised you, didn’t you?

Now, I am not talking about praising people for the sake of praising people. I am talking about honestly looking for and praising positive character traits and actions of your spouse and children. Don’t lie to them. If they have done something wrong, correct it, but when they do something right, praise it!

With that said, here are the benefits of and ways to start praising the people in your family.

Benefits:
Your relationship grows. Life is about relationships—family relationships, friends and co-workers. When we begin to praise people for their positive aspects, our relationships grow. It puts them, and us, on the fast track. Your leadership and influence grow. Who is going to have greater relationships: the one who tears down or the one who builds up?

Stronger relationships and loyalty. When a person is appreciated and praised, they become fiercely loyal because they know that you care for them, love them and appreciate them. This will take you to success.

Happier, more fulfilled people. I truly believe it is our job to build the members of our family up and that they need it. There will always be others who come along to tear them down; it is our job to instill in them the power of praise!

Some Ways to Praise:
Character traits. Is your wife joyful? Is your husband hardworking? Is your son or daughter honest? Then let them know how much you appreciate that in them. Say something like this, “You know, Tom, I think it is great that you are such a hard worker. You really set a good example, and I want you to know how much I appreciate that.” Simple!

Action. Same idea as above. “Sue, I don’t know if I have ever told you this, but I love how you always take action on the things you believe in. Thanks for that.”

Other ways you can show praise and appreciation is with a card or a gift.

Make it your goal to praise every member of your family at least once each day. If you can, praise them a few times a day. It will take work, but it is possible—it just takes discipline and a little work.

Any way you cut it, there is power in praising people. If you are serious about creating healthy family relationships, this is a great place to start!

—Chris Widener

The Value of a Good System

By John C. Maxwell

Almost nightly, the fate of the American health care system headlines the evening news. With costly inefficiencies plaguing the system, employers and workers alike have felt the pain of skyrocketing premiums. Politicians on opposite ends of the political spectrum disagree on the best policies for the future, but there seems to be consensus that the system isn't working well.

I'm not advocating a position in the health care debate. I simply want to point out the headaches caused when we don't have good systems. What's true nationally applies individually as well. Broken systems lead to disorganization, confusion, and chaos whereas smooth systems allow us to move quickly and efficiently.

The reason for this lesson is to help you understand the importance of developing good systems in your personal and professional leadership. The exact systems that work for me may not pertain to you. It's up to you to find the systems that will benefit you the most. Yet, regardless of what your systems look like, you would be wise to design them if you intend to grow in influence.

What Is a System?

A system is simply your way of getting things done. Systems aren't one-time acts; they're habits that you do weekly or even daily. They're the mechanics of leadership, and over time, they dictate the extent of your effectiveness.

The Value of Systems

1) They Help Us Manage Time

As a young leader, a heavier workload and increasing demands on my time forced me to learn how to get things done quickly. I developed systems to squeeze as much productivity as possible into my day. I couldn't afford to move slowly.

As Peter Drucker wrote, "Everything requires time. It is the one truly universal condition. All work takes place in time and uses up time. Yet most people take for granted, this unique, irreplaceable, and necessary resource. Nothing else, perhaps, distinguishes effective executives as much as their tender loving care of time."

2) They Help Us Conserve Energy

When we have good systems in life, we don't waste energy. Do you know the number one waster of time? Looking for things that are lost. A study by Office World News found that the average executive squanders 150 hours each year looking for misplaced files.

As I worked on this lesson, I laughed because I knew it would bring up a few of my idiosyncrasies. For example, when I went to get my glasses the last time, I ordered six pairs-one to put at each of my favorite reading places. I don't have to carry a pair around with me, and when I sit down they're always convenient. It may seem like a silly system, but I never lose time rummaging around for a pair of reading glasses.

3) They Help Us to Multiply Creativity

When I was first married, my wife and I lived in south Indiana, and we didn't have any money. Margaret taught kindergarten, and I was a pastor making $80 per week. Margaret would ask me to mow the lawn, and I would get irritated because we didn't have money to hire someone else to tend to the lawn. There's nothing wrong with mowing, but I had lots of other priorities, and mowing didn't crack my top ten. So, eventually we bought a goat. He grazed on the grass, and I saved time!

Developing systems to handle the trivia of life frees you up to be creative. By automating repetitive tasks, you're able to focus mental energy on top priorities.

4) They Help Us to Maximize Progress

Systems help us to move forward, to go as far as we possibly can. They enable us to work faster, smarter, and more strategically. A good system eliminates waste, while it also anticipates and removes obstacles.

To get the most out of systems, you have to make them a lifestyle not a one-off deal. They must become ingrained in your routine. Systems only benefit you when you stick to them.

REVIEW

The Value of Systems

1) They Help Us Manage Time
2) They Help Us Conserve Energy
3) They Help Us to Multiply Creativity
4) They Help Us to Maximize Progress

ABOUT

John C. Maxwell is an internationally recognized leadership expert, speaker, and author who has sold over 16 million books. EQUIP, the organization he founded has trained more than 2 million leaders worldwide. Every year he speaks to Fortune 500 companies, international government leaders, and audiences as diverse as the United States Military Academy at West Point, the National Football League, and ambassadors at the United Nations. A New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Business Week best-selling author, Maxwell was named the World's Top Leadership Guru by Leadershipgurus.net. He was also one of only 25 authors and artists named to Amazon.com's 10th Anniversary Hall of Fame. Three of his books, The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, Developing the Leader Within You, and The 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leaderhave each sold over a million copies.

It’s Not My Fault

Celebrated historian Barbara Tuchman called our times “The Age of Disruption.”  She said we have lost belief in certain kinds of morals and our understanding of good and bad is distorted.  This two-time Pulitzer Prize-winner said that what we most need in the future is “probably personal responsibility.”  She explained that taking responsibility for your behavior and your performance is not forever supposing that society must forgive you because it’s “not your fault.”

Ms. Tuchman was echoing many of society’s sentiments.  The “it’s not my fault” cry is heard everywhere.  It perhaps originates in childhood when siblings get into a squabble and each proclaims, “It’s not my fault!”  The dictionary defines “fault” as “a failing, hence an error or mistake, a blunder, a defect.”  That definition helps explain why many people do not want to accept “fault,” choosing instead to deny it.

When we see an altercation on an athletic field, the athletes generally point the finger of blame at someone else.  We see it in the courts of law - the Menendez brothers explained that because their parents treated them brutally, they “had” to kill them.  In Dallas when a young man killed two of his cousins, it was explained away as the “urban survival syndrome,” a “kill or be killed” mentality.  Thieves say, “It’s not my fault - I couldn’t get a job.”  The list is endless.

Realistically, until we accept responsibility for our actions, we will have little hope for our future.  Message: The best way to get to the top and live a fulfilled life is to accept responsibility for our performance and our actions.  So start taking responsibility for your actions today and soon it will become a way of life - and a much-improved life at that!  Think about it and I’ll SEE YOU AT THE TOP!

By : Zig Ziglar

Discipline: The Path to Potential

He may have been the most naturally gifted baseball player of all time. He was clocked rounding the bases in an incredible 13 seconds. Yet, his speed was nothing compared to the power of his hitting. It's been said there were home run hitters, and then there was this man - in a league of his own. The Guinness Book of World Records credits him with hitting the longest home run ever measured, at 643 feet.

The player I'm describing is the great Mickey Mantle. By the age of 19 he had been called up to play for the New York Yankees. He won a World Series his rookie year, and his teams would capture seven championships over the course of his career. By the time he retired, Mantle had played more games as a Yankee than any other player, and had been named MVP of the American League three times. He still holds the all-time World Series records for home runs, runs scored, and runs batted in.

Yet, in spite of his impressive accomplishments, experts believe Mickey Mantle never reached his potential. Most blame Mantle's chronic knee injuries for preventing him from doing more. But injuries weren't the root of the problem. What most people didn't know was that Mantle was a raging alcoholic.

At age 62, with his health and family life a mess, Mantle checked into the Betty Ford Clinic and started the long road to sobriety. Looking back from this vantage point, he assessed his career:

I never fulfilled what my dad had wanted [to be the greatest player who ever lived], and I should have. God gave me a great body to play with, and I didn't take care of it. And I blame a lot of it on alcohol.
Everybody tries to make the excuse that injuries shortened my career. Truth is, after I'd had a knee operation the doctors would give me rehab work to do, but I wouldn't do it. I'd be out drinking... I hurt my knees through the years, and I just thought they'd naturally come back. Everything has always come natural to me. I didn't work hard at it.

Despite his great natural talent, Mickey Mantle never disciplined himself off the field. By the time Mantle was ready to change, it was too late. His liver was ruined from a life of alcoholism, and he died at age 64 from inoperable cancer.

Four Truths about Discipline

What were you born to do? What is your dream? To become the person you have the potential to be, you have to cultivate a life of discipline. Consider these truths concerning discipline:

Discipline Comes with a Price Tag

Discipline is costly. It demands a continual investment of time, energy, and commitment at the expense of momentary pleasure and ease. Discipline means paying hours of practice to win the prize of skill. Discipline means giving up short-term benefits for the hope of future gain. Discipline means pressing on to excellence long after everyone else has settled for average.

Discipline Turns Talent to Greatness

When you read about someone like Mickey Mantle, you realize that too much talent can actually work against someone. Super-talented individuals can coast on sheer ability and neglect building the daily habits of success that will sustain them. Poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow shared much insight when he wrote:

The heights by great men reached and kept
Were not attained by sudden flight,
But they, while their companions slept,
Were toiling upward in the night.

If you want to reach your potential, attach a strong work ethic to your talent.

Discipline Focuses on Choices, Not Conditions

In general, people approach daily discipline in one of two ways. They focus on the external or the internal. Those who focus externally allow conditions to dictate whether or not they remain disciplined. Because conditions are transitory, their discipline level changes like the wind.

In contrast, people with internal discipline focus on choices. You cannot control circumstances, nor can you control others. By focusing on your choices, and making the right ones regularly, you stay disciplined.

Discipline Does Not Bow Down to Feelings

As Arthur Gordon said, "Nothing is easier than saying words. Nothing is harder than living them, day after day. What you promise today must be renewed and redecided tomorrow and each day that stretches out before you."

If you do what you should only when you really feel like it, then you won't build disciplined habits. At times, you have to act contrary to emotions. If you refuse to give into your lesser impulses, no matter how great they will make you feel in the moment, then you'll go far.

Summary

Discipline is a matter of taking total responsibility for your future. Choose not to blame circumstances for the outcome of your life. Choose to go beyond your natural talent. Choose to make wise decisions repeatedly. Choose discipline as the path to your potential.

 

By Dr. John C. Maxwell

Productivity and Attitude

I'm the only one who does anything around here!  Several years ago I was on a late-night television show in New York City.  For some strange reason, they wanted me in the studio that afternoon at 4:30.  I walked in and was stunned by the small size of the reception area.  It contained a couch for three, a chair for one and a sink, refrigerator and coffee maker.

As I sat down a woman walked in, shook her head and said, "Nobody makes any coffee except me!"  She got busy and started a fresh pot of coffee.  A few minutes later a guy walked in and, following the same procedure said, "I can't believe it!  This place would be a pig-pen if it weren't for me!  I'm the only person who ever does any clean-up," and he cleaned up the small area.  Still later another woman walked in and complained, "Nobody ever puts anything up but me," and she proceeded to put things away.

Interestingly enough, all three of those people sincerely felt they were the only ones who ever did anything.  Each one did their own private halo-adjustment as they went through the process of "making up, putting up and cleaning up."

Question: Is that the way it is in your company, where "nobody does anything," but everybody thinks they're the only one who actually works?  Thought: If that is true and you are the only one who does anything, think of the incredible advantage that gives you.  Not only do you have job security, but the opportunity door is wide open for your move to the top.  However, if you have a chip on your shoulder, if you honestly feel that you do everything and you share that feeling with others, your bad attitude negates your good work.  So, stay busy, keep working, smile about it and your good attitude about "doing everything" will catch up with you.  Think about it and I'll SEE YOU AT THE TOP!

 

By Zig Ziglar

Model Yourself After the Best Individuals, Who Have Proven Their Success Over Time

Do this by benchmarking the world's most admired organizations and people in and out of your industry. Hewlett-Packard sends teams of two to four managers to meet with peers in other companies. After exchanging ideas about leadership and organizational practices, the benchmarking teams exchange comments. If you want to become or stay the best, you must know more than what your competitors are up to.

You must know the best business practices, wherever they exist. It's a good idea to read business magazines to keep current on what the real movers and shakers are doing globally.

Action Idea: This month, read a biography of someone you admire who has overcome great hurdles to become successful. When you learn what many of them had to endure, you are less overwhelmed by the obstacles you face. Every hardship you face has been endured and conquered by someone before you.

-- Denis Waitley