- Education's purpose is to replace an empty mind with an open one.
- Malcom S. Forbes
While meetings are wonderful tools for generating ideas, expanding on thoughts and managing group activity, this face-to-face contact with team members and colleagues can easily fail without adequate preparation and leadership. Article continues
by Denis Waitley
What each of us is doing this minute is the most important event in history for us. We have decided to invest our resources in this opportunity rather than in any other. It is helpful to remember this when we consider the passage of time.
As the years pass, I am acutely aware that the bird of time is on the wing. At my fiftieth high school reunion, I saw old people who claimed to be my former classmates. We all had big name tags printed in capital letters so we wouldn't have to squint with our reading glasses on trying to associate the name with each well-traveled face. It was only yesterday that I was really enjoying high school. What had happened to the five decades in between? Where had they flown?
To the side of the bandstand, where the big-band sound of the late 1940s and 50s blared our favorite top-ten hits, there was a poster with a printed verse for all of us to see. I read the words out loud: "There are two days in every week about which we should not worry, two days which should be kept free from fear and apprehension.
One of these days is Yesterday, with its mistakes and cares, its faults and blunders, its aches and pains. Yesterday has passed forever beyond our control. All the money in the world cannot bring back Yesterday. We cannot undo a single act we performed; we cannot erase a single word we said. Yesterday is gone.
The other day we should not worry about is Tomorrow, with its possible adversities, its burdens, its large promise, and poor performance. Tomorrow is also beyond our immediate control. Tomorrow's sun will rise, either in splendor or behind a mask of clouds; but it will rise. Until it does, we have no stake in tomorrow, for it is as yet unborn. This leaves only one day: Today.
Anyone can fight the battles of just one day. It is only when you and I add the burdens of those two awful eternities -Yesterday and Tomorrow - that we break down. It is not the experience of Today that drives us mad, it is remorse and bitterness for something which happened Yesterday and the dread of what Tomorrow may bring. Let us therefore, live this one full Today."
Malcolm Forbes believed the important thing is never to say die until you're dead, and he lived that example to the hilt. It is, as we realize when we suddenly attend our fiftieth high school reunion, a short journey. But it also is difficult to be depressed and active at the same time. So get active!
And make today your best day ever!
Denis Waitley
Reproduced with permission from the Denis Waitley Ezine. To subscribe to Denis Waitley's Ezine, go to www.deniswaitley.com or send an email with Join in the subject to subscribe@deniswaitley.com Copyright 2008 Denis Waitley International. All rights reserved worldwide.
Whether you liked his politics or not, much can be learned from the life of former President Clinton.
Grolier’s “New Book of Knowledge” reports that as a teenager “Clinton thought of becoming a doctor or a reporter or even a musician. But after a fateful meeting with President John F. Kennedy, while still in high school, he made up his mind to enter politics.” At that moment a vision was born that he would hold onto - that he would glorify in his mind over and over - for the next 30 years, until he himself was elected President at the age of 46.
Jay Leno, who succeeded the venerable Johnny Carson as host of “The Tonight Show,” first envisioned that he would be the host when he was just 22-years-old and unknown and unproven as a comedian, much less as host of a show of such regard. For twenty years he enthroned in his heart an ideal that most people would have thought was “foolish, outlandish and impossible.”
The ancient writer tells us in Proverbs that “Without a vision, the people perish.” And Thoreau told us that “The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation.” No doubt because the masses are without a vision for their lives.
What is your vision for your future, your ideal life? Is it written down? Do you review it and think about it often? Have you “enthroned” it in your heart? Is your life organized around goals and objectives that will ensure your vision is reached?
Wallace D. Wattles, wrote “There is no labor from which most people shrink as they do from that of sustained and consecutive thought; it is the hardest work in the world.” And yet it is the “sustained and consecutive thought” about our vision that is the first and primary labor of achievement.
Thoreau also wrote one of my favorite passages of all time. And it gives us the best reason there is to stop what you’re doing today and identify the vision for your life. “If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.”
And that’s worth thinking about!
Vic Johnson
Vic Johnson is a speaker, author and entrepreneur. You can get a free e-book of As A Man Thinketh by going to his website: www.asamanthinketh.net
Sure, it'd be great, but it probably wouldn't have a huge impact on your mortgage, retirement savings, orthodontist bills, kids' college fund, or the piles of bills that are cluttering up your
desk, right?
But what if you could earn that $900 a month by working just 5-8 hours?
And what if, by using the same strategies you used to make that first $900, you could quickly start to DOUBLE it... and double it again... and again...
... until you're making potentially thousands a month. Does *that* change the picture?
I was just reading a case study on Derek Gehl's website about a 15-year-old girl who's actually doing this: making $900 a month on the Internet while working no more than 8 hours.
http://www.marketingtips.com/success-online/t/1087521
She obviously has NO business training or experience, and at just 15, she's clearly pretty short on "life" experience, too, but still, she's given up babysitting for good, thanks to the success she's having with her website.
And while she's not exactly getting wealthy (yet!), she's using the exact SAME strategies that hundreds of other successful Internet entrepreneurs have used to make MUCH more (sometimes millions of dollars) with their own Internet businesses.
I really recommend you check out her case study on Derek's site!
In it, he actually walks you through the exact, step-by-step system she, and thousands of his other clients, are using to achieve these remarkable results with their Internet businesses.
To read the case study, just follow this link:
http://www.marketingtips.com/success-online/t/1087521
Enjoy!
P.S. When you read the case study, Derek will give you permission to use the profit generating strategies it reveals yourself for 30 days, to see if they'll work for YOU, too...
... so make sure you check it out right away!
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Within every human being, exists an infinite supply of creativity, strength and wonder.
You are capable of more than you know.
Let me tell you about a real life Superhero I know. His name is Mike Berkson.
Mike Berkson was born a few minutes after his twin brother David, on February 4th, 1989. Shortly after birth, Mike was diagnosed with cerebral palsy. Doctors told his parents that he would not be able to talk and he would never be a student in a regular classroom. By the time Mike was 3, he was not only talking up a storm but had a thirst for vocabulary. Mike sets BIG goals. Mike excels in English and History, is creative in writing short stories and has ambitions in film making.
Mike lives in a Chicago suburb and now attends high school. He loves rap music, Seinfeld reruns, movies, girls, and many other things most teenagers are interested in. Mike is unique in that he has to work around some obstacles in his day to day life that you and I will never be faced with.
Because he is confined to a wheelchair, and has limited use of his arms and legs, he is paired with someone to help him through the day so he can attend school and get the quality of education he deserves. For a few years, my friend Tim was fortunate enough to be paired with Mike and serve as Mike's aid and helper.
Ponder the things you do every day and imagine being physically unable to do them. Tim was responsible for taking notes for Mike, assisting him with eating, the bathroom, transportation and all the things that we do without thinking about.
As Tim and Mike grew closer and Tim became a member of Mike's family, Tim felt a yearning to share with the world Mike's awesome attitude, and how Mike deals with prejudices, ignorance and inconveniences despite his circumstances.
Tim was so inspired by the Superhero within Mike, that last year he set a goal to write a book about Mike and run 1,200 miles from Florida to Chicago to promote it.
Just one tiny problem...at the time, Tim could hardly run 30 minutes and in order to achieve his goals within 4 months, he would have to write the book at blazing speed AND get into the kind of physical condition to maintain a pace of running 40 miles per day for 31 straight days.
Impossible you might think? No. Remember I told you that you are more powerful than you think you are.
You see Tim had a unique source of motivation to fuel his goals. He had Mike. He had the examples from years of watching Mike display the traits of a real life Superhero. Tim had the inspiration of making a promise to an exceptional young man. Tim had the motivation of a purpose greater than himself.
Tim had the yearning to pursue a series of goals so much bigger than anything he had ever done before, that he just had to try. As a tribute to Mike, Tim had to push himself beyond anything he ever previously did, as Mike does every single day.
Some people in life believe you should only pursue goals you know you can achieve. Others believe the success lies in the growth that occurs from stretching beyond your previous wins, and that all growth is success.
How do you define success?
I interviewed Tim recently on my radio show. Tim explained how he found an endurance coach and transformed himself from a couch potato into an ultra endurance champion. Tim did not reach his goal of running 40 miles a day. You see, his plan was flawed. He made a lot of mistakes. His schedule for the run was so tight, that he did not allow himself any room for error, like weather, funding, or the hazards of running alongside traffic. His approach for raising money was limited. He had a skeleton crew of one to accompany him on the run.
He had to return home by a certain date, regardless of how far behind he was, so he had to drive the distances to catch up when he fell behind. Shortly after he started his journey, he realized he would not be able to achieve the 1,200 miles and still make it home on time. But he kept running anyways, he wanted to Keep On Keeping On. He would rather continue stretching himself than consider quitting.
Why is Tim's journey considered a success by many? Because he dared to pursue it in the first place. Because he did finish his book about Mike in record time. Because he succeeded in transforming his body into an Ultra Endurance Machine for that time. Because he DID succeed in running an average of 24 miles per day for a total of 700 miles. Because he didn't quit, even when he realized he could not reach every goal he set for himself. Because he touched the heart of a young man who looked up to him. Because he inspired a lot of people to go beyond what they previously thought they could do.
Because for a moment in time, he taped into the Superhero inside himself and unleashed more of his own potential.
Rising above circumstances like a champion inspires other people
We must re-evaluate our perspective on what success really is.
Are you a success if you play it safe your whole life and never dare anything unless you are guaranteed victory?
When you set BIG Goals, it is important to set many smaller goals that coincide with it. Even if you fail to reach your deadline for one Goal, you will still succeed at many, and you will build your confidence to a much higher level. Give yourself empowering reasons for getting up when you feel down.
There is a Superhero inside YOU.
What Goals can you set that will inspire you to unleash it?
Keep On Keeping On
Live Your Dreams.
Jill Koenig
Jill Koenig, the "Goal Guru" is a best selling author, coach and motivational speaker. She is an expert on the subjects of Goal Setting, Time Management and Business Success. Visit her website at: www.GoalGuru.com
Why should I bother using humour in my presentations?
Can't I just deliver my information and sit down?
You sure can! That's what most people do. The problem is that most people are not effective presenters. They are nighty-nite, snooze-inducing, say-your-prayers, hit-the-sack, unlicensed hypnotists. They are ZZZZZs presenters. They might be experts in their field and able to recite hours and hours of information on their topic, but is that effective?
Games, Gizmos and Toys in the Attic, an exhibition on the work of Walter Wick (the I Spy and Can You See What I See? series) is currently on display at the Lyman Allyn Art Museum in New London, Conn. The show, which features both large-scale photographs of Wick's work as well as 3D sets, runs through January 26, 2009. Several special events are planned, including an appearance by Wick on October 19 and a costume party with Halloween activities on October 26. More information is available at the museum's Web site.
From Variety: Author Nicholas Sparks is writing a novel and screenplay for a Disney film that will star Hannah Montana star Miley Cyrus.
