Monday, August 27, 2007

VISIONING – FIVE CHARACTERISTICS OF AN EAGLE-LIKE PERSPECTIVE

Not only can eagles see things clearly from great distances, but due to their positioning, they have a completely different perspective than do land animals. Our perspective must be clear and from the right angle.

Characteristic 1 – Long Range
There was a young lad who loved to draw. Everywhere he went he carried his pencil and paper and drew whatever caught his fancy. One day, an elderly gentleman asked him to draw a picture of a horse. When he had finished his drawing, the man gave him a dollar. The young lad was greatly encouraged and in a few more years, landed a job at a Kansas City newspaper as a cartoonist. He was very pleased with himself, but the editor called him into his office one day and gave him some unsolicited career counseling, suggesting he find another line of work where he would have a chance to succeed. “After all,” the editor remarked, “you don’t have any talent.”
The young man chose to continue his cartoon career and eventually came up with an idea that would require a substantial investment. He applied for a loan at three hundred and two different places, but none thought he had the talent to pull it off nor a strong enough idea to ensure a payback of the loan, but he kept on with his dream. He was thinking long-range. Then finally a bank agreed to loan, and Walt saw his dream of Disneyland come to pass. And the editor who discouraged Walt from pursuing his destiny, nobody even remembers his name.

Characteristics 2 – Be focused
There is tremendous power in being focused and remarkable lack of power by being slightly out of focus. When I was young, I used to sit in the summer sun near an ant hill with a magnifying glass. When the ants would come and go, I would try to focus the sun’s ray in a highly focused beam of light directly on an ant. If I was slightly out of focus, the ants didn’t seem to notice the extra light or heat, but if I was perfectly focused on them with the light, they would be zapped in an instant and turn into a little puff of smoke.
I learned that by being highly focused on an objective, I could achieve amazing results. To get certain projects done, I sometimes shut out everything else and focus only on the task at hand. In sales, you can use this principle by focusing blocks of time on specific sales related activities, such as prospecting, writing proposals, returning calls, etc.

Characteristics 3 – Be long-term
We tend to think of a five-year plan as long-term, but it isn’t. I heard of an old church in Europe that was built with magnificent beams from rare old trees. They had estimated the beams would need replacing in about five hundred years, so they planted a grove of the same kind of trees to be ready for harvest in another five hundred years. When it came time to replace the beams in the early 1900s, someone found an old set of plans with hand-written notes revealing the whereabouts of the ancient grove of trees. Sure enough, when they went into the forest, they found the trees and were able to replace the old beams.
When you think about your career, think past the next five years and think about your legacy and your children’s children. It will inspire something in you.

Characteristics 4 – Rise above the storm
Eagles often fly into a storm to catch and ride the strong winds up until they are well above the storm. They use the turbulence to propel them above their circumstances. There’s no getting around the fact that life will deal you some storms.
One successful boat builder said, “I build all my boats for a storm.” Expect he storm, prepare for the storm, and when it comes, ride the turbulence to a higher place in God. I believe every adversity comes with an equal or greater opportunity. They are in fact joined at the hip. You can’t avoid adversity, so embrace the opportunity it brings with it. Discover the opportunity if you have the courage to look for it.

Characteristics 5 – Be self-renewing
Eagles have a mid-life crisis of sorts. They get a calcium deposit built up on their beaks and have to chip off the deposits by smacking their beaks against rocks. During that time, they go through a molting process and something close to depression as they temporarily lose their luster for life. After they go through this change, their strength is renewed and they soar again. We all go through times when we lose some of our luster for living. We must learn how to be self-renewing. Break off your old limiting habits, learn new ways to do things, expand your education, and renew yourself.

QUOTES FOR TODAY
“You just can’t beat the person who never gives up.” - Babe Ruth

NINE QUESTIONS TO ASK TO HELP YOU FULFILL YOUR DESTINY IN SALES

I have been a salesperson for some years and have gotten a lot of experience over the years; I was driven by a sentence I had one time that made me always wanted to exceed my targets. Someone said if I want to succeed as a salesperson I must be ready to sell ice coldwater to an Eskimo. The experience I had revealed to me that in our territory in these part of the world, sales people do just anything to get patronage and then make a sale, I then decide I must let other sales people finding it difficult to achieve sales target to ask themselves some important questions that will guide their sales process to achieve right result applying the right principles.

1. Are you committed to principle-based, integrity-oriented selling?
If you are not committed to quality, principle based choices, you will only dream of your destiny. You won’t actually walk it out.
2.What is in your heart?
Psalm 37:4 says, “Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.” What has God deposited in your heart? Many feel called to the pastoral ministry but feel they are languishing in a sales job, not discerning the excellent preparation a career in sales or another service field can be for the pastoral ministry. Whatever your calling, don’t minimize the necessary period of training.
3. What stirs passion in you?
It was said of Jesus after he took a whip to those selling goods in the temple that the zeal of the Father’s house has “eaten him up” (John 2:17). He had an incredible zeal for the house of God and for the people who were looking for God in His house, and His passion was evident to all. Ask yourself what stirs passion in you? What injustice or wrong really stirs you up? What do you talk about? It might be a clue to your destiny.
4. What flows naturally with your talents?
Are you good at math? Do you understand electrical theory? Can you carry an interesting conversation? Are you more comfortable with concepts? Whatever you like to do, you need to find a line of work that flows naturally with your talents. Few are born with natural selling talent. When I started in sales I was petrified of making a presentation to a group of more than one that I always had my boss do them. One day he cut me of from his support and I was left to sink or swim on my own. One quality I did posses was the ability to put my thoughts together in a cohesive manner, but did not have the skill to sell. I lacked the confidence to speak to a group of two or three, but it was a skill that I learned. Look at what flows naturally with your talents and gravitate in that direction. But don’t make the mistake of saying you are not cut for sales just because you are not doing poorly! If succeeding in sales is worth doing, then it’s worth going through the pain and misery of having to first do it poorly until you can do it well! If you keep at it, you will eventually succeed. My first year in sales, I barely made a living. My second and third years were much better, and then it took off from there.
5. What flows naturally with your background?
What has life prepared you for so far? Moses spent forty years on the backside of the desert, tending sheep. He knew how to deal with stubborn animals and God was going to use that experience to lead His people through the wilderness for another forty years. What have you been through that can be used to hasten you in the direction of your destiny?
6. Are you learning from seasoned professionals?
Do you know someone who can mentor you in an integrity-based approach to the selling process? Learn from the experience professionals around you who operate in a principled manner. Don’t spend your time learning from those whom you do not trust.
7. Are you satisfied with your profession?
Sometimes dissatisfaction is a result of poor sales result. Don’t mistake a selling slump for an indication that you need to be in another career. Perhaps you are selling a product that you’ve come to believe is not in people’s interest to acquire. If that’s the case, find something you believe in, and then sell it with gusto. If the only way to make sales in your profession is to misrepresent your product, then change companies, products or your profession. Sometimes you simply need to change your outlook. Instead of firing yourself, get fired up! I once met a man who told me he was “peddling” insurance. He was obviously unhappy with his profession, so I suggested that he do himself and his boss a favour and find a different line of work.
8. Are you getting maximum advantage from other member on the team?
You are part of a team. To succeed in sales, it’s better to work with the team members instead of against them. Perhaps the other team members are in non-sales positions, but they may still be able to contribute to your success. Make sure you are getting maximum advantage from all the other team members.
9. Are you faithfully discharging all your current responsibility?
If you’re not faithfully discharging your current responsibilities there’s a good chance you’re not ready for the next challenge. Jesus said, “You have been faithful over a few things, I will make you a ruler over many things” (Matt 25:21). Master the task at hand. Excel more than your peers and you will be first in line for the next promotion or opportunity.

QUOTE FOR TODAY
“There is no one giant step that does it. It’s a lot of little steps.” – Peter A. Cohen

FINDING PURPOSE IN YOUR PROFFESSION

Self- motivation is simply providing your self with a motive to take action. When you’re not motivated, your activity declines, your skill deteriorates and your principles have little to empower. Finding fresh motivation can be a challenge, but depending on others to provide it is far worse. The great patriarchs of the faith possessed great motivational habits.
DRIVEN BY DESTINY
Think of how incredibly difficult it would be to be kidnapped as a teenager and sold into slavery. Imagine being falsely accused of a crime and being sent to jail for years. Joseph of the Bible endured these and other hardships, never wavering on his belief that God had a destiny for him. He looked at his present circumstances as a training ground for his destiny. He considered the evil done to him and said, “What was meant for evil, God intended for good, to save many people” (Gen 50:20). He knew he had a destiny and he never let go of that, even through his darkest hours.

TEN PRINCIPLES OF DESTINY
Principle 1- Everything under heaven has a purpose.
If you were created, then there was a design and if there was a design, then there has to be purpose. Since there are no two people alike, it’s reasonable to surmise that no two people have the same exact purpose or destiny. Creation implies purpose. Our mission is to find that purpose and live it out. There is a purpose in your present circumstances just as there was purpose in Joseph’s.
Principle 2- Sometimes purpose is unknown
We all know people who don’t have a clue as to their destiny or purpose in life. They have never really considered the proposition, but their ignorance is not the end of the story.
Principle 3- Just because you don’t know your purpose doesn’t mean there isn’t one.
Many people don’t know the purpose of getting further education, so they don’t go to college or vocational school. That doesn’t mean there is no purpose in further education; they just haven’t discovered it yet. Similarly, many don’t see the purpose in their present job situation, and as a result, hop from one job to the next, never really mastering anything. Others see their job merely as a paycheck and miss out on the much larger picture. There is much more to life!
Principle 4- Where purpose is not known, abuse is inevitable
Give a perfectly gasoline engine to a sixteenth century fisherman and he would thank you for new anchor. Abuse is inevitable when you don’t understand purpose. In the first blood transfusion on record, a man was given sheep’s blood in one arm while draining his old blood out the other. When the transfusion was done, he felt wonderful and brought all his friends a round of drinks at the tavern. Then he kneeled over and died! The doctors didn’t know the unique properties of blood and they inadvertently abused the patient’s body.
When you don’t understand your purpose or destiny, you will inadvertently abuse your life. You might be successful by some standards in that you might acquire wealth and fame, but it will be an empty box with a very dark place inside. You need not look far to see the lack of purpose or meaning in merely acquiring things.
In 1923, some of the most successful men of their time met at the Edgewater Beach Hotel in Chicago. The List included the president of the largest independent steel company, the president of the largest utility company, the greatest wheat speculator, the president of the New York Stock Exchange, a member of the president’s cabinet, the greatest “bear” on Wall Street, the head of the greatest monopoly, and the president of the Bank of International Settlements. These men were envied throughout the world for their wealth.
Twenty-five years later, a nosy reporter decided to see how these men had finished their race. He found Charles Schwab, founded of the largest independent steel company, lived on borrowed money the last five years of his life and died broke. Samuel Insull, president of the largest utility company, died penniless in a foreign land, a fugitive from justice. Arthur Patton, the greatest wheat speculator of his time, died financially destitute in a foreign country. Richard Whitney, president of the New York Stock Exchange, had served time in Sing Sing Federal Penitentiary. Albert Fall, member of the President’s cabinet, was released from prison so he could die at home. Jesse Livermore, the greatest “bear” on Wall Street, Ivar Kreufer, head of the world’s greatest monopoly, and Leon Fraiser, president of the Bank of International Settlements, all ended their illustrious careers with suicide. Regardless of the great heights a man may achieve, without a God-given sense, abuse is inevitable.
Principle 5- Your destiny is the result of your character.
The choices you make are made from your character. People of poor character will typically make poor choices, which will have an adverse effect on them finding and fulfilling their true purpose and destiny. Poor choices in the present moment can limit good choices in the future. There was a young mother who was serving time for a drug related offense. She happened to be in a boat with some friends who were transporting some illegal drugs. She was not a drug dealer or a drug user and was just along for a ride, but when the Coast Guard found drugs on board, she was sent to prison for ten years without the possibility of parole (others receive harsher sentences). She made one poor choice to hang out with some questionable friends under questionable circumstances and for the next ten years her choices were for the most part made for her.
Principle 6- Your character is the result of your habits.
Develop the habit of consistently doing the right thing. It will strengthen your character, and good habits can be some of your best friends, while poor habits can be some of your worst enemies.
Principle 7- Your habits are the result of your individual acts.
Make quality individual decisions. Each individual choice you make contributes to the establishment or destruction of a habit. If it indeed takes about twenty-one days of consistently doing the same thing to establish a habit, then start now. If you find you have some bad habits, focus on the individual act that contributes to the habit and gain victory over that action. When you successfully make quality individual choices, you will soon find yourself with quality success habits.
Principle 8 – Your acts are the result of your thoughts.
What are you thinking about? Someone once said “We have never committed a visible act of sin that has shamed us before others that was not first a shameful thought.” The thoughts we dwell on will sooner or later manifest themselves in some visible expression of that thought.
Principle 9 – Your thoughts are yours to choose.
The good news is that you are free to choose your own thoughts. You can bring every thought captive to the obedience of Jesus Christ (2 Cor 10:5). You have been given the freedom to choose, so use it wisely.
Principle 10- Choose great thoughts and reap a great destiny.
Consider the words of Paul: “Finally brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, and whatsoever things are of a good report. If there be any virtue, if there be any praise, think on these things” (Phil 4:8).

You might do an average job, but if all you want is average, you won’t be ready to go to the next level. A sense of destiny will pull you out of the pond of mediocrity every time. You might not know all there is to know about your destiny! You’ll find yourself walking in your destiny before you know it.
David knew he would be king, but until God placed him on the throne, he refused to make it happen his own way. He had the opportunity to kill Saul, who had been ruthlessly pursuing him, but instead he waited patiently on God. He held together through the hardship because of his sense of destiny.
The hard times will eventually pass, but in the mean time, use the challenging times to prepare your character and heart for what lies ahead. When you lean into your destiny, you will find yourself living into your destiny, which will in turn carry you through many a storm!

QUOTES FOR TODAY
“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then is not an act but a habit.” - Aristotle

Friday, August 17, 2007

7 HABITS FOR BUSINESS SUCCESS

You must develop seven key habits for business success. The absence of any one of these habits can be costly to your business. When you become competent and capable in each of these areas, you will be able to accomplish extraordinary results, far faster and easier than your competitors.

1). PLAN THOROUGHLY
The first requirement for business success is the habit of planning: The better, more thoroughly, and more detailed that you plan your activities in advance, the faster and easier it will be for you to carry out plans and get the results you desire once you start to work. The more thoroughly you plan each stage of your business activities before you begin, the greater will be the probability that you will succeed when you commence operations.

2). GET ORGANISED BEFORE YOU GET STARTED
Once you have developed a complete plan for your business, you must then develop the habit of organizing the people and resources you need before you begin. In organizing, you bring together all the resources you have determined you will require in the planning process. It is absolutely essential that you determine every ingredient you will need before you begin business operations and bring them together so they are ready to go when you open your doors or begin your project.

3). FIND THE RIGHT PEOPLE
The third habit you must develop is the habit of hiring the right people to help you achieve your goals. Fully 95 percent of your success as an entrepreneur or executive will be determined by the quality of the people you recruit to work with you or to work on your team.

4). DELEGATE WISELY
The fourth habit you need to develop for business success is proper delegation. You must develop the ability to delegate the right task to the right person in the right way. The inability to delegate effectively can be the cause of failure or underperformance of the individual and can even bring about failure of the business. When people start in business, they usually do everything themselves. As they grow and expand, the job becomes too large for one person, so they hire someone to do part of it. However, if they are not careful, they try to retain control of the task and never fully hand over both authority and responsibility to the other person. You must learn to think in terms of “getting things done through others” rather than trying to do them yourself. It is the only way you can leverage and multiply your special skills and abilities.

5). INSPECT WHAT YOU EXPECT
You need to develop the habit of proper supervision. You must set up system to monitor the task and make sure it is being done as agreed upon. The rule is “inspect what you expect”. Once you have delegated a task to the right person in the right way, it is essential that you monitor the performance of the task and make sure it is done on schedule and to the required level of quality. Remember, delegation is not abdication. You are still responsible for the ultimate results of the delegated tasks. You must stay on top of it.

6). MEASURE WHAT GETS DONE
The practice of successful entrepreneurs and executives is the habit of measuring performance. You must set specific, measurable standards and score cards for the results you require. You have to set specific timelines and deadlines to make sure you “make your numbers” on schedule. Everyone who is expected to carry out a task must know with complete clarity the targets he or she is aiming at, how successful performance will be measured, and when the expected results are due.

7). KEEP PEOPLE INFORMED
The habit for business people is that of reporting results regularly and accurately. People around you need to know what is going on. Your bankers need to know your financial results. Your staff needs to know the status and the situation of your company. Your key people, at all levels, need to know what results are being achieved. People in an organization have a deep need to know and understand what is going on around them in relation to their work. The more thoroughly and accurately you report to people the (details and situation of your business), the happier they will be and the better results they will get.

QUOTE FOR TODAY
“What separates those who achieve from those who do not is in direct proportion to one’s ability to ask for help.” – Donald Keough

THE PROBLEM OF POVERTY AND ITS SOLUTION

There has always been a poor person in the world, even among believers. Rev 2:19. Why should people ever people poor? What can be done so that no one is ever poor again? What is poverty? What causes it? Is poverty a friend or an enemy of any body?

Poverty is defined as a desperate shortage of spending power and it is not a new problem. It is also not a problem that can be solved easily unless we follow divine methods. Deut 15:11, Prov 10:15, Matt 26:11, Deut 15:1-11.
There are several examples of poverty in the bible, Gideon- Judges 6:15, the widow of Zarephat- 1 Kings 17:9-16, the poor widow-Mark 12:42, Apostle Paul 2 Cor 6:10 are but a few examples.

There are three categories of what cause poverty;
1). Personal losses. These includes laziness- Prov 20:13, foolish spending and miserliness- Prov 11:24, love of pleasure- Prov 21:17.
2). Human outside causes. These include bad government- Is 3:14, harsh employers- James 5:4, corrupt trading- Prov 22:16, robbery- Luke 10:30, wars- Ps 79:1-4.
3). Causes beyond human realm. These include drought- 1 King 17:7, diseases- Acts 3:1-10, bad weather- Ps 78:47, satanic meddling- 2 Cor 4:4, Divine punishment- 1 Sam 2:7.

Poverty causes a lot of problems includes national, family, social problems, increase in crimes, sickness, mental stress etc. Therefore, poverty is an enemy and it must not accommodate. Since God wants us to prosper 3 John 2, there is no reason why we must be satisfied with anything less than true prosperity. But how do we handle poverty and its twin evil greed?

GENEROSITY
The law of harvest is the basic principle on how to become wealthy. Give and you shall be given, good measure, pressed down and shaken together and running over will men give to your bosom….. Luke 6:38.The harvest is always abundantly more than the seed sown. How much should we give to whom? When? Where? How?

Our greatest example of generosity is God Himself. God the father is so generous. He gave His all. John 3:16 and God the Son is so generous He gave His life. John 10:11. God the Holy Spirit is so generous He gave all the glory to Jesus Christ. John 16:13-14. Another word for generous is liberal 2 Cor 8:2, 9:6.
The giving of the Lord is not only generous but constant too. What a lesson to us His children. Deut 11:13-15, Gen 9:12-15.
The Lord expects us to be generous to Him, to His people and to the poor including our enemies. Ex 35:5, 1 Chro 29:9, Matt 3:8-9, Mark 12:41-44.

We will see the blessing of generosity and the principles of giving.
1). The Lord has special blessings including prosperity, Divine glory overflowing, sufficiency and rewards in the life to come. Ps 41:1, Prov 3:9-10, Prov 11:25, 22:9, 28:27.

2). The Divine principles for giving are clearly set out. We are to give according to our ability, gladly without deceit, freely from the heart, regularly and often secretly. Deut 2:68-69, 16:17, Matt 5:42, Acts 1:29, 2 Cor 8:1-15, Mark 12:44.

Therefore, we see that if we give to the Lord to His saints and to the needy, we shall be abundantly blessed. However, we must give as the Lord directs so that our ‘left’ hand should not know what our ‘right’ hand is doing.

WORK
Working is not evil but a blessing.
1). Work is part of God’s creation (man, animals, angels, firmament, land and sea etc). God command man to work before and after the fall, angels worship God day and night, they work continuously without resting. The academicians today might have said that an unwilling attitude to work is the beginning of mental problem. Gen 2:15, 3:17-19, Ruth 2:17, 1 Kings11:28, Heh 4:21, Prov 31:10-13, Is 18:3, 1 Cor 4:12. If it is possible, we enjoin us to work from morning till evening.
2). Individuals must have their respective duties, every individuals must be full of work especially believers who should be good examples to the world around them. The rich themselves must work. Ex 20:9, 34:21, Eph 4:28, 1 Thess 4:11-12. Laziness is a destroyer. We are not only commanded to work, but to work hard.
3). Hard work brings great gain but laziness takes one to a position of poverty, hunger and shame. Prov 6:6-11, 10:5, 14:23, 19:15, 2 Thess 3:6-15. If a nts work, why human beings will not work, as long as our God Himself works. John 5:17. Remember the parable of the talents and pray that God will give you grace to be a faithful worker.

QUOTES FOR TODAY
“Giving is the road to the city of wealth; sacrifice is the key to its strong room”
- Pastor E.A Adeboye

Monday, August 6, 2007

SECRETS TO SUCCESS

To succeed at anything, there are four things you must have:

1). MORALS. What are you willing to do in order to get where you're trying to go? You can't get there just any kind of way; you must have boundaries. Now all of us have broken the rules at some time. But thank God we had rules to break! We were able to realign ourselves because somebody had pitched a tent on where "right" is. Today folks don't seem to know or care where somebody "right" is.

2). METHODS. Your methods are your road map. A goal without a plan is like a road to nowwhere. First the goal, then the plan, and then the process. Adopting this simple three-step formula helps you understand that you won't just leap into the middle of your dream, or get there overnight. There are methods that must be employed and stayed with!

3). MEANS. When God gives a vision, look for provision. If you can't find it, either your timing is off, or what you want differs from what God wants for you. God's provision may come as an idea that hits you suddenly, or a thought that takes root and grows in you over time. Certainly, God's provision will always involve the help of others, so walk in love whereever you go.

4). MANAGEMENT. Jesus said, " To whom much is given, of him shall much be required" Luke 12:48. Some people think it's "over" when God gives it to you. No, it's just beginning! And guess what your biggest management challenge will be? Yourself! That's why the Psalmist prayed, " Order my steps in thy word". Psalm 119:133.

QUOTE FOR TODAY
"Success is never ending, failure is never final". Dr Robert Schuller

Friday, August 3, 2007

SECRETS OF THE RICHEST PEOPLE

Would you like to realize your goals? Maybe you'd like to run your own business, expand your material possessions, or succeed in the arts. There is no one path to the pot of gold, but many people of all backgrounds have successfully found it.
Whether you want to follow the ways of the great financiers, the famous politicians, or the dynamic movie stars, there are common modes of behavior each of them followed. And in many cases, they have shared their secrets so YOU CAN FOLLOW THEIR FOOTSTEPS.
"If you wish to know the road up the mountain, ask the person who goes back and forth on it," said the ancient sage, Zenrin. What better way is there to know the secrets than to ask those who made it?
What goals do you want to achieve? And what amount of effort can you commit? You may want money for the extra things in life, money to build a corporate empire, or money to support yourself while you pursue the fine arts.
Perhaps you'd like to take the risk to start something new in your life. You may want to open your own business, devote your energies to an artistic career such as acting, or reap the benefits of your yearly endeavors with fabulous vacations several times a year.
What will bring you happiness? The satisfaction of success takes many forms. Not only are people seeking financial fortunes, but also the ancient goal of peace of mind.
Do you worry? You might be concerned about your health or your family's well-being. You may be anxious about the added expenses of education, medical bills, or the steady increase of cost of living. There are ways out of the endless cycles of worry, stress and anxiety. Right now, you can rise above the whirl of survival to achieve the accomplishments you dream of. When you're ready to put your whole effort into realizing your goals, YOU WILL SUCCEED.

1. WHAT ARE RICHES
"Had I but plenty of money, money enough to spare," wrote Robert Browning. And money is the greatest attribute of riches. A universal desire, money is the materialization of riches, the stuff that makes the rest possible.
Are you looking for financial security? For retirement, for education or leisure? Riches are the overflowing abundance of material possessions - houses, cars, boats, furnishings - everything you ever wanted.
Centuries ago, Horace wrote, "By right means, if you can, but by any means, make money." For many people it is a path towards happiness, a cure-all for worry and peace of mind.
For others, riches come in the form of satisfaction and personal independence. Satisfaction comes from accomplishment in employment or attaining goals. It is that feeling of contentment and confidence from a good task well done. Riches are closely linked with success. And with that comes fame and acknowledgment of position. Success might be the feeling of well-being from the rewards of good effort. Or the enthusiasm and vitality triggered by recognition.
"Success is how well I enjoy the minutes," said producer Norman Lear.
Throughout history, the people who lived with riches often achieved them by hard work, diligence and a belief in themselves. For some people, it took courage, genius and stamina.
But for many others, it took nothing special but the desire to turn dreams into reality. Whether you want millions of dollars, recognition as an artist, or personal freedom, you have the ability to make your life as rich as you want.
Think about what you most desire. It may not be hard cash, but what it can buy. Or it may be those feelings of inner satisfaction, from creating something beautiful or strong.
You may want personal independence from the work week, or freedom to live anywhere you want. You may be looking for something meaningful and significant in life - something other than things money can buy. Whatever your goals, and however difficult they seem to be to accomplish, you have the ability to become who you want. Take a look - can you see yourself surrounded by riches?
Picture the world open and in front of you, ready to become the form of your dreams, ready to stage your desires. "Why then, the world's mine oyster," wrote Shakespeare, "which I with sword will open."

2. WHO IS SUCCESSFUL?
Many people who achieve fortune in the world are not born rich. But they accomplish their dee hard to implement as it will bring in lots of ordersires through hard work and a plan of action.
Every type of person on earth can become successful. There are saints and scoundrels; philanthropists and thieves; poets and politicians; young and old. There are no limitations or physical boundaries for success.
Success comes to those who think about success and strive for it. Although many rich financiers at the turn of the century had no formal education, they overcame that and went on to great fame.
Some people strive towards a single goal from early in life, and often attain that goal while still young. Others are willing to risk new adventures later and still attain success.
"It's never too late to learn," wrote Malcolm Forbes, the money magnate. "I learned to ride a motorcycle at 50 and fly balloons at 52."
Whatever your task, whatever your obstacles, you can be as successful as anyone else. Study the people who accomplished recognition in the areas of your pursuit. How did they achieve their goals?
And don't be afraid you don't have what it takes. As Daniel Webster wrote, "There is always room at the top."

3. FORMING CONVICTION
The single attribute that every successful person has is the one-pointed devotion to attain a goal. "There in the sunshine are my highest aspirations," wrote Louisa May Alcott, "I can look up and see their beau§ty, believe in them, and try to follow where they lead."
What are your desires? How can you form them into definite goals that you can attain? Lawrence Peter wrote, "If you don't know where you're going, you'll probably end up somewhere else."
Maybe you're studying a craft or skill. Perhaps you're caught in a rung of the corporate ladder. Or, you might feel constricted by your family and the environment around you.
Which star are you reaching for? "Ours is a world where people don't know what they want and are willing to go through anything to get it," wrote Don Marquis.
Take the time to think about your own aspirations. Look inside to find what feels right. Almost everyone entertains the notions of fame and fortune, but put on the costume that fits you.
Conviction requires certain qualities of action. You must be sincere and be willing to assume responsibility. And you need the self-discipline necessary to work towards your goals.
Are you prepared to achieve your dreams? Can you form their reality in your mind? Will you devote your entire being to attaining what you want?

4. ON YOUR OWN
Most millionaires are non-conformists. So are the most famous actors and actresses; and the most prominent artists. Writers are known for their individual traits and eccentricities.
Your convictions and goals are your own business, even when you find help along the path. Mentors often take people under their wings to nourish and teach. Or spiritual guides will show you the path to attainment. But you're on your own to achieve.
Cultivate a sense of justice and an ability to make decisions. Cooperate with everybody and develop your own self-respect. And follow good criticism and advice after you've judged carefully. J. Paul Getty said, "I advise young millionaires to be skeptical of advice. They should advise themselves; they should form their own opinions."
Lord Byron wrote, "There is rapture on the lonely shore." And if you attain your goals with poise and sincerity, you'll find warmth and love at the top - not the cold loneliness pictured by the jealous.
Put on blinders to negative comments and criticism meant to hurt you. About the people who criticize, Voltaire wrote, "Never having been able to succeed in the world, they took revenge by speaking ill of it."

5. SEIZE THE DAY
People are judged by what they think and what they say. But the true measure of their character is what they do. Anyone who has achieved suc cess and fortune in the world has done it by action.
William Jennings Bryan wrote, "Destiny is not a matter of chance, it is a matter of choice; it is not a thing to be waited for, it is a thing to be achieved."
The choice of the path you follow is often put before you as opportunity. "Few people recognize opportunity," said Cary Grant, "because it comes disguised as hard work."
Don't let opportunities slip past while you're still considering them, and create new ones as you see them. "Wise people make more opportunities than they find," said Francis Bacon.
What opportunities can you act upon? Woolworth saw a need for small inexpensive items and opened the chain of stores that grossed billions. Wrigley started giving gum away as a bonus from a supplies wagon he sold from, and saw the opportunity to make mon§ey from the gum that became in high demand.
All successful people the world over have found the opportunities for their own special talents and acted upon those ways to achieve. Why wait for the time to pass? There's never a better time than now.
"Sometimes," wrote Lewis Carroll believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast." Take your own impossible dreams and make them become reality.

6. HOW THEY THINK
Thousands of potential millionaires are born every year. And making a million dollars is coming closer to everyone's pocket. What advice did the money-makers follow?
Aristotle Onassis worked eighteen hours a day to maintain his fortune. He started as a welder and aimed for the top. "You have to think money day and night," he said, "you should even dream about it in your sleep."
John D. Rockefeller, Jr., said, "I believe in the dignity of labor, wheth§er with head or hand; that the world owes every person an opportunity to make a living."
And J. Paul Getty acknowledged his hard work: "I have no complex about wealth. I have worked hard for my money, producing things people need."
Even Proverbs advises: "In all labor there is profit."
Richard Bach, the author of the best selling "Jonathan Livingston Seagull" wrote, "You are never given a wish without also being given the power to make it true. You may have to work for it, however."
The Empress of the British Empire, Queen Victoria, admonished, "We are not interested in the possibilities of defeat."

7. DO YOU HAVE WHAT IT TAKES?
There are qualities of endeavor and achievement that are common to many people who make it to the top. The following questions are a guideline to self-enterprise and attaining your goals.
1. Do you prefer to work for yourself than for others?
2. Are you well-informed on current business and political affairs?
3. Are you a leader?
4. Do you take advantage of opportunities?
5. Do you pay attention to what other people say?
6. Can you finish a job even when it is difficult or unpleasant?
7. Are you challenged by problems?
8. Do you have a goal you want to achieve?
9. Do you consider other people?
10. Do you strive to attain?
11. Can you obey commands?
12. Can you bounce back after defeat?
13. Do you believe in yourself?
14. Can you stand by your actions in spite of criticism?
15. Can you follow instructions?
16. Can you respond to the needs of others?
17. Will you give credit to other
18. Can you make your own decisions?
19. Are you determined?
20. Are you ready for success?

8. ESTABLISH A GOAL
What do you want? Are you looking for financial security, professional acknowledgment, spiritual attainment? Do you want to fit better socially, or become more expressive creatively? Establish the goal that's right for you.
Then turn that goal from a dream into a desire. You want to realize that goal, not just wish for it. Aesop said, "Beware that you do not lose the substance by grabbing at the shadow." Know exactly what you want, then go for it.
Don't be tricked by your own procrastination - especially if you want to achieve something artistic. The writer Thomas Wolfe wrote, "I had been sustained by that delightful illusion of success which we all have when we dream about the books we are going to write instead of actually doing them. Now I was face to face with it, and suddenly I realized that I had committed my life and my integrity so irrevocably to this struggle that I must conquer now or be destroyed."
Can you see what you want? If you want the abundance of material wealth that money provides, what goal will give you that money? Do you want the prestige of owning your own business? What business do you want to begin?
Where are the opportunities for you? Talk to everyone in the business you want to join. Make friends in the literary or art societies in your area. Read books and articles about your field of endeavor. How can you attain your goal?
"If you don't want to work, you have to work to earn enough money so that you don't have to work," wrote Ogden Nash. And isn't that the way" Money makes money; success breeds success. But not always. How can you break through those thoughts to help yourself to the rewards?
Henry David Thoreau wrote, "I have learned this at least by my experiment: that if you advance confidently in the direction of your dreams, and endeavor to live the life which you imagine, you will meet with success."
Think big and visualize success. Do you see yourself in a big house? Maybe you picture your artwork hanging in a gallery. Can you feel your book in print and in your hands? How does it feel to be a person of success? Believe that you are; believe that it is in your grasp. That's what the others did, and that's how people make it to the top.
Then get down to basics. Be precise. Exactly how much money do you want, and by what date? And exactly what are you going to do to earn that money? Be realistic, but give yourself short-term goals.
Write it down. In six months or one year, you will have how much money. And repeat it until it feels good. Then repeat it twice a day until it swirls in your subconscious, until it becomes your one-pointed goal.
"The goal stands up, the keeper stands up to keep the goal," wrote A.E. Housman.

9. KEYS TO SUCCESS
Make people feel at ease. They will respond to your needs as you respond to theirs.
Share the spotlight. Give credit to those who deserve it - and to those who strive. Don't grab praise away from other people.
Have confidence in your own value. Don't do anything that won't credit your own self-respect. Follow up your actions as they reflect your own self-worth.
Listen well to others' comments. Then weigh your own actions. Cultivate relationships with people who have good and important things to say.
Participate in life. Be active in business meetings and endeavors; volunteer to be part of organizations and groups. Social interaction will boost your sense of well-being .
Feel worthy of your own goal. Know that you can attain it and that it is right for you.
Grasp your own challenge. Don't give yourself impossible goals, but always reach higher.
Relax and be yourself. Each person is different and just as wonderful as the next. Don't be plagued by what you think others think of you.
Don't bathe in success - use it. Once you achieve your first goal, go on to others. Use the money you earn for the rewards you look for. Then go on to the next endeavor.
Be slow to criticize others' achievements. Find out how they did it and learn from them.
Never use subterfuge. Don't go behind someone's back. Speak your mind and earn respect.
Banish negative thoughts and traits. Restructure your life to exclude bad habits.
Believe in yourself and what you are to accomplish. All the power in the world is within you to achieve.

10. WORK TOWARDS YOUR GOAL
"To get profit without risk, experience without danger, and reward without work, is as impossible as it is to live without being born," wrote A.P. Gouthey. Every person who has attained something worthwhile has worked for that goal.
Cary Grant said, "I do believe that people can do practically anything they set out to do if they apply themselves diligently and learn."
Which path is the right way towards your goal? Do you need more education? Do you need a few years experience in your field of business? Maybe you need a teacher or guide to help you practice.
"I have learned that success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached, as by the obstacles which are overcome while trying to succeed," wrote Booker T. Washington.
What obstacles are in your way? Consider them as easy to pass through as hurdles are to a champion runner. Take each obstacle as a special challenge placed especially for you. Approach it with intelligence and courage, then learn what it has to teach.
"Success is a journey," said Ben Sweetland, "not a destination." For some, the process of attainment is the attainment itself. They move on, keep growing and expanding. There is no still water at the top.
"The message from the moon is that no problem need any longer be considered insoluble," wrote Norman Cousins. And you can attain anything that seems impossible.
If you have a problem that needs to be solved, sit calmly and consider it with a clear mind. Observe all the consequences of the actions - both good and bad. Ponder the paths and actions and contemplate the core of the problem. The solution will appear.
"Ask and it shall be given you; seek and ye shall find; knock and it shall be opened to you for everyone who asketh, receiveth. He that seeketh, findeth and to him that knocketh, it shall be opened."
Tap the inner self and encourage positive actions. With each outgoing breath, release the impossible; at each incoming breath, inhale the attainable. Demand the best of yourself, but don't despair from an overused sense of perfection.
What can you learn? And who can teach you? Can you attend classes and seminars from universities near home? Check out books from the libraries and absorb the material. Find a master and become an apprentice.
"Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty," said Henry Ford. "Anyone who keeps learning stays young. The greatest thing in life is to keep your mind young."
Never stop learning; never stop growing and expanding as a person and in your personal endeavor.

11. ASK YOURSELF
As you consider the success you desire, you need to affirm its possibilities and develop the self-confidence necessary to attain the goals. Learn to do things well. "If you know how to do one thing well, you can do everything," wrote the philosopher Gurdjieff.
Are you ready for success?
Is what you are doing now helping you to achieve your goals?
Do you weigh the consequences before making a decision?
Is this the best use of your time?
Do you cooperate with everyone and help cultivate their best potentials?Are you warm and sincere?
Do you have the courage to succeed?
Do you have the self-discipline necessary to achieve your goals?
Do you have a realistic sense of self-worth?
Do you give more than you take?
Do you have the courage to fail, and then pick up and try again?
Can you assume responsibility without blaming others if things go wrong?
Are you strong?
Can you be sympathetic to life and its sufferings?
Can you say no?
Will you follow your convictions and plans to achieve?
Do you sincerely want to achieve the goals you have chosen?

12. TAKING RESPONSIBILITY
"The price of greatness is responsibility," wrote Winston Churchill. Are you willing to take the responsibility once you attain the success you desire?
"The deepest personal defeat suffered by human beings is constituted by the difference between what one was capable of becoming and what one has in fact become," wrote Ashley Montague. And the greatest tragedy is to become less than your full potential, using less than the abilities you have to work with.
Are you waiting for something to happen? Maybe you're waiting for a job offer, or a promotion. Perhaps you're waiting until you get good enough at a craft or skill. Or are you waiting for the inspiration of creativity to strike your life?
It is up to you to take the actions and be responsible for their consequences. "Our responsibility: every opportunity, an obligation; every possession, a duty," wrote John D. Rockefeller, Jr.
Inspire yourself. Read books that will spurn you to action; talk to people who have the vitality you admire. How would you like to lead your life? And make the changes necessary to be like that. "There is nothing permanent except change," wrote Heraclitus. What changes do you want to make? What are you waiting for?

13. ACCOMPLISHMENT
What actions will take you closer to your goals? Decide upon the steps and write them down. Review them until you feel comfortable with those steps. Then repeat them at least once a day, crossing them off as you accomplish them.
"I believe there is no escape from the rule that We must do many, many little things to accomplish even just one big thing," said James Dupont. "This gives me patience when I need it most."
The most rewarding accomplishments are those that take long to achieve and present difficulties. It is only through these difficulties that a person can rise above the rest to be the unusual, the outspoken and the well-deserved.
As if building a kit, follow your own instructions. Decide your best courses of action and achieve their benefits. Whether the steps are small or large, make them achievable and then do them. Don't commit yourself to things that you never intend to do.
"Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there," said Will Rogers. Don't be paralyzed by inaction; rather act upon your own convictions.
Set yourself up for rewards. Don't give yourself goals that have no feeling of satisfaction or no monetary rewards. If you want to be an artist, be the best and learn from the best. Don't dwell on imperfections or the awkwardness of unpolished skills.
If you go into business, do it for profit or reinvestment. "In business, the earning of profit is something more than an incident of success. It is an essential condition of success. Because the continued absence of profit itself spells failure," said Justice Brandeis.
Marchant wrote, "To be a success in business, be daring, be first, be different." Think of ways to achieve the best; formulas to increase productivity or decrease overhead. Profit is your drive.
"Profitability is the sovereign criterion of the enterprise," wrote Peter Drucker. And, profitability is the core of any achievement - whether financial or artistic.
Once you achieve your goals, think of ways to benefit others. "Money-getters are the benefactors of our race," said P.T. Barnum. "To them we are indebted for our institutions of learning, and of art, our academies, colleges and churches." How can you benefit humankind and still keep enough to fulfill your own desires?

14. THE HIDDEN ASSET
Not all success can be counted in dollars; not all richness is measured by money. "The great secret of success is to go through life as a person who never gets used up," said Albert Schweitzer. "Retire upon yourself and look for the ultimate cause of things inside you."
Look within yourself for the ultimate inspiration, and follow the true feelings you discover. "One of my favorite methods is to whisper," said Alfred Hitchcock. "I've discovered the best work is done with sweet reason."
Act upon your own conscience -that guides; that judges your actions and signals your behavior. "Conscience is the inner voice that warns us that someone may be looking," wrote H.L. Mencken.
Accomplish what you desire; fulfill your inner yearnings. But don't compromise your deepest feelings.
"We do our best that we know how at the moment, and if it doesn't turn out, we modify it," said F.D. Roosevelt.
Follow the paths that life offers you and live the fullest existence you can.

15. TAKE A LOOK
Look at yourself and look at those who have succeeded throughout history. Do you have what it takes? Even if you have only a few of the qualities of the other great people, you can achieve your heart's desire.
Reach for the highest, then reach higher. Accomplish your steps one by one on a daily basis, always moving forward, always making progress. Encourage yourself. Insist that you can succeed and affirm these thoughts daily.
Keep a sense of proportion and judge for yourself. Then keep busy at the tasks you've set out to accomplish. What's keeping you? "Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration," said Albert Einstein.
Find inspiration wherever you can. Talk to people; read about people; learn your business or craft. Believe that you can do it and you will. The only way to dispel the doubt that you can do something is to finish it.
Always be the best you can be. Never fall short from fatigue or lethargy. Don't attempt to do anything that you can't give your all to.
There is no way to inner satisfaction without appealing to the higher consciousness. Search within and without to find the paths that are meant for you and follow them with conviction and a steady heart. And, you will succeed to become as rich and full as you ever desired.
Harold Ickes wanted the "freedom to live one's life with the window of the soul open to new thoughts, new ideas and new aspirations."
And Woody Allen looked for a clear path. "If only God would give me some clear sign" he said. "Like making a large deposit in my name at a Swiss bank."
Finally, Sophie Tucker sums up everyone's worldly outlook: "I've been rich and I've been poor," she said. "Rich is better."

QUOTE FOR TODAY
"The only difference between a success and a failure is that the successful person is willing to do what the failure is not willing to do". J.R Ridinger