Posted 3/27/2002 by Josh Hinds

I'll Never Complain Again
By Steve Goodier

Back in the mid-1970s, a man was driving through Arizona and stopped at a gas station in the middle of a torrential downpour. This was in the days of "full-service" gas stations. He sat inside his dry car while a man, who whistled cheerfully while he worked, filled up his tank in that awful rain.

As the customer was leaving, he said apologetically, "I'm sorry to get you out in this weather."

The attendant replied, "It doesn't bother me a bit. When I was fighting in Vietnam I made up my mind in a foxhole one day that if I ever got out of this place alive, I would be so grateful I'd never complain about anything again. And I haven't."

Taking responsibility for our attitudes is part of building a whole and happy life.

Steve Goodier
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"From Steve Goodier's book TOUCHING MOMENTS - Get 5% off Steve Goodier's inspirational books. Just click here for Inspirational Books and enter "johi" (without quotes) in the coupon code box at checkout. Or call 877-344-0989 and mention your coupon code."

Posted 3/25/2002 by Josh Hinds

Whitewater Rafting 101
Andrew Wood

It was a typical Saturday afternoon a little over three years ago. I was sitting up in my office banging away at my computer, when the door suddenly burst open, flooding the dim room in brilliant sunlight. An attractive middle-aged woman stepped forward and passionately began to speak with her hands on her hips.

She began, "You've read all the books, been to all the seminars, listened to all the tapes, and even wrote your own book with a chapter on goal setting. You teach goal setting to thousands of people a year at your seminars. They pay you big bucks to do this. You consult with individuals and companies on their goals and help other people realize their dreams. So, how is it that we can never find time to take a vacation?"

"It's been three years now! I want to know when we're going to take the cruise we keep talking about."

With that, my wife, Sue, folded her arms and waited for my reply. (By the way, she loves when I describe her as attractive, and hates when I describe her as middle-aged.)

I sat at my desk smiling and rubbing my hand across my chin, staring blankly back at her with on of those, 'I don't know' kind of looks. Sort of like when a presidential candidate is asked the capitol of Zimbabwe. I thought for a moment, trying to figure out in my head just how I could make the time in my busy schedule to take 10 full days off, but couldn't quite come up with an answer. I told Sue I would get back to her at the end of the day.

"With a date?" she asked.
"With a date." I replied.

And so it was that I devoted an entire afternoon of my life not working on a marketing campaign as planned, but instead working on re-evaluating my goals. If I knew so much about goal setting, how come so many of my own goals never happened? With this in mind, I went back to the computer and searched for a file marked G1, which was the two pages of text that listed the things I wanted to do with my life.

Purely by coincidence, the G1 list contained 101 items ranging from financial security, vacationing in the Caribbean, writing a bestseller, and embarking on a white water rafting trip. Consistent with my knowledge, all of the goals were written down. Some had deadlines and a few even included a couple of lines of notes-the start of action plans. After printing out my goals, I switched to a calendar program and had the computer print out a 70 year calendar. Even my computer said, "Are you sure?"

Having done that, I started to fill in a few items for each year in relative order of importance, or at least in order of when I thought I could accomplish the task. Playing the best golf courses in Ireland came next year, while reaching my long-term financial goals fell six years down the road.

At first, I felt quite pleased with myself as I allotted time slots to each goal and set deadlines, but as the afternoon wore on I began to get a growing sense of unease. I was running out of time, dying right before my very eyes. As the final goal was committed to paper, I immediately wondered just how much fun I was going to have white water rafting at 101 years of age! I pictured myself holding my oar in one hand and my teeth in the other-my hair blowing in the wind and me chasing after it.

I could see I was going to really need to think this through. After a short coffee break I went back to my office and began to aggressively delete items from my list. After all, how many Ferraris does a man really need? Gone too was the big screen TV. I never watch TV anyway. And, while it would be fun to jam with the Rolling Stones, since I can't play a note, I would not be crushed if it never happened.

By the end of the day I had successfully cut my list in half without too much heartache for the items that had to go. Most of my goals revolved around four specific areas: business, family, travel, and golf. The ultimate goal is taking my entire family on a trip around the world so they could experience other places, people, and cultures first hand. Something a little more tangible than visiting the Showcase of Countries at Walt Disney World.

While I had always been goal oriented, I suddenly felt a whole new sense of purpose and direction. For the first time I came to the stark realization that goal management was not some topic to be glossed over at seminars along with advertising, marketing , and sales. Goal management was in fact LIFE management, and the longer I put off following my own advice, the less life I was ultimately going to enjoy.

This fact was vividly brought home for me by the birth of my daughter Chelsea , followed a year later by Andrew. I can't believe how fast they grow. I can't even remember them as babies. (Of course, they can't remember me either, so I don't feel so bad.) In writing down the family vacation schedule for the next five years, I noted the kids' ages in the margin in order to take the vacation at a place suitable for their ages. Chelsea would be 10 by the time my short-term plans would be completed.

Although it had happened several years earlier, another factor weighed heavily on my mind that afternoon. The fate of my best friend David Miller. David was an incredible person, in awesome shape through martial arts training, and with a mind every bit as sharp. We co-wrote my first book together and had wonderful plans for taking our businesses to the top of the field. David was 42 years old, had a beautiful wife and two-year-old daughter. He had worked very hard for 15 years and was looking to expand his business.

It was for that reason that we drove out to Las Vegas to the Comdex computer show together to look at the latest models, but halfway there he became very ill, smack in the middle of the desert. I drove his Toyota truck at over 100 miles an hour to get him to a hospital in Las Vegas, but by the time we got there the pain had subsided. He confided in me that he had not been feeling right for several weeks and had already been to the doctor, but he didn't think it was anything serious.

We spent the rest of the day at the show, looking at color printers, graphics software and the latest high-tech machines. We talked of networking the computers in his business, of a new color catalog, and of going international. As the show wound down at the end of the day Dave stood in the lobby of the Las Vegas Hilton and called his doctor from a pay phone. It was there, as the crowds of people walked to and fro, that he was handed his death sentence -- a rare form of cancer .

He remained in great spirits and refused to believe right up until the end that he was going to die. His belief was so great and his mind so strong, that I guess we all thought he was somehow going to defy the odds, and when the news came that he had actually died it was still something of a shock to all of us who knew him. All the plans and dreams we had of building a business together would never happen. He left the world having worked hard all his life, leaving no legacy but the wisdom and friendship he passed on to others and to me. He left no money for his family; he had no life insurance, no medical insurance, and a business that would struggle to survive without his passion and hard work.

Dave knew all about goal setting, in fact he fueled much of my knowledge on the subject. But he died having done almost none of the things he had wanted to accomplish during the brief and wonderful time that I knew him. Now there would be no chance. He was young, he was in perfect shape, he didn't drink or smoke. He had every reason in the world to believe that time was on his side. Time to visit Europe next year or the year after. Time to learn to ski the following winter, or that he could take his little girl to Disneyland and see Mickey Mouse next Sunday or the Sunday afterwards.

Only it didn't work out that way for Dave, and it doesn't work out that way for millions of other people across the country even if they don't die young .It should have been a wake up call, but I was busy! And sometimes we even hear the wake-up call, but we keep hitting "snooze". Only in this case the down side is worse than being late for work?...it's being late for life .

The first step in getting more out of your life is to get in touch with your own mortality. This is not an easy thing to do, death is an uncomfortable topic for everyone, except perhaps undertakers. Yet it often takes this stark realization that you are [in fact] slowly dying to get some semblance of action stirring in your blood.
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The Millionaires Library author, Andrew Wood, is recognized worldwide as a business, marketing, leadership,and personal development expert. He is the author of The Millionaires Library, which delivers you the essence of knowledge from over 1000 business, sales, marketing, leadership, and personal development books in a single powerful set. Visit through the following link.

Posted 3/19/2002 by Josh Hinds

The DNA of Top Achievers
By Chris Widener

Of course by now we are all becoming aware of DNA. It is the source code that determines who we are. When we look at DNA we can see what a person will look like, what diseases they may come down with, etc. This has been a tremendous breakthrough for scientists and will continue to be so for some time, I think.

This got me to thinking about what makes up those who are top achievers. Is there a “DNA” to them? Obviously, all top achievers wouldn’t have the same literal DNA but what about a figurative DNA? Is there a common “gene” that they all have? Are there common “genes” perhaps? I think so!

If we could get right down to it, I think these are the genes we would find in the DNA of top achievers:

A predisposition to setting high, lofty goals. Top achievers are people who won’t and can’t settle for the status quo. They see average as a place they want to keep in the rear-view mirror. Instead, they continually look for ways to stretch themselves, to get better, to do better, to be better! They set their sights on goals that others have never even thought of. They want to shoot so high that even if they miss, they go higher than everyone else. This is what makes them top achievers.

An ability to focus intently upon reaching their desired destination. Many people can set high goals, but just as many people get sidetracked by one thing or another on their way to those goals. High, lofty goals usually take a while to get there so there will always be plenty of time to be tempted to stray away from the road that is taking you to those goals. Often, those things that sidetrack people are good things, but not the best things. Top achievers do not get sidetracked. They stay focused. They know where they are going. They have an ability to say “no” to the good things in order to get to the best things.

The willingness to personally sacrifice in order to get to their goal. When the going gets tough, many people quit. When the going get tough personally, most people quit. When the going gets tough for top achievers, they remind themselves of the high. lofty goals they have set for themselves. They remind themselves of what an accomplishment it will be for them and that the reward is worth pushing through the momentary trials. They are willing to sacrifice personally in the short-term in order to get the reward and the prize long-term. Keeping their eyes on the big picture enables them to persevere through any personal pain they may experience.

A predisposition to tenacity. Tenacity is the ability to “keep on going.” Tough times? Keep on going! Financial troubles? Keep on going! People are suspect? Keep on going! You look like a dreamer? Keep on going! Tired? Keep on going! Want to quit and take it easy? Keep on going! Just remember this: Keep on going! The prize is ahead! Many people quit just before they were to get the reward, so keep on going!

The ability to see available resources and to use them accordingly. Those who are top achievers know that they cannot be lone-rangers on the way to the top. No one makes it by himself or herself. Top achievers recognize their weaknesses – the weaknesses that if they don’t cover will keep them from becoming a top achiever! They see their resources and they work to get them into a helping position so they can continue the route to becoming a top achiever. And they don’t use them, they utilize them. There is a big difference! People, finances, etc are all brought in to help by the top achiever.

A desire to help others achieve more for themselves as well. The top achiever knows that they can make a difference for others by becoming a top achiever. They know that the wealth they make can feed the hungry. They know that the position of influence they achieve can open a door for someone who may not normally get a chance. True top achievers look at how they can bring many with them, not how they can leave many in the dust. People are helped by the top achiever, not trampled upon!

I think if we could get to the DNA of top achievers, the things we talked about above would be at the core and fiber of their beings. What about you? Did you recognize yourself at all? I hope so! The good news about the DNA we are talking about today as opposed to real DNA is that you can go out and work on top achiever DNA whereas you are stuck with real DNA. So if you lack a little in the above-mentioned areas, take heart – you can get better and work on them so that you can become a top achiever!

Go get ‘em, tiger!
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Chris Widener is a popular speaker and writer as well as the President of Made for Success and Extraordinary Leaders. Join subscribers in 98 countries around the world and get Chris' FREE weekly Made for Success Ezine by sending a blank email to success-on@mail-list.com. Get his FREE daily SuccessQuote by sending a blank email to SQ@infogeneratorpro.com or visit his websites at http://www.madeforsuccess.com and http://www.extraordinaryleaders.com

Posted 3/13/2002 by Josh Hinds

Setting S-M-A-R-T Goals
By Michael Angier

GOAL SETTING IS A SKILL, and unfortunately, it's not something that's usually taught in school. Studies have shown that less than three percent of people actually write their goals down. And it's this SAME three percent who accomplish more than all the others put together.
If you want to get better at setting and achieving goals, here's an acronym that will help you focus and have more success reaching your objectives.

Set SMART goals.

SMART stands for:

* Specific
* Measurable
* Action-oriented
* Realistic
* Timely

SPECIFIC. Achieving goals demands focus. Our mind needs specific targets to work effectively. It can't operate well with vague generalities. State exactly what you wish to accomplish.

MEASURABLE. Many people set goals they'll never know whether or not they've attained. "To be successful--to be more knowledgeable," aren't goals because there's no benchmark. Be sure to have measurable goals with a deadline.

ACTION-ORIENTED. It's much easier to measure things being done. What are the action-steps you'll take in the process of achieving your goal?

REALISTIC. This is your call. What's realistic to you may not be to someone else. Your objective has to be within the realm of YOUR believability. If you can't envision yourself doing it, you won't.

TIMELY. A goal must have a target date. If you desire to make a million dollars, but don't set the timeline for it, it won't be motivating. A deadline too far in the future is too easily put off. A goal that's set too close is not only unrealistic, it's discouraging.

If you keep these things in mind as you plan your goals, you'll meet with more success and have more fun doing so.

-- Michael Angier
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(c) Copyright 1995-2002 Success Networks International. Success Net is a worldwide association committed to helping people become more knowledgeable, productive and effective. Their mission is to inform, inspire and empower people to be their best-personally and professionally. Free subscriptions, memberships, books and SuccessMark Cards. Visit their web site here.

Posted 3/11/2002 by Josh Hinds

Narrow Your Focus and Broaden Your Sales
By Dr. Michel Fortin

If your web-based business solves a specific problem, then your chances of online success are good. This is not a facetious statement because you'd be surprised to know how many businesses go online with no clear objective whatsoever. But in order to increase those chances, an immensely important step in marketing effectively online is required -- targeting.

This is where many marketers fail, for they are trying to be "all things to all people." Their web site may offer a product that solves a specific problem. And unquestionably, the marketplace -- and the potential -- on the Internet is huge. But it is also for this very reason that general offers either get easily drowned in this boundless electronic ocean or fail to capture the netizen's attention due to the vagueness of the offering's nature.

Since the marketplace is so vast, attention span so short and competition so enormous, there is no better place for market targeting than on the Internet. Today's rapidly changing, technology-driven marketplace mandates a sharper marketing aim. If your business doesn't have one, you're going to either have a really tough time or require a huge marketing budget.

Therefore, try to discover the demographics as well as the psychographics of your niche -- your niche being your core, largest or most profitable market. If you don't have a narrowly defined market, then identify it or isolate one. And once you've defined it, it will then be easier for you to market your offer in front of an audience that will most likely be genuinely interested in it. Otherwise, without one you'll be merely shooting blanks.

Demographics are the basic qualities and characteristics of your market. They include age, gender, culture, employment, industry, income level, marital status, location and so on. For example, does your product cater uniquely to women? Is it more appealing to a specific industry? Does your product complement another type of product? Is your market mostly made up of French Canadians? In other words, who buys from you specifically?

If you were to answer that last question with "everyone," then you are falling in the "all things to all people" trap mentioned earlier. Avoid it as much as you can. But if you do cater to a diverse market, then the trick is to find out who buys from you the most or the most often. Above all, ask yourself this all-important question: Who is my perfect customer?

On the other hand, psychographics consist of the emotional and behavioral qualities of your target market. They include emotions, rationales, buying histories, psychology and thought processes behind the decision to buy your product. For example, they include your customers' interests, associations to which they belong, previous purchases they've made, other similar or related products they've consumed, activities in which they're engaged, the length of time they remained with a particular company in the past, and so on.

Stated differently, demographics define the qualities of those people who may *need* your product, while psychographics are the qualities of those who may not only need but also *want* your product. Before you target your market, profile your customer -- your perfect customer. You can start by conducting some marketing research among your current client base, potential clients and clients of other similar products or companies. But never underestimate the gold mine that can be found in your own backyard -- your clients.

In order to illustrate the difference between demographics and psychographics, let's look at cosmetic surgeons and particularly hair transplant doctors. Hair restoration caters typically to men who have experienced hair loss and are able to afford such an operation. In other words, men and bald men specifically are potential patients because they may need more hair.

But psychographics on the other hand go a little further. In this example, they are comprised of men who not only need more hair but also want more hair. This is important since not all of them do -- it's a matter of personal priorities, just as the type of clothing one chooses to wear. If you think about it, would you consider all bald men as potential clients? Hopefully not.

Therefore, in order to target this specific market as precisely as possible and thus generate higher quality leads, doctors must take their patients' psychographic profile into account. Elements include their lifestyle, their interests, the type of industry in which they work (since certain industries are more image-related) as well as their previous buying habits (such as men who have already invested in other forms of hair replacement solutions).

Once done, they can easily find places on the web where this perfect customer hangs out. They fish where the fish swim. For example, there are web sites and even "vortals," which are niche-based portals, catering to bald men seeking a hair loss solution (like regrowth.com). There are even discussion lists and ezines whose subscribers consist of people suffering from thinning hair. And of course, the list goes on.

Nevertheless, keep in mind that less is more. Narrow your focus to a specific niche and, paradoxically, you will broaden your sales. Arm yourself with as much information as possible about your perfect customer, and then target *that* customer more than any other. While you can't be everything to everyone, you shouldn't be targeting everyone for everything.
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Michel Fortin is an internationally acclaimed and highly sought-after consultant whose marketing advice has helped countless clients earn millions of dollars in record time. He is also the Senior Editor of Internet Marketing Chronicles, a weekly newsletter with 125,000 subscribers, as well as the author of four books. His latest book, "Power Positioning Dot Com" reveals how to keep your product or service indelibly carved into your prospects' uppermost consciousness at all times. Click here to Learn more.

Posted 3/07/2002 by Josh Hinds

Move On ... To Success!
By Jeff Keller

Do you condemn yourself for things which you did -- or failed to do -- in the past? Everyone does this at some point. However, if you want to lead a successful and productive life, it is imperative that you release the past and not blame yourself for events which have already transpired and which cannot be changed.

Ask yourself this question: has "beating yourself up" about the past ever helped you or made you feel better? If your answer is "no," I hope that you will make a commitment to stop this self-defeating behavior.

The successful person takes this approach: learn from past mistakes and make adjustments in future behavior. The strategy of berating yourself for past conduct solves nothing and only serves to lower your self-esteem. You create a vicious cycle where negative experiences and negative feelings are reinforced, which leads to more negative outcomes and more negative feelings.

You are not going to change one bit of your past. It's gone. Learn from your past experiences and move on. You did the best you could given your awareness and understanding of your options at the time. This does not imply that your conduct was praiseworthy; however, you gain nothing from self-condemnation, except feelings of misery and inadequacy.

If you have done something in the past, which you can do something about, then by all means take action. If you have been unkind to someone, offer a sincere apology. If you failed to fulfill a promise which you made, take steps to immediately fulfill that promise.

If you insist on dwelling in the past, I suggest that you focus on your past successes. Visualizing and thinking about past successes is an excellent way to build confidence and self-esteem. What you think about is what you become. Therefore, when you concentrate on your successes, you help to create future successes.

When you find yourself starting to dwell on past negative experiences, immediately halt and remind yourself: "There is nothing I can do now to change what happened. I learned a valuable lesson and will act in a more constructive manner next time." You see, regardless of what you have done -- or failed to do -- the only sane approach is to accept it and move forward. The successful individual does not waste precious mental energy dwelling on past events that cannot be changed. Instead, he or she uses past mistakes as learning experiences and springboards to future successes.
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Jeff Keller is a motivational speaker and delivers his presentations and seminars to businesses, groups and trade associations throughout the United States and abroad. He is the author of the newly released book, Attitude is Everything. For more information on Jeff's products and services, visit his web site: AttitudeIsEverything.com

Posted 3/05/2002 by Josh Hinds

Four Essentials For Happiness
by Brian Tracy

You may have a thousand different goals over the course of your lifetime, but they all will fall into one of four basic categories. Everything you do is an attempt to enhance the quality of your life in one or more of these areas.

THE KEY TO HAPPINESS

The first category is your desire for happy relationships. You want to love and be loved by others. You want to have a happy, harmonious home life. You want to get along well with the people around you, and you want to earn the respect of the people you respect. Your involvement in social and community affairs results from your desire to have happy interactions with others and to make a contribution to the society you live in.

ENJOY YOUR WORK

The second category is your desire for interesting and challenging work. You want to make a good living, of course, but more than that, you want to really enjoy your occupation or profession. The very best times of your life are when you are completely absorbed in your work.

BECOME FINANCIALLY INDEPENDENT

The third category is your desire for financial independence. You want to be free from worries about money. You want to have enough money in the bank so that you can make decisions without counting your pennies. You want to achieve a certain financial state so that you can retire in comfort and never have to be concerned about whether or not you have enough money to support your lifestyle. Financial independence frees you from poverty and a need to depend upon others for your livelihood. If you save and invest regularly throughout your working life, you will eventually reach the point where you will never have to work again.

ENJOY EXCELLENT HEALTH

The fourth and final category is your desire for good health, to be free of pain and illness and to have a continuous flow of energy and feelings of well-being. In fact, your health is so central to your life that you take it for granted until something happens to disrupt it.

PEACE OF MIND IS THE KEY

Peace of mind is essential for every one of these. The greater your peace of mind, the more relaxed and positive you are, the less stress you suffer, the better is your overall health.

The more peace of mind you have, the better are your relationships, the more optimistic, friendly and confident you are with everyone in your life. When you feel good about yourself on the inside, you do your work better and take more pride in it. You are a better boss and coworker. And the greater your overall peace of mind, the more likely you are to earn a good living, save regularly for the future and ultimately achieve financial independence.

CONTROL YOUR ATTENTION

Life is very much a study of attention. Whatever you dwell upon and think about grows and expands in your life. The more you pay attention to your relationships, the quality and quantity of your work, your finances and your health, the better they will become and the happier you will be.

ACTION EXERCISES

Here are three things you can do immediately to put these ideas into action.

First, take time on a regular basis to think about what would make you really happy in each of the four areas.

Second, set specific, measurable goals for improvement in your relationships, your health, your work and your finances and write them down.

Third, resolve to do something every day to increase the quality of some area of your life - and then keep your resolution.
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Brian Tracy is one of the world's leading authorities on personal and business success. His fast-moving talks and seminars on leadership, sales, managerial effectiveness and business strategy are loaded with powerful, proven ideas and strategies that people can apply immediately to get better results in every area. Visit Brian's web site by clicking here and take advantage of his FREE audio program offer - 21 Success Secrets Of Self Made Millionaires, or 21 Great Ways To Manage Your Time And Double Your Productivity.

Posted 3/04/2002 by Josh Hinds

Friendship
by Zig Ziglar

Somebody remarked that a stranger is simply a friend you haven't met. My trusty 1828 Noah Webster dictionary says that a friend is one who is attached to another by affection, which leads him to desire his company, or one who has sufficient interest to serve another.

The dictionary definition amply describes Mike Corbett who, along with his friend Mark Wellman, started the assault on El Capitan on July 19, 1989. El Capitan is a sheer rock wall 3,569 feet above the floor of Yosemite Valley in northern California. It is one of the most difficult mountains for rock climbers to scale. The combination of difficulty and danger is sufficient to test the strength and courage of even the world's most elite climbers.

It took Wellman and Corbett seven days to make the climb. They encountered temperatures of up to 105 degrees and wind gusts that made the ascent even more difficult. When they reached the summit, Corbett stood in triumph, but Wellman just kept his seat. Wellman is the first person to scale El Capitan without the use of his legs.

Wellman had given up climbing in 1982 after he was paralyzed as the result of a fall. From that point on the only rock climbing he did was in his dreams. Then Corbett convinced him they could climb the mountain together. Wellman certainly couldn't have done it without Corbett, who led the way and helped Wellman move through each stage, higher and higher. On the seventh day, Corbett was unable to secure the pitons in the loose rock skirting the summit. Knowing that a misstep would send them both plunging to their deaths, Corbett hoisted Wellman onto his back and clambered the remaining distance to the top.

An old but very true statement holds that if you would have a friend, be a friend. I encourage you to be a friend as Mike Corbett was to Mark Wellman.
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Zig Ziglar offers a free weekly newsletter filled with more of his inspiring stories as well as practical ideas to help you in the areas of sales, marketing, customer service, and related topics. You can subscribe to the Zig Ziglar Newsletter by sending blank email to info@zigziglar.com with Subscribe on the Subject line. Or go to http://www.zigziglar.com and click on the Free Newsletter button.