Posted 5/29/2003 by Josh Hinds

Seven Character Traits Of Successful People
by Chris Widener

1. They are hard working. There is no such thing as easy money. Success takes hard work and people who are willing to do it.

2. They are honest. Those who are successful long-term are the honest ones. Dishonest people may get the first sale, but honest people will get all the rest!

3. They persevere. How many success stories will go untold because they never happened? And all because someone quit. Successful people outlast everybody else.

4. They are friendly. Have you noticed that most successful people are friendly and people oriented? This endears them to others and enables them to lead others to accomplish the task.

5. They are lifelong learners. Successful people are people who stretch themselves and grow continually, learning from all areas of life, including from their mistakes.

6. They over-deliver. The old statement of under-promise and over-deliver became famous because it made a lot of people successful, including the richest man in the world - Bill Gates

7. They seek solutions in the face of problems. Problems are opportunities to do the impossible, not just complain. Successful people are the ones who find solutions.
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Chris Widener is a popular speaker and writer as well as the President of Made for Success, a company helping individuals and organizations turn their potential into performance, and succeed in every area of their lives and achieve their dreams. Visit his two sites at MadeForSuccess.com and ExtraordinaryLeaders.com and be sure to take advantage of his newsletters.

** Learn more about Chris' Extraordinary Leaders Seminar Package

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Using Mistakes To Springboard To Success
By Zig Ziglar

Each of us at one time or another has thought about how wonderful it would be to have as much foresight as hindsight. Then we could avoid making mistakes! Not only is that hope unrealistic, it's also unwise. Mistakes are often the springboard for major accomplishments.

Here's a good example: Thomas Edison was working with a lab assistant who was coming up dry after over 700 experiments. In discouragement, the assistant told Edison that after all these mistakes, errors, and false starts, he simply didn't believe that the project was valid.

Edison quickly told him that he wasn't wasting his time and that the assistant now knew more about the project than
anybody alive. Edison wisely observed that the assistant hadn't made mistakes but instead had acquired an education
as to what didn't work... the assistant went back to his project with renewed vigor.

If you take Edison's approach to life, you end up accomplishing much, much more. You need to understand that after every mistake you can look back and grow from the experience so that you can move forward with confidence and
avoid making the same mistake again.

Here are three tips for handling a mistake, either at home or work:

1. Don't let a mistake depress or discourage you. See a mistake as a step on the road to a solution. Realize that depression and discouragement are negatives that limit the future.

2. Admit the mistake. Yes, admitting your mistakes takes courage, but recognition of errors is a sign of maturity. Not to recognize them is to deny them, and denial limits your future.

3. Understand that when you confront your mistakes, you can take full advantage of them as the positive experiences they can be. When you ignore mistakes or try to conceal them, they almost always have a negative impact.

... Adapted from Zig's Success For Dummies.

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Zig Ziglar offers a 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 Newsletter by going here.

Posted 5/20/2003 by Josh Hinds

Handling Problems Is Our Job: It's All in How You Hold it
By Michael Angier

I once had a secretary/receptionist who complained that she was always being interrupted with the telephone and constantly bothered by the rest of the staff asking her questions. She was frustrated she couldn't get more of her work done.

We pointed out that interruptions were her job. She looked bewildered for several moments and then brightened up. The idea of the interruptions being her job had never occurred to her before. It was an entirely different perspective for her and she never again complained. She became more productive and enjoyed her job more than ever.

I've had the same issue with my own attitude toward problems. Perhaps you have as well. It's a rare individual who welcomes problems. We weary of having to put out fires and handle difficult workers or customers.

And yet, handling problems is our job. Whether we manage others or serve customers, we're constantly called upon to solve problems. In fact, if there weren't problems, there would be no need for us. As our society becomes more automated, we become less and less necessary to handle the redundant tasks.

What we will be needed for even more will be to deal with problems that arise.

Please don't take this idea lightly. This is not just a simplistic, overly optimistic view of things. You may even want to reframe the word problem by calling it a 'challenge.' If you really embrace it as a new way to view problems, you'll find yourself being more productive and feel less frustration. You'll have a better attitude.

And with that, there's no telling what you can accomplish.
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Posted 5/13/2003 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!
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Chris Widener is a popular speaker and writer as well as the President of Made for Success, a company helping individuals and organizations turn their potential into performance, and succeed in every area of their lives and achieve their dreams. Visit his two sites at: http://www.madeforsuccess.com and http://www.extraordinaryleaders.com, be sure to take advantage of his newsletters.