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Welcome to Your Achievement Ezine
Issue 363 - May 15, 2008
YourSuccessStore.com - Your very best source for Inspiration, Sales, Leadership and Personal Development Resources and home of Your Achievement Ezine featuring the very best personal development articles, quotes and success tools from Your Masters of Success.
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"Creativity is so delicate a flower that praise
tends to make it bloom, while discouragement often nips it in the bud. Any of us
will put out more and better ideas if our efforts are appreciated." Alexander Osburn
Today's issue includes:
1. Your Achievement Article - The Bookends of Success by Dr.
John C. Maxwell
2. Your Achievement Quotes - Challenges, Freedom and Change/Choice
3. Your Achievement Tips - Where Do You Go for Your Intellectual Feast by Jim
Rohn
4. The Success Symposium is Back!
5. More Information
1. Your Achievement Article
The Bookends of Success by Dr. John C. Maxwell
NASCAR drivers know the importance of starting in the right place. Before a race even begins, they compete with one another in the hopes of earning the best starting position. At qualifying runs, held the week prior to the official race, each driver speeds around the racetrack in a timed performance. The driver with the fastest time earns pole position - or the right to begin the race in front of the other cars. A driver in pole position doesn't have to be concerned about passing anyone in order to win the race. All he or she must do is hold their position in order to win.
Conversely, a driver who does poorly in the trial run must begin the race in the worst possible position - at the very back of the pack. Stuck behind the other racecars, the disadvantaged driver has virtually no chance of winning. To finish first, he or she would have to pass every other car on the track during the course of the race.
In addition to starting strong, a NASCAR driver understands that his or her performance depends on finishing well. In a 500-mile race, leading for 499 miles is meaningless if a driver isn't in front at the checkered flag. Regardless of a driver's skill maneuvering the car early in the race, if he or she crashes or loses focus toward the end, the driver will forfeit the lead and lose the race. Nobody wins points for their position in the middle of the race; rather, each driver is assigned a place based on how he or she finishes.
THE BOOKENDS OF SUCCESS
Great leaders understand the two bookends of success: starting and finishing. We generally think about them in terms of doing a task or project. However, what's true in our approach to projects is also true in our approach to each day. How we spend our mornings and evenings has a tremendous bearing on the course of our leadership.
I use my morning to set up a game plan for the day. During this time, I allow no interruptions. I never schedule breakfast meetings, and I isolate myself from distractions. I do not permit myself to strategize years down the road or to project my thoughts months into the future. Rather, I narrow my focus to the upcoming 24 hours. I ask myself: "Just for today, how can I be a success?" Viewing life in 24-hour increments, I place a premium on each day. I try to make each one a masterpiece.
During the evening, I reflect on my day. By reflecting, I translate my day's experiences into learning opportunities. This process solidifies in my mind the lessons I've discovered or bits of knowledge I've uncovered. Reflecting also gives me the space to assess my progress on the goals I made during the morning.
Relaxation is another important part of my evening routine. I make a point to put my leisure time into activities that replenish me by refueling my energy. For me, such activities include spending quality time with my wife, reading a book, or studying Scriptures. Relaxation puts me in a good emotional state, lifts my spirits, and reminds me of the joys of life.
When I neglect to carve out time in the morning to plan my day, I notice adverse effects. First, I don't live my day on purpose. Instead of choosing where to invest my time, I cede control of my schedule to whatever circumstances happen to arise. Second, I squander my energy. Since I don't outline clear goals for my day, I float from one activity to another without getting anything done. Finally, when I skip my morning planning time, I feel overwhelmed. Since I'm ambitious, I have a propensity to bite off more than I can chew. If I don't focus my attention, the weight of my numerous involvements begins to drag me down.
When I am not intentional about setting aside evening time for relaxation, I encounter negative symptoms, too. First, I get uptight. My times of reflection and relaxation act like valves that release stress from my life. If I don't guard those times, I get tense, my thoughts are more negative, and my health suffers. Second, I lose passion. My leisure times fuel me. If I am not intentional about putting time into my favorite activities, then life loses its luster. Third, I miss chances to grow. When I don't reflect on the meaningful moments from each day, I rob myself of the benefits of experience.
SUMMARY
Yesterday is gone, and tomorrow is out of reach. That's why today matters. Leaders who value each day know the importance of starting well and finishing strong. In the mornings, they focus their energies on key tasks, and in the evenings, they replenish themselves. By mastering the bookends of success, leaders position themselves to make an impact every day.
Join John Maxwell, Jim Rohn, Denis Waitley and Jeffrey Gitomer (along with other great speakers)!
SUCCESS magazine (SUCCESS magazine is what achievers read and is the foremost trusted source for success resources) has developed a day-long success-focused event that will have a potentially life-changing effect on you.
Not only do you get the very best discounted price to attend (less than $100, less than $90 if you sign-up today), but you also get an automatic upgrade in seating - while available (an additional $97 value)! Plus two additional bonuses! There is very limited seating and this may sell out within a few days (plus the bonus seating upgrade will be gone within hours).
To learn more or to sign-up today, go to
http://symposium.yoursuccessstore.com
"The most important thing I learned from big
companies is that creativity gets stifled when everyone's got to follow the
rules."
David Kelley
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"Creativity is not the finding of a thing,
but the making something out of it after it is found." James Russell Lowell
2. Your Achievement Quotes
CHALLENGES
"All progress is precarious, and the solution of one problem brings us face to face with another problem." -- Martin Luther King, Jr.
"Challenges make you discover things about yourself that you never really knew. They´re what make the instrument stretch—what makes you go beyond the norm." -- Cicely Tyson
"A feeling of confidence and personal power comes from facing challenges and overcoming them." -- Brian Tracy
"Fortunately, problems are an everyday part of our life. Consider this: If there were no problems, most of us would be unemployed. Realistically, the more problems we have and the larger they are, the greater our value to our employer." -- Zig Ziglar
FREEDOM
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." -- The Declaration of Independence
"In order to live free and happily you must sacrifice boredom. It is not always an easy sacrifice." -- Richard Bach
Posterity! You will never know how much it cost the present generation to preserve your freedom! I hope you will make good use of it! (letter to Abigail Adams, April 26, 1777) -- John Adams
"These are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman." -- Thomas Paine
CHANGE/CHOICE
"Any person capable of angering you becomes your master; he can anger you only when you permit yourself to be disturbed by him." -- Epictetus
"Change the changeable, accept the unchangeable, and remove yourself from the unacceptable." -- Denis Waitley
"The more things change, the more they remain the same." -- Alphonse Karr
"If you reinvent yourself, others will ask you to help them reinvent themselves." -- Mark Victor Hansen
"Artistic creativity is a whirlpool of
imagination that swirls in the depths of the mind." Robert Toth
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"The real voyage of discovery consists not
in making new landscapes but in having new eyes." Marcel Proust
3. Your Achievement Tips
Where Do You Go For Your Intellectual Feast? by Jim Rohn (excerpted from Leading an Inspired Life)
Pity the man who has a favorite restaurant, but not a favorite author. He's picked out a favorite place to feed his body, but he doesn't have a favorite place to feed his mind!
Why would this be? Have you heard about the accelerated learning curve? >From birth, up until the time we are about eighteen, our learning curve is dramatic, and our capacity to learn during this period is just staggering. We learn a tremendous amount very fast. We learn language, culture, history, science, mathematics . . . everything!
For some people, the accelerated learning process will continue on. But for most, it levels off when they get their first job. If there are no more exams to take, if there's no demand to get out paper and pencil, why read any more books? Of course, you will learn some things through experience. Just getting out there – sometimes doing it wrong and sometimes doing it right - you will learn.
Can you imagine what would happen if you kept up an accelerated learning curve all the rest of your life? Can you imagine what you could learn to do, the skills you could develop, the capacities you could have? Here's what I'm asking you to do: be that unusual person who keeps up his learning curve and develops an appetite for always trying to find good ideas.
One way to feed your mind and educate your philosophy is through the writings of influential people. Maybe you can't meet the person, but you can read his or her books. Churchill is gone, but we still have his books. Aristotle is gone, but we still have his ideas. Search libraries for books and programs. Search magazines. Search documentaries. They are full of opportunities for intellectual feasting.
In addition to reading and listening, you also need a chance to do some talking and sharing. I have some people in my life who help me with important life questions, who assist me in refining my own philosophy, weighing my values and pondering questions about success and lifestyle.
We all need association with people of substance to provide influence concerning major issues such as society, money, enterprise, family, government, love, friendship, culture, taste, opportunity, and community. Philosophy is mostly influenced by ideas, ideas are mostly influenced by education, and education is mostly influenced by the people with whom we associate.
One of the great fortunes of my life was to be around Mr. Shoaff those five years. During that time he shared with me at dinner, during airline flights, at business conferences, in private conversations and in groups. He gave me many ideas that enabled me to make small daily adjustments in my philosophy and activities. Those daily changes, some very slight, but very important, soon added up to weighty sums.
A big part of the lesson was having Mr. Shoaff repeat the ideas over and over. You just can't hear the fundamentals of life philosophy too often. They are the greatest form of nutrition, the building blocks for a well-developed mind.
I'm asking that you feed your mind just as you do your body. Feed it with good ideas, wherever they can be found. Always be on the lookout for a good idea - a business idea, a product idea, a service idea, an idea for personal improvement. Every new idea will help to refine your philosophy. Your philosophy will guide your life, and your life will unfold with distinction and pleasure.
To Your Success,
Jim Rohn
Join Jim Rohn, John Maxwell, Denis Waitley and Jeffrey Gitomer (along with other great speakers) for an day of intellectual feasting!
SUCCESS magazine (SUCCESS magazine is what achievers read and is the foremost trusted source for success resources) has developed a day-long success-focused event that will have a potentially life-changing effect on you.
Not only do you get the very best discounted price to attend (less than $100, less than $90 if you sign-up today), but you also get an automatic upgrade in seating - while available (an additional $97 value)! Plus two additional bonuses! There is very limited seating and this may sell out within a few days (plus the bonus seating upgrade will be gone within hours).
To learn more or to sign-up today, go to
http://symposium.yoursuccessstore.com
"While we have the gift of life, it seems to
me the only tragedy is to allow part of us to die whether it is our spirit,
our creativity or our glorious uniqueness." Gilda Radner
4. The Success Symposium is Back!
Achievers from all over North America (and the world) are gathering for The Success Symposium Two
SUCCESS magazine (SUCCESS magazine is what achievers read and is the foremost trusted source for success resources) has developed a day-long success-focused event that will have a potentially life-changing effect on you.
This event will include John Maxwell, Jim Rohn, Denis Waitley and Jeffrey Gitomer (along with other great speakers)!
Not only do you get the very best discounted price to attend (less than $100, less than $90 if you sign-up today), but you also get an automatic upgrade in seating - while available (an additional $97 value)! Plus two additional bonuses!
There is very limited seating and this may sell out within a few days (plus the bonus seating upgrade will be gone within hours).
To learn more or to sign-up today, go to
http://symposium.yoursuccessstore.com
Can't wait to see you there!
Kyle Wilson
President - YourSuccessStore.com
P.S. - People ask when can they see Jim Rohn, John Maxwell, Denis Waitley, John Addison live - This is the perfect time, at the perfect place, to capture some of the legends of the industry for this amazing one day event!
P.P.S. - As you may know, Jim Rohn was recently diagnosed with Pulmonary Fibrosis and he has only two upcoming scheduled speaking dates. You will want to be part of this Historic event! Go to
http://symposium.yoursuccessstore.com
"If we fail to nourish our souls, they
wither, and without soul, life ceases to have meaning. The creative process
shrivels in the absence of continual dialogue with the soul. And creativity
is what makes life worth living."
Marion Woodman
5. More Information
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Your Achievement Ezine - Issue 363
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"Creativity arises out of the tension between
spontaneity and limitations, the latter (like the river banks) forcing the
spontaneity into the various forms which are essential to the work of art or
poem."
Rollo May
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