SELF IMPROVEMENT AND MOTIVATION

The dinner guests were sitting around the table discussing life. One man, a CEO (proud of being a professional), decided to explain the problem with education. He argued, 'What's a kid going to learn from someone who decided his best option in life was to become a teacher?' He reminded the other dinner guests what they say about teachers: 'Those who can, do. Those who can't, teach.' To stress his point he said to another guest; 'You're a teacher, Mary. Be honest. What do you make?' Mary, who had a reputation for honesty and frankness replied, 'You want to know what I make?' (She paused for a second, then began...) 'Well, I make kids work harder than they ever thought they could.I make a C+ feel like the Medal of Honor.I make kids sit through 40 minutes of class time when their parents can't make them sit for 5 without an iPod, Game Cube or movie rental. You want to know what I make?' (She paused again and looked at each and every...

Here's an exercise for you; imagine that it's possible for you to ear n ten times your current annual wage. If you're earning $25,000, imagine for a moment that it's possible for you to ear n $250,000, a 1000% increase. Believe In Yourself The first reaction of most people to that exercise is to smile briefly and then to begin thinking about why it isn't possible. One man said to me, "If you knew how many years it's taken for me to get to what I'm ear ning today you wouldn't be suggesting that I could ear n ten times as much." There Are No Excuses Mark Twain once wrote that there are a thousand excuses for every failure but never a good reason. The tragedy of the average American is that whereas his or her main preoccupation seems to be money, or the lack thereof, the average person has the inherent potential to ear n far more than he or she is doing currently. Can Someone Be 10x Better? Is the manager ear ning $250,000 per year ten times as sm...

Your ability to do accurate costing for your products and services, and then to set proper prices for what you sell, can make all the difference between profits and losses, success and failure. The name of the game is "profit." Everything you do in your business, every number that you calculate and consider every point of focus and concentration must be aimed at generating profits of some kind. Become a Numbers Person Most entrepreneurs are not "numbers" people. They have little patience for the details of financial statements and accounting. In order for you to be successful, you must master the numbers in your business. You can hire bookkeepers, accountants, and financial advisers to help you, but you can never abdicate the responsibility of fully understanding every penny and every dollar that comes in and out of your business. Determining Your Costs Often the person who makes the fewest mistakes in business is the one who succeeds the most. You don't have to...

Get the Cooperation of Others Empowering people is the key to building a high-performance team. Once you empower people by learning how to motivate and inspire them, they will want to work with you to help you achieve your goals in everything you do. Your ability to enlist the knowledge, energy and resources of others enables you to become a multiplication sign, to leverage yourself so that you accomplish far more than the average person and in a far shorter period of time. Determine the Key People to Empower There are three types of people that you want to and need to empower on a regular basis. They are, first of all, the people closest to you: your family, your friends, your spouse and your children. Second are your work relationships: your staff, your coworkers, your peers, your colleagues and even your boss. Third are all the other people that you interact with in your day-to-day life: your customers, your suppliers, your banker, the people with whom you deal in stores, restaurant...

One of the most powerful personal programming activities you can engage in is positive self-talk. Be your own cheerleader and talk to yourself positively all of the time. Think About Your Dreams As it happens, the average person talks to himself in a negative way. As much as 94 percent of your inner dialogue tends to be about the things you fear, your worries, the people you're angry at, your problems, your concerns and so on. You have to consciously keep your words, your inner dialogue, consistent with what you wish to accomplish. The Most Powerful Antidote Psychologists have proven that the words, "I can do it," are the antidote to the fear of failure that often holds you back from trying. Repeat these words over and over to yourself whenever you feel fearful or doubtful about anything that you want to attempt. Say very enthusiastically to yourself, "I can do it, I can do it, I can do it!" When you start saying, "I can do it, I can do it," you drive ...

The very worst use of your time is to do what need not be done at all. The Pareto Principle says that 20% of your activities will account for 80% of the value of your activities. This means that, if you have a list of ten items to accomplish, two of those items will be worth more than the other eight items altogether. To achieve great things, you must always be concentrating on the small number of activities that contribute the greatest value to your life and your work. Determine the Consequences The value of anything in your order of priorities can be measured by assessing the potential consequences of doing it or not doing it. Something that is important has significant consequences to your life and your career. Something that is unimportant has few or no consequences of significance to your life or career. The mark of the superior thinker is your ability to consider possible consequences before you begin. Ask the Key Question Continually ask yourself, "What is the most valuable...

Being the Best In Every Area What is character? Your character is the degree to which you live your life consistent with high, life-enhancing values. A person who lacks character is one who compromises on higher order values in favor of lower order expedience, or who has no values at all. Your adherence to what you believe to be right and true is the real measure of the person you have become to this moment. Define What "Excellence" Means to You Let us say that one of your values is "excellence." Your definition of excellence could be, "Excellence means that I set the highest standards for myself in everything I do. I do my very best in every situation and under all circumstances. I constantly strive to be better in my work, and as a person in my relationships. I recognize that excellence is a life-long journey and I work every day to become better and better in everything I do." Organize Your Actions With a definition like this, you have a clear organizin...