SELF IMPROVEMENT AND MOTIVATION

1. Great companies transform external threats into opportunities. The Japanese are masters at crisis management and look at situations like recessions as polarities. ie., neither all good nor all bad, but a mixture of both. The Japanese symbol for crises is a representation of two separate symbols: danger and opportunity. Such a perspective encourages responsiveness - not re activeness. As a result, the Japanese focus not on the problem, but on new solutions ... not on survivability, but on growth ... not on short-term losses, but long-term prospects. How are you perceiving the current downturn - as a threat or an opportunity? How have you reacted to past recessions? How might the recession actually be an opportunity for your business? 2. Great companies take advantage of and profit from changing dynamics in the marketplace. A business can grow and profit during a recession if it understands the underlying dynamics of the marketplace. Crises tend to stimula...

Nearly every business has felt an impact from the recession. There has been no escaping. The root causes were universal and had a domino effect. Some small-business owners believe they've seen the bottom and they are surviving -- they are OK and they expect to persevere with modest adjustments. These small-business owners are kidding themselves. The bottom has not been reached, and it will be a long slide until it does. We are in for a five- to 10-year disaster. Defeat the Downturn  During such times, it's easy to panic. Panic, which is fear-driven and not based on fact but on emotion, has tremendous power, the power to change the direction of business. But do you want to give in to panic, throw your hands in the air and accept self-destruction, actually accelerating it, becoming a part of the panic, stimulating more? There's an alternative to panicking. We are confronting change, and change is an opportunity for advances. Now you have the choice to take advantage...

In every situation, savor the moment. Whatever you must do, savor the task. Don’t rush ahead in your mind to whatever is next. Give all of yourself to whatever is here and now. Resist the urge to make a judgment as to whether it is good or bad, helpful or a waste of time. Just savor it, and fully experience it. After all, you’re there, you’re in the moment you’re in, you’re doing whatever you’re doing, so do it with all you have. Fighting against it will not serve any positive purpose. Yes, there are some situations, some people, some activities that it is good to get away from as quickly as possible.  Yet while you are there, while you are with them, enjoy, appreciate and savor the moment. Develop within yourself an unshakable positive presence. Savor the task, savor the moment, savor the experience, whatever it may be, and feel the immense power of your own acceptance.

If you’re disappointed by the results of your first attempt, that’s no reason to quit. On the contrary, that’s a reason to learn from what you’ve done and make a second attempt. If you’ve made that second attempt, and a third and fourth and fifth, and still don’t have it right, keep going.  Though you may not immediately see it, you’re making progress. If nothing else, you’re learning what doesn’t work. And, you’re reinforcing the powerful habit of persistence. What you consistently and persistently do, you soon will do very well. Keep plugging away, and as you do, your effectiveness increases. The achievement you seek comes from consistent, persistent effort. Keep going, keep learning, keep making improvements, one effort at a time. Let go of the fantasy of being instantly successful, and choose instead to be reliably successful.  With consistent, persistent effort you will find a workable path to whatever achievement you choose to create. ...

At the beginning of each day, think of something you must do, that you really don’t want to do. Then, with a positive and powerful sense of control over your own life, go ahead and get that undesirable job done. Do the difficult, disagreeable things first. You will make all the other things a whole lot more enjoyable. Instead of procrastinating, and avoiding, and having something unpleasant constantly hanging over you, get it out of the way. Free yourself to live the rest of your day with the enjoyment and satisfaction of having it done. Do the hard stuff first, and it will strengthen you, give you confidence and a very real sense of being firmly in control. Do the challenging jobs first, and enjoy the value that comes from working through the challenges. Rather than dreading what you must do, get it done, and get it out of the way. Put your time and energy into making progress and not into making excuses. Each day, you have the opportunity to do yourself a big ...

Your time is one of the most precious things you have, and no hour, no moment, no day can ever be replaced. Keep that in mind when choosing how to spend your time. The way you use your time, now, in the next hour, in the next few days, determines the way your life unfolds. It is a great opportunity that keeps on presenting itself to you. Over and over again, you have the chance to make wise and productive use of your time. You have the chance to exchange the fleeting moments for lasting value. Every now and then, step back and look at what you’re doing. Remind yourself to make the most of the great opportunity you have in each moment. Tomorrow can be markedly improved as a result of the way you use your time today. By using your time wisely, you can transform the richness of this moment into a richness that continues in your life for years to come. You have just as much time today as the most accomplished person alive. Now is your time to make it count.

At first glance, charisma appears to be an invisible energy or magnetism. There's no denying its presence, but it's hard to put a finger on its source. Some mistakenly believe charisma is a birth trait—embedded in certain personalities but completely absent in others. Charisma is both explainable and learnable, defined as "the ability to inspire enthusiasm, interest, or affection in others by means of personal charm or influence." People who have this special ability share four things in common: 1. They love life. They are passionate about life. They are celebrators, not complainers . They're characterized by joy and warmth. They're energetic and radiant in an infectious way. Look no further than the smile to illustrate the power of charisma. When people see a smile, they respond with a smile. We are hardwired to take on the energy of those around us. People who love life have charisma because they fill the room with positive energy...