Newsletter for December 2007: The Foundation for Four Pillars of Success

Contents:
This Months Thought
The Foundation for Four Pillars of Success
Quotes of the Month
Strictly Business: The Great Business Discovery of 2007
Humor: Will the REAL Moron Please Stand Up?

I value your privacy and will never rent, sell, or share your email address with anyone. To unsubscribe click on the Unsubscribe above.
 

This Months Thought

The foundation for great achievement is Extreme Self-Awareness. Get to know yourself. Be exactly who you truly are. Want whatever you want, and go for it! Ask for stuff. Try stuff. If you make mistakes, learn from them, pick yourself up and go again. Nothing magnificent was ever built on a foundation of doubt or "maybe." In 2008, make yourself a promise to be "Self-ish" and go for it!
 

The Foundation for Four Pillars of Success

My clients and people in the audiences where I speak often want to know the "secret" of success. They want to know how to build the life they truly want, the one they imagine and long for, and I compare it to the ingredients of a recipe, or the tools in a toolbox. The key ingredients are already familiar to most of us.

We’re in the middle of distraction of the holidays season and end-of-year projects, and that means readership for newsletters will go down. I hope you'll make an exception for This Months Thought because for the next 5 months I want to address the Foundation and my thoughts on Four Pillars of Success. These articles may become the basis for a book some day, and I hope you'll make a point to watch for and read This Months Thought from now through April 2008. Here we go:

In a word, the foundation for all extraordinary achievement is this: Top Achievers Have Extreme Self-Awareness.

1. Top Achievers are Unusually Self-ish

They know themselves and their values. They know what they want, where they are going and what they will DO with their lives. They have taken time to "get over" themselves. They tend to be humble because they are not confused or grasping or complaining. They are not particularly worried about pleasing others because they have learned to please themselves.

Sure, many people have become rich or powerful without this extraordinary level of self-awareness (think of Elvis Presley, Judy Garland, perhaps Bill Clinton or some basketball players of recent notoriety), but the real winners in life have figured out who they are and where they are going in life. They are them SELVES. They are unusually self-aware.

2. Top Achievers have Unusual Self-Acceptance

They know their strengths and weaknesses, they can laugh at themselves and stand tall. They can stand alone when needed and they can forgive any past mistakes or foolishness.

Because they are comfortable in their own skin, they have the confidence to make clear decisions and walk boldly forward. They accept those around them, as well. They know that since no one is perfect, their parents, friends, partners and neighbors have also made mistakes, and that is "ok." It's part of life. They have an unusual ability to accept life as it is and move forward.

3. Top Achievers have Unusual Self-Projection

Top achievers are willing to speak out and they expect to make a difference. They volunteer, they try stuff, they learn and they take risks. They are the "movers and shakers", the ones who put themselves in the game. They "stir things up."

Sometimes they make trouble or ask hard questions. They can be "politically incorrect" and may come across as insensitive because they are willing to put themselves INTO LIFE. (Fortunately, they are also among the most sensitive, helpful and thoughtful people because they are willing to reach out. They CARE!)

Because top achievers are unusually aware of themselves and others, they are comfortable with their own power and can use it to make a difference.

In the words of the ancient poet, the foundation for achievement is to, "first know thyself and (then) to thine own self be true."

Do This:
-  Keep a journal. Notice your values and preferences, ponder the things that happen in life and strive to understand them.
-  Forgive your past mistakes or blunders. You're human. Welcome to the club!
-  Forgive others. The past is past and life is just life. Let's get on with it!
-  Love yourself and let others watch. Face it, we're all a bit "weird" and very individualistic. That's the beauty of it!

The foundation for great achievement is Extreme Self-Awareness. Get to know yourself. Be exactly who you truly are. Want whatever you want, and go for it! Ask for stuff. Try stuff. If you make mistakes, learn from them, pick yourself up and go again. Nothing magnificent was ever built on a foundation of doubt or "maybe." In 2008, make yourself a promise to be "Self-ish" and go for it!
 

Quotes of the Month

"The great tragedy of life is not death, but what dies inside of us while we live."  -- Norman Cousins

"It takes great courage to faithfully follow what we know to be true." -- Sara E. Anderson"

"Our background and circumstances may have influenced who we are, but we are responsible for who we become." -- Barbara Geraci

"Be patient with yourself. Self-growth is tender; it's holy ground. There is no greater investment."  -- Stephen Covey

 

Strictly Business: The Great Business Discovery of 2007

We are nearing the end of 2007 and one of the most important (and profitable) investments you can make is to review the past few months very, very carefully.

To an amazing degree, we humans are creatures of habit. We are the best examples of Newton's law that, "a body set in motion tends to remain in motion." We tend to plunge blindly ahead, repeating yesterday's mistakes and failing to learn from experience. Yes, we take great pride in the fact that we "can" learn, but my observation is that we rarely do.

We assume that what worked yesterday "must" be the way to go next year. Now, of course, we all know we shouldn't do that! We KNOW we should examine our records. We KNOW we should be innovative, creative and original. We know that, but do we do it?

When Jack Welch was the head of General Electric, he insisted that half the company's profits come from products and services that were less than five years old. Why? His focus was always on innovation because he understood that yesterday's methods would never work in tomorrow's world.

Take time - several hours, perhaps more - to carefully review the following questions:

1. What worked best in 2007? What surprised me or taught me something new for my work or business?

2. What did not work, or is working less and less well? What was less profitable or less effective than I expected? Is it time to drop it altogether?

3. What's new in my field? What are my colleagues doing that I should apply to my business in 2008?

One of the absolute BEST things any professional, business owner or manager can do is invest in seminars and conferences. The chance to get away and "see the forest for the trees" is incredibly valuable. Conferences generate new perspectives, and new ideas create vast new opportunities! Invest in yourself!
 

Humor: Will the REAL Moron Please Stand Up?

The following are real gems and I promise they are true, documented and absolutely reliable – or maybe not. I wouldn't want to look like a moron by falling for a fib!

1. When AT&T fired President John Walter after nine months, saying he lacked intellectual leadership, he received a $26 million severance package. And it's supposed to be Walter who's lacking intelligence?!

2. Police in Oakland, California spent two hours attempting to subdue a gunman who had barricaded himself inside his home. After firing ten tear gas canisters, officers discovered that the man was standing beside them in the police line, shouting, "Please come out and give yourself up."

3. A man walked into a Topeka, Kansas store and asked for all the money in the cash drawer. Apparently, the take was too small, so he tied up the store clerk and worked the counter himself for three hours until police showed up and grabbed him.

4. Police in Los Angeles had good luck with a robbery suspect who just couldn't control himself during a lineup. When detectives asked each man in the lineup to repeat the words: "Give me all your money or I'll shoot," the man shouted, "That's not what I said!"

5. In Modesto, California, Steven Richard King was arrested for trying to hold up a bank without a weapon. King used a thumb and a finger to simulate a gun, but unfortunately, he failed to keep his hand in his pocket. (hellooooooo!)

6. THE GRAND FINALE: Last summer, on Lake Isabella, located an hour east of Bakersfield, California, some folks had a problem with their new boat. Seems it was sluggish, no matter how much power was applied. After about an hour of trying to make it go, they went to a nearby marina, thinking someone there could tell them what was wrong. A thorough topside check revealed everything in perfect working condition. The engine ran fine, and the propeller was the correct size and pitch. So, one of the marina guys jumped in the water to check underneath. He came up choking on water, he was laughing so hard. Under the boat, still strapped securely in place, was the trailer!
 

Rodger Blaker works with executives, small business owners and professionals who want to grow in their business and create an extraordinary life!

For info on resources for your success, visit: http://www.rodgerblaker.com or call me at 214-485-2238.

GIVE A GIFT TO A FRIEND!

Please forward this copy to your friends and colleagues!  That's how I grow!