Mentorship

Here are some great ideas on mentorship and leadership that were recently shared with me

• Recognize the grace of God on your life and examine your potential.
• Who speaks into your life is very important. Be surrounded by assessors, constructive assessment.
• I need a mentor who asks me the right questions. Ask right questions to right people. Questions trigger learning curve and revelation.
• Recognize you can’t grow in isolation and you need a team.
• A mentor needs to identify my current capacity that I can enlarge from.
• I must remain teachable. How I respond is important.
• Embrace a different approach to your work – paradigm shift – daily routine.
• Maintain pure motives.
• We must identify the burden bearers amongst us. Give them a go!
• We must learn to delegate effectively.
  I DO – YOU HELP
  YOU DO – I HELP
  YOU DO – I WATCH

The Master Idea

I just read an inspiring article in a magazine I picked up recently….here is an excerpt from that article….with a few of my added notes…

“Nothing else in the world….is so powerful as an idea whose time has come” Victor Hugo

A corporate Master Idea has the power to ignite and propel a company in the direction of its fullest potential.


Core Values

Trust, Optimism and Resilience work

In one survey, professionals who considered their company’s core values to be “crucial and part of everything we do” were:

300% more likely to believe their work is continually challenging;
200% more likely to feel energized when thinking about the job;
600% more likely to say they work for a superbly led organization;
200% more likely to report customer service as the driving force behind the organization

Those who believed their company’s values are unimportant, not motivating, not articulated or inconsistent were:

500% more likely to say they plan to leave their current job as soon as possible.

Source: Based on interviews with 750 professionals, with results to be published in ‘Business at the Speed of Molasses’ by Joey Reiman and Andrea Hershatter (Crown Business 2007)

A Higher Purpose

Working toward a higher purpose that captures a company’s soul is an idea whose time has come. Some of the most successful companies have realized the value of providing employees with meaningful aspirations.

Values First

By putting values and principles before money, the capacity of the organization can be harnessed in service of both a greater good and a profitable future. Master Ideas offer the promise that the deeper you look inside an organization, the more passion and celebration you will find. This translates into a bond with a marketplace that increasingly demands authenticity along with every transaction.

Companies that identify their Master Idea create corporate missionaries who contribute to its success. When an organization excavates its Master Idea, it harnesses a power that results from a clear, pure purpose. It provides a new way of thinking that invigorates and guides all aspects of the business.

The great news is that the Master Idea already lives inside your company. When you discover it, it will give depth to your culture, define your policies, guide your tactics and give rise to a strategy that holds it all together.

Many wonder, “If my company were to fold, would the world miss a beat?” If you have defined your company’s heart, the world most certainly would.

Ten Tests of a Master Idea

1. Do you know the founding sentiments that made your organization thrive?
2. Does the vision or purpose feel authentic? Distinctive? Enduring?
3. Can you articulate meaningful organisational values shared and lived by all?
4. Do you feel inspired to go to work each day?
5. Are creativity and innovation part of everyone’s job description?
6. Does your organization leave its communities better off than it found them?
7. Do you create something more significant than products and services?
8. Is your company on a heroic mission?
9. Do you earn profits in a way that is consistent with your purpose?
10. Does working toward your purpose enable you to earn profits?

Excellence

I recently had the following information shared with me at a seminar on how to live a life of excellence. So let me pass it on to you…

1. Build with purpose and passion.
2. Identify problems and search for answers.
3. Be original by learning from others successes. But at the same time pursue your own.
4. Help build community wherever you go.
5. Venture from your comfort zone.
6. Respect each other and yourself.
7. Think out of the box.
8. Deliver more than you promise.
9. Take risks and have fun.

And as Earl Nightingale said, ‘Excellence always sells.’

Life Coaching by Sports rule

I heard some sports rule which can be applied to life to have a success

1. A VISION FOR WINNING

Without a vision people perish. Without a goal you will lack purpose and direction.

So if you want to win in life you first need to get a vision of winning. See yourself succeeding. Write down the life you see yourself living. Review it regularly and then step out of the boat and walk on the water. You will not drown. The vision will carry you through storm and wind. And before you know it, you will be living the vision and be ready to create yet another vision that goes even further beyond your wildest dreams.

2. PLAY AS A TEAM

You can’t do life alone. Solitude is only meant for lives for a short time. In order to grow you need to be part of a team.

A successful businessman once told me that the day he started to become rich was the very first day he hired somone in his business.

3. CONDITION YOURSELF FOR THE GAME OF LIFE

If you do not spend the correct time in preparation you could find yourself running out of steam. So spend time building your heart, your mind and your spirit. As the good book says, you find more about a person in a crisis than at any other time. That’s when the true character of an individual is revealed.

So prepare yourself by soaking yourself in a positive environment, reading positive books and being surrounded by positive groups of people.

The other day, as I was getting interviewed by a NGO , The interviewer asked me how I dealt with stress. My response was ‘I pray’. That is one part of conditioning that has carried me through some of the roughest and treacherouos periods of my life. But the habit of prayer also sustains me when the seas of my life are calm. Whether rough or smooth I have learnt to condition my life.

The Master Idea

I just read an inspiring article in a magazine I picked up recently….here is an excerpt from that article….with a few of my added notes…

“Nothing else in the world….is so powerful as an idea whose time has come” Victor Hugo

A corporate Master Idea has the power to ignite and propel a company in the direction of its fullest potential.


Core Values

Trust, Optimism and Resilience work

In one survey, professionals who considered their company’s core values to be “crucial and part of everything we do” were:

300% more likely to believe their work is continually challenging;
200% more likely to feel energized when thinking about the job;
600% more likely to say they work for a superbly led organization;
200% more likely to report customer service as the driving force behind the organization

Those who believed their company’s values are unimportant, not motivating, not articulated or inconsistent were:

500% more likely to say they plan to leave their current job as soon as possible.

Source: Based on interviews with 750 professionals, with results to be published in ‘Business at the Speed of Molasses’ by Joey Reiman and Andrea Hershatter (Crown Business 2007)

A Higher Purpose

Working toward a higher purpose that captures a company’s soul is an idea whose time has come. Some of the most successful companies have realized the value of providing employees with meaningful aspirations.

Values First

By putting values and principles before money, the capacity of the organization can be harnessed in service of both a greater good and a profitable future. Master Ideas offer the promise that the deeper you look inside an organization, the more passion and celebration you will find. This translates into a bond with a marketplace that increasingly demands authenticity along with every transaction.

Companies that identify their Master Idea create corporate missionaries who contribute to its success. When an organization excavates its Master Idea, it harnesses a power that results from a clear, pure purpose. It provides a new way of thinking that invigorates and guides all aspects of the business.

The great news is that the Master Idea already lives inside your company. When you discover it, it will give depth to your culture, define your policies, guide your tactics and give rise to a strategy that holds it all together.

Many wonder, “If my company were to fold, would the world miss a beat?” If you have defined your company’s heart, the world most certainly would.

Ten Tests of a Master Idea

1. Do you know the founding sentiments that made your organization thrive?
2. Does the vision or purpose feel authentic? Distinctive? Enduring?
3. Can you articulate meaningful organisational values shared and lived by all?
4. Do you feel inspired to go to work each day?
5. Are creativity and innovation part of everyone’s job description?
6. Does your organization leave its communities better off than it found them?
7. Do you create something more significant than products and services?
8. Is your company on a heroic mission?
9. Do you earn profits in a way that is consistent with your purpose?
10. Does working toward your purpose enable you to earn profits?

Discretion Preservation

There is an ancient proverb that says: ‘When wisdom enters into your heart, and knowledge is pleasant to your soul; discretion will preserve you and understanding shall keep you.’

When you combine both wisdom and knowledge you get common sense. But then add to that formula discretion.

Discretion means the quality of being discreet; circumspection;having judgment that is sound, being prudent, tactful;having the ability to make such judgment; individual freedom of decision or choice.

Let’s take a look at the word circumspection. Circumspection simply means to examine carefully all the circumstances that may effect a determination or a decision and of being wary,vigilant, prudent and cautious.

These are the necessary ingredients for a life lived long and a life lived well; a preserved life that rides through the storms, weathers the winds of change and is kept in good shape as one pursues their dreams.

The old proverb tells us that in being discreet we will be preserved. That means that we will be sustained and that we will be kept or saved from harm or destruction.

In this day and age, where there is so much violence, it is something that is of major importance to those of us who have families.

But what are the characteristics of a discreet life? What qualities must you develop and what habits must you adopt in order to be preserved from those things that threaten your success on a daily basis?

Here are five points that I believe will assist you in your pursuit.

1. Get The Facts

Never rely on hearsay. Go to the source and find out the facts. This relates to anything that you are involved in. Don’t rely on the reporter. Go to the reported. Whether it is investments, motivational formulas, or anything that you are interested in, make certain that you get as many viewpoints as possible and then compare notes. Do your own research and never be reliant on the so-called expertise of another without doing your own personal investigation. The reason so many of us make bad judgements is because we have been mentally lazy.

2. Find A Mentor

Mentors are available everywhere. You will be  surprised how freely information and input is available. People in general are more than willing to share information with those who have a hunger and a willingness to learn. On the internet there are forums that allow you to ask questions and it certainly provides a platform for you to discover your mentor. Once you have found them, make certain that they walk the talk. By spending time with them you will soon discover the truth behind their words and through your friendship you will discover fortunes untold.

3. The 100-1 Rule

I don’t know if it is a law or not, but I have come across this principle time and time again. I recently stumbled across it once again in an investment property book. The writer stated that if you look at 100 properties, put in offers on 10, and try arrange financing for 3, you may end up buying 1. In another industry they recommended that if you talk to 100 people you will ultimately end up with 1 person who will shine above all the rest. Success is a number’s game. Go through the numbers and you cannot but learn and succeed.

4. Be Vigilant

Don’t relax in your success. Guard it wisely. I have seen so many people who have had a taste of success and then they suddenly stop doing what got them success in the first place. They think that once they have it, it will remain forever. Not true. It requires vigilance and diligence. If before you succeeded you read a book 20 minutes a day, then don’t stop. If you attended seminars, then continue doing so. If you talked to a certain number of people each day, then increase it. Whatever it took to get you where you are, then don’t decrease. Multiply your efforts. Work harder. Renew your dream and go for it.

5. Make Your Own Decisions

If you allow others to make decisions for your life, you will wake up one day in a place that you never planned to be. Always, always, always make your own decisions for your own life. Listen to the experts, but don’t let them rule your decisions. Allow them to guide you, but become educated in the area that the experts are operating so that you can then make your own qualified decisions. Again, don’t have a lazy mind. Rather, have a learned mind.

These five discretionary qualities will assist you  in the preservation and the sustainment of a successful life. Apply them today and preserve your freedom to succeed.

Motivational Quote: Discreet lives are preserved for great achievements.

No One Is Blocking Your Success But You

When you ask people what keeps them from being successful, most will blame the government, the economy, their families, or the ‘‘isms’’ of life (sexism, racism, ageism, etc.). But the one thing most people avoid in their list is themselves. Believe it or not, we are the main obstacles to our success in life. Instead of  wallowing in self-pity, we must make things happen.

An old African proverb states, ‘‘If you can overcome the enemy on the inside, the enemy on the outside can do you no harm!’’ We must be brutally honest with ourselves and come to the realization that we are the biggest challenge to our own success.

If you want to win, you must stop letting things happen and start making things happen. Today, make a commitment to overcome yourself, so you can reach your goals

Millionaire In Less Than A Minute

I was recently told that more millionaires are made in hard economic times than in good times.

They’re a little bit like a donkey I read about. They develop the ability to take a disastrous situation and turn it around into a wonderful freeing opportunity and it only takes them less than a minute to start thinking that way.

One day a farmer’s donkey fell down into a well. The animal cried piteously for hours as the farmer tried to figure out what to do. Finally he decided the animal was old, that the well needed to be covered anyway and that it just wasn’t worth retrieving the donkey. So he invited all his neighbours to come over and help him.

They all grabbed a shovel and began to shovel dirt into the well. At first, the donkey realized what was happening and cried horribly. Then, to everyone’s amazement, he quietened down. A few shovel loads later, the farmer finally looked down the well and was astonished at what he saw. With every shovel of dirt that hit his back, the donkey was doing something amazing. He would shake it off and take a step up. As the farmer’s neighbours continued to shovel dirt on top of the animal, he would shake it off and take a step up. Pretty soon, everyone was amazed as the donkey stepped up over the edge of the well and trotted off!

Life is going to shovel dirt on you, all kinds of dirt. The trick to getting out of the well is to shake it off and take a step up.

Nothing can stop you from becoming a millionaire in less than a minute and from becoming successful in a second.

How can you step up into the millionaire membership in less than a minute?

Maybe change a few habits to start with.

The average self-made millionaire reads one book a month.

The average American looks at television six hours a day while the average self-made millionaire looks at less than two hours of television.

Here is what we can learn from some millionaires…

Walt Disney dropped out of school, joined the army, came home to draw cartoons, started into business with a partner and failed and sold everything to purchase a one-way ticket to California.

To his forty dollars, an imitation leather suitcase, one ill-matching suit and some drawing materials he added a dream. He started a new company, suffered setbacks, endured two nervous breakdowns, sold his car, mortgaged his house, borrowed more until he opened Disneyland, which became the biggest attraction in America and made him a multi-millionaire.

A MILLION DOLLARS MUST BE DEPOSITED FIRST IN YOUR HEAD BEFORE IT WILL EVER ARRIVE IN YOUR BANK ACCOUNT

Muhammad Ali once said, ‘ You see I learned a long time ago that being good was simply not enough. You’ve got to have imagination and you’ve got to have a dream.’

Dexter Yager, the former truck driver who built a multimillion-dollar business, wrote, ‘If the dream is big enough, the facts don’t count.’

So what’s stopping you?

Nothing.

Be like the donkey and shake off whatever is holding you back and step up.

You deserve to be rich. There is nothing standing between you and a million dollars if you believe that by changing your thinking you can become a millionaire in less than a minute.

DON’T WAIT FOR SOMEONE ELSE TO HAND YOU A CHEQUE


WRITE YOUR OWN DREAM PAY PACKET TODAY

Get a dream, set a goal and go, go ,go.

Work like tomorrow will never come and today will never leave.

Find a mentor. Get a vehicle for your dream’s fulfilment.

Millionaire mentality is yours in less than a minute if you decide to begin today.

Start declaring this today: “I am millionaire quality. I deserve to be a millionaire. I have a great mind. I have ability. I have ideas. I will find a way and the means to make millions. I will develop millionaire habits. I will find a mentor who is a millionaire and I will learn from them. Right now I am a millionaire in my thoughts and from this day forward I will be a millionaire in my speech and in my actions. I can, I do and I will. No dirt is going to stop me because I will just simply shake it off and step up.”

Motivational Quote: Millionaire mentality leads to millionaire reality.

The Ramification Of Taking Action

The fact is that you are never going to please everybody all the time. Anyone who ever dares to take action is going to ‘cop flak’ at one point or other.

Does that mean we avoid action?

Does that mean we all hide in a hole and never tempt fate and the criticism for our actions?

NO!

But don’t fall into the trap of walking in the path of ‘do nothings’. ‘Do nothings’ will never attract any attention in the long-term.

It’s the ‘do somethings’ that will always be used as target practice. Ask any politician.

‘DO NOTHINGS’ HAVE NO EFFECT ON THEIR WORLD WHATSOEVER

1. ‘Do nothings’ are usually the loudest whingers and whiners. Have you met any lately? Well if you choose to do something, you are going to bump into a bunch of these type of people along the road. They will be a minority, but they will always be loud.

2. ‘Do nothings’ always have the best advice to give and make sure that they are heard.

3. ‘Do nothings’ expect everybody else to do what they think is a good idea and then expect to reap the rewards from everybody else’s efforts.

DON’T BE A ‘DO NOTHING’!

‘DO SOMETHINGS’ MAKE A HUGE DIFFERENCE TO THE LIVES OF OTHERS

1. ‘Do somethings’ take action while others are thinking about it.

2. ‘Do somethings’ make mistakes, but at the same time they make them, they learn from them.

3. ‘Do somethings’ change the world through their actions.

I am proud of those who receive my Motivational Memos because I know that the vast majority of my subscribers are do somethings. Whatever you do, don’t be a ‘do nothing’. Always be proactive and do something.

CHOOSE ALWAYS TO BE A ‘DO SOMETHING’

Your action will have ramifications. But let me assure you that the positive ramifications will vastly outweigh any negative ramifications that result from your choice to act.

Motivational Quote: ‘Do somethings’ are not moved by the criticism of ‘do nothings’.

How To Avoid The Premature Birth Of Your Dreams

One of the challenges that those of us who have dreams often face, is to clearly understand timing.

But as an avid vegetable gardener (and I even have a stainless steel shovel to prove it) I have come to understand one thing. And that is, that there is a time lapse between when a seed is planted and when the fruit of that seed is harvested.

But how often do we, when we receive a dream, rush off headlong into one of two things: disaster or disappointment. And that, in many cases, is where the dream dies.

But may I encourage you, that when the seed of a dream is planted in your heart and mind, that you take time to remind yourself that there is a time to plant and that there is a time to reap. And there is also a time inbetween for growth to occur.

It may be weeks, or months or even years before that seed is fully grown.

But in the meantime, stay focussed, and be diligent in the daily disciplines of life by doing all the little things well. Demand excellence in everything you do and in due course you will see the unfolding of your dreams and the fulfilment of your heart’s desires.

Don’t let your dream die because you are forcing it to be birthed prematurely.

For as the good book states in Ecclesiastes 3: ‘There’s an opportune time to do things, a right time for everything on the earth.’

The Mirror Of A Motivated Life

The most correct study of mankind is man.

Each individual is a mirror to us; and the more we peer into the lives of others, whether in the past or the present, we can learn more and more about ourselves.

This is the power of biography and is why I encourage myself, and those I write for, to take time to peer into the lives of others. For it is there that you will learn about yourself and unveil the mystery that is called you.

‘History,’ it has been said, ‘is the essence of innumerable Biographies.’ It is the story of mankind; the meshing together of lives innumerable that will reveal to you the keys of success, the ways of wisdom and the path of understanding.

This is why we must read not only the books, but also the lives of those we come in contact with on a daily basis.

Make observation your key obsession. Analyse your life participants and watch the stories of lives around you unfold. And while you watch, learn. For what you see is a mirror; a mirror of a motivated life.

There is a strange power in reality. In one day many cross my path and I find that it is those who walk in reality who have the greatest impact on my life. In their life there are no facades, no hidden agendas, no unwritten proposals. They are real. What you see is what you get.

I find within these lives the greatest contribution and the greatest lessons. For these lives are lives that are walked in confidence. There is nothing hidden. There is nothing tucked away. When they speak they speak from the heart. When they listen they listen from the soul.

But in a sense this is refreshing. They are not afraid of their humanity. They recognise that within their frail form of humanness is contained numerous strengths and alongside them lie a smattering of weaknesses.

But they do not focus on the weaknesses. They concentrate their efforts and their energies on the use of their strengths and treat their weaknesses like one would treat a buzzing fly around one’s head.

REALITY IS LIVING WHAT YOU SPEAK

There is one power though that is demonstrated in such a motivated life and it is this: to have an open loving heart and to allow that love to flow from that heart.

For ‘a loving heart is the beginning of knowledge’.

A heart such as that will open the whole mind and will make the intellect alert. For it has been written that ‘the heart sees further than the head’. It knows no boundaries and it refuses to be hemmed in.

When the head says ‘no’, the heart says ‘yes’. A life ruled by the heart is a free spirit that follows the pathway of faith and resists the power of fear. For the heart is a powerful warrior, when at times the head can be a slinking coward. Develop the heart as well as the head and you will know victory like you have never known before. But before you speak, keep silent unless you have something to say.

Spend your time in reading and learning first and foremost and then and only then, as you equip yourself, your time will come when you will speak. But whatever you do, do what you say and say what you do.

A TRUE THINKER IS THE ONE WHO THINKS AND DOES

Make it your mission to under-promise and over-deliver in all that you do.

Imitate the motivated life. Reflect the mirror image of their experience. Sit at their feet. Read their books. Listen to their words. Spend time in their presence and you will learn more about yourself and your ways. And it is on this foundation that you can then begin to step-by-step build the firm foundations of a successful and a very motivated life.

Be diligent in your study and your motivated life will not fail you. It will guide you. It will drive you and it will sustain you – all the way to victory.

Motivational Quote: A mirrored life reflects on not only what is, but on what is to become

Nine Things You Simply Must Do

By Dr. John C. Maxwell

Oprah Winfrey and Anderson Cooper are two of the most popular media personalities in America. Yet,
their backgrounds hardly could be more dissimilar. Oprah was born to unmarried teenage parents in rural
Mississippi. amother was fashionable railroad heiress, Gloria Vanderbilt, and his father was a
successful writer/editor in Manhattan. Oprah grew up in poverty, spending her childhood in the inner-city
ghettoes of Milwaukee. Anderson was born into wealth. He appeared with his mom on The Tonight Show
when he was three, and he modeled for Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren, and Macy’s as a child.

Yet, for all of their differences (background, race, and gender), Oprah Winfrey and Anderson Cooper
have unmistakable similarities. At some level, they resemble each other. They have an aura of success
that identifies one with the other.

For example, both Oprah and Anderson Cooper consistently deliver. Whether it’s a talk show, a book
club, or a cause she has adopted, we can rely on Oprah’s candor, inspiring energy, and excellence. The
same consistency can be attributed to Anderson Cooper. One night he’s reporting from New York, the
next night from Cairo, and he’s in London the day after that. Yet, when we turn on CNN, we can count on
him to be poised, polished, and deliver the news with excellence.

What is it about successful people, like Oprah and Anderson Cooper, who, although completely different
in background and style, are almost identical in their approach to work and life? In his book, 9 Things You
Simply Must Do to Succeed in Love and Life, Dr. Henry Cloud passes along his observations of nine
principles commonly practiced by the successful people he knows. The book drips with leadership
application, and I would like to take this lesson to summarize Dr. Cloud’s insights.

Principle #1: Dig It Up
Each person has a treasure trove of ability inside of them. Everyone has dreams and desires lodged
within their soul. Why do some people dig deep and take hold of their dreams while others let them drift
away?

According to Dr. Cloud, successful people give sustained attention to what stirs within them. They find
outlets for their passions. Exercising their strengths is non-negotiable.

Principle #2: Pull the Tooth
Many people I know have an irrational fear of the dentist’s office. The idea of someone poking and
prodding in their mouth fills them with dread. Amazingly, some people are afraid to the point where they
would rather suffer discomfort day after day rather than undergo the temporary pain of a visit to the
dentist.

As Dr. Cloud has observed, successful people go to the dentist. They face their fears and make the
appointment. They pull the tooth that is causing the nagging ache and, by enduring the pain, they come
out better on the other side.

Successful people refuse to carry their baggage through life. They confront their hurt, disappointment,
and anger early, and they seek emotional freedom from life’s injuries. Likewise, successful people quickly
recover when they fail. Rather than succumbing to a downward spiral of disappointment (or even
depression) they come to terms with the failure, make course adjustments to their lives, and move on.

Principle #3: Play the Movie
Dr. Cloud recommends the exercise of playing a movie of your life in which you are the hero or heroine.
What traits does your character have? What happens during the plot of the movie? Who do you starring
alongside you? How does your movie inspire the people in the theater?

Most people live their life and then look at it. Do the opposite. Look at your life and then live it. Envision
and step toward the future you want to experience. Don’t wake up one day to realize that your life is like a
B-grade movie—you don’t want to leave in the middle, but you would never want to watch it again!

Principle #4: Do Something
Dr. Cloud’s fourth principle is short and to the point: successful people do something. They initiate,
create, and generate. Successful leaders are proactive as opposed to reactive. “They do not see
themselves as victims of circumstances,” Cloud writes, “But as active participants who take steps to
influence outcomes.” Their days and their lives are controlled by internal motivations rather than external
currents.

In a similar vein, successful people take ownership for their destinations in life. They don’t assign blame;
they welcome responsibility. They refuse to cede their freedom to others and live dependently. The
successful person has done leadership’s toughest task—mastered the art of self-leadership. The benefit
of leading yourself well is that you don’t have to rely on others to provide direction for your life. You get to
plan the course.

Principle #5: Act Like An Ant
“Go to the ant, you sluggard;
Consider its ways and be wise!
It has no commander,
No over seer or ruler,
Yet it stores its provisions in summer
And gathers its food at the harvest.”
-Proverbs 6:6-8
Dr. Cloud points to the ant to develop another principle of success. Three lessons stand out from the
metaphor of the ant. First, they appreciate the ethic of hard work. Their lives are a flurry of constant
activity as they tirelessly search for food. Second, ants refuse to give up. They never abandon the hunt,
crawling through cracks and crevices in their pursuit of a morsel. Third, ants understand the value of
compounding. Grain by grain an ant builds the hill that becomes its home, and crumb by crumb they
accumulate storehouses of food.

Principle #6: Hate Well
In his writing, Dr. Cloud talks about focusing feelings of anger constructively to solve problems or end
injustice. As he develops his idea of “hating well,” he distinguishes between subjective hate and objective
hate.

Subjective hate is toxic. Dr. Cloud describes it as, “a pool of feelings and attitudes that resides in our soul,
waiting for expression. It is not directed at anything specific or caused on any given day by any specific
object. It is already there, sort of like an infection of the soul.” Subjective hate poisons and corrupts the
person who houses it.

On the contrary, objective hate can be described as anger with a purpose. Objective hate protects by
standing in opposition to dishonesty, exploitation, or deceit. Objective hate may spark entrepreneurship.
In fact, many successful businesses have begun as a result of the founder’s hatred of poor service or
shoddy quality.

Principle #7: Don’t Play Fair
Fairness says “an eye for an eye,” or “a tooth for a tooth.” Fairness weighs all actions in a balance and
continuously moves to equilibrium. The rule of fairness means good actions deserve kind responses, and
bad behavior deserves punishment.

In Dr. Cloud’s opinion, living in accordance with fairness will destroy every relationship in life. With
everyone keeping score of favors bestowed and received, eventually someone will feel victimized when a
good deed goes unreturned. As a leader, I’ve learned the high road is the only road to travel on. Don’t
treat others according to what they deserve; treat them even better than you would prefer to be treated.
By doing so, you’ll keep integrity and avoid sticky accusations or petty arguments.

Principle #8: Be Humble
“Pride is concerned with who is right.
Humility is concerned with what is right.”
-Ezra Taft Benson
In Dr. Cloud’s estimation, successful people have a healthy dose of humility. Humility has an internal and
external component. Internally, humility comes when we admit our errors, and open ourselves to
instruction. Externally, humility is gained when we show patience for the faults of others, and when we are
quick to shine the spotlight on the successes of others.

Principle #9: Upset the Right People
A person’s success will always be inhibited if he or she tries to please all of the people all of the time. I
like how Dr. Cloud explains the principle of upsetting the right people:
Do not try to avoid upsetting people; just make sure that you are upsetting the right ones. If the kind,
loving, responsible, and honest people are upset with you, then you had better look at the choices you
are making. But if the controlling, hot and cold, irresponsible or manipulative people are upset with you,
then take courage!

Be likeable and be gracious, but don’t sacrifice your identity or values for the sake of harmony.

Review: 9 Things You Simply Must Do for Success
Principle #1 – Dig It Up
Principle #2 – Pull the Tooth
Principle #3 – Play the Movie
Principle #4 – Do Something
Principle #5 – Act Like an Ant
Principle #6 – Hate Well
Principle #7 – Don’t Play Fair
Principle #8 – Be Humble
Principle #9 – Upset the Right People

Change

Change is necessary if we are to ever grow to the height and stature that I believe all of us have been created for.

Is change always comfortable? No. Is change always convenient? No. Is change necessary? Yes.

Why? Because without change we remain stunted and then a most unpleasant thing will start to happen. And what is that? Decay.

For the fact is that if you’re not growing, you’re not flowing and and as a direct result of that you’re not going to fulfil your GREATEST potential.

That is why I constantly surround myself with people who are ‘moving and shaking’. Am I challenged? You bet. Am I stretched? So much so that I think I have started to develop stretch marks. But it’s a good stretch. It’s a necessary stretch. Because at the opposite end of the spectrum, to not stretch is to stagnate.

It is a healthy thing to be stretched, for it is in an atmosphere of growth and of vision that our own vison will be enhanced and clarified. And as we operate in an attitude of giving and service we will find an even greater fulfillment.

And as one entrepreneur once said, ‘I hire people smarter than myself and then take notes furiously.’

So it is by faith that we must plunge ourselves into environments that may at times be daunting. But because we have chosen that path, it won’t be long before we find ourselves surfing on top of the waters that we may just have thought, in that moment where we decided to change, that they were certainly going to drown us.

Randy Pausch - Points on How to Improve your Life

Randy Pausch - Points on How to Improve your Life


This is amazing, he died of pancreatic cancer in 2008, but wrote a book ‘The last lecture” before then, one of the bestsellers in 2007. What a legacy to leave behind…


In a letter to his wife Jai and his children, Dylan, Logan, and Chloe, he wrote this beautiful "guide to a better life" for his wife and children to follow. May you be blessed by his insight.


POINTS ON HOW TO IMPROVE YOUR LIFE


Personality:
1. Don't compare your life to others'. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
2. Don't have negative thoughts of things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment
3. Don't over do; keep your limits
4. Don't take yourself so seriously; no one else does
5. Don't waste your precious energy on gossip
6. Dream more while you are awake
7. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need..
8. Forget issues of the past. Don't remind your partner of his/her mistakes of the past. That will ruin your present happiness.
9. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. Don't hate others.
10. Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present
11. No one is in charge of your happiness except you
12. Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn.
Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.
13. Smile and laugh more
14. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.


Community:
15. Call your family often
16. Each day give something good to others
17. Forgive everyone for everything
18. Spend time with people over the age of 70 & under the age of 6
19. Try to make at least three people smile each day
20. What other people think of you is none of your business
21. Your job will not take care of you when you are sick. Your family and friends will. Stay in touch.


Life:
22. Put GOD first in anything and everything that you think, say and do.
23. GOD heals everything
24. Do the right things
25. However good or bad a situation is, it will change
26. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up
27. The best is yet to come
28. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful
29. When you awake alive in the morning, thank GOD for it
30. If you know GOD you will always be happy. So, be happy.


While you practice all of the above, share this knowledge with the people you love, people you school with, people you play with, people you work with and people you live with. Not only will it enrich YOUR life, but also that of those around you

Mini Motivators

Here are some powerful Mini Motivators drawn from the fantastic little book entitled The Mini MOTIVATOR by Paul Hanna. ENJOY!!!!

I’m going to share 10 of these powerful motivators with you now.

1. Keep Your Car Immaculate

Forget what you may have heard. When it comes to cars, we all judge a book by its cover.

Try arriving at a five-star hotel in a clapped-out piece of automation and watch how you get treated. But try arriving in a parking car and see the difference.

It’s not right or wrong – it’s just how we are all built. Remember that saying: ‘An ounce of image is worth a ton of performance’. Whatever your car, be it a BMW or a Berlina, a Falcon or a Ferrari – when it’s dirty, it tells everyone outside what is going on inside… your head!

2. Never, Ever Take No For An Answer

How long do you keep persisting when you get a ‘No’?

If you lift your self-esteem you will start to see your resilience improve. Remember, the size of a person is determined by what it takes to upset them, so the higher your self-esteem the less likely you are to give in quickly.

3. Mental Ownership

The great American sales trainer, Tom Hopkins, once said, ‘People love to buy after they own’.

Imagine a guy who is thinking about buying a new car and takes it home to show his loved ones. When he and his family see it in the garage, looking like it belongs there, they all decide they just have to have it.

Get people emotionally involved in your product, and they’ll move heaven and earth to buy it from you.

4. Persistence

As every car salesperson will tell you. It’s persistence that ends up beating resistance.

5. Dress For Success

People do judge a book by its cover.

Dress like the person you want to become.

6. Negativity In Others

Every salesperson knows that an objection is just a request for more information. When a salesperson gives a customer the answers to their objections, he or she gets the sale.

Negative people – people who are always ‘objecting’ – are really just wanting to be convinced that they matter, that they are okay.

Assist then in this quest and watch the turnaround in their attitude.

7. Deadlines Bring Your Goals Into Focus

If one of your goals is not happening as fast as you want it to, you can speed things up by putting a deadline on it.

As soon as a realistic deadline is in place, you will start to see how to achieve it.

8. People Buy You, Not Your Product

Every salesperson will tell you all about ‘call reluctance’. It’s not wanting to be rejected by prospective clients.

If you’re having trouble seeing more clients because you’re worried about being rejected, start depositing more points into your Self-esteem Bank Account. When you lift your self-esteem, you will see objection as not as an assault on your character, but simply as what they are: a request for more information.

When you give the information in a professional and enthusiastic way, the client will share your beliefs and, in all probability, buy. Act defensively and your client will say, ‘Let me think it over’ or ‘Leave it with me.’

People buy people, not products.

9. The Secret Of Success

Successful people know they are just like everyone else. They have unlimited potential, just like we all do.

But successful people don’t sit around wishing and hoping for things to happen. They know that their strength lies in focusing on clear goals.

10. Plan Your Day The Night Before

Each night, before you go to sleep, write down in your diary a list of what you would like to accomplish the following day. (Make a list of no more than 6 things. Too many things on your list can trigger self defeat before you even get started.) Give each item an A, B or C according to how high a priority they are.

The next day, watch how you start to improve your focus. As you tick off the things on your list, you’ll feel great. Your Self-esteem Bank Account will start to benefit because you’ll be providing lots of opportunities to tell yourself that you’re a winner.

Motivational Quote: Mini motivators applied to your life create MAXI results.

Defined By What You Do

See the movie ‘Batman Begins’. Twice throughout the movie you will hear these words: ‘You are defined by what you do’.

It’s not what you say that defines you. Because many say and never do.

It’s not what you propose that defines you. For many make plans and never carry them out. Many talk about giving but never give. Many talk about supporting but never support.

It’s what you DO that defines you.

Actions speak louder than words.

Faith without works is dead.

To sum it up…people will watch what you do rather than listen to what you say.

Why? Because it defines you.

It is the real you.

So be a doer.

Be defined!

The power of giving

Story from Peter G. James Sinclair

The gift of giving is something that we all need to practice if we are to live a fulfilled life.

Life is not about getting. It’s about giving.

But the rule of the universe states that as you continue to give you will never go without. You will find yourself the recipient time and again of the giving that others shed abroad upon your lives.

I remember a time, years ago, when I attended a particular church service. It came time for the offering to be taken up. I had $20 in my pocket that was to go towards an unpaid electricity bill. The problem though was that the bill amounted to hundreds of dollars. $20 was not even going to make a dint on that bill. But because I knew the law of giving I gave my last $20 into that offering.

As my wife and I were leaving the building that night, a young man came running up to us and overtook us. Panting for breath he said, ‘You have a need. Whatever it is I’ll pay it.’

The incredible thing is that both my wife and I had not said a word to anyone about our need. Nor did we come to church with our shoulders drooping and a frown on our face.

The very next morning our bill was PAID IN FULL.

Discipline

Richard Foster writes in Reasons To Be Glad that ‘The disciplined person is the person who can do what needs to be done when it needs to be done. The disciplined person is the person who can live in the appropriateness of the hour. The extreme ascetic and the glutton have exactly the same problem: they cannot live appropriately; they cannot do what needs to be done when it needs to be done. The disciplined person is the free person.’

And as John C Maxwell writes, ‘One of the best ways to develop discipline is to delay gratification.’

In a world where ‘instant’ is expected, this may seem to be a ‘too hard to do’ concept. But it is from my own personal experience, as I have laboured in the pursuit of my goals, that at times the fulfiment of those goals has taken longer than expected. But it is during those delays, throughout the duration of the process, that discipline has been conceived and character has often been birthed.

Gratification’s delay has in fact been a blessing and not a curse to me. The more I have practised it the more appreciative I have become of every progression that I have made in my life, my finances, my family, my spiritual walk and my Job.

Try it. You will not be disappointed. Delay is not denial. It is enstrengthening.

And as the good book says, ‘They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength.

Take short views

I recently read a quote by Sydney Smith – ‘Take short views, hope for the best, and trust God.’ Here are my thoughts about that quotation…

TAKE SHORT VIEWS

By taking short views I am reminded of the need to take each day, one day at a time. I am a proponent of having long term goals and I do have yearly goals and those that stretch ahead into the next 5 and 10 years and even to the day that I am in my eightieth year.

But when it comes to each day I have found that the simple process of writing the numbers one through six on each day in my diary and then by writing down the 6 most important things that I need to do that day, to propel me forward in my life and business, are all that it takes. As I complete each asssigned task I tick them off. If any don’t get done that day they are then transferred to the next.

By doing the short day to day activities well I can start to look back over the long that represents my life and see significant progress. Little by little we possess our land and our future.

HOPE FOR THE BEST

What else is there to hope for? But yes there have been times in my life when I have landed in the depths of despair. I have known what it is to look at a life that lies ahead of me and wonder if anything is ever going to change.

But from deep within has arisen HOPE. And that hope was and is the anchor of my soul. It is the light that reached down into the darkness. It is the hope that plucked me up and out of the mirey clay. It is that hope that renewed my hope and transported me from where I was to where I am now – which was my unknown future.

Hang on to hope. Hold tight to your dream. View your vision and hope for nothing less than the best.

TRUST GOD

Although I have questioned Him I have never lost my trust in Him. God is trustworthy. And even when we doubt His ways, He never loses His faith in us. He loves us. He secures us. He turns our darkness into light and our despair into hope. He takes our poverty and restores the richness in our life. He is ever faithful when others let us down.

Turn to Him and you will never be disappointed. This is the testimony of my life and I know that He is true to his word – for He says that he will never leave me nor forsake me. He will not, He will not, He will not. He has not!!!!

Leadership

I have been studying a lot of material written by Leadership Expert – John C. Maxwell of late. Great material…and here are just a few notes that impacted me and that I would like to share with you…

Alex Haley, the author of ROOTS, used to keep a picture in his office of a turtle on a fence post to remind him that everybody needed the help of others.

Learn to give yourself positive mental pep talks.

Edison said, ‘If the only thing we leave our kids is the quality of enthusiasm, we will have given them an estate of incalculable value.’

Edison also said, ‘I am long on ideas, but short on time.’

Victor Frankl believed, ‘The last of our human freedoms is to choose our attitude in any given circumstances.’

And here’s another thought- ‘To add growth, lead followers – to multiply , lead leaders.’

So lead on….because I believe that each and everyone of us has been called to some form of leadership. As a father you lead your family and children. As a businessman you lead your business and staff. As a teacher, you lead and teach your students . So lead on….and always read and listen more about leadership, because there is always so much more that we need to learn.

Passion

I love hanging around people who are passionate…they inspire me, they refire me, they ignite the desire within me to be the very best me that there possibly can be. And that is why I love to have friend who are visionaries and go-getters and people who are far more successful than myself in their own field of endeavour.

That’s why when I read a book that has really impacted my life I write a letter to the author or shoot off an email to them with positive comments and at times questions so that I can learn more. And in most cases I have received a personal response back and have created a brand new friendship. These are my mentors and I aspire to be as they are.

I refuse to spend a lot of time around people who are going nowhere. If I am to be led by anybody I must be following a leader who is going somewhere. They must be on a mission if I am going to submit myself to their commission and they must be passionately pursuing their vision, whatever that may be.

Passionate people don’t stay long in a rut. They kick them out. And that is why passion will carry you through until the fulfilment of your vision.

And how do you develop passion? You discover your strengths – the things that you love doing – and you do whatever it takes to use those strengths and by so doing your life will be strengthened from strength to strength.

Building Dream Teams

One thing I’ve realized is that a great product isn’t the secret to success, it’s the team around you that makes it or breaks it. (It is all because of the freaking motivational books and blogs I have read till now :P)

The first “five” people you hire are critical. Think of these as your navy seals that’ll go into battle with you. They need to have the same drive, ambition, and their interests have to be aligned with you. They have to be in it for the right reasons. If you pick the right “five” – you’ll either succeed with the original idea or pivot to an even greater one.

Once you’ve proven to the marketplace you’ve got a reason to be in market – the next question is how big can you make this? It’s the growth stage. If you get this right – you’ll solve two things. The first thing: The foundation of your company culture. This becomes the DNA – the energy that celebrates all the ups and problem/solves the downs.

Second, it’s about the opportunity. How big can I make this? And you’ll only know the answers to that, when you’ve got the best minds working on the problem. Superman was fiction. But, delegation amongst the right team can bring the superpowers of success at your fingertips. Pick the right first 20 and they’ll take you as far as you can lead them.

In the technology world, people get confused – they feel a business is run by a magical algorithm. Relationships are everything in the life and most importantly in the business world. A successful business is not run by algorithms but by relationships.

I remember reading an article about Marissa Mayer, employee #20 at Google. On her second day at the Company, it had signed a deal to become Netscape’s default search engine. Employees were frantically doing calculations to determine whether they would have enough power to handle the searches that came in. They had about 300 computers at the time and weren’t sure they’d have the capacity. Google told Netscape to send only one of every five queries, but Netscape didn’t listen: It sent Google all its traffic, and Google had to take down its site.

Some can argue that it was the Company’s fault for not being ready. I disagree. No algorithm or product is ever perfect or ever will be. It’s an ongoing iteration. A team’s ability to understand, react, and solve each opportunity defines a Company’s future success. 10 years later from that event, they are still the most valuable Internet Company in the world.

And, that’s enough motivation and a case study for every entrepreneur on building his or her dream team.

The Leadership

Leadership is such a vital part of our society. But one of the most vital elements of true leadership should be demonstrated in the way that we lead our personal lives and not just the lives of those whom we are privileged to lead.

At times external leadership can lose its way and it is at that point that we must determine what vision is guiding our own path and it is at that point that we must adhere to our own personal dreams. This is where true leadership is demonstrated and where it will be put to the test.

Because of this type of leadership that you choose to take upon your own life you will be criticised, opinionised and even despised. And yet if you stand strong by your own personal convictions you will live long and live well. The persecution will pass in time and those who have pointed the finger at you will soon disappear.

You must remember this one thing: at the end of the day the ones whom you will have to live with will be simply you and your God. So stand strong on your convictions and you will be able to live at peace with yourself and your maker.

Of late I have seen GREAT business leaders in my land, as it were, fall from grace. Some have been imprisoned. Others have committed suicide. These were once the high flyers, the respected and the revered. And yet how have the mighty fallen. History repeating itself yet again.

How do I respond to this? Well, one thing is that it would appear that their trust was in themselves and not in their God. They allowed compromise to rule some of their decisions. For this they have reaped humiliation and for some an untimely death.

None of us are FREE from such possibilities in our future, but to safeguard our lives we must continue to walk in humility, knowing that our human frailty is just that.

And unless we yield our lives to the one who created them and seek to run our own race under His direction, we are doomed.

True leadership is unveiled by those who follow the leader of all leaders.

Motivational movies, I will prefer to watch

Movies are one of the tools that I personally use to inspire and motivate me.

I’m very selective as to what movies I watch, and in most cases I don’t just watch to be entertained. I want to take away from a movie something that I can readily apply to my life. Sometimes it’s a word. Sometimes it’s a phrase. And sometimes it’s the example of an underdog overcoming odds stacked against them. That way I truly get my money’s worth.

The movies I have selected are more than pure entertainment. They are in fact an investment into my heart, mind and soul.

As you take the time to enjoy these small portions, most of which are trailers, may you be inspired and motivated through the marvelous vehicle of film.

For here are, in my opinion, 12 of not just the most motivational movies of all time, but the greatest motivational movies ever…

I warn you in advance that you might get your box of tissues out ready to use – and be inspired all over again – to become all that you have been created to become.

I have added description of Bollywood movies because trailer doesn't show the main purpose of mine and for Hollywood I have added trailer because in trailer only, you will get to know that you are gonna get something new

BOLLYWOOD COLLECTION

1.Munna Bhai MBBS 
A story of a Tapori [punk] who decided to become the doctor by hook or by crook because the Din of a medical college insult him towards his parents but how that particular punk become the god for patients and show the real counts in his life..Highly inspirational & full of humor movie..

2.Lage Raho Munna Bhai
Like with a name,you already have been know that this movie is another part of
Munna Bhai Series but at this time director of movie Raj kumar Hirani came with different concept where he made again his favorite Punk [Munna Bhai] a national leader who follow the principles of Mahatma Gandhi...

3. 3 Idiots
After above two Super hit Blockbuster movie Munna Bhai MBBS and Lage Raho Munna Bhai , Raju hirani stopped his upcoming project Munna Bhai Chale America and worked with Aamir Khan on the story of 3 IIT [Engg.college] students who tried to run opposite of education system and become, what exactly they wanted to be ? ...With IIT ENGG.Education and without degree, one of them in [3 idiots] become the scientist whose principles made him more populate than average engg.student those who have degrees.......

4. Nayak -The Real Hero
Nayak is not only the movie but the story of a reporter who got the chance to become the State C.M[Chief Minister] for a day with full of authority and with one day C.M. he became the permanent one..How ? Watch this Motivational Movie with Lots of motivational Dialogues,stories ,Action,Drama and A dream comes true.......

5. Sarfarosh 
No Fiction ! This movie is very close to Reality [Art]Cinema.If you want to know How IPS Officers live their life..So,Be the Part of this Reality Show and See ,what motivate them to fight against terrorism ?

6. Border
Border is based on real story and Undoubtedly true story of soldiers who fight with Pakistan and save their Land from them in a night, without any back support..Very Inspiring and Motivational Movie...........

7. Guru 
Guru is the movie which starts from the quote "Sapney Kabhi mat dekho ,sapney kabhi pure nahin hote" "Never dream to become the richer because this thing not for you" but what makes you richer ? Learn from this movie because this is the story of true entrepreneurship who knows , what he have and how should he do that ?

8. Badmaash Company
Badmaash Company,could help you to believe in this thing that "Money come with Big Idea" whether idea take you away on right way or not ? Its your choice , you choose legal away to become the richer...???????????????


9. Joh Jeeta Wahi Sikander 
It is the willingness only who makes you Alexander whether you are lazy guy or in-directive guy who has no direction in his life..Joh Jeeta............ is the movie of a school boy who has no goal and no willingness towards it but when his first love spoof him and his brother accident convert his in-directive life into goal achiever...Highly inspired movie,if you want to know what exactly love can give and take away from you ?

10. Tara Rum Pum
Based on Story of a Sports Man[Car Racer] whose passion of driving made him successful car racer with luck but good fortune not for always..His one major accident convert his glamorous life into the starkness..How he regain his life achievements in his rainy days ???? Thats the true motivational movie..

11. Rang De Basanti 
Rang De Basanti is not for common youth but based on today's youth ...Enjoyment,Security,felony with no goal but one death stand them among old legends Shahid Bhagat Singh,Rajguru and Sukhdev.See the Leadership quality and more things beyond the fearful life..

12. Iqbal
13. Main Madhuri Dixit Banna Chahati Hoon
14. Chak De India
15. Dhan Dhana Dhan Goal
16. Rocket Singh Sales man of the year


HOLLYWOOD COLLECTION (Click on the link below to watch the trailer)


1. The Pursuit Of Happyness
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_xcZTtlGweQ

2. Rudy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m6YqOJ2EcWE

3. Mr Holland’s Opus
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OO5Ov4GttsQ

4. Coach Carter
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GScWr8-wEhY

5. Forrest Gump
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JdsMqRaz2WY

6. The Man From Snowy River
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZBXLYJwgt4 

7. August Rush
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-5ab6RtA-KE

8. The Bucket List
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PX8XEXmhHss

9. Rocky 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQHDgjkpPkc

10. Castaway
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MkShPTH6SnA

11. Chariots Of Fire
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKHPm3BSba8

12. Blindside
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJ3kwMq18-8


I hope,this list may inspire you towards your duty,goal and career..Make your life full of achievements..If I forgot to mention any movie over here,please let me know.....I will add it into the life