According to Jack Canfield, every high achiever has a powerful team of staff members, consultants, vendors, and assistants who do the bulk of the work. This frees the business person to create new sources of income and new opportunities for success. In my opinion, this chapter may be more helpful to high-powered business executives than to the average person.
Practice the Total Focus Process
Jack suggests this exercise for finding the one, two, or three activities that best utilize our core genius, bring us the most money, and produce the greatest level of enjoyment.
1) List every activity that occupies your time: business, personal, and volunteer. Include everything, even small tasks such as making phone calls and photocopying.
2) Choose one, two, or three activities that you do better than most other people. Then, choose the three activities that generate the most income. Focus on the activities that you're brilliant at and that produce the most income.
3) Create a plan for delegating everything else to other people. This may take a long time, but Jack asserts that if you keep chipping away the things that are mundane, you will create a brilliant career.
I like the idea of delegating some mundane tasks to free up time, but I don't believe that everything else should be delegated. I get my best plots for writing novels when I'm folding laundry. And Joe loves the physical exertion he gets from pushing the mower around the yard.
I'm not sure that focusing so much time on our core genius is the best plan. I can imagine people becoming very self-centered workaholics who under-appreciate the people who do all of their grunt work.
Seek out key staff members.
Becoming an entrepreneur early in life is one of the hallmarks of the most successful individuals. So, if you're a business owner, start looking for a dynamic manager who could learn everything that you do. Then, delegate less important tasks to her and concentrate on what you do best.
When I owned a drapery workroom and suddenly found myself paralyzed, I could have used a clone to take over for me. If you're running a business, please be sure that someone else can do your job. That way, if you become ill or temporarily disabled, she can step in for you so that your business can stay afloat.
If community volunteer work is your business, find others to help you. College interns and local foundations can be very supportive. I trained another quilter this summer to learn my role as team leader. It was very timely, because I was injured in a car accident, and she was able to keep the volunteers working until I could return.
For stay-at-home parents, Jack recommends seeking out a house cleaner, teenage helper, babysitter, or gardener to help. For single parents, he believes this support team is extremely important and should be chosen with great care.
In my opinion, most single parents don't have the resources to hire others. After my divorce, I recruited my kids! They helped do the yard work, toiled alongside me to rehab an old house, and performed weekly chores. My oldest son chauffeured the younger kids to school events while I worked.
Discover why you need personal advisors.
Everyone needs a powerful team of personal advisors. Jack believes that your team should include a banker, lawyer, accountant, investment counselor, doctor, nutritionist, personal trainer, and religious leader. He suggests keeping in touch with these advisors monthly, quarterly, or semiannually.
If a person can afford these advisors' services, I agree that they can be very helpful. But if their fees send us to the poor house, they won't do us quite so much good. Bartering with professionals to trade their services for something we can offer may be a good option if we're strapped for cash.
Trust the team members that you've chosen.
Jack recommends off-loading anything and everything that takes you away from focusing on your core genius...even personal projects. He tells about a man who sold his home and delegated the task of leasing a one-bedroom luxury apartment to his assistant. She selected the apartment, hired a moving van, packed the fragile items, supervised the movers, hired a cleaning crew, arranged the furniture, unpacked the boxes, and put everything away. All the while, he was on vacation in Florida.
This idea of delegating so completely makes me squirm. While there are parts of moving that I dislike, such as carrying countless boxes to a third floor apartment, I actually enjoy the satisfaction of turning a vacant room into an inviting retreat.
I think that most of us would be more comfortable asking others to help us, rather than completely delegating anything and everything outside of our core genius to someone else. I believe this sense of needing to work as a team comes from I Corinthians 12.
This chapter in the Bible speaks about Christians as if they are parts of a body: The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body...there should be no division in the body, but its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it. (I Cor 12:12;25-26)
We weren't put on earth to do everything by ourselves. I agree with Jack that we need helpers and advisors, but I just don't think delegating so completely is realistic or well-balanced. Jesus came to earth as a servant to all, and I think we should be willing to roll up our sleeves to do even the most mundane tasks, just as he did.
Our executive minister took time out from his very busy schedule last week to help our daughter move. By doing so, he created an opportunity to model how a mature Christian man should help others. If he had chosen to sit in his office and simply delegate this work to others, he might have missed God's purpose for the interactions that arose. Like our minister, I would much rather be a servant leader than an absentee delegator.
Today's Challenge
Begin today to build a team of helpers and advisors to make your life more manageable. Look to your religious organization and surround yourself with successful people who can help you to become all that God intended you to be.
Jack Canfield, America's #1 Success Coach, is founder of the billion-dollar book brand Chicken Soup for the Soul© and a leading authority on Peak Performance and Life Success. If you're ready to jump-start your life, make more money, and have more fun and joy in all that you do, get your FREE success tips from Jack Canfield now at: www.FreeSuccessStrategies.com
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Monday, December 27, 2010
Redefine Time
Jack Canfield's Success Principle #40
Today, we learn about how Jack Canfield divides his time between work, family, and recreation. He suggests three types of days: Best Results Days, Preparation Days, and Rest and Recreation Days.
Best Results Days
To achieve our best results, we need to spend at least 80% of our time working within our core genuius. Remember, our core genius means that we're working at something we love so much, we hardly feel like charging people for it. On a Best Results Day, we're achieving the highest payoffs for the amount of time we work.
A Best Results Day for me would be one spent writing, editing, quilting, speaking, or coaching other women. The payoff could be monetary, but it can also be the fulfillment of a dream. Hearing from a reader that I've changed her life for the better is a wonderful form of payment for me. Having plenty of money is nice, but serving God's purpose for my life is even better.
Preparation Days
When we prepare ourselves for more Best Results Days, we are learning a new skill, locating a better resource, training our team, or delegating tasks to others.
Preparation Days for me would include networking with other published authors, taking classes to learn better methods for helping women to thrive, attending a writers' conference, reading books such as The Success Principles, or attending a quilt show.
Rest and Recreation (R & R) Days
An R & R Day extends from midnight to midnight. It involves absolutely no work-related activity of any kind: no business-related meetings, phone calls, cell phone calls, e-mails, text messages, or reading. We are not availabe to our co-workers, clients, or students.
By setting strict boundaries around our R & R Days, we actually help others to become more self-reliant. If we aren't there to rescue them when a problem arises, they become more creative and self-confident.
Jack believes that all R & R Days do not include children, either. He suggests that we hire a babysitter, send the kids to visit relatives, or swap child care with neighbors and friends.
I think this is unrealistic. I could never have afforded that much child care, and I wouldn't have wanted to be away from my children that much. I do believe that parents need some time away from their kids, but not on every single R & R Day of the year.
Jack believes that it should be every person's goal to have 150 days off every year. By simply taking every weekend off from work, we immediately free up 104 days of rest. Adding another 46 days off in the form of long weekends, holiday weeks, and 2-week vacations brings our total up to 150 days without work.
For most women reading this, I can imagine them rolling their eyes at this one. There's an old saying: A man can work from sun to sun, but a woman's work is never done. We may be able to curtail the business-related meetings, phone calls, emails, and reading; but we certainly cannot skip doing housework, cooking, and laundry that often. Our homes would be disaster areas, and the kids would be committing mutiny.
A wise minister's wife with eight children once told me that she had a rule about rest: no matter how much work was not completed by 7:00 in the evening, it would just have to wait for the next day. She headed for her recliner in the living room, where no children were allowed to disturb her for two hours. She spent the time reading and meditating while her husband put the kids to bed.
Joe and I have been completely out of balance in the area of R & R for years. We went to stay one night in a hotel recently when I needed to see a doctor out of state. I realized that it was the first time he and I had been alone in a hotel since our honeymoon! We have only taken one week-long vacation in ten years, and it was an exhausting disaster with our adopted daughter failing to adjust to the daily changes in her schedule.
The Travel Industry Association of America reported that the average vacation lasted 7.1 days in 1997. By 2001, it was down to 4.1 days. That report is 10 years old. I wonder how many people even take vacations anymore. Are others like we are, unable to go places due to a lack of funds? Are they tied down to two jobs, as Joe is, because our medical expenses consistently drain our reserves?
Our most pressing goal for 2011 is to work less. When we work too much, we experience burn-out, and nothing is pleasurable anymore. Taking more R & R Days can actually help us to work more efficiently, because rest helps us to see things more clearly and creatively.
Like many of Jack's success principles, this one is not new. God gave the Israelites the following command concerning rest: "For six days, work is to be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of rest, holy to the Lord." (Ex 31:15) If we are in the habit of over-working, we can begin the new year by making sure that we at least rest on the Lord's day.
Today's Challenge
Take the following steps to achieve more Best Results Days, Preparation Days, and Rest and Recreation (R & R) Days:
1) Schedule four Preparation Days during 2011 to increase the productivity of your core genius.
2) Clear your 2011 calendar of activities that steal away time from your core genius so that you can focus on working within your life's purpose. You'll achieve far more Best Results Days by doing so.
3) Schedule at least four vacations in 2011, to include either long weekends or week-long vacations. If you don't plan them, they won't happen.
Start today to control your time. You'll be amazed by the changes in your productivity and happiness.
Jack Canfield, America's #1 Success Coach, is founder of the billion-dollar book brand Chicken Soup for the Soul© and a leading authority on Peak Performance and Life Success. If you're ready to jump-start your life, make more money, and have more fun and joy in all that you do, get your FREE success tips from Jack Canfield now at: www.FreeSuccessStrategies.com
Today, we learn about how Jack Canfield divides his time between work, family, and recreation. He suggests three types of days: Best Results Days, Preparation Days, and Rest and Recreation Days.
Best Results Days
To achieve our best results, we need to spend at least 80% of our time working within our core genuius. Remember, our core genius means that we're working at something we love so much, we hardly feel like charging people for it. On a Best Results Day, we're achieving the highest payoffs for the amount of time we work.
A Best Results Day for me would be one spent writing, editing, quilting, speaking, or coaching other women. The payoff could be monetary, but it can also be the fulfillment of a dream. Hearing from a reader that I've changed her life for the better is a wonderful form of payment for me. Having plenty of money is nice, but serving God's purpose for my life is even better.
Preparation Days
When we prepare ourselves for more Best Results Days, we are learning a new skill, locating a better resource, training our team, or delegating tasks to others.
Preparation Days for me would include networking with other published authors, taking classes to learn better methods for helping women to thrive, attending a writers' conference, reading books such as The Success Principles, or attending a quilt show.
Rest and Recreation (R & R) Days
An R & R Day extends from midnight to midnight. It involves absolutely no work-related activity of any kind: no business-related meetings, phone calls, cell phone calls, e-mails, text messages, or reading. We are not availabe to our co-workers, clients, or students.
By setting strict boundaries around our R & R Days, we actually help others to become more self-reliant. If we aren't there to rescue them when a problem arises, they become more creative and self-confident.
Jack believes that all R & R Days do not include children, either. He suggests that we hire a babysitter, send the kids to visit relatives, or swap child care with neighbors and friends.
I think this is unrealistic. I could never have afforded that much child care, and I wouldn't have wanted to be away from my children that much. I do believe that parents need some time away from their kids, but not on every single R & R Day of the year.
Jack believes that it should be every person's goal to have 150 days off every year. By simply taking every weekend off from work, we immediately free up 104 days of rest. Adding another 46 days off in the form of long weekends, holiday weeks, and 2-week vacations brings our total up to 150 days without work.
For most women reading this, I can imagine them rolling their eyes at this one. There's an old saying: A man can work from sun to sun, but a woman's work is never done. We may be able to curtail the business-related meetings, phone calls, emails, and reading; but we certainly cannot skip doing housework, cooking, and laundry that often. Our homes would be disaster areas, and the kids would be committing mutiny.
A wise minister's wife with eight children once told me that she had a rule about rest: no matter how much work was not completed by 7:00 in the evening, it would just have to wait for the next day. She headed for her recliner in the living room, where no children were allowed to disturb her for two hours. She spent the time reading and meditating while her husband put the kids to bed.
Joe and I have been completely out of balance in the area of R & R for years. We went to stay one night in a hotel recently when I needed to see a doctor out of state. I realized that it was the first time he and I had been alone in a hotel since our honeymoon! We have only taken one week-long vacation in ten years, and it was an exhausting disaster with our adopted daughter failing to adjust to the daily changes in her schedule.
The Travel Industry Association of America reported that the average vacation lasted 7.1 days in 1997. By 2001, it was down to 4.1 days. That report is 10 years old. I wonder how many people even take vacations anymore. Are others like we are, unable to go places due to a lack of funds? Are they tied down to two jobs, as Joe is, because our medical expenses consistently drain our reserves?
Our most pressing goal for 2011 is to work less. When we work too much, we experience burn-out, and nothing is pleasurable anymore. Taking more R & R Days can actually help us to work more efficiently, because rest helps us to see things more clearly and creatively.
Like many of Jack's success principles, this one is not new. God gave the Israelites the following command concerning rest: "For six days, work is to be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of rest, holy to the Lord." (Ex 31:15) If we are in the habit of over-working, we can begin the new year by making sure that we at least rest on the Lord's day.
Today's Challenge
Take the following steps to achieve more Best Results Days, Preparation Days, and Rest and Recreation (R & R) Days:
1) Schedule four Preparation Days during 2011 to increase the productivity of your core genius.
2) Clear your 2011 calendar of activities that steal away time from your core genius so that you can focus on working within your life's purpose. You'll achieve far more Best Results Days by doing so.
3) Schedule at least four vacations in 2011, to include either long weekends or week-long vacations. If you don't plan them, they won't happen.
Start today to control your time. You'll be amazed by the changes in your productivity and happiness.
Jack Canfield, America's #1 Success Coach, is founder of the billion-dollar book brand Chicken Soup for the Soul© and a leading authority on Peak Performance and Life Success. If you're ready to jump-start your life, make more money, and have more fun and joy in all that you do, get your FREE success tips from Jack Canfield now at: www.FreeSuccessStrategies.com
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Coping with Toxic People During the Holidays
Christmas is supposed to be the happiest time of the year. But when we live with toxic people, it can be one of the most miserable. We encounter ex-spouses, extended family members, in-laws, parents, and adult children who can turn our hearts inside-out with poisonous words.
Jesus' brother, James, wrote: All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles, and creatures of the sea are being tamed and have been tamed by man, but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God's likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. (James 3:7-10)
It has become almost a joke in our family that it wouldn't be Christmas if someone didn't say something so hateful, it left a roomful of people in tears. This year has been no exception to that tradition. Today, we feel as one would expect to following a funeral or a tragic accident. One awful incident has followed another for several days, and we feel like people suffering from shock.
I'd like to offer some suggestions for coping with toxic people during the holidays.
1) Avoid family gatherings where the family abuser will hurt you.
Counselors and psychologists have frequently told me to avoid family gatherings during the holidays. The emotional setbacks that I experience from encounters with abusers cost me too much. The verbal abuse gets internalized, and physical symptoms arise shortly afterward.
2) Create new traditions that don't involve abusers.
If we keep doing the same thing every year for the holidays, we will continue to get the same results. Stepping into a family gathering where someone sees us as an easy target is just foolish. We can choose, instead, to spend the holiday with needy children, homeless people, prisoners, the elderly, or people in hospitals. At least they will be grateful for our presence.
In spite of the objections that we may receive from family, there is nothing wrong with choosing to spend Christmas alone in the peace and quiet of our own home. Today, I am writing this Christmas blog as my gift to you, dear reader. I pray that it will help you to cope with the sorrows that the holidays will inevitably bring. Even if no one gives you a tongue-lashing this year, I know that you may still be experiencing the pain of Christmases past.
3) Celebrate the joy of Christ's birth throughout the year.
In 2011, I'm going to celebrate one-twelfth of Christmas each month on the 25th. I'll send a letter to old friends, call family members who are safe, invite someone special to share a meal with me, or take someone on an excursion to a museum, theater, or musical event.
4) Practice excellent self care.
The best Christmas gift we can give is to take excellent care of ourselves. This means that we seek professional counseling when it is warranted, eat healthy foods, exercise regularly, get the sleep we need, take time for pleasurable activities, and connect with God daily. We can also seek the help of practitioners of massage therapy, accupuncture, healing touch, or other alternative therapies that help us to remain strong.
When we are strong, abusers don't target us as frequently. And if they do, we are better prepared to create boundaries to protect ourselves. After we have encountered someone hurtful, we can bounce back more quickly if we are already practicing good self care.
Today's Challenge
If someone has once again given you the gift of abuse this year, take time to work through the emotional pain. Remember the four steps we learned earlier for confronting the people who hurt us, if it is safe. Otherwise, practice confrontation by letter or role playing, as follows:
1) Express the anger you feel when you experience abuse;
2) Express the hurt that goes along with the anger;
3) Tell the person specifically what you need from them; and
4) Set them and yourself free with acknowledgement, forgiveness, or love.
God bless you today and every Christmas with the love and joy of knowing Christ.
Jesus' brother, James, wrote: All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles, and creatures of the sea are being tamed and have been tamed by man, but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God's likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. (James 3:7-10)
It has become almost a joke in our family that it wouldn't be Christmas if someone didn't say something so hateful, it left a roomful of people in tears. This year has been no exception to that tradition. Today, we feel as one would expect to following a funeral or a tragic accident. One awful incident has followed another for several days, and we feel like people suffering from shock.
I'd like to offer some suggestions for coping with toxic people during the holidays.
1) Avoid family gatherings where the family abuser will hurt you.
Counselors and psychologists have frequently told me to avoid family gatherings during the holidays. The emotional setbacks that I experience from encounters with abusers cost me too much. The verbal abuse gets internalized, and physical symptoms arise shortly afterward.
2) Create new traditions that don't involve abusers.
If we keep doing the same thing every year for the holidays, we will continue to get the same results. Stepping into a family gathering where someone sees us as an easy target is just foolish. We can choose, instead, to spend the holiday with needy children, homeless people, prisoners, the elderly, or people in hospitals. At least they will be grateful for our presence.
In spite of the objections that we may receive from family, there is nothing wrong with choosing to spend Christmas alone in the peace and quiet of our own home. Today, I am writing this Christmas blog as my gift to you, dear reader. I pray that it will help you to cope with the sorrows that the holidays will inevitably bring. Even if no one gives you a tongue-lashing this year, I know that you may still be experiencing the pain of Christmases past.
3) Celebrate the joy of Christ's birth throughout the year.
In 2011, I'm going to celebrate one-twelfth of Christmas each month on the 25th. I'll send a letter to old friends, call family members who are safe, invite someone special to share a meal with me, or take someone on an excursion to a museum, theater, or musical event.
4) Practice excellent self care.
The best Christmas gift we can give is to take excellent care of ourselves. This means that we seek professional counseling when it is warranted, eat healthy foods, exercise regularly, get the sleep we need, take time for pleasurable activities, and connect with God daily. We can also seek the help of practitioners of massage therapy, accupuncture, healing touch, or other alternative therapies that help us to remain strong.
When we are strong, abusers don't target us as frequently. And if they do, we are better prepared to create boundaries to protect ourselves. After we have encountered someone hurtful, we can bounce back more quickly if we are already practicing good self care.
Today's Challenge
If someone has once again given you the gift of abuse this year, take time to work through the emotional pain. Remember the four steps we learned earlier for confronting the people who hurt us, if it is safe. Otherwise, practice confrontation by letter or role playing, as follows:
1) Express the anger you feel when you experience abuse;
2) Express the hurt that goes along with the anger;
3) Tell the person specifically what you need from them; and
4) Set them and yourself free with acknowledgement, forgiveness, or love.
God bless you today and every Christmas with the love and joy of knowing Christ.
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Stay Focused on Your Core Genius
Jack Canfield's Success Principle #39
Jack believes in something he has called core genius: the one thing that we love to do and do so well that we hardly feel right charging people money for doing it. It's effortless and a whole lot of fun.
Delegate completely for greater success.
Many successful people delegate mundane tasks to others so that they are free to pursue their core genius. People like golfer Tiger Woods, baseball great Sammy Sosa, and professional trainer Anthony Robbins all delegate. Why?
Consider that it takes Sammy Sosa about 1 second to hit a home run. At the writing of The Success Principles, he was earning $10,625,000 for about 70 seconds of batting time each year. Perfecting his core genius pays off a lot more for him than if he spends his time raking his leaves or changing his oil.
If I could earn $75 per hour and pay a neighborhood kid $10 per hour to cut the grass, why would I ever mow the lawn? Over the course of 20 weekends, I could earn an extra $65 per hour. That would net me an extra $1,300 per year.
Most people never delegate. Why? We don't believe it's right to pay others to do our work. We think people will see us as snobs, or we're afraid to give up control of what we do. This is ridiculous.
Jack stresses the importance of delegating a task completely. For instance, if I hire a teen to mow my lawn, I should tell him how I want it done at the beginning of the season. I shouldn't spend time every week explaining the tasks to him. I give him the freedom to do the work, which frees me to work on my core genius: writing.
Do what you love, and the money will follow.
The worst mistake we can make is to start out with the goal of just making a lot of money. If we diligently practice what we have a talent for doing, the money will flow our way. I know a lot of people who work in jobs that they hate, because they're trying to stay afloat. They never have time to do what they really love, because they're focused on paying the bills.
We all have to take care of ourselves, and the bills must be paid. But wouldn't it be a lot more fun to make stained glass windows, run a summer camp for kids, write novels, or design jewelry than to slave at a desk in jobs we hate?
Today's Challenge
Make a list of mundane tasks that you do every day which could be delegated to someone else. Direct your kids or your spouse to help with some of the things you do. Hire a teen to mow the lawn, shovel snow, or rake leaves. Contract with a cleaning service so that you are free to pursue your core genius. Delegate just one thing and use that time to start doing something great with your life.
Jack Canfield, America's #1 Success Coach, is founder of the billion-dollar book brand Chicken Soup for the Soul© and a leading authority on Peak Performance and Life Success. If you're ready to jump-start your life, make more money, and have more fun and joy in all that you do, get your FREE success tips from Jack Canfield now at: www.FreeSuccessStrategies.com
Jack believes in something he has called core genius: the one thing that we love to do and do so well that we hardly feel right charging people money for doing it. It's effortless and a whole lot of fun.
Delegate completely for greater success.
Many successful people delegate mundane tasks to others so that they are free to pursue their core genius. People like golfer Tiger Woods, baseball great Sammy Sosa, and professional trainer Anthony Robbins all delegate. Why?
Consider that it takes Sammy Sosa about 1 second to hit a home run. At the writing of The Success Principles, he was earning $10,625,000 for about 70 seconds of batting time each year. Perfecting his core genius pays off a lot more for him than if he spends his time raking his leaves or changing his oil.
If I could earn $75 per hour and pay a neighborhood kid $10 per hour to cut the grass, why would I ever mow the lawn? Over the course of 20 weekends, I could earn an extra $65 per hour. That would net me an extra $1,300 per year.
Most people never delegate. Why? We don't believe it's right to pay others to do our work. We think people will see us as snobs, or we're afraid to give up control of what we do. This is ridiculous.
Jack stresses the importance of delegating a task completely. For instance, if I hire a teen to mow my lawn, I should tell him how I want it done at the beginning of the season. I shouldn't spend time every week explaining the tasks to him. I give him the freedom to do the work, which frees me to work on my core genius: writing.
Do what you love, and the money will follow.
The worst mistake we can make is to start out with the goal of just making a lot of money. If we diligently practice what we have a talent for doing, the money will flow our way. I know a lot of people who work in jobs that they hate, because they're trying to stay afloat. They never have time to do what they really love, because they're focused on paying the bills.
We all have to take care of ourselves, and the bills must be paid. But wouldn't it be a lot more fun to make stained glass windows, run a summer camp for kids, write novels, or design jewelry than to slave at a desk in jobs we hate?
Today's Challenge
Make a list of mundane tasks that you do every day which could be delegated to someone else. Direct your kids or your spouse to help with some of the things you do. Hire a teen to mow the lawn, shovel snow, or rake leaves. Contract with a cleaning service so that you are free to pursue your core genius. Delegate just one thing and use that time to start doing something great with your life.
Jack Canfield, America's #1 Success Coach, is founder of the billion-dollar book brand Chicken Soup for the Soul© and a leading authority on Peak Performance and Life Success. If you're ready to jump-start your life, make more money, and have more fun and joy in all that you do, get your FREE success tips from Jack Canfield now at: www.FreeSuccessStrategies.com
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Fuel Your Success with Passion and Enthusiasm
Jack Canfield's Success Principle #38
Passion is a spiritual force that comes from within. If we can channel it, we can accomplish amazing things. Enthusiasm is similar to passion: the word enthusiasm means 'to be filled with God.'
Having a purpose fills us with passion and enthusiasm. When we know for sure what our purpose is, we can't wait to get up in the morning. We love what we do and enjoy every minute of it. Jack claims that if we know our purpose and we're having fun fulfilling it, we are already a success.
Each of us was put on earth by God to fulfill a particular purpose. In Exodus 9:16, God told Moses to say to Pharaoh: "But I have raised you up for this very purpose, that I might show you my power and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth." God made Pharaoh great in Egypt so that he could carry out his purposes for mankind. Like Pharaoh, God set each of us specifically where we are at the right time so that we could fulfill our purpose for him.
Do you know what your purpose is? I know that mine is to write so that survivors of incest, abuse, and trauma will be encouraged. Monty Roberts, the horse whisperer, knows that he was born to train throughbread horses to consistently win championships. Rafe Esquith, a fifth grade teacher in inner-city Los Angeles, knows that he was put here to teach kids that no one else believes in.
I ask people what their purpose is all the time, and most of them have no clue why God sent them to earth. This always surprises me. I suppose that survivors of abuse and trauma have spent so much of their lives just trying to survive, that they have difficulty dreaming of something better.
If we were going to take a road trip, wouldn't we plan our destination and mark out our route on a map? Life is like a road trip. If we don't know where we're going, how can we possibly feel good about our daily activities? How can we tell that they are meaningful if we have no direction? And if all we do along the way is run around putting out fires, how will we ever get where we're supposed to go?
Jack suggests working from what we feel passionate about to find our purpose. If we pretend that we've won the lottery and have everything we have ever wanted, we can ask ourselves what we would do with our free time. By following these recommendations, we may very well stumble upon the one thing we truly love to do. When we are working within our purpose, time seems to fly by. We are willing to work hard at what we love, even when we're not getting paid for it.
When we finally find the one thing that makes our heart sing, and we apply all of our energies toward that pursuit; Jack says that others will be attracted to us and will do whatever it takes to support our dreams and goals. So what are we waiting for?
Today's Challenge
Take some time to daydream about what you would do with your life if you had millions of dollars in the bank and plenty of free time. If you're stuck, think about what activities make you so energized that you lose all track of time while doing them. Write down the one thing that you would do without pay because you enjoy it so much. When you figure out what that one thing is, you will know your purpose.
Jack Canfield, America's #1 Success Coach, is founder of the billion-dollar book brand Chicken Soup for the Soul© and a leading authority on Peak Performance and Life Success. If you're ready to jump-start your life, make more money, and have more fun and joy in all that you do, get your FREE success tips from Jack Canfield now at: www.FreeSuccessStrategies.com
Passion is a spiritual force that comes from within. If we can channel it, we can accomplish amazing things. Enthusiasm is similar to passion: the word enthusiasm means 'to be filled with God.'
Having a purpose fills us with passion and enthusiasm. When we know for sure what our purpose is, we can't wait to get up in the morning. We love what we do and enjoy every minute of it. Jack claims that if we know our purpose and we're having fun fulfilling it, we are already a success.
Each of us was put on earth by God to fulfill a particular purpose. In Exodus 9:16, God told Moses to say to Pharaoh: "But I have raised you up for this very purpose, that I might show you my power and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth." God made Pharaoh great in Egypt so that he could carry out his purposes for mankind. Like Pharaoh, God set each of us specifically where we are at the right time so that we could fulfill our purpose for him.
Do you know what your purpose is? I know that mine is to write so that survivors of incest, abuse, and trauma will be encouraged. Monty Roberts, the horse whisperer, knows that he was born to train throughbread horses to consistently win championships. Rafe Esquith, a fifth grade teacher in inner-city Los Angeles, knows that he was put here to teach kids that no one else believes in.
I ask people what their purpose is all the time, and most of them have no clue why God sent them to earth. This always surprises me. I suppose that survivors of abuse and trauma have spent so much of their lives just trying to survive, that they have difficulty dreaming of something better.
If we were going to take a road trip, wouldn't we plan our destination and mark out our route on a map? Life is like a road trip. If we don't know where we're going, how can we possibly feel good about our daily activities? How can we tell that they are meaningful if we have no direction? And if all we do along the way is run around putting out fires, how will we ever get where we're supposed to go?
Jack suggests working from what we feel passionate about to find our purpose. If we pretend that we've won the lottery and have everything we have ever wanted, we can ask ourselves what we would do with our free time. By following these recommendations, we may very well stumble upon the one thing we truly love to do. When we are working within our purpose, time seems to fly by. We are willing to work hard at what we love, even when we're not getting paid for it.
When we finally find the one thing that makes our heart sing, and we apply all of our energies toward that pursuit; Jack says that others will be attracted to us and will do whatever it takes to support our dreams and goals. So what are we waiting for?
Today's Challenge
Take some time to daydream about what you would do with your life if you had millions of dollars in the bank and plenty of free time. If you're stuck, think about what activities make you so energized that you lose all track of time while doing them. Write down the one thing that you would do without pay because you enjoy it so much. When you figure out what that one thing is, you will know your purpose.
Jack Canfield, America's #1 Success Coach, is founder of the billion-dollar book brand Chicken Soup for the Soul© and a leading authority on Peak Performance and Life Success. If you're ready to jump-start your life, make more money, and have more fun and joy in all that you do, get your FREE success tips from Jack Canfield now at: www.FreeSuccessStrategies.com
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Stay Motivated with the Masters
Jack Canfield's Success Principles #37
Achieving success takes a lot of work, and Jack doesn't think that a weekend workshop here and there is enough. He recommends listening to audio programs from motivational speakers daily.
The average person commutes 30 minutes each day to and from work. If that time were used to listen to audio tapes, we could put in 1,250 hours of learning, which is the equivalent of a college education.
Jeff Arch was successfully running a karate school in 1989, but he wanted to be a writer. He ordered Tony Robbins' Personal Power audio tapes and went on to write a screenplay in less than a month. Three months later, he sold that screenplay, Sleepless in Seattle, for a quarter of a million dollars. If an audio program can launch a multi-million dollar screenwriting career, isn't it worth taking advantage of similar resources?
The Bible encourages us to use our minds to focus on thoughts that will improve our lives. It says: Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.(Phil 4:8)
I've said this before, but it bears repeating: the Bible is an excellent source of motivation, and it is also available as audio programs. I have listened to the Gopel of John and Matthew so many times, I have nearly memorized portions of them.
One of my short-term goals is to learn Spanish. I checked out a Spanish audio program from the library last week. While I'm working around the house, I'm listening to it and perfecting my accent. It's surprising how quickly I'm picking up the language.
In years past, Joe barely had time for reading. He was lucky if he finished five books in twelve months. After moving far from the city last year, Joe decided that he would listen to audio tapes during his long commute. He turned a lot of wasted time into a wonderful learning tool. He is now finishing one or two books every week.
Jack lists his favorite motivational audio programs on pages 441 through 451 in The Success Principles. We can find that same list at www.thesuccessprinciples.com. Whether we choose motivational programs, languages, or biographies of successful people, we can surely profit from listening to something more beneficial than the same songs we've been hearing daily on the radio or the mindless drivel on the TV.
Today's Challenge
Consider your daily schedule and think about when you could fit in audio programs. Perhaps you can listen while driving, exercising, doing housework, or while waiting to pick up the kids. This week, go to the library to select one audio program that will advance you closer to one of your goals.
Jack Canfield, America's #1 Success Coach, is founder of the billion-dollar book brand Chicken Soup for the Soul© and a leading authority on Peak Performance and Life Success. If you're ready to jump-start your life, make more money, and have more fun and joy in all that you do, get your FREE success tips from Jack Canfield now at: www.FreeSuccessStrategies.com
Achieving success takes a lot of work, and Jack doesn't think that a weekend workshop here and there is enough. He recommends listening to audio programs from motivational speakers daily.
The average person commutes 30 minutes each day to and from work. If that time were used to listen to audio tapes, we could put in 1,250 hours of learning, which is the equivalent of a college education.
Jeff Arch was successfully running a karate school in 1989, but he wanted to be a writer. He ordered Tony Robbins' Personal Power audio tapes and went on to write a screenplay in less than a month. Three months later, he sold that screenplay, Sleepless in Seattle, for a quarter of a million dollars. If an audio program can launch a multi-million dollar screenwriting career, isn't it worth taking advantage of similar resources?
The Bible encourages us to use our minds to focus on thoughts that will improve our lives. It says: Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.(Phil 4:8)
I've said this before, but it bears repeating: the Bible is an excellent source of motivation, and it is also available as audio programs. I have listened to the Gopel of John and Matthew so many times, I have nearly memorized portions of them.
One of my short-term goals is to learn Spanish. I checked out a Spanish audio program from the library last week. While I'm working around the house, I'm listening to it and perfecting my accent. It's surprising how quickly I'm picking up the language.
In years past, Joe barely had time for reading. He was lucky if he finished five books in twelve months. After moving far from the city last year, Joe decided that he would listen to audio tapes during his long commute. He turned a lot of wasted time into a wonderful learning tool. He is now finishing one or two books every week.
Jack lists his favorite motivational audio programs on pages 441 through 451 in The Success Principles. We can find that same list at www.thesuccessprinciples.com. Whether we choose motivational programs, languages, or biographies of successful people, we can surely profit from listening to something more beneficial than the same songs we've been hearing daily on the radio or the mindless drivel on the TV.
Today's Challenge
Consider your daily schedule and think about when you could fit in audio programs. Perhaps you can listen while driving, exercising, doing housework, or while waiting to pick up the kids. This week, go to the library to select one audio program that will advance you closer to one of your goals.
Jack Canfield, America's #1 Success Coach, is founder of the billion-dollar book brand Chicken Soup for the Soul© and a leading authority on Peak Performance and Life Success. If you're ready to jump-start your life, make more money, and have more fun and joy in all that you do, get your FREE success tips from Jack Canfield now at: www.FreeSuccessStrategies.com
Monday, December 20, 2010
Learn More to Earn More
Jack Canfield's Success Principle #36
In today's lesson, Jack provides some practical suggestions for acquiring the knowledge we need to achieve our goals. Some simple changes in daily routines can substantially increase our level of success.
Decrease your television time.
The average American watches 6 hours of television every day. If we spend that much time in front of the boob tube, by the time we are 60, we will have wasted 15 years of our lives!
I am definitely not average, because I couldn't stand to watch 6 hours of TV a year. I gave up watching television decades ago, because I simply did not have the time to waste when I was teaching full time, studying for a post-graduate degree, writing a book, and raising babies. I have never regretted this decision, and I'm sure you won't either if you decide to curb your viewing.
Instead of watching TV, we can read a book, take an exercise class, learn to play an instrument, play with our kids, or spend time with our mates. Reading inspirational or informational books really fast-forwards us toward our goals.
The Bible, in my opinion, is the best book we can read. Romans 12:2 tells us, Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.
Learn to read faster.
If you're a slow reader, Jack recommends a self-study course or workshop from Learning Strategies Corporation. Check them out at www.learningstrategies.com.
Read one book every week.
If we make the commitment to read one book every week, review what we read, and apply at least one thing we have learned from each book; we will arrive at our goals much more quickly than the average person. The Success Principles lists books that Jack recommends on pages 441 to 451.
Read biographies of great people.
Reading about successful people can give us some excellent resources for our own lives. Jack provides a note about Great Life Network, a company that provides print and audio materials about the world's most recognized people. Take a look at www.greatlifenetwork.com.
Attend success seminars, conferences, and retreats.
We can learn a lot and network with important people by attending success seminars, professional conferences, and retreats. Check out the local paper for upcoming events.
Remain teachable.
The most successful people in life are the ones who are always open to learning something. People who think they know everything rarely get ahead in life.
Be prepared when opportunity knocks.
If we have a dream, we must continually prepare ourselves to grab onto that once-in-a-lifetime opportunity when it comes our way. For me, this means that I must continually polish my writing skills, keep my manuscripts ready for review on a moment's notice, and network with people who can help me get published. If I'm unprepared when an agent contacts me for a book proposal, I may miss my chance.
Figure out what you need to do to get ready.
If we want something, we must figure out what we need to do to get ready for it. I once met an eighth grader who told me that he had a dream of climbing Pike's Peak. I asked him what he was doing to prepare himself for that challenge. He surprised me by saying that he had spent his spring break hiking in the Pyrenees Mountains along the French-Spanish border! I'll bet he made it to Pike's Peak long ago, because he had a clear goal and was preparing himself for the challenge.
Attend personal therapy and counseling.
Sometimes, life just gets the best of us. When it does, we must take the time to heal from our emotional wounds. For those of us who have suffered from abuse or trauma, therapy is practically a given. We can get referrals to competent psychologists and counselors from friends, trusted doctors, or our religious leaders. It's important to make sure that whoever we see has lots of experience in working with people who have been abused or traumatized.
Today's Challenge
For the next week, keep track of every hour that you spend watching television or movies. Commit to cutting out at least one hour of TV viewing each day. Replace that TV time with reading books that will prepare you for what lies ahead.
Jack Canfield, America's #1 Success Coach, is founder of the billion-dollar book brand Chicken Soup for the Soul© and a leading authority on Peak Performance and Life Success. If you're ready to jump-start your life, make more money, and have more fun and joy in all that you do, get your FREE success tips from Jack Canfield now at: www.FreeSuccessStrategies.com
In today's lesson, Jack provides some practical suggestions for acquiring the knowledge we need to achieve our goals. Some simple changes in daily routines can substantially increase our level of success.
Decrease your television time.
The average American watches 6 hours of television every day. If we spend that much time in front of the boob tube, by the time we are 60, we will have wasted 15 years of our lives!
I am definitely not average, because I couldn't stand to watch 6 hours of TV a year. I gave up watching television decades ago, because I simply did not have the time to waste when I was teaching full time, studying for a post-graduate degree, writing a book, and raising babies. I have never regretted this decision, and I'm sure you won't either if you decide to curb your viewing.
Instead of watching TV, we can read a book, take an exercise class, learn to play an instrument, play with our kids, or spend time with our mates. Reading inspirational or informational books really fast-forwards us toward our goals.
The Bible, in my opinion, is the best book we can read. Romans 12:2 tells us, Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.
Learn to read faster.
If you're a slow reader, Jack recommends a self-study course or workshop from Learning Strategies Corporation. Check them out at www.learningstrategies.com.
Read one book every week.
If we make the commitment to read one book every week, review what we read, and apply at least one thing we have learned from each book; we will arrive at our goals much more quickly than the average person. The Success Principles lists books that Jack recommends on pages 441 to 451.
Read biographies of great people.
Reading about successful people can give us some excellent resources for our own lives. Jack provides a note about Great Life Network, a company that provides print and audio materials about the world's most recognized people. Take a look at www.greatlifenetwork.com.
Attend success seminars, conferences, and retreats.
We can learn a lot and network with important people by attending success seminars, professional conferences, and retreats. Check out the local paper for upcoming events.
Remain teachable.
The most successful people in life are the ones who are always open to learning something. People who think they know everything rarely get ahead in life.
Be prepared when opportunity knocks.
If we have a dream, we must continually prepare ourselves to grab onto that once-in-a-lifetime opportunity when it comes our way. For me, this means that I must continually polish my writing skills, keep my manuscripts ready for review on a moment's notice, and network with people who can help me get published. If I'm unprepared when an agent contacts me for a book proposal, I may miss my chance.
Figure out what you need to do to get ready.
If we want something, we must figure out what we need to do to get ready for it. I once met an eighth grader who told me that he had a dream of climbing Pike's Peak. I asked him what he was doing to prepare himself for that challenge. He surprised me by saying that he had spent his spring break hiking in the Pyrenees Mountains along the French-Spanish border! I'll bet he made it to Pike's Peak long ago, because he had a clear goal and was preparing himself for the challenge.
Attend personal therapy and counseling.
Sometimes, life just gets the best of us. When it does, we must take the time to heal from our emotional wounds. For those of us who have suffered from abuse or trauma, therapy is practically a given. We can get referrals to competent psychologists and counselors from friends, trusted doctors, or our religious leaders. It's important to make sure that whoever we see has lots of experience in working with people who have been abused or traumatized.
Today's Challenge
For the next week, keep track of every hour that you spend watching television or movies. Commit to cutting out at least one hour of TV viewing each day. Replace that TV time with reading books that will prepare you for what lies ahead.
Jack Canfield, America's #1 Success Coach, is founder of the billion-dollar book brand Chicken Soup for the Soul© and a leading authority on Peak Performance and Life Success. If you're ready to jump-start your life, make more money, and have more fun and joy in all that you do, get your FREE success tips from Jack Canfield now at: www.FreeSuccessStrategies.com
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