Learn From Lee Iacocca

Lee Iacocca, the son of a poor immigrant, has become one of America's most respected business men. From lowly beginnings and through many adversities, he worked his way up to President of the Chrysler Corporation.

Just out of college, he began working for the Ford Motor Company as a student engineer. On the assembly line, he learned every aspect of how automobiles were put together.

Although he was awkward and bashful, Lee was promoted to a salesman. It was there that he met a man who took him under his wings and taught Iacocca how to be the best salesman he could.

In 1956 sales were slumping at Ford. Iacocca suggested offering a new 1956 Ford for a modest down payment, followed by three years of $56 payments. The "56 for 56" idea took off like a rocket.

After 10 long years of hard work, Lee had become an "overnight success."

Soon he was promoted to work as manager for Ford's national truck marketing, then another promotion to head the company's car marketing.

Not stopping there, Iacocca set out to develop his own style of car. In 1964 Ford introduced the Mustang. Ford dealerships were literally mobbed with people wanting to buy the car and a new yearly sales record was established.

In 1970, Lee was promoted to the ultimate position, president of Ford Motor Company, second in command under Henry Ford II.

Never wanting to stop at success, he kept coming up with innovative and cost cutting ideas.

But, trouble lay ahead.

Ford was in control, like it or not, and he liked to exercise that control whatever the consequences might be. Ford began to worry about this "son of an immigrant" taking over the family business.

It was salami slicing time at Ford. And Henry did it one slice at a time. Finally, Lee learned through a friend that he too had gotten the

axe.

Under the terms of resignation, Iaccoca was given an office until he found a job. It turned out to be in an obscure warehouse. A little cubicle with a small desk, one telephone, and cracked linoleum on the floor.

For Iaccoca it was like being sent to Siberia.

It wasn't long before he was offered the presidency of Chrysler Corporation. Not exactly a cushy position. Chrysler was in trouble, big trouble. The same day Chrysler announced the hiring of Lee Iaccoca, they also announced their worst deficit in history.

The internal affairs at Chrysler were a mess. This was a company that was going to the dogs, and going there fast.

Rolling up his shirt sleeves, Lee went to work trying to bring some manner of cohesion to the upper level management. Then he hired a top notch public relations firm to get back customer confidence.

Things still didn't get any better. To make matters worse, the world economy in 1979 was falling apart. Gas prices were doubling and the fuel efficient import cars were taking over domestic sales.

Chrysler got hit hard.

Iaccoca's company was going under and he knew it. There was only 1 course for him to take. He went to the US Government seeking loans for a bail out. Congress was not impressed, but Lee had done his homework. He argued that if Chrysler collapsed it would cost the country $2.75 billion dollars alone in unemployment benefits.

His speech before the US Congress was so convincing, that Iacocca and Chrysler got their loans.

In his fight for survival, Lee cut his own salary to $1 a year. Everybody in management got a salary cut except for the secretaries, who Iaccoca believed deserved every cent they made.

Next he took on the union and said: "Look boys, I've got a shotgun to your head. I've got thousands of jobs at seventeen bucks an hour. I've got no jobs open at twenty."

The company began an all-American ad campaign to promote their new fuel efficient K-car. The car soon began to sell like hot cakes.

His persistence and "never give up" attitude and his willingness to do whatever measures it took to ensure the viability of the company worked. Chrysler paid back the loans a full seven years ahead of their due date.

Lee Iacocca had become a roaring success.

His thoughts are:

"Apply yourself. Get all the education you can, but then, by God, do something! Don't just stand there, make something happen. It isn't easy, but if you keep your nose to the grindstone and work at it, it's amazing how in a free society you can become as great as you want to be. And, of course, also be grateful for whatever blessings God bestows on you."

Dave Cole Editor/Publisher Prosperity: The Choice Is Yours http://choosetoprosper.com

Initiating and Managing Your Own Change

Have you ever accomplished something, then wondered where to go next? Or, perhaps you've accomplished something and just continued down that same path because it worked. Many people become stuck in this way because of the "security of sameness." You can get stuck from problems as well as triumphs.

I have to say that my life has been a most interesting set of twists and turns, but I've always had the opportunity to maintain a little bit of control. The control I kept, however, was not over my environment or my direction, but on me and how I handled or initiated change. You realize when you get stuck and that you devise a plan to move forward---it all depends on how you manage and initiate your own change.

--- Planning Out Your Life ---

I hear so many people say that you cannot plan your life, "you just let it happen." So, what happens while you're sitting there waiting for life to happen? But, if you plan your life too rigidly, what experiences will you miss out on?

You really can't plan your life right up to the end, nor can you plan it out five years and expect it to work as you expect. I know that sounds bad, but planning your life and expecting to stick to it will only limit your options and keep you in one place all the time.

Realize that, as you experience change and enjoy life, you grow. Growth spawns new ideas, feelings, and intellect that change your point of view. As your point of view changes, so do your directions and options in life. You must be willing to change your life's plan as you grow so that you can take on more challenging things and be accepting of other new experiences.

As I write, I think of some of the things I've done in my life. I once worked for a major corporation and wanted to be in management. But, once I got there, what was next? Nothing. I didn't realize that I forgot to think about what happened next and I didn't know that once I got there---"there" was not where I wanted to be anymore.

The point is that you cannot plan your life in an absolute manner or you'll either miss out on new experiences or end up in a place you no longer want to be. You must learn to adapt and change your plan after each step of your path. As you achieve each new goal, you grow, taking you one step further.

--- Geometry of Life ---

Sameness is security for many. You wake up, go to work, go to the store, take care of the kids, change the oil in the car---what else is there? If you notice, the sameness you experience is in the form of a geometric shape---line, square, circle, rectangle, or triangle. Take note of the things you do during your day and determine the shape of the consistent paths you take.

For instance, when I worked in downtown Denver and lived south of town, my path was a straight line. I lived at the end of Broadway, 14 miles from town. I drove down Broadway to my office, which was located in a building on Broadway itself. All of my stores, friends, and family were within one block on either side of Broadway. This became so monotonous that I could drive to work in a daze and still get there safely. Sound familiar?

The easiest way to break out of this shape is to change your path from time-to-time. I'm not specifically referring to your path to and from work. I'm speaking of any path that seems to have etched itself into your existence---you create a "rut" in your virtual road from travelling the same path too often. For instance, instead of going down Broadway, I should've taken the freeway and made a square, then changed it later to some other shape.

At first, even small changes will take a lot of effort, but the one thing you'll begin to notice is that you're indirectly changing other things as well. This is what you want to do!

Once you "break out of your shape" you have to figure out what it is that you want out of life. Don't go material, go more for fulfillment as material things are only a reward for accomplishments. Also, being emotional beings, satisfying a feeling or desire is a fulfilling reward in itself---it makes us feel whole.

--- Making a Plan ---

To help you stay out of your rut, you must make a plan that takes into account the many things you want to do in life that fulfill you. The overall plan consists of your Mission, your Vision, and your Goals. Each of these items identifies what you want, where you're going, and how to get there.

* Defining Your Objectives Realize that, just because you want to do something, there is a reason you want to do that thing (i.e., fulfillment, acceptance, and education.) Since you're probably not sure why you want to do these things, you might want to do a dozen or so things with each providing the same fulfillment---this leads to clutter and confusion.

To resolve this situation, write down all of the different objectives you have in your life. Make them action phrases like "writing a book" or "driving across the country." Make the list as long or as short as you like.

Once you're done, next to each item, write the specific fulfillment to be achieved next to each item. Make each word an adjective or each phrase descriptive of something tangible. For instance, "writing a book" might provide "fame and fortune" while "driving across the country" might provide "freedom." Once you've finished classifying your objectives, you'll find that most of them duplicate the fulfillment achieved and others have no reason at all. This is where a lot of people run into a problem! You have a million things to do, no time to do any of them, and your inner need is to feel the fulfillment.

To resolve this, group the items in separate lists by the fulfillment you describe and eliminate those items that have no reason. From each new list, figure out the tasks that will give you the greatest feeling of satisfaction and fulfillment. From this final list, you have your primary objectives to accomplish---all others are secondary and should not be focused upon until you've finished your primary objectives.

* Your Mission, Vision, and Goals Once you've figure out your primary objectives, you must now figure out how to get there. This is not an easy task and it might take a few days to cut through the fog that has settled in your mind.

The Vision is a view of things in the future---where you see yourself. It is the tangible item that you chase to feel the fulfillment you seek. Realize that your Vision will change many times over your life, but each redefinition gives you a clearer view of where you want to go based on your growth.

The Mission is a statement that defines what you will do to reach your Vision---the action that you perform to reach your Vision. As your Vision changes, so must your Mission because your direction will change as well.

Goals are important in that they add direction and purpose to life. They define the intermediate steps involved in accomplishing your Mission. These are selected items from your objectives that must be achieved to build the path of your Mission. As each Goal is accomplished, you are that much closer to your Vision.

--- Executing the Plan ---

Once you've defined your Goals, you can begin defining and executing your plan of action. For each Goal, you must define the steps required to reach them. For instance, one of my past Visions was to "work at home as a writer." My Mission was to do "technical writing and work in other writing arenas to enhance my talent and my exposure." Some of my Goals to reach the initial Vision were:

- Locate three writing contracts. - Work to generate income for six months of unemployment. - Locate insurance. - Quit day job.

For each Goal, I defined a set of smaller steps or actions that helped me accomplish the Goal. For instance, my plan of action for "Locate three writing contracts" was:

- Assemble my writing samples. - Rebuild Web site to advertise my work. - Rewrite resume to reflect direction for software documentation. - Talk to local recruiters about opportunities. - Visit sites for telecommuting opportunities on a weekly basis. - ...

Obviously, you must be careful when defining your Goals and plan of action so that you perform the steps in the proper order. If you define your steps in such a way that you end up in a deadlock, then your entire plan is useless. Make sure that you organize your Goals and your plan of action such that each step builds on the previous.

--- What's next? ---

Don't feel that this process is over after you do it the first time. Realize that you will grow as you accomplish your Goals toward your Vision. As you grow, your Vision will change and so must you change your Mission and Goals.

This is an iterative process that forces you to re-evaluate your direction as you accomplish each Goal in your path. Not only will this reevaluation and reassessment of your direction help you stay out of the consistent geometric shapes that put you in a rut, but it will keep your life moving forward to greater fulfillment in the things that really make a difference for you.

Edward B. Toupin is a freelance consultant, writer, and published author living in Las Vegas. With 10 years of experience, Edward provides quality Web site design, development, and marketing as well as writing, document design and planning, and e-book publishing services. You can visit his Web site at http://www.toupin.com or contact him at etoupin@toupin.com.

Keep Focused On the Goal and Go Around The Obstacle

One of the most exciting activities you can engage in is goal setting. The future is bright and filled with endless possibilities, and by carefully planning a set of actions and milestones you can achieve nearly any goal you commit yourself to.

After you make your plan, the first few weeks are energizing as you see yourself moving toward the goal. Your vision expands and you can feel the positive energy as you visualize the future and your anticipated accomplishments.

But sooner or later it's inevitable that you will face an unforeseen obstacle that seems impossible to overcome. The obstacle may be financial in nature, such as unplanned expenses or a failure to achieve initial revenue targets. It may come in the form of a person or a group of people who stand in direct opposition to your plans. You'll know when you encounter one of these immovable obstacles when you find yourself feeling defeated. It's at this stage that most goals get derailed.

I think of these immovable obstacles as mules. Mules have three key characteristics.

1) They will completely stop your progress. They seem to wait until you're moving full steam ahead, and then step out in front of you to block the path to your goal.

2) They're stubborn. When you attempt coax them to move, they ignore you. When you try to move them out of the way, they plant their feet and refuse to budge.

3) They don't go away. They seem determined to keep you from achieving your goals.

When a mule steps out in front of you to block the achievement of your goal, you essentially have four options:

1) Abandon your goal. You can rationalize that the goal isn't really important, or you can simply give up and feel defeated. This is a common response to mules, especially for people who are in the early stages of working toward a goal. Hopefully, you're committed to achieving your goals and have the determination to overcome any obstacle.

2) Wait for the mule to go away. This will generally lead you back to option one, because if the obstacle is truly a mule, it won't go away. Goals, properly set, include milestones and are time-sensitive. The longer you remain in a stalled condition waiting for a mule to move, the more milestones you'll miss, and eventually you'll be forced to admit failure.

3) Move the mule out of the way. This will also generally lead you back to option one, because if it's really a mule, you won't be able to move it. One of the most common pitfalls in attempting to achieve a goal is getting de-focused. Trying to move a mule is a totally frustrating experience, and you'll dissipate your energy in the process. If you want to succeed, you've got to keep your eye on the goal and not on the mule. Remember, your objective is to achieve your goal; not to move the mule.

4) Go around the mule. This is easier said than done, because it's the mule's nature to completely block the path to your goal. Keeping your eye on your goal, you simply concede that the mule is truly a mule and will not be moved. Therefore, you find another path to the goal.

A Case in Point

Last year, my daughter came up with a business plan to set up an art gallery, a dream she had thought about for years. The cost to lease and renovate a space in a prominent location was well beyond her means, but after several months of diligent effort, she found a backer who was willing to invest the money to get her started.

She was so excited! After finding the perfect space, she began working out her goals down to the smallest details. She was finally on the road to achieving her dream. Then, just before she was to sign the lease agreement, a mule stepped out into the road. Her backer backed out of the deal. Without the finances, there would be no art gallery, and after an exhaustive search for another backer she was ready to give up in the face of an immovable mule.

Before the mule had exhausted all her energy and vision, she began refocusing on her goal, which was to start an art show business. A friend of hers owns a popular night club and offered to let her host an art show at the club on a week night. After a tremendous job of creative planning, she held her first show and completely packed out the club. It was a total success.

She recently finished her third highly-profitable, standing-room-only show, and is well on her way to building a successful art show business without the expense of a permanent gallery. In going around the mule, she found that she could eliminate the need for a major expense and at the same time take advantage of the established clienteles of successful night clubs. Today she's more fired up about her goal than ever, and realizes that the mule turned out to be a blessing in disguise.

Learn to Recognize the Real Mules and Go Around Them It's often difficult to spot a mule when it blocks the road to your goal. Unexpected obstacles often get in the way, and generally with creativity and determination you can successfully move or eliminate them. But when a real mule comes along, learn to recognize it by its stubborn, immovable nature.

When you initially define a goal, you should attempt to anticipate the obstacles and roadblocks you'll meet along the way, and plan accordingly. But once you get started, when you run into an unexpected mule, step back and focus on the essence of your goal. Get creative. Look for high ground and assess the landscape. There may be an even better path to your goal that you've overlooked, and if you can find it you'll have the mule to thank!

Getting The Winning Attitude

What does it take in our everyday lives to be successful? In order to evaluate this question it is first necessary to understand what "success" is and what all successful people have in common. It is probably safe to assume that anyone reading this article wants to be successful.However, only 5% of the population will ever reach their potential for all activities, 95% of the people will never truly be successful.By definition, success is the realization of a worthy deal. Success is different for every individual.For some people, an annual income of $25,000 would be a success, for another it may be $125,000. Whatever it may be for you, there are 5 characteristics that you must have in common with other successful people in order to achieve true success.

Goals are the single most important factor in achieving success. Without a realistic goal, how will you ever know when you have reached your success level.All successful people set goals.All goals must be realistic, short term, measurable and obtainable within the bounds of your own perception.As time passes, your goals can always be adjusted upward to reach your ultimate goal of success. However, if your initial goal is to be worth $1,000,000 by the year end and you are currently only worth $100,000 with an annual income of $50,000 a year and this is November, you most likely will never be able to reach it and therefore, it is unrealistic.Biting off a job in small portions makes the eventual achievement of the total task seem easier and manageable.All successful people constantly set goals, re-evaluate their goals and scale them upward toward even greateraccomplishments.

A positive attitude is the second factor that successful people have in common.I have never met a truly successful person who I would consider a "self made" success that did not have a positive attitude.These people relate to the world on a positive basis.They always look for the "can do" not the "can not do" side of every situation. "If you think you can or if you think you can't, you're right."All successful people truly believe not only in themselves, but in the reality of their goals. A positive attitude is contagious and when it is sincere, the people with whom you come in contact will relate to you and your activities with a vitality and positive attitude that causes a winning, successful environment.

The truth is always best to deal with for several reasons, not the least important of which is that it is always the easiest to remember.If you are going to be successful, you will not have time, energy and ability to remember untruths, or lies that you have told people. This consumes valuable energy and detracts from the power needed to run a successful life.The truth is easy to remember and generally, in the long term, easier to deal with. True winners are always ready to face the truth in situations and handle things as they deal with them on a timely basis and then proceed to get on with the business of running a successful, prosperous life.Never having to back track to cover up problem areas.

Research and Development in today's society have become extremely important to all major corporations.This is where all new products and ideas evolve.Successful individuals have always understood this principal on a personal level and they constantly strive to improve their own abilities through such methods as formal educational systems, seminars, reading books, listening to ideas the thoughts of others, and in any manner that presents itself to them.Successful people truly believe they can improve themselves and constantly strive to seek methods and means that will help them accomplish this task. They also know that there is a price to pay for this success and the return on investment is sometimes great and sometimes small, but that the return without the investment is always the same "0".

"Thinking is the hardest work there is, which is the probable reason why so few engage in it." -Henry Ford

Man's ability over all other creatures on this Earth is the ability to think.All successful people use this talent to improve their lives and control their own destiny.Only you can take the initial step toward the unleashing of the power within your own mind. The power is awesome and at times can be frightening. However, man has abilities of the mind that many people can not or would not believe.Anthony Robbins has recently written a book entitled "Unlimited Power" which explains in simple terms the theories of Neuro Linguistic Programming, the power of the mind and how to gain control and use it.NLP was originally developed by John Grinder and Richard Bandler as a communication system using the central nervous system.Through this system Mr. Robbins has put forth a complete outline on how to unleash your "performance power" and achieve goals that before you probably felt were impossible.

he first step in using your true mental abilities is understanding what Mr. Robbins refers to as the seven triggering mechanisms that is sure success.

1.Passion - All truly successful people such as Lee Iacocca have a driving force within them that sets them apart from others. A desire, an energy that gives them the fuel to reach their true potential.This force is a part of them 24 hours a day, seven days a week.It never subsides. Their total existence is sustained for the fulfillment of their goals. The passion within this individual to achieve has been so deeply implanted, that their mental power is driven by this force and will not let them do anything other than achieve.

2.Belief - "They can because they think they can"-Virgil.You will only make $100,000 this year if you first believe you can.If you do not believe you can you are telling yourself you want it, but it is truly not obtainable.The truth of life is that man's limits are self imposed by what the mind is given to believe.If you expand your belief of your own abilities, you will also expand your true realm of accomplishment. A man of whom all are aware, lived his life with adversity, but he constantly believed he could achieve. Failed in business at age 31 Was defeated in a legislative race at age 32 Failed again in business at age 34 Overcome death of sweetheart at age 35 Had a nervous breakdown at age 36 Lost an election at age 38 Lost a congressional race at age 43 Lost a congressional race at age 46 Lost a congressional race at age 48 Lost a Senatorial race at age 55 Failed to become Vice President at age 56 Lost a Senatorial race at age 58 Elected President of the United States atage 60

With all the adversity that faced him, President Abraham Lincoln had no reason to continually try other than the fact that he believed it was his destiny and measure of success to accomplish this task.

"Man is what he believes" -Anton Checkhov

3.Strategy - A strategy is your game plan of life. The road map you will use to accomplish your goals, ambitions and desires.Just to believe you can earn $100,000 a year is not enough, you must design a strategy that gives your life direction and navigates you toward success.The key to strategy is to design a proper strategy to achieve your success without the detours of life, to find the shortest distance between two points.

4.Clarity of Values - Man must first determine which things in life are most valuable to him. He must determine his feeling about such things as patriotism, pride, love, freedom, excellence, ownership and tolerance. These are values in society, the moral, ethical and fundamental judgements that we, as individuals, deem important.Without a clear system of values for ourselves, it is impossible to believe in something with a passion that has no value to us.Once we have established our individual value system we are then able to determine how we can achieve success based on our priority of values.What must we five up in one hand to accomplish what we desire on the other.Without a value system we can never move forward for we may be trading without increasing our potential for success.

5.Energy - Without the physical vitality to take action, nothing would ever come of our system to this point.The passion could build, our belief of accomplishment could be overwhelming, we could have the best strategy or map to achieve the ultimate value for our own life, but if not for taking the first step, nothing could ever be accomplished. Great success cannot be separated from physical, spiritual and mental energy that allows us, compels us, to accomplish the most with what we have to work with. Physical energy comes from the strength of the body itself fueled by our intake of nourishment.It is therefore important that we fuel our engine with premium fuel (good eating habits), not low grade regular (junk food). Our spiritual and intellectual energy evolves from our environment and it is therefore important that we assess our own personal environment to maximize the energy that we can obtain.

6.Bonding Power - We have all known people that have exhibited the ability to get along with anyone and everyone. The ability to be a chameleon is truly the ability to connect with and bond with others. The ability to build rapport.Being able to deal with others as Mr. Robbins says "To effectively communicate, we must realize that we are all different in the way we perceive the world and use this understanding as a guide to our communication with others." To be able to understand the...

7.Mastery of Communication - To take charge and run your own mind. To learn the techniques of NLP and no longer allow our mind to run our lives, but rather take charge of our own mental abilities and cause them to work for our own accomplishment of success.

"There is only one Success - to be able to spend your life in your own way."

Helen Peelman - Freebies For Newbies Newsletter. subscribe: mailto:hpeelman@yahoo.com The Gold Club-The best money making Club on the Net.Join Free! http://www.gold-club.net/sponsor.asp?HP62371

Free Your Mind To Be Independent

"Happiness, like unhappiness, is a proactive choice." -Stephen Covey

I saw the movie Pearl Harbor over Memorial Day weekend. It served as a good reminder of the tremendous cost of freedom. There is also a tremendous cost to not having freedom.

In a physical sense, most of us enjoy freedom. In an emotional or psychological sense, however, an estimated 80% of the population puts themselves into a self-imposed prison cell on a regular basis. We forfeit our freedom of choice through our own thought processes. I frequently hear my clients say, "I have to" or "I gotta" or "I should" And when I hear those phrases I often ask, "Do you have to or do you choose to?" There are very few things in life that we have to do. Yet some of us forfeit our choice to the point of seeing our options in life as limited. This generally leads to a feeling of hopelessness.

There are indeed times when you are not at choice. When you are not at choice, you may be a victim. And sometimes you might slip into the victim role when, in fact, you do have choices. The first step toward getting out of a self-imposed victim role is to recognize the choices you have.

Exercise Your Free Will

"Independent will is our capacity to act. It gives us the power to transcend our paradigms, to swim upstream, to rewrite our scripts, to act based on principle rather than reacting based on emotion or circumstance." -Stephen Covey

We have been given the ability to examine our conscious thoughts and choose how we react in any given situation. We learn at a very early age that if we act a certain way, we will achieve a certain result.

Often the result we opt for is safety. And safety is necessary to preserve our physical well-being. However, our desire to be "safe" sometimes paralyzes our ability to exercise our free will. From childhood on, most of us have been programmed to "play it safe," and this often affects the choices we make as adults. We tell ourselves, "That was so disappointing before, so I better not take that chance again."

Do you allow your fear of hurt, rejection, or failure to determine how much risk you are willing to take? What is the cost of doing this? Perhaps you're stuck in a job or career path you hate, or you are in a relationship that does not serve you, or you've chosen not to pursue a relationship you want. Do you struggle with low self-esteem and self- confidence? If so, you are probably severely hampering your ability to manifest what you want in your life by convincing yourself that you should not try, or that you do not deserve what you really want. Our choices are strongly influenced by our disempowering emotions. By learning to recognize and step out of experiencing these emotions, a whole new world of possibility will be available to you.

I know this from personal experience. For 13 years I chose to stay in a stressful career that I did not find fulfilling. The more time I invested in that career path, the less at choice I felt. At one point I took an exam to receive a special certification in my field. When I passed the exam and was certified, I felt like there was no turning back! I told myself, "I can't leave this field now look how much I've invested in it!" And besides, I had no idea what else I could possibly do. Fear held me back, until one day the pain of not making a change outweighed the fear of the unknown.

Susan Jeffers, author of Feel the Fear and Do it Anyway, teaches us how to stop negative thinking patterns and reeducate our minds to think more positively. In her book, she shows us how to risk a little every day, how to turn every decision into a "No-Lose" situation, and much more.

When my clients focus on their values -- what is most important to them at the core -- they are more at choice and less at effect. They recognize that they have the freedom to choose based on their own values, versus being influenced by limiting beliefs, circumstances, or the opinions of others. One of the great joys of being a coach is that I get to journey with my clients as they create the work and play they are most passionate about. When passion and talents/skills intersect, there is no limit to the possibilities!

Inside-Out Thinking

"If your success is not on your own terms, if it looks good to the world but does not feel good in your heart, it is not success at all." -Anna Quindlen

Most of us grew up with an "outside-in" model of thinking. In other words, we have been influenced by the advice and opinions of others rather than trusting the answers from within. When we follow the outside-in model, the results do not usually bring about a deep level of satisfaction or fulfillment. Outside-in thinking means that we try to change, improve, or transform ourselves and our circumstances based on what others think. Outside-in thinking represents a reactive model, based on external circumstances. Not only is this less effective, but it usually takes more effort and energy.

The "inside-out" model of thinking represents a proactive model, which is based on accessing one's own internal wisdom and core values. The word "proactive" means more than merely taking initiative. Our behavior is a function of our decisions, not our conditions. We can subordinate feelings to values. We have the initiative and the responsibility to make things happen. When we align our actions with the essence of who we are and what we value most, we are using the inside-out model. As each of us more fully honors our essential selves and our values, outer conditions begin to change, improve, and even transform.

One of the best illustrations of the power of "inside-out" came to me when I was a child. I went to see the movie Papillon. For those not familiar with this story, Henri Charriere was a Frenchman who was convicted in 1931 of a murder he did not commit. Sentenced to life imprisonment, he spent 12 years in the penal colony of French Guiana. After eight unsuccessful attempts to escape, he finally got away to Venezuela. More than 20 years later, when he was 60, Charriere wrote his story, which became an international best seller and was made into a movie. One scene from the movie has stuck with me all these years. Charriere was locked in a dark, small cell in solitary confinement almost 24 hours a day. The only living things sharing the tiny prison cell with him were the roaches. He chose to make these roaches his "friends" and actually looked forward to seeing them on the occasions when a beam of light would come into his cell so he could see.

Now, if you're like me, I was taught that roaches were not my friends. This scene in the movie taught me a very important lesson in life: It is not our circumstances that make or break us, but rather our response to those circumstances. Jack Canfield illustrates this beautifully in his book, How to Build High Self-Esteem, by sharing this simple equation: E (experience) + R (response) = O (outcome).

In Charriere's case, the experience was that he was imprisoned in solitary confinement in a very small roach- infested cell with little or no light. The response was that he chose to think of the roaches as welcomed guests in his home -- his way of honoring his own value of having companionship in his life. The outcome was that he was able to maintain his sanity by inviting the roaches to provide him with the companionship he so desperately craved while in solitary confinement. Had Charriere's response been different, I'm certain he would have experienced a completely different outcome. As I recall, the movie paralleled Charriere's life with that of another prisoner in the same penal colony. Although the two prisoners shared similar experiences, their responses were quite different. The other man ended up losing his sanity and dying during an attempt to escape.

Although we may never find ourselves in Charriere's circumstances, I believe most of us are mentally imprisoned by our own response to experiences in our lives. When we experience emotions like fear, anger, and jealousy, we have chosen thoughts that put us in the smallest of jail cells. These emotions completely paralyze our freedom of choice.

We have the ability to be completely at choice about how we see things, how we feel, and what we do as a result. In Stephen Covey's book, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, he explains how these things are all connected: Our paradigms -- the lens through which we view things -- inform our thoughts. Our thoughts inform our feelings. Our feelings inform our response. Our response affects the outcome. This explains how two people working from different paradigms can experience the same event and yet experience completely different outcomes. To illustrate, Stephen Covey tells of an experience he once had:

Mr. Covey was sitting on a New York subway one quiet Sunday morning when a man and his children got on his subway car. The man sat down next to Covey and closed his eyes, while his children immediately began yelling back and forth, throwing things, and even grabbing people's papers. Although the children were being very disruptive, the father made no attempt to control his kids. It appeared that he was oblivious to the situation. Covey grew more irritated by the minute. Clearly everyone else on the subway felt irritated, too. So Covey finally turned to the man and said, "Sir, your children are really disturbing a lot of people. I wonder if you couldn't control them a little more?" The father lifted his gaze as he became conscious to the situation, and he said, "Oh, you're right. I guess I should do something about it. We just came from the hospital where their mother died about an hour ago. I don't know what to think, and I guess they don't know how to handle it either." At this point, Covey shifted from feeling irritated and judgmental to feeling compassion, concern, and empathy. In other words, as Covey got more information, it shifted his paradigm, which shifted the way he thought about the situation, which shifted his feelings about the man and his children. And all of these shifts helped Covey to choose a different response, which changed the outcome for both Covey and the other man.

Kathy Paauw, a certified business/personal coach and organizing/productivity consultant, specializes in helping busy executives, professionals, and entrepreneurs declutter their schedules, spaces and minds. Contact her at orgcoach@gte.net or visit her website at http://www.orgcoach.net and learn how you can Find ANYTHING in 5 Seconds --Guaranteed!

The Greatest Fear Of All

FACE YOUR GREATEST FEAR!

Have you attended meetings where you wanted and were expected to contribute and simply did not dare to get up and be heard? Have you toyed with the idea of giving workshops to increase your business, but shied away because you were too scared to get up in front of an audience?

Why is it that so many us, who have worthwhile contributions to make, avoid getting up in front of a group of people, to put our thoughts into words? Why is it that small vocal minorities often seem to get their way? Why is it that Toastmasters International attracts over 170,000 members every year? Because many people are afraid to address an audience.

A U.S. publication, "The Book of Lists" reports that the greatest fear of people in North America is to get up in front of a group of people to make a presentation. You are not alone!

And what do most of us do to overcome this fear? We simply decline invitations to speak. In other words, we throw away opportunities for career advancement or increased business. We choose to remain in our comfort zone.

If we do accept to speak to an audience, we have a tendency to hide behind electronic wizardry rather than making our speech a promotional platform for ourselves and we fervently hope that the audience does not notice our shaking knees, trembling hands and quivering voice.

Real communication takes place when one human being reaches out to others by using his or her own natural wizardry. All the email, faxes and multi-media equipment in the world will not be able to replace the human voice, body language or emotion in communication.

Presentation skills are within all of us but we have often developed a negative attitude towards speaking in public. Many psychologists and therapists tend to agree that this phobia about public speaking might have developed as a learned negative behavior during our school years.

Kindergarten. Show and Tell. I bet you can recall several of your little class mates who were called upon by the teacher to do their "show and tell" in front of the class and who left their mark...on the floor, right in front of the whole class. That's how scared they were!

Elementary School. Presentations in front of the class. This was the period when we had crushes, and the subject of our admiration was snickering at our ineptness!

High School. How did the teacher always know the kid who had not prepared his or her homework? Another humiliation in front of our peers!

Is it any wonder that we grow up with this negative attitude about getting up in front of a group to make a presentation? Of course not! It is the result of negative conditioning. Since one of the greatest human motivations is the avoidance of pain, we have learned that speaking in front of a group is to be avoided at all costs, because it creates nothing but pain and embarrassment.

But there is hope, negative attitudes can be unlearned. We can learn effective ways to control this fear and to use our voice, body language and emotion to make successful presentations and deliver workshops that create results. Here are a few tips:

Read the complete article that provides various solutions to overcome this FEAR of speaking in front of a group, in our semi-monthly ezine. mailto:speakertip@smartbotpro.net Visit the Speaker's Coach Website at: http://www.intranet.ca/~jwaisvisz

Jacques Waisvisz The Ten Ps of Powerful Presentations Presentation Skills Seminars and Workshops The Speaker's Coach Ottawa, Ontario, K2B 8C5, Tel: 1 (613) 829-5980 http://www.intranet.ca/~jwaisvisz/ mailto:jwaisvisz@intranet.ca

Turning Your Fear Into Courage To Make First Impressions Count

The top business people all say the same thing - first impressions count. Sounds easy, and it is easy for those few who can start a conversation with just about anyone but how many people do you know who are like that?

On the other hand when you're shy it's easy to avoid other people, shyness automatically comes with a PhD in how to creatively avoid people, especially strangers! However this tendency can prove detrimental to your business especially when you consider that your ultimate success can depend on approaching people and making a great first impression.

There is a better way; it is possible to use your mind in a simple yet powerful way that will make it easy for you to make a fantastic first impression. It involves applying peak performance principles in a special way.

Here's what I do when I´m at a conference and I spot someone I know that I ought to say Hello to although my initial tendency is to just avoid them and hope that they don't see me.

First of all, feel yourself standing tall, just pretend that you feel dynamic, powerful and enthusiastic and take on that posture. Breathe deeply, chest out, and smile so wide that you can feel the stretch in your cheeks. Even if you make believe you will still tend to come across far better with whoever you approach.

Then, as you approach him or her, hear yourself saying HI or HELLO inside your head. The key is to make the sound very, very loud inside your head, really exaggerate it to impress your mind with your intention.

Finally, visualize that person smiling as they recognize you and make sure to go overboard with the imagined picture in your mind as well. Make the picture twice as big as life size, make it 3D, in rich color and very bright and up close in your mind's eye.

All this takes just a few seconds when you get good at it, at first you may find it tricky, practice it with people you see about town and you'll soon find yourself greeting more people.

I also use this technique when I'm waiting in line at the bank, in a store etc. That way you get an opportunity to be friendlier with whoever is serving you and with the other people waiting in line.

In a short time you will find it easier and easier to start conversations with people you would not have dared to approach in the past. Do this day after day and the cumulative effect on your business will be staggering.

Keys to success:

1 Practice this skill daily until it becomes second nature to you.

2 Teach your staff how to approach people as well, by teaching this skill you will become even better yourself.

3 Remind yourself of the negative implications of not making a great first impression and the long-term effect on your business.

Peter Murphy is a peak performance expert and published author. Subscribe FREE to his upbeat newsletter and get a FREE e-book, Abolish Shyness - Steps to Success, which reveals secret strategies for supercharging your communication skills. To join send an email to: AbolishShynessToday-subscribe@topica.com