Weekender November 24, 2001
Volume 3, Issue 47
Change
Quote: You can't just change how you think or the that
way you act -- you must change the way that you
will. You must gain control over the patterns
that govern your mind: your worldview, your
beliefs about what you deserve and what's
possible. That's the zone of fundamental change,
strength, and energy -- and the true meaning of
courage.
Peter Koestenbaum is the founder and Chairman
of PiB and the Koestenbaum Institute, bringing
leadership philosophy to business people globally.
Source: "Do you have the will to lead?" by Polly LaBarre,
Fast Company, March 2000
Courage
Quote: Running from fear only strengthens fear -- you are
demonstrating that fear has power over you. Fear
must be faced and gone through... Only then do we
learn the truth of fear -- that fear is merely an
illusion, not a real thing.
Peter McWilliams was the author of the ongoing Life
101 series of books. He died in June 2000, awaiting
sentencing for using marijuana to control the nausea
and vomiting caused by the drugs he had to take for
cancer and AIDS.
Source: You Can't Afford the Luxury of a Negative Thought
by Peter McWilliams
UK
Success
Quote: You must first know what people need, and then
invest yourself where you are most needed.
Russell H. Conwell was an orator, writer, educator, and
Baptist minister. He founded Temple University. This quote is from his speech,
Acres of Diamonds
Source: Treasury of Inspiration
edited by K.S. Giniger
Love
Quote: Love comforteth like sunshine after rain.
William Shakespeare (1564-1616) was one of the
world's greatest playwrights and poets.
Source: The Spirit of Loving
compiled by Emily Hilburn Sell
UK
Values
Quote: Whatever is at the center of our life will be the
source of our security, guidance, wisdom, and power.
Stephen Covey is a
time management guru.
Source: The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change
by Stephen R. Covey
UK
Bonus Reading on Focus
by Irette Patterson
My dad would always talk to my sisters and me about The Goal. I thought he was crazy at the time. The Goal. The Goal. The Goal. He didn't mean goals as in "I'm going to increase my business by 20%," he meant that when you go into any situation, you've got to know what is your desired, tangible outcome. For instance, let's say that you're returning some material you ordered over the Internet. The materials have a 30-day, money-back guarantee and you've returned the item within the 30 days. For some strange reason, the company is giving you problems about returning your money. The goal is that you want your money back. Your goal is not to have the company apologizing or promising you the world. You want your money back. You charged the materials on a charge card. You put the item into dispute with your credit card company. If putting the purchase into dispute takes the charge off your card, then you've reached your goal. What's the purpose of putting your energy into getting angry over the incident? You reached your goal and now you can let it go. Another situation would be if you go in to complain to anyone about a service or product. If you complain about something, you must know what tangible thing you want them to do to make you happy. People will usually give you what request, but you've got to make a request. You've got to let them know what they can do for you. These folks want to keep your business. If you've got an experienced person behind the counter, they can usually guess what will make you happy. Some people, however, can't. They're looking for you to let them know so they can get on the phone to their manager and say that this customer wants x. That makes everyone happy. So the next time you head into a situation, think about what you ultimately want to accomplish and keep focused on that. If you're nervous, visualize yourself achieving your goal. After all, you can get anything you want. You just have to have a goal.
© 2001 All Rights Reserved Irette Patterson |