Business Improvement Nuggets
When you have talked yourself into what you want, stop talking and begin saying it with your actions.
Persuading yourself that you can do something is a strong beginning. Next develop a sound plan and get into action. The longer you delay, the harder it will be to begin. Seldom is a plan perfect. If you have a clear vision of your goal and a plan that is flexible enough to allow you to deal with unexpected obstacles or take advantage of unforeseen opportunities, don’t delay another minute. Just getting into action — even if you do have to make adjustments later — will help focus your mind and channel your energies in the direction of your objective.
Anyone can quit when the going is hard, but a thoroughbred never quits until he wins.
The going is always hard on the road to greatness. If success were easy, everyone would achieve it. NFL All-Pro lineman Brian Holloway recalled that when he was playing for the New England Patriots and the Los Angeles Raiders, there wasn’t a single day when he didn’t feel like giving up because the road was too tough and the sacrifices were too great. He didn’t quit, of course; he was willing to pay the price because he was determined to succeed. True thoroughbreds never quit. Competition only spurs them, and obstacles merely reinforce their determination to succeed. If you have not yet achieved greatness in your life, it is because you have been willing to settle for less. You may not cross the finish line first every time you try, but if you stay in the race, you will eventually prevail.
Beware of him who tries to poison your mind against another under the pretense of helping you. The chances are a thousand to one he is trying to help himself.
South African poet and painter Breyten Breytenback tells of a black man named Freedom who was the property of a one-legged slave owner in the days before the abolition of slavery. Whenever the owner bought a new pair of shoes, he gave the left one, which he couldn’t use, to Freedom. Eventually, wearing two left shoes deformed Freedom’s right foot, and he was permanently crippled by the “generosity” of his master. Don’t be fooled by people who attempt to further their own interests under the guise of helping you. Listen to advice from others, thank them for their interest, and make up your own mind about what is best. Follow their advice if it fits with your plan for your life, but don’t hesitate to discard it if it doesn’t. In all the world, there is only one individual who knows what is best for you, and that person is you.
Those who create good fellowship among others will never be short of friends.
If you have a friend who goes out of his way to help cement friendships between others, consider yourself fortunate indeed. In today’s frantic, mobile, throwaway society, such individuals are exceedingly rare. With the demands placed upon us by our careers, our families, and the hectic pace of daily life, most of us have little time for ourselves, and even less for our friends. Yet we know that friendship freely given and gratefully received is one of life’s greatest gifts.
Nature yields her most profound secrets to those who are determined to uncover them.
The field of science is perhaps the best illustration of how success always seems to come to those who apply the principle of accurate thinking in a persistent, determined effort. America’s great inventor Thomas A. Edison is said to have failed 10,000 times in his attempt to develop a workable electric light bulb. He learned from each failure and refused to quit until he succeeded. Breakthroughs occur every day because a determined person continues to search for solutions to complex problems long after everyone else has given up and gone home. You may not invent the light bulb or the next supercomputer, but you can find creative solutions to old problems if you apply the proven principles of success consistently and persistently.
Before opportunity crowns you with great success, it usually tests your mettle through adversity.
Adversity provides the resistance necessary to develop the strength to overcome great obstacles. This strength consists of self-confidence, perseverance, and, very importantly, self-knowledge. For if you do encounter a setback, it is a clue to a personal weakness. You may have been hasty in judging a competitor, or you may have been too timid in your vision of what needed to be done. Let adversity be your guide to understanding where you mis-stepped and which qualities you need to cultivate. No one rejoices in disappointment, but if you are success-conscious, you can turn the situation into a chance for improving your character, an opportunity you otherwise would have missed.
“No”
The better portion of all sales I have made were made after people had said “no.”
Thoughts
Everyone is what they are because of the dominating thoughts which they permit to occupy their mind.
Victory is always possible for the person who refuses to stop fighting.
Julius Caesar had long wished to capture the British. He sailed to the British Isles, quietly unloaded his troops and supplies, and gave the order to burn the ships. He then called all of his men together and said, “Now it is win or perish. We have no choice.” With that single order, he guaranteed the success of his campaign. He knew that people who have no other alternative — or will accept no other — always win. If you find yourself in a situation where victory seems impossible, you may benefit your cause by developing an alternate course of action. If your objective won’t yield to a full frontal assault, try an oblique approach. There are very few problems in life that are impossible to solve, and few obstacles that will not eventually give way to a determined, motivated person with a plan that is flexible enough to cope with changing condition.
Readiness
Psychologists have correctly said that “when one is truly ready for a thing, it puts in its appearance.”
The best job goes to the one who can get it done without passing the buck or coming back with alibis.
We often discover that people we view as “overnight successes” have in fact labored for years in obscurity before they were finally recognized and rewarded for their contributions. Success is a cumulative effort; the journey to the top in any field is usually long and requires careful planning. If you want to climb the first rung on the ladder of success, you must always take the initiative to get the job done, even when you find it less than challenging or even unpleasant. Eventually, you’ll earn your reward. You will become the boss, the leader, because you have developed the habit of taking the initiative to get the job done. You will get the best jobs because you’ve proven that you are dependable by accepting responsibility for your actions and your future.
Individuals with positive mental attitudes are never found in a rut.
Individuals with a positive attitude are those who somehow always manage to find something new and interesting even in the most mundane tasks. They don’t allow themselves to be bored, because they are always seeking ways to do things faster, better, and more efficiently. If you make it a practice to find better ways to do the same old things, you will soon be marked for advancement. You will be supervising others who are performing your old job because you’ve proven that you are a person who can be counted on to take the initiative and do what needs to be done without being told.
The safest and best way to punish one who has done you an injustice is to do him or her a kind deed in return.
People will always respond in kind, even in greater measure than that which is delivered to them. This commonplace need for retaliation can be replaced with a response designed to convert an enemy into a friend. If you get rid of the millstone of pride, you can respond to an injustice with a kind deed. It may take time to make this work, but if you treat those who dislike you with unfailing kindness, they will eventually succumb to your influence and “retaliate” in kind. As Napoleon Hill said, “The hottest coals of fire ever heaped upon the head of one who has wronged you are the coals of human kindness.”
Unless you are an army officer, you can get better results by requests than you can by orders.
Armies spend endless hours training people to follow orders without question. It’s an essential quality in a soldier. In everyday life, however, things don’t work that way. Business, political, and civic leaders have learned that ordinary people will perform exceptional tasks when they are asked-not ordered-to do so. Even when you are managing other people, you will achieve far more if you convert every order to a request. Introductory phrases such as, “Would you mind …” or, “Could I ask your assistance in …” or the always effective, “Please …” will ensure success far more often than intimidating those who work for you. And when you need help from those whose paychecks you do not control, you will find them far more responsive to requests than to orders.
The keenest minds are the ones that have been whetted by practical experience.
Theoretical knowledge without practical experience might be compared to a large mass of undirected energy. Until it is focused, it is difficult to direct the energy to a useful end. Practical experience is the lens through which the energy of knowledge may be focused and directed toward activities that will provide the greatest benefit. When you learn new concepts or have an idea that has not yet been tested, make it a practice to think through its application carefully before implementation. When you have considered the possibilities, and it still seems to be a good idea — get into action. The only way to get practical experience is to get to work executing your idea.
Know your own mind, and you will be as wise as the sages.
When you take charge of your mind, you take charge of your life. When you understand your thoughts, feelings, emotions, and desires, you can direct them to any end you choose. Wisdom comes from taking the time to study yourself, to know why you are the person you are. Taking charge of your mind is a thoughtful, reflective, solitary process. Only you can come to understand the complex inner workings of your own mind, and you must be willing to spend the time and effort that gaining such insight requires.
Self-respect is the best means of getting the respect of others.
Have you known people who can’t stand to be alone for any length of time? The chances are good that those folks don’t like themselves very much. They need others around constantly to validate their own existence. Sadly, the people who need others the most are usually those whom others least like to be around. Because they don’t like themselves, other people seldom do either. The surest way to command the respect of others is to become a person you like being around. Identify the characteristics you admire in others and make a conscious effort to develop them yourself. Your self-respect begins to grow the moment you decide to take the first step toward becoming the kind of person you know you can be: a success.
The mind never becomes tired, but sometimes it becomes bored with the “food” it gets.
Computer experts use the acronym gigo — garbage in, garbage out — to illustrate the fact that the computer can process only the information it is given. The same is true with your mind. If you feed it healthful, nourishing “food,” it will grow strong and agile, but if you restrict it to a regular diet of mental “junk food,” your mind will become unhealthy, negative, and unproductive. It will return to you what you put into it. Feed your mind a balanced, nourishing diet. Study information from a variety of fields to help you keep up with the latest trends. You may find that the best ideas for your business come from a totally unrelated area.
A blind boy paid his way to a master’s degree at Northwestern University by taking notes on class lectures in Braille, typing them, and selling copies to classmates who had stronger eyes but weak ambition.
One of the great mysteries of life is why some people who seem to have all the advantages — the right connections, education, and experience — never seem to amount to much while others who have had to struggle for everything they have reach incredible heights of success. It hinges on determination. If you have the will to succeed, you will somehow find a way, regardless of the obstacles you encounter. Do you use all of your assets to achieve your goals, or are you handicapped by your lack of ambition? No other person can create in you a desire to succeed. With enough motivation, you will see things all around you that will help you reach your objectives, things that you may have overlooked many times before.
Living without a definite major purpose promises nothing but a scant living.
You may get by in life without a Definite Major Purpose, but you will never get ahead. Definiteness of purpose is the starting point of all achievement. Financial goals in particular should be specific, definite, and measurable. You should know what you plan to earn, by when, and how you plan to do so. The greatest advantage of financial security is the peace of mind that comes from knowing that, whatever challenges life brings, you are equipped to deal with them. You will be better at whatever you choose to do because you can focus on opportunities instead of struggling to eke out a living.
Mutual confidence is the foundation of all satisfactory human relationships.
Most of us have two basic questions about others when we enter into a relationship. They are: Can I trust you? And, do you really care about me? Depending upon our previous success in partnerships with others — personal or business — the answers may be slow in coming. Confidence in another is often developed gradually as those involved in the relationship commit themselves to each other’s success and happiness. Although trust and confidence are the basic underpinnings of all successful relationships, they are fragile. A relationship that has endured for months or even years can be irreparably damaged by a few unkind words or a single thoughtless act. Don’t allow yourself to act in haste or to lose control of your emotions in important relationships.
You can do it if you believe you can.
It’s called a “self-fulfilling prophecy” when something occurs because we believe it will. The mind is constructed so that it constantly seeks to bring into physical reality the things it thinks about most. Most of us will never realize the tremendous potential we possess — because we are unwilling to believe that we can accomplish things that others believe are impossible. “Impossible” jobs require more effort and greater concentration, but when they are completed, the rewards — both financial and psychic — are commensurate with the effort required. You may not be able to achieve everything you’d like, but you won’t accomplish anything unless you believe you can.
Opportunity lets you put your foot inside the door of success, but it doesn’t break the door down for you.
Opportunities are not windfalls. Winning a sweepstakes makes you instantly rich; encountering an opportunity means you will have to go to work. When you have attuned your mind to recognize opportunities, you will understand that most often they involve the exploitation of some potential, such as providing a new or better service, streamlining production, or reaching a new market. This is why the habit of initiative is so important. You must be prepared to act as soon as you recognize an opportunity. The action may be simply further investigation, or it may be making an instant sale. Most often, however, an opportunity takes time and perseverance to develop.
If you know your own mind, you know enough to keep it always positive.
You may not fully understand the complex process that causes electricity to be generated and transmitted to your home. But you understand very well how to apply and use it to illuminate your home, power your computer, and perform hundreds of other essential tasks. The same is true of your mind. No one understands the incredibly complex workings of the brain; we know only that when we use our mind in a certain way, we achieve a desired result. If we think positively, we achieve positive results.
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