Sophistication: Vitamins for the Mind

“Sophistication is understanding the difference between trinkets and treasures.”

“Sophisticated people don’t leave early. The man says, ‘Yeah, but I want to beat the traffic.’ Isn’t that a great skill to have - beating the traffic!”

“Money doesn’t make you sophisticated. Only study and practice make you sophisticated. Even people of modest means can become sophisticated because it is within study and practice. How much is a night out at the symphony? About thirty dollars. You say, ‘Poor people can’t afford thirty dollars to go to the symphony.’ Yes, they can. It’s only thirty Hershey bars!”

“We must teach our children not to spend their money a dollar at a time. If you spend your money a dollar at a time, you’ll wind up with trinkets instead of treasures. You can’t buy much of value a dollar at a time.”

Enterprise is Better Than Ease by Jim Rohn

If we are involved in a project, how hard should we work at it? How much time should we put in?

Our philosophy about activity and our attitude about hard work will affect the quality of our lives. What we decide about the rightful ratio of labor to rest will establish a certain work ethic. That work ethic–our attitude about the amount of labor we are willing to commit to future fortune–will determine how substantial or how meager that fortune turns out to be.

Enterprise is always better than ease. Every time we choose to do less than we could, this error in judgment has an effect on our self-confidence. Repeated every day, we soon find ourselves not only doing less than we should, but also being less than we could. The accumulative effect of this error in judgment can be devastating. Fortunately, it is easy to reverse the process.

Any day we choose we can develop a new discipline of doing rather than neglecting. Every time we choose action over ease or labor over rest, we develop an increasing level of self-worth, self-respect and self-confidence. In the final analysis, it is how we feel about ourselves that provides the greatest reward from any activity.

It is not what we get that makes us valuable; it is what we become in the process of doing that brings value into our lives. It is activity that converts human dreams into human reality, and that conversion from idea into actuality gives us a personal value that can come from no other source.

So feel free to not only engage in enterprise, but also to enjoy to its fullest along with all the benefits that are soon to come.

Discipline: Vitamins forthe Mind by Jim Rohn

Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment.

The best time to set up a new discipline is when the idea is strong.

One discipline always leads to another discipline.

All disciplines affect each other. Mistakenly the man says, "This is the only area where I let down." Not true. Every letdown affects the rest. Not to think so is naive.

Discipline is the foundation upon which all success is built. Lack of discipline inevitably leads to failure.

Discipline has within it the potential for creating future miracles.

Would Be Easy... If It Weren’t for COMMUNICATION Differences by Connie Podesta

Sometimes it seems that folks just don’t get it. No matter what you say or how you say it, they simply don’t have a clue—and don’t seem too worried about getting one either! It’s not their nature to understand; that’s just how they “are.” Maybe so, but more often than not, the problem is a result of a communication breakdown.

In this digitally interconnected world, you’d think we could “fix” such basic differences. Unfortunately, it’s not as easy as plugging another device into the system. Maybe they’re the problem. Maybe you are. We all know difficult people—and, in fact, we can all be the difficult person.

A little background on communication styles can help us understand the issues and learn how to alter our approach to eventually make life a little easier for both parties.

Every time we speak, we choose and use one of four basic communication styles: assertive, aggressive, passive and passive-aggressive.

Assertive Communication
The most effective and healthiest form of communication is the assertive style. It’s how we naturally express ourselves when our self-esteem is intact, giving us the confidence to communicate without games and manipulation.

When we are being assertive, we work hard to create mutually satisfying solutions. We communicate our needs clearly and forthrightly. We care about the relationship and strive for a win/win situation. We know our limits and refuse to be pushed beyond them just because someone else wants or needs something from us. Surprisingly, assertive is the style most people use least.

Aggressive Communication
Aggressive communication always involves manipulation. We may attempt to make people do what we want by inducing guilt (hurt) or by using intimidation and control tactics (anger). Covert or overt, we simply want our needs met—and right now! Although there are a few arenas where aggressive behavior is called for (e.g., sports or war), it will never work in a relationship. Ironically, the more aggressive sports rely heavily on team members and rational coaching strategies.

Passive Communication
Passive communication is based on compliance and hopes to avoid confrontation at all costs. In this mode we don’t talk much, question even less, and actually do very little. We just don’t want to rock the boat. Passives have learned that it is safer not to react and better to disappear than to stand up and be noticed.

Passive-Aggressive Communication
A combination of styles, passive-aggressive avoids direct confrontation (passive), but attempts to get even through manipulation (aggressive). If you’ve ever thought about making that certain someone who needs to be “taught a thing or two” suffer (even just a teeny bit), you’ve stepped pretty close to (if not on into) the devious and sneaky world of the passive-aggressive.

So now what?
Clearly, for many reasons, the only healthy communication style is assertive communication. Surely you can identify many people in your own life who favor each of the four styles. Most of us use a combination of these four styles, depending on the person or situation. The styles we choose generally depend on what our past experiences have taught us will work best to get our needs met in each specific situation. If you take a really good look at yourself, you’ve probably used each throughout your lifetime.

Understanding the four basic types of communication will help you learn how to react most effectively when confronted with a difficult person. It will also help you recognize when you are using manipulative behavior to get your own needs met. Remember, you always have a choice as to which communication style you use. If you’re serious about taking control of your life, practice being more assertive. It will help you diffuse anger, reduce guilt and build relationships, both personally and professionally.

Take Action! Begin to pay attention to which communication styles you use throughout the day. How often do you use a communication style other than assertive?

Watch and identify the communication styles some of the difficult people in your life use. Can you begin to notice how others use manipulative techniques to get their way?


Copyright 2013 Denis Waitley International, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Seeds of Confidence: Value Is Inside Out by Denis Waitley

The stretch of the limousine usually is inversely proportional to the self-esteem of the person riding in it.
Expect the best, plan for the worst, and prepare to be surprised.

You can only do good, if you feel good.

The price of success is to bear the criticism of envy.

Individuals with good self-esteem can accept or reject the opinions of others, but never depend on them for their sense of worthiness.

The Thread of a Dream by Denis Waitley

When I was researching the history of the building of the Brooklyn Bridge as a major illustration for the ideas of success and motivation, I became engrossed with the story of how the first bridge was built over the Niagara River near Niagara Falls. You see, to build a bridge over a giant gorge, first you have to get a line over the canyon, from one side to the other. Easier said than done at Niagara Falls.

The engineers couldn’t cross the river in a boat to take the line from one side to the other because the boat would go over the falls. And the airplane hadn’t been invented yet. The distance was also way beyond the bow-and-arrow range, which had been a common method at the time of getting the first line across to build a bridge.

The designing engineer, Charles Ellet, pondered the question until he came up with a revolutionary idea. He decided that, while solving the problem, he would also have some fun and generate some publicity for the project. Ellet sponsored a kite flying contest and offered five dollars to the first person who could fly a kite across the gorge and let it go low enough to the ground for someone to be able to grab the string. In 1849, five dollars was a prize similar to a small lottery today. The boy who won the prize relished his accomplishment until his death, nearly 80 years later.

It all began with an idea and one thin kite string. The kite string was used to pull a cord across, then a line, then a rope. Next came an iron-wire cable and then steel cables, until a structure strong enough to build a suspension bridge was in place.

I’m struck by how that string is like a single thought. The more vivid and clear the thought, and the more you come back to it, the stronger it becomes—like the string to the rope to a cable. Each time you rethink it, dwell on it, or layer it with other thoughts, you are strengthening the structure on which to build your idea, like building a bridge over Niagara Falls. But unlike a kite, there is no string attached to how high and how far your goals may take you. They are limited only by the power of your imagination and the strength of your desire.

Financial Independence: Vitamins for the Mind by Jim Rohn

Shortly after I met my mentor he asked me, "Mr. Rohn, how much money have you saved and invested over the last six years?" And I said, "None." He then asked, "Who sold you on that plan?"

It is better to be a lender than a spender.

If you depend on your company to take care of your retirement, your future income will be divided by five.

Take care of it yourself, and you can multiply your future income by five.

I remember saying to my mentor, "If I had more money, I would have a better plan." He quickly responded, "I would suggest that if you had a better plan, you would have more money." You see, it's not the amount that counts; it's the plan that counts.

The Bible says that it is hard for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of heaven. It doesn't say that it is impossible!

Learning Leads to Earning by Jack Canfield

What kind of reading material is on your coffee table? Or do you not have enough time to read with all the television that you watch? OK, so what kind of programs are you watching on television? The sad truth is that most people spend more time being mindlessly entertained than they do developing their skills and learning their craft.

So why is it not good? It is not good because it is not yet a reality! A dream is no good if it is only a dream. Sure a dream can make you feel good, but long term, if you don’t pursue it and make it a reality, it will cause you frustration more than anything. But there is hope!

So what are you doing right now to further your education in what you’re passionate about? Are you waiting for the right opportunity to come knocking before you will develop the skills you will need for it? Get ready now! The more information you have, the more advantage you have over the people who don’t. Reading for just one hour a day will greatly increase your level of success! There are so many things to read to develop your mind, from finance to psychology, from economics to business writing, from health to computers. For one hour a day you could be studying the wide array of subjects that can help you live successfully.

Successful people did not wait for someone to call on them to be an expert before they gathered all the knowledge they could about their specialty. They were ready when the opportunities presented themselves. Spend your time reading and learning, too. Read biographies and autobiographies to study the ways of other successful people. Read often, review what you’ve read, and apply at least one thing from what you’ve learned.

Attend conferences, trade shows, training seminars and success rallies. Remember to be teachable! You can’t learn a thing if you think you already know it all. Just allow yourself to let go of needing to be right and looking smart. Listen to those who have achieved success. Open yourself up to letting others help you create new ways of thinking. After all, you can try something out and if it doesn’t work for you, you can discard it.
Find out what you need to know and learn in order to be ready for your opportunity. Start now! Make a list of things you could be doing to prepare yourself. Do you need to take a class in your spare time? Do you need to ask your boss what it will take to get to the next level? Do you need to research the market to find out how to break into it? Will you need to gather a library of good reference materials? Tackle your list!
And when you are successful, don’t stop your learning habits. Keep up with your industry. Keep making improvements. Keep studying the masters. Be powerful by being as knowledgeable as you can be, by learning news ways to do things, and by being more effective and efficient in your life.

The more you know about your passion, the more money you will make doing it. The more you learn in advance, the better your chances of landing the opportunity when it comes to you, and the better your chances of creating the opportunity for yourself!

Thinking Like a Farmer by Jim Rohn

One of the difficulties we face in our industrialized age is the fact we’ve lost our sense of seasons. Unlike the farmer whose priorities change with the seasons, we have become impervious to the natural rhythm of life. As a result, we have our priorities out of balance. Let me illustrate what I mean:

For a farmer, springtime is his most active time. It’s then when he must work around the clock, up before the sun and still toiling at the stroke of midnight. He must keep his equipment running at full capacity because he has but a small window of time for the planting of his crop. Eventually winter comes when there is less for him to do to keep him busy.

There is a lesson here. Learn to use the seasons of life. Decide when to pour it on and when to ease back, when to take advantage and when to let things ride. It’s easy to keep going from nine to five year in and year out and lose a natural sense of priorities and cycles. Don’t let one year blend into another in a seemingly endless parade of tasks and responsibilities. Keep your eye on your own seasons, lest you lose sight of value and substance.

To Your Success,
Jim Rohn

Three Keys to Greatness (Video)

Today I would like to share with you a video that transformed my core values for the Better ;) You will hear Jim talking about the Three Keys to Greatness in life. 

Please comment to keep the conversation going. :)

Let me know should i share more videos ?

Establishing Dreams and Goals by Jim Rohn

(Blog Editor's Note:  This week is a really treat to receive the wisdom of establishing dreams & goals by the great Jim Rohn. I was so excited not only to read it but to share it with you all. I am very grateful to Jim Rohn International for their service to the world by making it a better place. Thank You JRI for all these newsletters & the wisdom of Jim Rohn you share with us. In Gratitude. )

One of the amazing things we have been given as humans is the unquenchable desire to have dreams of a better life, and the ability to establish goals to live out those dreams. Think of it: We can look deep within our hearts and dream of a better situation for ourselves and our families; dream of better financial lives and better emotional or physical lives; certainly dream of better spiritual lives. But what makes this even more powerful is that we have also been given the ability to not only dream but to pursue those dreams and not only to pursue them, but the cognitive ability to actually lay out a plan and strategies (setting goals) to achieve those dreams. Powerful!

What are your dreams and goals? This isn't what you already have or what you have done, but what you want. Have you ever really sat down and thought through your life values and decided what you really want? Have you ever taken the time to truly reflect, to listen quietly to your heart, to see what dreams live within you? Your dreams are there. Everyone has them. They may live right on the surface, or they may be buried deep from years of others telling you they were foolish, but they are there.

So how do we know what our dreams are? This is an interesting process and it relates primarily to the art of listening. This is not listening to others; it is listening to yourself. If we listen to others, we hear their plans and dreams (and many will try to put their plans and dreams on us). If we listen to others, we can never be fulfilled. We will only chase elusive dreams that are not rooted deep within us. No, we must listen to our own hearts.

Let's take a look at some practical steps/thoughts on hearing from our hearts what our dreams are:

Take time to be quiet. This is something that we don't do enough in this busy world of ours. We rush, rush, rush, and we are constantly listening to noise all around us. The human heart was meant for times of quiet, to peer deep within. It is when we do this that our hearts are set free to soar and take flight on the wings of our own dreams! Schedule some quiet "dream time" this week. No other people. No cell phone. No computer. Just you, a pad, a pen, and your thoughts.

Think about what really thrills you. When you are quiet, think about those things that really get your blood moving. What would you LOVE to do, either for fun or for a living? What would you love to accomplish? What would you try if you were guaranteed to succeed? What big thoughts move your heart into a state of excitement and joy? When you answer these questions you will feel great and you will be in the "dream zone." It is only when we get to this point that we experience what our dreams are!

Write down all of your dreams as you have them. Don't think of any as too outlandish or foolish—remember, you're dreaming! Let the thoughts fly and take careful record.
Now, prioritize those dreams. Which are most important? Which are most feasible? Which would you love to do the most? Put them in the order in which you will actually try to attain them. Remember, we are always moving toward action, not just dreaming.

Here is the big picture: Life is too short to not pursue your dreams. Someday your life will near its end and all you will be able to do is look backward. You can reflect with joy or regret. Those who dream, who set goals and act on them to live out their dreams, are those who live lives of joy and have a sense of peace when they near the end of their lives. They have finished well, for themselves and for their families.

Remember: These are the dreams and goals that are born out of your heart and mind. These are the goals that are unique to you and come from who you were created to be and gifted to become. Your specific goals are what you want to attain because they are what will make your life joyful and bring your family's life into congruence with what you want it to be.

Source of this post: Jim Rohn's Official Newsletters.

Be Committed to Keeping Your Personal and Professional Life in Balance by Denis Waitley

It is so important to be living in prime time, rather than watching TV in prime time. On your way to success make certain you grow friendships, not just bank and mutual fund accounts. Life is a collection of memories, not of material things. The Egyptian pharaohs were buried with all their treasures, and were mummified in hopes that they could enjoy their bounty in the next life. But we are only caretakers of possessions. There is a big difference between standard of living and quality of life. Standard of living is based on income earned. Quality of life is the enjoyment of the millions of minutes in between accomplishments.

Having money is only one aspect of wealth. To the sick person, wealth is health. To the lonely person, wealth is someone to talk to and share with. To the estranged person, wealth is hearing words of love and forgiveness.

Borrowing the free verse style from Brother Jeremiah’s classic poem, I’d Pick More Daisies, here are a few things I’d do, the second time around.

I’d laugh at my misfortunes more. Spend more time counting my blessings than my blemishes. Spend more time playing with my children and grandchildren and less time watching performers in the arena. More time enjoying what I have, less time thinking about the things I don’t have. If I could live my life again, I’d walk in the rain more without an umbrella and listen less to weather reports. I’d spend more time looking at trees and climbing them, less time flipping through magazines made from dead trees. I’d spend more time fully involved in the present moment, less time remembering and anticipating. I’d smile more, frown less.

And most of all I’d be more spontaneous and active, less hesitant and subdued. When some spur of the moment idea came up to go hiking, playing Frisbee, coloring Easter eggs, singing in a chorus, going kayaking, or watching an eclipse, I’d be less likely to sit in my chair objecting, “It’s not in our plan.”

I’d be inclined to jump up and run out the door next time and say, “Yes, we can!” Although I can’t live my life again, I’m still going to live the new way every day any way. I’ll never have all the moments I’ve missed, but I do have all the time remaining.

Action Idea: Choose one activity this month that you really want to engage in, but that you have been putting off because it isn’t a priority. Schedule that activity in your planner, as if it were a “must do” business or financial commitment. When you have done it, while you are still feeling good, schedule one for next month, and do it as long as you live.

Journals : Vitamins for the Mind by Jim Rohn

Be a collector of good ideas, but don't trust your memory. The best collecting place for all of the ideas and information that comes your way is your journal.

The reason why I spend so much money for my journals is to press me to find something valuable to put in them.

There are three things to leave behind: your photographs, your library and your personal journals. These things are certainly going to be more valuable to future generations than your furniture!
Don't use your mind for a filing cabinet. Use your mind to work out problems and find answers; file away good ideas in your journal.

No Matter How Busy You Are… by Jim Rohn

No matter how busy you are, make sure to find some time over the next two weeks to reflect, think, give and plan.

The week between Christmas and New Year’s is the ideal time for this. Try to slow things down. Spend time with the ones you love and care about. Take some time to talk with your spouse and kids about goals and dreams for the next year. Use this as a time to recharge your batteries (and not just by watching TV the entire time), and with excitement, think about a handful of changes or additions you want for your life in the New Year.

I believe you will find the act of reflecting, thinking, dreaming and planning (with your family) to be one of the most important exercises you can do that will positively impact the next 12 months.
And, remember, do not neglect to commit yourself to set this time aside, or you will find that the business of life can and will get in the way.

So, let’s all take a moment to gather up the past year of victories and defeats, growing as well as those times of stagnation, and use it to wipe a clean slate and thoughtfully design the next year the way we truly desire it to be.

 "If you don't design your own life plan, chances are you'll fall into someone else's plan. And guess what they may have planned for you? Not much.” – Jim Rohn 

"The reason why most people face the future with apprehension instead of anticipation is because they don't have it well designed.” – Jim Rohn

Practice Extravagant Dreaming! by Lisa Jimenez

Allowing your mind to think extravagantly will lead you to extravagant dreaming! You know, the kind of dreaming you did when you were a kid, when opportunities were abundant. Your dreams were so big, you knew you had to grow into them.

 It takes courage to dream big. But the reality is, the only difference between a dream and reality is ACTION! Unfulfilled dreams are just dreams that were never followed through with action. The danger in these unfulfilled dreams is that they begin to affect your success in other areas of life. They begin to produce a scarcity pattern – a limiting consciousness. This was never supposed to be. We are the only creatures in all of creation with the ability to dream! Dreams lead to action. Action leads to reality.

 Do you believe that dreams really do come true?

 You used to believe this. Could it be that a collection of unfulfilled dreams has caused you to lose this precious gift? You can rekindle your innate ability to dream extravagantly by recalling some of the goals and dreams that you put off and decide what small act you’ll do today to rekindle them. Did you always want to learn how to play the piano? Call a piano teacher and get their fee schedule. Did you always want to play baseball? Go online to research your city leagues – even if it’s the over 40 league! Did you dream of traveling to faraway places? Stop in a travel agency and pick up some brochures of these exotic places.
   
What small step toward your forgotten dream could you take right now? I can’t tell you enough how strongly this small step could affect your success mindset.

Practice extravagant dreaming again! Happy 2013 !!

Resource for this post: Jim Rohn's Official Newsletter

(Click the Image above for more..)

Quotes from The Experts: Change/Choice

"In a time of rapid change, standing still is the most dangerous course of action." -- Brian Tracy

 "Lasting change is possible only when the need for change is both understood and internalized." -- Denis Waitley

"We generally change ourselves for one of two reasons: inspiration or desperation." -- Jim Rohn

"The time is always right to do what is right."-- Martin Luther King, Jr.

"Whatever your present situation, I assure you that you are not your habits. You can replace old patterns of self-defeating behavior with new patterns, new habits of the effectiveness, happiness, and trust-based relationships." -- Stephen Covey

 "There is nothing wrong with change, if it is in the right direction." -- Winston Churchill

 "What the caterpillar calls the end, the rest of the world calls a butterfly." -- Lao Tsu

Dedicate Yourself to Idea Tithing by Mark Victor Hansen

Just think what could happen if we all tithed ten percent of our ideas back to the world in ways that would help to create wealth and prosperity for everyone and everything. The possibilities would be extraordinary!

 Because we are all unique thinking minds and spirits, each of us has unique capabilities that no one else has or can ever have. If we each decided to create ideas, concepts, plans and solutions, every person and every creature on this planet would benefit.        

 Because we are all unique thinking minds and spirits, each of us has unique capabilities that no one else has or can ever have. If we each decided to create ideas, concepts, plans and solutions, every person and every creature on this planet would benefit.

 The great thing about idea tithing is that it’s free. It costs us nothing. Once we begin to think of just one idea that would benefit the universe, more ideas will follow. Pretty soon each of us will have hundreds of ideas. And our individual ideas, when told to other individuals, will act as a springboard for their ideas. We will inspire each other.

 Begin idea tithing today. An idea can take nothing and turn it into something.

Planning: Vitamins for the Mind by Jim Rohn

I find it fascinating that most people plan their vacations with better care than they plan their lives. Perhaps that is because escape is easier than change.

If you don't design your own life plan, chances are you'll fall into someone else's plan. And guess what they may have planned for you? Not much.

The reason why most people face the future with apprehension instead of anticipation is because they don't have it well designed.

The guy says, "When you work where I work, by the time you get home, it's late. You've got to have a bite to eat, watch a little TV, relax and get to bed. You can't sit up half the night planning, planning, planning." And he's the same guy who is behind on his car payment!

"The only thing worse than not reading a book in the last ninety days is not reading a book in the last ninety days and thinking that it doesn't matter.”—Jim Rohn

"Don't borrow someone else's plan. Develop your own philosophy and it will lead you to unique places.”—Jim Rohn

Living a Life of Meaning and Unstoppability by Cynthia Kersey

Living a life of meaning and unstoppability always involves giving. Many of the classic religious and secular texts throughout history contain some variation on "Give, and it will be given to you." Think about that for a moment. Isn't it true that the people with the most love in their lives give the most love? The people with the most friends are the most friendly?

A recent study by Stephanie L. Brown, Ph.D., of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, even showed that seniors who give aid and support to friends and neighbors actually live longer than those who simply receive it.

 What you give doesn't have to be big. It might be a smile to a stranger, an offer of business advice, a financial donation to a cause you've wanted to help, or a few volunteer hours at a community shelter. By sharing your talents, time or money, you will become invigorated about your goal and your life because you will be making a difference in the lives of others.

TV host Larry King asked Dana Reeve, wife of the late paralyzed actor Christopher Reeve, if she ever got depressed about her husband being confined to a wheelchair. "Yes, of course, " she said. "And when that happens, I immediately reach out to someone else who's hurting. Chris does the same thing when he gets down. In fact, we usually do it together. Helping others is a surefire way to help yourself."

Consider making a daily habit of giving to others. It doesn't have to take a lot of time and energy. By opening your eyes and heart, you will notice countless ways you can simply reach out to others. There is nothing more fulfilling in life than expressing your love for others. When you create a habit of giving, you are the greatest recipient.

Zig Ziglar's Dose of Inspiration

Zig Ziglar counsels that saying “Yes” to our children on many occasions is very effective because it also teaches valuable lessons. “This approach changes you in the child’s eyes from being a person who wants to deny him or her a pleasure to a parent who is interested in helping the child perform in a better, more mature way. Your teenager might ask to use the car to run a few errands. You can say, ‘Yes, as soon as you wash it and if you will stop by the service station and fill it with gas on your way home.’ This way you’re teaching your child responsibility.”

What You Think ?? Comments are Appreciated. Thank You !