The 7 Pillars of Connecting With Absolutely Anyone

“You can make more friends in two months by becoming interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get other people interested in you.” - Dale Carnegie,How to Win Friends and Influence People

I don’t care what your goals, industry or interests are, there’s no getting around it: Personal relationships run the world. But why is it that some people seem to build instant rapport with most anyone they come across, while others are left with a network of one?

Launchpad: L.A. State Of MindLori KozlowskiContributor

Success Stories About People Getting Business Jobs In The Tech WorldAlexander TaubContributor

Over the past few years, I’ve conducted a study of exactly what sets these people apart. Turns out, the results are more simple, and more powerful, than you’d think. And they led me to interactions and connections with world-class CEOs, best-selling authors, professional athletes and other seemingly untouchable folks, including Tony Robbins andWarren Buffett.

Regardless of status or fame, people are people. And the 7 pillars of making a connection with another person are always the same — whether applied to your next-door neighbor, one of the world’s biggest celebrities or even the cute girl sitting at the bar:

1. Be genuine. The only connections that work will be the ones that you truly care about; the world will see through anything short of that. If you don’t have a genuine interest in the person with whom you’re trying to connect, then stop trying.
2. Provide massive help. Even the biggest and most powerful people in the world have something they’d like help with. Too many people never reach out to those above them due to the fear that they wouldn’t be able to offer anything in return. But you have more to offer than you realize: write an article or blog post about them, share their project with your community, offer to spread their message through a video interview with them. Give real thought to who you could connect them with to benefit their goals. If it turns out you can’t be that helpful, the gesture alone will stand out.
3. Pay ridiculous attention. It’s nearly impossible to genuinely offer help if you don’t pay attention — I mean real attention, not just to what business they started or what sport they like! Do your research by reading blog posts, books and articles about the connection beforehand. Learn about their backgrounds and passions. Invest genuine time in learning what really matters to them and how you can help.
4. Connect with people close to them. Most job openings are filled through networking and referrals, and making connections is no different. You automatically arrive with credibility when referred to someone you want to meet by a mutual friend. For example, I recently wanted to meet a best-selling author, and it turned out we had the same personal trainer. In reality, that fact means nothing, but in the world of social dynamics, it’s gold! Spend more time connecting with your current network of friends and colleagues and see where it leads.
5. Persistence wins most battles. If you can’t get a direct referral, simply click send on that email or leave a message after the beep. But do not stop there, as most the world tends to. The first attempt is just the very beginning. Realize that the first try may get you nowhere, but the fifth or the tenth tries are the ones that start to yield results. An unreturned email or voicemail doesn’t mean they don’t want to connect with you. It’s your job to be persistent! I sometimes get hundreds of requests in a day from readers who want to connect, but only about 2 percent ever follow up. Don’t be in a hurry, but don’t be invisible either.
6. Make real friends. Think about how you’ve made the friends you have. That’s all this is. You only make friends with people you genuinely want in your life. The same rule should go for bigger-name connections. Don’t over-think it. Be human, be helpful and most humans will happily be human in return, regardless of who they are.
7. Remain unforgettable. All of the above are simple — yet sadly underused — ways of standing out. Send birthday cards. Mail your favorite book with a signed personal note from you on the inside flap. Send them your family Christmas card. Be genuinely helpful. You’d be surprised how the simplest things actually never get done. Being memorable isn’t as hard as some think!

• All from Live Your Legend.net
• Thanks.
• By Nichola A

Rule #1: Surround Yourself with Passionate People

Surround yourself with passionate people – some things to keep in mind:

1. Relationships give you permission to tell your story and have your dreams come alive. The more people you meet, the more you can change the world, both through helping others and spreading your big ideas.

2. Ask someone to tell their story. Everyone is dying to get their message out to the world, they just might not know it. Give them permission, get present and simply listen.

3. Be genuine and vulnerable – Get deep. When meeting someone, lead with intimacy. Humanize it! Don’t rattle off how great you are and all the things you’ve done. Bragging will only distance yourself. Be humble. Tell them the scary story of what shaped your life and what got you here. Were you abused as a child, grew up without a mother or witness a debilitating disease in a loved one? We all have defining personal moments in our life. Connect with people on that level.

4. Walk into a room and see friends not strangers. I don’t care if you don’t recognize a single face in the room. Adopt the belief that these people all want to connect as much as you do. Because it’s true. Walk up and see how you can help. See friends, and friends they will become.

5. Be a host at your own party. My wife, Chelsea, and I host dinner parties every month for between two and 10+ of our friends. We try to invite groups who don’t know one another so we can create new connections. When you’re a host you do everything you can to make them feel welcome. Do this with those close to you and those you want to be close. Make it fun and sit strangers next to each other.

6. Be a host at everyone else’s party. Being a host at your own home is a given. What about every other party you go to? The job of a host is to make others feel welcome and accommodated. Why only do this in your own home? Look at every interaction as a chance to be a host. Ask “how can I help you?” Have fun with it.

7. Fire people who don’t contribute to the dream. Our peer group is our choice. Choose wisely. We all have people who put us down or don’t believe in our ideas. They suck energy and diminish our potential. Who says you have to be around them? You don’t, so stop acting like you do. Take the 80/20 Rule to your relationships. Passion is too fragile and much too valuable. Increase your odds of finding it and remove the chance of losing it.

8. Repair bad connections. For whatever reason there are people in our lives we cannot get away from, who seem to be out to get us. Kill them with kindness. Sack up, be the bigger person and do the following. First, feel their pain–try to empathize and somehow see their side. Second, be complementary–tell them what you respect about them. You can always find something. Relate to them. Do this often enough and most people will stop treating you like sh*t. Often they’ll actually become extremely close to you because you’re the first one who helped them through their insecurity.

9. Choose to care about someone. The easiest way to get you to care about me is for me to care about you. The golden rule in reverse as laid out this weekend by Blake Mycoskie of Toms Shoes. Bust your ass to help those around you. Simple enough.

10. Spend routine quality time. Notice the life-changers you come across. It may be the shop owner down the street, your mother, long lost friend or your favorite author. Write them into your story. Set up group dinners, cook for them, plan a trip to the amusement park or rent out a paintball field (we just did this for a whopping $45/person for four hours of unreal primal fun!).

Get lost in conversation for hours. Make these interactions a weekly routine. There’s nothing more important. When you find someone new and interesting, see what you can invite them to right away that will make them feel a part of your life. They won’t forget it.

11. Find your things in town – Your ‘tribe’. Make this a priority. Some huge blowout on a boat is just one of unlimited options. There are like-minded folks like you all over your town. I don’t care what you’re into or where you live. This is the Internet’s best use case. Search out those groups. Check Craig’s List, MeetUp, coffee shop bulletin boards, Chamber of Commerce, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn. If you overhear someone at lunch mention something interesting, don’t be afraid to ask what’s up. It’s worth it, for both of you.

“You are the average of the five people closest to you.”

~Jim Rohn

Life sucks alone…

Experiences, accomplishments and success don’t mean much of anything if you’re alone at home with no one to celebrate. They are also much less likely to happen. What makes going to a restaurant, bar or new place so much fun? For the most part it’s the people – either the ones you know or the ones you meet. Be intentional about nurturing these relationships. Stay genuine. We all could use the extra passion.

What these guys are doing with Summit Series is literally changing the world. If you don’t currently have a resource full of passionate inspiring people, then create it. It starts with the people you spend most your time with, then move outwards.

Without this support you’ll likely never do the ground-breaking things you’re here to do. It’s the biggest reason people don’t leap. People around them think they’re crazy and before you know it, you think you’re crazy too. All of a sudden you’re back to doing what everyone else is doing.

The hell with them!

Brainwash the impossible

Those who think something’s impossible generally don’t spend enough time around crazy people who know it can be done.

We should all be insane enough to think things can be different. That things can be better. Put all those crazy people together and suddenly everyone’s doing impossible things.

Most people I came across this weeked were on their first, second or third startup (often after selling the ones prior). For them business and passion-work is not a means for making a living but simply a way of life. These people thrive off the impossible.

I used to think entrepreneurship was unattainable. It was too hard to start a business. That’s what authority always told me. Then I started hanging out with entrepreneurs. Being well into my third successful business, I now see no other way.

Create a network people dream of…

Welcome the challenge.

You can have it. You just have to cultivate it. Surround yourself with people who light you on fire. You will fuel one another and the world will be better.

Passionate People change your reality

At around 6:15 last Saturday evening Shai Agassi addressed a group of us. A few years ago Shai founded Better Place, an electric car company aimed at eliminating the gasoline engine and with it the world’s dependency on oil. In 2008 he was laughed at for his ridiculous vision.

Then he went out and raised $200m to make it a reality (yes, that’s million–one of the largest and fastest seed raises in history). To date he has raised over $700m and has rolled his fully operational electric car network out to all of Denmark and Israel. It actually works and is much cheaper than gas. He could outfit the entire United States for what the U.S. spends on gasoline in one week. I remember hearing about this project three years ago and I thought he was crazy. Good thing he disagreed.

At the end of his talk he told us the following:

“Everyone of you is Clark Kent. You’re Superman and don’t even know it. You all have at least 5 or 10 companies in you. Do the world justice. Be ready when you sell your business or decide it’s time to move on. Go up a very tall building and jump. It’s easy—just miss the ground.”

The world is run off personal relationships. They fuel our passion and make the unthinkable possible. I don’t care what business you’re in or what problem you’re trying to solve. It can only happen by surrounding yourself with the right people who believe insane things can be done. Without that support, we’re nowhere.

Whether you know it or not, you all hold me to a higher standard.

I plan to live up to it.

FROM LIVE YOUR LEGEND BLOG

Thanks.

Nicholas A

here the Breakthroughs Live by Randy Gage

Where the Breakthroughs Live

by Randy Gage

9
inShare

It’s been such a great ride writing and now getting ready to start promoting Risky Is the New Safe soon.  One of the most rewarding elements is getting the endorsements streaming in every day.  I’ve received some that have practically floored me.  And humbled me.  More than forty thought leaders have sent in quotes thus far.  A few in particular, from Larry Winget, Bob Burg, Brian Tracy, Alan Weiss, Joe Calloway, Dave Carpenter, Robert Ringer, Randy Pennington and Lisa Jimenez are completely off the chain.  They’re comparing the book and me to everyone from Ayn Rand to Warren Buffet, George Orwell, John Naisbitt, Tom Peters, Tony Robbins, Seth Godin and Springsteen.
Carpenter told me it was one of the best books he ever read.  Weiss said he couldn’t take his eyes off it.  Calloway said he got so engrossed he missed a meeting with his accountant.  I was shocked how many people asked permission if they could show the galley to their spouse or children.  People said it kept them up all night, or it’s the book they wish they had written.  (Remember this is my ninth book.  I never got this kind of reaction before!)  But warm and fuzzy as that makes me feel, why am I telling you all this?
Because of the most important lesson for you…
One of the main points in the book is about how you develop critical thinking skills.  How you harness your ego, expose yourself to stimulating information, and think in new and different ways.  So obviously I’m honored to get such a response for so many thought leaders.  But here’s the key thing:
I bet none of them agreed with everything in the book.  (Or at least I hope not!)  And that provides a very important clue.  Brilliant people expose themselves to ideas, opinions and concepts they aren’t familiar with, sometimes don’t like, and sometimes may even violently oppose.
So you can imagine my surprise when I received an email from someone who told me they couldn’t endorse the book because it had something in it they disagreed with.  They loved everything else, and offered to do a quote if I would remove an offending paragraph from the final version.  Which of course I would never do.
I was surprised that someone I thought was a critical thinker would feel it necessary that he or she should agree with everything in a book before they would provide a quote on it.  I’m reading a galley for Scott Stratten’s new book right now, and I can tell you I will provide a raving endorsement.  Even though I don’t agree with everything in the book.  That’s why I like it.  It makes me think.
Now that reaction I received would not be surprising coming from an average person. But that’s why so many average people are broke, unhealthy, and unhappy.  Because they only expose themselves to people and ideas they agree with.
The reason thought leaders are called thought leaders is because they lead thought. 
That doesn’t mean they are always right.  In fact, they’re frequently wrong.  But they think about things in different ways.  Ways that challenge their beliefs.  And that is why they cause us to think about things in different ways.
The Aurora, Colorado shooting has raised the debate on gun control again.  Actor and director Jason Alexander wrote an interesting and intelligent post about it.  So I tweeted it out and said it was a thought-provoking piece.  Right away, at least 10 people wanted to argue points in the piece with me.   And here’s the funny thing…
Some of those points they disagreed with Jason I couldn’t debate with them – because in fact I disagreed with Jason and agreed with the other side.  But that didn’t stop me from reading and sharing Jason’s opinion.
I saw yesterday Mark Sanborn (Who also gave me an amazing quote on my book.) posted something on Facebook about the ways the mayors in two cities were overstepping their roles.  He was talking about Mayor Bloomberg in New York on gun control and the mayor of Boston on the Chick-fil-A dustup.  Poor Mark was exasperated because someone took issue with him, posted a negative reply and then unfriended him, so he couldn’t respond to him.  (Get used to it Mark, it happens to me every day!)
Sean Hannity and most of the evening opinion shows on FOX News channel are ridiculous propaganda of Karl Rove’s talking points of the day, designed to manipulate people.  But I still watch sometimes, because it makes me think.
Reverend Al Sharpton and most of the evening shows on MSNBC are just as much manipulation and demagoguery, simply from the opposing point of view.  But I watch sometimes, because it makes me think.
Let me share with you a short excerpt from the new book on this subject of critical thinking:
The many years I have been studying the principles of prosperity have brought me to a fascinating realization: 
Healthy people think differently than sick people; happy people think differently than depressed people; and wealthy people think differently than broke people. 
Healthy people have more energy and find it easier to exercise.  They’re eating a healthier diet so they face less physiological cravings for bad stuff.  People who enjoy good health have a totally different view about things like diet, exercise, and addictions than people who are sick. 
Happy people face challenges just like depressed people do.  But nothing has any meaning, except what we choose to give it.  Depressed people might see a challenge as an insurmountable obstacle, while happy people see it as a wake up call from the universe to make a course correction. 
Take the same opportunity and offer it to a broke person and wealthy person, and I guarantee you they will see it differently. 
When I was poor, I looked at everything through the lens of the mind viruses I was infected with.  No matter what business venture I was exposed to, I approached with the beliefs you need money to make money, need an education, have to know people, etc.  I could look at anything and immediately give you 15 reasons why it wouldn’t work.  While I was accumulating all the evidence why it couldn’t be done, people with prosperity consciousness were simply doing it. 
For those many years I was struggling financially, I was a cynic.  And nothing kills innovation, creativity and ambition faster than cynicism.  It’s poverty consciousness. 
Wealthy people have a healthful skepticism.  That causes them to evaluate things objectively and make good decisions, based on solid assumptions.    Skepticism is healthy, cynicism never is.  Here’s why:
If you ask the wrong question – the answer doesn’t matter. 
For all those years when I was mired in poverty consciousness, the questions I asked were always looking for evidence to demonstrate why success wouldn’t work for me.  When I began to develop prosperity consciousness, the questions began to change to ones of possibilities. 
Think about that last part again:  If you ask the wrong question – the answer doesn’t matter.  So how do you ask the right question?
Expose yourself to people and ideas that make you think.  People and ideas that make you think differently than you do now.  People and ideas that make you question your core foundational beliefs.
Because that’s where the breakthroughs live!

Turning Gold to Platinum

I’ve never doubted for a minute that The Girl Scouts of America are master marketers. But it’s not just the fact that they have a legion of sweet faced girls going door-to-door with an impassioned, personal, emotional hot-button-pushing pitch that I’m talking about.

Actually, it’s a lyric in a popular Girl Scout campfire song that lets me know they’re tuned in to what makes a business thrive:

Make new friends, but keep the old,

one is silver and the other gold.
New customers are great and selling more to existing customers is a golden opportunity that can last a lifetime. That makes nurturing a relationship with existing customers a blue-chip investment that yields platinum-level returns.

Your 5 Goals When “Preaching to the Converted”

There are five basic marketing goals during what I have referred to as the re-enforcement stage of a sale. Most involve driving customers back to your Web site to take an action or learn more about the products or services you offer. They get information and savings.
Here’s what you get.
•
You build strong emotional bonds with customers by thanking them for their patronage, expressing your appreciation for their purchase

•
You find out more about the customer’s needs and possible ways you can satisfy them—including improving your firm’s performance
•
You provide incentives to purchase additional products or services that complement the customer’s original purchase
•
You plant the seed for future purchases and maintain the buyer’s enthusiasm by describing new products and services as they become available
•
You provide customers with the tools they need to become your advocates and recommend your firm to their friends and coworker.

Thanks.
Nicholas Agaba

Be Proactive -- Principles of Personal Visio

Be Proactive -- Principles of Personal Visio
I know of no more encouraging fact than the unquestionable ability of man to elevate his life by
conscious endeavor.

-- Henry David Thorea

As you read this book, try to stand apart from yourself. Try to project your consciousness upward
into a corner of the room and see yourself, in your mind's eye, reading. Can you look at yourself
almost as though you were someone else?

Now try something else. Think about the mood you are now in. Can you identify it? What are
you feeling? How would you describe your present mental state
Now think for a minute about how your mind is working. Is it quick and alert? Do you sense that
you are torn between doing this mental exercise and evaluating the point to be made out of it?
Your ability to do what you just did is uniquely human. Animals do not possess this ability. We
call it "self-awareness" or the ability to think about your very thought process. This is the reason why
man has dominion over all things in the world and why he can make significant advances from
generation to generation.
This is why we can evaluate and learn from others' experiences as well as our own. This is also
why we can make and break our habits.

We are not our feelings. We are not our moods. We are not even our thoughts. The very fact
that we can think about these things separates us from them and from the animal world.
Self-awareness enables us to stand apart and examine even the way we "see" ourselves -- our paradigm,
the most fundamental paradigm of effectiveness. It affects not only our attitudes and behaviors, but
also how we see other people. It becomes our map of the basic nature of mankind.
In fact, until we take how we see ourselves (and how we see others) into account, we will be unable
to understand how others see and feel about themselves and their world. Unaware, we will be unable
to understand how others see and feel about themselves and their world. Unaware, we will project
our intentions on their behavior and call ourselves objective.

This significantly limits our personal potential and our ability to relate to others as well. But
because of the unique human capacity of self-awareness, we can examine our paradigms to determine
whether they are reality- or principle-based or if they are a function of conditioning and conditions.

Seven Ways to Access Your Intuition

Often in life we believe that other people know more than we do. While many friendships are healthy and add color to our lives, it is worth remembering a quote by Gibbons: “Conversation enriches the understanding, but solitude is the school of genius.” Here are seven ways to increase your ability to hear your inner guidance with more clarity.

Meditate

I have found the Kriya Yoga meditation as described in “Sacred Science~Meditation~Transformation~Illumination” by Norman Paulsen to be the most powerful way to connect to your inner Divine guidance. I began to practice this technique, which includes “I AM THAT I AM” in 2004. A few weeks later I began to write my first book. I believe that there are no coincidences.

Gratitude

Several years ago, Oprah Winfrey discussed keeping a gratitude journal on her television program. Gratitude is a portal, a gateway to receiving wisdom. When you express gratitude to the universe, it sends back to you more and more. You are giving gratitude, and as you give you are creating a space within to receive. It is helpful to remember as often as possible what you are grateful for. Seeing the glass half full, not half empty, is powerful. When you are grateful, the universe gives back to you. When you are grateful, you feel joy. Joy is a magnet, and more opportunities and reasons to be grateful, will appear in your life.

Grounding

Being in nature is very grounding. Grounding means connected to earth energy. Being aware of your physical surroundings, whether indoors or out can help you feel this connection. Grounding is helpful as you access your intuition, as you are connecting Heaven and Earth.

Intention

The door to inner guidance swings wide open as you set your intention. Heavenly help is always available. Because we have free will, our angels and guides are waiting for us to ask. As we ask, we receive answers. True inner guidance responds in a kind and gentle voice.

Downtime

After setting your intention, and meditating, it is beneficial to remain open and in a state of allowing. It is not often when we are the busiest that we hear our intuition. Rather, remember that quiet and stillness are highly conducive to hearing our guidance and creative ideas can flow.

Worthiness

It is important to remember that you are a child of God. Expecting the best when we ask for clarity and answers is helpful. There are ego voices that may tell us we are not worthy. Be aware that this is not our true reality. We are sparks from our Creator. When we approach God with worthiness, he responds powerfully.

Forgiveness

In accessing our intuition, it is important to clear the blocks in the pathway to our inner guidance. Feeling forgiveness helps in clearing the obstacles. There is an excellent forgiveness meditation in “A Lightworker’s Way” by Doreen Virtue. You will develop compassion as you begin to see the light and love that is in everyone. It is very healing to see yourself in others. It unifies your consciousness. You will become an even clearer channel for Divine guidance when you feel forgiveness, mercy and compassion.

THANKS FOR LEARNING WITH US.

NICHOLAS AGABA

Generosity and the Law of Attraction

Heart centered generosity produces miraculous results. The key is to unblock and unlock your heart center as you unleash this powerful force you will find yourself abundant and happy.

The universe can’t be fooled. Sometimes we believe that we are being giving and generous. If we stop and examine our motives and cultivate awareness about our intentions, we may see “our gifts” in another light.

That is good news. It is very easy to fool ourselves or even lie to ourselves about the nature of our actions. There may be people in our lives that don’t respond to our generosity in kind. We may consider them to be ungrateful. I believe that the soul speaks not the words or even actions. Intention is everything. The good news is that once you become aware of what you are putting out into the universe, you will make better choices, and receive back abundantly.

There are several blocks to receiving abundantly and ways to transform these blocks.

One block to receiving abundantly is giving to get back. The consciousness behind this is scarcity consciousness. Somewhere in our thinking we believe that we do not have enough and if we give to someone, we must get back to replace what we have given them. We may have a sort of checklist that says underneath-you owe me. The problem with this thinking is that the receiver can feel this energetically on a subconscious level and feel resentment. With this feeling of resentment they will feel less inclined to give back. This can create a vicious cycle.

Another block can be giving out of obligation or guilt. There may be people in our lives that give to us endlessly. That is fine if they are giving from their heart center that is not expecting repayment. Often we may give out of obligation or guilt. We feel that we owe them. When we give back under these conditions we are not truly giving. We are feeling obligated. The Law of Attraction does not respond to giving out of obligation or guilt. If we have people in our lives that give a lot, we may be better off choosing to receive and let it be. If we choose to give, may it be because we choose to, out of love, not obligation.

When it comes to The Law of Attraction I have discovered three ways that resonate with the universe.

The first is to give and let go. True giving is something you can feel. It comes from a place of self care. It is pure in that your intention is to give without receiving anything back. This can take some inner work, to feel so filled in yourself that you don’t even need a thank you. Your intention is to give and let go. It is freeing.

The second way is to align your will with the universe. Think of how you can serve. Allow people to be themselves. When you give with detachment while not taking anything personally, you are giving from your whole heart centered Self.

The third way to unlock your power to attract is to want more for others. Dr. Wayne Dyer discusses this concept in his book and PBS seminar “The Power of Intention.” You realize that the universe is truly so abundant that someone else having it all does not mean that you will not. There is more than enough love, prosperity and abundance in the universe for everyone. When you want more for others, this is pure generosity. True giving will create a vacuum, a space within which the universe will pour in it’s gifts abundantly. That is not why we do it, it just happens naturally.

WRITTEN BY ANNE

Anne Deidre is an Intuitive Life Coach, Author, Speaker and Artist. Anne cured herself from depression and anxiety. Now She helps people all over the world build success in every area of their lives while making over their mind, bodies and spirit with her intuitive gift. Anne has been published in several magazines and hosts her own TV show The Intuitive Millionaire Coach Show. Thanks for visiting!

HOW TO CREATE LASTING CHANGE

For changes to be of any true value, they've got to be lasting and consistent. We've all experienced
change for a moment, only to feel let down and disappointed in the end. In fact, many people attempt
change with a sense of fear and dread because unconsciously they believe the changes will only be
temporary. A prime example of this is someone who needs to begin dieting, but finds himself putting it
off, primarily because he unconsciously knows that whatever pain he endures in order to create
the change will bring him only a short-term reward. For most of my life I've pursued what I consider to
be the organizing principles of lasting change, and you'll learn many of these and how to utilize them
in the pages that follow. But for now, I'd like to share with you three elementary principles of change
that you and I can use immediately to change our lives. While these principles are simple, they are
also extremely powerful when they are skillfully applied. These are the exact same changes that an
individual must make in order to create personal change, that a company must make in order to
maximize its potential, and that a country must make in order to carve out its place in the world. In
fact, as a world community these are the changes that we all must make to preserve the
quality of life around the globe.




STEP ONE

Raise Your Standards
Any time you sincerely want to make a change, the first thing you must do is to raise your
standards. When people ask me what really changed my life eight years ago, I tell them that
absolutely the most important thing was changing what I demanded of myself. I wrote down all the
things I would no longer accept in my life, all the things I would no longer tolerate, and all the things
that I aspired to becoming.

Think of the far-reaching consequences set in motion by men and women who raised their
standards and acted in accordance with them, deciding they would tolerate no less. History chronicles
the inspiring examples of people like Leonardo da Vinci, Abraham Lincoln, Helen Keller, Mahatma
Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr., Rosa Parks, Albeit Einstein, Cesar Chavez, Soichiro Honda, and many
others who took the magnificently powerful step of raising their standards. The same power that was
available to them is available to you, if you have the courage to claim it. Changing an organization, a
company, a country—or a world—begins with the simple step of changing yourself.

PART TWO COMING NEXT WEEK ON MONDAY

Thanks.

Nicholas Agaba

WHO, WHAT & WHY

Let me introduce you to the three w’s: who, what, and why.
They will determine your success.
Okay, you can be successful without them, but it would be like boarding an airplane and hearing the pilot say, “We’re flying to New York without navigational help. Hopefully we’ll get there!”
It’s not wise when you can just use the tools you have and get there quicker.

Why do you need who, what, and why?

When you have a who, you know where to find your potential customers. You know where to engage them and bring them back to your headquarters.
When you have a what, you can speak to your customers in their language, so they understand you and know that you’re the go-to person when they want their problems to go away.
When you have a why, your customers know they can trust you, because you have the expertise, and you have proof that what you do works.

How do you clarify your who, what, and why?

You have to get very specific. Let’s say you want to help people get fit. That’s way too broad. Who do you want to help, specifically?

Maybe you help new moms lose their baby weight. That would be getting closer to clarifying your who. But you should go even further, and pick just one mom you can interview on her biggest frustrations and dreams.
The what would simply be the baby weight. And the more specific you make that, the better.
The why could be that you have a child of your own and getting fit after your baby was tough, and you had to go through a lot before you figured out how to do it.

“This feels wrong. It’s too specific.”
Yes, and that’s exactly why you will be way ahead of the competition when you take the time to clarify who you help, what you help them with, and why they should listen to you.
Most people are bland.
They don’t stand out.

The law of attraction

Would you like some chicken soup for your soul?

Along with his business partner Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen is best known for creating what Time magazine called “the publishing phenomenon of the decade”. Chicken Soup for the Soul books are one of the most successful publishing franchises in the world today, with more than 140 million books sold internationally. The name “Chicken Soup” was chosen because of the use of chicken soup as a home remedy for the sick. In this inspiring video, Mark shares his insights on the ideas that went behind his best-selling book, his thoughts on success and the stories in life that inspire him.

The following conversation is an excerpt from SkyQuestCom video interview.

SKYQUESTCOM: Mark Victor Hansen is best known for his series of books based upon Chicken Soup for the Soul. Thank you very much for joining us today. My first question, the original Chicken Soup for the Soul first appeared in 1993, and it's become a phenomenal success. What was the inspiration for the book? Why did you write it? And what were some of your goals for the books when you first started?

MARK: Jack (Canfield) and I are both professional speakers. Jack did the educational market, I did the business market. And I taught him how to do dramatic stories that touched your heart. Everybody cries and then they gave us a standing ovation and bought all our books and tapes so, he came up with the idea that he's gonna do a happy little book.

And I said, "Let's do it together." We worked really hard, and coming up with the title. We did a deep meditation one night in our respective homes and said, "Make a best selling title, make a best selling title." Came up with Chicken Soup for the Soul at 4.30 in the morning. We both got goose bumps, our respective wives thought we're nuts. Then we spent the next 3 years working 24/7 to do it. Went to New York to start it, and 144 publishers all said, "Ain't gonna sell. Short stories don't sell."

Finally, we went to book Expo and and one little publisher - Health Communications said, "We'll take it, but we think we can sell 20,000." And you know, we said, "No, no, no, read our business plan! We'll do a year. In a year and a half, we'll do a million and a half." We did a million three the first year and then, went on to 5 million and 10 million and 50. And now we're at 144 million and our goal is a billion. And we've got a pending contract in China , I can't tell you whether it'll come through.

My partner is a Harvard Mandarin scholar, and he's figured how to interface Chinese and English, which is very tough because we read front to back, China reads back to front. We read left to right, they read right to left. But Jack, he's a genius. I only have brilliant partners. I'm not that smart but I got really good partners. I’m very thankful for it. So the inspiration was we wanted to do a book that would change the whole world one story at a time. And, we're up to 147 books. At retail, we sold $1,400,000,000 worth of books. We have more licenses than anyone in non-fiction. Like we sold $2 million worth of dog food a month called Chicken Soup for the Soul Dog Food and it's all organic and it's really good for dogs

SKYQUESTCOM: What do you believe is the secret to the success for Chicken Soup for the Soul?

MARK: Two, I would say. I mean, we spent 3 years figuring out the formula but because it's instantaneous behavioural change. If you read one of the stories, it's going to, you know, pique your interest, touch your heart, get you to change your behaviour.

I think that we contribute on every book, we tie it on every book we ever write, to a charity that we mutually agree upon, with ourselves and our publisher and the co-authors and all. And you know they helped us a lot, like when we did the third 'Chicken Soup'. I was the spokesperson of the American Red Cross. I've got 1,300,000 volunteers and, our book you know, in just a day or two went to number one because we gave away a little sampler, everybody that gave blood - we're out of blood in America. And I got all the chiropractors, which is a group I work with - 62,000 doctors brought in 100 patients each and give them a free adjustment. And you know the sales just skyrocketed.

And we do different things like that, like we had aside 50 million Diet Coke cases, with ourselves and Nora Roberts’ book Hidden Riches. And we sold enough books in 6 months. All the money went to charity and we raised enough money to get 15,000 kids off the streets in the Boys and Girls clubs, partnering with Coke. We're had Campbell soup cans and we worked it out so when you open up the wrapper, it had an accordion three-fold with our stories all the way through and it sold a little book. We had 600 million Campbell soup cans. I'm blanking out which charity we've done, because we've done about 80 different charities. But it was a giant charity drive and that was really good. So we keep coming up with brand new ideas on how to sell like, somebody said, "Well, you all know you should sell more books!" And well, we did a Chicken Soup for the Soul Bible and we got little stories to get you into the big story. And we sold about 70,000 a week in Wal-Mart so, it is really good!

The rest of the conversation and Mark Victor Hansen’s full-length video is available at SkyQuestCom’s Master Channel.

Self-control is the ability to control impulses and reactions, and is another name for self-discipline. It is not some kind of negative and limiting behavior, as some people might think. When self-control is used wisely and with common sense, it becomes one of the most important tools for self improvement and for achieving success.

In what way does self-control help you?

• It keeps in check self-destructive, addictive, obsessive and compulsive behavior.
• Gives you a sense of personal mastery over your life, and brings balance into your life.
• Self-control helps to keep over-emotional responses in check or moderation.
• Self-control eliminates the feeling helplessness and being too dependent on others.
• It helps to manifest mental and emotional detachment, which contributes to peace of mind.
• It enables to control moods and reject negative feelings and thoughts.
• Self-control strengthens self-esteem, confidence, inner strength, self-mastery and willpower.
• It enables you to take charge of your life.
• It makes you a responsible and trustworthy human being.
  
  
  WATCH THE VIDEO - SELF CONFIDENCE
  
  
  
  

There are various obstacles to self-control, such as:

• Lack of knowledge and understanding what self-control really is.
  
• Strong and uncontrolled emotional responses.
  
• Reacting to outside stimuli, without thinking first.
  
• Lack of discipline and willpower.
  
• Lack of the desire to change and improve.
  
• Considering self-control as a limiting and unpleasant activity.
  
• The belief that self control eliminates fun.
  
• Lack of faith in oneself and in one's abilities.
  

Developing self control

1) First you need to identify in what areas of your life you need to gain more self-control. Where do you find yourself lacking in self-control? Possible areas could be:

Eating
Shopping
Drinking
Work
Gambling
Smoking
Obsessive behavior

2) Try identifying the emotions that lack control, such as anger, dissatisfaction, unhappiness, resentment, pleasure or fear.

3) Identify the thoughts and beliefs that push you to behave in uncontrolled manner.

4) Several times a day, especially when you need to display self control, repeat for a minute or two one of the following affirmations:

I am fully in control of myself.

I have the power to choose my emotions and thoughts.

Self-control brings me inner strength and leads me to success.

I am in control of my reactions.

I am in charge of my behavior.

I am gaining control of my emotions.

I am the maser of my life.

Day by day my ability to control my feelings and thoughts is increasing.

Self-control is fun and pleasure.

5) Visualize yourself acting with self-control and self-restraint. Take one of the instances where you usually act with lack of control, and visualize that you are acting calmly and with self-mastery.

6) Your self control will improve considerably, if you work on developing and strengthening your willpower and self-discipline through appropriate exercises. This is actually the most important step for developing self control.

Self control is vital for controlling and overcoming obsessions, fears, addictions and any kind of unsuitable behavior. It puts you in control of your life, your behavior and your reactions. It improves your relationships, develops patience and tolerance and is an important tool for attaining success and happiness.

By developing and strengthening your willpower and self discipline, you develop and strengthen your self control. Click here for a powerful training program, with full information, advice, instructions and exercises for gaining inner strength and self control

Positive attitude helps to cope more easily with the daily affairs of life. It brings optimism into your life, and makes it easier to avoid worry and negative thinking. If you adopt it as a way of life, it will bring constructive changes into your life, and makes them happier, brighter and more successful. With a positive attitude you see the bright side of life, become optimistic and expect the best to happen. It is certainly a state of mind that is well worth developing and strengthening.
Positive attitude manifests in the following ways:

Positive thinking.

Constructive thinking.
Creative thinking.
Expecting success.
Optimism.
Motivation to accomplish your goals.
Being inspired.
Choosing happiness.
Not giving up.
Looking at failure and problems as blessings in disguise.
Believing in yourself and in your abilities.
Displaying self-esteem and confidence.
Looking for solutions.
Seeing opportunities.

A positive attitude leads to happiness and success and can change your whole life. If you look at the bright side of life, your whole life becomes filled with light. This light affects not only you and the way you look at the world, but also your whole environment and the people around you. If it is strong enough, it becomes contagious.

The benefits of a positive attitude:

Helps achieving goals and attaining success.

Success achieved faster and more easily.

More happiness.

More energy.

Greater inner power and strength.

The ability to inspire and motivate yourself and others.

Fewer difficulties encountered along the way.

The ability to surmount any difficulty.

Life smiles at you.

People respect you.

Negative attitude says: you cannot achieve success.
Positive attitude says: You can achieve success.

If you have been exhibiting a negative attitude and expecting failure and difficulties, it is now the time to change the way you think. It is time to get rid of negative thoughts and behavior and lead a happy and successful life. Why not start today? If you have tried and failed, it only means that you have not tried enough.

Developing a positive attitude that will lead you to happiness and success: 

- Choose to be happy.

- Look at the bright side of life.

- Choose to be and stay optimistic.

- Find reasons to smile more often.

- Have faith in yourself and in the Power of the Universe.

- Contemplate upon the futility of negative thinking and worries.

- Associate yourself with happy people.

- Read inspiring stories.

- Read inspiring quotes.

- Repeat affirmations that inspire and motivate you.

- Visualize only what you want to happen.

- Learn to master your thoughts.

- Learn concentration and meditation.


Following even only one of the above suggestions, will bring more light into your life! 
Nick speaks from experience. He was born with no arms and no legs. To most this would be a great 

who is your coach? - By Randy Gage

Find a coach today

The Duplication Formula

Let me share with you the formula for creating true duplication and wealth in our business.  It may strike you as simplistic, but I promise you it is actually quite profound. This formula is where duplication lives.  It is:

Lead a large group of people—to consistently do a few simple actions—over a sustained period of time.

You’ll notice there are three sections that make up the formula. First is the large group of people. You need enough critical mass to get traction and for duplication to take off.

The second element is to have those people perform only a few actions and to keep those actions simple. One of the biggest mistakes newcomers make is to try and quantify everything, and in doing so they add too much complexity. For true duplication we need to focus on actions simple enough that everyone in the large group can replicate.

And finally, you need this to happen over a sustained period of time. I believe building a solid network is a two- to four-year plan. Mark Yarnell says five, and he’s one of the brightest minds in the business.

So it doesn’t happen in a month or two or even six. We need people to consistently take the actions for a sustained period of time. This is how wealth is created in MLM.

It doesn’t happen overnight, but if you follow the formula – it does happen!

-RG

I feel the excitement and thrill of being alive today

I feel the excitement and thrill of being alive today.
 

THE RICHEST PERSONS ARE THOSE WHO GIVE MOST IN SERVICE TO OTHERS

Receive this message from one of my mentor...thought it is great to share with the friends reading the blog...

"Financial wealth is only one measure of success.

The truly happy and successful individual is the man or woman who is healthy, financially secure, challenged in his or her career, and is making a difference in the lives of others. It isn't always easy to render service to others...

The world is a cynical and dangerous place where others are likely to mistrust your motives.
They can be convinced only by consistent, sustained, outstanding service that is enthusiastically and cheerfully offered. In time, even the most cynical individual will come to accept your willingness to go the extra mile if you are sincere in your offers of assistance and in the service you provide."

It is not what happens to us, it is what we choose to do about what happens that makes the difference in how our lives turn out...

It is not what happens

to us, it is what we

choose to do about

what happens that

makes the difference in

how our lives turn out.