Life Skills

The Power of Attitude  by Mac Anderson and BJ Gallagher One of the conclusions I've reached as I've grown older and, I hope, wiser is that... less is usually more . In other words, when given the opportunity to simplify your life...take it. I compare it to pruning a tree. By removing the excess branches, the tree has more energy to bear beautiful blossoms and healthy fruit. Your life is no different. When you continually prune the areas not bearing fruit, you will be able to focus your energy on what matters most. Granted, "simplifying your life" means many things to different people. It can mean more time, less stress, less clutter, fewer bills, and greater peace of mind. Your personal quest for simplicity may include one or all of these attributes. However, I can only share with you what has worked for me, and I hope you can relate. Consider these suggestions:  Say goodbye to "the Joneses" –Chasing symbols of success can be an all–consuming, hollow ex...

Quick facts about time: First:   Nobody can manage time.  But you can manage those things that take up your time. Second:   Time is expensive. As a matter of fact, 80 percent of our day is spent on those things or those people that only bring us two percent of our results. Third:   Time is perishable.  It cannot be saved for later use. Fourth:   Time is measurable. Everybody has the same amount of time...pauper or king. It is not how much time you have; it is how much you use. Fifth:   Time is irreplaceable. We never make back time once it is gone. Sixth:  Time is a priority. You have enough time for anything in the world, so long as it ranks high enough among your priorities. Source: Turn Your Life Around One Day at a Time by Lewis Timberlake with Elinor Griffith

This anecdote could change your life from immediate minute...😊 The Missing Goat: It all started one lazy Sunday afternoon in a small town near Toronto in Canada. Two school-going friends had a crazy idea. They rounded up three goats from the neighborhood and painted the numbers 1, 2 and 4 on their sides. That night they let the goats loose inside their school building. The next morning, when the authorities entered the school, they could smell something was wrong. They soon saw goat droppings on the stairs and near the entrance and realized that some goats had entered the building. A search was immediately launched and very soon, the three goats were found. But the authorities were worried, where was goat No. 3? They spent the rest of the day looking for goat No.3. The school declared classes off for the students for the rest of the day. The teachers, helpers, guards, canteen staffs, boys were all busy looking for the goat No. 3, which, of course, was never foun...

Introduction from  Bull's-Eye by Brian Tracy We are living in the greatest time in all of human history. Despite short-term economic fluctuations, there have never been more opportunities for more people to achieve more of their goals than there are today. The fact is, you have more potential than you could use in a hundred lifetimes. And the more of your potential you use, the more potential becomes available to you. The more you learn, the more you can learn. There is no reason for you not to be earning twice as much as you are today, or even five or ten times as much. There are people all around you who are no more talented than you, and no better educated, who are already earning this much. And what others have done, you can do as well, if you just learn how. Clarity, Focus, and Concentration You have the ability right now to achieve more than you ever have before, as long as you incorporate three essential mental skills into your life: clarity, focus, and concentration....

Secret 5: Leaders Get Results from  The 7 Secrets of Exceptional Leadership by Brian Tracy Results are everything–in life, in business and in leadership. Leaders are those who have developed the ability to achieve the most important results expected of them in their positions. The first question of the leader is always,  "What results are expected of me?" The second question leaders ask is,  "Of all the results that I can achieve, what are the most important results for my business?" There will always be too much to do and too little time, especially for leaders in their positions of responsibility. All of life, therefore, consists of making choices and decisions between what is more important and what is less important, between what you care about the most and what you care about less. The quality of your life today is a measure of the quality of your choices and decisions up to this point. To improve the quality of your life in the future, you must make bett...

Great Service is a Choice from  The Simple Truths of Service by Ken Blanchard & Barbara Glanz      No one can make you serve customers well. That's because great service is a choice. Years ago, my friend, Harvey Mackay, told me a wonderful story about a cab driver that proved this point. He was waiting in line for a ride at the airport. When a cab pulled up, the first thing Harvey noticed was that the taxi was polished to a bright shine. Smartly dressed in a white shirt, black tie, and freshly pressed black slacks, the cab driver jumped out and rounded the car to open the back passenger door for Harvey. He handed my friend a laminated card and said: "I'm Wally, your driver. While I'm loading your bags in the trunk, I'd like you to read my mission statement." Taken aback, Harvey read the card. It said: Wally's Mission Statement: To get my customers to their destination in the quickest, safest, and cheapest way possible in a friendly environment ...

An Excerpt From What Makes the Great Ones Great by Don Yaeger Throughout my career as a sportswriter and author, I have not only witnessed incredible skill, but I have also had countless world–class athletes share with me the behaviors they have embraced, honed and utilized to drive themselves to unimaginable heights. I wanted to know how they were able to do what they did for so long and how they stayed ahead of the competition year after year. Greatness is unique in that it cannot be quantified the way other statistics in sports can. Numbers are irrefutable proof of a record, such as Kareem Abdul–Jabbar's accomplishment as the highest scorer in NBA history or the undefeated record of the 1972 Dolphins. But does the achievement of those numbers make them the Greatest? During my interviews, it appeared to me that the truly Great athletes practiced a small set of behaviors that made them dramatically better from their peers. These improvements drove their daily decision...