Success, it does smile on you!

Today I found success in a way I could have never imagined!

Luck! Is it real or is it part of our imagination? Does luck really exist or do we simply imply it to be because we received some fortune by mere coincidence? Is someone truly luckier than someone else?

I use to think so. Luck, as far as I could tell was set aside for others. I certainly wasn’t lucky. Everything I got I got because of sheer persistence, hard work, commitment and effort. I can’t remember ever having luck bestowing me with a windfall of any kind.

Until today! Armed with $300 cash in my pocket I went grocery shopping at the local supermarket. The parking lot was crowded and people were moving about everywhere. After several minutes circling around I was able to secure a parking spot.

Once inside the market I took my time and carefully selected the products I wanted to buy. With my cart full I approached the checkout stand. After several minutes of shuffling groceries cart in and cart out it was time to pay. To my utter dismay I couldn’t find the cash I had earlier withdrawn from the bank.

I checked every pocket, my wallet and every pocket again. I felt a thick lump in my throat. Embarrassed I told the cashier I had forgotten my money in my car. The truth was I couldn’t remember where I had placed my money …… !

As I got near the car I noticed pieces of paper lying around on the parking lot floor. I jumped. Sure enough it was my money scattered about. I got on hands and knees and started grabbing all the bills I could find.

Some bills were lying close to my car. A few I found underneath the cars parked on either side of mine. Still a few more I was able to catch just as the wind scooped them up. All in all it took me 5 minutes or so to gather all the money I could find. I got up, went to sit in my car and took a deep breath.

Then I counted the money. Low and behold, not a single dollar was missing. All $300 were safe and sound in the palm of my hand. I couldn’t believe my good fortune. I had spent at least 30 minutes or more shopping. The parking lot was crowded. There was a slight wind.

How could it be that absolutely no one had seen that money lying on the ground scattered about? Why hadn’t the wind blown my money around in many directions? I was as flabbergasted as I was exhilarated. There and then I realized the enormous fortune that I had just received. The gods were truly smiling on me today.

Today I realize that I am lucky, I am blessed and I am being watched over. I realize that everything negative that occurred to me in the past was either caused by my own doing or because I let it happen. If ever anything should have turned about negatively it certainly would have been the loss of $300 today.

What are the odds of loosing $300 cash and finding it all back? If this isn’t luck then I don’t know what is. Today I look at life with a new perspective. I know now that I have everything I need to be successful in whatever I choose to be.

Yes, there will be a setback or two. That’s part of it. But I won’t dwell on those anymore. I will look forward with my head held high and a smile in my heart because today I learned that luck does exist. More than that, I realize that luck is there when you least expect it.

Today I was given the sign that I am truly a lucky and fortunate man with a great future ahead of me. And there is nothing, and I do mean absolutely nothing that I can not do or accomplish if I truly desire and am willing to get it.

I learned today that with the slightest bit of a true, sincere and firm believe that all things are possible actually make it so. Even if that believe is limited to finding back $300 cash money in crowded parking lot.

Personality Traits

Part II – Success Personality Traits:

Personality Trait #3 – Pushy:

This personality trade may sound a bit chocking but the truth is that most successful people are pushy. It’s a requirement you need in order to get things your way. Of course, I am not implying that you must be rude but you do need to be a bit of a persistent if you ever wish for things to go your way.

My grandpa use to say: “The squeakiest wheel always gets the most grease!” It’s a fact. Think about it. For example: who do you pay first; someone who asks you for the money so once in a while and does so with much respect and politeness or the guy who’s constantly on you butt over how much you owe him and is quite adamant about you needing to pay him?

I think we both agree that you’re more apt to pay the second guy as quick as possible if for no other reason then to get him off your back.

Successful people know exactly when to be pushy and to what extend. Want to be successful? Learn to be a bit more persistent and watch the results you’re getting….

Pushy: assertive, force-full, aggressive

How to develop a Pushy Attitude:

Start by telling yourself that “I really….”

Example: “I really would like to …..!”
“I really just can’t accept ….!”
“I really know you can help me with ….!”

Pushy Attitude requires you to be firm and strong and not whimper in your quest.

Next article: Personality Trade #4; stay tuned.

Personality Traits

Part II – Success Personality Traits:

Personality Trait #2 – Obsessive:

There isn’t a successful person around I know of who does not have this trade. Certainly, if anything, successful people display an abundance of obsession. Obsession is by most standards looked upon as repulsive and addictive. Yet it’s a must have personality trade if you wish to claim success.

When you read biographies about successful people you will find that most are willing to offer anything and everything to obtain success. They virtually are willing to sell their soul to the devil if it means having success.

People craving success will put everything on the line: their marriage, their families, their friendships, their social life and more. For them life only holds one marriage, one family, one friend: success. Whether they obtain success through a business, an invention, a discovery …. the method to success is less important than the result.

As much as you may be turned off by this personality trade it’s imperative that you develop it if you wish to be successful at anything.

Obsessive: fanatical, compulsive

How to develop an Obsessive Attitude:

Start by telling yourself that “I Will”

Example: “I will do this!”
“I will be a star!”
“I will be rich!”
“I will own this house!”

Obsessive Attitude requires you to stay focused every minute of every day at the result you wish to achieve. Obsessive Attitude will lead to the outcome you seek if you are willing to pay the price along the way.

Next article: Personality Trade #3; stay tuned.

Personality Traits

Part II – Success Personality Traits:

Personality Trait #1 – Pretentious:

Donald Trump was quoted in Forbes Magazine, Oct 2006 as saying: “I want my kids to be pretentious. I am pretentious. What’s wrong with that?”

If you wish to achieve success of any kind you MUST have an ego that’s a bit inflated. Self confidence goes a long way. The old adage: “Good guys finish last!” is certainly true when it comes to being successful. Granted, you will always find someone who has created massive success and is a humble and kind person.

This individual is the exception, not the rule. Successful people without exception are certain of themselves, almost to the point of arrogance. To be successful at anything, you must be pretentious. Without it, you will struggle and success will fight you.

If this personality trade is not within you, you best start working on getting it right away. No matter what you’re after in your life and no matter what you consider to be success, without a pretentious attitude your chances of getting it are slim.

Pretentious: showy, conceited, pompous.

How to develop a Pretentious Attitude:

Start by telling yourself that “I Am or I know”

Example: “I am the best at what I do!”
“I know I can beat you!”
“I am rich!”
“I know more than you!”

Pretentious Attitude requires you to talk positive about yourself in a very confident manner. Become pretentious and watch success gravitate towards you. People are drawn to someone with a positive, confident, all be it a bit bloated attitude.

Next article: Personality Trade #2; stay tuned.

Success Secrets No One Talks About!

Part I – Success and Your Personality.

Every seminar you attend and every book you read about how to be successful all have 1 thing in common: they all list the exact same steps to success. They say that to be successful you must have passion, a plan, be committed, be able to bounce back, have determination, drive and desire.

And although these characteristics are certainly needed to get success, not one of them spends any time explaining the personality you need to be successful. Not even Napoleon Hill in his book “Think and Grow Rich” addresses that issue.

And yet if you do not have the personality trades for success, you will never be as successful as you could be even though you practice all the common success steps with due diligence.

I learned years ago that to reach real success you must have personality trades that the average person doesn’t have. And if you don’t have these trades by nature then you must make every attempt to cultivate these trades as soon as possible.

These personality characteristics are by many people frowned upon as being negative or “bad”. I am telling you now that if you truly want to be successful, it is imperative that you developed these trades. If you don’t you will have an extremely hard time achieving the level of success you are after.

All the passion, all the determination, all the drive and all the desire in the world will not give you the level of success you seek if you do not have the personality trades required to put these emotions into action.


Part II – Success Personality Trades.

Stay Tuned…

Fighting Back: Bad Company

Fighting Back: Bad Company

Success = Motivation, Inspiration, Determination

We are all striving for success one way or another. To help you with this quest I have posted several articles that deal specifically with each factor of success.

These articles were written by experts in their field. I am sure you will gain tremendous insight from reading them.

The links to these articles are posted on the right hand side of this page, just below the Success Alert sign up box.

As always, best wishes for tremendous success.

What I learned about Success as a teenager!

Growing up in a small town, I never really got into any serious trouble. As with any small town, there wasn’t much to do. Hanging around with friends, roaming through wide open fields and scaring off the farmer’s cows was about all the excitement I got.

One of my friends I hung out with was a neighbor’s boy who was mentally challenged. I really never took notice of it and neither did my other friends. He was part of our group and somehow we just automatically looked out for him.

One day, now in our mid teens, we sat around a campfire in the open field. Typical teenage boys we told jokes and teased each other. Out of nowhere, the conversation turned serious.

“I would love to go to America!” I suddenly stuttered.
“Why don’t you?” came back the answer.

Looking up who said that I saw my disadvantaged friend across the fire with a big smile on his face. “Why don’t you?” he repeated.

“It’s not so easy!” I said.
“Why not? If you want to go to America or anywhere, you just get up and go. I think that’s easy!” he smiled back at me.

The other kids nodded their heads. “He’s right!” said one. “I agree!” said another.

“No, you guys don’t get it.” I answered. “It really is not that easy to just pack up and go. I need money, I don’t speak English, I need a job, I need lots of things. I can’t just pack my bags and go. Besides, my parents won’t let me!”

“I think you don’t really want to go. I think you’re just talking. When I really want something I close my eyes and then I think about what I want very hard till my head hurts and then I get it. I don’t think about what I don’t have, I think about what I am going to get. That’s why I think you’re just talking.” my friend said while throwing sticks in the fire.

That was 30 years ago. As it turned out, all the obstacles I mentioned, the excuses I used for not being able to leave home were of no importance. Somehow, once I decided to go, things kind of worked themselves out. Thanks to the astute observation my “not so smart” friend made I got to come to America. He wasn’t only right, his simple thinking made him smarter than all of us.

I learned since that what my friend told me 30 years ago by the side of that campfire is the number 1 reason most people fail in their attempt to achieve success:

“They Talk Themselves Out Of It!”

My friend, with his limited mental capacity to grasp things, was far more successful than people 20 times smarter and brighter than him. My friend didn’t over analyze. He didn’t set boundaries. He didn’t offer excuses. In his mind getting something you really want is simple:

“You Just Get It!”

Whatever it is that you consider for yourself to be successful; You and only You have the power to either get it or to let it be. Don’t over analyze, don’t talk yourself into that you can’t and don’t offer a mountain of excuses why you won’t. Be more like my friend: “When you really want something you just get it!”


To Your Success;

Success; it's a journey!

“Success; it’s a journey not a destination!”

These were the powerful words coming from the mouth of a 16 year old; an unknown teenager being interviewed for a documentary about life.  Her complete statement was:

“Success; it’s a journey not a destination! And the journey is far more important than the destination!”

If ever anyone knew exactly how to sum up success is this teenager.  For over 20 years I searched for my success.  Never, did I look at it this way.  Never, did I conceive the notion that success is a journey.  That it’s a road, a path one must follow.  And just like that road which is winding, uphill, downhill and has potholes here and there, so flows success.

More importantly, the character one develops while walking that road to success is ultimately far more important than the level of success one achieves.  All too often you hear or read about people who reached an enormous amount of success but lost their soul in the process.

Tiger woods, arguably the greatest golf player around and who by most people standards would be considered to be super successful revealed that what seems to be a life of envy to the outside world is actually not as fulfilling as one would think.  

The last tournament he played and won, he had this to say with tears in his eyes: “I am delighted to win but how I wish I could share this victory with my dad.  How I would like it for him to be here.  I wanted so much to give this to him!”

For Tiger Woods, his dad’s passing had definitely given new meaning to what he considers to be complete success.  The void of sharing with a loved one leaves him with an empty and lonely feeling.  And so his road to success which once appeared to be completed now begins again – Tiger Woods is now seeking emotional success.

Indeed, it’s the journey of success that is far more important than success itself.  We have all heard or read about people that are extremely successful, yet would give it all up in an instant if only they could get true love, or companionship or not being lonely.   The list is endless.

Too many people spend their time and energy trying to create financial success.  In the process they loose sight of other factors equally as important to the contribution of complete success.  That’s why a lot of financially successful people don’t consider themselves as being successful because they lack emotional and quite often spiritual success.

Being able to acquire a perfect balance of financial, emotional, physical and spiritual success is creating true success.  And more often than not, people who are truly successful in life will tell you that financial success is the least important.

Answers to your questions.

Quite a few emails have been sent to me asking specific questions about success. I’ve decided to publish some of them here. That way, all my readers get to benefit from them.

Marcy from Chicago says:
“Lode, I enjoy your blog, it’s helping me a lot. I just want to know how do you define success?”

Marcy, good question. First of all you’ll have to realize that success is different for everyone. What I consider success may not be for you. And what you think of as being success may not be so for your neighbor. Therefore, defining success on general terms is really not possible. However, defining success on personal terms is. My best suggestion is that you write down everything you aim for (want) in your life. And I mean everything: money, love, car, house, job, kids, husband, jewelry, education, etc.. Once you have that general list, narrow it down to the things you really would like to have in your life. Do not think about the items on the list, rather, go with your heart. When you have that narrow list, look at it and ask yourself this: “Of all the things listed on this list, how many of them do I already have?” Check off, all the ones you’ve already accomplished. Now rate your list. If you have 76% - 100% you have success in your life. If you have 50% - 75% of what’s on the list, you are on the right track. Just stay focused and committed and you’ll get there. If you have less than 50% you need to take a good look at where you’re going and what you’re doing. You may find you are not living “your” life but someone else’s. Hope this helps.

James from Portland asks:
“Lode, even though I am doing well in life, I don’t consider myself to be successful. I have a great career and get paid well. I have a beautiful wife and 3 gorgeous children. Still I feel like there’s something missing!”

James, thanks for the questions. You know, that happens a lot. You see success is not just acquiring material things. Success is more than that, much more. Real success is a combination of material, spiritual, physical and emotional satisfaction. To have true success and feel successful you must have all four. One does not go without the other. Let me ask you a few questions to ponder over that I know will give you the answers you seek and with it the ability to make you feel successful: “Other than your work and your family, do you have a social life? Do you have any friends? Are these the friends you would like to have? Do you believe? If not, would you like to? Are you happy all around? If not, what is causing you unhappiness? Can you change that? Are your children living up to your expectations? If not, are your expectations too high? Do you have harmony in your life outside of your career?
Give those questions a real thought. I’ll bet you’ll come up with answers that will give you an entire new outlook and with it bring you the overall success you are looking for. Good luck.

Carla from Orlando wants to know:
“I want so much to be successful. I am afraid that once I am successful people will see me as greedy or snobbish or something. I guess that’s why I am not successful.”

Dear Carla, excellent point. A lot of people aren’t successful in life because they associate negative feelings with being successful. It’s true there are a lot of snobs out there. You know, people who act obnoxious because they’ve accumulated a bit of wealth. Success is much deeper than that. There is more to it. Success is not just about money. As far as you stopping yourself from becoming successful because of your thoughts and your feelings I can tell you first hand don’t do it. If you are a good person at heart, you’ll stay a good person, even when you are successful. Yes, there is always someone who’s going to try to break you down. That’s life. Don’t let a negative person like that influence you not to be successful. I can think of many people who are famous and extremely rich and are some of the nicest people you’ll ever meet. They are compassionate, giving and caring. No money in the world will change them because they are good people at their core. I think you are too. So go out and work on being successful. You deserve it.

Pete from Des Moines asks:
“Lode, once I have success in my life what do I do?”

Pete, this is probably the easiest question to answer. Once you have all the success you want in your life; i.e. material, physical, emotional and spiritual, it’s time to share your success with others. No, that doesn’t mean you now need to give your hard earned money away. What it does mean is that it’s time for you to be a guiding hand to others who are still struggling in life and are looking for a way to be successful. Become their inspiration, share your experiences, and give them a guiding hand. I’ve found that when you do that and you do it completely unselfish without wanting anything in return your success blooms even more.


Hope these few Q & A s are helping my readers. I wish to thank all of you for submitting your questions. And even though I didn’t respond to them here, there are just too many, I will respond to each and every one of your emails personally.

To your success;

Final 4 Self Esteem Boosters!

Next week I am publishing an article in response to some questions my readers have.  I am getting ahead of myself.  Right now it’s time for the final four Self Esteem Boosters.

Final 4 Self Esteem Boosters:

1. Speak with pride and confidence:

A lot of people make the mistake to put them selves down in front of others.  You hear it all the time: “I am not good enough!” or “I can’t do that!” or “No, no not me!”.  It’s good being humble and a bit shy.  It’s bad putting yourself down.  Speak with confidence and trust yourself.  
Remember: others perceive you the way you perceive yourself!

1. Speak well of others:

This kind of goes without saying but still, don’t degrade others with your words.  You wouldn’t like it either when someone says something negative about you. Besides, talking positive about others teaches you to talk positive about yourself.
Remember: what comes around goes around.  

1. Remind yourself of your own strengths:

Everybody has something good to offer.  For one person it may be they are good at sowing, another may be good at math and a third one still is good with kids.  Everybody has a unique and special gift.  You do too.  Know your weak spots but focus on your strengths.  It will make you feel good.
Remember: You do have control over your life to some extend.

1. Be honest with yourself:

Don’t go around bragging about stuff you don’t know or don’t have.  It doesn’t do anyone any good, especially yourself.  Like I said, know your weak spots and learn how to strengthen them.  You’ll be surprised to find what you’re capable of.
Remember: Practice makes perfect.


So there you have them, 8 self-esteem boosters that are sure to get you closer to success when practiced with due diligence.  Above all remember this: Stop Being So Negative!

Life throws us all a curveball so now and then.  Don’t dwell on it.  Pick up the pieces and move on.  Don’t figure out what you did wrong and what you can’t do.  Instead, learn from your mistakes to do better.

A True Story Of What Can Happen When You Focus On Your Strengths!

One of my brothers, plagued his entire childhood with severe asthma which left him with a frail and thin body, decided at age 21 he wanted to go into the computer business.  He had neither the money nor the experience to start his own venture.  As such he joined an established computer company in the hopes of getting experience.

Being the new guy, other employees decided to have some fun with him.  Only 2 days into his job they passed him the phone saying only: “This customer wants to talk to you.”  

Unaware that the person on the other line was not only the company’s largest customer but was also known for her fierce, very bad temper and obnoxious attitude, my brother grab the phone and in a charming voice said “Hello!”

Rather than being greeted back, he got snarled at; to the utter content of the other employees who sat at their desks laughing themselves to tears.

To everyone’s surprise my brother didn’t make any apologies that he had only been 2 days on the job.  He also didn’t pass the phone to someone else.  Instead, he started to talk to the lady in a quiet, polite and soft manner.

Bit by bit my brother calmed the lady down.  And to the utter amazement of everyone in the computer department he had not only gotten the lady, known for her rude ways, to smile and tell jokes, he ended up with an order of well over $500,000.

When the boss heard about my brother’s feat, he asked to see him in his office.
Not sure what to make of it, my brother went, feeling a bit uneasy.  At the office, my brother was congratulated and asked whether he had any sales experience.

“No!” he answered.  The boss continued by saying that my brother should forget about the computer department and focus on being a salesperson.  He had natural talent for this field and would become undoubtedly extremely successful; more than he ever could being a computer tech.

After thinking about what the boss had said, my brother asked him: “And will you train me?”

“Training?” his boss laughed; “Why son, anyone who can calm down Mrs. ……., and sell her an additional quantity of over $500,000 worth has all the training he ever needs!  No, I am not going to train you.  You already got it.  In fact I think you can train us!”

Then looking at my brother with a stern face he said: “Take my advice, you are a salesman.  That is your gift to this world.  That is your strength.  Trust me when I tell you this for I have seen them all.  Your natural ability to soothing people will one day make you very rich”

Taking his boss’ advice, my brother became a salesperson the very next day.

That was 10 years ago.  Today my brother is an independent salesperson who’s being sought after by companies wide and large.  Daily he gets offers to sell products for companies that offer him the world.  His annual income exceed $3,000,000 and that’s only commissions and does not include bonuses and other perks.

Last time I was home I got a chance to spend some real quality time with my brother.  I asked him point blank to what he contributed his enormous success.  After all, here he was, a frail, sickly, inexperienced young boy who wanted to be a computer tech and ended up being the most wanted (in a good sense) and highest earning salesperson anyone in Western Europe has ever seen.  How did he do it.

This is what he answered me:

“When most people spend their time talking I spend mine listening!  It’s by listening that I discover what the other wants or needs.  Once I know that, all I need to do is give them what they want or need! You know it’s funny, this is probably the most I talked all day.”

Discover your strengths, work on them, use them and watch your world explode.  Just like my brother, you too can be that successful when you use your strengths to benefit others.  The world is your oyster.


To Your Success;

Lode


Next Article: answering questions from readers.  Stay tuned.

Self-Esteem Boosters

Well here I am again. I know it’s been a while and you certainly have every right to feel a bit left out. After all I promised you that I would keep on providing you free powerful articles that will help you achieve success.

The only excuse I can give you is that I have been really busy building a new site. It’s called Lodester (my name Lode + ster). It’s my attempt at providing informative reading about various pertinent topics.

The site is finally up and running. If you could find the time to check it out and let me know your honest opinion of what you think of it I would greatly appreciate it. In return I promise to keep on giving you top notch success articles on a dependable and regular basis. Here’s the link: http://www.lodester.com/. Thanks in advance.

Alright let’s get started. Success is a hard nut to crack. Anyone who’s ever attempted to achieve it will tell you so. Quite often our spirits are crushed in the process. To prevent this from happening and thus keep you focused on your goals, here are a few Self-Esteem Boosters that over the years have proven very valuable to me.

On my road to success I learned to use these “boosters” extensively. Now they are in auto-mode and I use them without even giving them a second thought. Be warned, these self-esteem boosters when practiced with due diligence do work. So unless you are looking to stay positive, these boosters may not be for you…. (could that be?)

Booster I: Take risks and accept that you might fail!
I know, that a tuff one. After all, we are talking about success here not failure. Funny thing is that when you try something knowing there is a chance it may not work out makes the experience a lot more exiting and a lot less dreadful. You’ve accepted the possibility that you may not make it. Knowing that upfront takes a tremendous weight off your shoulders; leaving you to focus on one key ingredient: success.

Booster II: Roll with the punches!
I learned over the years that success comes a whole lot sooner and a whole lot easier when you go with the flow than when you try to “force” it. When things don’t go the way they should, see if you can change it. If you can, then change it. If you can’t, accept it and move on. Be like a river: flow around the bends not over them.

Booster III: Present your very best to others!
Don’t act, don’t pretend. Present yourself at your very best to others. When you do that you also present yourself at your very best to yourself. Sounds a bit confusing I know. Bottom line is that when you take pride in the way you look, the way you smell, your hair, your clothes, your shoes, the way you walk, the way you talk, etc. it is a sure bet that's the way you see yourself. Present yourself at your very best and you’ll see yourself at your very best. Before you know it, you walk a little taller and you feel a little prouder.

Booster IV: Trust your perceptions!
I learned a long time ago that when I felt a nagging feeling in the pit of my stomach about someone or something, eventually that feeling always, I repeat, always ended up being right. And if I went against it I always, I repeat again, always ended up getting hurt in the process. Listen to your inner voice, trust yourself, trust your intuition and your instincts. You’ll be surprised how accurate you become in analyzing situations and people right from the get go. Listen to your inner voice. It’s there to help you.

There you have it, four self-esteem boosters that if practiced every day will eventually prove to be your ace to reaching ultimate success.


To Your Success;



Next Article: four more self-esteem boosters. Don’t miss it.

Take Control Of Your Life!

It’s been awhile since my last writing.  I took some time off and went to Europe for a while.  Now I am back and ready for the next Success Article.  Here we go:


It’s All In Your Attitude:

Can you accept that a simple change in your attitude can make all the difference in the world?  Believe it!  Your life can change, literally overnight, by shifting your attitude from negative to positive.  

Developing a positive attitude may seem nearly impossible to you right now.  You can do it!  Build a positive attitude by working with positive affirmations.  It’s easy!

Just create some positive messages for and about yourself and write them down each day.  Then, several times a day, read the affirmations.  You can read them out loud if you wish.  

The more you read and write positive affirmations about yourself, the more you reinforce the positive messages in your subconscious mind.

“Affirmations are positive statements about positive beliefs!”  If you get one-tenth as good at positive self-talk as you are at negative self-talk, you will notice an enormous change.

Instead of telling yourself: “I can’t do this”, say something like: “I can do this” or “I can overcome my problems” or “I am good at finding solutions”.

If you hear yourself responding: “Ah who am I kidding?  I know I can’t do this!”  STOP.  Remember, all “bad” habits are difficult to break.  Keep it up and eventually you’ll succeed.

Remember: You Are Master Of Your Own Thoughts!  You and only you control your thinking, what you say to yourself or about yourself.   That being the case, you might as well get in the habit of saying something nice, something positive about or to yourself.

Here are a few suggestions for developing a positive outlook right now:

1. Recall Your Past Successes:

Remember a treasured memory of your life and focus on it.  You’ll notice that this probably makes your feel wonderful.  This exercise shows you how you can change your emotional state from negative to positive instantly.  

When you’re having a “bad time”, feeling negative, or are down, use this exercise to immediately change the way you feel and think.

1. Use Your Body Rather Than Your Mind:

When you feel blue, your shoulders slump and your mouth droops.  Do the opposite.  Look in the mirror and smile, throw your shoulders back and stand straight.  Right away you’ll feel better.

When you feel better you always have a better attitude.  The two go hand in hand.  
These suggestions are quite simple but don’t be fooled.  They can provide instant, powerful results.  Just make the effort and watch your attitude change from negative to positive.

And when you’re positive, you feel like you can do anything.  You know you can accomplish anything and you are successful.

That’s the 1st step to making your future much better and brighter.



To Your Success!


Lode



Next article: More self-esteem boosters.  Stay tuned!

Success Tool

Many years ago I attended a seminar designed to help people achieve their fullest potential. The room we sat in was filled to the rafters with eager individuals looking to discover their true purpose in life.

I don’t remember much of what was talked about that day; nor do I recall anything I learned on how to bring out the best in me. The only thing that stuck with me was a story the speaker shared with us.

I didn’t grasp the meaning of that story. Yet, somehow that tale stayed with me. Hidden in the recesses of my mind that story lurked; eagerly waiting for the right time to surface again to teach me the most valuable lesson of life I would ever learn.

Five years ago it did. Sitting at the kitchen table trying to juggle all the bills we had I suddenly remembered that story. And at that very moment I understood its meaning. It had taken me 15 years to finally figure out what the speaker was really saying the day he told us the story.

The moment I understood the “punch line”, my life changed in every way imaginable. Career, prosperity, health and happiness suddenly unfolded in my life like never before. Slowly at first, then like an avalanche, in pure abundance, like a beautiful flower waking up on a summer morning, its pedals filled with morning dew.

Now, from every angle and every direction success flows into my life. Here’s the story as I remember it. Get the punch line and watch success come into your life like never before.

A wealthy businessman attending a meeting in Boston decided to tour this history rich city before the gathering. Walking through a rustic old part of Boston, up ahead he noticed a shadowy figure coming his way. As the image came closer to him he could see it was a man dressed in raggedy clothes, wobbling side to side.

Getting closer the businessman could hear the man mumble. He couldn’t really make out exactly what he was saying. Just at that moment the businessman thought to himself: “I bet it’s a beggar who’s going to walk right up to me and ask me for money.”

Sure enough, exactly as the businessman thought, the beggar approached him and in a crackling voice he said: “Hey mister can you spare a quarter?”

“A Quarter? You want a quarter?” the businessman responded.
“Yes, yes, a quarter is all I want.” the homeless guy answered.

Digging in his pocket, the businessman pulled out a $100 bill. Looking at the beggar eagerly staring at the bill, he placed it in his other hand.

“A quarter huh? Is that really all you want?” the businessman asked the beggar once again.
“Yes, yes, just give me a quarter, that’s all I want.” the beggar replied.

Again the businessman dug into his pocket. Pulling out several $20 bills he paused for a moment, looked at the beggar whose eyes were now twice as large, and placed the bills in his other hand, together with the $100.

“You’re sure all you want is a quarter?” the businessman asked once more.
“Yes, a quarter that’s all I want, nothing more.” spoke the beggar in eager anticipation.

One more time the businessman dug in his pocket. This time he pulled out a few $1 bills. And just like he had done before, the businessman paused just long enough to watch the beggar’s face light up before placing the bills with the other money he held in his other hand.

And yet again the businessman asked the beggar: “You are absolutely certain that a quarter is all you want?”

And just like before the beggar answered with his crackling voice: “Yes mister, a quarter, just give me a quarter and I am on my way!”

And so once more the businessman dug into his pocket. This time he pulled out a quarter. He looked at it for a few seconds, than stared at the beggar.

As he stuck out his hand to give the beggar the quarter, the businessman said: “Life gives you exactly what you ask of it!”

Slowly, the beggar reached out his shaky hand. For a moment he stopped and stared at the quarter. Than staring at all the money the businessman held in his other hand, the beggar took the quarter with his crumbling fingers and said: “Mister you’re crazy.”

Clenching the quarter in his fist he mumbled and continued on his way, wobbling back and forth.

For 15 years I struggled and had more debt than I knew how to handle. For 15 years I had misery because of the stress, anger and grief caused by the enormous debt. For 15 years I had nothing but dark days because through my own wining and nagging I brought upon me the very same things I complained about.

My vocabulary was filled with negative and demeaning expressions about myself, money, happiness, health, relationships and life. Day in and day out I repeated over and over to myself and to anyone who wanted to hear it that I was no good; that I had no luck; that it didn’t matter what I did or tried, it wouldn’t work anyway.

On and on I went complaining about how life had dealt me a bad hand. And just like in poker, when you got a bad hand, you can’t win.

For 15 years, I didn’t realize that my negative attitude, my destructive actions and my pessimistic words brought about the life I had because that’s exactly what I asked for.

On that faithful day, when I was sorting bills, figuring out what to pay, if anything, and the heck with the rest, that story resurfaced. On that faithful day I got the “punch line”. And on that faithful day I changed my attitude, my actions and my words.

I no longer speak negatively about anything. I am no longer depressed and I no longer let any setbacks get the better of me.

Instead I use a little tool I created to keep reminding me that life is good and abundant and that life does give you exactly what you ask of it. I now know for certain that my life will always be overflowing with prosperity, love, happiness and good health every day of my life for as long as I live.

I know this to be so because I live it every day. With your permission I’d like to share with you my tool that I use every day to remind me of how successful I already am and how successful I continue to be with every new day still to come.

The Tool: How To Use It!





Look at the picture above. Imagine yourself standing at the railing gazing over the ocean. Hear the soothing waves gently rush to shore, continuously. Feel the cool breeze of the wind caress your hair and stroke your face. Grasping the rail you breathe in deeply the cool summer salty air and you know; you absolutely know that you are successful in every area of your life.

As you feel that positive energy zoom through your entire body, reaching every limb, you know, you absolutely know that you will continue to be successful in every area of your life for as long as you live.

You know you have the magic touch. You know that every day, starting today and for the rest of your live, you will succeed at anything and everything you set your mind to.

Standing in that picture, seeing yourself holding the rail, overlooking the ocean, watching the waves rushing towards you, feeling the breeze and breathing the air, you know; you absolutely know that this is your ocean of abundance. These are your waves of plenty washing into your life, bringing you success in every area of your life, continuously every second of every day, from here on forward for as long as you live.

Print this picture and hang it in your bathroom, your kitchen, your office. Turn it into the wallpaper on your computer. Have a copy in your car and your wallet. Place it anywhere you sit, stand or spend time on a regular basis.

Then whenever you feel like success is escaping you. Whenever you feel like things aren’t going exactly as you’d like, look at that picture and see yourself standing there looking over your ocean of plenty.

Repeat the sentence written on that photograph every day as often as you can. While you say these words, visualize abundance coming into your life from every angle and every direction flowing towards you and touching you continuously and know, absolutely know, that you are and always will be, successful!

Practice this concept every day in the morning, midday and at night. Before you know it you will see success unfolding in your life. First success will come in gentle little streams, than gushing like a raging waterfall, unstoppable, never ending.

I have been using and continue to use this tool daily. I repeat the sentence every day as many times as I can. When I speak the words I close my eyes and see success falling on me from every angle.

I have been doing this for only 5 years now. During that time my life has gone from rags to riches, literally.

You can do the same. Apply yourself, use this tool and watch your world unfold. I am willing to bet that before long you’ll have success in every area of your life unlike anything you ever imagined before.

Don’t limit yourself any longer. You have what it takes and you can do it. Now go and do it!


Best Wishes


Lode

Success Step VI - You Must Believe!

As I am writing this success step I am actually on a flight to Europe. Can’t sleep, so what better use of my time than to create the article for the final Success Step.

“Success Step VI – You Must Believe!”

Before I explain this step in detail it’s imperative I emphasize that the “believe” I am talking about has nothing to do with a higher power. The “believe” I am referring to comes from within you. It’s your strength, your power, your source. It’s what gives you that constant drive to succeed no matter what.

If you have even the slightest doubt that you are not going to be successful, guess what, you won’t be. Bottom line is you must believe with every ounce of your being that you will be successful for you to be successful.

The bible clearly states: “Have the faith of a mustard seed and tell that mountain to move and it will move!” You MUST have the same faith and believe when it comes to your success. Anything less simply will not do.

Mohammed Ali, probably the greatest boxer of all time, was once asked to what he contributed his greatness. The reporter wanted to know whether it was his natural talent, his intense training regimen, his commitment to the sport or something else.

In typical Mohammed Ali fashion he answered: “Now you know, that’s a dumb question. Don’t you know? I fly like a butterfly and I sting like a bee. Ain’t no boxer gonna stop me. I am the greatest!”

No doubt in his mind that he was the best. And by many standards to this day, he’s still considered amongst the greatest.

Does it mean that when you truly believe that you will be successful that you won’t have any setbacks? Of course not. That would make it just a bit too easy. Setbacks are sure to happen.

Believe however that you will be successful and these setbacks will only fuel you to try harder, to do more, to take that extra step. Truly believing in yourself and that you have what it takes to be successful and you will be, count on it.

For 15 years I struggled. I had many doors shut in my face. I was told by many people, especially those closest to me that I should go work for someone else, that I should just forget it.

At times I fell down, depressed, angry, deprived but quitting….. never, not a solution. Despite what anyone told me somewhere deep inside my gut I had that constant churning, that constant lingering and I just knew and I believed that one day I would be successful.

So despite what anyone told me, I kept on trying, I kept on going, I kept on holding on. Yes, I had to redesign my plan several times and yes I had to take different roads. But like Mohammed Ali I believed and still do, that I have what it takes to be successful and stay successful. Yes it did take 15 years but I did it, mainly because I truly believed I could and would.

You must do the same. All the previous 5 steps will go to waste if you do not have a solid believe that you will be successful in your life.

This is the final step of the Success Steps series. Put them into practice and stay focused and you will discover a potential within you that you never thought you had. It will take you places you never even dreamed of and you will be successful.

My next article I am going to give you a tool that I use every day to help me stay focused. I developed it myself and I find it to be extremely effective in speeding up the process of becoming successful. I want you to have it – free.

There is one condition, well, actually two: 1. you need to promise me you will use that tool the way it is intended to be used and 2. you will send me an email when you see that tool creating abundance in your life. I truly want to know about your success.


Best Wishes;


Lode


Next Article: Free Success Tool – Stay tuned.

Success Step V - You Must Adapt!

You’ve come this far. You’ve stuck it out. You’ve given it your all and you’ve done what you said you would do. Yet things aren’t going the way you were expecting them to. Maybe things aren’t going at all.

That brings us to:

“Success Step V – You Must Adapt!”

Sometimes life doesn’t go the way you want it to. In fact, it’s almost a guarantee it won’t. The best you can do at that moment is to accept it and move on.

If you gave it your all; if you really tried; if you did your absolute best and yet you don’t see the result you were expecting, simply accept it and try again.

Now I know, that’s a lot harder to do than it sounds. After all, based on your decision, your commitment, your plan and your acceptance you should have seen the results you were expecting. But you didn’t. It’s just the way it goes sometimes.

And rather than complaining about it, you must grab yourself by your bootstraps and start again.

Before you do, just review what you did, and most likely you’ll find the reason why you didn’t get what you were expecting; then, make the changes and start over.

As a young boy I remember two tall trees way back at the end of our yard. One tree was a giant oak, sky high, big, mighty and strong with enormous branches. It stood like a fortress, unwavering.
The other was a Canadese, similar to a palm tree but with leaves, very lengthy and thin. The crest of leaves was barely visible from the ground as it swayed in the wind.

One day a severe storm blew violent winds throughout the night. The next day, the devastation caused by the storm was clearly visible: shacks were blown away, roofs were gone and to my utter dismay the beautiful, indestructible oak lay uprooted on the ground.
Yet the Canadese with its slender trunk still stood gently rocking back and forth.

I asked my grandpa how it could be that a powerful giant oak tree was not able to withstand the winds while a puny, skimpy Canadese had no problems surviving. My grandpa answered: “The Canadese accepts the winds and moves with it, no matter what direction it’s coming from or going to. It adapts to the situation. The might oak in its sturdiness does not bent; rather it tries to withstand the fierce storm by staying firm. Eventually the strong winds overpower the oak and it must give way. Unlike the Canadese, the Oak is not flexible. It does not adapt to the situation.”

And so it is in life. Life will throw you a curveball. Anticipate it so that when it happens you are ready for it. Then, just change your course or your plan a bit and continue.
The Chinese have a saying: “A river never flows straight. No matter it keeps flowing until it reaches the ocean!” You need to approach your quest for success with the same philosophy.

A chameleon is able to camouflage itself by changing colors that blend into the environment it’s in. It does this to protect itself. You must do the same. You must adapt to whatever unwanted situation that comes your way. Learn to become like a chameleon and you’ll find your road to success a lot easier to travel.

Over the years I learned to take the twists and turns as miniature lessons. Small, tiny lessons I needed to learn in addition to the big lessons. Once I did I discovered that setbacks are a normal part of life. All I had to do was change my course a bit, alter my strategy a little and before long I’d found myself back on track, stronger and better than before.

On your road to success you must learn to “sway like a Canadese” and “flow like a river”. When you do, you’ll discover rather quickly that no matter what life throws at you, you are ready for it and you can adjust to it.

When you do, an amazing thing happens: You’ll find that life is actually going the way you want it to and you are actually getting what you are asking of it.


Best Wishes;

Lode


Next Issue: Final Success Step VI – Stay tuned.

Success Step IV - You Must Accept!

Here you are! You’ve made it this far on your road to success. At times the ride was smooth and at times it’s been a bit bumpy. That doesn’t matter. What does matter is that you stuck to it this far and you continue to move forward towards your goal.

Yet you’ve come to realize that even though you decided to be successful, you made a plan and you committed to do whatever it takes to be successful, it doesn’t always go accordingly.

This brings us to the fourth step of success:

“Success Step IV – You Must Accept!”

Success has a funny way of operating. I learned that the hard way. Every time I thought I finally made it something unexpected would turn up that would put me back a step or two.

There was a time I didn’t have $100 in my savings. So to try and save $2000 was an enormous undertaking. You can well imagine the pride I felt when I achieved that goal. It had taken some time, sure, but I did it.

I remember driving home, singing and tapping the steering wheel. I was in heaven and couldn’t wait to tell my wife. When I got home my joy was instantly crushed when my wife told me that her tooth had cracked and she needed to fix it.

She’d called a dentist and was told the procedure would run about $1800 give or take. We had no insurance of any kind at that time and would have to pay for it out of pocket.

What a major disappointment, what a bummer. Here I was trying my heart out to get ahead. When I finally did, even only a little bit, I was shut down once again.

My first reaction was “damn” followed by something more severe. Then, looking at my wife, seeing her standing there with tears in her eyes and a chipped front tooth, I realized that what mattered most to me was not the money I tried so hard to save but us. What good would it be if I had all the money in the world and enjoyed all the success I could handle if I didn’t have her to share it with?

I embraced her and told her it was OK. It could have been worse. She could have damaged her tooth at a time when we didn’t have the money. At least now with the money I had saved, we could fix the problem. Thank goodness for that. We smiled and hugged each other.

I learned there and then that you’ve got to accept the fact that things will not always go as planned. That’s just the way it goes. Accept it and move on. I learned not to linger on things that gave me a curveball. Instead I accept setbacks and use them as stepping stones.

Accept that once in a while you are going to get a few disappointments here and there. Because you made this decision to be successful and you’ve got this plan that you know will get you there, doesn’t mean it’s going to be smooth sailing.

I guarantee that if you learn to accept that part of becoming successful is learning how to overcome stumbling blocks, your victory will be a lot sweeter.

That day I learned to accept that things won’t always go the way you plan them and that’s ok. That lesson liberated me from the heavy burden of wanting to force my way to a better life.

Learn to accept that the road to success is paved with rocks. The moment you do you’ll find that the road to success has become a lot smoother and easier to travel because disappointments, which are sure to happen, won’t pull you down any more.

Once you discover this truth and you accept it, you will spiral into a new dimension; one where success is embracing you from every angle.

Best Wishes;

Lode

P.S. Next time: “Success Step V”. Stay tuned.

My Friend Ruben

Drinking and partying all night was his gig. After all, working in the most popular restaurant in town allowed him to be generous with his money. Besides, even if he squandered it all in just one night, at least he had a good time and the very next day he would make new cash.

That’s why he liked being a waiter. It didn’t matter if he spent all his money. The next day he would earn new tips. The restaurant he worked at was busy, the customers liked him very much and he was the best at what he did. Why worry?

And so Ruben continued his pattern of financial abuse and physical neglect day in day out for many years. One day, while working, he felt a sudden pain in his chest. The sting was so severe; it dropped him to his knees.

Later on at the hospital the doctor informed him he had a massive heart attack. The only reason he survived was because he was just 29 years old. “Just a few more years” the doctor told him and he would not have made it.

Completely shook up by the incident Ruben decided to mend his ways. The restaurant business was all he knew. He had no other skill and no degree of any kind. He decided he would continue to work there but he would no longer participate in all nighters.

Instead, he would save his hard earned money, invest it somehow and look forward to retire at an early age.

Several weeks after the incident occurred Ruben returned to work. He was greeted by his coworkers who instantly reminded him how they had missed him at the nightly gatherings. They told him how glad they were he was back and how much they were looking forward to having a great time later on.

That night, at the end of the shift, with his buddies all geared up to party, Ruben informed his friends he would no longer engage in this lifestyle. His friends tried to convince him to tag along: “Come on, just one drink!” “Yeh man, it’s been so long!” “Come on let’s go!”

Ruben held steadfast in his decision and after much argument eventually went home alone.

From that night forward Ruben went home alone while his friends went partying. Over time, Ruben was able to amass a small fortune. Investing his savings in real estate, Ruben retired a multi-millionaire at age 41.

His “friends” are still about, most of them still working in a restaurant here and there. On the few occasions they see each other, his friend tell him how smart he was to do what he did and how they wished they would have done it too.

Looking back at that night when he told his friends no, Ruben recalls:
“That was the saddest night of my life. By not joining my friends for drinks and laughs I knew I was no longer part of the club. Having to leave my friends behind like that was hard on me and hurt me an awful lot for a long time. It was also the best night of my life because on that night I took the first step to improving my life. Seeing at how my life is now I know I did the right thing. Now I have all the money I ever need to party all night long. Not that I want to but it’s nice to know that I can. As for my friends, that’s the life they chose for themselves and I wish them all the best. I was fortunate to have a heart attack. It actually taught me to take control of my life. I am glad it happened. As for advice I can give someone else? I guess I have to say, don’t wait for life to happen to you, make life happen for you.”

In case you’re wondering, I was one of Ruben’s drinking buddies. At 41 he retired while I had a pile of debt. I was lucky to have a friend like him. He showed me how I too could still create the life I wanted to have as long as I was willing to do something about it.

I listened, I learned and I did turn my life around. You can too. Let me guide you, let me show you how. Follow my lead and don’t quit. Eventually you too will be successful.

Best Wishes;

Lode

Success Step III - You Must Commit!

Now that you’ve decided to be successful no matter what and you’ve got a plan that you’re going to follow no matter what, it’s time you get going with Success Step III.

But before you do I must warn you. This step is without a doubt the hardest, most difficult of all the steps involved in the Success program.

This step will test your strengths and expose your weaknesses. This step will separate the corn from the shaft. No, I don’t mean to discourage you. No, I don’t mean to intimidate you. I do believe however in being up front.

Enough said, let’s get going!

“Success Step III – You Must Commit!”

It doesn’t matter at what stage of your life you are right now; if ever you want to be successful, you must commit; AKA: YOU MUST TAKE ACTION!

Going about success with an attitude of “I’ll do it later” or “tomorrow is time enough” will never get you there. That's a promise I give to you in writing.

So what do you do if you happen to be one of those procrastinating individuals? How are you going to go about making sure you commit yourself to your goal every single minute or every single day?

I’ll tell you how I do it. That’s right, I said “do” not did. There was a time when yours truly wasn’t always committed to the dream of being successful. I had an attitude of “Not right now; a little later.” Sitting in my favorite couch watching a no good for nothing show I had the hardest time to “get going”. Everything I did, I approached that way; you know: later.

Yet, day after day I complained bricks out the wall that my life sucked. Why wasn’t I able to get ahead? Why couldn’t I “make it”? I wasn’t dumb, I was physically strong. Why oh why oh why?

One day while repeating my favorite “Yeh, yeh, tomorrow!” thing; my wife stood in the kitchen washing dishes. Looking at her standing there I realized that the life I had promised my wife 15 years earlier and the life that I had given her were thousands of miles apart.

I had promised a life of bounty. Instead, I gave her a life of debt and struggle and daily hard work.

At that very moment I made up my mind that it wasn’t yet too late to make good on my promise. That was only five years ago. Today our lives are nowhere near where they used to be.

Now I look at my wife and I gleam from pure ecstasy. I made good on my promise because I committed to get of my butt (sorry) and do something about the situation I was in. Because I was committed to becoming successful, I was not only able to get rid of our debts, I was able to build a life of luxury at the same time.

It wasn’t easy. I most definitely had my days of wanting to sleep in just a bit longer. I certainly wasn’t always in the best of moods. And I absolutely had my setbacks. But I stuck it out because I committed to myself that I was going to change our lives no matter what.

Like I said earlier, this step isn’t easy. There are going to be days that you’re feeling blue, a bit lazy perhaps or a little under the weather. You ARE going to get them, count on it.

Find something that will be your driving force (your children, your current lifestyle, your empty bank account) to keep you motivated and you WILL be able to find new strength, new courage and a new attitude. Find that driving force and you WILL be able to commit yourself to your desire to be successful no matter what.

The day you commit that you are going to be successful no matter what is the day you are starting to be successful. Believe it. I know; been there done that!


Best Wishes;

Lode


Next issue: Success Step IV - Stay tuned.

Success Step II - You Must Plan!

So, you’ve made up your mind.  You have decided that no matter what you are going to be successful.  You are dead serious about it and no one can sway you from your decision.  

Congratulations.  You have now taken the very first step towards creating success in your life.   You’ll find that with this new attitude there is suddenly a new outlook on tomorrow.

Good, now let’s take the second step.

“Success Step II – You Must Plan!”

Decision alone isn’t going to get you there.  You can decide all you want but if you don’t have an idea on how to go about it to get successful, your decision will eventually fall on loose ground.

How do you plan?   It’s simple really.  Let’s say you have decided to become a professional singer, no matter what.  As such, you’re plan might be something like this:

1. You’re going to have your voice checked to make sure it’s good enough.


2. You’re going to keep your eyes and ears open for any and all singing auditions so that you can go to as many as possible.


3. You’re going to keep on taking vocal lessons to improve your voice even more.


4. You’re going to find a job to support you during your quest, but one that’s flexible enough to let you pursue your dream.


5. You’re going to take positive criticism constructively and ban negativity from your mind.


6. You’re going to take breathing lessons to improve your lung capacity so that you can really hold those long and high notes.


7. You’re going to keep on doing all these things and more no matter how long it takes.

I am not a professional singer and the plan above serves as an example.  You’ll notice that my plan does not contain any dates or time frames.  There is a reason for that.  I know, a lot of experts tell you that you must put a date on your plan in order for you to achieve it.

I agree, just not with my plan.  My plan is without date and time because it’s constant.  In other words, the plan you make to become successful is a plan that you execute every single minute of every single day until you’ve reached your goal.  The plan stops when you’ve reached your goal.  

You also noticed that the plan does not make any reference to money.  I found that making a plan that involves money doesn’t work simply because it discourages.   Imagine the plan would have read:  “I am going to take voice lessons.  For that I will need $1000!”  Slam, you just got hit in the face.  You don’t have $1,000.  And now your plan doesn’t work.  Do not worry about the money part.  I learned that if you truly want something, somehow, inexplicable, you’ll find a way to get where you want to get.

Don’t think so?  A friend of mine wanted to join a certain Karate gym.  Only problem was he didn’t have the money for the membership, the clothes and the gear.  His dad didn’t want to loan it to him because he made just enough to feed his family.

Desponded my friend went to that gym every day.  Every day he would stand at the window and gaze inside, looking at the teacher and the students honing their skills.  

After months of looking through the gym’s window every single day, the teacher took note of him.  He went outside and asked my friend to come in.  My friend told the teacher he’d better not.  He really wanted to join but he didn’t have the money and going inside not being able to participate, would break his heart.

The teacher scratched his chin.  Then he smiled and told my friend: “Come here every day, clean and dust the gym and I will train you for free!”  My friend is now a Karate teacher holding ranks in the highest degrees.

Colonel Sanders was told by everyone who ever tried it that he had the best chicken they ever ate.  So after he retired, he decided he was going to become rich and famous by selling his chicken recipe.

His plan was to wear a white suite and go restaurant to restaurant offering his recipe for a small percentage of the profit.  His plan also included that he would use his own car for transport as well as resting and sleeping quarters.   Additionally, the food he would eat would be the chickens that the restaurants cooked to try out his recipe.

That was his plan; short and simple.  Anyone hearing this would have and probably did say: “man, you are nuts!”  

He threw away negative criticism and didn’t allow it to deter him from his dream.  Restaurant after restaurant he stopped, offering his recipe for a percentage of the profits.  Restaurant after restaurant rejected him and showed him the door.

Try to imagine what his suite must have looked like after a while.  But he prevailed.  He had decided and he had a plan to get rich and famous from a chicken recipe.  After thousands of doors, yes thousands, closed in his face, one sunny afternoon, he entered a small but cozy restaurant.

The owner was a lady.  She was sweet and kind.  After giving his usual speech she decided to try out his recipe.  She liked the taste and texture of the chicken.  She believed that his recipe would most certainly improve her business and she saw no problem giving him a percentage of the profits.

The rest as they say is history:  Kentucky Fried Chicken was born.

So, go ahead, make your plan.  Do it now.  When your plan is ready, put it into action and let nothing stop you.  Like the Colonel, you’ll succeed.  I know because that’s what I did for 15 years.  Like the Colonel I stuck to it.  And like the Colonel I am now successful.  Guess what, you can too!  

Best Wishes;

Lode


Coming soon:  Success Step III.  Stay Tuned.

Success Lesson I - You Must Decide!

Success! Webster's dictionary defines it as “accomplishment, attainment, outcome”; a good explanation. I like to think of the word as “I made it!”

Whatever meaning you associate with the word success it is your view of what you wish to attain.

Even so, I have learned that in order to get the success you envision in your mind there are certain steps you must follow. I call these steps “Success Lessons”.

These lessons must be learned in the precise order given. Do not take one over the other, do not skip one, you'll fail. I know; been there done that.

So, if you're ready, let's get started. Take it to hart and you'll have your dream of success become reality. Don't follow it and well, you're on your own with no one to blame but yourself.

Enough said. Let’s go.

“Success Lesson I – Decide!”

That's right. Decide! I am not talking about a “let's go to the movies” or “let's go swimming” kind of decision. The decision I am talking about is the one that will change your life.

It wasn’t until I finally decided that I was going to be successful that I became successful. All the years prior I tried alright but wasn’t really committed. Not anymore. I made up my mind and decided.

Whatever your dream is, whatever it is you wish to accomplish, I guarantee that it will happen the moment you decide that’s what you want to do or be.

If your goal is to be a singer, a dancer, an accountant, a writer, an actor, whatever you choose, decide that’s what you truly want to be or do and you’ll see how almost out of nowhere, you’ll find an endless drive of energy that propels you to do things to accomplish your goal that you never thought or dreamed of doing.

The day I decided that I truly had enough of all the struggle was the day my lot changed. On that day I didn’t say: “Well, maybe I am going to try this!” No, on that day I said: “I am going to get what I want no matter what I got to do, no matter how long it takes because I am fed up with the life I got. I am going to be successful, no matter what.”

The absolute best example I can give you that once you decide your life will open up to you is the story of Allen Iverson, lead player of the 76ers basketball team.

While still in junior high, Iverson dreamed of being a professional basketball player. He was athletic, had a passion for the game and better than average at playing basketball. But he had a problem. Compared to other kids who joined a basketball team with the hopes of becoming a star, Allen was too short; really short.

Where other players reached a height of well over 6ft and some even over 7ft, Allen stood merely 6ft tall. Compared to these players he was a midget. Despite this handicap, Iverson persisted. Currently he is amongst the elite players in his field. His accomplishments are too numerous to mention but few equal his performance. Iverson didn’t become a basketball star, he became a superstar.

When asked why he was thinking about being a basketball player, considering he was only 6ft, he answered: “I am not wishing to be a basketball player I want to be a basketball player!”

That’s deciding. And that’s exactly what you must do if you want to be successful. So time has come for you to decide. Remember: “Live gives you exactly what you ask of it!” Decide!

Best Wishes;

Next Success Lesson: Step II - You Must Plan! - Stay Tuned.

Happy Holiday!

Hello;

Wishing you a healthy, happy and safe Easter holiday.

Monday 04/17/06 topic: Lesson I - Decide.

Stay tuned

Best wishes;

Lode

Try and try again!

The more I think about it, the more I come to realize that my success is due to only one factor - me. I have never been fortunate enough to have a lucky star smile on me. Everything I got, I got the hard way.

Some people tell you they don’t believe in luck. They say that life is predefined and everything you get is destiny. I refuse to accept that.

I refuse because I find it impossible to imagine that some people are chosen to have the “easy” live while others have to struggle. I do believe that some people are luckier than others.

My dad used to tell me: “Son, to be successful in life you'll need 3 things. 1. You'll need money. 2. You'll need know-how and 3. You'll need luck. And out of those 3 things you better hope and pray you got an abundance of luck. For money you can borrow and know-how you can get from asking questions but luck, you either have it or you don’t.”

Somehow I tend to think he's right. I should know. The knowledge of success that I now have took me over 30 years to acquire. 15 years thereof were nothing but struggle. Part of it I learned and part of it I was taught. Money I made and I lost because of my own carelessness. But luck, I got to say, I've never found a bag of luck laying around, just in case I needed it.

For if it would have I would have used it. And I don't think I would have struggled as hard and as long as I did. People call that “a lucky break”. I never got one.

That's why I am convinced that I am successful today because of my own doing. I didn't quit, I kept on going. No matter how hard or how tough, I picked up the pieces and kept on trying.

I'd like to think that Dr. Schuler has the right idea: “When the going gets tough, the tough get going!” That's what I did. That's what you need to do. Hold on. Don’t quit. Keep going, keep fighting. You'll be surprised how through your own efforts and strength and courage things can and will change for the better from one day to the next.

And should it really not work out after you gave it all you have to give. Then know that at least you can still walk proud because you tried. You really tried.

Believe me when I tell you that 99% of all the people in the world who complain that they are not successful are the same ones that simply don't try; at least not hard enough.

So if you wish to be successful then try and try and try again. Eventually you will be. The old adage holds a lot of truth: “If at first you don’t succeed, try and try again!”

Best Wishes;

Lode

Why should I care? After all, I don't know you ....

Hi;

My name is Lode. I live in Los Angeles, California with my wife and my 2 cats Eezee and Minoo. Together we enjoy a wonderful, happy, successful life. But ..., it wasn't always like that.

It's been said that some people have the Midas touch. You know, anything they lay their hands on turns to gold. I certainly wasn't one of them. In fact, just the opposite was true. Anything I laid my hands on turned to dust.

That's how it used to be. For 15 years I struggled trying to "break through". No matter what I did, I failed. I jumped from one business into another yet success eluded me time and again.

My wife and I argued a lot; almost always about money or at least, the lack there off. These were dark, stressful and tormenting times back then. Yet, I persevered and eventually became very successful. Along the way I learned an awful lot.

The stuff I learned about business, people, money and life in general you can't find in any book and it's not taught in any school. These are the lessons of hard knocks. Lessons that only life can teach you, unless you have a mentor.

With a mentor, success will come a lot sooner. You get to follow a proven path and don't have to figure it all out on your own. I know if I would have had a mentor back then, I would have never spent 15 hard years looking, searching and trying to get success.

With a mentor I would have accomplished my goals in probably 1 or 2 years. A world of difference isn't it?

With your permission I'd like to be your mentor so that you don't stumble and fall the way I did. I want to save you 15 years of trial and error.

It is my wish to help those who are where I once was get to where I am now. Success isn't hard, getting it not knowing how, that's hard.

So, if you're still wondering why I care, eventhough I don't know you? Well, I do know you. I know what it's like to constantly come short. I know all too well the hunting phone calls of bill collectors. I have had many worrysome, sleepness nights.

So as far as I am concerned, I do know you. I know your struggles, I know your pains and I know your frustrations. I know, because I've been there.

Yes, I am successful now. There was a time however when I wasn't. And that's why I know you.


Best Wishes;

Lode