You Can Win Part 6

Winners see the potential; Losers see the past.

Winners are like a thermostat; Losers are like thermometers.

Winners choose what they say; Losers say what they choose.

Winners use hard arguments but soft words; Losers use soft arguments but hard words.

Winners stand firm on values but compromise on petty things; Losers stand firm on petty things but compromise on values.

Winners follow the philosophy of empathy: "Don't do to others what you would not want them to do to you"; Losers follow the philosophy, "Do it to others before they do it to you."

Winners make it happen; Losers let it happen.

Winners plan and prepare to win.

The key word is preparation.

28*

BE A WINNER--ACTION STEPS.

Let me close this chapter with the eight action steps discussed earlier:

1. Be a good finder.

2. Make a habit of doing it now.

3. Develop an att.i.tude of grat.i.tude.

4. Get into a continuous education program.

5. Build positive self-esteem.

6. Stay away from negative influences.

7. Learn to like the things that need to be done.

8. Start your day with a positive.

29*ACTION PLAN :

1. Write these action steps down on a 3-by-5 index card and read them every day for the next 21 days.

For the next 30 minutes, answer the following questions.

2. How can you use each step at home?

at work?

socially?

3. Make a list of the things you would like to change about yourself.

4. Then list the benefits to you (and others) of each change.

5. Finally establish a timetable and commit yourself to make the changes.

30*

CHAPTER 2.

SUCCESS.

Wining Strategies

31*

Success is not an accident. It is the result of our att.i.tude and our att.i.tude is a choice.

Hence success is a matter of choice and not chance.

Most crackpots keep waiting for a jackpot. But can that bring success?

A priest was driving by and saw an exceptionally beautiful farm. He stopped his car to appreciate the bountiful crop. The farmer was riding on his tractor and saw the priest at the corner. He drove towards the Priest and when he got there the priest said, "G.o.d has blessed you with a beautiful farm. You should be grateful for it. The farmer replied, "Yes, G.o.d has blessed me with a beautiful farm and I am grateful for it, but you should have seen this farm when G.o.d had the whole farm to himself!"

How come one person moves forward with one success after another, and yet some are still getting ready?

How come one man goes through life crossing one hurdle after another, accomplis.h.i.+ng his goals while another struggles and gets nowhere?

If the answer to these two questions can become part of the curriculum, it could revolutionize the educational system. The uncommon man seeks opportunity, whereas the common man seeks security. We need to keep our minds on what we want, not on what we don't want.

WHAT IS SUCCESS?.

A lot of research has gone into the subject of success and failure. All that we need to do is learn our lessons from history. When we study the life histories of successful people, we find that they have certain qualities in common no matter which period of history they lived in. Success leaves clues and if we identify and adopt the qualities of successful people, we shall be successful. Similarly, there are characteristics common in all failures.

If we avoid those characteristics, then we shall not be failures. Success is no mystery, but simply the result of consistently applying some basic principles. The reverse is just as true: Failure is simply a result of making a few mistakes repeatedly. All of this might sound too simplistic, but the fact is that most truths are very simple. I'm not saying they are easy, but they certainly are simple.

To laugh often and love much; To win the respect of intelligent persons and the affection of children; To earn the approval of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends ; To appreciate beauty; To find the best in others; To give off one's self without the slightest thought of return; To have accomplished a task, whether by a healthy child, a rescued soul, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition; To have played and laughed with Enthusiasm and sung with exaltation; To know that even one life has breathed 32*easier because you have lived; This is to have succeeded.

Anonymous

HOW DO WE DEFINE SUCCESS?.

What makes a person successful? How do we recognize success?

To some people, success might mean wealth. To others, it is recognition, good health, good family, happiness, satisfaction, and peace of mind. What this really tells us is that success is subjective. It can mean different things to different people. The definition that I feel summarizes "success" well is:

Success is the progressive realization of a worthy goal.

Earl Nightingale

Let's look at these definitions carefully.

"Progressive" means that success is a journey, not a destination. We never arrive. After we reach one goal, we go on to the next and the next and the next.

"Realization" means it is an experience. Outside forces cannot make me feel successful.

I have to feel it within myself. It is internal not external.

"Worthy" refers to our value system. Which way are we heading? Positive or negative?

Worthiness determines the quality of the journey. That is what gives meaning and fulfillment. Success without fulfillment is empty.

Why? "Goals" are important. Because they give us a sense of direction.

Success does not mean being accepted by everyone. There are some groups I would not want to be accepted by, out of choice. I would rather be criticized by fools than appreciated by unsavory characters.

I define success as a manifestation of good luck that results from inspiration, aspiration, desperation and perspiration; generally in that sequence.