Understanding Your Personal Energy Cycle

by Laura M. Stack, MBA, CSP, is “The Productivity PRO,"® helping people leave the office earlier, with less stress, and more to show for it. She presents keynotes and seminars on time management, information overload, and personal productivity. Contact her at 303-471-7401 or visit her website at www.TheProductivityPro.com.

An important piece of productivity concerns what time of day you select to work on which activities. Everyone has a natural time during the day when they are "UP" (prime time) and a natural time when they are "DOWN" (down time). During prime time, your brain is "on"; your batteries are charged and you're able to focus. During down time, your brain feels "slow"; it's difficult to muddle through your work.

First, let's chart your energy levels. Get out a piece of paper and draw a big "L" for a graph with a vertical and horizontal axis. Mark the vertical axis "0" to "100" to represent your energy level as a percentage. Mark the horizontal axis with your work hours, in one hour increments. When you arrive at work in the morning, draw a dot where energy intersects with time, to indicate how you feel in terms of your energy level. As the day progresses, draw a series of dots horizontally to show how your energy ebbs and flows. Then connect the dots and analyze your line chart.

Draw a dotted line at about the 75% energy level mark across your line drawing to represent your peak productivity zone. Write these exact time ranges out to the side of your graph. These are your "expensive" hours, compared to other times during the day, because your brain is capable of doing higher-level activities in that range. It’s important to know when you’re in prime time, because you can get so much more done.

The key is to focus on:

• Important tasks
• Critical decisions
• Problem solving
• Complex thought
  

If you wait until you're in down time to work on these types of activities, it will take much, much longer and be much, much more painful. The challenge for most people is that when they're in prime time, they feel GOOD! The last thing you might feel like doing when you're "up" is working on that report, writing a proposal, or analyzing those figures. But if you wait until you're going down, you've lost the opportunity to get it done quickly. The trick here is a lot of self-discipline. Resist the urge to do “fun, easy, trivial” things during this period or talk to your friends.

I actually have two prime times: one in the morning, and one early afternoon. When I'm in prime time, I need to make my marketing calls, because I need to be "up" and on top of the conversation. Sometimes, I will purposely let my voice mail pick up my calls, when I know I'm in down time and won't be as articulate as I'd like to be with a client. I will also respond to Requests for Proposals (RFPs) sent by prospective clients in prime time. I want to write quickly and succinctly, and my prime time is the key opportunity for that work.

Similarly, I listen to my body when I'm in down time. When I feel my energy level waning, a quick glance at the clock will usually tell me why. I know I need to get up, stretch, perhaps go for a quick walk around the block, eat an energy snack, or make a cup of tea. Then I will go back and work on some different activities, not necessarily ones with low priority, but those that don't require the brain power of the prime time tasks. If I don't listen to my body's signals and respond appropriately, I will get a rip-roaring headache, preventing me from taking advantage of my second prime time.

Another consideration is when to hold meetings. If you're a manager or professional with the ability to call a meeting during a certain time, really think about when to hold them. It's often eye-opening to do this prime time graphing activity with your staff or the people normally in attendance. I think you'll find that corporate America has trained most people to be “morning people.” Our natural energy cycles cause us to be “up” or have “prime” time first thing in the morning. Unfortunately, most people insist on holding meetings at that time. *Some* meetings are good to have during prime time, like those involving brainstorming, problem solving, or strategy. But routine staff meetings, project updates, or information-only meetings should be held during lulls in productivity. If you are stuck attending these meetings with no control over when they are held, a phone call to the chair with this graph as a team-building activity might be well-received. Also send that person this article!

I think about my energy level like a dimmer switch my hubbie John recently put in our bathroom. People don't operate at "OFF" and "ON." You're not running full-tilt all day long, then sleep at night. It's not "0" and "100%" but rather various levels all day. People are more like dimmer switches. Or cats.

My kitty Emma follows the sunshine all day. She plays some, sleeps some, eats some, and pays attention to her own desires. People say things like, "I *have* to check email at (x) time of day." Why? Better to schedule times to handle email when you're in down time and stick to a self-imposed limit. Rarely to people need to be going a hundred miles an hour to handle email. Pay attention and slow down when your brain and body tell you to.

Be a cat. Be a dimmer switch. Follow your rhythms and work with your brain's and body's desires for you throughout the day. Remember, it’s costly to have key people, including yourself, tied up in routine meetings during periods of peak energy and productivity. And it's costly for you to work on things you can do in your sleep during your peak productivity zone. Once you know what that zone is, protect it for all your worth! Be self-disciplined when you're "up." And listen to yourself and rest when you're "down." Meow.

Life Rewards Action

by Chris Widener

Thinking is good, yes it is. I strongly encourage thinking. In fact, thinking plays a terrific role in success. It helps you strategize. It helps you get motivated. It tunes you into success. I am all for thinking and I do it regularly!

That being said, just thinking, no matter how good of a thinker you are, will never catapult you to success. The difference between the thinker who succeeds and the thinker who doesn’t is that the thinker who succeeds also ACTS!

Life does not reward thinking. Life rewards action. Let me clarify: Life rewards thoughtful action.

Think first, by all means… But then ACT!

Do you want to gain wealth? The save your money – ACT!
Do you want to lose weight? Then hit the treadmill – ACT!
Do you want a new job? Then quit your current one – ACT!
Do you want to write a book? Then begin to write – ACT!
Do you want a new friend? Then introduce yourself – ACT!

Anything you want to accomplish will only be done by bold and decisive action.

Wishing won’t bring it about. Neither will dreaming. Nor will hoping.

Nope, you must ACT.

What is it you want from life? Tell me. Be specific. Be clear. Think about it. Strategize. Roll it around inside that noggin of yours. Got it? Good. Now what? What will you DO to turn that non-physical electrical impulse we call a thought into a physical reality?

There is only one thing: ACTION.

Will you succeed? Will you achieve your dreams? Will you live the life that you want? Only you can make that decision because only you can decide whether or not you will act.

My friends, life rewards action. Your actions do not need to be perfect. They just need to be. And then they get rewarded with success. With achievement. Accomplishment.

You have the power within you to lead YOUR life as you see it. There is only one question you must answer for yourself:

Will I act?

Because Life Rewards Action.

Take Ownership of Your Life!

Great article by Chris Widener!!


There are lots of things we desire to own in this life, aren’t there? Many of them are fine and dandy, as the saying goes. But there is the most important thing we own that many people never think about owning, and that is their life! They spend a lot of time thinking about the next set of golf clubs, a vacation home, or a new piece of jewelry, but they never really understand that they own their life. Whenever it comes time to be responsible, they end up placing the blame somewhere else, rather than realizing that they are the owner and so they are responsible! With that in mind, here are some thoughts about the ownership your have of your life:

You only own one person – you.
You don’t own your spouse. You don’t own your boss. You don’t own your kids (with kids, you are in charge of them, given the tremendous responsibility of teaching them to own their own lives, but you don’t own them). No, there is only one person you own, and that is you. That is great news! Now you don’t have to worry about running anybody else’s life! This is a temptation for us isn’t it? We just know how everybody else should do it and with many of them we try to take ownership and run their life! Well, hands off! Take control of your own life since it is the only one you own. You wouldn’t try to drive somebody else’s car from the grocery store parking lot, so don’t try to drive their life either! You own you – so stick to you!

You get to choose what to do with only one person – you.
Once you have come to realize that you only own you, you get to get to the fun part – running your life and making it what you want it to be. Instead of choosing what other people should do, you get to focus in on choosing what you get to do. You get to begin to shape and mold your life. This is exciting! Aren’t you glad you don’t have to run everybody else’s lives anymore? I am!

Your ownership means that you can do what you want with yourself. Your life is a blank sheet of paper. You can choose whatever you want to do. You can have whatever profession you want. You can earn as much money as you desire. You can marry whoever suits your fancy (as long as you suit their fancy too by the way). Stop wishing and start choosing. I like to use the example of a person who is thirty years old and doesn’t like their income. I tell them that if the so chose, they could go back to school, get a degree, go to medical school and by age forty be in a high-income profession. Then they would have 25 years of high wages to support the lifestyle they desire. You can choose whatever you want and take whatever actions you choose to rectify any situation you are in!

Your ultimate destination in life is set by you, not somebody else.
Where will you end up? Wherever you choose to end up. You will do well to get it in your mind that someday you will be seventy years old and you will be at a certain place and the only thing that got you there was the choices you made all along the way. Imagine that. If you are thirty, you have forty years – FORTY YEARS – of choices that can put you right where you want to be at the end of your life! So you’re fifty-five? Who cares? You probably have at least twenty years left! You still have TWENTY YEARS to get yourself to whatever destination you choose. Do you know what a person can do in twenty years? ALMOST ANYTHING THEY SET THEIR HEART ON!

The responsibility for your life, and what you accomplish, is found in one person – you.
You will accomplish what you choose to accomplish. You will make and save as much money as you choose to. You will write as many books as you choose to. You will take as many vacations as you choose to. You will have the kind of relationships you choose to. What you accomplish is up to you! Take that seriously!

Focus on your values and live them out, regardless of what other people do. This is key. We do not live our lives in a vacuum. We need to be very thoughtful about what we believe, about what our values are, and what our morality is. These things will all shape how we go about exerting ownership of our lives. But once we have come to understand these things for ourselves, the power to live our lives increases tremendously. Now it doesn’t matter what anybody else does. It doesn’t matter what the circumstances are. We live out of our morality, values and beliefs. These are the principles that transcend everything else and enable us to set our course!

I know this seems like a lot of responsibility, but I consider it a freedom and a privilege! We get one life to live and we get to shape it however we want. That is one job I want to take seriously and not mess up! With diligence, hard work, and a lot of right decisions, I’ll get to the end of my life deeply fulfilled. I hope you will to!

"How to Dance in the Rain"

Not sure who wrote this as I got it as an email with no author. It was definately worth sharing so here it is. Enjoy!!


It was a busy morning, about 8:30 , when an elderly gentleman in his 80s arrived at the hospital to have stitches removed from his thumb. He said he was in a hurry as he had an appointment at 9:00 am.

I took his vital signs and had him take a seat, knowing it would be over an hour before someone would to able to see him. I saw him looking at his watch and decided, since I was not busy with another patient, I would evaluate his wound. On exam, it was well healed, so I talked to one of the doctors, got the needed supplies to remove his sutures and redress his wound.

While taking care of his wound, I asked him if he had another doctor's appointment this morning, as he was in such a hurry. The gentleman told me no, that he needed to go to the nursing home to eat breakfast with his wife. I inquired as to her health.

He told me she had been there for a while and that she was a victim of Alzheimer's Disease. As we talked, I asked if she would be upset if he was a bit late.

He replied that she no longer knew who he was, that she had not recognized him in five years now. I was surprised, and asked him, 'And you still go every morning, even though she doesn't know who you are?'

He smiled as he patted my hand and said, 'She doesn't know me, but I still know who she is..'

I had to hold back tears as he left, I had goose bumps on my arm, and thought,'That is the kind of love I want in my life.'

True love is neither physical, nor romantic. True love is an acceptance of all that is, has been, will be, and will not be.

The happiest people don't necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the best of everything they have..

I hope you share this with someone you care about. I just did.

'Life isn't about how to survive the storm, but how to dance in the rain.

This is Good!

Great story by Phil Evans. Definately worth a read!! Enjoy!!

by Phil Evans, www.peoplestuff.com.au

The story is told of a king in Africa who had a close friend with whom he grew up. The friend had a habit of looking at every situation that ever occurred in his life (positive or negative) and remarking, "This is good!"

One day the king and his friend were out on a hunting expedition. The friend would load and prepare the guns for the king. The friend had apparently done something wrong in preparing one of the guns, for after taking the gun from his friend, the king fired it and his thumb was blown off. Examining the situation, the friend remarked as usual, "This is good!"

To which the king replied - "No, this is not good!" and proceeded to send his friend to jail.

About a year later, the king was hunting in an area that he should have known to stay clear of. Cannibals captured him and took him to their village. They tied his hands, stacked some wood, set up a stake and bound him to the stake.

As they came near to set fire to the wood, they noticed that the king was missing a thumb. Being superstitious, they never ate anyone who was less than whole. So untying the king, they sent him on his way.

As he returned home, he was reminded of the event that had taken his thumb and felt remorse for his treatment of his friend. He went immediately to the jail to speak with his friend.

"You were right," he said, "it was good that my thumb was blown off." And he proceeded to tell the friend all that had just happened." And so, I am very sorry for sending you to jail for so long. It was bad for me to do this."

"No," his friend replied, "This is good!"

"What do you mean, 'This is good'? How could it be good that I sent my friend to jail for a year?"

"If I had not been in jail, I would have been with you, and not here with you right now".

In a very unusual way, the message here unfolds into exposing the following principle about life.

"Absolutely everything happens for a purpose; and out of what seems like adversity at the time; always comes good".

I'm sure that if any of us care to reflect back on the tragedy's, the heartaches, the 'bad times' in our lives, that we discover that we have really grown or developed during that period of time, even though the reflection may still cause us discomfort in some way.

It is in this way that we slowly gather experience and wisdom, and even though we may think or feel that it is unfair, that's the way it is.

"This is good". Many of our life's experiences have saved us from some form of cannibals; it's just that we often don't know that they have at the time.

So, for a simple example to help with awareness: next time you may begin to feel you are being 'wronged' by being stuck in a traffic jam, think about the cannibals that could be lurking down the road a bit,but will be gone by the time you get there.

Now that's a bit different, but worth trying: "this is good" - despite the circumstances.

Remember: "What others do or say is their stuff; how we react, or not, is our stuff"!And: "True Happiness in life isn't having what you want, but wanting what you have"!

Simply The Best

by Chris Weidner

This is a great article - one I will be sure to share with Matt and Josh!! Enjoy!!

I spoke to a group of salespeople recently as they kicked off their new team. It was exciting to see them get excited about making a difference through their work. The topic they assigned me was "Simply the Best." So as I prepared, I asked myself, "What characteristics would help someone pass the "Best" test? That is, what are the characteristics of those who become the "best" at what they do?

Here are the thoughts I shared with them:

The Best are optimists.
You can't get to the top if you don't think that there is a top or if you think you can't make it. One characteristic of those who reach the peak is that they always believe that things can get better or be done better. This pushes them on to be their best.

The Best have vision.
They can see ahead of the pack. Their eyes aren't locked into the here and now. They see the bright future and what things will look like when they reach their destiny. While working hard for today, they live for the future! They do what Stephen Covey calls begin with the end in mind.

The Best relentlessly pursue excellence.
The status quo is not for them. They want to be the best and experience the best. And that means giving their best. They go the extra mile so that in everything they do, in everything they say and think, they are striving for excellence.

The Best have a life long habit of personal growth.
They don't want to stay at the level they are at. They want to grow in their work, their intellect, their spirituality, their relationships, and in every area of their life. And they discipline themselves to put themselves in situations wherein they grow. Personal growth doesn't "just happen." You choose to grow. I always suggest what Zig Ziglar does and that is to enroll in "Automobile University." Whenever you are driving around, listen to a personal or professional growth tape or CD. Over the long run you will grow. Also, read more. The old saying is true: Leaders are readers. So are those who pass the "Best" test.

The Best understand that they will be pushed by the competition - and they welcome it.
Like the lead runner in the race who has someone on his heels, the best know that the competition is right behind them. They love it though because they know that the competition keeps them from becoming lazy and resting on their laurels. Instead, the competition pushes them to go faster and to achieve more - to remain the best by forging ahead.

The Best have a quest for leadership.
Someone has to lead - it may as well be the best! Those who attain it get there because they want to. They want to lead and help make a difference. And they want to be equipped with the skills necessary to lead others on to a better place.

The Best leave a legacy.
They aren't in it just for themselves, though they will surely reap the rewards of being the best. Rather, the build things that last beyond themselves, things that can be enjoyed by others as well.

The Best are adept at the two most important pieces of time and personal management: Prioritize and execute.
Just like weight loss boils down to eat right and exercise, personal management boils down to prioritize and execute. First, prioritize your activities. The important stuff goes on the top. Then, execute: do them. The best have habits and discipline that get them to the top by doing the best things and doing them first.

The Best focus on building relationships.
Success does not come alone. Everyone who achieves much does it with the help of countless others. How do the Best get others to help them? They treat them right. They embrace them and help them. People become the best because they help other people, and people like them.

The Best make no excuses.
When they fail they admit it and move on. They get back up and do it right the next time. They let their actions speak loader than their words. They stand tall and do the right thing the next time. No excuses, just results.

The Best understand that the good is the enemy of the best.
Yes, they could say, "this is good." But that would mean they have settled for less than the best. Many people think that good is good. Good is not good. Good is the enemy because it keeps us from the best. Choose your side: the good or the best. The Best choose, you guessed it, the Best.

The Best Dare to Dream.
While others live the mundane and settle into a life they never bargained for, a rut, the Best dream of a better life. And then they take the risks necessary to achieve their dreams. They live by Teddy Roosevelt's quote: Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs though checkered by failure, then to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much because they live in the grey twilit that knows neither victory nor defeat.

Want to be the best at what you do?
Take inventory on the above characteristics and then start moving to bring your life in line with the characteristics of the "best." Then when you get to the top you will know that you have passed the "Best" test.

Achieving Your Dreams

by Jim Rohn

While most people spend most of their lives struggling to earn a living, a much smaller number seem to have everything going their way. Instead of just earning a living, the smaller group is busily working at building and enjoying a fortune. Everything just seems to work out for them. And here sits the much larger group, wondering how life can be so unfair, so complicated and unjust. What's the major difference between the little group with so much and the larger group with so little?

Despite all of the factors that affect our lives - like the kind of parents we have, the schools we attended, the part of the country we grew up in - none has as much potential power for affecting our futures as our ability to dream.

Dreams are a projection of the kind of life you want to lead. Dreams can drive you. Dreams can make you skip over obstacles. When you allow your dreams to pull you, they unleash a creative force that can overpower any obstacle in your path. To unleash this power, though, your dreams must be well defined. A fuzzy future has little pulling power. Well-defined dreams are not fuzzy. Wishes are fuzzy. To really achieve your dreams, to really have your future plans pull you forward, your dreams must be vivid.

If you've ever hiked a fourteen thousand-foot peak in the Rocky Mountains, one thought has surely come to mind "How did the settlers of this country do it?" How did they get from the East Coast to the West Coast? Carrying one day's supply of food and water is hard enough. Can you imagine hauling all of your worldly goods with you . . . mile after mile, day after day, month after month? These people had big dreams. They had ambition. They didn't focus on the hardship of getting up the mountain.

In their minds, they were already on the other side - their bodies just hadn't gotten them there yet! Despite all of their pains and struggles, all of the births and deaths along the way, those who made it to the other side had a single vision: to reach the land of continuous sunshine and extraordinary wealth. To start over where anything and everything was possible. Their dreams were stronger than the obstacles in their way.

You've got to be a dreamer. You've got to envision the future. You've got to see California while you're climbing fourteen thousand-foot peaks. You've got to see the finish line while you're running the race. You've got to hear the cheers when you're in the middle of a monster project. And you've got to be willing to put yourself through the paces of doing the uncomfortable until it becomes comfortable.

Because that's how you realize your dreams.

Skills of Extraordinary Leaders!

by Chris Widener

What? You don’t think that you are a leader? You are! Everyone influences others to some degree. Now, you may not be a very good leader… but that is altogether a different story! Even if you are in need of some help in the leadership department, and we all are, here are some skills you can work on immediately to help you become the leader you want to be. Then you can influence those around you like never before!

1. Good Communicator. Extraordinary Leaders are those who can take the vision they have and communicate it in ways that their followers can easily understand, internal, and own. Then, and only then, can they carry it out! So focus on speaking and writing more clearly, and with the passion that you have for the vision you have. Use different ways of communicating, including different ways verbally and non-verbally. Above all, communicate often!

2. "Sees" the End Result Long Before Others. I think the greatest compliment on my leadership skills I ever received came from a gentleman who told me that “you see things about 6 months before the rest of us.” Without tooting my own horn (okay, a little bit maybe…), that is a skill of a leader. They are always looking out ahead of themselves and their situations. Followers are worried about what happens today, while leaders are thinking about and strategizing about what they see for tomorrow. Be constantly looking ahead. Practice making projections. Get good at “seeing” the future. When you can do this better than others, they will look to you for leadership!

3. Ability to Define Goals for Self and Others. Do you know what your goals are? Can you define them? Can you articulate them clearly (see number one)? Can you do this for those who follow? Can you define and set their goals? A Extraordinary Leader works at clarity and definition of goals so that they can be internalized and acted upon by others. Work hard at this skill and others will follow!

4. Ability to Set Strategy and Course of Action. What will you do to reach the goal? Many people can say where we should go, but it is the Extraordinary Leader who can lay out a plan for everyone to get there! Work at laying out a plan for you and your followers. Remember that there are people with different skill and passion levels, and take this into account! Get good at this and when people want to get to their goals in a hurry, they will call on you to lead!

5. Ability to Teach Others. One of the greatest leadership development companies in the world has been General Electric. This is because their CEO, Jack Welch, has always emphasized the need for current leaders to teach others. He himself spends what others would consider an extraordinary amount of time in the classroom teaching. But remember, he is an Extraordinary Leader and he is developing Extraordinary Leaders to follow behind him. Work hard at your teaching techniques, and be sure to use as many situations as possible for the opportunity to teach those who would follow.

6. Ability to Inspire Others. You may have a great goal, but if you want to be an Extraordinary Leader, then you will have to put a little oomph under your followers! This is the ability to inspire! Work at helping them to see the big picture, the great end results, and how good it is going to be for them and others. Above all, make it exciting. If it is a good goal, it should be exciting. If it isn’t exciting, then dump it and get a goal that others can get excited about! (See the next article, the MFS Classic, for more on inspiring others).

7. Delegates. An Extraordinary Leader is rarely a person who is doing everything him or herself. Extraordinary Leaders get there job done through others. They figure out the way, communicate the way, and inspire the followers to go that way, and then they get OUT OF THE WAY! Delegate to your people. Empower them! Set them free to soar! This is what an

Extraordinary Leader does. Leaders who do it any other way are just extraordinarily tired at the end of the day with very little to show for it!

Chris Widener is a popular speaker and author who has shared the podium with US Presidents, helping individuals and organizations turn their potential into performance, succeed in every area of their lives and achieve their dreams. Join subscribers in over 100 countries for a weekly leadership & success eZine by clicking here. Enjoy motivational audio programs from Chris Widener & other top speakers including Zig Ziglar & Brian Tracy by visiting www.MadeForSuccess.net.

Attitude Quote

by Chuck Swindoll

"Attitude is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than what other people think or say or do.

It is more important than appearance, gifted-ness or skill. It will make or break a company, a church, a home.

The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day.

We cannot change our past. We cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have and that, is our attitude."

11 Powerful Ways to Expand Your Life This Year

Jim Cathcart, CSP, CPAE is founder and president of Cathcart Institute, Inc. and one of the most widely recognized professional speakers in the world. As the author of 13 books and scores of recorded programs, his students number in the hundreds of thousands.


1. Define your future.
Describe the life you'd like to live. The future you see defines the person you'll need to be. Identify the traits and qualities you'd like to acquire. Think bigger than yourself. An acorn that only thinks as an acorn will never become a mighty oak. Stretch yourself. You are undoubtedly capable of more than you ever dreamed is possible for you.

2. Become the person who would achieve your goals.
As you develop the skills, knowledge, relationships and demeanor of the 'future you,' your goals will be the natural byproduct of your growth. Spend an extra hour each day in the study of your chosen field.

3. Give more than you must.
Nothing advances until somebody does more than they are paid to do. Always deliver more value than others expect. Don't require others to acknowledge your generosity. Give with 'class.'

4. Make time for what you love.
If you don't live fully, you deny the world your potential contributions. Your 'play' sometimes contributes as much as your 'work.' What you love reveals the value you bring to the world.

5. Refine your Inner Circle.
We define ourselves through our key relationships. Explore the mix and depth of those with whom you spend most of your time. Release those who limit you and connect with those who can help you live more fully.

6. Resolve your unfinished business.
Either deal with it or discard it. Say your apologies, face your fears, pay your debts, express your gratitude and get on with living. Don't let yesterday drain value from today and tomorrow. Break out of the limited world of your past and start to grow.

7. Rethink existing habits and routines.
Describe your typical day and then reconsider every aspect of it. Change or expand the places you go, people you see, things you do, and the time you devote to each. Try new things. Learn a new language, go someplace different, do some things you'd typically pass by. Find out what your possibilities really are.

8. Lighten up.
Stop stressing over things that only matter to you emotionally. When life isn't fair to you, get over it quickly. Take your misfortunes as 'course corrections' rather than 'catastrophes.' Let go so you can grow.

9. Tighten up.
Sloppiness in life allows more variables to creep in and spoil your plans. Stay on target, increase your self-discipline, master the art of self-motivation. Sometimes details matter a lot.

10. Profile yourself.
Keep a journal of your goals, concerns, fears, and dreams. Review it at least once a year. Look for patterns that reveal your core values, natural velocity, natural intelligences and recurring situations. Realize how life ebbs and flows for you. Notice the natural cycles of life. Know yourself.

11. Invest in yourself.
Set aside a portion of each year's income to acquire new tools and teachers to increase your potential. Refine your systems, get expert coaching, attend special conferences, cultivate a study group, appoint a board of advisors. You are your only true asset. Send part of today ahead to the person you'll be in the future.