Another great piece by Chris Widener. Enjoy!
1. Maintain impeccable character - make your character one that others know and trust.
2. Develop your skills to excellence. In everything you do, make sure you are a person of excellence.
3. Help others in all that you do. Make sure that you are a win-win person who does things so that everybody can enjoy the fruits of the victory.
4. Be successful at what you do. Success is the ultimate influencer. If you are successful, others will want to learn how - and they'll listen to you!
5. Speak well. Speaking is a powerful tool of influence. Speak well and you will attract others to you - and to follow you.
6. Go the extra mile. Don't quit at average. Go further than anyone else. Make people know you will give them more than they asked for.
7. Be known as the "go to" guy. Let it be your name that people think of when they need something done. Develop the reputation that you can and will get the job done. This will attract people to you like flies to honey.
8. Be generous. Give to others. Help others. Let others succeed, make money, and gain recognition.
9. Know more than others but don't be a know-it-all. People will come to you if they know you will have the answer. They won't if you arrogantly remind them that you have all the answers!
10. Deliver the goods and get the job done. No excuses, get the job done. That's what counts. That's the language people speak. Period.
Showing posts with label self discipline. Show all posts
Showing posts with label self discipline. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Thursday, January 21, 2010
How to Guarantee a GREAT Day every Day
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
I have a standing interview every Monday morning on a radio station in the southeast that I enjoy very much. You can imagine though that it can become routine. So to make it a little more fun, the host nowadays doesn’t even tell me the topic before we go live on the air – that puts some excitement into it!
This past week he asked me the following question cold at the beginning of the show: How can a person guarantee that they will have a great day, every day? Now some may find that a hard question but for me it was actually a very easy question to answer (a little harder to actually live, but not that hard). You see, I believe in principles that govern our lives so that we can control our destinies and create for ourselves the kind of lives that we desire. People who live based on principles achieve what they desire while people who live reacting to circumstances do not.
So, what were the principles that I gave to guarantee that a person could have a GREAT day every day? Here they are:
Focus on today only.
Yes, we need to have long-range goals. But our focus must be on today. My old equation is that your short-term tasks multiplied by time equal your long-term accomplishments. With that in mind, it is imperative that we focus in on our short-term, to control it and make it what will eventually, when multiplied by time, equal our long-term goals. Don’t think about tomorrow. Today is enough trouble in and of itself. You can work on tomorrow when it gets here. Instead, make today the best day you have ever had. Realize that when you lay down to sleep tonight you will have just given up the only shot you will ever have at today. Today is now gone and it is only a memory. You only get one shot at your today so focus intently on making it all that it possibly can be. Focus, focus, focus! When you focus on making today great, you are on the road to guaranteeing that you will make your day GREAT, every day!
Embrace your power to choose.
Dwight D. Eisenhower said that “The history of free men is never written by chance but by choice, their choice.” When your today becomes your yesterday, you will look back and realize that that day was a result of your choices and your choices only. “But wait Chris, what if my boss controlled my day? That isn’t my choice!” But it is your choice to work for someone else! You choice to let someone else tell you what to do. You chose the feelings of helplessness that overwhelm you when you feel bad that you do not control your own destiny.
The moment we realize that we have a gift from God that the animals do not have, mainly the gift of free will and choice, and when we realize the inherent power within that gift, and ultimately when we finally begin to exercise that gift, then and only then, will we begin to create for ourselves a GREAT day each and every day! Take ownership of the direction in your life. Make your choices then carry them out!
Your attitude is up to you.
Yes, bad things may happen in your day. The pitcher for Team Circumstances may have a tremendous curveball waiting for you and you cannot control that. You cannot control what others may do or say. But you do control your attitude. Your attitude about whatever happens to you is up to you.
When something happens to you, you have the choice: Will you let it get you down and depressed, keeping you from forging ahead and making the day the best one ever? Or will you say to yourself that no matter what happens you are on the path to success and no obstacle will keep you from it? Will you say, “Sometime you win and sometimes you lose – I guess this time I lost”? Will you say, “Sometime you win and sometimes you learn – I can really learn something from this!”?
It is all in what attitude we choose. Your attitude is up to you and when you choose to have a great attitude, you are choosing to guarantee to have a GREAT day, every day!
Live out and act on your priorities.
So far we have dealt with internal perspectives, and that is indeed the place to start. But the practical place is in our priorities. If we want to make our days great, then we have to live out those things that will by definition make our days great. And those things are what are important to us. They are our priorities.
So each morning you start out by saying, “What things are important to me today? What are the things I need to accomplish in order for me to lay down tonight and know that I lived a GREAT day?” Then you put those in order of most important to least important.
Don’t do what is fun. Don’t do what is easy. Do what is IMPORTANT! Live out your priorities! When you do, you will guarantee that you will make your day GREAT, every day!
Tomorrow, when you wake up, go through the four following points and see if you don’t make tomorrow a GREAT day:
Focus on today only.
Understand that I get to choose how today will go.
Remain in a positive attitude no matter what happens.
Live out and act on my priorities.
Do this and you will guarantee a GREAT day, every day!
I have a standing interview every Monday morning on a radio station in the southeast that I enjoy very much. You can imagine though that it can become routine. So to make it a little more fun, the host nowadays doesn’t even tell me the topic before we go live on the air – that puts some excitement into it!
This past week he asked me the following question cold at the beginning of the show: How can a person guarantee that they will have a great day, every day? Now some may find that a hard question but for me it was actually a very easy question to answer (a little harder to actually live, but not that hard). You see, I believe in principles that govern our lives so that we can control our destinies and create for ourselves the kind of lives that we desire. People who live based on principles achieve what they desire while people who live reacting to circumstances do not.
So, what were the principles that I gave to guarantee that a person could have a GREAT day every day? Here they are:
Focus on today only.
Yes, we need to have long-range goals. But our focus must be on today. My old equation is that your short-term tasks multiplied by time equal your long-term accomplishments. With that in mind, it is imperative that we focus in on our short-term, to control it and make it what will eventually, when multiplied by time, equal our long-term goals. Don’t think about tomorrow. Today is enough trouble in and of itself. You can work on tomorrow when it gets here. Instead, make today the best day you have ever had. Realize that when you lay down to sleep tonight you will have just given up the only shot you will ever have at today. Today is now gone and it is only a memory. You only get one shot at your today so focus intently on making it all that it possibly can be. Focus, focus, focus! When you focus on making today great, you are on the road to guaranteeing that you will make your day GREAT, every day!
Embrace your power to choose.
Dwight D. Eisenhower said that “The history of free men is never written by chance but by choice, their choice.” When your today becomes your yesterday, you will look back and realize that that day was a result of your choices and your choices only. “But wait Chris, what if my boss controlled my day? That isn’t my choice!” But it is your choice to work for someone else! You choice to let someone else tell you what to do. You chose the feelings of helplessness that overwhelm you when you feel bad that you do not control your own destiny.
The moment we realize that we have a gift from God that the animals do not have, mainly the gift of free will and choice, and when we realize the inherent power within that gift, and ultimately when we finally begin to exercise that gift, then and only then, will we begin to create for ourselves a GREAT day each and every day! Take ownership of the direction in your life. Make your choices then carry them out!
Your attitude is up to you.
Yes, bad things may happen in your day. The pitcher for Team Circumstances may have a tremendous curveball waiting for you and you cannot control that. You cannot control what others may do or say. But you do control your attitude. Your attitude about whatever happens to you is up to you.
When something happens to you, you have the choice: Will you let it get you down and depressed, keeping you from forging ahead and making the day the best one ever? Or will you say to yourself that no matter what happens you are on the path to success and no obstacle will keep you from it? Will you say, “Sometime you win and sometimes you lose – I guess this time I lost”? Will you say, “Sometime you win and sometimes you learn – I can really learn something from this!”?
It is all in what attitude we choose. Your attitude is up to you and when you choose to have a great attitude, you are choosing to guarantee to have a GREAT day, every day!
Live out and act on your priorities.
So far we have dealt with internal perspectives, and that is indeed the place to start. But the practical place is in our priorities. If we want to make our days great, then we have to live out those things that will by definition make our days great. And those things are what are important to us. They are our priorities.
So each morning you start out by saying, “What things are important to me today? What are the things I need to accomplish in order for me to lay down tonight and know that I lived a GREAT day?” Then you put those in order of most important to least important.
Don’t do what is fun. Don’t do what is easy. Do what is IMPORTANT! Live out your priorities! When you do, you will guarantee that you will make your day GREAT, every day!
Tomorrow, when you wake up, go through the four following points and see if you don’t make tomorrow a GREAT day:
Focus on today only.
Understand that I get to choose how today will go.
Remain in a positive attitude no matter what happens.
Live out and act on my priorities.
Do this and you will guarantee a GREAT day, every day!
Friday, August 7, 2009
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.
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.
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Self-Discipline
I have been looking for something like this for a while to share with Matt and Josh and finally got this. It was sent to me by our HR Director here at CCC and I immediately shared it with both boys. Makes perfect sense but is difficult to execute on a day-to-day basis. Hopefully this helps!!
Self discipline leads to a happier, healthier lifestyle. Considered a vital characteristic of success, self-discipline is the ability to take action regardless of your emotional state.
Self-discipline is required in order to stop smoking and to control a health problem caused by excess.
* Self-discipline allows you to stay focused on your goals. It enables you to stay in control of yourself and of your reaction to any situation. Self-discipline is like a muscle. The more you train it, the stronger you become. Lack of self-discipline can cause low self-esteem.
* According to an article in Psychological Science, self-discipline is a better predictor of academic success than IQ. Many of America’s children have trouble making choices that require them to sacrifice short-term pleasure for long-term gain. A study found that highly self-disciplined adolescents outperformed their more impulsive peers on every academic - performance variable, including report card grades, standardized achievement test scores, admission to a competitive high school, and attendance.
* Self-discipline is about making wise choices. From the food you eat to the amount of exercise you do is dependent on how disciplined you are with yourself. For example, exercise promotes a sense of control over the body that may translate to an improved sense of control over other aspects of life, a key defense against stress. Those who exercise regularly demonstrate higher levels of self-esteem and maintain a sense of self-discipline.
The five pillars of self-discipline are; Acceptance, Willpower, Hard Work, Industry, and Persistence.
* Acceptance is the most basic mistake people make. They fail to accurately perceive and accept their situation. It is important to identify an area where your discipline is weakest. Assess where you stand right now. Acknowledge and accept your starting point. Design a program for yourself to improve in this area.
* Willpower is a concentration of force. Choose your objective. Create a plan of attack and then execute the plan. Your willpower is at its lowest when you feel stressed.
* Hard work is what many people try to avoid by doing what is easiest. But a strong challenge is commonly connected with strong results.
* Industry is developing the capacity to put in the time where it’s needed.
* Persistence allows you to keep taking action even when you don’t feel motivated to do so, and therefore you keep accumulating results. Persistence will ultimately provide its own motivation.
Set goals that are realistically achievable, don’t waste time on insignificant matters, and say no to negative temptations.
* Self-discipline becomes very powerful when combined with goal-setting, passion, and planning. Write down your goals and make sure that you do everything in your power to stick to them. Always finish any task you set about doing before moving on to start another.
* Avoid spending time on things of little importance that, in the long run, have no bearing on what you value most.
* If you consider acting upon temptations, they will grow in strength and size and have more power over you. Delaying gratification becomes a habit of self-discipline.
Self discipline leads to a happier, healthier lifestyle. Considered a vital characteristic of success, self-discipline is the ability to take action regardless of your emotional state.
Self-discipline is required in order to stop smoking and to control a health problem caused by excess.
* Self-discipline allows you to stay focused on your goals. It enables you to stay in control of yourself and of your reaction to any situation. Self-discipline is like a muscle. The more you train it, the stronger you become. Lack of self-discipline can cause low self-esteem.
* According to an article in Psychological Science, self-discipline is a better predictor of academic success than IQ. Many of America’s children have trouble making choices that require them to sacrifice short-term pleasure for long-term gain. A study found that highly self-disciplined adolescents outperformed their more impulsive peers on every academic - performance variable, including report card grades, standardized achievement test scores, admission to a competitive high school, and attendance.
* Self-discipline is about making wise choices. From the food you eat to the amount of exercise you do is dependent on how disciplined you are with yourself. For example, exercise promotes a sense of control over the body that may translate to an improved sense of control over other aspects of life, a key defense against stress. Those who exercise regularly demonstrate higher levels of self-esteem and maintain a sense of self-discipline.
The five pillars of self-discipline are; Acceptance, Willpower, Hard Work, Industry, and Persistence.
* Acceptance is the most basic mistake people make. They fail to accurately perceive and accept their situation. It is important to identify an area where your discipline is weakest. Assess where you stand right now. Acknowledge and accept your starting point. Design a program for yourself to improve in this area.
* Willpower is a concentration of force. Choose your objective. Create a plan of attack and then execute the plan. Your willpower is at its lowest when you feel stressed.
* Hard work is what many people try to avoid by doing what is easiest. But a strong challenge is commonly connected with strong results.
* Industry is developing the capacity to put in the time where it’s needed.
* Persistence allows you to keep taking action even when you don’t feel motivated to do so, and therefore you keep accumulating results. Persistence will ultimately provide its own motivation.
Set goals that are realistically achievable, don’t waste time on insignificant matters, and say no to negative temptations.
* Self-discipline becomes very powerful when combined with goal-setting, passion, and planning. Write down your goals and make sure that you do everything in your power to stick to them. Always finish any task you set about doing before moving on to start another.
* Avoid spending time on things of little importance that, in the long run, have no bearing on what you value most.
* If you consider acting upon temptations, they will grow in strength and size and have more power over you. Delaying gratification becomes a habit of self-discipline.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)