Dr. Seuss - Happy Birthday Tribute with LEGOs

As a child, and now as an adult, the prose of the late Theodor Geisel, or Dr. Seuss, still bring a smile to my face and a lighteness to my heart at each reading.

That's why I knew no childrens' book on prosperity could be complete without reference to the great storyteller, Dr. Seuss. He may not have talked much of riches and money, but he sure did speak to the right way to live.

I chose his famous quotation and the LEGO photo (included on page 17 of my book, "Building Blocks of Prosperity") because so often we see children kicking and screaming as they leave someplace that was making them very happy just moments before.

"Time to go!" That's usually when it starts.

Children live so "in-the-moment" that they can quickly turn the smiles into tears. Sure, we understand that it's no fun to be leaving someplace fun. But that's part of life.

Children (and adults) need to learn to focus on, and be grateful for what they have. They need to stop concentrating on, and making themselves sad, over what they don't have. I think this quote from Dr. Seuss is so important.

Beyond that,I loved his stories because they always made you wish you were there.

"OH, THE PLACES YOU'LL GO!
THERE IS FUN TO BE DONE! THERE ARE
POINTS TO BE SCORED. THERE ARE GAMES TO BE WON."
From: Oh, The Places You'll Go! 

Children can learn so much from reading his stories.  Not the least of which is the joy of reading.
And what a perfect time to remember as we approach  "Read Across America Day"

Here's a very useful poem I found for young readers too as we celebrate...

The Readers Oath which sounds very "Seuss-like"

I promise to read / Each day and each night.
I know it's the key / To growing up right.
I'll read to myself, / I'll read to a crowd.
It makes no difference / If silent or loud.
I'll read at my desk, / At home and at school,
On my bean bag or bed, / By the fire or pool.

Each book that I read
Puts smarts in my head,
'Cause brains grow more thoughts
The more they are fed.
So I take this oath
To make reading my way
Of feeding my brain
What it needs every day.

from the  National Education Association

And here's an interesting site to learn more about the great "Dr. Seuss"
http://www.catinthehat.org/

Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss!

Robert Schwarztrauber

The Secret to Getting Something Better

 

"What you see is what you get!"

There's a reason why quotes become common place. It's because they have been shown to be true. Otherwise, once said, they would quickly be dismissed and forgotten.

"What you see is what you get" goes deeper than just taking things at face value. It means more than getting exactly what you see in front of you and nothing more.

What you see and how you see it actually define your reality. Notice I say YOUR REALITY and not just reality. We all live in the same world, but we don't perceive it that way. 

If I wake up one day, and it's snowing and cold outside, I might think this is terrible weather for driving the kids to school. If you're an avid skier you might wake up and think the weather is excellent today. We both wake up in the same exact world, but our reality is different.

We "SEE" things differently - just as if we were wearing colored glasses.

Colored glasses on our brain that is. Everything we think is "colored" by our past experience, good or bad. Everything we think is colored by our emotions that day. If I'm grumpy, the world takes on a sort of gray color that day. If I'm happy, the world seems a bright sunny yellow.

Fortunately, the color of our glasses is completely under our control. No external forces can make you feel anything you don't want to feel. No external forces can make you SEE things a certain way. Our creator, in his infinite wisdom, gave us complete control over only one thing...what we think. In effect, the ability to change the color of our glasses.

Having been given complete control over only one thing, it makes you wonder and appreciate just how important that one thing is. Seems it's all important. You can change, at any time, what you think. That's powerful!

Changing your thoughts can change your life...in the instant you decide to do so.

There is no "reality". The world, and every smallest part of it, is just what and how you choose to see it.

You are the creator of YOUR WORLD!

If you're looking for the fastest, easiest way to change anything in your life, I have included the proven secret on page 15 of "Building Blocks of Prosperity".

Robert Schwarztrauber

Groundhog Day Syndrome

Well, here it is, another Groundhog Day.

Like every other year - and that great movie of the same name with Bill Murray - the media will spend airtime and print trying to predict how many weeks of winter remain.

As if some large rodent seeing his shadow, or not, should have any bearing on how we live our life.

What does it mean to us exactly if there are six more weeks of winter or not? Are we really going to make plans or cancel them based on the intensity and position of the sun as some animal is dragged up from it's hole?

Surprisingly, many people live and plan their lives using excuses much more outrageous than this.

Astrology, tarot cards, tea leaves are really the same principle. How about not asking for a raise because you already know your boss will say no? Isn't that fortune telling as well?

How about asking anyone to do anything? Don't we all have conversations going on in our head all the time? Sure we do! And almost always they are questions. And we answer them ourselves! But often the answers we give are based on limited knowledge. Oh sure, we think we know everything. In reality we only know what we know. Unfortunately, that only brings us a tiny fraction of all the resources and knowledge that's out there.

So next time you laugh at the antics of the groundhog, or marvel at his stunning accuracy in the year his prediction comes true, remember how little any of us know compared to the intelligence of our collective body.

Remember the words of King Solomon written in [Proverbs 29:18, 11:14]  
"Where there is no counsel, the people parish: but in the multitude of counselors there is safety."

In otherwords, "Ask around!" You may find ideas you had never thought of before - and when combined with your own ideas, will take you much farther, much more easily than you could have gone by yourself.

Seek good counsel from those wise in the matters you need. And then act on that knowledge.

Don't take advice from fat rats 

who have only a fifty-fifty chance of being right.

Don't be afraid of your shadow 

or things that might have happened in your past.

Don't live in the shadow of others, 

but seek out those who succeed 

and walk beside them.

No matter what you do, act. Waiting for the perfect time or answers is oftentimes worse that making the wrong choice. The sooner you can get the wrong way behind you  - the sooner you can get on to the right way.

Seek good advice, act now. Don't wait six more weeks to see if things will get better.

Happy Groundhog Day!
Robert Schwarztrauber

*** NEW! *** Be sure to grab your FREE poster at the right.

"Avatar" Uses Ancient Technique to Succeed

"Avatar" announces 6 week international box office take of $1.83 Billion dollars.

In 6 weeks, that's less than 50 days, folks paid $1.83 Billion dollars - not for food to eat, not for fuel to heat their homes, not for shoes to wear on their feet. They did not take $1.83 Billion dollars out of their pocket to treat their disease, get a higher education or pay down their credit card bills. They spent it on a movie. One movie.

90 or so minutes of entertainment.

And this is in a "bad" economy?

The one great big overriding lesson to be found here is that the wisdom of the ages prevails.

There is a reason some quotations stand the test of time. There is a reason why they are passed down for hundreds or thousands of years. It is because they are true!

That "Avatar" or any movie becomes so successful is because it has aligned itself with the ancient success principles. I think it was Zig Ziglar who said it best...

"You can have anything you want in this world, if you will only help enough other people get what they want."

You give them what they want, then they give you what you want. (Notice the giving comes first - and not the giving with a guarantee of success - this is pure giving, without a net to catch you if you fail)

Most of all, people want to be entertained. Especially in bad times. The movies let them escape from the troubles of their lives, if only for an hour or two. If you can do that for them, they'll thank you very kindly. They'll fore-go all the many other responsiblities they have if you will only let them escape for just a while.

But you don't have to be a big movie studio to put this principle to use. There are a thousand of other smaller ways you can provide an escape to your customers, to your friends, to your family.

If you will think about it for just a bit, preferably with pad and pencil, I'll bet you could list a great many ways to give some "escape", some pleasure, or amusement to those around you. And when you give, no matter how big or small,  you will find that the ancient technique for getting what you want will work in your favor too.

Start this habit today. Begin to think about what you can do for others.

Once you begin to give, even with one person, you 'll find your success growing. Then one by one you can build your success as big as you'd like. When you find you have something to give a really big group, and give it to them, your purse will run over with abundance.

Put your focus on the "WE" not the "ME"

Give them what "they" want.

(On page 17 of my book you'll find the other powerful secret this movie uses. In fact I've used it here in this article. Turn to the child's word puzzle on page 17 - the hint makes it so simple, even a child can understand it's power!)

Need more tips on what it takes to succeed?

Be sure to get your copy of of "Building Blocks of Prosperity" today!

Classic hardcover book or download versions are available at the right hand margin of this page.

Robert Schwarztrauber

How to Be Rich and Happy

It's so easy to get excited by all the advertising that we see.

But we must understand that we are being "gently" manipulated by a team of very well trained and very well paid advertising and marketing snipers. Their job is to get us excited about something which we actually have no immediate or imminent need. If they have done their jobs well we will hand over our money to satisfy that desire within.

But shortly after that desire has been satisfied, by purchasing the item, the fog of our excitement lifts and the truth is revealed. A feeling of disappointment and often regret overtakes us. It even has a name, "buyer's remorse."

Soon, another ad grabs our attention and the cycle begins again. Only now we are sad because we wish we had the money back that we just spent - so we could buy this thing instead.

Now multiply that by the 100's of ads we see every day.

No wonder we struggle so much to hang on to our money. What chance do we have against that trained force of advertising and marketing commandos who bombard us constantly from sunrise to sunset?

It takes an understanding of what is going on and also discipline on your part. That's why it is so important that you have a plan, written goals for what you want. You must stick to your plan and only purchase those items which will move you forward on your plan. And you must buy them only when the time is right.

If your goal were to go into business, what good would it do to spend all your money up front on office space, desks, chairs, computers, pens, pencils and paper, but then have no money left to market your product?

When you have a plan, you will know what to buy and when to buy it. That will be your greatest defense against the money grabbing commandos. Your plan and your discipline will allow you to control your spending.

Without a plan, we are destined to suffer at the hands of those who use the air waves and the print media to plunder our fortunes and our dreams.

"Your quality of life is determined not by how much you spend, but by how much you keep."

There is no freedom, nor hope. nor happiness in the possession of things. Cash is king- and so long as you have some-you keep your dreams alive. As Stuart Wilde says in his book, "The Trick to Money is Having Some!"

Knowing that you have the freedom to choose can make all the difference.

Robert Schwarztrauber

One Power Turns Dreams into Reality

Today, January 18, 2010, we celebrate a national holiday in honor of a great man who had a dream, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.. We celebrate a man who let no obstacle prevent him from pursuing his dream. We celebrate a man who had what all men of accomplishment have to have, and if you'll read to the end I'll tell you where you can find that incredible power too.

Dr. King's dream was that one day all men and women in this country would be treated as equal citizens.His dream was that his four little children would one day be judged by the content of their character rather than by the color of their skin. Dr. King fought every day for that dream - until the very day his life was taken from him by an assassin's bullet.

Dr. King had a powerful dream that gave incredible purpose to his life. Luckily, his dream did not die with him. His dream was picked up by his wife and his children and millions of others who shared his passion. Although Dr. King would never come to witness his dream become reality, by the very pursuit of his dream he helped to advance an important cause for millions of men and women across this nation. He shared a dream with millions of oppressed people. Saddly, that dream still needs to be carried forward. But it is being carried forward.

And so when I woke today, I lay there in my bed for a few moments thinking thoughts for the day. I do this almost every day. Today the first thoughts in my head were for Dr. King and his famous "I have a dream" speech. (which is so inspiring I listen to it every year). As a father, it is always an emotional experience when he speaks of the dream he has for his children.

But today I began to wonder about dreams. We all have dreams. But are we all pursuing our dreams?

My sense is that a great majority of folks are not.

Many spend their time in pursuit of someone else's dream. Many have a dream of their own, but lack the discipline to advance it. Many have a dream but are stuck or overwhelmed by obstacles, sometimes real, but mostly imagined and they fail to move forward. Many folks are blessed with a life far longer than Dr. King's, but fail to accomplish much of anything at all.

And it really come's down to just one thing.

Dr. King had it. All great men and women of accomplishment had it. But it is not some special endowment given to some, but not to others. That something is available to every man, woman, or child who will use their mind and free will to choose it.

On page 37 of "Building Blocks of Prosperity" I show you exactly what that something is, how you can get it, and you instantly understand it's importance. I guarantee you've had it before, but didn't understand it's importance so you just let it drift in and out of your life as you rode the roller coaster of success and failure.

Today, think of your dreams. Think of the dreams you have for your families.Think of how pursuing your dreams will create a better tomorrow for you and those you love. And if you haven't had much success so far in reaching your dreams, grab a copy of my book online at http://helpbobhelpkids.com. It's affordable for everyone.

I guarantee you can make progress when you discover the simple secret and put it to use. And your progress, no matter how seemingly small, will create a ripple effect on the world that will benefit more folks than you could ever imagine.

Just as the dream of Dr. King has lived on to see his four little children, and millions of other parent's children, grow up to live in a world so much more like the dream he had envisioned. Dreams do come true - but not just by dreaming. You have to get to work on them first.

Get to work on your dreams today...free yourself from the self-imposed chains of hopelessness and the shackles of despair created in your mind.

Begin today to let your own personal freedom ring!

by Robert Schwarztrauber

Choose Discipline or Regret

Today I'm going to touch on discipline one more time this week because I think it's so important to our success - in everything.

Getting ourselves to take consistent action, even when we don't want to, can be tough. No question. But it's been said that the top 10% of the folks at the top are there because they are willing to do the things the rest of the folks don't want to do.

Being disciplined challenges most folks.

I keep this quote in my head all the time:

“We must all suffer from one of two pains: the pain of discipline or the pain of regret. The difference is discipline weighs ounces while regret weighs tons.” -Jim Rohn

I think most of us would agree that we regret far more things that we didn't do, than things we did do.

We've got to force ourselves to take action. The more action the better. More of it and more often.

Just think of how much time you waste in a day. I know if I fail to write out tomorrow's activities before I go to bed, I'll be far less productive than if I have a written plan in place. Far less.

Try it for one week and you'll see just how much more you can do. And while you're at it fix your "time" problem.

People are always impressed by how much I accomplish. I owe my success in that to two things. Having a full plan written out for the day (even if I don't get everything on it done everyday) and I've fixed my "time" problem.

How do you fix your time problem? You do it by changing your perception of how long something will take to do. Most folks go around saying they "don't have enough time". And since that is their belief, sure enough they prove themselves right. I suggest changing your belief. Instead, say to yourself, "Oh, I have time for that."

You'll find you get a whole lot more done with that attitude. Instead of wasting all those little bits of time during the day "in between things" you'll start using those times to get more done. With that belief (whose correctness your subconscious will try to justify) you'll automatically speed up and accomplish more. Getting more done will become a personal challenge - one that you'll win time and again.

One of my favorite mentors, Dan Kennedy, who I quote often in my book put it this way, "It's not the specific actions you take that make you successful as much as it is that you take lots of actions."

Discipline and action 
are critical components of your prosperity.


What can you accomplish with discipline and action? Almost anything I believe. I don't know your particular and unique set of skills, but here are just a few things I have done with not a whole lot more than you have, if anything:

• Located and purchased my first dream sports car in less than 48 hours using less than $1000 cash out of pocket.
• Planned and executed my wife's dream "Garden Wedding" in the middle of a snowy Buffalo winter, IN JUST 8 DAYS! Many guests commented that it was the classiest wedding they'd ever been to. It even included a  scale replica of Niagara Falls, indoors, and the water flowed all night long amongst the flower gardens and live tall trees at Rich's Renaissance Atrium. I received a personal thank you note from billionaire owner, Robert E. Rich, Jr. too!
  
• Took the next 30 days and wrote my first book, telling exactly how you could do that too. It was called, "Plan and Enjoy Your Perfect Wedding, In Just 8 Days!" It was a hit at all the local bridal shows.
• As a marketing representative, in less than 4 months, took an unknown Asian gem merchant from a position of not being able to get a visa to the USA, to sharing a booth with the founder of one of the world's most famous American gem shows, interviewed and published by a renowned gem testing authority, and sold more than $60,000 worth of gemstones - at wholesale price - in her first week here in the U.S..
• Most recently, assembled, photographed and published all the material for "Building Blocks of Prosperity" in just 30 days, including website and sales material...and got it's name out to more than 450,000 qualified prospects!
  

You'll really be surprised just how much you can do when you let action and discipline become your habit.

As it happens, one of my favorite authors, Robert Ringer just had a column published on discipline. Funny how that topic always comes up this time of year as we start dropping all those great New Years plans. You can read his excellent column on discipline here:
http://www.earlytorise.com/2010/01/13/be-relentlessness-in-pursuit-of-your-dreams.html

Robert Schwarztrauber

Purge Your "Fear Factor" Folder

"Children are happy because they don't have a file in their mind called: All the Things That Could go Wrong." That's a great quote by Marianne Williamson.

I think it's a nice follow-up to the last post. Because the files in your mind that hold your past experience and your beliefs about them can often become so full and heavy they keep you from moving forward.

In fact, these "things that could go wrong" files are so common in adults they even created a reality TV show based on them..."Fear Factor"

While past experience can be a great teacher when we learn from it, it can also become the brakes that keep us from moving forward.It's called: fear of failure. Your brain tells you, "We tried that once with bad results, lets never try that again - something could go wrong."

Suddenly, that activity takes on a "FEAR FACTOR".

But if we don't find a way to get past that, all the discipline in the world will be of no use, because we're too frightened to try again.

You have to be very careful of the meaning you attach to things. Just because you failed at something once doesn't mean it's hopeless. It only means you have to learn to do it in another way.

If any human has done some thing before, it's very likely that you can do it too. You need only discover (seek out) the actions that person took that you are not now taking. Like actions produce like results. If the guy in front of you pushed on the door and it opened, it's very likely that if you push on the door it will open for you too.

But imagine if you first tried to open the door by pulling on it, and it did not open. It would seem quite silly never to try another door again - what with all the other people coming in and out so easily.

Everything becomes easier when you know how it is done. So don't fear the unknown, but rather seek out those who have successfully been to the unknown, and ask them how they did it.

We start off life with no folder, but before long it gets pretty thick. Often with useless ideas. Anytime we get stuck, or are afraid to move forward, we would do well to go through that folder and toss out any ideas and beliefs that don't serve us. Don't let the fear factor keep you from moving forward in pursuit of your dreams.

The smaller you keep your folder of what could go wrong, the happier you'll be.

(Besides, worrying about what could go wrong is a full time career in itself, we call them lawyers - and their job of worrying about what could go wrong is so tough, we pay them big money to do it. Don't spend your whole life worrying for free!)

My new book, "Building Blocks of Prosperity" offers many great lessons like this for parents and children to read and learn together. Colorful scenes with LEGO figures help children understand the lessons and keep coming back for more! This blog is a great companion for the book because it offers even more detailed instructions on how to prosper in today's modern  world. 
...Robert Schwarztrauber

Your Bridge to Success

Discipline:
A system of essential rules and duties.

Remember yesterday we talked about
Ivy Lee and his great tip for Charles Schwab
that produced millions in profits?




There are actually two important parts to that plan.

First, the plan or the system actually worked.

It worked because it required the essential step of writing down what you want to accomplish - that being the first step in turning wishes or dreams into achievable goals. And it required you to prioritize your goals so that you could begin work on the most important one first.

Second, it required you to have discipline.
And that is where most of us fail.

We can do something once, or for a little while, but then we revert back to our more familiar ways. When things get hard, or obstacles appear we abandon ship and move on to the next project - consoled by the fact that we're not "wasting time" butting our heads on the last thing.

But Ivy Lee's plan won't let you do that. You MUST complete the most important thing on your list before moving on to the next. No sweeping it under the rug, no putting it off until tomorrow. No procrastination allowed.

So make your list, and begin. Successful people differ most from others in that they FINISH the tasks that are important. They don't quit when the going gets tough and they don't put off until tomorrow what they can do today. If you thought it was the most important thing on your list, don't suddenly change your mind.

It's a little thing called discipline.

A system (means its automatic, it just happens - you just DO IT WHETHER YOU WANT TO OR NOT!) of essential (means without it, it won't work) rules (agreed upon ways of doing things) and duties (the things you must do).

Discipline is simply defined yet oh so hard for most folks to follow. And therein lies the root cause of most failures. Failures in school, in business, in personal lives, in self-improvement. We can find hundreds of examples of WHAT to do, we just can't seem to follow through daily with the actions that are required to achieve the success that has been laid out for us.

On page 37 of my book "Building Blocks of Prosperity" I tell you the one question successful folks ask that can give you all the discipline you need to succeed. And it never fails!

Robert Schwarztrauber

Concentrated Focus Beats Multi-Tasking

In our effort to get more done in less time, the quality of our efforts is often compromised.

One notably bad result comes in the form of death on the highways - the result of people trying to drive while composing text messages on their cell phones. The ultimate case of Multi-Tasking gone wrong.

While that rare and most serious result gets the headline, there are millions of other small compromises going on everyday that go unnoticed.  But the combined and compound effect of all these small quality lapses adds up.

The individual, business, and society lose out in the long run.

Yes, we are incredible human beings, capable of doing many tasks at once. But we are not capable of doing each task to the best of our ability when we squander our attention upon many things at once.

On the surface it appears we get more done. But how many times do we (or someone else) have to go back to re-check or re-do our work because our multi-tasking failed to pay adequate attention to detail?

Ultimately, time and money are lost. Perhaps worse, you develop a reputation for being careless or sloppy in your work.

Way back in the early 1900's a well respected executive and consultant by the name of Ivy Lee suggested to Charles Schwab, then a top executive in Andrew Carnegie's steel empire, that Charles implement a system to get more done. And Ivy Lee said, "Don't pay me now for this system, but try it out and then pay me what you think it's worth."

After using the system for one year, Charles returned to pay Ivy Lee $25,000. That was a whole lot of money back then - for one simple idea! But that idea made Charles Schwab, and later May Kay Ash and hundreds of other entrepreneurs, millions and millions of dollars.

Doing one thing at a time was a vital component of his system. Focused attention was key to the success of these prosperous individuals. The key wasn't how to get more things done - the key was to get the most important things done first.

Don't discount the difficulty in this. With all the distractions going on around us, continually, it takes great effort to concentrate your focus on one task until completion. It requires discipline, but the rewards of focused attention over multi-tasking have been proven time and time again.

"One thing at a time, and that done well, is a good rule as I can tell"  Theron Q. Dumont

Tomorrow, we'll take a closer look at discipline - and how it just might be the bridge you need to succeed.

 -LEGO photo above from page 34 of "Building Blocks of Prosperity"

Problems Be Gone! Opportunity Knocks.

Have you ever noticed how some words seem to come with emotions already attached ?

"Balloon" is one of those words. Don't you always think happy thoughts when the word balloon comes up?

"Yes" is a happy word too. Something good always seems to happen when we hear that word.

"Problem" is just the opposite. When we hear there is a "problem" most of us know it's not going to be good. It's likely we're going to get anxious, upset perhaps, and maybe even angry when that word "problem" comes up. Problems tend to get in the way of what we're trying to do. They're an obstacle that we must go through, around, or over in order for us to get what we want.

Just look how much emotion is tied to that word "PROBLEM". You can feel it's emotional power.

But we don't have fall prey to it's power. Fortunately, at birth we were blessed with a brain that can think. Thinking gives us the ability to attach meaning to words. It also gives us the ability to choose the words and the meanings that make sense for us. We can choose the words we use and we can alter their meaning as well.

Here's one of my favorite quotes on problems from a guy who certainly has attached a better spin on the word:

“The problem is not that there are problems. 

The problem is expecting otherwise and thinking
that having problems is a problem.”
- Theodore Rubin

It's how we think about problems that IS a problem!

Without problems we could never prosper. It is only by solving problems that we prosper.

Problem are not obstacles - they are opportunities!

Opportunities to make money. Opportunities to learn. Opportunities to grow and serve.

Problems don't appear to stop us, they appear to test us. Only when we show the universe that we can handle the "problem" are we allowed to progress to the next level of achievement. Then, after we've solved the "problem" a whole new world is shown to us in reward for passing the test.

Imagine the young child for whom the door is his first obstacle or problem. Once he overcomes that obstacle by turning the doorknob, behold a new world that opens for him. And now he has the skill and confidence that can open another door as well.

But somehow, as folks get older, they let obstacles or problems get the best of them - they let "obstacles" real or imagined keep them from achieving what they set out for. But by looking at the word "problem" from a new perspective, as just a simple test, many can get back on track. And a few will prosper greatly as they take on, without fear, "problems" no one else has the courage to try.

Change today! For the next week instead of seeing problems as "problems," see them as opportunities. Imagine each is a test you must find a solution to. Then take action immediately to remove that "obstacle" and watch how your life will expand and new doors of opportunity will be opened for you.

The Puddle Family above is from page 40 of my book, "Building Blocks of Prosperity"  Just looking at the photo makes me think of all the opportunities a puddle represents. Boots, raincoats, hats  - someone had a job making all those clothes. And delivery men in trucks had to get them to the store where salesclerks waited on the customer who bought them. I imagine folks using brooms and mechanical pumps to remove the puddles and all the jobs created for the broom makers and pump builders. I think of fishermen gathering worms as bait for catching fish, and the opportunity for a Prince or Gentleman to gain favor from his beloved as he places his coat over the puddle for her to cross without soiling her gown. Writers and cartoonist who create these characters have all benefited from viewing the "problem" as an opportunity. And for kids, they're an opportunity for just plain old fun!

Do you see puddles as opportunities or obstacles? Remember, you're human. You can choose what you think.

On the road to prosperity, those who solve the biggest "problems" reap the biggest reward.

And those who lie down at obstacles, never progress at all.

Robert Schwarztrauber

A Winning Strategy for 2010

For the military generals and strategists of the world, "Divide and Conquer" has been one of the most familiar battle cries for 100's and 100's of years. The reason that strategy endures to this day is because it works.

Instead of facing a full-on attack, divide your enemy into several disorganized and disconnected fragments and you'll stand a much better chance of victory.

Divide and Conquer is a very basic, winning strategy used by the military. Many corporate negotiators use this strategy as well. Anytime you're up against an opponent who has many faces (could be actual physical people, or even one person with multiple agendas, or a whole group of people with separate agendas) you'll have a far better chance of getting your way if you can take one big problem and break it into several smaller ones.

But what if you're the problem?

What if the battle you face every day is with yourself?

If you're not getting what you want in life - if you'd like to be, have or do something different but haven't gotten there yet - it's quite likely the face you see in the mirror each morning represents the toughest opponent you'll ever face.

You've probably heard the phrase, "He's his own worst enemy." It means that for whatever reason a person just cannot get himself to do the things he should. He's stuck. He lacks a strategy for success.

The cause of this very common inner battle for most people is indecision. They simply cannot make up their minds what to do. They ask their friends for advice. They ask their family for advice. They search online. They buy courses and programs and books to search for the answer to their problem. And boy,  they find lots of  answers! Often, too many.

"A confused mind does nothing."

With so much information available now, they get confused, they overload themselves. They hear about one action to take that will solve their problem, but then they read about another that could work equally well. Now they have to decide. But to decide means to commit to one while leaving the other behind. So rather than commit they keep searching. Ultimately putting off making any decision. It's a self-fulfilling cycle.

Most times, actually taking any one of the options he finds and working it would bring him success. But so often he'll dabble a bit with one, then hop on over to try another because it might be easier. But a half-hearted effort never wins the prize.

Ultimately, the best strategy for claiming victory over your own inner struggles is: "DECIDE and CONQUER!"

Throughout history you will find that the people who can make decisions quickly and ACT on them succeed to a far greater extent than all the other 90% of the population combined.

Let "DECIDE and CONQUER!" be your battle cry this year.

Get the facts but then trust your instinct. The human mind was designed for survival. Unless you're psychotic, you'll come up with the correct answer instinctively more than you'll come up with the wrong one. Stop second guessing yourself.

Decide, which does I'm afraid mean commit to one, and take whatever action you need to in order to acheive the success and prosperity you desire this year.

"DECIDE AND CONQUER!"

More helpful information on decision making, along with the full-color image shown above, can be found on pages 13 and 14 of "Building Blocks of Prosperity"  Let me leave you with one final quote,  by one of my favorites,  Jim Rohn...

"It doesn't matter which side of the fence you get off on sometimes. What matters most is getting off. 

You cannot make progress without making decisions."

Focus on Your Passion

Today I was surprised by an audio clip from Earl Nightingale's, "The Strangest Secret." But I wasn't surprised so much by what he said, but rather by hearing it in a different context.

You see, I've enjoyed listening to that CD many times before and each time I glean still another perspective. That's how it is with books, CDs, and DVDs. Because when we read, hear, or see things we do it always in a time and space context.

It's as though we are wearing a different pair of colored glasses each time - colored depending on our mood or the events in our life at that time.

That's why it's important to re-read or revisit anything that has initially offered some value. Obviously some things are junk and you need not even finish those.

But today Earl was talking about "doing your own thing." He talked about making a list of all the things you'd like to do, be, or have. This was his starting point for setting yourself off on the road to prosperity. Make a list of what YOU want - and then number them,  in order to begin on your highest priority item first.

Then he added a comment he was sure many people would be asking,  "But isn't that a selfish thing to think about -  what I want?"

"Not at all he responded," as he answered his own question. He continued by explaining that you will only have the drive and determination to pursue those dreams you hold most strongly in your heart. Only when you have that passion, that strong enough "reason why", will you be able to do what is necessary to achieve success.

And, (this is the part I hadn't heard in all my prior listening) it's not selfish at all, because the ONLY way you can get the things you want is by helping enough other people get the things they want.

BINGO! There's the key that sets you free! So many folks don't go for it because of some misplaced guilt that they doesn't deserve to be, have, or do more than others. But now, knowing this, you are free! When you understand that getting whatever you want will only come as you help others get what they want, you can't lose!  When you know that striving and achieving BIG things for your life will bring BIG things for others too, it takes away all the guilt. You would actually be doing everyone a dis-service by NOT going for it.

So resolve today to make that list of your wants. It's for your eyes only, nobody else has to know. Make a grand list and let it be your guide, your goal for what you will begin to accomplish in 2010 and beyond. Know that the bigger and bolder your list of desires, the more people you will lift toward their goal as you begin to accomplish yours.

Be clear. Be focused. You can have anything you want in this world, but you can't have everything at once.

Let focused action, based on your passion, be the foundation of all your prosperity.

(Camera photo above from page 20 of my new book, "Building Blocks of Prosperity")

PS: Ivanka Trump also believes that you must have a passion for your work in order to succeed. I just finished her new book, "The Trump Card, Playing to Win in Work and Life". I would recommend it highly to anyone looking to build a proper attitude for success, and especially to any young woman who is looking for a positive role model.

Turning Weakness Into Strength

Snowflakes and sticks might seem an odd choice for beginning an article about turning weakness into strength, but before I am finished here you will come to understand why I chose them.

On the surface, and in our perception, what is looked upon as weak is not always as it appears. Often we perceive ourselves weak in some area - sometimes we are right, sometimes we are wrong. Most times it doesn't really matter in the final outcome.

Our qualities of weakness or strength do not determine the success or failure of our mission, they only direct us towards which strategy we should use.

Most folks who perceive themselves weak will shy away from ever attempting anything beyond what they feel capable of. But they would often succeed quite nicely if they would only use the proper strategy - a strategy to overcome their weakness.

And that is a lesson that can be understood by observing the snowflake and the stick - two of natures most fragile things. Certainly on their own neither one can withstand the tiny force of even a child.

But behold their awesome power when they stick together!

Blizzards can bring the largest city to a standstill and cost millions of dollars to clean up. An avalanche can bury and kill a skier without ever slowing down. When those fragile snowflakes stick together and combine with the forces of wind or gravity, men fear their awesome power. The light and delicate snowflake, perhaps the most fragile thing in nature, overcomes it's weakness by forming an alliance that sticks together.

An what of the stick? Is there any child who hasn't picked up a stick from the ground and listened to it snap as their tiny hands overpowered it? But is there any adult who could break them when 100 are bundled together? I think not.

Perhaps if nature's most fragile creation, the snowflake,  can find strength by sticking together maybe we would be wise to follow that strategy as well.

Instead of trying to go it alone in areas where we are weak, we should form an alliance. We should surround ourselves and link together with folks who can add to our strength or prop up our weakness. Just as no two snowflakes are alike, no two people are alike either. But when we head off, arm and arm with another, we have a much greater strength than either of us had alone.

So often we try to go it alone when that is a poor strategy. When we fail the obvious choice is to blame our weakness. But it is more often our strategy which failed us. There is almost no weakness that cannot be overcome, no strength that cannot be obtained, when we will set our ego aside and ask enough people to join us in working toward our task.

Behold the lesson of the snowflake and stick. Even though each one is weak, their strength is enormous when they bond together.

Who can you bond with to gain the strength you need?
________________________________________________

This article inspired by these two quotes from my children's book  "Building Blocks of Prosperity"

"Sticks in a bundle are unbreakable." Kenyan Proverb

"A snowflake is one of God's most fragile creations, but look what they can do when they stick together."
Author Unknown

Achieving Your Dreams

I thought it might be appropriate, as we begin this new year, this new decade in our lives, to talk about how you are going to achieve your dreams. Hopefully, as this new chapter in your life begins, you DO have a dream?

Typically, New Years Eve is a time when folks make resolutions. They make a promise to themselves that they will change for the better in order to be, have, or do something new. They have a dream.

But sadly, within just a few short weeks, many will have left the path they started out on. They will have fallen back into the habit of their old actions - which can only lead to their old results. Nothing new will come of that.

For it is the universal law that like actions produce like results. The unlocked door will always push out when I push upon it. It will never pull IN when I push OUT. If I want the door to pull in, if want that action to come from the door, I must change my actions. I must cooperate with the door, I must give the door the action it requires in order for it to do what I want it to. Moving the door, or any desire you have, can only be obtained by applying the right action. If you are not now getting what you want, STOP! Stop doing what you are doing. Change your action.

As Gandhi says, "You must be the change you wish to see in the world." We must change ourselves, our actions first, before we can expect the world to change and give us what we want. We must be the first to give.

The train locomotive earned its spot as the first entry in my book because of its enormous power. The locomotive has long been a symbol of ultimate power and force to move. Think of the enormous load of freight cars and passengers it must pull. Can our burden be any greater? I think not.

The limerick goes on to describe in the most simple and revealing terms just how the train locomotive can accomplish such a monumental task. And, believe it or not, what the train locomotive has to do is exactly what you and I have to do if we are to accomplish great things. We must work together, cooperate with the people and physical and mental resources that surround us. They have been put here for our purpose, but only the wise will claim them for their cause.

To begin his mission, the locomotive needs steam to power the engine. To create steam, hot water is required. To get hot water, fuel such as wood is required to create and sustain a hot fire. It takes a team, several elements all working together on the same goal, to create the enormous power of the locomotive.

And it doesn't happen instantly as we often hope when we set off on our dreams. Momentum builds slowly as the team members all work together. Then, as they continue to work together on that one focused goal of getting the train moving, the universe finally rewards them for what they give - with the power of an unstoppable locomotive.

This is how you will achieve unstoppable power too!

The steps again are:

1. Determine clearly what you wish to do.

2. Seek out every helpful resource available.

3. Ask for help from those who can help you.

4. Create a team to work along side you

5. Don't give up

You are the locomotive in your life. Powerful beyond measure.

Your dreams are waiting for you - if you will take action and use the forces of the universe which are only here to help you on your journey.

Remember...

If the door doesn't open when you push, change your action. Pull.