Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
“In times like these, it helps to recall that there have always been times like these.” Paul Harvey
Is the current economic situation brutal and difficult and challenging? Of course it is! But there have always been obstacles to growth, success and happiness. Many say that now is the time to hunker down and wait out the storm, yet there are entrepreneurs and small business owners everywhere who are experiencing unprecedented growth and extraordinary success.
Are there large numbers of businesses failing in today’s economy? Yes! But that has been the case forever. In fact, most businesses do fail – regardless of the economy.
Are there businesses succeeding in today’s economy? Yes! There has never been a better time to succeed and grow a business.
The question then becomes, if there have always been times like these – what are the successful entrepreneurs and business owners doing that the failures are not doing?
Could it be as simple as looking not at the external surroundings and market conditions, but rather, looking within at the opportunities you have to grow and prosper?
How do you look at your business and your entrepreneurial opportunities? Remember, your business has a future. The question is whether that future happens by chance or by choice and since there have always been times like this, you have no time to lose – only time to win! Create your time for success today!
Let me know what you think below!
Ray Stendall
Change is the name of the game and effective change is the result of continuous learning.
What are you doing to create a learning organization?
How are you fostering training, education, meaningful dialogue and deep discussions about principles and strategies that impact your team, group or organization?
The old phrase, “You learn something new every day,” should probably be turned into the question, “Do you learn something new every day?” Do you?
Please share your comments!
Ray Stendall
My dear friends,
I would like to wish you a wonderful and safe NYE. I hold the vision that 2010 will bring you exactly what you want.
I see you being happy and healthy.
I see you filled with prosperity inside and out.
I see you having amazing and fulfilling relationships
Most of all I see you growing and getting closer to your highest potential!
I look forward to our paths crossing and of being of service to you.
Here is a quick video message for you.
Ray
Top Achievers view personal development as a constant and never ending life passion.
Low Achievers consider personal development as drag and not necessary for life success.
Top Achievers believe to their core that learning is a constant state and will be that way until they die. They are intellectually very curious – they want to understand how things work so they can begin the process to identify how things can be made better. The starting point for improving the outside world (i.e. things) is to begin with the inside world. The inside world is a world that is far from being fully discovered. There is an incredible amount of potential and talent within each one of us that the vast majority of people have no idea exists and very few have really started to harvest it.
Top Achievers, because of their curiosity want to understand more about themselves. They want to understand why they think the thoughts they do, the beliefs they have and take action on some things but not others. They want to understand what habits, beliefs, character traits and attitudes leads to success and fulfillment so that they can make the most out of their vacation on earth.
Low Achievers maintain a different view when it comes to personal development. First they tend to believe that education is limited to formal education that is taught through the school system. They fail to realize that school teaches you how to find information and better schools teach you how to analyze ideas into logical conclusions. They realize that there are few schools if any that really cultivate our intellectual assets such as our imagination, intuition, perception, memory, or the will.
Listen to the podcast (6 minutes 16 seconds) and as always would love your feedback below.
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Your Partner in Your Success,
Ray Stendall
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
“If you listen to your fears, you will die never knowing what a great person you might have been.” Robert H. Schuller
It has also been said, “Of all sad words of tongue or pen, the saddest are these – I might have been!”
Fear is an incredible force in your life – fear of failure, fear of rejection and even fear of success can influence your behavior and action. Living by fear is very exhausting and prevents so many from achieving true success and true greatness.
As an entrepreneur or small business owner check your fear quotient and discover what might be holding you back. Also check the fear factor of your employees to see if you are creating a “no-fear” environment where employees can thrive, innovate and excel.
Fear is the great reason we do not live up to our potential. Fear comes from worry and doubt. Worry and Doubt comes from Ignorance which is the lack of knowledge. Identify your fears and trace them back to the knowledge you need to extinguish them. If you do this consistently you will not have to deal with fear. I am of course referring to imaginary fears like speaking in public or buying a house or if you are 5 years old reading this the boogieman in the closet!
If you like what you read register below for future updates.
Your Friend and Partner in Your Success,
Ray Stendall
Dear Friends,
I came across this story from a friend of mine JR who sent it to me so I can share it with all of you. I hope you enjoy it!
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The first day of school our professor introduced himself and challenged us to get to know someone we didn’t already know. I stood up to look around when a gentle hand touched my shoulder.
I turned around to find a wrinkled, little old lady beaming up at me with a smile that lit up her entire being.
She said, ‘Hi handsome. My name is Rose. I’m eighty-seven years old. Can I give you a hug?’
I laughed and enthusiastically responded, ‘Of course you may!’ and she gave me a giant squeeze.
‘Why are you in college at such a young, innocent age?’ I asked.
She jokingly replied, ‘I’m here to meet a rich husband, get married, and have a couple of kids…’
‘No seriously,’ I asked. I was curious what may have motivated her to be taking on this challenge at her age.
‘I always dreamed of having a college education and now I’m getting one!’ she told me.
After class we walked to the student union building and shared a chocolate milkshake.
We became instant friends. Every day for the next three months we would leave class together and talk nonstop. I was always mesmerized listening to this ‘time machine’ as she shared her wisdom and experience with me.
Over the course of the year, Rose became a campus icon and she easily made friends wherever she went. She loved to dress up and she reveled in the attention bestowed upon her from the other students She was living it up.
At the end of the semester we invited Rose to speak at our football banquet. I’ll never forget what she taught us. She was introduced and stepped up to the podium. As she began to deliver her prepared speech, she dropped her three by five cards on the floor.
Frustrated and a little embarrassed she leaned into the microphone and simply said, ‘I’m sorry I’m so jittery. I gave up beer for Lent and this whiskey is killing me! I’ll never get my speech back in order so let me just tell you what I know.’
As we laughed she cleared her throat and began, ‘ We do not stop playing because we are old; we grow old because we stop playing.
There are only four secrets to staying young, being happy, and achieving success. You have to laugh and find humor every day. You’ve got to have a dream. When you lose your dreams, you die
We have so many people walking around who are dead and don’t even know it!
There is a huge difference between growing older and growing up.
If you are nineteen years old and lie in bed for one full year and don’t do one productive thing, you will turn twenty years old. If I am eighty-seven years old and stay in bed for a year and never do anything I will turn eighty-eight.
Anybody can grow older. That doesn’t take any talent or ability. The idea is to grow up by always finding opportunity in change. Have no regrets.
The elderly usually don’t have regrets for what we did, but rather for things we did not do. The only people who fear death are those with regrets.’
She concluded her speech by courageously singing ‘The Rose.’
She challenged each of us to study the lyrics and live them out in our daily lives. At the year’s end Rose finished the college degree she had begun all those years ago.
One week after graduation Rose died peacefully in her sleep….
Over two thousand college students attended her funeral in tribute to the wonderful woman who taught by example that it’s never too late to be all you can possibly be.
When you finish reading this, please send this peaceful word of advice to your friends and family, they’ll really enjoy it!
These words have been passed along in loving memory of ROSE.
REMEMBER, GROWING OLDER IS MANDATORY. GROWING UP IS OPTIONAL.. We make a Living by what we get. We make a Life by what we give.
Universal Energy promises a safe landing, not a calm passage. If Source Energy brings you to it, it will bring you through it.
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What did you think? How does this make you feel? What are you going to do differently based on reading this?
Please comment below
Ray Stendall
Long ago in Korea, before a girl was married, it was very hard for her to leave the house. In fact, many young girls in the noble class were prohibited from leaving their homes.
Back then, most houses were surrounded by walls, almost like large fences. So the girls could go outside but were not allowed outside of these walls. Naturally, they became very curious as to what the world was like on the other side of the walls.
Thus, the Korean seesaw was born….
Children would place a thick board on top of a straw bag or a log for support somewhere in their yard. Then, two people would stand on either side of the board, and going back and forth, they’d take turns jumping.
Every time they were propelled into the air, they could catch a glimpse of the world beyond the walls.
Click here to see just how high they could jump.
Amazing, isn’t it?
But look closely.
Someone has to push down on one side for the other person to see the outside world.
There’s no way to seesaw like this on your own.
I share this analogy with you, because it demonstrates an important point. To achieve anything really worthwhile requires the support of enough good people. Make it your policy to help others to obtain their goals and reach new heights by pushing down on your side of the seesaw, and you’ll see that based on the law of reciprocity they will do the same for you. This may not happen with each and every person you help and that is fine; but more often than not this law will be respected.
What do you think? Please comment below!
Ray Stendall
Your Friend & Partner in Your Success,
PS: Join YourGreatMind and I will send you nuggets of worthwhile material that will make you think!
Have you seen the movie: The Pursuit of Happyness?
This happens to be one of my favorite movies of all time.
The message is simple and often not fully appreciated.
Have you ever had a dream that you did not protect or talk yourself out of?
Being successful in life and business is a decision – it has nothing to do with fate or your destiny. It has everything to do with being clear about what you want and what you plan to give in very definite terms to get it. Many people in life go through the process of living in an automated way. Some never take the time to figure out exactly who they want to be, and what they plan to do, so they can have what they really want.
When you “want something in life …go get it period.”
Watch this clip and then watch the movie… even if you have seen it before (great learning lessons can be found here and if applied can make all the difference in the world).
Share your inner power with me … comment below
Till Next Time,
Your Partner In Your Success,
Ray Stendall
PS: Provide your name and email and I can let you know when I have new blog post that makes you think.
This is a CNN profile of teen who created a $30 Million company, BizChair.com. Sean Belnick had an idea (if you have red Napoleon Hill’s book “Think and Grow Rich” this example will make perfect sense) and the desire to make it work. There is a lot to learn from this great example.
Comment and Show Me Your Alive!
Ray Stendall
This is amazing!! There is a lot we can learn from this little story- share your comments on how this makes you feel and the thoughts that come to mind.
Polar Bear: I come in Peace
Norbert Rosing ‘ s striking images of a wild polar bear coming upon
tethered sled dogs in the wild of Canada ‘ s Hudson Bay.
The photographer was sure that he was going to see the end of his dogs when the
polar bear wandered in..
It ‘ s hard to believe that this polar bear only needed to hug someone!
The Polar Bear returned every night that week to play with the dogs.
May you always have love to share,
Health to spare,
And friends that care
Ray Stendall
Come on board and I will continue to share great posts with you!
Don’t wait for something big to occur. Start where you are, with what you have, and that will always lead you into something greater. Mary Mannin Morrissey
Far too many entrepreneurs miss out on wonderful opportunities because they are waiting for something – a big event, the perfect presentation, the right time, the right circumstances. This is like the anchor leg runner in a relay race standing still waiting for the previous runner to hand him the baton. If he is standing still he will get run over, the baton will be dropped and the race lost.
In order to receive an opportunity you must be running full speed. Then the previous runner can pass the opportunity baton to you in full stride and you can dash toward the goal or finish line.
You or your team members might be saying things like, “I will pick up the pace after this killer quarter is over.” Or, “Once I get past the convention, then I will get organized.” Or, “The moment I get the new presentation I am really going to sell.” If statements like these are floating around your business, it is time to get moving.
In order to succeed you must start where you are, with what you have…
Are you standing still are running hard?
Let’s stay connected and I can let you know when I have a new blog post.
Ray Stendall
