I n cr e a se You r I n com e

I n cr e a se You r I n com e

Rem em ber, t o earn m ore, you m ust learn m ore. Your out er world of result s will always correspond t o your inner world of preparat ion. I 've always loved t he poem by Henry Wadswort h Longfellow where he describes t hose who achieve great t hings w it h t heir lives:

" Those height s by great m en reached and kept w ere not obt ained by sudden flight , but t hey, w hile t heir com panions slept were t oiling upward in t he night "

Rem em ber, cont inuous learning is t he m inim um requirem ent for success in any field.

Now , here are t w o t hings you can do t o put t hese ideas t o w ork in your life im m ediat ely.

First , purchase an audio program t hat can help you t o be happier and m ore effect ive t oday. Begin list ening t o it im m ediat ely. Resolve never t o list en t o m usic in your car w hen you can t urn driving t im e int o learning t im e.

Second, seek out sem inars and t raining program s given by expert s in your field. Sit close t o t he front , t ake careful not es, and apply t he best ideas t hat you learn im m ediat ely.

M a k in g t h e M ost of Ch a n ge

By: Brian Tracy

To deal wit h change, perhaps t he m ost valuable qualit y you can develop is flexibilit y. Form t he habit of rem aining open- m inded and adapt able t o new inform at ion and circum st ances. When t hings go wrong, as t hey som et im es will, inst ead of becom ing upset or frust rat ed, pract ice looking int o t he change or reversal for t he opport unit y or benefit it m ight cont ain.

Superior m en and wom en are invariably t hose who rem ain calm and keep t heir wit s about t hem in t he m idst of unexpect ed t urbulence. They t ake a deep breat h, t hey relax, and t hey assess t he sit uat ion obj ect ively. They keep t hem selves calm and unem ot ional by asking quest ions and seeking inform at ion when t hings don’t work out as t hey expect ed. For exam ple, if som eone doesn’t fulfill a com m it m ent , or if a sale is canceled, or fails t o go t hrough, t hey keep t heir m inds clear and st eady by asking quest ions, such as “ What exact ly happened in t his sit uat ion?” They deal wit h change by focusing on get t ing t he fact s before react ing. They develop t he abilit y t o cut t hrough t he confusion and ask quest ions such as “ Why did t his happen? How did it happen? How serious is it ? Now t hat it has happened, what are t he various t hings we can do?”

Robert Frit z, in his book The Pat h of Least Resist ance, m akes a clear dist inct ion bet ween effect ive people and ineffect ive people. He says t hat ineffect ive people have a t endency t o be in a react ive- responsive m ode of behavior m uch of t he t im e. I nst ead of consciously and deliberat ely choosing t heir courses of act ion, t hey react t o what is going on around t hem , and t hey respond t o t heir em ot ions, som et im es blowing up and som et im es becom ing depressed. They ride an em ot ional roller coast er. And t he very best t hey can hope for, in t his m ode of behavior, is t o get back t o even, where t hey were before t hey becam e upset .

The superior person, according t o Robert Frit z, concent rat es his at t ent ion on his “ fut ure vision.” Whenever an unexpect ed change or set back occurs, t he superior person im m ediat ely focuses his m ind on where he want s t o be at a fut ure t im e. This fut ure vision is som et hing t hat he has planned and given a lot of t hought t o, so it is fairly easy t o conj ure up at a m om ent ’s not ice.

Since your conscious m ind can hold only one t hought at a t im e, when you deliberat ely insist upon t hinking about your goal or your fut ure vision, your m ind im m ediat ely becom es calm and posit ive, and you feel in cont rol. Superior people always choose t he fut ure over t he past . They always ask, “ What do we do now?” rat her t han lose t im e and energy by looking around for som eone t o blam e or crit icize. They keep t hem selves perform ing at t heir best by t hinking and t alking about a desired fut ure st at e.

There is a lit t le poem , “ Two m en looked out t hrough prison bars./ One saw t he m ud; t he ot her saw t he st ars.” You can great ly im prove your abilit y t o deal wit h change by focusing your at t ent ion on t he fut ure, and by seeing t he glass as half- full rat her t han half- em pt y.

The crit ical issue in dealing wit h change is t he subj ect of cont rol. Most of your st ress and unhappiness com es as a result of feeling out of cont rol in a part icular area of your life. I f you t hink about t he t im es or places where you feel t he very best about yourself, you will not ice t hat you have a high degree of cont rol in t hose places. One of t he The crit ical issue in dealing wit h change is t he subj ect of cont rol. Most of your st ress and unhappiness com es as a result of feeling out of cont rol in a part icular area of your life. I f you t hink about t he t im es or places where you feel t he very best about yourself, you will not ice t hat you have a high degree of cont rol in t hose places. One of t he

Psychologist s call t his t he difference bet ween an int ernal locus of cont rol and an ext ernal locus of cont rol. Your locus of cont rol is where you feel t he cont rol is locat ed for a part icular part of your life. A person wit h an ext ernal locus of cont rol feels t hat he is cont rolled by forces out side of him self. Most people feel t hat t hey are cont rolled by t heir boss, or t heir bills, or t heir relat ionships, or t heir childhood experiences, or t heir ext ernal environm ent . When a person has an ext ernal locus of cont rol, he or she feels a high degree of st ress. And wit h an ext ernal locus of cont rol, a person is very t ense and uneasy about change of any kind. Change represent s a t hreat t hat m ay leave t he individual worse off t han before.

On t he ot her hand, t he person wit h an int ernal locus of cont rol enj oys a high degree of self- det erm inat ion. He feels t hat he is very m uch in charge of his life. He plans his work and works his plan. He accept s a high degree of responsibilit y, and he believes t hat everyt hing t hat happens, happens for a reason, and t hat he is t he prim ary creat ive force in his life.

Since t he only t hing over which you have com plet e cont rol is t he cont ent of your conscious m ind, your abilit y t o deal wit h change begins wit h your t aking full, com plet e cont rol over t he t hings you t hink. As Thom as Huxley said, “ Experience is not what happens t o you; it is what you do wit h what happens t o you.” Since change is inevit able and cont inuous, it is how you t hink about what is happening t o you t hat is m ost im port ant in det erm ining how change affect s you, and whet her you use it t o your advant age or let it work t o your disadvant age.

I n his book Celebrat ions of Life, Rene Dubos says t hat we fear change m ore t oday t han ever before, and for less reason. The reason you fear change is because you are afraid t hat you will be worse off as a result . No one fears change t hat im plies im provem ent . For exam ple, if you learned t hat you were going t o have t o change your life- st yle because you had j ust won a lot t ery, t his is not t he kind of change t hat you would avoid or ant icipat e wit h dread. I t is change t hat im plies unpleasant surprises t hat you fear and becom e anxious about because it causes you t o feel t hat you have lost a cert ain am ount of cont rol in t hat part of your life.

Your aim is t o becom e a “ change m ast er,” t o em brace change, t o welcom e change, and t o ride t he t ides of change. You do t his by t aking cont rol of t he direct ion of change in your life and assuring t hat it is predom inat ely posit ive and t oward im provem ent s you desire.

Boat builders know t hat t he deeper t he keel of a sailing vessel, t he m ore st able it will

be in st orm s, squalls and gust s of wind. The sam e holds t rue for you. The deeper your keel, or t he st abilizing fact ors in your life, t he less likely it is t hat you will be blown over, or off course, when unexpect ed change occurs.

You can deepen your keel and increase your st abilit y by set t ing big goals for yourself and m aking clear, writ t en plans for t heir accom plishm ent . Goals enable you t o cont rol t he direct ion of change. Wit h goals, change becom es planned and deliberat e, inst ead of random and haphazard. Goals assure t hat t he changes t hat t ake place in your life are prim arily self- det erm ined and self- direct ed. Wit h clear, specific goals, t he changes t hat t ake place will t end t o be posit ive and m ove you t oward som et hing t hat you want t o achieve, rat her t han blow you off course.

For exam ple, if you are in business or in sales, you will experience a cont inuous series of large and sm all disappoint m ent s and set backs. That is t he nat ure of t he gam e. They are inevit able and unavoidable. Som e t hings work out , and som e t hings don’t . Som et im es you win; som et im es you lose. I n spit e of your best effort s, unexpect ed and unpredict able event s will derail your best - laid plans. This endless process of change and set backs begins when you first ent er int o t he world of work, and it cont inues for t he rest of your life. Problem s, changes are like t he rain  t hey j ust happen.

But if you set clear goals for your work, for your fam ily life and for your personal developm ent , t hen no m at t er what happens, you can concent rat e your t hinking on your goals and t ake a long- t erm view of your current circum st ances. You can, in effect , rise above t he challenges of t he m om ent , and keep your eyes on t he guiding st ars of your life and your m ost cherished dream s.

I f you are in sales, and you are working t oward a series of sales goals, you will be developing a wide range of prospect ive cust om ers. You will be working sim ult aneously on cust om ers who are bot h short - t erm and m edium - t erm , as well as large and sm all prospect s. Meanwhile, you will be working on yourself, t o becom e bet t er and m ore knowledgeable in your field. You will have plans and engage in act ivit ies wit h t he im port ant people in your life. Wit h clear goals, you will be m ult idim ensional rat her t han one- dim ensional. A set back or disappoint m ent in any one part of your life will be quickly offset by t he fact t hat you are busy in m any ot her areas, and you sim ply won’t allow yourself t o invest t oo m uch em ot ional energy in one part icular t hing t hat doesn’t work out t o plan.

Wit h a clear idea of where you’re going and what you want t o accom plish, you develop resilience, which is t he abilit y t o bounce back rat her t han t o break. You develop what is called t he “ hardy personalit y” and becom e t he t ype of person who is resist ant t o t he negat ive em ot ions t hat affect people who have no goals or direct ion.

The first st ep in dealing wit h any change is sim ply t o accept t he change as a realit y. Accept ance is t he opposit e of rej ect ion or resist ance. Accept ance keeps your m ind calm and posit ive. As William Jam es said, “ The st art ing point in dealing wit h any difficult y is t o be willing t o have it so.” The m inut e you accept t hat a change has occurred, and t hat you can’t cry over spilled m ilk, you becom e m ore capable of dealing wit h t he change and t urning it t o your advant age.

One of t he best ways t o deal wit h t he worry t hat is oft en generat ed by unexpect ed changes is t o sit down and answer, on paper, t he quest ion: “ What exact ly am I worrying about ?”

I n m edicine, it is said t hat accurat e diagnosis is half t he cure. When you sit down and define a worry sit uat ion clearly on paper, it suddenly becom es less st ressful t o you, and it will oft en resolve it self. I n any case, when it is clearly defined, you have diagnosed it , and you can now do som et hing about it .

The second st ep is t o ask yourself, “ What is t he worst possible t hing t hat can happen in t his worry sit uat ion?” Much worry and st ress com es from t he refusal t o face what m ight happen as a result of your difficult y or problem . When you clearly define t he worst possible out com e, and writ e it down next t o t he definit ion of t he problem , you will find t hat , what ever it is, you can handle it . Oft en your worries will begin t o evaporat e as soon as you have clearly det erm ined t he worst t hat m ight happen as a result .

Now decide t o accept t he worst possible out com e should it occur. Ment ally resolve t hat , even if t he worst possible consequences ensue from t his sit uat ion, it will not be t he end of t he world for you. You will accept it and carry on. I n fact , it could probably

be a lot worse. The very act of accept ing t he worst possible out com e com plet es t he cycle of elim inat ing from your m ind t he st ress and anxiet y associat ed wit h t he sit uat ion.

You are now ready for t he t hird st ep in dealing wit h change, and t hat is t o adj ust your behaviors and act ions t o t he new sit uat ion. Ask yourself, “ What are all t he t hings I can do t o m ake sure t hat t he worst possible out com e does not occur?” Som et im es we call t his “ dam age cont rol.” I n t he business schools, t his is an im port ant part of decision m aking, and it is called t he “ m ini- m ax regret solut ion.” What can you do t o m inim ize t he m axim um dam age t hat can occur from an unexpect ed change or set back? As you begin t hinking of all t he t hings you can do, you are adj ust ing your m ind t o t he new inform at ion and preparing t o t ake st eps t o deal wit h t he change effect ively.

The final part of t his four- st ep m et hod for dealing wit h change is t o im prove on t he exist ing sit uat ion. Oft en, a change signals t hat your plans are incom plet e or t hat you m ight be heading in t he wrong direct ion. Serious changes, which seem ingly creat e real problem s, are oft en signals t hat you are on t he wrong t rack. There is an old saying, “ Crisis is change t rying t o t ake place.” I f, inst ead of resist ing change, like a pine t ree t hat snaps in a st rong wind, you bend wit h change, like a willow t ree, you will oft en find t hat t he change is a healt hy and posit ive st ep t oward achieving your goals.

W. Clem ent St one, t he founder of Com bined I nsurance Com pany of Am erica, is fam ous for his at t it ude of being an “ inverse paranoid.” He is convinced t hat everyt hing t hat happens is part of a conspiracy t o help him t o be m ore successful. Whenever som et hing unexpect ed occurs, he im m ediat ely says, “ That ’s good! ” and t hen looks int o t he sit uat ion t o find out exact ly what is good about it .

I f you look int o any change, you will always find som et hing good and beneficial for you in t he change. Look for t he valuable lesson cont ained wit hin every set back. What is t he hidden advant age t hat you can t urn t o your benefit ? I s t his change a signal t hat , if properly responded t o, will save you a m uch bigger change or problem in t he fut ure? Since your m ind can hold only one t hought at a t im e, as I m ent ioned, if you force yourself t o look for t he posit ive aspect of any change, you’ll keep your m ind clear, and you’ll keep your at t it ude opt im ist ic and confident .

Vikt or Frankl said t hat t he last great freedom of m an is t he freedom t o choose his at t it ude under any given set of circum st ances. You cannot cont rol what happens t o you, but you can cont rol your at t it ude t oward what happens t o you, and in t hat , you will be m ast ering change rat her t han allowing it t o m ast er you.

The m ark of a superior person is what is called “ t olerance for am biguit y.” This sim ply m eans t hat you have t he capacit y t o deal effect ively in a rapidly changing sit uat ion. The higher up you go  t he great er your incom e and responsibilit ies, t he higher your st at us and posit ion  t he fast er t he rat e of change will be around you. At every st age, it will be your abilit y t o funct ion wit h calm ness, clarit y and quiet assurance t hat will m ark you as t he kind of person who is going places in life. I n t he final analysis, your abilit y t o perform effect ively in a world of ongoing change is t he t rue m easure of how well- developed a person you really are. And t he keys are t o accept change, t o adj ust t o change, t o im prove upon change, and t hen t o m ove on t o t he next sit uat ion. As you The m ark of a superior person is what is called “ t olerance for am biguit y.” This sim ply m eans t hat you have t he capacit y t o deal effect ively in a rapidly changing sit uat ion. The higher up you go  t he great er your incom e and responsibilit ies, t he higher your st at us and posit ion  t he fast er t he rat e of change will be around you. At every st age, it will be your abilit y t o funct ion wit h calm ness, clarit y and quiet assurance t hat will m ark you as t he kind of person who is going places in life. I n t he final analysis, your abilit y t o perform effect ively in a world of ongoing change is t he t rue m easure of how well- developed a person you really are. And t he keys are t o accept change, t o adj ust t o change, t o im prove upon change, and t hen t o m ove on t o t he next sit uat ion. As you