The Harboring of Resentment is Fatal
I read the catch phrase ‘harboring of resentment is fatal’ more than twenty some years ago and have come to understand that it’s something that the world needs to pay attention to, especially now. It’s like the world has been turned upside down some days and seems like everyone handles things differently. They are never seeing the ripple effect or impact it may have down the road. Resentment according to Wikipedia’s definition is as follows: Resentment is the experience of a negative emotion felt as a result of a real or imagined wrong done. Etymologically, the word originates from French “ressentir“, re-, intensive prefix, and sentir “to feel”; from the Latin “sentire“. The English word has become synonymous with anger, spite, and bitterness. Therefore one can only conclude that a life that includes deep resentment leads only to futility and unhappiness. Doesn’t sound very appealing when you put it that way now does it?
Futility and unhappiness bring disastrous consequences: negative emotions. Also issues that I had no control over. Resentments have been a colossal waste of time. They have robbed me of joy. They have held me back.
When I have resentments it has shut me off from important things, like learning new things, or meeting a new friend. I started tackling my list of them years ago. I wanted nothing to hamper the maintenance and growth of my spirituality. They say that having numerous resentments gives you the feeling of being unwell and unloved. It is that insane thinking that just leads to more insane thinking… I think you get the picture.
There were many moments in 2009 when I went to see my high school friends at a reunion. More than thirty years had passed and with it came much joy and laughter. The flipside however, was not looking so good. You see resentment had created somewhat of a physical poison in my body, and there was someone in particular I didn’t especially want to see there. I went as far as wanting the committee not to invite him at all even though I’d been told he had really changed. Yeah, right. Who’s really changed I thought? Most of the changes take place on a physical rather than an emotional level. Or could I be all wrong about this?
When I think about what I’ve learned over the years about resentment I know that the first lesson is that they cannot be cleared up until we know we have them and why. What’s the second lesson? I have made myself vulnerable to the outside world to an extraordinary extent. Our entire self-concept has been molded by the opinions and actions of others. It’s also our old way of thinking as to what we ought to be and what we were.
It was necessary for me to be willing to let go of the resentment in the first place. And timing is everything. I must forgive the person I had resented for all these years. I merely accepted the fact that right now that I was going to have to do it!
I live my life now on a different basis and it is one based on trust. The changed that happened inside me was that of looking at others with a kind and tolerant view. The art of forgiveness is putting out of our minds the wrongs others had done and looked instead at our own mistakes. I had to think if I had we been selfish, dishonest, self-seeking or frightened? No situation has been entirely my fault, but I needed to look at my part, not to take someone else’s inventory.
The question of how to approach the person we had problems with can be a tricky one. Sometimes they have done me more harm than we can imagine. Now when I think about the reunion that night it was there I encountered the junior high school bully. I came face to face with him and he kissed me on the cheek as if we were old friends. I had no idea what to do, so I avoided the confrontation altogether. Many had a field day with him at the reunion how he had hurt them, I thought, why join in on this, it would not serve any purpose? It wasn’t worth it to me. I had more important people I wanted to see, to get caught up with and I did.
Six months later, as fate would have it I ran into him, it was a one in a million chance and it would never come again. An awkward moment to say the least, and we discussed what happened years ago and I apologized for not talking to him when I saw him, and promptly forgave him. It wasn’t as difficult as I thought it would be, either. As a matter of fact, it was easy. The timing was perfect.
The bottom line was I had acquired a better attitude toward him. Many are not keen about admitting their faults, mine that day was to merely forgive him and not get into the why and what was the reason behind his thinking. It was a mutually beneficial experience, and one of the most gratifying experiences I’d ever had. I had a forgiving spirit that day. Under no condition did I want to criticize him or argue. I simply had the conviction to just let it go. And so I did. It felt good.
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What Drives Tim Ferriss, And Why’s He So Relentless?
When asked to define relentless it means: steady and persistent. It could just as easily be the adjective that describes Tim Ferris. Who else but Tim Ferris could ever conceive the notion of writing a book called the 4-Hour Workweek? Released in 2007, it’s a semi-autobiographical self-help book that gives you the freedom to Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich. Tim Ferriss is an American writer, educational activist, and entrepreneur and he’s promoting his second best seller “The 4-Hour Body: An Uncommon Guide to Rapid Fat-Loss, Incredible Sex, and Becoming Superhuman.” Highlights include how to skip the gym and gain 34 pounds of muscle in 28 days by doing kettle bell workouts.
But what you may not know about Tim Ferris is that he never gave up. The 4-Hour Workweek was actually rejected by 26 publishers before someone decided to take it on. When asked why the 27th publisher finally said yes, they replied ‘no reason.’ They just figured he was the right guy to do something with his book!
In The 4-Hour Workweek Tim uses the acronym DEAL for the four main chapters, Definition, Elimination, Automation and Liberation. He’s highly regarded in the world of publishing as the man who is on a mission to warn us against information overload, “selective ignorance” and has coined the phrase “lifestyle design.”
Timothy Ferriss he makes a lot of bold claims: “How do you create a hands-off business that generates $80,000 a month with no management? It’s all here.” Tim’s taken then literary world by storm from lessons learned through the Pareto Principle (80-20 Rule) and Parkinson’s Law: he streamlined both his business and personal life, eliminating distractions and automating systems until it was not only more profitable, but also took less of his time. Then he took a mini-retirement…
It no secret that everyone has strengths and weaknesses. Tim chooses to believe that everything rewarding and profitable comes from enhancing your strengths. What’s his philosophy? Emphasize your strengths, don’t fix weaknesses, he believes most people are good at a handful of things and miserable at most. What is more fun leveraging your strengths or attempting to fix all the chinks in your armor? The answer is quite obvious…
Tim Ferriss was virtually unknown before writing The 4-Hour Workweek. Like many, he had a soul-sucking sales job at a tech firm that wasn’t fulfilling. He thought he could do better by starting his own business [BrainQUICKEN out of San Jose, CA], but that too, left him drained. As fate would have it he decided to write a book that would be non-fiction. Funny thing was he became a first-time author who didn’t just write a book, but rather a bestseller. And then, the impossible happened, and a lifelong dream came true. He was simultaneously #1 on the New York Times and #1 on the Wall Street Journal business bestseller lists for 3 months.
I just love how he shatters conventional wisdom. He challenges people’s thinking by showing them ways to optimize their lives.
He’s a relatively young entrepreneur and author who became a multi millionaire before the age of 33. He teaches us how to reboot our lives. Challenging us how to think outside of the box he poses the question: “How is it possible that all the people in the world need exactly eight hours to accomplish their work? It isn’t. Nine to five is arbitrary.” Tim teaches us to use technology more effectively, and more importantly to make more effective decisions.
Tim announced that he would be donating 10% of all author royalties to educational charities such a www.Donorschoose.org online charity connecting you to classrooms in need. To date there are over 16,000 project requests currently in need of funding in the public school system.
Tim’s The 4-Hour Workweek has been sold into 35 languages. According to Technorati: he’s one of the top 1000 blogs in the world, Huffington Post is delighted to reveal: #1 most-linked-to blog in the world and of course Wired.com’s reveals that he’s the greatest self promoter in the world. Thousands of readers have shared their own amazing tools and tricks, producing phenomenal and unexpected results from his blog. The outpouring of “love” prompted him to revise and update a 2009 version to include case studies from families, students and CEO’s.
So go ahead and live out your dreams that you’ve postponed for “some day.” What’s the worst that could happen? Tim believes when you begin to see the infinite possibilities outside of your current comfort zone, you begin to soar. Afterall, Monopoly, Apple, Cliff Bar, KFC, Domino’s Pizza, Fedex and Microsoft were born in the recession. It’s time, my friends to get busy…
The best news that’s out there today: there is an affordable solution that addresses the issues of financial prosperity and it’s found in WMI. The amazing people there can show you a brighter future one that is true to yourself, and your family. The programs give you the ability to really love the life that you have and be happy with the life that you have created. For more information please feel free to click on the link for a very special wealth opportunity
Does Your Blog Have Charisma?
Many blogs out there are functional, and present just the facts, but if someone asked yourself the question: is your blog charismatic? In all honesty, how would you answer that question? If you create a web presence that charms visitors then it only stands to reason that your visitors ultimately become customers. The term charisma is derived from the Greek word meaning “favor given” or “gift of grace.” According to The New Oxford Dictionary it also has two senses 1) compelling attractiveness or charm that can inspire devotion in others and 2) a divinely conferred power or talent. Either way it should be a necessity for any site, especially yours!
When we think of the word ‘charisma’ we often think of people that have these magical qualities. What is it about them that’s so magnetic? They seem to have this star quality and it’s immediately apparent when they walk into a room. And then I got to thinking why not apply these star qualities to the site? Charisma is a personal quality that gives an individual influence or authority over large numbers of people. So clearly, it is in your best interest for your site to have functional charisma.
The joy in having your own website is the ability to be able to attract, charm and influence your visitors to buy your products and services. Make sure your website has energy, action, and a compelling way to engage visitors. The goodness will always shine through.
How can anyone gauge the power of charisma? Marketing has and will always be about connecting with your prospects. Many websites have the ability to attract and charm your visitors and prospects, these are the same ones that have the power to influence them. If your website has the ability to influence your visitors, then they will buy from you.
In order to influence your visitors they first need to be able to find it.
1. Get Found
Your customers are everywhere, and they are all over the world. They just haven’t found the path to your door, yet. In order to get found it’s best to have an active presence in the marketplace. You need to be present. People are looking for your goods and services, they look for you on Google, so it makes perfect sense that people will be looking for you on Page One.
Find out where your target market hangs out. They may be on Facebook, Twitter, and Digg as well as other social media networks. They use search engines to find answers to their problems. When you establish an active presence on social media networks and write articles for publications through internet distribution sites you will establish credibility as well as a presence.
2. Connect
Charisma is all about having a personal connection with your website visitors. When you write a blog monthly, weekly or more often and invite visitors to comment you start to develop amazing friendships. Creating an e-book is something that you can offer your visitors for free. It’s a point of connection that increases your chances of developing a relationship with your audience.
3. Engage
When the comments that people add to your blog articles you can create a two-way communication by replying them thereby engaging others to get more involved in the conversation. Create a contest, and offer free tickets to an event. Invite your visitors to send in stories and photos of how their lives have changed because of using your product or service. Testimonials are one of the best ways to engage your visitors. It gives them a chance to talk about their experience with your product or service.
4. Convert
The power of your website can convert casual visitors into paying customers. If you have connected with and engaged your visitors, chances are they now hold you and your company in the highest regard. When they look at you as an expert, a thought leader and a solution provider to their challenges you are able to build their trust. When you stay top of mind with your site visitors and they will most likely buy from you.
The best news that’s out there today: there is an affordable solution that addresses the issues of financial prosperity and it’s found in WMI. The amazing people there can show you a brighter future one that is true to yourself, and your family. The programs give you the ability to really love the life that you have and be happy with the life that you have created. For more information please feel free to click on the link for a very special wealth opportunity
Relentless: How Roger Ebert Finally Found His Voice
I saw the most amazing video on TED: Ideas worth spreading the other day. It was filmed in February 2011 and posted this month. I’m talking about legendary film critic Roger Ebert, who is a well-loved and respected man. I have followed his career for decades and loved watching him At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert years ago. His partnership with Gene was a long standing one lasting upwards of more than two decades. These days he has a lot to be grateful for and lives his life quite differently.
Years ago Forbes described him as “the most powerful pundit in America.” And then everything changed with the blink of an eye. As many of you know he lost his voice to thyroid cancer. But it never slowed him down, he’s a relentless man with loads of love to give, intelligence and his passion for communicating still left to share. He found another life, a virtual one on Twitter and his blog, where he writes about creativity, race, politics and culture — and as brilliantly as ever about film.
He says: “These are my words, but this is not my voice. This is Alex. The best computer voice I’ve been able to find which comes as standard equipment on every Macintosh. For most of my life I never gave a thought to my ability to speak. It was like breathing. In those days I was living in a fool’s paradise. After surgeries for cancer took away my ability to speak, eat or drink, I was forced to enter this virtual world in which a computer would sum up my living for me. For several days now we have enjoyed brilliant and articulate speakers here at TED. I used to be able to talk like that. Maybe I wasn’t as smart but I was as talkative. I want to devote my talk today to the act of speaking itself and how the act of speaking or not speaking is so indelible to one’s identity.”
This marked the beginning of his incredible speech. Roger was on stage with his wife, trial attorney Charlie “Chaz” Hammel-Smith and two other friends who read his words for much of the “talk.” He tells us his story about developing cancer and the surgeries that followed. He had a number of serious bleeds from his carotid artery, which were so serious he is lucky to be alive. He’s a survivor. So how did he move from being a film critic to one who had no voice? He found his voice by using new technology that’s so state of the art.
The digital age has come a long way and through it, Facebook, Twitter and Blogging have given Roger Ebert a means to communicate. The internet has allowed him to write and communicate all over the world and to be treated as an equal. His disability is not apparent to those who know and love him. With the love of patience of his wife he has the ability to become honest about what he needs, and takes nothing for granted.
Roger’s talk was very emotional. He also uses mime to express his feelings. He shows us just how much he loves his wife Chaz. She has stood by him through thick and thin. They love each other. When I watched the video I cried. I’m sure I was not alone. The human spirit is so powerful. There is truly much to be said about the need to communicate. The digital age has so much power to liberate us and to allow many of us, for so many different reasons, to have a voice.
The best news that’s out there today: there is an affordable solution that addresses the issues of financial prosperity and it’s found in WMI. The amazing people there can show you a brighter future one that is true to yourself, and your family. The programs give you the ability to really love the life that you have and be happy with the life that you have created. For more information please feel free to click on the link for a very special wealth opportunity
Salesforce.com Foundation: A Corporate Social Responsibility Strategy That Works!
These days building a values-driven business is a no brainer, just ask salesforce.com’s Foundation’s creator Marc Benioff and he’ll tell you all about it. You see philanthropy starts with an idea, and he developed a great strategy around giving. He needed to decide what issue or issues the company will be addressing and why, and what form will the philanthropy take. He thought about how the philanthropy would be accomplished, and what would be the long-term goal. He also wondered how will it all fit into the company’s core values. His vision became clear: to use salesforce.com’s people, technology and relationships to improve our communities, inspire youth to be more successful, support the world during times of extreme need, and promote compassionate capitalism.
On March 16, 2011 his foundation pledged a $50,000 matching grant for donations made to the Red Cross through Causes.com. The following day saw the Salesforce.com Foundation partnered with the Miner Foundation to increase their match to $100,000.
Some companies have their goals written into a clear mission statement that serves as the business’s moral compass and salesforce.com’s approach is truly innovative. CEO and Co-Founder Marc Benioff integrated the salesforce.com corporate social responsibility strategy in 1999. The salesforce.com Foundation – is focused on leveraging people, products and services to strengthen communities, based on Benioff’s 1/1/1 model.
The company gives their employees six paid days to perform community service, donating 1% of their time to the community, and the company donates 1% of its product and 1% of its equity to the foundation. According to the latest figures posted on their website, they have contributed over 241,880 in volunteer hours, have served over 10,230 organizations and have donated more than $21 million to charitable causes. Salesforce.com supports organizations that are working to make the world a better place.
What is interesting is that all successful philanthropic endeavors have something in common: they are built steadily over time. The greatest impact for the organizations that are involved see the development of positive, lasting relationships between both the companies and their communities.
What are the benefits and associated with this type of philanthropy? Well for one thing successful projects reflect well on the business, which could influence consumers and clients who are constantly making choices in the marketplace. Essentially, the marketplace is a tool to create wealth and resources that can be distributed back through the community to solve daily challenges that exist. So far it seems to have paid off in handsome dividends for everyone!
The best news that’s out there today: there is an affordable solution that addresses the issues of financial prosperity and it’s found in WMI. The amazing people there can show you a brighter future one that is true to yourself, and your family. The programs give you the ability to really love the life that you have and be happy with the life that you have created. For more information please feel free to click on the link for a very special wealth opportunity
Brand Autopsy: The Lovemarks Effect
What makes some brands inspirational, while others struggle?
The answer Lovemarks: The future beyond brands. Lovemarks for those of you who are not familiar with Kevin Roberts, CEO Worldwide, Saatchi & Saatchi is a book that came out in 2004. Roberts was the inventor and promoter of lovemarks and became quite the fire-starter, when in 2006 he blew new life into JC Penney contract to the tune of $430 million dollars.
We can talk about brands all we want. Lovemark Thinking is what you need. Back in the day it used to be that the manufacturers held all the cards. Then the retailers became the big power brokers, and now it’s the consumer. The consumer has had the power for years. That’s nothing new. Consumers are highly intelligent, they will not be manipulated and know what they like. No company today can hide behind their brand. These days, brands have to be authentic and true. If your corporation is not socially responsible, ethically responsible or environmentally responsible (green), you are going to be challenged.
If the America is the land of entrepreneurship, innovation and ideas where did all the love go? How can we even think about love? Isn’t the business world all driven by numbers? Apparently it is, or should I say it was. We took a lot of well-known brands that made us this country great and exported them. Among them are Coke, McDonald’s, Starbucks, Hollywood and Disney. Is there anything that we haven’t exported? GULP!
When asked what is the difference between a great brand and one that’s merely good? Roberts said “I love the concept of it. Great brands are ones you can really trust like Tide. You can always count on Tide. It will never let you down.” The way advertising works has changed. It’s changed so much you can’t even recognize it it’s all about the attention economy now. The Attention Economy is a marketplace where consumers agree to receive services in exchange for their attention. Examples include personalized news, personalized search, alerts and recommendations to buy. It’s about consumers having choice – they get to choose where their attention is ‘spent’.
Another key ingredient in the attention game is relevancy. What I mean by this is as long as the consumer sees relevant content they are going to stick around. And that creates more opportunities to sell. In the attention economy consumers want something new, and personalization is everything. When a company does their research, and crafts a personal message – it must be one that is detailed and sincere at directed at the consumer. After all we are the ones who are buying it.
Whatever happened to finding the “sweet spots,” you know what I’m talking about… it’s the place where marketers develop meaningful connections with interested consumers. If the true purpose of social media is to use new technology to facilitate the exchange of ideas, promote new products and foster brand, then who has actually mastered this? Finding these sweet spots takes time, but this type of investment can pay long-term dividends in trust and increased sales.
For many successful companies, corporate social responsibility (CSR) is no longer just a boardroom buzzword, but a key to business. CSR has also helped with major PR problems, think about BP’s oil spill. It’s great to know that companies are finally being held accountable.
It can be easy to deny or ignore the value of ethical responsibility in business, but more and more often, signs of the value stakeholders place on ethical business are being revealed. Businesses have been hit hard by the weak economy, but many companies on have managed to outperform other companies on the S&P 500. Deere & Co. has been in business since 1837, and currently operates in three areas: agriculture and turf, construction and forestry, and credit. It’s winning financially when it comes to outperforming the competition.
Environmentally responsible (or green) companies include ones that have an actual environmental footprint, a management of that footprint (including policies and strategies) and a reputation among environmental experts. The best example of this is Dell. Michael Dell, the chairman and CEO believes “The efficiencies we can all achieve through the use of greener products, solutions, services and programs should be an integral part of every corporate culture.” It’s no wonder the energy efficiency of its products, has helped customers save more $5 billion in energy costs since 2006.
So it’s time to get back to basics and stand out from the crowd, get noticed, zig when others zag. Kevin Roberts is so glad he did!
At WMI they are totally committed having a great existence on this planet, great family relationships, having great friendships, being a leader in your community, and having phenomenal health. Now isn’t it time you took control of your future and your destiny? For more information please feel free to click on the link for a very special wealth opportunity
Dorothy Hamill on Surviving Cancer: An Inspirational Woman
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, but it’s June right now and I can’t wait that long to get the word out. A few years back there was new Cancer Project public service announcement, by none other than Olympic figure skater and breast cancer survivor Dorothy Hamill. Many remember her as “America’s sweetheart,” when in 1976, she was the vivacious 19-year-old who won an Olympic gold medal for her dazzling figure skating at the Winter Games in Innsbruck, Austria. But how many know that she’s a breast cancer survivor?
These days Dorothy’s focus has taken quite a different spin, she encourages people to eat a plant-based diet to protect themselves from the deadly disease of breast cancer. It’s a proven fact that a lifestyle change to a low-fat, vegetarian diet actually fights breast cancer and other forms of the disease.
“Your body is an instrument of expression—and mine still has a lot to say.” says Hamill. There’s Cancer Project’s The Cancer Survivor’s Guide available free of charge and it’s all about putting healthy foods to work fighting cancer. The most important discovery I personally made researching this article was that the Women’s Intervention Nutrition Study (WINS) has shown that breast cancer survivors who cut their fat intake and increase their fruit and vegetable intake reduce their recurrence rate by 24 percent. For survivors with estrogen-receptor-negative tumors, the reduction is 42 percent. And those in itself are pretty impressive statistics.
Inducted into the Olympic Hall of Fame and the Figure Skating Hall of Fame in 2007, Dorothy was diagnosed with breast cancer, thankfully she recovered and has returned to her life’s passion, skating.
Did you know that plant-based diets promote cancer prevention and survival? The Cancer Project two new resources are contain life saving information: the second edition of Healthy Eating for Life: Food Choices for Cancer Prevention and Survival has great sections on “Food Choices for Cancer Prevention and Survival,” “Building Your Strength Against Cancer,” “Surviving Cancer,” and “Making Healthy Diet Changes,” as well as recipes and references.
There is an Educational Alliance Program that offers organizations and institutions support to bring the message of the value of a healthy diet for cancer prevention and survival to your community. The Cancer Project’s innovative resources and the proven nutrition education and cooking class curriculum is incorporated into their institutions’ existing programs, classes, or service offerings.
At WMI they are totally committed having a great existence on this planet, great family relationships, having great friendships, being a leader in your community, and having phenomenal health. Now isn’t it time you took control of your future and your destiny? For more information please feel free to click on the link for a very special wealth opportunity
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